Last of the Summer Ironing.

I don't really know why, but I found something so evocative in this accidental completely out of focus photo. The light and the colours... it's the last of the summer ironing. And for some reason I'm quite sentimental about it!

I've got to get my head around autumn being here. I'm going to research some nice seasonal crafting I think...



PS. Like to buy handmade? Check out amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Dahlias in Hamburg

Last week we went walking in the Volkspark in the west of Hamburg and visited the Dahlias currently on display. There were so many different varieties all with different colours and shapes. They were stunning and brightened up a drizzly morning!


PS. Like to buy handmade? Check out amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Classic Cars: VW Beetle Convertible - Lausanne Switzerland

One morning I was sitting at the bus stop on my way to work and this little pretty drove up and parked. I got a nice shot with the morning sun.

This is part of my photography project: Classic Cars. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of vintage cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

1. Mini Cooper in Hamburg
2. V.W. Beetle  in Hamburg
3. V.W. Beetle with vintage skis in Hamburg
4. Mini Cooper in Hamburg
5. Vintage cars in the UK Winter 2012  
6. Renault 5 in Hamburg
7. Classic cars in Sylt, Germany Spring 2012 
8. Classic American in Hamburg
9. Fiat 500 in Liguria, Italy Summer 2012

LOVE classic cars!

PS. Like to buy handmade? Check out amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Lausanne, Switzerland.

Mont Blanc, over the fields and far away... (Look closely for the snowy peak)

1 green bottle lying on the ground...

Where I found the green bottle. Great view on either side! I didn't touch/position it at all.

I'm in Lausanne for a few weeks. It's a very pretty hillside city on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. I've been taking some pictures. I haven't had time or energy to edit them, but I don't wanna forget these images...

PS: Looking for the Etsy Stock Take? Check out the tab at the top of the page, you can find great handmade items, jewellery, bags, clothes etc. for sale. Need a meaningful gift? You'll find one at Etsy...

Classic Cars: Fiat 500 in Liguria, Italy

I'm loving being in Italy! Vintage Fiat 500 in Liguria

This is one of my all time favourite classic cars. How can you not love it?!

In the background trombette are growing. They are a type of very long courgette (zucchini). Great roasted says my mother-in-law.

Further in the distance you can see the Alps where they come down south to meet the Mediterranean sea.

This is part of my photography project: Classic Cars. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of vintage cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

1. Mini Cooper in Hamburg
2. V.W. Beetle  in Hamburg
3. V.W. Beetle with vintage skis in Hamburg
4. Mini Cooper in Hamburg
5. Vintage cars in the UK Winter 2012  
6. Renault 5 in Hamburg
7. Classic cars in Sylt, Germany Spring 2012 
8. Classic American in Hamburg

LOVE classic cars!

PS. Like to buy handmade? Check out amazing stuff in the Etsy Stock Take. If you sell your craft on Etsy, please come and join in :)

Vintage Cars - Sylt Spring 2012

Very posh Jaguar in Kampen. Can't find my notes where I wrote down the model...

VW Beetle Soft Top in a garden, also in Kampen.

Another car in Kampen, probably antique, not vintage! Make and model also gone off with the fairies...

Good old VW Beetle in not so posh Rantum by the sea. This is a fisherman's car me thinks.

This is part of my photography project: Vintage Cars in Hamburg. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of classic cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

1. Mini Cooper
2. V.W. Beetle 
3. V.W. Beetle with vintage skis
4. Mini Cooper
5. Vintage Cars in the UK Winter 2012  
6. Renault 5

LOVE classic cars!

PS. If you are an Etsy Seller you can promote your items on this blog right now for free in the Etsy Stock Take. Please come and join in :)

I wanna make that! Crochet Gilet.

Have you ever found yourself surreptitiously eyeing up someone's clothes thinking 'I wanna make that'?! 

I have. I have even taken notes for future reference and designing.

And I've taken photos... ohuh! *laughs guiltily*

I LOVE this waistcoat! I saw this girl in a cafe the last time I was in London. I was there filling an hour while waiting for a connection at Victoria coach station. I had just eaten a very nice piece of lasagne while mentally trying to memorise her vest. Then I realised that I had my camera in my handbag...

