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.

Bracelets, once more...

I don't know how your week has been, but mine was weird. And short.

Flat tire on Tuesday, right when we were supposed to head off to gymnastics. Had to go by bus which we missed, so we had to wait and hence M. was late.
Wednesday, I had to get the tire fixed besides everything else on a usual Wednesday . Thursday, I was supposed to prepare samples of crafts activities for an upcoming school event - I wasn't in a crafty mood, apparently, since nothing seemed to work out the way I wanted. On top of that a big photo frame came down from a shelf, shattered to pieces, glass everywhere and me almost having a heart attack from all the rumpus it made. It took me awhile to pick up the pieces and while I was vacuum cleaning the last bits, I decided to quickly do the kitchen floor as well. That's when I noticed a big puddle of water under the washing machine... It was close to pick up time from school and I was trying to find a leak... No way I could move the heavy machine on my own. So, it had to wait until K. got home. Nothing wrong with the machine - thank goodness - just one of the joints in the water pipe running behind the machine that gave up. The leak got fixed on Friday morning - no harm done.
And that was my week, sort of.
Good thing at least the weather was nice, which allowed a short stop at the park after school almost every day.



Anyway, yesterday while I was still thinking about bracelets for the upcoming school event, I came up with this twisted rope/embroidery floss bracelet. Easy to make and at very low cost. Make it longer, tie a knot at both ends and you have nice rope handles for a summer tote... I might try this actually, if I find a spare moment.

In the meantime here's a short how-to for the bracelets. The rope blends perfectly in with the new styles for summer: espadrilles, rope wedges... If you want a more finished look, instead of tying a knot attach a clasp.



All you need is embroidery floss, hemp rope, a pencil for twisting, and something to hold the rope while twisting (I used a piece of wood with a nail, a ring binder will work equally well).

1. Cut several strands of embroidery floss and one strand of rope, of equal length. Tie them all together to form a closed loop.

2. Place loop over the nail, or ring of the binder and slip your pencil through the loop at the other end.

3. Start twisting and continue until the twisted rope starts twisting onto it self. Redistribute where necessary to get a nice twisted rope. Tie a knot through the loop and done!

Make a bunch to cover wrists, ankles,... Make them smaller and you obtain perfect napkin rings for that first spring garden party (or autumn outdoor gathering if you happen to live on the other half of the planet). Just play around with it and have fun!

Well, it's not my best idea ever, but at least I have the feeling I did something creative this week!


Wishing you a nice weekend!
xo, Pascale

And the winner is...

 Tania said...
Congratulations, and what a brilliant giveaway, thank you!
ollieandt@gmail.com

March 15, 2012 3:31 AM

Congratulations, Tania! I will send your information to C&T publishing and they'll take care of the rest!
Thanks again everyone for your enthusiasm about the book!!