Minori Design

Happy Monday!

2012-01-16T02:01:00.000-08:00

Everyone enjoyed the weekend?

We drove to Mount Dandenong on Saturday and saw for the first time more of the area surrounding Melbourne. Isn't this just beautiful?

It is only a 45 minutes drive from the city to see this amazing forest up in the Dandenong Hills

The smell of the eucalyptus trees and the birds singing made me feel creating again :)

What a lush forest!

I opened my Etsy shop again today and I am sorry it is a bit empty but I will add more dolls very soon.

Wishing you an amazing week, wherever you are.....

Happy New Year

2012-01-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you All !!

Wishing you Health and Happiness!

The fireworks in Melbourne were amazing and we enjoyed our New Year's eve in this beautiful city!

The weather has been really hot here, it even reached over 37 degrees on New Year's day :)

I have promised myself in the New Year to make my own granola and it is so good and easy to make.

As you can see it didn't last long! When you feel hungry just have a handful of your granola, very addictive!

Here is where I got the recipe and instead of honey I have added maple syrup and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

If you don't feel like making your own granola I have found this great website to order your yummy granola.

It is great to start your breakfast with homemade granola, milk and apples

or mix it with yoghurt, yummy!

I have just heard the good news from my husband that the first or second series of Downton Abbey is coming soon here in Australia. Not sure if it will be the first or second series? Please can you Australian readers let me know here by leaving a message or email me, I will be so grateful.

I have been following it for months in England and have just missed the end of the second series :(
The film location is in Highclere Castle and I remember years ago when I did a great Christmas fair there.

Have a great weekend!

Hello 2012....

2011-12-31T01:19:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all the Best for 2012 and thank you for your support in 2011!

I have chosen these two fawns as they were my favorites in 2011.

Thank you again for your visit, kind words.

See you next year.......

Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas ...................

2011-12-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

Have a very Merry Christmas to you.....................

Theresia and Family XXX

2011-12-19T03:38:00.000-08:00

My husband bought us a small Ikea tree to decorate our home to make in our new place in Australia feel more Christmassy.

I decided not to buy any ornaments this time but to make them instead!

I bought some printed papers for the baubles together with some silver and gold cellophane for the garland from the local Spotlight shop here in Brunswick.

I think that they turned out very nice and they were so easy to make.

My daughter Sophie made most of the Christmas decoration.

We love creating things from what you have and it is a great way to keep ourselves occupied while waiting for our stuff to arrive :)

If you would like to know how to make the paper baubles just comment on this blog then I would be happy to show you how to make them.

From my home to yours..................wishing you all a Wonderful Christmas Xxxx

A feature in Modern Wedding DIY Magazine

2011-12-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I was asked by the editor of the Modern Wedding Magazine if they could feature my Wedding Love birds in their magazine. I was very thrilled to get a feature in this magazine.

This is their second issue and I am so impressed how beautiful the magazine is. It is full of inspiring images, tutorials and techniques on how to create your Wedding Day.

It has got that vintage feel to it.........just gorgeous!

Big Thank you to Gail MacDiarmid, the Editor of this fabulous magazine!

I love this... it is called the dessert buffet, setting the scene...

The magazine is available through major news agencies in Australia, not sure if they are available in the UK or USA. You can always check their beautiful BLOG

Beautifully presented boxes to make...... love love!!

Too cute, a wishing well card and wishes wedding cake made from hat boxes

Paper flower wreath....

Gorgeous wedding cakes to make........

How cute is this Love bird Guest book........

Thanks for your visit and love to hear from you xxx

Zakka Style book

2011-12-07T21:43:00.001-08:00

Remember I have told you in June that I have contributed to this book?

Well it will be out next month, I am so excited. My work is on the cover of this book, the sewing pouch, yay!! Thank you so much Rashida.

It is a very easy pouch to make and I hope to be making lots of them soon and sell them in my shop.

Another good news is that you can win a copy of this book on Stash books blog, just click on this LINK

Good luck.....................

My life in Melbourne......

2011-12-04T17:33:00.001-08:00

Hello from sunny Melbourne.....

My life has really changed a lot these past few weeks in Melbourne.

Lots of my friends asked if I feel Christmassy, to be honest I don't feel Christmas at all. I feel like I am on a warm holiday in Australia :)

I feel quite relaxed and just waiting for our container(s) to arrive from the UK.

I do feel very strange not to be able to sew or create things especially around this time of the year. I just can't wait for my sewing machines and fabric arrive.

We are spending our time looking somewhere of our own to live and my husband to get a job so that we can settle down.

Melbourne is a beautiful city and I can understand why it has been chosen as the most liveable city in the world this year.
We have only seen a small bit of Melbourne and we are looking forward to see more of Victoria.

At the moment we are renting a 2 bedroom apartment in Brunswick which is costing us a lot of money. Still it is a bit cheaper than the hotel we are staying in.

I love to go this cafe which is not far from where we are now, it is called the Green Refectory on Sydney Rd
It has very good coffee and food that is also good value. Definitely worth checking this out if you are in Melbourne.

What I have also noticed is that there are lots of vintage shops here and I get quite excited when I see them.

I bought yesterday this great book, called Spaces and I love every page in this book.

It is published by Frankie magazine.

Again a Big Thank you for your wonderful emails from Etsy/Flickr that you are missing my work.

For all the people that are asking about my Love birds for their wedding, I will still be making them for my Etsy shop as soon as I have my stuff back.

I feel very touched receiving your wonderful emails.

Have a beautiful Day wherever you are ....................

Hallo from Melbourne.......Goodbye United Kingdom!!!

2011-11-19T15:13:00.001-08:00

Halloo from Melbourne, Australia!

It has been a while since my last posting. We have been so busy and everything seems like a blur since we left the UK to travel to Melbourne!

The moving was very stressful but we got there eventually :) We also stopped on the way in Singapore and Jakarta to visit my family. It was wonderful to see Asia again.

We are still living in a serviced apartment in Melbourne and trying to rent our own place, which is quite a challenge.

