Creating in the sun
Oh yes, it really is starting to feel like summer. The sun is shining, it's nice and warm, we play, eat, live outside and my hands are not cold. (Really, I have cold hands and feet almost all the time. Oh, and a cold nose, my daughter told me today). I love it!
Yesterday we had a lovely day in the garden. Enjoying the sun, playing and even some crafting:
This is my learning-how-to-knit project. colourful, huh? Sarah picked the yarn herself. She's just like me: She really likes her colours! What this is becoming I will show later, but it's something we can't have enough around here these days...
The butterfly Sarah made a couple of days ago was a big succes, so they decided they wanted to make some more so they could give them to Chris' grandmother, who celebrated her birthday today. This time the butterflies were decorated even more elaborate, with sparkling stones and little hearts glued to them.
And ofcourse a day in the garden wouldn't be complete without some serious building in the sandpit and, as a perfect closure of a wonderful day, a barbecue at my parents house.
Did I say already that I love the summer?
Egg Carton Fun
Crafting with some egg cartons, that was the plan. Lucas inmediately decided he wanted to make a truck. Well, I thought, that won't be too hard to do. But then Sarah said she wanted to make a butterfly. Hmm, that took some more thinking. How to create a butterfly out of an egg carton?
But we did. En after some serious painting they were finished. So it's showtime!
Look at those pieces of art!
Edit: Some people asked me how we did the butterfly, so I decided to make a little tutorial. Here it goes:
This is what you need:
Ofcourse an egg carton. Besides that we used acrylic paint, paintbrushes, wired chenille, two pompoms, scissors and two strips to close dirt bags (no idea if there is a word for those in English).
First I took the egg carton and clipped off the little strip that is used to close the carton:
Then it's just a matter of squeezing...
Take the wired chenille and twist it around the middle of the butterfly.
Pull really tight and twist the ends around eachother
Make sure the ends are the same lenght:
Take the closing strips and strip them by pulling the plastic off with your nails
Push the stripped strip through a pompom and attach the pompom to the chenille wire by twisting the strip around the wire.
Then it's time for some painting:
And there you have your butterfly:
Oh and if you want to display it somewhere hanging, I'd suggest you paint both sides of the butterfly, just like Sarah did:
Have fun!
Sweet Memories
It brings back memories of my childhood, the scent of this Philadelphus. When I was little I had pencils that smelled just like it. Almost too sweet to be natural, to be honest. But to me, it smells like spring. And even when the rain is pouring from the sky, like today, the Philadelphus still fills the whole garden with her sweet scent, insisting that it's spring.
How could one not love that?
Little aprons
My friend has two little girls and I thought it would be a fun gift to make her some little aprons. Nice to wear when they help their mama, or when they want to craft, or be messy, or just because...
I searched online for a pattern, but after a while I decided it couldn't be that hard to draw one myself. So that's what I did:
I added a little pocket at the front, since I know little girls love to carry around all kinds of treasures. I took a quick picture and off they went, on their way to their new little owners.
Sunny Chalk
Sometimes all little artists need to bring a little sunshine into the world is some chalk and a really, really big canvas..
Like our street.
And then I became a "Mrs"...
Being married. Raising children. It all seemed something for responsible, adult, serious people. A few years ago I never thought I could be ready for such a life.
But look at me now. Married. Mama of three. And loving every bit of it. About that being serious, responsible, adult? Ofcourse I have my share of that. But the most important moments are the moments that are nothing of the above. The moments in which we create, laugh, play, sing and wonder.
Who knew that being a Mrs. would be so much fun?
My name is Karin. I sew, cook and
take pictures. I tell stories. I dream. I love books, fashion, hot
baths, conversations that make me re-think my ideas and opinions. I
fantasize and realize. And above and beyond all, I am mama to
Lucas, Sarah and Olivier.
