DeerLola

Monday Moodboard

2010-08-09T08:42:00.003+02:00

Dark oxidized sterling silver earrings
by steinschmuckdesign
Padlock my heart choker
by dinafragola
Love braille ring
by MaaPstudio
Fashionista rabbits two piece mini dress
by maldemer

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For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog
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Beach Treasures

2010-08-01T15:38:00.008+02:00

We were at the coast side this summer and I collected these lovely small sea shell.

They were a bit hard to find so my collection was limited.
I picked out the prettiest ones and made a necklace out of them which I will be listing in my shop soon.

Monday Moodboard

2010-07-04T21:49:00.003+02:00

Vintage Long White Hooded Gown by Spelfenmeisje
White pebble studs by Jealousydesign
brass flower bobby hairpin by liloshop
Handmade lamp by FiligreeCreations

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For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog
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Handmade Porcelain charms

2010-07-04T16:11:00.006+02:00

At Artmind's craft party we all had a go with paper porcelain clay and I was really excited when I found the results in the mail last week.
I made a necklace (which I already listed in my shop), a yellow set for Lola and a black & white bracelet. I'm not a jewelry person myself but I loved the bracelet so much, I am keeping that one to myself :)

Summer Garden Mood

2010-06-28T13:30:00.007+02:00

White and oxidized copper sakura ring by ZsBcreations
Rose/ 5x5 by Jkphotography
Rosebud - wire wrapped silver plated silver ring by Lindecise
The Roses Garden Necklace – Lariat by LeelaBijou

Today, my moodboard was inspired by our garden. Not a lot of flowers in our garden but it is all so bright green, lots of shade on sunny days and here and there you will find some animal houses and feeders.

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For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog
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Summer Pea Soup

2010-06-24T16:12:00.004+02:00

I made this cold soup as an hors-d'oeuvre at our Etsy craft party and was asked for the recipe. So here you go...

Picture by sarahmconnolly

The ingredients you need for this summer pea soup:
• olive oil
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 125 gr celery, finely chopped
• 2 bulbs of garlic, finely chopped
• 150 gr chives, finely chopped
• 450 gr peas (extra fine)
• 1.5 litre chicken stock
• 1 dl low-fat creme
• prosciutto OR smoked salmon - optional
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Best to start by chopping the leek, celery and garlic. Heat the oil in a big pan and add the leek, celery and the garlic. Cover it for about 5 minutes and stir regularly. Add the chicken stock, the chives and peas and boil for 15-20 minutes.

Then use a stick blender to blend the soup. Blend until smooth. I recommend to sift the soup as it will remove all hard bits of the peas. After sifting, add the creme and season well with salt and pepper. Leave to cool in the fridge.

Before serving you have the choice to add either small bits of prosciutto or smoked salmon. Both taste great with the pea soup.

Enjoy !

Monday Moodboard

2010-06-21T09:15:00.004+02:00

Knee length summer dress by ThongbaiTatong
Daisy Fortune Dangle Earrings Small Size by meltemsem
Aqua blue stack ring by Jealousydesign
Black Asymetrical One Shoulder Top by ChiccaStyle
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For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog
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Party Time !

2010-06-17T13:05:00.004+02:00

Mitsy of ArtMind was so kind to invite me to a craft party to celebrate Etsy's 5th Anniversary. Everyone is taking care of something... I'm making some small bites of hors d'oeuvres and some drinks to go with them !

I am so looking forward to tomorrow. First of all to meet quite a few of our EST friends, to chat away an entire day and -let's not forget- CRAFT !
Check out Mitsy's blog for more news on the craft party she is hosting !

Family Portrait

2010-06-15T08:41:00.006+02:00

A few weeks ago I started thinking about a 'thank you' card to send to everyone who sent a card or gave a present for Otis when he was born. Most people will print a photo of the newborn and send that around but I wanted something different. So I started thinking and looking on Etsy (where else?) and came across this little shop Jordyluxe.

Jordan makes personalized cartoon portraits which she will send to you in digital format. I was so excited when I discovered this shop ! I sent Jordan some pictures of us and here's the result. Meet our family !