Melbourne is an amazing city with lots and lots of shops, cafes (best cuppa of coffee in the world) sushi places, great food and lots of places to explore.

We have lived in Sydney before but Melbourne is a very different city that I would compare to San Francisco, USA. We love it and hope that we will find a place soon as our container will be arriving next month when I can start making my creations again.

I also would love to say a BIG Thank you to all the Etsians for sending me sweet convos and also their wedding pictures with my Lovebirds and that they cannot wait to see me back again on Etsy.

Thank you so much for your patience and I will try and update my blog weekly from beautiful Melbourne.

There are so many places, books, shops and magazines that I love to share with you.

Thank you and have a Beautiful weekend from sunny Melbourne.

Theresia Xxxxx

ETSY LOVE

2011-09-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

Big Thank you to Nancy for featuring my work, please read more here

My Mr Fox is quite hot this month on Etsy, thank you Etsy and Gwen for mentioning this to me, I had no idea.

Wishing you All a great weekend!

Treasury and my new Brown bear

2011-09-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

New brown bear............ available in the shop

Beautiful cat treasury from jokeart

Thank you very much for including my Lucky cats!

Happy weekend xxx

Autumn

2011-09-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Meet Autumn my new little fawn, available in the shop if you want to adopt her.

This beautiful picture is taken from this website and I so love this blog because it is showing

every day pictures of Melbourne where we are going to live very soon.

Just looking at this picture make me want to go now..... please check the site if you like to see more beautiful daily pictures of Melbourne, taken by Michael Blamey.

Melbourne has been ranked as the most liveable city in the world in 2011, take a look!

Here is wishing you a Beautiful weekend, wherever you are and I will be there on the picture very soon :)

Riley,Fergus and Honey

2011-09-18T05:03:00.000-07:00

It will be my last Autumn here in England and I will definitely miss my squirrels in the garden.

I thought it will be nice to make them for my Etsy shop.

They are ready for adoption here

Please note that the acorns are not made by me but hand made in Oregon and you can purchase the acorns here

Have a great Sunday xxx

Happy Friday!!

2011-09-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

I have made a new version of my Maneki Neko Lucky cats!

I will be making more in different colors, this one is made in off white and black woollen fabric.

If you like my lucky cats you can purchase it here

Enjoy your weekend!

Wedding cake and a Little bird

2011-08-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

Big Thank you to James and Bruna for sending me such a beautiful picture of their Wedding Cake!

You have made my weekend, love your wedding cake, so beautiful!

This little bird will look so nice in a nursery room, great for baby shower present or for a new born baby present!

I can personalize the name for you on the tag, it is available in my shop now.

I am still busy packing, sewing and sorting things out what to take back with us to Oz.

I will be selling some of my beautiful vintage wooden fruit boxes very soon. I have been using them to display my work for shows.
Unfortunately I am not allowed to take them back to Australia, if someone is interested please email me @ minoridesign@hotmail.com

Have a good weekend xxx

Hello..........

2011-08-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hello........

Sorry I have not been blogging much lately.

We have been busy cleaning, tidying and putting the house up for sale.

We are all quite excited to move back to Australia but also a bit stressed :)

Things are happening fast and my orders are still coming which I am very grateful for.

We took a small break last week to Holland, Amsterdam! I love to show you some pictures where I have been.

We visited this beautiful cake coffee shop in Amsterdam, amazing cakes to choose from and a very good Hollandse coffee!

My son Ryan and his girlfriend Fida took us to this place and I so love to come back again!

The place is called (translated in english) My Auntie's cake :)

Look at those yummy cakes........ my son Ryan and Fida

The place is soo nice decorated, very pretty and colourful, got a very retro feel to it too!

here are one of the soo many cakes they have decorated the whole shop with and put some on the tables.

House boat in Amsterdam

Wishing you a Beautiful week from sunny UK!

Happy Thursday :)

2011-06-30T02:23:00.000-07:00

Taking advantage of the sunshine and playing a bit with my camera this morning!

I love the look of the poloraid effect on this picture, that retro feel of the sixties :)

I am still busy getting our house ready and sewing birdies!

These two cute birdies are custom orders and they will be flying to Buckinghamshire very soon for their wedding, I am still working on them.

Will show you the finished result soon.

Have a Beautiful Day, wherever you are xxx

And here is the finished result..........

Hi

2011-06-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Wishing my readers a Beautiful weekend!

I am off to London.........

Have a good one, wherever you are!

NEWS

2011-06-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I am here...........

We have been busy sorting all our stuff out in the garage and as you can see there are lots of stuff I like to keep and throw out :)

The reason for all this is our next Big Move to.........

BEAUTIFUL MELBOURNE

This picture is taken from this site

We are all quite excited but there is lots to organize and we have not put our house up for sale yet.

I am still very busy working on my custom orders and filling my Etsy shop.

Another news is that this Beautiful New book Zakka Style will be released in December 2011

You might have read this in several blogs and I am so proud to have been asked by the beautiful Rashida Coleman to participate in this book, titled Zakka Style!

My project is on the front cover of the book, what a suprise, thank you so much!

It's the sewing kit with the cute pin cushion :)

For the UK readers you can preorder the book on Amazon UK

I believe they are already out of stock. If I have more information about the book I will let you know.

I am sure I will do a Give Away on the book.

You can read about it more here...... and the beautiful blog of Rashida!

Thank you Rashida!

Have a Beautiful Day, I will update more news and new creations!

Wedding and Plaid Treasury on Etsy!

2011-05-16T02:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone!

A Big Thank You to Tess for making this Beautful Wedding Treasury on Etsy!

Thank you Tess!!

This cute couple is flying today to San Francisco, they have turned out so cute.

A Big Thank you to Etsians who have featured lots of my work on Etsy treasuries.

I really appreciate this!

Here is another one, absolutely gorgeous Plaid for Dad treasury, thank you so much!

Have a great Week!

Happy May!!!

2011-05-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have been busy these past few months making Lovebirds for people's wedding cake topper, love doing it!

