Just think Dino having fruit bath

It's moody, rainy and a wee bit glum these days. Perhaps my whole post (which I'd been working on for the last hour and a half) dissappearing just now makes me feel so... Let's try again, sigh.

I guess we had the rainy weather coming. Makes nice reading athmosphere though. I've been enjoying 'To kill a mockingbird', wow what a warmly humorous whopper. This is what my 1974 copy says on the writer : 'Harper Lee was born at Monroeville, Alabama, in 1926 and attended the local public school and the University of Alabama. Before she started writing she worked in the reservations department of an international airline. Her chief interests apart from writing are golf, music, criminolgy, and collecting memoirs of nineteenth century clergy-men. She lives in New York.' ... Pretty concise blurb I reckon, but so weird and wonderful.

A few thrifted things :

Bunch of vases
Green one tall and 30's-ish -gift from Gabe
Pink and gold one, saved from a clear out at Gabriel's parents
Clear one, found by some rubbish on the street

Favorite teapot and fitted cosey
from curiosa market

I have this weakness for bulby glasses
dropped and broke a little one the other day
found some large attractive black ones at the hospice a little later
it all felt better

Lieveke
wanted a table-'installation' for pictures too.
Dino in fruit-bath.

Some stunning blogs have inspired me this week :

Maditi likes : a rare collection of stunning other-peoples-photography

Manteli : poetic adventures in a newfound magic house (thank u Fine little day for the link)

Smosch : remarkable! in Sweden! (I loved the reportage on Berlin, quite a while ago. oh Berlin, I always miss ya.)

We've been having feijoa-times people. The feijoa is a small green fruit with a soft white inside that tastes somewhat like sweet lime with passionfruit or so... Yu -hum.
Place the inside of 4 F's in a bowl with vanilla-ice-cream and sprinkle sherry on top.
More things to do with Feijoa's :

Oh no you can't really pour tea on them

Ok let's sort them : here are some green ones and here are some... green ones

Thought we'd never get there.

I promised you a new thing, time to deliver then.
I designed and have sewn a top that had been lingering in my creative day dream drawer for a long time. I'm all excited about it cause I think it's good enough to put it up in the old Etsy shop... It will be my first adult garment! Especially constructing the deconstructed color-triangles into a square that looks like a trapezium was mega fun (Yes! I get carried away a fair bit in my artistic musings and yes perhaps some Russian avant-gardists planted a seed in the old thinking pot). I'll pop it into our shop later this week, when the -I hope sunnier- day-light allows me to take slightly better photo's. But have a sneak peek go on :


Ahhh, I made it, another hour later, and nothing's vanishing now. Uhhh quickly push that publish button. There. I used the magic spell (see title of post).
It helps it does.
-X Lies

Here again.

First : some overdue birthday snap-shots. 't Was grand.
Thank you everyone for your kind whishes, dankje!

Our tree-tomato-tree with red balloons

The BIG cake

Birthday pixie with funky mushroom hugging a tree, of course.

From Oma and Vake in Belgium (xxx) : a lego farm. Splendid.

So hey, it's Lies. I had some time away from blog. There was, perhaps, some post-party-worn-out-tired-blues, a sudden missing of family overseas, a nasty cough and an even nastier headache, but most definitely a needed break from the 'puter'. Heh. Better now.

And well here I am again. And see, I made two new little girl dresses - I've come to call them 'panther-frocks'. They turned out, so happy and bright, but most of all, so different from anything else. Fun.

Here the model emphasises 'Fun' for the viewer.

If you like, check the funky panther frocks out some more in our little store.

Our evenings are getting chillier now -though we're still having stunning sunny clear days (I see where Kimberlee gets melancholic - I too am not yet accustomed with such lavish and soft autumn days - but oh keep it coming!) At night we all cuddle up cosily on the couch. Gabe and Lievie read books and play caves (and cave-lego-farm) under the crochet blankeys and I do a bit of knitting. I've started this scarf with a wavy lace motif, gosh rather intricate knitting-work and it goes so slowly slowly... But it's kinda great (keeps me on my toes I guess) making something more complicated.




AND I am working on something all together new, it's sooo exciting. Soon! Soon!
Have a very happy weekend.
-Lies

warning: photographs in post may induce hunger

It's nice to hear that I am indeed wrong and that New Zealand does have dramatic seasonal changes, they just don't happen in Auckland, where i live. Maybe next this time year I will have to plan a trip to the South Island to get my dose of changing leaves. thanks guys :)

So I guess it is no secret that I was feeling nostalgic yesterday. Further proof; I gave in and made pie.
Not just any pie, but festive pumpkin pie. We always ate this after Thanksgiving dinner and it remains my one of my favorites because of it's rich, spiced taste. If anyone would like the recipe, it's all up here (tapping temple with forefinger). Just ask and I will email it to you.

Some of you may think the above photo reminds you of the lemon meringue pie incident? In my defense, we had help this time. so no we did not eat the whole thing by ourselves in less than 24 hours..... like last time (see below).


I have been bored with cooking lately so I basically haven't done much of it. Normally I love putting healthy fresh and (hopefully) delicious things on the table but illustration has taken priority over domestic responsibilities and I am okay with that. Also there's something totally freeing in saying, "stuff it, lets just have grilled cheese again"

My last major food project was these homemade chocolates which I made for an art opening Luke organised a few weeks ago. I've been meaning to show off this family recipe here but its been a little off topic until now.

