Inspiration: Lace

I love lace - has anyone noticed? There are so many great things you can do with lace and one of the best things: refashioning! It's amazing what a bit of lace can do to a dull and boring piece of clothing! See for yourself....

1- shirt with lace inserts in the sides 2 - lace shorts inserts 3 - lace back insert 4 - lace shirt stripes 5 - lace bust in a shirt 6 - lace elbow patches 7 - lace shorts pockets 8 - lace skirt

and then there's these, too:

lace shirt application

complete lace refashion

I do know I posted some of these before (some were projects I wanted to fulfill last summer, but this time I will actually try to make a lot more!! so looking forward to all these refashions!!!

Inspiration: Home

Since everything seems to be settling down here, I can start thinking about the last couple of decoration and furniture changes to this apartment.

I feel really good here and every now and then it's actually clean in my two rooms. (Barely happened at home...)

But there are still a few little changes I want to make to make it look even nicer.

organise my craft supplies

make a pretty coat wardrobe

organize our cutting boards

find some place to put my bags

finally finish my clothes rack

Doors

A door is a movable structure used to open and close an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or spins inside a space. (© Wikipedia)

But for me, a door can also be untypical and somehow invisible. It can open to new adventures, new experiences, new feelings, new people, new environments. 

Wikipedia goes on: "When open, doors admit people, animals, ventilation, and light. The door is used to control the physical atmosphere within a space by enclosing the air drafts, so that interiors may be more effectively heated or cooled. Doors are significant in preventing the spread of fire. They act as a barrier to noise. Many doors are equipped with locking mechanisms to allow entrance to certain people and keep out others."

Doors prevent a spread of fire. Therefore, metaphorically speaking the fire could be the new things. Fire is bad, because it can destroy so much. But doesn't fire also symbolize energy, power, action and passion? Are these bad things? It's exactly like life. When a door opens, it can be a whole new possibility, but it can also destroy so much.

"Many doors are equipped with locking mechanisms to allow entrance to certain people and keep out others"

Some people need to lock themselves behind doors to feel safe. Opening these doors can be dangerous because one is vulnerable. But it can also open up to a new relationship that might mean so much. 

They also say, once you've opened a door, you can never go back. This is also only partly true. One can never forget the experiences, acquaintances made, but if it feels uncomfortable, one can hide behind these doors again. Maybe just to have time to think it over. To realise, that these new possibilities are good. 

Maybe all this is the reasen why I take so many pictures of doors ;) Big, small, welcoming, scary, open, closed, cute, bold,....I could go on and on!

(Sources: Door, Fire symbols and meanings, Pictures: Mine)

Lace Shirt Addition

I'm totally into lace lately...like about a billion other people out there but who cares.

I repinned an inspiration on Pinterest a while ago and decided to tackle it in January. Well....now February is halfway over, but I did do it. I don't know...there seems to be something wrong with my "I'm going to do this  - now!" mode. 
But I'm proud of myself that I did do it after all.

I thought you might like it, too.

Here goes.

Pick a lace of your choice, measure the width of your sleeve you want to
attach it to.

You'll need pins to attach the lace to the sleeve before sewing

sew the lace right side on right side, then sew the two ends of the lace together

this is what mine turned out to look like

here is a closeup...

and this is what it looks like when I'm wearing it :)

Broccoli Cream Soup

I bought some broccoli a while ago and ended up putting it in the freezer because I never came around to cook it. Two days ago I read a recipe for broccoli cream soup and I decided that would be the perfect use for my broccoli ;)

So I went into the process of making it. Of course I didn't exactly follow the recipe. But I was close to it!!!

Ingredients (for one person!!):

Broccoli Cream Soup


1 broccoli
1 package of cream (200ml)
(about) 600ml of water (-> enough to cover all of the broccoli in the pot)
1 package of Sahne Schmelzkäse (soft cheese, 150g)
salt, pepper, nutmeg
1 cup of broth (it's the broccoli broth)

this just looks delicious,
doesn't it? :P

 You need:
an immersion blender for the broccoli


1. Wash the broccoli
2. cut little parts (I love how they are called   "florets" or "Röschen" in German)
3. cook the broccoli in a pot with the amount of water needed
4. when it's cooked, pour off water and keep a cup  of the broth
5. put away a couple of florets for decoration

6. mash the broccoli
7. pour the cup of broth, the mashed broccoli and the cream in a pot, stir and let it simmer
8. add salt, pepper and nutmeg and maybe some more broth if it needs it
9. let it simmer for another while
10. I also added some plain broth powder and some flour to make the soup thicker
11. when it's finished, pour it into a bowl, decorate with the remaining broccoli and enjoy!

....it was gooood!

My Valentine Crafts

for work

in my calendar

in my room

Make happy happen.

Make people happy. Every other day at least one person.

That's my goal. And right now - it's working pretty well.

Be happy

You don't always have to be the best. You can do your best. And that's enough. As long as you're happy. Don't overwork yourself just to become the best. Because as long as you're not happy, you can't be the best.

This espcially counts for school. There are the people who fool around all day, barely listen and their grades aren't that good. But they're happy. Then there are the ones who listen, study, get grades that are ok. But they're not the best. And they don't care. They are satisfied with the outcome no matter what. And then there are the people some of us will never understand. They get to fool around, have AND get great grades. Why?? Dunno. But they do, and they're happy. Good for them . (Seriously, it's unfair but it's not their fault so just be happy for them).
And then there's me. I always tried being the best, wanted to so badly. But no matter what I tried - it never worked. And the not-working-part was what made me unhappy. I have been told I can't change it and that I should just be happy and content with what I can do. What I can reach. And what I actually do. I am supposed to stop comparing myself to other people and find out the good things about myself.

I am working on that and I thought this might me a little bit inspiring for other people too :)