Love to be invited too :) The last wedding I have been was my nephew's wedding last year in Amsterdam!

These cuties are made using ivory/black linen fabric and I have cut and handstitched the linen flower.

I thought it will look a bit different than the satin flowers I have been using for the bride.

I like it when you can see the raw edges of the linen flower.

Enjoy your weekend xxx

Happy Easter to you All!

2011-04-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hello..........

Wishing you a Beautiful Easter and enjoy your barbeques and families!

I have made 3 new dogs and hope you like my new Scotties....made of tweed fabric

They are really cute and I will be putting them up for adoption later on in my Shop

Have a great Day!

New Polka dot giraffes

2011-04-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone, hope you are all enjoying your Spring weather!

I have been busy all day on my sewing machine and created my new dolls.

I think they will look great in Baby or children rooms.

I will put them them all in my Etsy shop today!

Enjoy your Monday and I will be back with more new dolls!

Liberty fabric

2011-04-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

I have been to London last week, shopping with my 19 year old daughter Sophie who only like to go to TopShop or Selfridges :)
I have also visited the Anthropologie shop (Regent Street) and another favorite shop Urban Outifitters.

I can't pass Liberty Shop without buying some fabrics :) I even got my Liberty Loyalty card yesterday to spend spend......

The fabric are not cheap, I have been a very good girl and make sure not to spend too much :)

I thought it will be nice to make some owl pincushions using the Liberty fabrics.

They are available in my Etsy Shop if you like to purchase the pincushion.

Have a Beautiful weekend xxx

Spring in the UK

2011-04-09T03:19:00.000-07:00

Goodmorning.........

It has been a while, I have been here :)

Hope you are all keeping yourself busy and happy. The weather has been glorious these past few days in England and I love it.....

I have been busy creating little birdies and busy doing projects for magazines and for a book, tidying the house for a possible move.

I love Spring in England ....... beautiful blue skies and the noises of the birds in the morning!

The smell of the barbeques........ and the freshly mown grass :)

Wishing you a Beautiful weekend wherever you are in the world!

A Beautiful Wedding in Miami........

2011-03-11T01:52:00.000-08:00

It was a suprise yesterday to get this amazing picture of Jessica and Jason who used my Lovebirds as her wedding cake topper.

Please check the beautiful website of greenweddingshoes of their amazing Wedding Day and inspiration!

More inspiration for the Vintage Wedding of Jessica and Jason at Clayton Austin wedding blog, amazing pictures!

Thank you so much Jessica and Jason for making me a part of your Fabulous Wedding occasion!

Here is wishing you a Wonderful and Great Weekend wherever you are............

I love my tulips :)

Bird tattoo Lovebirds caketopper WIP continue....

2011-03-04T03:58:00.000-08:00

Here it is..........Kary Lovebirds!

isn't she just cute? I love her...

Her boyfriend /husband to be looks too cute..... :)

This is Kary's comment last night:

OMG!!!
they are adorable!!!
LOVE THEM!

I don't think enough exclamation points and caps can communicate how thrilled I am!

You are truly talented!
thank you!

Getting nice feedback is so rewarding and this is why I love creating dolls....

Have a beautiful weekend everyone xxx

Bird tattoo Lovebirds caketopper WIP

2011-03-03T03:10:00.000-08:00

Kary from the US wants me to create the colors of their tattoos for their wedding cake topper.

Do you want to see the result?

Back to you soon..... :)

I am still working on the cuties!

Wedding Caketopper Give Away!

2011-02-26T03:54:00.000-08:00

I have been making lots of Wedding Lovebirds and sometimes there is one that you would like to keep for yourself. This one is a custom order for Danielle from Brazil and I am in love with them........... :)

As with any of my handmade creations I will not be able to create exactly the same one again.

Danielle has chosen her own colors and I love the big satin flowers she wanted on the bride.

I am considering to do a Wedding caketopper Giveaway of your Choice.

I wonder if people will be interested, just leave me a message here and if there is enough interest I will definitely consider doing it.

Thanks :)

My new Spring fabrics

2011-02-23T03:07:00.000-08:00

Hello............

I got my new Spring fabric yesterday and they look soo yummy, beautiful bright colors and I am so excited creating new things with these fabric.

I really miss making my quilts as I am at the moment quite busy creating dolls for my shop and custom orders.

There is so much I like to make seeing this pile of lovely fabric and I will get back to you soon and show you my new creations.

It's warming up here at my neck of the wood :)

Wishing you a beautiful Day...........xxx

Spring Bunny Rabbits 2011

2011-02-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

My new Bunnies for 2011.............. hope you like it!

You can purchase them in my Etsy shop.

Wishing you a Beautiful weekend :)

A perfectly kept house is......

2011-02-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

I have bought this book a couple of years ago to see how Japanese people decorate their homes and from this I got the idea that their homes are always neat and minimalistic. How wrong could I be after purchasing this small book.........

Here is a page of the book that I really love. But if you like neat and tidy houses as you will see in some beautiful Japanese home decorating magazines, then I would not recommend this book :)

Last week I have read a review of this book in a blog and I couldn't wait to buy it beause of the title and I can tell you I am not dissappointed, I LOVE it!

A very thick book and lots of inspiration (for me!) and my favorite artist's home is featured in here, the amazing Natalie Lete!

Here is a page of the book......

and here is a peek at my perfectly kept house....... :)

I collect buttons.... cotton reels... old books

children suitcases........... purchased in Holland

my working table......

one of my 4 cupboards with lots and lots of fabrics........

I have just purchased this lovely vintage Swedish embroidery all the way from Sweden, ready to hang up but cannot think where to put it up yet....... :)

more fabrics hanging around my room, the little shelf on the wall is made in Australia from recyled Australian wood and the owls are the project I have worked on 2 years ago for Sew Hip magazine.

more fabrics and mess.......

living room decorated with lots of Etsy purchases :)

corner of my kitchen......

some old kitchenalia..............I love collecting them as you can see :)

more vintage cake tins......

small part of my cook books....

my laundry room.....

