Getting ready for weekend!

Only 3 more hours of work, before weekend's here... I have been working my butt off at work, so I am really looking forward to these 2 free days.

Tonight I am going to eat tapas with my best friend, can't wait for the gambas and tortillas! It has been a while since the last time we went out, so we're going to make it a fab-night, with some sangria.

Dull is working late again this week, so tomorrow will be the first time I will see him awake for the last five days.... I would really enjoy to work 1 or 2 days less, so I can see him more often in the weeks he has to work late. But it doesn't seems like it's going to happen soon, so we'll just have to keep on going like this, and spent a little extra quality time with each other in the weekends. Which means we'll have to do all the housekeepingthingies during the workweek, which is eeeehm, boring.

Anyways, I don't have much more to tell you, other then that I am looking forward to the weekend!!!! So bring it on!

And don't forget the give-away! Only one more week to enter!

Weekend ~ fun!

Well, it's tuesday allready, but I didn't had the time to post about my weekend yesterday, so I voted and decided it's fine to talk about your weekend on tuesday.

Dull had to work Fridaynight, so it was just me, heading to my sisters' Housewarmingparty. Of course I didn't bring my camera, but the room was too stuffed with people anyways. My inlaws went as well (I really adore how close we all are...!) They did a lovely job on their new home.

Dull got home at 6 in the morning... So that didn't leave much room to do something nice on Saturday. We went to a thriftstore, where I bought 3 books on Photography and 1 on all sorts of crafts. I always regret that the thriftshops in the Netherlands aren't that booming. Or maybe I just don't know where to go...

Sunday was a wonderful day. We took our bikes and rode through the city and the nearby parks. We were playing tourists, taking pictures of everything that looks good. Rotterdam is known for the Cubehouses, bridges and such. In the park we've plucked some blackberries and three hours later we got home with sore bottoms...

Oh, and don't forget to participate in my give-away!!!

Don't know what I am going to do with the blackberries, but the plucking itself gave me such a good feeling, like I was a young girl all over again.

49th post: First Give-Away!!!

Hello All!!!

I have been blogging for a while now, and I've got to say, I really enjoy it! Blogging about and taking pictures of my everyday life really gives it a different perspective. It has helped me to get out of my inspiration-black-out as well, so it's fabulous. To celebrate my blogging, the fact that it does look like I am being read, and just because I would like to give something back: This will be my first give-away!

So what will be the Grand Prize?! I thought it would be nice to ship this baby off to the lucky winner:

It's a long dangly pendant in turquoise and purple colors, very bold colorcombination, which turned out better than I dreamed of. I have made this big beaded bead before, and I really enjoyed how it turned out, so I guessed it would be okay to make another.
So here are the rules for this give-away:

1. Post a respond to this post and state your personal favorite color combo, this way you can inspire people in stepping out of the monochromatic palletes.
2. Spread the word on your own blog, site, friends and family and tell me when you linked.
3. Sit back and get back to me in 2 weeks.

You get one chance for the respond and one chance for the linking. So, two chances! I will put all the entries in a big bowl and draw the winner on Sunday 9th of August. Please check back then, to see if you're the lucky one! And I hope I will be inspired by the posted colorcombo's and make some lovely new things, maybe even for future give-aways!

I hope you like this Give-Away! Good luck to you all!

Granddad remembered and a purple necklace...

I come from a family in which creativity has always been around, especially from my dad's side. My grandmother sewed her own clothes. She would go window shopping, buy some yards of fabric and sew it herself. There wouldn't be a day passed by without her being complimented on her outfit... Her husband, my granddad, made clocks, painted, sculpted, metal-smithed and made jewelry for my grandmother. He died when I was eleven, and I really regret I didn't had more time with him. I would have loved to learn to solder from him... when I was doing the silver-ring-workshop I almost constantly thought about him, wondering if he would be proud that I am interested in the same things he did.

My dad is really great at painting, drawing and airbrushing. I remember being 10 years old and going to the artfair in our town. Every year my dad rented a booth and just airbrushed away. He sold quite some artwork and there were always lots of people looking at him working. I really loved going to those artfairs, it made me really proud about my dad-the-artist. (Getting my face painted at the artfair was a great plus too).
It has been 15 years since my dad made his last piece of art (airbrushed that is). I have been nagging about it for two years; "Dad, you should really get more creative again. Computers are fun, but it's so much nicer to get your hands dirty," and when I look at his hands: "well, dirty from spraypaint or pencils I mean, not from the refills of your printers." I am so so so glad to hear that he has started again! I haven't seen anything yet (I never show my jewelry to anyone until it's finished as well...) but I know it will be fabulous! He doesn't want to draw anymore, which is a shame I think, but maybe that will kick in once he himself is a granddad.

