Moline

Quirky shops, April weather and another sick child

Hello again from Seoul in ever changing April mood. The weather is unpredictable and is changing from summery warm to rainy and cold and back. But that's April, right, so no complaints about that. We had that before with me going on about the weather and that did not help much! 

Instead I can share again my love for all these shops and stalls I can find here around our appartment house.  We are living in a high rise right now until the ship with our container arrives and we can move into our house. I never lived in a high rise before and I love the view, especially at nighttime with all the city lights!

The streets are lined with lanterns in preparation of Buddha's birthday on the 10th of may. There will be also a huge lantern festival. I cannot wait to see this. Last time I saw the procession for Buddha's birthday I was in Sri Lanka on my honeymoon and it was magical to see all these lights and lanterns and the beautifully dressed people.

To the shops: In this area, where a lot of art galleries are located you find a lot of shops selling paper, brushes and ink and stamps to make art. I have always been a fan of these red stamps and I think now is the time to look out for one for each of us, being in this surrounding.

I can already imagine the letters to be sent and the scrapbooking pages and diary pages to be altered wiith a stamp like this. The hard part will be to chose the size and style...

Aren"t these beauties just amazing? 

And these brushes - I could go to this shop every day. (And I do, because it is at the corner of our house and George is always sniffing the wooden pencils, remember?)

And then the sick child: Pauline is fine now and Moritz had ear ache for two days and today there was liquid running out of his ear. So we went to see the doctor nearby and found out that is was not only a flue but a severe ear infection plus tonsillitis. So antibiotics and bed rest for a few days. And everybody who knows our son knows that NOT moving is the worst for him. But the good of it: Another experience to grow and get to know the city. The doctor was so nice and we felt in good hands. 

For me it means less ramblings around town and time to start some Easter crafts. pauline is so keen on making origami rabbits that I bought a batch of paper so she can start. And I will work dilligently on my little monthly diary I have been neglecting during the move! 

Wishing you a wonderful day and take care!

Yvonne

 

 

A friend's house getting ready for Christmas

Hi again! As promised I will now share some pictures I took yesterday at a friend's house. I've been loving her way of creating a warm welcoming atmosphere for visitors ( and for the people who live there, of course) for quite a while now. You will never be at our friends house without a candle being lit or some extra special sweets laying around in beautifully arranged containers, jars and on plates. She always makes the extra effort to make guests feel special.

I like how there are twinkling lights everywhere to make the White warm and cozy

And if there weren't three young children and a dog running around at our house I might fancy putting our cerials and biscuits in jars like this as well...

There are also children at our friend's house but they are teens and the dog is not our hairy smelly and drooling kind of dog (sorry George, I love you but you are like this!)

And you now find me here thinking of a place to hang a wooden wreath like this!

I'll leave you with the pictures and going to bed right now to be ready for tomorrow's challenges: snow shovelling in front of the house, baking, cooking, present making, knitting up unfinished pieces, sewing some things, sending out mail - you name it. 

I hope you are extremely busy enjoying the Season out there! 

Feel yourself warmly hugged and twinkle on!
Yvonne 

The forest room in progress

Some news from our room change road test. We nearly managed to rearrange all three new rooms but only Jakob's room is presentable right now. It is a work in progress because we've been pondering on the idea of a forest themed room for a while and I've been even thinking of one of these WOW forest wallpapers like we had back in the 70th or so but that would really have been a bit too much before the move (AND I am not quite sure if I could talk my husband into it...)

So we've been collecting old fruit containers and wine boxes and printer's trays for a while and they keep piling up in our basement to be hung one day in Jakob's room instead of a lot of IKEA shelves. But to be honest: I nearly broke down carrying all this stuff from one room to another during the last two weeks and painting boxes and drilling into walls would have been too much even for me. So we just went with some nailed alternatives (don't you tell my husband the boxes and baskets are just nailed to the wall!!!)