Thank you Mary Randolph Carter for publishing the book, when I feel that my house needs tidying up I remember the words from the book "A perfectly kept house is the sign of a misspent life"

Highly recommended.

Here is another favorite sayings from Christy:
" An empty desk equals an empty mind."

I had a couple of emails regarding my glass cabinet cupboard, I have purchased the cupboard from Ikea!

Have a beautiful week!

YEAR OF THE RABBIT!

2011-01-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Year of the Rabbit begins according to the Chinese calendar on the 3rd of February!

Chinese New Year can begin anytime between late January and mid-February, so I am still ok to say a very HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2011 to all of You.

I took a small break and I am back again with lots of Wedding Lovebirds orders as you can see on the picture!

I have also got a new Blog banner made by the talented Gwen who lives in beautiful Vietnam!

I love my new banner, Big Thank You to Gwen!

I will be back soon with new doll creations!

All set for 2011

2010-12-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

Not long to go and 2011 is around the corner...........

I have been brought up in Holland and for me it is always a tradition to make oliebollen on New Years eve.

You can buy them almost everywhere in Holland around this time of the year but for me the smell and making these oliebollen is my childhood memory.

Oliebollen is translated in English as oil balls, it is basically yeast dough deep fried in oil.

Here is a great recipe that I have used making the above oliebollen.

Oliebollen is served hot with powdered sugar (represent the snow outside)

One warning, once you eat an oliebol, you can't stop eating another one....:)

A big Thank You to all of you that always stop by and leave nice comments,

Talk to you next year........and wishing you a very .........

Much Love,

Theresia xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shopping in London

2010-12-30T05:27:00.000-08:00

We went to London yesterday and look who is in Covent Garden piazza?

Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer in green :)

Giant Rudolph......... here is a link of Rudy lit up..........

I got myself these little Japanese bowls from Anthropologie Shop in Regent Street

and this beautiful plate from my favorite artist Natalie Lete.

Wishing you a great day!

Merry Christmas !

2010-12-24T02:51:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a Wonderful and Peaceful Christmas!

Much love, Theresia XXXX

New zipper pouches

2010-12-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

Made it to Front page You might like on Etsy, Thank you!

Here are the new zipper pouches in my shop

Hope you are all enjoying your Christmas shopping, to be honest I am so scared to go outside, it is really very very cold here in England. I just get my needful things in the shop and rushed home to get myself warmed up.

No, I have not really done much of my Christmas shopping :(

Here is wishing you a great weekend and happy Christmas shopping!

My Christmas list

2010-12-15T02:15:00.000-08:00

Thank you RosaMaria for including my Fox in this beautiful treasury!

Please check this treasury...

Have you chosen your 2011 calendar yet? There are many great calendars on Etsy

and here are some I like by joojoo

and from Australia tamptation

I love this one!

Beautiful lucky dolls made by zime

This cashmere snood is from my favorite shop Brora UK, I love all their stuff and would love to have this one in the brown color, thank you Santa :)

I love Varm shop based in Finland, Scandinavia, beautifully hand knitted stuff

I have purchased this fingerless gloves .... :) and desperate for the socks now :)

This beautiful pillow is from helkatdesign based in Wiltshire UK

Beautifully handmade cones by lovelyworld
I actually have already purchased one of Maribeth cones and like to have more :)

Have a lovely Day!!

New penguins!

2010-12-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

New penguins.....

If you like to adopt these cuties please check my shop!

Have a beautiful Sunday from my house to yours......

Let it snow let it snow let it snow...................

2010-12-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is back......white snow and a lot of it! I took the pictures this morning from our backyard.

It's going to be a real White Christmas this year, yay :)

I just love this picture, all the birds are waiting for their food....... unfortunately I can't take pictures of them. They are scared of me :) Lots and lots of robins in my garden.

Please note that there is a slight hold up at the Post Office this week to post all your orders in time for Christmas.

Happy Snow Days to You !

Fabulous Christmas tree ornaments on Etsy

2010-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday to you All!

I like to thank fellow Etsians for choosing my work in their treasuries.....

Please check all these fabulous treasuries, they are wonderful.

This one is chosen by catherinereece....

And these ones chosen by curiodesigns

or this one...........

and here are my new ones....available in my shop

and chosen by Becky, thank you!

The matching bird ornaments are also available in my shop.

Chosen by Nadine for Etsy Treasury!

It is beginning to look like Christmas here at my place!

Happy Holiday Shopping!

New Mouse dolls

2010-11-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

I think the mouse dolls have turned out really cute, a new dress with a small cape to keep warm!

I lined the cape with the dress fabric

And for her ears I have used vintage style cotton polka dot fabric

This mouse doll is save to play with.

Both dolls are available in my shop.

CRAZY TOYS BOOK!

2010-11-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

I have received this book last week in the post and can't wait to tell you my exciting news!

Two of my work have been featured in this crazy toys book!

The book is heavy and soooo beautiful and posh looking as you can see on this picture :)

The side of the pages are in silver....

Look......my name in the book!

A short bio on me in french, ooh la la :)

Maghmus, Maeve

and my Alphabet Dog are very proud to be included in this book

with the famous Herzensart

and more......

other amaaaazing artists! I am very honored to be included among these artists.

The book is from the French publishing company de La Martiniere Groupe.

You can purchase the book from Amazon UK or Amazon France.

Big Thank you to the author Vincent Thfoin!

My last Christmas fairies!

2010-11-17T05:20:00.000-08:00

Here are my last Noel and Peace Fairies, they are now in my shop if you like to purchase one of the fairies!

and this cute bird is also in my shop :)

Have a nice day !

New pincushions!

2010-11-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

New pincushions available in my shop

These pincushions will make great Christmas presents.

I will be making more Christmas goodies this month and the beginning of December, don't forget to check them out.

Thanks :)

Hello November :)

2010-11-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of the illustrator and print maker Sanna Annuka

I was so pleased to hear that Marks and Spencer, UK biggest retailer have her new biscuit tins out this Christmas.

