The Start of Something Beautiful

Quite some time ago, I set my mind on having a baby granny blanket for Elvis. Mitsy of ArtMind not only inspired me with her Babette blanket project but she encouraged me to make my own !

Before being recommended bed rest by my doctor, I just didn't find the time but now, and hopefully for another 7 weeks to come, I have plenty of time to crochet a baby blanket for little Elvis. I didn't want to go for the classic bright or baby colors, so I chose this warm, earthy color palette. I found this beautiful 100% organic cotton in a tiny yarn store in a small town next to ours.


It must have been over 20 years since I last held a crochet hook so I started practicing by crocheting a small blanket for Lola's doll. Once I got the hang of it, I crocheted some squares for Baahar's great EST Granny Square Blanket project. It took a while to master the technique of tucking away the yarn tails but in the end I was able to crochet squares, more or less of the same size.

My crocheting isn't perfect. Neither are the squares I've made so far. But by mid February when I intend to finish this project the blanket will be perfect. Just right, just perfect to keep little Elvis nice and warm...

Monday Moodboard - Fresh !

1. wetfelted bottle so now a recycled flowervase in green by viltalakim
2. Oh, Deer - Art sculpture 5 by ArtMind
3. Pink love - Rhodonite and sterling silver ring by Jealousydesign
4. Frog coasters (set of 2) all natural - eco friendly by sabahnur

View more EST moodboards at FleurFatale's blog.

Secret Santa and lots of Snow !

My Secret Santa gift has arrived !!! The Secret Santa project is a gift exchange initiative which is set up in the Etsy European Street Team. Someone is assigned your Secret Santa and you can expect a gift just before Christmas. Jealousy Design was my Secret Santa this year. And Santa was very very generous for me !


If one wasn't enough, Secret Santa brought me two rings. Both are absolutely stunning ! I have always been a big fan of Carita's work and designs so you can imagine how excited I was when I opened the package. The big organic flower ring is a new design Carita has been working on. The inside is oxidized and some marks from soldering gives the ring a more natural look. It is stunning ! And the icing on the cake came with another unique and timeless design ring of Carita's.

So so happy with these and as I told my Santa, both these rings are items I would buy anytime I would really want to spoil myself ! Thank you so much Santa !

And with my Secret Santa gift came the snow... It's fun sitting comfortably warm inside, when you can enjoy the snow scenery of a winter garden outside...

DeerLola Featured on Maggie Whitley's Blog

I'm so honored that {Gussy} - Maggie Whitley - selected my Etsy shop to feature on her great blog. Gussy is an amazing artist ! Her designs are unique and I just love the choice of colors and fabrics she uses !

Ruffle Gus - Golden Yellow Plaid Wallet with Green Ruffle

The feature on Gussy's blog includes a give away of my Acorn Necklace ! Want to participate in the give-away or find out more about DeerLola, check out Gussy's blog here:
http://maggiewhitley.blogspot.com/2009/12/featured-artist-deerlola.html

Petrol Blue

Today I received some supplies I had ordered, including some very pretty beads. So happy when I opened the package. These beads look amazing !
I love petrol and realized when opening the package, that it actually looks great with the red and frosted beads. So many possibilities... can’t decide on which combination and which design...

In the meantime, I wanted to share these with you and include some work by other artists who were inspired by the same colors !


Reversible felted neckpiece in petrol blue with black polkadots by Karlita
Navy Mittens with Cotton Lace by LoveandKnit
Petrol Blue Baret 3-10 Years – Wool by oMARITo
what very big eyes you have... little red riding hood by matchstickgirl

Ode to Anna !

Hurray! I won last week’s EST challenge theme which was hosted by Joanne of gr8jewellery. The theme was ‘At World’s End’ and I won with my Globes on Fire Earrings.
This means I am this week’s challenge queen and decided on the new theme: Ode to Anna !


Anna is European Street Team’s respected and devoted leader. Gardian angel of the EST weekly thread.
And last but not least, an immensely talented artist !
Get inspired by Anna and her unique, gorgeous designs at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/annarubyking
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lilarubyking
Think Birds, Trees, Australia, Leaves, Greece and Nature !
Anna will personally pick the winner...

Many thanks in advance for using the right cerebral cortex of your brain and I look forward to receiving your entries !

:: ENTRIES ::

The Birds, Leather Journal or Notebook, Suede by Kreativlink


Branch Coral Earrings by staroftheeast


Peace Knit Banner by suislefil


Cathedral Barrel Green Hoop by Sumikoshop


Tribe Brooch by artistudios


Green Reindeer Bird by sabahnur


Anna. mini fairytale plush swan by lapomme


Sun Gold Citrine Brownie Hoops Necklace by ayatasarim


The First Norse Humans by kraplap


Peace Birdie Love Ivory Earrings by ayatasarim


Azurite and sterling silver pendant by maroulina


Anna's Precious Things Earrings by amoronia


original mixed media aceo laundry, cat and bird by barbarix


Bird of paradise felted scarf by ingermaaike


Leaf, a Poet's Bag by LaTouchables


Dusty olive crochet leaf brooch by TheBroochBoutique


clutch in anthracite grey, with ribbon embellishment by karuski


The singing birds - OOAK bird-art by ArtMind


Blue Anna hoops in sterling Silver by fleurfatale


Large filigree heart gothic necklace by dinafragola


Branch Earrings by gr8jewellery

Pumpkin Soup with Sage

Lots of pumpkins around this time of year. And nothing tastes better in autumn than a generous bowl of home-made soup !


