Make, see, eat & do

tote bag

2012-02-24T16:44:00.002+01:00

Finally.
This has been one of my projects which I started and didn't finish until a year later. I had the shell (read; felted bag, no lining) laying in my studio for the longest while. I'm glad I decided to make a lining. It gives the bag a cleaner and more polished look, while making it more secure. Felt had the lovely tendency to sag and stretch when put under the tension of weight. For some products, not a prob, for bags, it's a definite no-no.
And now, to the photos.

pocket placemats

2012-02-24T16:19:00.003+01:00

Placemats with hidden pockets. Perfect for cutlery, napkin, or whatever utensil you can think of!

geode brooches

2012-02-08T23:11:00.003+01:00

Just added a pair of brooches to the Etsy shoppe! I love how unpredictable felt can sometimes be. Not just during the felting process, but also working with the textile after it's been formed, felted and fulled. The curves in the geodes were made by gathering the felt and then slicing out segments to create the geode slices. No two 'geodes' are alike!

Renew

2012-02-03T21:43:00.005+01:00

Thought I'd give this little blog here a re-vamp! I haven't been posting much lately, and even though most of the posts have been about my felting and creative work, I felt the need to broaden that horizon and include recipes, inspirational moments in daily family life, crafting projects with Lila, and anything else that comes across my path.

Let's start off with a recipe, shall we?

Soy Glazed Salmon

You will need:
2 salmon filets
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons ketjap manis (this is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
1 clove crushed garlic

Optional:
Grated fresh ginger
Chili Pepper

Instructions:
Basically mix all the ingredients together making sure the salmon is coated on both sides and place in a baking dish with the marinade.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 175C.
The soy marinade cooks down to a thick glaze which is delish with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli.

Here it is before sliding into the oven. It's a great weeknight meal. While the salmon cooks, I boil the rice and steam the broccoli, and if there are no interruptions, everything comes together by the time the salmon is done.

Dutch Profiles: Claudy Jongstra

2011-03-01T13:21:00.001+01:00

Two words: Major inspiration. Love her work and philosophy.

butterfly vest

2011-02-22T11:50:00.003+01:00

Photos of the latest felted goodie. The butterfly vest handfelted using merino and silk. Gosh, was it ever so hard getting the little one to sit still for this photoshoot! lol.

layers

2010-10-19T12:13:00.003+02:00

Some additional photos of the red & turquoise continuous necklace.

Here it's shown with all three necklaces draped over each other for a thick and lush look!

buttons

2010-10-18T11:45:00.001+02:00

Just added some snazzy new buttons to the blog ; twitter, facebook and flickr! Yum..eye candy.

hello autumn

2010-09-29T20:27:00.005+02:00

The summer has come and gone, and autumn is upon us. My favorite time of year. Felting came in ebbs and flows. I participated in the Sint Rosa Art Fair in August for the very first time, so the days leading up to that event were a whirlwind of wool and water. Things quieted down after that with the arrival of my mum. I had hoped to get a chunk of my mental felting projects completed when she was here, but sadly, no such thing happened.
I'm dying to get back in the studio though. It's takes a bit of planning and preparation nowadays with little L keeping me busy, but when she naps, it's astouding how much I can get done. Warm weather gear is on my mind. Merino cowls, scarves, pillows, throws, rugs, anything warm and inviting. I've also got a few clothing pieces on the brain and in my sketchbook which I'd love to try. Friday, friday, friday. Come sooner please.

View of the procession from my stall. (Sint Rosa Art Fair, Sittard)

Let's see; we've got necklaces, rainbow mobile, egg cosies, table runners, brooches, large pebbles, hearts, acorns...

blooming red

2010-06-18T21:02:00.003+02:00

Just a few individual shots...

blooming yellow

2010-06-18T21:00:00.002+02:00

blooming purple

2010-06-18T20:58:00.002+02:00

blooming blue

2010-06-18T20:56:00.002+02:00

blooming vases

2010-06-18T20:28:00.004+02:00

I'm so very excited about these pieces. Combining felt and ceramic was something that has been on my mind ever since I took my first potterythrowing class last year. A lot of work and effort went into creating these 4 bud vases which were patiently sitting in my workroom until a few days ago. I was undecided on the style of flower to use, as well as the finishing look of the ceramic. Wildflower or not? To glaze or not to glaze? In this case, the vases are left unglazed. I loved the look of the matte ceramic, the lines and imperfections of porous clay visible. There are 4 vases to open up the series, and I promise, there will be more! My pottery wheel is beckoning and with the warm weather just around the bend, throwing vases in the garage sounds so inviting. Now, on to the photos!