And because I am not a person who easily meets deadlines I forced myself and my luck and strength and invited Jakob's friends over for a housewarming tea. And believe it or not: The room was ready the minute they arrived and I just had to hide nails and hammer behind my back.

 

We are happy with the results so far and it is a good road test to try it out now and make it better when we will be moving to our new home (whenever that will be)

We neatly arranged his collection of forest critters and books and ephemera.

He got some sweet new nooks to play and work and dream and he never spent so much time in his room before. And the best thing: He is keeping it tidy now! What a change!

And I love to visit him there for a chat or for reading together.

Sometimes I think it is more than perfect to have three children and one can be so selfish to force upon them all the children's rooms one ever wanted for himself... 

So yes, it is me who wants this permanent change and loves all the playfulness that come with it. And I read that it is necessary to really change the children's rooms every other year to let them grow and not keep them as toddlers or babies all the time. We've been sorting out toys and books and Jakob kept telling me: "I don't need this any more: it is more for babies!". So he feels it and I am on one side proud and sad on the other for the times that passed. But seeing them grow and flourish makes up for all that.

So, after being that sentimental I am off for another Monday night of politically uncorrect Boston Legal on TV and a Single Malt! And having said that now please tell me your secret TV vices and be honest: What are you watching on TV whilst crafting and what is your drink? Normally it is tea and sweets but on Mondays you will find me with bespoke Single Malt and some pistacchios...

See you soon with more rooms to show and some crafty things

Wishing you well and Cheers!

Yvonne

 

Stairway to happiness

What made you happy these days? For me it was a scene like this: 
I told him to take the book downstairs and found him a few moments later having only climbed half of the staircase with the book in front of him, flipping through it and looking at the images. I am so so happy all of our children are interested in books and magazines. And if we are really lucky they will be turning into readers. It looks that he is on his way. When I read a version of a fairy tale to him this evening, he remembered the fairy tale from another book with another illustrator and immediately fetched it to compare the images inside the book. He is a little investigator (what also means screwing loose every possible screw in our house within his reach without telling us - one also has to face the downsides when showing off with your kids...)

But this scene is quite something for my mother heart and makes me forget all the fights we have over non essential things and the tantrums he can throw. 

And a picture of our decluttered bedroom also can make me happy.   

There is still a nightstand missing for my side, a few more framed photos and the newly crocheted blanket. But it already looks nice and peaceful to me.

And last but not least these little critters put a smile on my face:   

1. Step 1: Get nuts; Step 2: Take over forest; Step 3: Take over world, 2. Nutfield's master plan for world domination, 3. An Unfair Gift Exchange, 4. Weighing the pros and cons

I discovered Nutfield, Swindleton and Prescott today and it reminded me of how much I love tiny crocheted and knitted creatures. It would be so nice to have some of them living in our house (best thing in Jakob's new forest room). You can find more of the critters in TADA's revolution's set of  Amigurumis

These are only three of the things that made me happy. You see, it can be everything and everybody.

Maybe I post some more happy things tomorrow and if I am very lucky, the sun comes out and gives enough light to take pictures of Jakob's new room!

Have a wonderful Sunday with people and things and animals you love!

Yvonne

Just in case you were wondering....

...what we have been doing lately....

Well, I spent a lot of mum-and-me time with Jakob because he started preschool at his kindergarden and now feels like he has grown so much. I cannot believe it that the third child of ours will start school next summer. it seems like yesterday that they were toddlers (well how old sounds that?)

..

So we've been strolling through the neighbourhood with an occasional coffee break now and then. I love sitting with him in our cobblestoned streets, having a snack and a drink and read something to him or play a game of cards or so.

And our No. 2 also finds that she has grown a lot AND that she has outgrown the shared room she was in with Jakob until now. An nearly 8 year old girl is not amused when the 5 year old brother is always listening to her cds and seldomly puts them back, not to mention the mess he makes in his and her room (he calls it playing). So we decided to redistribute the rooms again. Jakob will move into Markus' office, Pauline into the guest room and Markus office will be under the roof with an annex for guests. Pauline is so exited to move to the ground floor and share it with our No. 1. An Jakob will enjoy the cozyness of his room next to ours. 