We printed the cartoon on postcards and sent them to friends and family and everyone was curious to find out who made this cartoon as it resembles us so well :)

They are a success and everyone loves the cartoon so I wanted to share the work of this great artist with you. Jordan has just been on Etsy for a few months. I'm sure she will be very successful !

My creative space - 10 and counting

2010-06-10T09:23:00.007+02:00

In December last year when I was ordered to stay at home for the rest of my pregnancy, I decided to make a baby blanket, The Elvis Blanket. I hadn't crocheted in over a decade so I had to get the hang of it (again). I remember Mitsy's words when I started the project... 'DON'T GIVE UP'. I thought about those words many many times because after a while, you do get bored by crocheting the same squares over and over again.

By the time I had enough squares to make a decent sized blanket that would cover more than Otis' feet and belly, I started reading about how to finish the blanket, crocheting all the squares together. It turned out they would look better with an extra border around each square. *sigh* So I started on the borders and now... there are only 10 squares left that need a border and then... FINALLY ! I can start putting them all together and finish Otis' blanket.

So this is on the table of my creative space today...

You can see more creative work spaces at Kootoyoo's blog.

Japanese Pieces of Art

2010-06-09T14:51:00.005+02:00

It's been ages since my last blog post and when I opened a package I got in the mail this morning, I thought I HAVE to write about these! My second thought was I would never ever be able to take pictures that would do these lovely leaves justice...

I found these hot red vintage leaves on wire and already thought they looked nice in the pictures online. But when I opended the package this morning I must have uttered 'ooooh' and 'wow' multiple times. These fabulous old, and as promised by the seller, very rare lampwork glass leaves on wire are vintage Japanese and truly are a piece of art on their own. In addition, the red color is so vibrant, they look like they've just been in the torch !

I love them and know I'll be ordering more of these in the future. As long as the limited stock permits.

It didn't take long to decide how I was going to use them. Only white would make these leaves stand out properly and I had just the perfect white candy jade beads to serve this purpose !

'The Button' Challenge Entry

2010-04-01T13:50:00.005+02:00

No blue suede shoes for this little guy ! While the Elvis granny blanket is far from finished, I decided to crochet some baby shoes. It turned out to be a real challenge...
Although I was able to consult a very descriptive pattern, it took me 3 attempts (for each shoe by the way) to properly finish them. But here they are !

I'm entering these crocheted square button baby shoes in this week's EST challenge, hosted by Petronella of P8. You can check out all entries right here.

Monday Moodboard

2010-03-01T09:42:00.003+01:00

Cotton wrap or scarf in red with white details
by ThongbaiTatong
Retro swimmer square art card by frombelgiumwithlove
Modern Hungary for your ears by vadjutka
ACEO - Three Bunnies by krize

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For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog
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Monday Moodboard

2010-02-22T09:04:00.002+01:00

Aqua ring - Raw Apatite stone and sterling silver by Jealousydesign
Small bloom III. - hairpin set by carmenesque
Happy Little Tree Mini Bookmark by glamasaurus
My little happy castle shaped holder-keeper by sabahnur

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For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog
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Monday Moodboard

2010-01-18T08:55:00.003+01:00

white little mouse by sabahnur
Elegant Black Crystal Ring by LeelaBijou
Blue White Pearled Hair Pin by Sumikoshop
Time – Earrings by krize
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For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog
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A True Challenge

2010-01-15T22:23:00.005+01:00

Every week a member of the European Street Team hosts a challenge and decides on a challenge theme. Last week's winner of the challenge, and inevitably the new challenge boss, is Kreativlink.
Renate came up with the new theme: Make something you never did before. I thought long and hard and then decided to crochet, a craft a recently (re)discovered.
I crocheted a necklace/scarf for Lola and she liked it a lot !

Take a look at the other challenge entries: http://www.kreativling.at/

Monday Moodboard

2010-01-11T08:53:00.005+01:00

Baby Blanket by viltalakim
Wool neele felted hearts by StemellinaSupplies
Mushroom felted beret by ingermaaike
Angora Cap With Wet Felted Flower by Crafts2Cherish
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For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog
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Monday Moodboard

2010-01-04T09:40:00.002+01:00

1. subrosa123
2. Huismus
3. Jealousydesign
4. Masaoms

For more Moodboards visit FleurFatale’s blog

The Start of Something Beautiful

2009-12-29T15:19:00.010+01:00

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 !

