This year for my eager-to-learn-to-sew niece, I thought that the super cute and super sweet "Modkid" dolls from Patty Young, would be a great beginners project and birthday present for her. Little did I know that it was perhaps not the best thing for an eight year old "rookie" to start off with, but thank goodness Grandma came through.
It really was so sweet that my niece's first thought was to give one to her younger sister and the other to her best friend. But after all the sewing and stuffing, they were left a little "bare", one could say. So, I decided that every girl needs a pretty dress to make her feel good about herself. A few scraps, snip, snip, humm, hummm, and tadahh! Two reversible dresses for their newest friends.
Oh, what fun! Now, what beats having one beautiful dress to make a gal feel good?....TWO!
November is a really big month for me as far as celebrating things...
Just a few days ago I was looking for post that I had written a really long time ago. After I had found it, I happened to glace down at the date and then it hit me... I am now two years old! (in blog years at least) I guess it never really dawned on me how long I've been at it.
... and it was also in November, just four short years ago, that I left everything that I once knew as home and said "yes" not only to my husband, but to Deutschland as well. Some days have seemed longer than others, but the years have seemed to have flown by.
... and let's not forget about the "tastiest" celebration of the month... the ever loved, ever talked about "Turkey Day"... oh, my. There's just so MUCH to be thankful about!
... so, in celebration of celebrating things, do you think that you might find reason to celebrate with these babies hangin' in your ears?
Just tell me about one of your birthday celebrations, an anniversay memory (of any kind), or your favorite holiday celebration (Oh, please in German too... that is if you can speak German) and these just might land in your mailbox (start the celebration dancing now!) I'll announce the winner December 6th!
I can remember back to my university Marketing class, hearing story after story about how a company cannot simply take one marketing strategy and apply it everywhere. Several businesses learned the hard way and one tale that stood out was about the Chevy Nova in the 70's... it took a while to catch on that perhaps their car was not selling so well in Mexico because "No-va" in Spanish means "no-go".
So, needless to say, I have learned that not everything that works in the States also works here in Germany. Each person is influenced by their surroundings, things in their own culture that affect the way they see things... even right down to fabric!I just recently got in the new collection "Pretty Bird" from Pillow & Maxfield for Michael Miller and let me say, I really love these new to the scene designers... the friends design team really adds a playful, bright, and cheerful twist to each of their fabric collections, and though I say it about every fabric collection that I get in, my fingers are itching for this one.
But a recent conversation helped me to see the collection in a new light. I'm sure that there are some commercials or advertising from when we were children that one immediately recognizes and remembers and connects one thing with another... "mmm, mmm, ...good" (Campbell's soup)... "hey, Mikey likes it!" (Life cereal) "I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony..." (Coca-Cola)... just a few for me.... so the new fabric collection for my friend was a bit of a nostalgic blast from the past from an advertising campaign of a dish washing detergent company that, to promote their brand, included funny little retro stickers that one could stick to EVERYTHING... I think I might have even found one in our old kitchen before we remodeled.So, what I randomly picked because I fell in love with the fantastic design, just happens to remind another of a childhood memory about dish soap...
... here's to celebrating the joys of different cultures!
A few weekends ago, I decided instead of a lonely weekend home alone, that I would pack the little one up and we would travel to be with my husband while he was working. Following him lead us out into the country, where the land is flat and one finds little more than fields and forests. Somehow the air is fresher, the quiet is more still, and one can sink into a deeper sense of awareness and reflection. Sometimes the simple way of life in the country can be an adventure for me... especially in a country that I have only called "home" for just a few years.
Sunday afternoon, with it's clear and crisp fall weather, lured us into the forest for a mushroom hunt. Wicker baskets in hand and stroller in tote, four generations set out to scour the forest floor for a few tasty treats for our evening meal. I would probably have to say that mushroom hunting is not so common for families in the States, but for many who call the countryside home in Germany, it is a wonderful yearly fall tradition.
For my husband it is the wide open flat fields filled with grains as far as the eye can see that speaks to the most inner part of his soul, but for me it is the forests that remind me of home. Somehow canopies of lush trees that fill the air with hearty, wooded aromas bring me to a place of inner peace. The tall pines were almost speaking, welcoming us as they creaked from swaying back and forth ever so slightly with the soft wind. Birds and other creatures create their own music and one is ever anticipating that glimpse of some great creature making it's way through the forest.
We even stumbled onto a big patch of "Fliegenpilze" (flying mushrooms) with their vibrant red caps that warn, that despite their beauty, of the danger that could follow should their enticing offerings be consumed. I have seen these funny little mushrooms, known for their red caps and white dots, over all here, certain that they were linked to some kind of folklore or fairytale that is well known in Germany. I really would really love to hear more stories about them! (Hint, hint...)
There is something so absolutely fulfilling from gathering from the land that which nature has provided and using it to sustain life... and oh, what a tasty treat it was!
What fall traditions are especially close to your heart?
It really was so sweet that my niece's first thought was to give one to her younger sister and the other to her best friend. But after all the sewing and stuffing, they were left a little "bare", one could say. So, I decided that every girl needs a pretty dress to make her feel good about herself. A few scraps, snip, snip, humm, hummm, and tadahh! Two reversible dresses for their newest friends.
Oh, what fun! Now, what beats having one beautiful dress to make a gal feel good?....TWO!