Now, how on earth do I go about recreating this pretty thing? I'm thinking about starting with a paper pattern of the actual waistcoat dimensions and then crocheting stars to fill the space on the paper before joining them all the way round the edges. Is that the way to go? What do you think? Advice would be MUCH appreciated!



PS. I love to buy handmade. Do you? If yes, I recommend you go and explore the Etsy Stock Take. It's full of lovely things that some of my blog readers make and sell online. If you are a seller check it out too, you can link up your new beautiful creations :)

Sylt

Strandkorb - A windproof beach chair! Could do with these in the UK

We've just got back from Sylt, an island in the North sea linked to Gemany by a rail bridge.

It's a grey, windy and drizzly place, but boy, those sandy beaches and lambs do make it a lovely place to be.

 I collected a lot of pretty shells too. What shall I do with them? I'm thinking some kind of candle craft project...

PS: If you are an Etsy seller, come and link up to the latest Etsy Stock Take and get some exposure for the items you offer. Oh and tell your friends too :)

Nature Inspiration - Spring 2012

Moss on windowsill with snow below

I find that nature provides the best inspiration and this spring has been no exception. My camera is nearly always in my handbag and I love looking out for unusual angles on everyday things.

This spring I found some exquisite beauty in the mundane!

Spiky seed pods

New Leaves

Little leaf buds

The vigor of hedges coming back to life

My favourite tree: silver birch

PS: You are still in time to enter the giveaway for a craft book, learn how to make beaded jewellery. Open until 28th April 2012, come and join in!

Vintage Cars in Hamburg - Renault 5

 

Vintage Cars in Hamburg - Renault 5

Today I have great pleasure featuring a little old Renault 5. I spied this out while driving in the Flottbeck area of Hamburg and managed to snap it while stopped at a red light.

This was my first car! In exactly the same colour! I had adventures in that car.

-Driving to a party with the heated curlers still in my hair...
-Locking the key inside and having to hitch a lift to get the spare from home...
-Finding out the hard way what to do about the choke and flooding the engine with petrol...
-Reversing into a lamp pole after checking out a possible wedding reception location with my mum...
-Wheel spinning on gravel and being too chicken to do hand-brake turns (if I could turn back time!)...
-Leaving the lights on and Petie teaching me how to recharge a car battery (Thanks for all the great car stuff Pete)...
-Seriously considering pouring porridge oats into the radiator to seal a crack (yea really!)...

Oh the things I learnt! Shame you can't just open up the hood and fiddle with cars these days. I liked getting my hands dirty. Now you just have a computer to deal with. Can't argue with progress though, at least my current car ALWAYS starts in the morning!

Chilli Muchacha was a sweetie, until someone rammed into the side of her and that was that...

My mum also had a little black one. Good times :)


This is part of my photography project: Vintage Cars in Hamburg. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of old cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

1. Mini Cooper
2. V.W. Beetle 
3. V.W. Beetle with vintage skis
4. Mini Cooper
5. Vintage Cars in the UK Winter 2012 

LOVE vintage cars!

PS. If you are an Etsy Seller you can promote your items on this blog right now for free in the Etsy Stock Take. Please come and join in :)

Vintage Cars - UK Winter 2012

My FAVOURITE: Ford Capri

Mini Cooper

Citroen 2CV6 Special

Mint condition VW Camper Van

I was recently in Dorset in the UK visiting family. While I was there I noticed so many nice old vintage cars. I couldn't resist snapping some shots.

This is part of my new photography project: Vintage Cars in Hamburg. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of old cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

1. Mini Cooper
2. V.W. Beetle 
3. V.W. Beetle with vintage skis
4. Mini Cooper

LOVE vintage cars!

Perlen Poesie Beading Magazine - Who's that girl?

Perlen Poesie Magazine

I'm very excited! This week I received my copy of Perlen Poesie (Poetry of Pearls) magazine. 

Why am I so excited? Because I modeled for this issue - heehee :) You can see me on page 13-16. I must say I never expected to model anything, but this wasn't too bad, as you can see all they needed was my neck - haha!

Perlen Poesie is a great beading magazine for beaders, packed full of what is going on in the world of beads, new techniques, patterns and instructions for your own projects.