2009-12-21T09:46:00.003+01:00

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 !

2009-12-20T12:28:00.009+01:00

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

2009-12-19T17:40:00.004+01:00

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

2009-12-09T20:13:00.007+01:00

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 !

2009-11-30T22:22:00.026+01:00

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

2009-10-31T13:18:00.010+01:00

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

2009-10-27T13:20:00.005+01:00

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

2009-10-26T08:47:00.006+01:00

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

2009-10-23T20:04:00.006+02:00

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

Monday Moodboard

2009-10-19T09:10:00.007+02:00

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

2009-10-17T20:39:00.010+02:00

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

2009-10-12T19:28:00.005+02:00

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

2009-10-05T10:47:00.003+02:00

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

2009-09-05T08:22:00.012+02:00

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

2009-09-02T19:00:00.003+02:00

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

2009-09-01T19:23:00.013+02:00

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

Kitsch Cat

2009-08-29T11:13:00.008+02:00

A few weeks ago, I participated at a crafts fair in Maastricht with quite a few of Etsy European Street Team friends. It was a great fair and wonderful day ! One of the EST members, Dinafragola (Nathalie) brought KIT (Kitsch it Yourself) bags for everyone. Such a great idea !

Could have been an EST challenge theme because like in some cooking programs you get x number of ingredients and you have to cook a dish ! I didn't have to create from scratch because Nathalie included lots of kitsch goodies in the bag...

After giving it some careful thought, I decided to kitsch the cat ! I used the little yellow duck bell and hung it on Molli. Our cats need to wear a little bell on their collar because we have many birds, squirrels, frogs, and other sweet little cat prey running, flying and jumping around in our garden.

Molli says thank you for the cute little duckie Nathalie. And if the bell won't scare away the birds, I'm sure the shiny bright yellow duck will :)

Check out Nathalie's shop for more Gothico-kawaii cats and accessories : http://www.dinafragola.etsy.com/

Glass Art

2009-08-27T08:25:00.006+02:00

I have been admiring lampwork beads for a while and I recently saw a glass artist make lampwork beads (a labor intensive art form I must say!) at a craft fair. Lampwork beads truely are little pieces of art that deserve a pedistole.

Considering to use these beads in my jewelry, I started looking for lampwork beads that are relatively simple and subtle. No easy task. The majority of lampwork beads stand out because of their luxurious look, abundance of decorations and broad selection of colors. In the meantime, I did find some gorgeous light blue opaque lampwork beads which I hope to show in my work soon !

Some lovely lampwork jewelry and beads to admire...

1. Large Organic Loops - dotty pink 2. Colourstuff....Mullberry 3. Red Burgendy Necklace 4. Lampwork Glass Bead Set - Mint Julep

Purple Inspiration

2009-08-22T09:44:00.023+02:00

This year, lots of greens in our garden are complemented with purple and soft lavender colors. I like purple, both in combination with green and with black.
I ordered some purple leaf beads which turned out to look even more vibrant than in the pictures on screen when I picked them from the supplier. The leaf earrings blend in perfectly with the outdoor environment !

Did you know ?
Purple has a special, almost sacred place in nature: lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are often delicate and considered precious. Because purple is derived from the mixing of a strong warm and strong cool color it has both warm and cool properties. A purple room can boost a child's imagination or an artist's creativity. Too much purple, like blue, could result in moodiness.
These words are synonymous with purple or represent various shades of the color purple. Violet, plum, lavender, lilac, puce, thistle, orchid, mauve, magenta, royal, amethyst, wine, pomegranate, eggplant, mulberry.

(source: About.com - read more about the color purple)

3 times on Etsy front page this week !

2009-08-20T18:45:00.021+02:00

This was a good week in terms of promotion ! On 08/19 my treasury with lots of EST friends made front page. Yesterday I made FP with Vaisto's lovely treasury and today with Kreativlink's gorgeous collection.

Such a great opportunity to get visitors to your shop and an explosion of shop and item hearts.

Thank you to my dear EST friends :)