Easter Crochet Doilies

after having seen this gorgeous little doily on numerous blogs and websites for quite a while, I was delighted to see the cover of this book Crochet Living by Nicki Trench recently. I must have been hiding under a stone not having found this earlier, and I ordered right away.

then the fun part started; selecting colours for my own Easter version of these doilies. I used my stash of left over Catania yarns, cotton instead of wool and a slightly lighter weight than the recommended Debbie Bliss baby cash merino yarn. adding yellow to the selection was new to me and I still have to get used to it haha, but Easter without yellow seemed odd to me.

I loved making them, playing with colours and the pattern is very well written and rather simple. they recommend to block the final doily, but I actually like those scallops popping up so I'll leave them like this. up next, maybe some matching egg cozies?

have you been thinking about decor for Easter lately? any crochet plans included?

Just Some Happy

 just another Thursday morning, dreaming of too many projects, sipping latte and enjoying a Swedish magazine. happy heart pins that take my mind back to North America where I got them from darling Molly, 2 years ago on a cold Winter day in Chicago. and a finally blocked and finished doily, thanks to the pins.

enjoy your day

xo

Last Week

pretty tired and probably jet lagged, in the middle of laundry and clean up after coming home from Amsterdam, I am going through pictures on my phone and realize I am still buzzing from all that happened last week. we were two very happy guests at the beautiful wedding of a dear friend, spent wonderful times with family and friends over breakfast, latte, lunch, dinner and drinks. we loved the new Rijksmuseum, did some shopping and enjoyed the sunny weather. 

if are living abroad yourself or have been living, you will probably recognize this pattern...

and of course, last Sunday, create 'n date happened in Amsterdam! what a fantastic time we had together. while I am impatiently waiting for the pictures from our photographer, I can share with you the 4 pictures I took that day. clearly I was busy enjoying it all instead of taking pictures, haha. in total about 45 wonderful ladies attended this beautiful Sunday morning to create together and date together. the weather was nice and warm, we stayed outside all along. mostly blogging ladies, all very creative with yarn and more, sat together under the umbrella's like they were sitting there every Sunday for the past 4 years. amazing to see how this world wide web allows us to build a community online, that feels connected instantly as soon as we meet offline. 

when I receive the pictures I will post them and go into more detail about create 'n date. until then I have some prep stories and pictures, as well as a preview of the little project I took with me on the plane.

see you soon

Yellow Mood

temperatures are rising in Toronto this week, and I try to get my share of sunlight through these pictures of my newest crochet project. it all started with the poster by Sycamore Street Press that I found at The Paper Place. there are gray skies printed behind the text 'you make me happy when skies are gray' but I realize it's hard to see them in the pictures. I plan to hang this poster in our bedroom and slightly decorate the room according to the white-yellow-gray color scheme. starting with a cushion cover, crocheted in bright yellow shades made by combining double threads of Catania yarn. the light gray polka-dot fabric will be the backing of the cushion. a few more ends to weave in and I am ready to hand sew the crochet front to the fabric cover. I don't know how it happened, but all of a sudden I am quite into yellow. must be the sunny Spring time!

Cushions and The Blanket

now for real: a peak into our new home. I actually finished these wood-cushions just before we moved. I had a feeling they would look good here, and it is always nice to see the images you have in mind become reality. it's very heavy cotton Ikea fabric, closed with large faux leather buttons. 

the polka dot cushion is a ready made one from Ikea as well.

also on the couch, the baby boy blanket in progress. I am nearly there. to be honest, I love this blanket so much that it will be hard for me to part with it. luckily I know it is going to a very good and loving home. the simpleness of this blanket, it's colors, the heavy and soft feel... I can highly recommend starting a similar project.

Chair Project

the scarf I posted yesterday

was lying on an old chair in a few of the pictures

a chair we already sanded at that time, ready to be painted

last weekend was very sunny and we were ready to work on our six wooden kitchen chairs

out came the sand paper, out came the paint

and on we went, the husband and me ~ so much fun !

six chairs we collected in the nine months we have been living in Canada

quite a catch if I may say so myself

they are all 'old' or vintage or may be even close to antique

and I like them in their own style, with their own stories : who has been using them ? in what kitchen ?

~

this is actually a teasing post, because none of the chairs is finished yet

they will all get a minimum of 3 layers of paint so we will be busy with them for a while

and you have to wait a little longer before I post a real 'tadaaa'

but... I am, and we are, very satisfied with the results so far

as you can see the sun was so bright, I was not even able to paint outside, it had to happen in the garage

in the shade and out of the wind

but what a lovely and perfect weekend to do so

~

more about the colors I choose and more pictures soon...

are you into re-doing furniture at all ?

Paper Easter Eggs DIY

a quick last minute Easter egg decoration

fun to make

and cheerful to look at

that is exactly what I thought when I saw this tutorial over at Jolanda's sweet blog

out came the washi tape, colored paper, some mini lace, acrylic paint, paper doilies and divine twine

and the fun started ~ the craft group happily joined in yesterday

to add the lace and doilies, we used double sided tape : not messy and easy to get in the right shape

in the pictures above I share some ideas with you, in addition to the beautiful washi tape eggs Jolanda made

~

the result is hanging on the Easter tree that I won a long time ago from dear Theetante San

it is standing on our dining table and it gets us in the perfect Spring mood this week

so much joy !

are you as last minute as I am, or have you had Easter decorations up for weeks already?