making again

Well I finally am making again! phew what a relief! Crafting, oh how I have missed you. and farbric? oh baby!

These scarves are really popular here in Berlin and since the weather has started turning, they now have a real practical application. Warmth. Since the ones in the shops are 15 euro and are really just a square of fabric anyway, I made one for myself.

It was embarrassingly easy with no sewing required (which is important since I am machine-less). I just bought one metre of fabric from the Turkish markets (1.50 baby!) and cut it into a giant square. Then I cut fringe around the edges and tied a knot at the end of each fringe piece. Tying a heap of little knots was a little tiresome but perfect monkey work to do in front of a DVD.

I heard of a little sewing cafe in my area where one can go and pay 5 eruos an hour to sew in a communal atmosphere. Naturally machines are provided, but also thread and advice from the people. Great eh? Richt now I can only afford to sew on an as needed basis. but I can see some much needed pillow cases in my future.

Many changes around here. New job in a bilingual kindergarten, new German course starting up, moving again soon, and we head off to Italy for a long weekend on Thursday. I will take photos. :)

have a good one folks!
oxKimberlee

what to wear for winter...

So it looks like we may stay out the winter here, though I can't say for sure yet. But I decided I must get into the survival mindset. The Berlin winters are notoriously cold and since I have spent the last 6 winters in Auckland where the jack frost rarely comes to call (and snow? never!), I am reaching down into my Minnesotan childhood roots and reminding myself, Yes! I can do this! It's in my blood.

And I am not just whistling dixie! Once I spent the night sleeping in self built ice/snow fort on our frozen high school football field as part of winter survival assignment. This is where I come from! so I should be able to do the Berlin Winter.....right?

Okay self pep talk over.
If memories along can't prepare me, I know winter fashion can. What better thing to usher in the season than thick winter tights, high leather boots, snugly knits, and nice warm coat to bundle up in? So I have turned to my favourite fashion blogs to find the inspiration I need....

HEL- LOOKS from Helsinki Finland is by far my favourite street fashion blog. The mix of designer, self made, and second hand clothes best reflects how real creatives dress. and I love the Wacky colours. I would pretty much be stoked to look half as good as any of these winter gals.







The Satoralist who I think everyone knows by now is a bit more classic and high fashion, but there are some real gems in there. Yellow coat & strippy socks=win!



Some Girls Wonder is the fashion journal of Inside Black Apple where she regularly models her own amazing vintage wardrobe and gives top tips about finding original and vintage styled clothing.





Cherry Blossom Girl is a French fashion journal of a young woman or so I believe. Since I am not so hot on the French front, I am not completely sure how it works. From what I gather she gets sent a lot of vintage and designer clothes to model and then goes to different places around the world or amazing dreamlike locations in France and then does photo shoots with said clothes. Yeah, I know. Some people's lives, right? Her blog is very much about getting lost in a fairytale.



So now I feel a bit more mentally prepared for winter. Phew.
I leave you with a photo from hel-looks. It may be a bit much but she's certainly NOT getting cold anytime soon.

xoKimberlee

it's about time

animal print scarf

vintage patchwork scarf

vintage rose garden scarf

Yes it is about time that I added some things to our etsy. Its been ages which is why I am so lucky that my fantastic crafting partner is so on top of things (thank you Lies for keeping the shop going!).

It is indeed summer here and I am trying to embrace the fact that summer and Christmas go together in this part of the world. The last couple of years I have stuck to my motto of "its not reeeeallly Christmas." Well guess what, it is. And it's about time I got used to it. Sunny days, bright colours, breezy scarves, and Christmas!

-k

I sing of summer

The good news is out! I have been sitting on Lies' secret for several weeks now, and I am so so glad everyone knows! now we can all talk about it, and you did! thanks for the comments... woo-hoo! I can't wait for the new little one to get here.

Today, some sure signs of summer:
This shadow was on my floor at 7pm, daylight savings is starting to pay off. I can't wait for light evening walks, night BBQs, going to the beach after work, and the all those good summer activities.

puppy love

Yoshi's canine pal Anita had puppies recently and little Tito here has taken a strong liking to the yosh. We just love walking our pack of happy wild dogs around the central city, we definitely bring a little chaos where ever we go!



In my garden this week, these flowers are looking especially purty.

Also a found plant object from my morning walk around albert park. I think it fell from a tree.