Again this is a very American recipe as it combines chocolate and peanut butter. And if you don't think that's a match made in heaven, come over and have one of these.



Recently I have been discovering some pretty great blogs so I wanted to introduce our newest blog friends and finds.

Mrs. French who is teaching me to heart mondays

Elsie Marley who has made an amazing house mobile

Armas designs who is a designer planning her own wedding

domestically blissed who is has some great ideas about education and childrearing

and my final link is for those of you who live in new zealand and would like NOT to be marketed to, thankyouverymuch.
Go here to be added to the "don't call me" list.

I hope you all had a better sleep last night than I did. Someone needs to remind my neighbor that he lives in a society with other people who might like to sleep between 2 and 4 am.

I'm off to attempt a nap!
-k

Autumn

Daylight savings has ended, its dark at 6:30 pm now, so its officially Autumn in New Zealand. I always liked this time of year when I was growing up in minnesota because it meant school was starting again, the leaves were turning electric colours, and the canadian geese were returning to their winter post after migrating south from canada, honking over head as they flew in those amazing Vs.

The season aren't as dramatic here in the South Pacific. Though officially the start of winter, spring, summer, and fall is marked on our calendars, I only notice subtle shifts from warm & windy, to chilly & wet.

I'd like to pretend that this yellowing leaf from my garden is dramatically changing with the season, but really its just mildly sick or something. Very few of our plants are seasonal so everything stays quite green here, even over winter.

Squirrely
8x8 inches
on etsy

I don't mean to criticize nature, I just miss the seasons sometimes. Without really realizing it, I was missing Minnesota last week when I made this collage. It definitely has an Autumn feel, but see all those squirrels? yeah, we don't have them in this country.

Here is Minnesota showing off. My bother Joel took this photograph after a recent spring storm. I am going in may but I think all the spring storms will be over by then.

and in the studio.......

I have been drawing Pandas for a band poster.

all put together

It's my husband band (I have done all their illustration thus far, its a steady gig :)... want to hear what they sound like? check them out here.

Speaking of steady gigs, I just spoke with the NZ wedding magazine and I have agreed to work as the illustrator of the etiquette column for the next 4 issues. three cheers for verbal contracts. !!!

all for now,
-k

does somebody want to buy me a present? (eh ehm, luke?)

When it comes to jewelry, I am not that into it. I like wearing classic things so I never have to take them off (changing jewelry every day feels tedious). The usual suspects: my tiny silver bracelet watch, my pear earrings, and the 'i love you forever' rings from my husband.

But then this etsy seller tricked me into falling in love with all of her pretty charms and trinkets. chainchainchained, how did you do it?


the only question that remains: how many can I buy? octopus around my neck, I'll take! cicada on my wrist? yes please!

charms so over four years ago? this should prove you wrong! even you fashion slaves can't disagree. (though I don't think any fashion slaves read this blog, so lets all be smug together... we don't do trends)

yes I will take you all! especially the leaf themed ones. we like trees around here in case you haven't noticed.


and just to show that I do more than online shopping; here is what is happening over in the studio...

oh deer!
is mounted on the back of golden book cover
and is 5x6 inches.


exploring the animal kingdom
is mounted on the back of a golden book cover
and is 6x5 inches

read to your young
is mounted on the back of a golden book cover
and is 6x8 inches

I have the markets tomorrow. and it looks as though I may be entertaining my brother and sister in law this afternoon, they are the best kids (12 and 14) so I am the lucky one. Oh the joys of marrying into a big family, I now have 5 brothers and 2 sisters! never a dull moment.

have a good weekend everyone!
-k

Barack Obama: 'A More Perfect Union' (Full Speech)

please watch if you can, its 35 mintues long but this speech is of historic significance.

this man is restoring my faith in America.
and okay, yes I cried a bit too.

you rock Barack.

gray day

It's downright gloomy out there today, and on these dark gray days my body doesn't seem to wake up properly. Right now Yoshi dog is curled up in a little ball of sleep which isn't making my plight to stay awake and productive any easier. My eye lids feel droopy.

On a much brighter day I took some photos of a project I was working on, a little tree stuffed toy I was making for Lieveke's 2nd birthday. And after I finished, Lies wrote her "little tree" post. I was so happy for the coincidence (fate?) for I had made a little tree for the little tree!

my inspiration came from a stuffed toy (on left) I saw at this etsy shop a little while back made by while she naps. you won't be sorry you checked out this master soft sculpture/toy maker's amazing work! my interpretation on the right.

When Lieveke opened it up, she exclaimed, "mushroom!" Close enough honey. In fact it could definitely pass as a mushroom.

some wrapping, a 2 for the big 2 year old.

I will let Lies tell you the rest about her little girl's special day.

Meanwhile I have done my fair share of receiving! Thanks to Bronwyn at R.W.Scissors for my charming new charm. because guns and love hearts are cool, as long as they are just pretend and only meant for adorning your mobile phone.


Melissa from Tiny happy sent me this dress! I died and went to heaven when I opened it and haven't fully recovered. I am still swooning! THANKYOU,THANKYOU,THANKYOU!!!! Alright, enough pictures of me, I am going into hiding for a while.

While its okay to be seen, I would rather be heard.
Yeah, I said that. my contribution to the GREAT blog sociological images

anyway, I am sure you would much rather see this....

take it Barack.


-k