I came across this recipe some time ago and really like this way of making pumpkin soup because the sage, one of my favorite herbs, just gives that little twist to the pumpkin taste, which actually needs a little something else to bring out the flavour.


The ingredients you need for this pumpkin-sage soup :
• olive oil
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 125 gr celery, finely chopped
• 3 spoons fresh sage, chopped
• 800 gr pumpkin, finely chopped
• half a red chili (full one if you like it spicy) - optional
• 1.2 litre chicken stock
• 1 dl low-fat creme
• chicken meatballs - optional
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Best to start by chopping the leek, celery and pumpkin. Especially for the pumpkin, it’s important to chop into little chunks.



Heat the oil in a big pan and add the leek, celery and the chili. Cover it for about 5 minutes and stir regularly. Then add the pumpkin and chopped sage leaves. Stir well and make sure the pumpkin is entirely soft/mushy before adding the chicken stock !


Add the chicken stock and boil for 8-10 minutes. Then use a stick blender to blend the soup. Blend until smooth. Add the creme and season well with salt and pepper. Chicken meatballs can be added as well. Kids usually like those ;)


Enjoy !

Etsy Front page

This month, two treasuries with lots of EST friends made front page on Etsy. What a great way to promote EST members and to get some extra exposure...

OCTOBER 27


OCTOBER 19

Monday Moodboard

Still adjusting to wintertime...
Several caffeine shots required to get through the day !


Cute Mini Mug of Coffee Necklace by MistyAurora
Autumn Symphony Earrings by bijouxdellostregatto
Knitted laptop sleeve by martice
Chocolate Square - Pendant by PetitPlat

See fleurfatale's blog for more moodboards !

Weekend Deal

This weekend, I'm offering free shipping on all items in
my Etsy shop.

Monday Moodboard

And she grew and she grew.... by matchstickgirl
Pink Lady - poppy flower necklace by vadjutka
Scandinavian Matroshka Art Doll - Fru Fugelli by Ravenhill
Sweet Pink Candy Garden Purse by swiedebie

See fleurfatale's blog for more moodboards !

Autumn Garden

Don't you just love how seasons change your entire surroundings ? Colors, smells, shapes, all change and rediscover themselves...
Here's how our garden looks like in Autumn. I also shot my challenge entry outside, with some leaves in the background. The color red is one of my favorites and it's one of the most vibrant autumn colors out there !

Monday Moodboard

Introducing 4 new EST members...


original TELLusVISION collage by kariusdeparius
Frills on my shoulders by LoveandKnit
felted wool pillow with tibetan lamb by MinDesign
Japanese Sky, acrylic and paper on canvas by artistsnature

Monday Moodboard

Fluffy crocheted wool hat by KajaDesign
Red Puffy Scarf by Zerva
Red Alert Necklace by ZsBcreations
Red felted necklace with a flower by Karlita

The Enchanted Forrest

This week, the EST Challenge Theme is 'Enchanted Forrest'. The challenge is hosted by Blue Terracotta who won last week's 'Fall' challenge.
Last night, when I was putting my daughter to bed, I noticed the ultimate Enchanted Forrest entry. It's a painting we got as a present when Lola was born. It is such a bright, colorful, mysterious and adorable painting ! For each minute you stare at it a little longer, you discover something new ! There are 15 different animals (just last night I discovered the dragonfly which I had never seen before ;), plants, flowers and this lovely little fairy girl. In the middle, Lola's name. I love this piece of art !!

Herewith a preview of my Enchanted Forrest challenge entry. The Acorn Necklace.
You can view all other challenge entries at http://blueterracotta.blogspot.com.

Wood and Bamboo Front Page

A quick note to show my Wood & Bamboo treasury that made the front page of Etsy today.
So happy for all featured !

Ladybugs on the first day of school

Ladybugs or ladybirds are such adorable and beautiful creatures. We don’t see them around here much but when we do, we make sure they’re out of harm's way, in a safe place, somewhere between the leaves or on a plant.
Lola also loves ladybirds and was very happy and proud with her brand new ladybird backpack. So this morning, she was looking forward to show it off on her first day at school...


Did you know that
- there are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide.
- a ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies.
- ladybugs chew from side to side and not up and down like people do.
- the spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older.
and last but not least...
Did you know that the male ladybug is usually smaller than the female ?
:-)

Artwork by
Chichiboulie - Ladybird Personalised Original Acrylic Painting
Sabahnur - All natural child friendly crocheted amigurumi Ladybug with the white big leaf