This is a drawing of me, when I was 3 years old. My dad made it and it hang in my grandmother's bedroom. When she passed away I 'inherited' it.

I got an old photoalbum with pictures of myself, and it's amazing how much art from my grandpa was in our house: On this first picture you can see the sculpture in the back, the frame of something on the wall and the top of a little copper chocolatebin. This is me, painting with my granddad. Looking at this picture I remembered this post from Soulemama. My grandpa always wore a vest... (very often knitted by grandma)

Off course, when you are painting with your grandpa, your grandma cannot stay behind...

And here I am, eating my grandma's soup. The little statue at the back, the tin cat, the copper chocolat bin and the red ashtray (allowed in the eighties) were all made by my granddad...

Allthough my grandparents are long gone, I still miss them very much and looking at these pictures won't happen with dry eyes. But it's okay.

I started using one of my grandpa's creations to photograph my jewelry. I have had this copper dish a while. Í used it on my bedstand, to put my jewelry and little tidbits in. For the pictures I polished it a bit, to get the sheen out. Not to much, because I like the dull sheen of the old copper too.

The necklace is my latest creation. It's for sale in my Artfire Shop.

Did you notice purple is my favorite color?

It has been a while...

Since I posted here. I have been incredible busy. I have done a few swaps on swap-bot and had some lovely ratings. It's fun to get your stuff around the globe and get feedback from across the oceans. I really love it! This one is my latest creation, it's going to the USA.

Further on; we went to the North Sea Jazz festival on friday. We went to see BB King and Duffy. BB King was phenomenal, it made Duffy a little bit mellow. We had a very great time. I was a little bit bummed out for not bringing my camera, but I didn't let it ruin my night.

On Saturday the whole family dropped by to celebrate my birthday. So I spent the half day in the kitchen, making cakes, sate and little meatballs. Just my type of a great day! The night was fabulous and very cosy.

And last but not least, I am reviewing my stash, because I have to go to a shop on saturday. They want to sell my jewelry, so I have to make it look really good!

Well that's it for now....

28!

Yesterday was my birthday... I turned 28. Because I wasn't feeling that well I decided to celebrate it next weekend with the family. I went to the casino with Dull instead. We had a lovely night, but got home at 3.15 a.m. Not so very clever, because I am still not feeling that great, but we had a great time. (No jackpots won, though). On the occasion I've painted my toenails red...

Sleepless in Rotterdam

What does one do when lying awake?

1. Drink hot milk

2. Read

3. Bead

Since I really don't like hot milk, especially when it's still ridiculously warm, and I can't read in bed because it will wake Dull, I started beading at 1 AM. And here I am at 3.41 AM, posting pictures of another created necklace. I allready started on the beaded beads earlier this week, but I made the entire necklace and pendant in the last 2,5 hour. And I am still not tired yet....

This one has a large focal beaded bead and two smaller ones on the dangles. I wanted to make earrings as well, but I figured it's allready quite a piece, I don't think it needs earrings.I crocheted the midsection of the necklace and the pendant can be removed from the necklace, so it's a bit more tuned down.
This one is for a swap on swap-bot as well.

New necklace on a headache day

Today I stayed home with a headache. Guess the sauna really wasn't my thing.

Whenever I have a headache I can't stand to watch tv or listen to the radio. And since it was a really hot day today (86 degrees) staying in bed wasn't a very good idea either. So I started on a necklace. The repetetive stitching sometimes helps to get my mind of the headache... It helped a little today, but at least I finally finished a necklace again. This one is for a swapbot swap. I really like how it turned out!

I used firepolished and smooth glass beads and sea beeds. I would love to get feedback from you!

Overwhelmed

These days, I find myself overwhelmed with everything on my to-do-lists. We're back home for a little over 1 week now, and it seems like the tasks have been piling up while we were gone.
I have spent several hours cleaning the house, doing laundry and vacuming, and still I can't seem to manage to get it all clean and fresh. I love the sun, but sometimes it seems like it's just pointing out everything that needs to be done in our home. And all the cleaning time is consuming my creativity time. Everytime I get at the attic, to do some beading, I realise I have to clean up there as well, in order to get the creativity going. But then again; if I am going to clean up, there are so many things in the house that needs to be done first...... It's a vicious circle I tell you!
I have to get 4 jewelry items done this week for Swap-bot, so I have got to break it! (the circle I mean, not the jewelry....)
I have to make the photoalbums from our vacation.
I have to start up an Etsy-store
I have to sort out my jewelry for a store that wants to sell them
I have to take pictures of my newest items.

Tonight I am going to spent some time in the sauna, and get a massage and a facial. Perhaps that'll help to get a little bit more grounded.....