I rushed to M&S and just got one of the last tins.....:)

I love this one, beautiful prints and colors , a powdery look, not glossy, love it!

soo yummy too! This tin cost £8.00 (USD 12.00)

and this tin cost £6.00 (USD 9.00)

I am a happy girl :)

The weather is not great here............... this is what I am looking at the moment, my garden turning very orange and yellow......beautiful colors!

Have a great day!

Little lamb..

2010-10-28T03:31:00.000-07:00

I have made this cute little lamb a couple of days ago and he is now in the shop.

I think she will look very nice in a baby room or a lovely gift for a newborn baby, baby shower.

She is 6 inches tall and 7 inches wide and I have used polka dots ribbon for decoration, so cute.

If you like to adopt this little lamb just click on this link

Have a beautiful day :)

MEOOOOW....

2010-10-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

New kitties.... looking for a new home!

These are my new kitties, made of tweed woolen fabric.

It's really really cold here in the UK....

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

Kitties will be in my shop today!

New fawn cake topper!

2010-10-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

They are in Etsy Treasury

Thank you tumbleweedsoddities!

My new cake topper , cute fawns!

I had to make this last night, it was in my head all the time :)

They are very small, 4 inches high and so fiddly to make but I love doing this!

I think they also make a lovely gift for a special person in your life!

Have a Beautiful Day XXX

Frontpage, yay!

2010-10-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you Gwen, for letting me know the new fawns have made it Front page Etsy while I was sleeping :)

New Fawns....

2010-10-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

LOVE...........

The size of the fawn is 8 inches high

I couldn't resist to make more fawns, they have turned out so cute and it looks like I am going to keep it..........:)

If you like me to make them, just email me, I can make them in the colors you want.

Have a beautiful Sunday XXX

New Fawn...... :)

2010-10-16T03:59:00.000-07:00

This picture is taken at 1.30 am in the morning, I was still working on my new softie :)

My new fawn............... 11.am this morning, hope you like him!

made of woolen fabric

and 8 inches tall

I think he has turned out cute!

Have a beautiful weekend from my house to yours ..........

Weekend....

2010-10-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

So pleased with this cute adorable little fawn that I have purchased from an Etsy seller in the US.

The fawn arrived today and it was so well packed and I couldn't be happier.

I got quite inspired looking at my new fawn and want to create a new fawn softie for my shop.

The pattern didn't really work out and I had to throw out a number of my proto types.

I will let you know tomorrow if my new softie has worked out :)

Squirrels.......

2010-10-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

If you like to adopt Clementine, Cedar or Willow please visit my shop.

Happy Monday!

2010-10-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to get feedback from customers like these beautiful pictures I have received today in my inbox!
It's from Sarah Sears from Oregon.
Oh my what a beautiful cake and the birds looked perfect on top of the gorgeous cake.

Thank you so much Sarah, you have made my day!

FOX

2010-10-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Meet Mr Fox, not sure what name will suit him....

Maybe I will leave it to you if you want to adopt Mr Fox

He is made of pure new wool, dark reddish brown color and the scarf looks so cute on him. He is ready for adoption, please click here!

I am planning to sew lots this weekend

Got lots of beautiful wool fabrics to play with

I am planning to make little zipper pouches

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend!

Halloween......

2010-10-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Today I didn't feel like sewing.........

I have bought these wonderful Team Halloween yesterday from this shop and it is in pdf file, yay! You can make these guys as much you want to decorate your home.

It is not difficult to do, just use your scissor, gluestick and a ruler and start cutting and folding.

It took me an hour or so to make it :)

The Halloween team are supposed to stand up, but I like them to hang on a piece of branch that I have found outside.

It's looking great in the hallway

Mr spider

The bat is my favourite!

Have a nice evening!

Monday

2010-10-04T10:10:00.001-07:00

Very Autumn weather outside :(

I am having problem using the new updated editor with Blogspot, maybe someone can help me.
At the moment I am using the old editor, that will be going soon. The updated editor seem to have problems uploading the pictures. It took me ages to upload the pictures. It is just not working. Do you have the same problem?

I have spotted quite a lot of robins in the garden today and decide to make one, not sure yet about the pattern, I will let you know soon :)

David Weidman book arrived today, can't wait to read it tonight.
You can read about David Weidman more here

I will be listing Hazel tonight in my Etsy Shop and as you can see she is ready to go, packed and tagged!

Have a nice day !

Willow and Hazel

2010-10-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

Willow has a new friend Hazel to play with !

Hazel was created today and she is also made of tweed woolen fabric, really cute!

Cheeky little squirrel... she seems to like my laptop :)

Have a nice evening XXX

Hello October!

2010-10-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

I am planning to make this month some woodland animals ....

Here is my first one, Willow :)

I think she has turned out pretty cute, so pleased that I have decided to keep Willow :)

If you like to have your own Willow, I can custom order her for you.She is in my shop.

Willow is made of tweed wool fabric and is made to sit on your shelf or watch over you when you are working on your laptop or sewing :)

I will be making more friends for Willow to play with.

Enjoy your weekend wherever you are!

New Dachshunds

2010-09-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you LucyRansom for choosing my linen mouse in your beautiful treasury!

Meet Maxwell
Maxwell is sold and living in the US

Lola and Scooter having fun :)

These three cuties need a new home.
They are in the shop if you like to adopt them.

Maxwell has found a new home!

The dogs are all made from high quality tweed woolen fabric, made in England and stuffed with high grade poly filling.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

AUTUMN

2010-09-25T03:47:00.000-07:00

Helloooooo...... sorry I have not been around that much :(

Autumn is here and I was looking outside last week at my crab apple tree in my front garden bearing so much fruit.

In all those years we have never tried to make anything with them which is actually a pity.

Richard, my husband, decided to make crab apple jelly , which I think was quite complicated to do.

I don't think I have the patience to do it.
Here is the great recipe Richard has used to make the jelly .

So here is the result of the crab apples from the front garden all bottled up in jars.....enough to last us for years :)

I have also purchased some new fabrics from the US, not sure why I am so obsessed with polka dots.