It's now a perishable hair accessory. Thanks mom for teaching me that pinning flowers in your hair is a good idea. (remember daffodils in my hair for school on spring days?)

hope you are enjoying this changing weather too.
-k

fashion guru yoshi says....

and also "join the clothes swap movement!"


if you are a Kiwi with a flickr account, have your pick from other people's wardrobes and also add some clothes in too, because its all about giving.

go HERE to join group.

hope you are having a good week!
-k

ps. why we have been so quiet:
are you going to be there? we are!

on magazines and being world famous, one country at a time.

Well folks, we are famous! and by we I mean kiwi craft bloggers. World Sweet World just hit shelves this week and if you have a peek inside there is a little article I wrote about our community. I interviewed anemone (lies, not myself, though that would have been interesting) , tiny happy, lilys make believe, anknel&burblets, and stripy sock studio!

my illustration for the article

Also inside are MANY MANY more interesting things inside such as tutorials on how to make a hoodie, a solar oven, and stencil screen printing. Also hear from other Kiwi creatives about grass roots business, sustainibility, and life in NZ. Go HERE to see about getting your copy!

another magazine worth checking out is frankie (though it's aussie not kiwi).

This issue features

• various artists making it on their own
• an article on those dolls (blythe?) which I am trying to understand (what's the obsession?)
• a toilet paper review
• some fashion: vintage style one piece swimsuits!!!
• some crafty ideas: a tutorial for making a retro style tissue box holder
• and a free wall poster by illustrator mel stringer.

yeah I am definitely their target market.


ah yes, RUSSH, my favourite south pacific fashion magazine. They get me every time with their collage layout style, their tributes to yesteryear, and their profiles on interesting creatives.

many of the fashion spreads are raggamuffin-esque, with layers of varying textures and materials. Even though I know its not, much of it looks like stuff you could score on a really good op shopping day- as though the outfits were put together by a a super stylish art student on a shoe string budget. Street fashion kicks runway fashions butt almost every time. well I think so anyway.


Also in RUSSH an advertisement booklet for the new Kookai collection, which I had never heard of before. I think I like the photography and the movement of the fabric more than the actual dresses. but wowee none the less.

Lets all put of flowing dresses and meet at the beach in 15, okay?
see you there,
-k

ps a list of things that have broken in the last week, or, why my sister asked me if we have a poltergeist living here:

the electricity
our only speaker system
the telephone
our front door handle and lock
yoshi's collar (while outside near a busy road!)
Luke's mobile charger
and something smells in the kitchen but I don't know what.

Refreshed

We are crafting away in full speed towards the upcoming fairs... More posting on that later, surely. Apart from that, the week was a wild and full one, hmmm when is it ever not so?
I'd like to share some beautiful images that have been very inspiring for me lately. My weekend is about to begin, the images allow me to pause and be still and admire. And they refresh me somehow. I seem to be drawn to geometric and intricate print... To bold and sparkly.

We live in such a tiny townhouse. One of those super functional (but rather appealing design) late sixties-'boxes'. Most times a mess, ah always cozy I guess... It is our home and it feels so good. Here is my favorite corner (some cards and prints from friends but mostly from Oma and Vake -Lievie's grandparents in Belgium on the sideboard). Not tidy, but happy.



Browsing in this attractive chunky book 'Sample (100 fashion designers - 10 curators) Cuttings from Contemporary Fashion', I gaze at

blogs-cherie Mina Perhonen (shirt-skirt spring/summer 2003)

and French 'joli retour au modernisme' by Yvan Mispelaere (spring/summer 2004)

Skipping and hopping from this Etsy-favorite to that, I am rewarded richly at Thriftypyg with stunning retro-fabrics, :

Wild giraffe aw!

this one. oh sweet orange. without a doubt my darling
for its Bauhausy-allure

And, here is a blog that I simply adore : Izakoo.

As always respectful photo and other credits to the author.

Iza is a sparkly girl in hong Kong, Alliot captures her magic... when I showed Lieveke some of Iza's photo's, she yelped with excitement 'ohhhh funnnn' (she was looking at Iza in the dotted orange pants - gosh yeah it is funnnnnn!!!). I really enjoy the crisp and clean-cut modernist approach, the contrasts of stern black and stone with vibrant shocking pinks, reds, blues... Iza is gorgeous, her dress superb, her activities lively and so much more! Alliot's wonderful photography finds a delicate balance between color and light, her style oozes confidence, her interests are vast and creative. In 'Izakoo' she writes frankly and heart-warmingly about growing up with Iza. I shed a few tears, yup. Thank you so Alliot for your lovely inspiration (and graceful ok).

