Fave Five Crafting Experiences of 2013

It's January 1st... 2014! It seems by now we should have flying cars, but I guess having smartphones instead isn't that bad. Looking back on 2013, I realise I did a lot of crafting for just one year. I had quite some new experiences, here are my Fave Five!

5. Made a monkey for my nephew
I didn't blog so much, so I haven't shown you the monkey I made for my sweet nephew (that seems to be getting cuter every day!)

4. Went to sewing class
I had fun going to my sewing class, making some dresses and things I wouldn't normally make. My sewing class has this little shop where I recently bought this 'Make your own retro wardrobe' book that I bet will keep me busy during 2014...

3. Bought an overlocker
The best part of buying an overlocker (or serger) wasn't that I got a bargain... It was actually learning how to use it. Now I use it quite regularly and I wouldn't want to miss it!

2. Diversified my crafting
I stamped, knitted, glued, cut, sewed, serged, drawed, embroidered and so much more... I even tried Fimo clay.

 

I found it really fun to learn some new techniques! I also met up with a few girls for an afternoon of random crafting and chatting... I'd love to do that more often in 2014!


1. Working on things for my dolly Etsy shop again
So I started making things for dolls again. Not just a bit, nah... my Etsy shop is turning in some sort of miniature Ikea ! ;) I love every minute I spend on this versatile crafty hobby.

In 2014 I will be present as a vendor at Blythecon Europe, I am already looking forward to it!

Fave five craft inspirations

Do you need crafting inspiration, tutorials, patterns even? I know I do! Here's my five favourite sources of crafting inspiration!

1. Mollie Makes
This magazine is just so inspiring and cute! I love that it always comes with a little craft kit :) Even if I don't always make something from the magazine, it sure is eye candy! I like to read the UK version instead of the Dutch version, because it is more frequent. Subscriptions are now 15% off with the code SUMMER15! (Valid until August 29)

2. Pinterest
Of course. Pinterest, place of great inspiration... How can you make us feel so productive while staring at a screen?

3. Craftgawker
Like pinterest, but without the thinspiration... craftgawker is the place to find your next crafting project. I especially like the fact that there are different categories.

4. Crafting books
So many fun crafting books, so little time! Vintage ones, new ones... who can resist? I purchased "Creatief met stempels" ("Put your stamp on it" by Meagan Lewis) today.

5. Etsy
What better way to be inspired than to see what everyone else is making and selling. Just don't copy-paste someone else's brainchild when you're planning to sell your makings!

Primark Eindhoven open in November

Ondanks eerdere berichten dat Primark Eindhoven december dit jaar geopend zou worden, is nu duidelijk op het pand in de Hermanus Boexstraat aangegeven dat de opening al in november zal plaatsvinden!

Although previous news stated that Primark in Eindhoven would be opened in December, now the building on Hermanus Boexstraat is decorated with a huge sign saying it will in fact be opened in November. Team Teacup can't wait for all the fun cheap stuff... How about these furry slippers?

Vintage design heaven

It's no secret that I love vintage furniture and home accessories. I have spend some serious time finding just the right stuff... thrifting my way through many cluttered shops and flea markets.

But what if you want to see 100% awesome vintage in just one shop? Then you can visit your local vintage design heaven. For me that is Decennia Design in Tilburg (NL). My boyfriend and me like to go there once a year or so, to drool over all the prettiness. Most of the time we get so overwhelmed by all the options that we end up with nothing much, a lamp or a vase... but we still love an occassional visit. Wanna drool with us? Here's some more pics...

 

Twiggy, Decennia Design's dog says hi!

Vintage brooch collection

As you might have noticed I do a lot of thrift shopping and whenever I see a cute brooch, I just can't help myself... So over the years I have gathered quite a collection of vintage and retro brooches. They are not a very popular thing at the moment, so they are quite easy to obtain... and so much fun to collect and wear!

Dropping that Spindle

I finally tried it, I have spun my very first own yarn!