I love them and I will come up with new projects soon.

At the moment I am working on a number of deadlines but I cannot reveal much although i would like to!

My sewing room is actually a tip as you can see............

Hope you are all enjoying your Indian summer wherever you are and wishing you All

a Beautiful weekend from sunny UK!

Hello September!

2010-09-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

Happy September everyone!

I just got back from Amsterdam, Holland celebrating a Family Wedding.

It was the wedding of my nephew Jeremy and girlfriend Myrthe.

The weather was ok , very windy :)

We were all crossing our fingers that it would not rain......

The boat took us to the Church to see the bride and groom get hitched.

the boat was beautifully decorated with flowers....

served with lots of drinks ......lovely :)

After nearly an hour on the boat we arrived at the Church

It was a beautiful Dutch church, very informal and cozy.

The Bride and the Groom entering the Church.......

They choose a Michael Jackson song for their entrance, I can't stop loving you.

I was crying...........:)

I loved the bubbles that we all blew into the air as the newlyweds came out of the church.

The bride's dress was simple and so elegant by an Italian designer, the groom was wearing an Armani suit with Gucci shoes :)

After the Church ceremony the couple opened a big bottle of Champagne which we all drank together with strawberries and cream, yummy!

The weather also cleared up and was nice and sunny, yay!

The Happy Couple Mr and Mrs J. Brugmans

Here we are back on the boat on our way to the reception at her parent's house with lots and lots of yummy food and drinks which lasted till midnight :)

in the background to the right is my eldest son Ryan. Will he be next? :)

Wishing you a beautiful weekend and I will be back very soon with new dolls!

Take a look...........

2010-08-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

What do you think of my courgette turned into marrow , it weighs 3490 kg...

I have two of these in my garden!

I don't think I have grown the largest marrow in the UK :)

Take a look at this one...

We had this one for dinner, stuffed with minced meat and cheese and bread crumbs on top, sooo yummy!

Have a nice Sunday!

2010-08-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Has anyone got a good tart or crumble recipe for greengages?

I love them so much, they do look very sour but oh soo sweet!

These ones are from France, I can eat them all day!

I am so pleased with my courgettes..........look at the size of my courgettes, turn into marrows :)

I have two of them, so plenty to feed us for a whole week or more.

My runner beans are looking good ......

green chillies, the best, very very hot!

corn, can't wait to eat it

squash

Best tomatoes in the UK :) soo sweet

These are all hand picked from our garden, beautiful salad and sweet juicy tomatoes!

My homemade burgers for the barbeque tonight :)

Have a Beautiful week everyone!

Thank you

2010-08-15T01:54:00.000-07:00

Always nice to get nice feedback and pictures like this :

Thank you Marissa and Peter!

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday!

We just had our wedding this past Saturday and it was absolutely beautiful! The cake toppers were a HUGE HIT! Everyone took pictures of them. Here are a few candid shots from wedding guests, but I'm sure our photographer took some high resolution photos...we'll be sure to send them over!

Thanks again for making our cake toppers so special!!

Etsy frontpage Lovebirds

2010-08-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

Nice suprise late last night to see this on Etsy Front page!

My new Fall Lovebirds on the front page. Yay ....thank you so much BeUniqueBeads and Etsy !

This week I had a request from a customer to make a top hat for a groom.

I was really looking forward to have a go making a top hat. I don't really like the ones that you can buy in the shops. Everything has to be handmade for me. I got up early this morning and I came up with not one hat but ten of them :)

I must admit it does suit him, very handsome.....:)

I have also got some lovely convos/feedbacks this week on Etsy from Happy couples that have purchased my Lovebirds. They make me very happy and it's all worth it making handmade lovelies, thank you so much and wishing you a Beautiful Sunday!

I cannot say enough good things about the seller and my lovebirds! They just came today and are absolutely the cutest, sweetest things I've ever seen! They are so adorable and even better than I could have ever imagined! I cannot wait to use them as my caketopper! Thank you so much Theresia - you are fantastic and very talented!

Hello August!

2010-08-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not been blogging for a week or two, I have been very busy making my

Lovebirds...lots and lots of Wedding birds to make last week.

Hope you are all enjoying your Summer Break...I am already feeling sad it's August

I love being outside enjoying my garden and looking after my vegetable plants :)

I really hope more hot days are coming this way before September arrives and I have a

family Wedding to attend end of this month in Amsterdam which we are all looking forward to :)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

I will be blogging about my Lovebirds next week :)

New winner for Strawberry pincushion!

2010-07-26T04:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday to you!

I have just chosen another winner for the Strawberry pincushion Giveaway using the Random Generator.

The first winner, Caroline, has not responded to my emails. After waiting for several days I feel obliged to give another person a chance to win my Strawberry pincushion.

The new winner is............

Ravenhill!

Thank you so much for your kind words Ravenhill, I will email you today!

Wishing you a Beautiful Week!

Happy Sunday!

2010-07-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

I have been to Brighton last week for my second son's Graduation.

So pleased and very proud of Neil!

I love visiting Brighton and have been a number of times, so many nice cool shops and places to eat, I really must go back soon :)

Another Beautiful Sunday here in Hampshire, UK and I am sharing you this

yummy juicy cherries from the Isle of Wight ........so sweet!

Have a beautiful Sunday from my house to yours.......

Lovebirds wedding cake topper

2010-07-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

New Lovebirds available in my Etsy Shop

They do look very cute, great to use them on top of your Fall cake or any season!
Have a good day :)

Winner :)

2010-07-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

The Winner is....... no 37

Congrats to Caroline, I have sent you an email!

Thank you All for the wonderful comments, I have enjoyed all of them, they all make

me smile!

I will be doing more Giveaways in the future and thank you again to make this Giveaway successful!

Have a great day!

MY GIVE AWAY TO YOU!

2010-07-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday to you!

I am celebrating four years as strawberriesandcream on Etsy today and what is more appropriate than making a strawberry pincushion and a matching needle case as a Giveaway to You!