There,
I really hope you'll feel the sparkle too
rock your weekend (softly in a rocking- chair if that's what does it for ya)!
-Lies

crafting again

new rabbits in the shop! As Lies said, we are at the 50 things sold benchmark in our etsy shop, And with that in mind, I put my new 'wabbits' in the shop to celebrate. Just a reminder that there are some freebees going in the orders 50-52, (order number 50 and 51 are already up but #52 is still there).

the runt of the litter

all together now

I was inspired to get sewing again when I saw this monster made by a soft toy artist from south america. She bases her work on her children's drawings and has a flickr collection of many, many more. If you like soft toys, do have a look! i wish I had more sewing skillz. yo.

wow! who feels awkward and doesn't know what to do with their hands? well I sacrifice my dignity in order to show off my new shirt. (if I didn't like it so much there would be some serious head cropping). This reworked vintage blouse was made by the very talented threads by elise and I think there are similar ones available. She can custom fit it to your measurements.

and to all you americans out there: Have a happy day celebrating your independence from the red coats.

-k

i'm sure lies will post something craft related soon

crafting is always going to be one of my true loves, even when I don't have time for it, which is right now.

so I'll just leave you with this today; a fashion collage I have been working on.
I hope you all have a good weekend.

I'll be more interesting next time, I promise

-k

oh I am back, and have been for.... errrr... weeks.

iconic american image #1

So I have come to this page several times in attempt to get back into blogging. My grace period for not blogging is officially over since I have been back now for (gasp) two weeks and have not said a peep thus far.

the problem is, so much happened that blogging about it seems quite impossible. What should I leave out? (that's the real question for a talker like me) well the answer finally came to me: nobody is really that interested in other people's holidays as much as the people who went on them think.

And as a side note; the same principle applies to dreams you have had. No matter how funny/interesting they are to you, if you want to tell others, make it brief.

So with this in mind, I present you with a brief slide show of my trip with limited commentary.

These flags fly from my parents deck: America, NZ, and Kenya (my dad does a lot of work there)

when I am home, I do a lot of bargain hunting, because let me tell you sister, America is full of bargains. Like these 2nd hand mugs from goodwill that I cheered my heart for a mere dollar.

and all of these black shoes.

and my new glasses

my sister came home from college and this was her room after she brought all her stuff back from school. ahh the college pilgrimage, I remember those days.

Things to do in Colorado: feed giraffes. They really do have black blue tongues and lots of slobber.

Lets move from a colorado landscape to minnesota.... see if you can notice the difference.....

bam! that's right! we are in Gods country now. beautiful lush Minnesota. Glorious grain silos. I heard a story once of some one falling in one of these and being sucked down through the grain until they suffocated to death. I am sure this is just a rural legend but it took me a long time until I could have happy thoughts about grain silos again.

I'm almost getting patriotic just looking at these (until I think of the bush years, then any national pride seems to flood out of me quite quickly).

okay onto wedding stuff...... In the U.S.A it's common to get your nails done before a wedding. don't ask me why, it's just how we roll. Brittney here is our hand model.

I am not used to nail salons so these blue lights scared me as much as they confused me. What does toxic looking neon light do for the manicure process? just asking.

If you are the bride, sometimes you get acrylic nails for your special day and this is what they look like before they file them. that's primal! oh yes, and meet bridezilla here.

Just kidding, joanna, my sweet cousin was no bridezilla. See how happy she was about the little party we threw her.

and she loved her giant underpants which were grossly disproportioned to her thin frame. (that was the joke, get it?) Cousin Megan's body fills out the other thigh.

Cousin brittney made the jewelry for the brides maids. clever girl.

fabulous cousins

These are our moms. Gayle didn't like Claire's joke, so she is giving us her long suffering look. My mom is the one in the white jacket. pretty lady, yes I know.

these are my youngest female cousins Sophie and Olivia. I had to subject you to their general adorableness. they have sparkle, no?

meet my elder brother (hi Joel!) who is looking dapper in that vintage tie... little did he know he would match his vintage sisters....
Yes here we are. this is the LOVELY dress Melissa gave me a while back. I told just about everyone who made eye contact with me that the it was "from Norway and is genuine 1950s vintage!" reponses were mixed.

Carling's dress was my etsy find of the year, also 1950s vintage. Can you believe that in both cases no altering was necessary! yes you heard it here first, it was dress destiny.... or dresstiny.

oh dear. the bad jokes are coming out now which means I am getting loopy from all this posting. time to finish. I lied to you when I said this was going to be brief. I truly believed it for the first little while. honest.

if you have read all this it can only mean you missed me lots.

more craft related posts coming soon.

xo
kimberlee