I always thought spinning yarn would be super hard, whether using a drop spindle or a spinning wheel. Then I saw some youtube video's which made it look super easy! I went to ask my mum about it, because she's my very own craft-expert. Of course she had several drop spindles, a spinning wheel and loads of wool hidden away. She gave me a drop spindle, wool and a bit of advice and so I went home and made this:

So I went from two singles to a 2-ply...

...put it in a skein....

...and immediately spun my second batch!

See those cute tags? They were part of my birthday present from Brenda! They are supposed to be for cookies and cupcakes but I think my yarn is just as yummy...

PS. Oh, and I made this:

Radio Ga Ga

Last week I thrifted this little eighties radio, still good as new in its box. I just had to have it, and not just because of its cute colour...

When I was a wee little girl, the thing I loved most in the world was watching Jem and the Holograms. I used to tape the weekly shows on VHS, then record the songs on cassette by putting my little pink radio directly in front of the TV set. I would sing along with that tape for hours. I can still sing along with some of those songs. They are in English but somehow at seven or eight years old, I understood almost every word my pink haired heroin sang.

That pink radio was exactly the same as this minty green one. It is directly from the fifties retro trend that was big in the mid eighties. Yep, there was a retro trend in a time that has been considered retro for some years now. Just have a look at Madonna's True Blue video from 1986 and you'll see what I mean ;)

Fave five fashion trends

1. Scallops everywhere!
I would like some contrast scallops on my bag please, and some on my peter pan collar. Oh and please add some to my skirt, too.

(bag sold out at Oasap, but I found a similar bag on eBay)

2. Mint is the colour
Last season's turquoise has shifted towards mint. Oh, how I love this colour! Unfortunately it does not look very good on me, but I WILL find some way to wear it!

(blouse EUR 21,75 at Forever 21)

3. Gold accessories
I never thought I'd like to wear goldtone accessories, but they are a total musthave for me now. Gold Casio watch, gold stud bracelet... And I got real gold earstuds for my birthday <3

(bracelet EUR 1,10 on eBay)

4. Geometric design
This trend has been around for some time now, but I still seem to love it. Whether it is triangles, studs or chevrons... count me in.

(chevron scarf  USD 20,00 on Etsy)

5. Pistol boots

I need a pair of those though looking boots! They seem comfortable and easy to combine, yet very fashionable. I am looking out for the perfect pair... 

(boots EUR 64,95 at Zalando)

Warning: this site contains cookies!

Don't worry, it's just these home baked ones!

The X-mas holidays are a perfect excuse to bake cookies. Now that I come to think of it, there is no excuse not to make them! They are fun and delicious and so very simple to bake. Even our ancient tiny oven can handle them - and I know my stomach will be able to handle a lot of them.








This is the recipe I used, but if you have a 'family recipe' you should definitely use it!

300 g flour
225 g butter
150 g sugar
1 egg
1 bag of vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
cinnamon & ginger to taste

1. mix all ingredients
2. refrigerate for a bit
3. shape cookies
4. bake @200 d/C untill brown
5. share with loved ones

Kitsch vintage art girls

On my many trips to flea markets and thrift shops I have seen heaps of terrible vintage art. Sometimes it's really hard to imagine that anyone, at any given time in the past, has ever loved it. Every once in a while though, something really cute catches my eye. I have a soft spot for kitschy portraits... especially those with a lot of character. These are my favourite ones:

The Poodle Girl
My mum just stared in disbelief when I cried out how much I loved and wanted this kitschy reproduction. Why would I want something so weird? Well, there is just something about her blonde hair, doll eyes and corny poodles that makes me swoon.

See it on my wall here.

The Scarf Girl
This small kid's print on wood has a sweet, melancholic touch to it. I don't even remember where I got it but I fell in love with it instantly.







The harlequin girl
A sixties harlequin girl with a doll face and a poodle... I didn't even care the print on wood was horribly yellowed. I needed this weird piece of kitsch art!