new things

2010-06-10T19:38:00.003+02:00

Not much to say, just a few pictures to share from my most recent felted goodies.

rust

2010-05-27T16:27:00.003+02:00

I don't need to tell you how productive naptime can be for a new momma. While L was sleeping yesterday I got a chance to work (and finish!) this scarf. Naptime today also meant I could needlefelt the brooch, take photos and upload to Etsy. So productive, right? I'm really loving this new scarf. It's so texturelicious and the brooch makes it so versatile. I especially love the look of it as a neck cuff.

And it's just so darn photogenic...picking out 5 product photos for Etsy was hard work.

heart mobile

2010-05-26T14:55:00.005+02:00

Here's a little sketch of my next felting project. A sweet mobile inspired by the birth announcement card I painted for Lila. The good thing about this is that I'll be needlefelting the hearts. That and the assembly can easily (and hopefully) be done in any spare time when Lila's awake. I usually keep any wetfelting work for when she naps. The hearts will be strung on a driftwood branch I picked up on our last trip in Toronto, which will also be painted white.
What do you think?

hello again

2010-05-25T22:05:00.003+02:00

How the time does pass! Creative projects have been slow in the past few months, but I'm sure you've noticed that by now. My beautiful little daughter, Lila, is here, and has been for almost two months now.
But I guess I couldn't stay away from my studio for too long, because I'm back in it again. I've been in the mood for neckwear lately, and I just finished a new piece I've aptly named 'wall pocket.' Just so you know, something totally different from neckwear ;) Not quite sure about the snazz-appeal of the name so maybe I'll have to think up a new one. My mind is also drifting towards mobiles. I've got one in mind which was inspired by Lila's birth announcement card. I'll have to take a photo of that for tomorrow's post.
Well, it's good to be back in this space again. In the meantime, here's some of that new neckwear I mentioned. Can be found in my Etsy and (new!) Dawanda shops.

little interview

2010-05-24T10:14:00.001+02:00

The lovely Nicole of DutchHandmade contacted me for a interview. Thanks so much!

future combination

2010-02-03T10:09:00.003+01:00

Felt + Ceramic = My new project.

I'm so in love with combining different materials. On my worktable I've got some cork coasters staring me in the face waiting to be combined with cut felt. That's one. Next to those guys are 4 very precious unglazed bud vases which were wheel-thrown during my ceramic classes last year. I want to get started on those next. I'm so excited about my design for them. I wish the day had more hours. Hopefully I can set aside some time this Friday to at least start on one.

p.s; the picture shown here is one of the newly glazed pieces I picked up from class this week. Blue-green glazes are my weakness. Also shown are felted hearts, a custom order for friend and Etsy buyer.

berry hearts

2010-01-28T10:29:00.005+01:00

These were made for LOLA, but seeing the response I got on Flickr, I think I might make a couple for Etsy.

where i've been

2010-01-25T10:36:00.002+01:00

It feels like ages since I've been in this space. Last year was a hectic one. It was slow on the creative front, but I didn't mind one bit. Around Christmas time things picked up swiftly, and now (while I can) I'm working through my backlog of to-make projects. For those who don't know, B and I are expecting our first baby in March. So in these 7 weeks before the due date, I'd like to get some Reyart work done, as well as finish up the nursery and other baby-related decorations.

I'll try to post as much as I can, but I've found even keeping up with Flickr to be hard. We'll see...

In the meanwhile, feast your eyes on this bowl I finished last Saturday. It's colorlicious.

quietly busy

2009-05-18T22:40:00.002+02:00

Not many new items going into Etsy these days. Working on a new order for 14feet. These three bowls will be heading over there soon along with some other felted goodies.

vessels

2009-05-04T09:22:00.001+02:00

Here's the other.

The third one didn't execute at well. Let's call that one practice, shall we? :)

vessels

2009-05-01T11:07:00.001+02:00

Last week Friday the vessel stick hit me. I spent the morning hours working on 3, count em, 3 felt bowls! Here's the first one. A brown and white bowl, kept very simple.