The strawberry pincushion measures approximately 6 inches and is made with vintage style cotton fabric and felt, embellished with organza ribbon and stuffed with high grade polyfill.

I have hand stitched the leaves with embroidery thread

and embellished the case with a felt flower

the needlecase measures 5.5 inches

I will leave this Giveaway until Monday 19th of July midnight (UK Time) and will announce the Winner on Tuesday the 20th of July.

Simply leave a comment to this post as to why you would like this pincushion.

If you link this giveaway to your blog, leave yet another comment, so you get a second entry. Please let me know :)

Do not forget to include your email address in your comments so I can contact you in case you win.

This Giveaway is open to all readers Worldwide!

I will be using the Random Generator to draw the Lucky Winner.

Good luck and wishing you a beautiful week :)

COMMENTS TO THIS GIVEWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS :)

World Cup Holland-Spain

2010-07-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

Big Day yesterday in Holland , Amsterdam Museum plein!

I was planning to go to Amsterdam and be there to support Holland !

These pictures were taken by my eldest son Ryan from his I phone. He lives in Amsterdam.

My second son Neil was there too to support Holland!

Unfortunately something dramatic happened the last 4 minutes of the game...

Spain scored 1-0

I had to comfort my second son Neil on Skype, he was in tears.....it was so close for Holland! Imagine the penalties.....we might have won or not!

Well done Holland and Congrats to Spain!

Summer days!

2010-07-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

My vegetable garden is doing really well with this hot weather, wonderful!

This is the first cucumber that we planted a couple of weeks ago and ready to eat!

I am actually very pleased with this but only one cucumber, couldn't wait to try it.

Unfortunately it was bitter :(

Anyone know why?

This is my favorite, the courgette plant and the beautiful edible flowers!

We have been growing courgettes every year and they are so easy to maintain and always guaranteed success.

My favorite bits are the flowers, we love to eat them as tempura, soo meaty and

yummy!

Tomato plants are doing well....

My Bayleaf tree is doing good too!

What do you do with so many bay leaves? Any ideas?

Aren't these just cute? They really enjoy my garden :)

Wishing you a Happy Warm Weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

2010-07-04T03:34:00.000-07:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AMERICA!

I remember the first time we've been to America and celebrated the 4th of July in Boston!
It was so wonderful and not to mention the slices of the huge cake we have eaten, it was soo yummy.
Here is a link to a picture of the cake!

Don't forget to check Etsy for great 4th of July gifts!
I am thinking to get a slice of the American flag cake, it's fat free :)

Thank you always for stopping at my place and wishing you a wonderful Birthday!

HIPPOS :O)

2010-06-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

As promised here is the follow up on my new creation using the vintage toweling fabric

So far it's looking good... I was struggling a bit with the gusset

Very pleased with the result...

I really really like how they have turned out :)

Meet Winston...

and Hamish

They are now available in my Etsy Shop.

Vintage fabrics

2010-06-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

The weather here in the UK has been glorious and I hope it stays like this for a while :)
I had a good look at all my vintage fabrics this morning and washed them.

I like the middle one, made of toweling material, I am thinking to create a hippo out of this fabric.

washed, laundered and ironed and it's looking good!

More vintage fabrics that needed a good wash :)

My old cat Toby watching me on top of the roof ......:)

Elderflower lemonade in the making...

I have bought these books a while ago and I do get very inspired looking at the pictures!
Beloved Home is purchased from Ikea last year.

This is my inspiration and the picture is taken from the Home book by Anita Kaushal

I am going to start making the doll, just can't wait how it will turn out!

I will get back to you tomorrow with the finished doll :)

Just look at this juicy British strawberry, so so sweet
This one measures 2.5 inches and so yummy!

Enjoy your Day wherever you are and back to you tomorrow with my finished dolls!

Cupcake wedding

2010-06-16T01:43:00.000-07:00

I have received this picture of a customer that have used my Lovebirds as her

Wedding cake topper. Soo cute!

Thanks so much for the picture and look at those yummy cupcakes and the colours.........

love xxxx

Bonaparte

2010-06-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

Last year I was approached by the editor of the Australian Homespun Magazine Catherine Sanchez to create a dog for their June 2010 issue.

I was very delighted to do a softie for the Aussie magazine and it took a while to come up with this cheeky dog....

I find it always hard to name my softies and after looking a number of times at my dog
and a trip to Paris :)

I have called him Bonaparte :)

I think he has turned out pretty cute!

Bonaparte couldn't wait to travel to Oz and started packing his suitcase :)

As you can see he has now started his modeling career in Australia's Homespun magazine...

Look, the creator has also been profiled in this magazine :)

The last time I heard from Bonaparte he had decided to stay in Australia and not come back to his home in England.....I hope to visit him soon!

If you like to get hold of the Magazine Homespun here in the UK or if you live in Europe, please click on the side bar Homespun picture and it will take you to the Manor House Magazines.

Don't forget to tell Alison that I have sent you :)

A BIG THANK YOU to Catherine Sanchez for featuring my softie!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Happy Weekend!

2010-06-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Wishing you a wonderful weekend and thanks always for your nice comments!

I have put a flag counter on my sidebar and just so excited to see how many

people from different countries have visited my site, thank YOU!

In Dutch i will say:

Een heel Prettig en Zonnig weekend :)

Bird on a tree stump

2010-06-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

Bird is made of green woolen fabric combined with vintage 60's cotton fabric.

So cute, great to use the tree stump as a pincushion.

Available in my Etsy shop!

Sunday

2010-05-31T01:36:00.000-07:00

Good morning to you.......

It's Bank holiday here in England and the weather is not too bad!

I thought i might show you off some of my baking skills i did yesterday :)

This is a recipe from the River Cottage book that I have purchased last year, I do keep coming back to this banana bread recipe, it has been an instant hit here at my place and soooo easy to make!

Finished result....... yummy, soo good!

The dinner we had was this wonderful easy Australian Laksa recipe that my husband found online :)

We have used chicken mushrooms instead of the prawns, rice noodles and sprinkled with a bit of fried onions and chopped coriander leaves.