The decision was easy but then: Markus shelves were too high for the rooms under the roof. So we had to open another battlefield and Moritz had to give him his Expedit in exchange fo Markus' Bonde...

 

Good and bad for Moritz to go through all his stuff again and think of all the things he could give away or throw away if no longer useful or broken.

 

The problem is: To get the furniture from one room to the other you have to first remove everything into another room.

 

 
 
 

 To be honest: I cannot lift any more carton with books and folders and I need a day off. 

It is always so great to redecorate the rooms anew if it wasn't for the books to be carried around.

These are the before/in-between pictures - see more in a few days. I will show room after room!

And of course I will also be painting! Is it weird to do that shortly before moving? I don't think so. Sprucing up a room, adding or taking a way things and adding a new colour always brings so much happiness and new energy (and mum of three can go through all the stuff and think of donations for friends, the kindergarden, things for the flea market and ebay perhaps.

So you see me everyday covered in paint and up to my knees in paper and stuff

See you!
Yvonne

  

 

Green corner

Refrained from painting again. Instead cleaned kitchen nooks and got out all these spices and ingredients and cleaned up everything. That was quite satisfying but the result is only visible when I open the door of the cabinet. And after that major change in the kitchen last week end I had to make another more obviously visual change somewhere else. 

There was a long loved metal shelf downstairs in the guest bathroom, already decorated with garden ephemera and green items. I liked the idea but wanted to have a more prominent place for it where I could see it every day. I remebered that some of the blooming orchids who have been living in that corner went onto the top kitchen shelf last Sunday so I needed to spruce up the place where they belonged beforehand. Said and done and the shelf was relocated and I can now see it all the time when I sit on the sofa with laptop in hand ( or tea, or chocolate, or crochet hook, or child on lap, or....)

 

So this is the view from my favourite sitting spot on the sofa. This corner has changed a lot since we moved in. First it was the library corner with the little Turkish children chairs standing there. But whenever we sat there in front of this massive bookshelf we were thinking of all the books we should/might read and that was somehow not relaxing. That might sound weird but because I have been studying literature at University i always had the feeling I should read another book for a theme or so and libraries are not that relaxing for me at times... That changes when it comes to travel books or coffeee table books, of course.! So the library shelves  went ustairs into the bedroom corner where we are having tea in the evenings, where we are reading and watch TV from time to time.

 

I love the old style book covers of the Insel books. They have such beautiful paper and I purchased some garden and nature related ones over the last years. They are underneath the metal sparrow. you might also recognize one of Coris superb photographs I have as a postcard here from her etsy shop. Wish I could have her collections for real in our house! I met her via Flickr when I was still living in Mexico and we participated in a swap.

 

 And finally there was room for another stack of books in one colour. I so liked the orange version I wrote about here so I had to make some more stacks around the house I will be sharing soon.

 

So that is how it looks now. I am already thinking of repainting the room... just give me a few more days to think it over!

Have a good start into the new week!

Yvonne
 
 
 
 

Attacking the kitchen wall

What does a mom do when her oldest has chicken pocks (despite vaccination) and her husband is away with the youngest for a long week end? Yes, with the help of the remaining and intact daughter she tackles the kitchen wall that was chocolate brown for the last three years and now need a revamping. We did a colour research some weeks ago and opted for a WOW-colour called Margarita to give it this Mexican Hotel Condesa D.F. - flair I wanted so much.

 

 

And again it showed how important it is to have everything in storage - just in case if....

We had fun brushing over the brown and letting the Turquoise in. I am planning to add some orchids for a summery and fresh feeling.

By the end of the afternoon I had one coat applied (admitted I had to drive Pauline to her sports lesson and get some food for the week-end, because painting is good, but painting with fed children better) and it already felt good although a lot of Brown still shone through

 

And happily I applied another layer of paint with the children tucked in bed and around 10pm everythig was done. So nothing else to do in the morning than having breakfast, cleaning all the shelves and items that will go there and show you the result!

