Spring Break :: 't Zwin

 

You probably guessed it but we were (well, actually still are) on Spring break. Despite the bad weather I took the girls to the Belgian coast last week. It rained and rained and rained some more but we did have a great time and even got a teensy bit of sun in between showers.
One of the highlights of our week was our trip to 't Zwin in Knokke-Zoute, a beautiful nature park and breeding spot for stork and many other birds. We saw and heard quite a few stork - simply amazing. And the one in the picture treated us to a defile as if on a catwalk, walking slowly and elegantly not the least bit shy. All, while I was taking pictures in real paparazzo style, trying not to disturb the bird but getting as many shots as possible. Wonderful!
After our visit to 't Zwin (and after taking off our muddy boots and clothes and me performing a silly dance with one foot still half way in a boot and the other one wearing a sneaker in an attempt to catch a plastic bag which flew from our car trunc - I got it! ) we went to Marie Siska for pancakes and some more fun at the playground.

A perfect afternoon despite the rain - you can't tell from the pictures, but as soon as we bought our entry tickets it started pouring - p o u r i n g! - for a minute we thought about going back to the car and simply leaving. And are we glad we didn't...!

Tree tops

 








 







All pictures taken on Easter Monday...
Spring at different paces.

Euhm... another bracelet? Really!?

I hope you all had a nice Easter weekend.
Ours was a bit more quiet than expected, with one sick girl in the house. Quiet but nice.
I found time to go through some stuff of mine and that's when I discovered this bracelet. I think it came with a magazine a couple of years ago and I never really wore it if remember correctly, finding it a bit plain. Anyway, at the sight of it, a little voice in my head went 'craft - color - paint'.  A couple of hours later I ended up with this. I kind of like it.



Initially, I wanted the orange to be neon. It's the second time I tried the neon orange paint I got (Pébéo Studio Acrylics - #370 Fluo Orange), and again it let me down. For some reason, it doesn't adhere to anything. So, after at least four (five?) layers, I ended up mixing it with some other orange acrylic paint I still had. The color turned out ok, not as flashy as 100% fluo would have given me, but still flashy.
Besides orange, I used gold, still left from this project, silver and sand color. I just wish I'd been a bit more patient and had waited a little longer before applying painters tape to a rather fresh (dry to the touch, though) coat of gold. Some parts came off and I had to start all over again. Well, that explains the 'rustic' look. Let's just assume that I intended it that way.

 


If you'd like to try this, all you need is a wooden bracelet, acrylic paint in a set of colors of your choice, painters tape, brushes and elastic - i.e. if you cut the original one to pieces like I did. Well, I guess I really wanted to use my neon orange elastic!




The process is kind of straightforward. Tape off areas, paint, let dry. Add another layer or two. Repeat for different colors, let dry and finally put back together with elastic.

Et voilà, another bracelet to add to the collection!!

Herb garden

We're at it again. Maybe we shouldn't. I mentioned it here a couple of times already, neither one of us has a green thumb. Whichever plant we tried, it died.

And every Springtime we give it another try.
Right now we have lavender and Marguerites or white daisies on the balcony.
And herbs on the kitchen windowsill.

I changed watering strategies. Instead of giving them water a couple of times a week, I now soak every plant in a bucket of water once a week (for now) - until there are no more bubbles emerging from the pot, just as I was told by the seller at the plant store. And I'm feeding my plants coffee grinds, saved throughout the week in a plastic container, something I picked up from a lifestyle magazine on French TV.
So far, so good.

So, lately, we've been enjoying fresh mint on our cucumbers (with just a bit of coarse salt added - divine!), basil on our tomatoes. And I do like a touch of rosemary on a roast. I just try not to think of all the bad stuff in the air and the construction works around the corner in particular, when I'm savoring my insalata caprese.
 
We still have some space left on our windowsill - I might add cilantro, if I can find any, and maybe some parsley as well.
What's growing in your herb garden. Any tips or tricks?

Wishing you a...

// Happy Easter //
and lots of chocolates!

xo, P.