The magazine is prepared and published in Hamburg, in German (by my friends). However, this is the first issue that carries an English translation of the text everywhere it is sold outside Germany (I understand it is the biggest beading magazine in Europe, plug plug). You can find out more on their website: www.perlen-poesie.de

Meanwhile I had a super lovely morning. I went down to Mylys as I needed some ivory cotton yarn for a custom order. I had a yummy hot choc in their cafe and a nice chat with Naima. You should pop in if ever in Hamburg, it is the friendliest and cosiest wool shop I have ever been to.

Free street stuff: Bed linen

On the way back to the car I found this pile of bed linen on top of an outside rubbish bin cupboard. Wow! I was happy it was left in plain sight and not just tossed in the trash, it's all clean and nicely folded. I know exactly what I want to do with it - cushions for our rather uncomfortable kitchen chairs. Do you ever pick good stuff up off the streets?

I will make it live again!

Update: What I did with the bed linen.


PS: Remember, if you are an Etsy seller you can get free promotion of your stuff right now at the Etsy Stock Take! 

Vintage Cars in Hamburg - Mini Cooper.

Mini Cooper - West Hamburg

I saw this little thing going past the Elbe centre in West Hamburg. So sweet.

Can you read what it says in the back window?

It says:

God save the Queen in this car. 

Heehee!

This is part of my new photography project: Vintage Cars in Hamburg. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of old cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

1. Mini Cooper
2. V.W. Beetle 
3. V.W. Beetle with vintage skis 

Any nice cars around your way?

Vintage Cars in Hamburg - VW Beetle with Skis.

Too cool!  Vintage motor and vintage skis!

I saw this last week in the east of Hamburg somewhere.

I was on my way through the city with the precious cargo of 4 x in-laws who had just flown into Lübeck Airport. Thankfully we were stopped at a traffic light and I could whip out my camera! Sis-in-law did a good job of getting the photo below. The vintage skis were so appropriate for the current big freeze weather we're having!

LOVE!

This is part of my new photography project: Vintage Cars in Hamburg. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of old cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

1. Mini Cooper
2. V.W. Beetle 

Any nice cars around your way?

Vintage Cars in Hamburg: VW Beetle

Vintage Cars in Hamburg: VW Beetle

Look at this baby! 

I saw this last week in the Eppendorf area. In fact, I saw it a month or so ago and regretted not taking a photo of it then, so I was really happy when I passed by again and it was in practically the same spot!

I really like the moss green colour against the winter trees.

This is part of my new photography project: Vintage Cars in Hamburg. I now carry my camera wherever I go and I will collect pictures of old cars that I see while out and about. They just make me happy.

For more in the vintage car photo collection:

1. Mini Cooper
2. V.W. Beetle 
3. V.W. Beetle with vintage skis

Any nice cars around your way?

Early Morning Hamburg Blue Sky

Early Morning Hamburg Blue Sky

One day last week (I think it was Friday), my husband and I were sitting having breakfast early in the morning. Must've been about 7ish. 

Suddenly it dawned on us (pun intended!) that there was a beautiful sky outside, the sun was not quite up yet and the buildings and trees opposite our home formed a stark silhouette against the blue ombre heavens.

This might not seem like a lot to many, but here clear mornings are far and few between. We have been battling low ominous clostrophobic skies for weeks on end and for a moment last week we felt free! 

Only lasted one day though. We enjoyed it while it lasted. I even got to wear my sunglasses!

What's your weather like?

Secret Codes and Hamburg Graffiti.

Secret codes in Hamburg. 

A topic that sucks me in. I remember working out what the runes in my childhood copy of The Hobbit spelt, one letter at a time. I still have the piece of paper tucked inside that book.

The Secret Symbols of Travelers and Thieves

Watching Mad Men, in one episode a homeless traveller marks a fence post with chalk, the picture representing how he was treated in the house he visited on his wanderings. Apparently those codes go back to the Great Depression of the 30's. Incidentally, those symbols were also used by thieves.

In a modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, an episode covers a mystery involving Chinese smugglers. Of course, Holmes and Watson don't know that to start with, all they have are some bright yellow spray-painted symbols and a murder or two to go on.

Imagine my interest the other day when I sighted on a series of symbols in Hamburg. I was walking down the Lange Reihe (going to collect my sewing machine from it's service, very exciting, more to come on that!) and kept seeing this little humming bird everywhere.

Is it a message? 

A challenge perhaps?

I think I like this type of graffiti. 

It's pretty. It's mysterious. It leaves me wanting more. 

Do you have any interesting markings round your way?