And you know that feeling - once I start painting in a new colour my mind goes wild thinking of all the new colour possibilities one has throughout the house? So there you are, as you might imagine this wall won't be the last over the next weeks!

See you tomorrow with the results (after coming back from the flea market).

Yvonne
 
 

 
 

Thrifting and redecorating - kitchen corner lovelies

Last weekend I went thrifting with my friend and brought home a lot of lovelies. I can never resist when I see china or embroidered table linen. So I came back home with a few of them. I will be sharing my finds over the week when I am using them.

I found a plate with a lovely relief that looks like bisquit porcelaine because it has such a matte finish (or no finish, wahtsoever).

It is now living amongst some other whities on the window sill and is appreciated daily.

Moritz got a new set of china teacups. he shares my ove for china and so I keep adding nice things to his former play kitchen, now doubling as a restaurant. The potholder has been stolen from my new series of potholders I made. I started making some for the shop but before I could put them there the nicest one was gone and hung in his kitchen. This melts my heart, sigh...

 

I got two porcelaine Strabuck's mugs in childsize and 5 nice teacups with this lovely blue pattern to be hung into his kitchen. And to be honest: this is a bit selfish as well because I love this tiny kitchen and the ever changing decoration. My husband suspects from time to time it resides in our living area because of me and not because of the children. Well, I hope they don't grow up that fast so I can have this kitchen around for a while. After that it may go to my craft room or so (giggle) 

 

Looking at these pictures I think we need a garland over there. Maybe a mix of crochet and fabric or a paper one. I will think of a solution.

 

And next to the kitchen is a small window Jakob uses for decoration. Some of our thrifted Steiff animals had a meeting there. I love the lambs and Pauline stacked them like the Musicians from Bremen (my place of birth)

 

 So again I could prove how much I love crocheting and thrifting. I will continue showing some of the finds and maybe I can replace the "stolen" potholder and add them finally to my shop.

Have a wonderful day!

Yvonne
 
 
 
 
 

 

Preparing a new colour wall

Preparing a new colour wall
Originally uploaded by moline

Again, yes! I am preparing another colour wall. This time for our entrance. I need some colour splashes this time of year. I am not a red person but I love it in this combination. Now I found a place in our house to reorganize and re-colour again. If you are keeping the rest of the room in neutral colours it is easy to change mood and look with just some small pieces like wall art or soft furnishing. And I just love to alter things a bit from time to time.

And I also craeted my own tumblr account. 
I've been bitten by the bug recently and I am already following some nice ladies over there like Yvonne for example. But the final kick was given to me by Emma when I read her blog post about redecorating her craftroom.
So now I am happily uploading picture after picture...
Have a lovely Sunday!
Yvonne

Dottie Angel

Dottie Angel
Originally uploaded by moline (resting again)

There are many reasons why this woman can be an inspiration - here are mine:
- she makes lovely vintage looking teatowels with linen, doilies and embroidered squirrels on it (as if that was not reason enough to really like her!)
- she has an airstream trailer in her garden
- he named "her" Gladys
- she is the proud owner of a light blue pick-up-truck and it really is a 68 Ford!
- she named him Winston

- even her sewing machine has a name: Miss Ethel

- her use of Orla Kiely patterns

- she has padded hangers in her closet (fabric padded and crocheted ones)

- she makes me look at hanging laundry in a different way with her garland-like washing line in her garden
- the way she travels with her old suitcase and tote
- that her used dog and the new one "Olive" are pampered with lovely granny square blankets (even dogs should be brought up in style!)
- the lampshade-teatowels and cushions she made (reminded me that I also once was into lamps 
- the patchwork covered shelves (why did I not have this idea? I just always use plain fabric and seldom mix them when covering up shelves...)
- her love for the English countryside
- her love for granny sqares and crocheting and knitting and doilies

I think I could go on for a while but I want to leave also a bit of thinking to you so I can go o and read her blog

See you soon!