If you don't want to make the laksa paste, sometimes i do cheat and use Tesco (Supermarket) finest red curry paste, they are very good.

I have made these birds last week for a couple from the US for their retro wedding, they have chosen their own colors... so cute!

Today I will be catching up with making more wedding birds and hopefully will be able to show you one of my latest dolls sometimes this week.

Have a great week everyone and thanks for stopping by!

This is one of my latest find, a beautiful 50/60's folding table tray that i have found on Ebay!

Vintage display

2010-05-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Some of my vintage collection that i have purchased from ebay :)

It's the salt and pepper set on the left, just can't work out if it's a cat, bird or a bear!

Please excuse my dust..... :)

I have also got a new owl, so cute, it's a green Italian money box owl, i believe from the 60's!

One of my favorite will be the red rice paper lampshade that I have purchased from Liberty in London last month, a present for myself after all that hard work for being an Etsy featured Seller in March :)

These are the two books that I have purchased last week, the New look Design in the Fifties and Jane Brocket latest book The Gentle Art of Quiltmaking.

Miss Mouse!

2010-05-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

A while ago I have made this Miss Mouse for Maggie and she was thinking to

make her a sweater and a scarf, because the weather was not that good yet in Seattle :)

Isn't this just adooorable? Maggie finished the sweater and the scarf, she just look so beautiful sitting in her chair and reading her favorite book!

Maggie is an illustrator and author of a number of children books, please do visit her blog, it's wonderful!

Thanks Maggie for keeping Miss Mouse warm!

Happy Sunday!

2010-05-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful warm day it is at the moment in England, yay!

I am going to bake a cake for a friend that I will be visiting later on...

Not sure yet what i will be baking, I am sure i will find some nice recipe from Rachel Allen's book, love all her books!

My husband got back from the farmers market, lots of vegetable plants for me to plant out in the garden.

Catching up with the weekly news.......I cannot do without our Sunday Times Newspaper, I love the Style magazine that you will get free with this newspaper every Sunday!

Great articles , recipes, fashion and love Sally says.....

I will also be catching up today with some custom orders........

Excuse my mess.........still need to sort out my work room!

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday!

Lovely gifts from the US and Denmark!

2010-05-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

I have received last week this beautiful book from the gifted Mette.

Thanks so much Mette for this beautiful book. The book is full of beautiful projects.

This is Daisy the dog, made by the talented and Children Book writer Maggie!

Thanks so much Maggie, she is so beautifully made with vintage 60's fabric !

You can purchase Daisy in Maggie's Etsy Shop Maggierama

Big Thank you to Adriana featuring my penguins and Fred the hedgehog on her

wonderful blog.

Have a great day :)

New Mouse doll

2010-05-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

New Mouse doll in my shop.....

Sorry I have been adopted and flying to America on Monday!

Hi............:)

2010-05-04T00:24:00.000-07:00

Hi........

Wow, It's already May and I am sorry I have not been blogging much lately.

I have been working quite a bit on my vegetable garden, custom orders and getting rid of lots of stuff in our garage to make room for more junk :)

I have made these coconut biscuits from the book of Phoebe Gibb, Best Ever Recipes Cookies, purchased from TK Max, very cheap and lots of great cookie recipes!

Have a beautiful week everyone........

UK airports open

2010-04-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

UK airports are open...........just want to show you how busy it was yesterday

in the air :)

I live close to Southampton Airport, so goodbye blue skies :(

I will send all your goodies that you have purchased from Etsy on Monday

so by this time they have (fingers crossed) catched up with the backlog.

Thank you so much for your patience and have a Beautiful Day!

Happy weekend!

2010-04-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

My garden needs a lot of TLC this weekend, so I will be gardening for a bit!

Happy Weekend everyone......

Dancing in the rains free gift!

2010-04-07T01:15:00.000-07:00

Check out Gwen's lovely turtle coasters, I have 2 of them and they are

beautifully made, they are FREE , it's her 1st year anniversary.

Please check out Gwen's blog http://dancingmeow.blogspot.com/

to win these cuties!

Good luck and have a beautiful Day!

White and Grey Linen Lovebirds

2010-04-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

New Wedding Lovebirds to decorate your wedding cake!

I have made them in grey and white linen fabric.

The fabric treestump is made of tweed woolen fabric.

If you like to adopt these adorable birds check my Etsy shop today!

Have a Beautiful day!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

2010-04-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

It was such a wonderful experience to have been chosen as an Etsy Featured Seller.

It was amazing and I like to say a very BIG Thank you for all your kind words, emails and conversations regarding the interview and buying my creations!
I really appreciate all this.

THANK YOU to All of You and Etsy!

Hope you like my new little lamb....... soo cute, I will be putting her in my Etsy shop tomorrow.

Here is wishing you All a wonderful Easter Break and lots of chocolates!

I AM ETSY FEATURED SELLER, YAY!

2010-03-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU ETSY FOR MAKING ME YOUR FEATURED SELLER!!

I am overwhelmed and very excited and I am sewing and creating madly :)

A Big Thank You to Gwen and Christy for helping me with my banners and pictures!

If you like to read more about me please click Etsy Front page, thanks so much!

Happy Monday :(

2010-03-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Not sure about the weather though......

Hope these little birds that I have just made this morning will cheer you up!

I have used pastel purple and yellow linen fabric for the bodies.

I am not sure if you have noticed my new blog banner, it is made by the talented illustrator

Gwen from Dancing in the rains, here is a link of her Etsy shop.

Gwen also designed my Etsy banner!
Big thank you!

Gwen lives in beautiful Vietnam and I love her work.
She has just started her new blog, please do visit her blog and say Hi :)

I am working on this camel and I will take better pictures tomorrow and put him on a better background.

I have also made some new dolls last weekend, Lucky Cats

I like them a lot, they are inspired by my naughty cat Toby.

I will put them in my Etsy shop this week, promise :)
I am also thinking to give each of them lovely Japanese names!

They make such a lovely gift for friends or family.

Have a beautiful week everyone!