Moline

Granddad loved roses - trip down memory lane

Granddad loved roses
Originally uploaded by moline

As I told you before, I am trying to revive childhood memories of my Granddad's garden right now whilst redoing our own little one.
I have to say that Grandma also had a garden. She was responsible for the vegetable and fruits whilst granddad fancied only the flowers. They weren't well off and really had to look after the money but he spent each year a small fortune on roses and dahlias. I can remember the tone of the discussions. Nobody quite understood him: he had to spend a lot of money, there was a short period of bloom and it was a lot of work because you have to cut them, cover them during the winter 9or take them out in the case of dahlias).
There is still that anecdote about him and the roses. I had a small paddling pool each year and he used it once to cover his most precious roses because it became terribly cold one day and he simply was not prepared.
I still love him for passing his love for flowers unto me and I see his triangular rose garden at the side of our house. Come to think of it: I had a rose garden in Mexico in front of our living room window and it was triangular, too and the one I built in front of the kitchen there was also triangular... There are no coincidences in live. Funny that here, back in Germany I planned a rectangular bed for the roses, like I put the two triangulars finally together...

Buxus love

Buxus love
Originally uploaded by moline

Oh how I love Buxus! back then when we were living in istanbul we had a collection of Buxus right at our front door. Markus loved to cut them from time to time and I liked that they were wintergreen and had such tiny leaves and great shapes. They were so affordable there compared to germany that we really indulged in our spleen over there.
Of course we could not take them with us so we had them sent to friends in germany who now take care of them.
In Mexico we started a new collection. They were huge and beautiful but it was not like the first one - the feeling was just different.
So now we are starting a small collection for the third time - lets see how far we get...

Things I always wanted

Things I always wanted
Originally uploaded by moline

This week I won't contemplate on a new colour. Our garden is being altered and made much nicer. I always wanted to add features from my grandparent's garden. I clearly remember this garden and the time spent there. They for example had a hornbeam arch next to our living room window and you could clearly see the seasons change whilst sitting on the sofa. And every year we had a nest with wee birds. i so love the memory that I want to add so many things from his garden. So during the next two weeks i will take you to my childhood garden and tell you about all the beloved plants of ours (granddad and me). Hope you enjoy the break from colours.
So from the week end on I will be (hopefully) the owner of my first hornbeam hedge! I am a bit exited because this brings back so much from these times...

My favourite vase from my favourite man!

My favourite vase
Originally uploaded by moline

Got my favourite vase from my beloved husband 8 ears ago. There was a small shop in Konstanz were we lived back then and I've been eying this one for years. It is from tse & tse and it represents pure spring and joy for me. You can bend it like you want and you can fill each vase differently.
The best thing about it is that Markus buys me things I really really love. He loves me AND knows me well so he never makes a mistake when chosing something for me. It comes from the heart - he watches me closely and sees what makes me happy. It was a Ford station wagon model from the 50ies with wood on the side once, a full set with Faber-Castell crayons, he bought me the long loved timer from Mulberry when I started a new job, he brings me a roll of gumdrops from the gas station in the evening (my favourite), he brought home my first Blythe, bought the car I wanted to have when I was a child, sends me love letters during the day via email and last but not least: without him I would not have three wonderful children.
Yep! Found love! Cant hide it! After so many years of turmoil and search and crying and false decisions I found him 10 years ago in May and knew it was him! And i saw karen posting this picture and sighed....
And yes: the vase - reminds me of all this and so much more!

Well, what a start of the week! But I have to state that from time to time!
Hugs to you!

For me - from me!

embrace
Originally uploaded by lush bella

Made myself an present yesterday: a beautiful print from lush bella! Ever since I first heart Holly mention her, I wanted to have the book. Now that she talked of her again, I visited her Flickr and fell in love.
Her way of taking pictures so nurtures my soul and for me it is most poetic. And the jewelry she is amking is simply amazing. I think it all wakens my dreamy side in me that is forgotten so often in between household chores and day-to-day issues with three little ones. So happy I'll get this print. It will be put in a special place to remind me to stop from time to time and listen to this voice...
So thank you Holly for inspiring me again!

Should better sit right here now

Sewing corner
Originally uploaded by moline

... then roaming blogs and Flickr-uploads of my contacts. But I cannot resist the overdose of happy craftiness that comes with it. And it has so nothing to do with highbrow designers and flashy names but with people and their work, what means their life.
So very often I neglect my lovely craftroom and sit just here to see what the other fellow crafters are doing. Time and distance do not matter any more and when you sit so often crafting on your own in your room it is the best that can happen to you: people just fly in via the net adn sometimes you get very intense contact because you share and people can find you and find out about you and if there is a mutual interest or a certain wavelenght you share then you might become pals for a while. And if somebody is annoyed or bored or finds it all silly - the person can just not come back - how easy!
Well, you know what I mean!
Hugs!

Blue giving way to the cheerful Red

The Blues are gone! After some successful crafting in Blue I decided to go for an unusual colour for me: Red. Not that I've finished everything I wanted to craft in Green or Blue but you know - the usual problem: not enough time! But I am so happy I started this colour-challenge decision because it keeps me moving at the moment. Out came these for a start:

And two of them already have been sold in my wee shop .
And now comes Red and I am surprised at how much I like it. Seeing it in the mosaic makes me smile and to be honest: who can resist the cuteness of toadstools anyway, or strawberries and cream?

And again I was searching the house for Reds and could trace these:

Ad I am curious myself at how all this cuteness can possibly influence my craftyness...

Weekend in review

Off we went to the hairdresser - Pauline and Jakob needed a haircut. And there is this cool shop around the corner: totally retro with these old chairs and things. Moritz likes to go there because they have comics to read and they are playing live videos of the Red Hot Chily Peppers - what else does a seven year old need...
So he retired to a chair and read while Pauline enjoyed being in the center of attention. Jakob hated it - that was why my husband Markus came with us. Jakob only goes with him to the hairdresser and so Jakob sat on his lap and curled himself into Daddy's cardigan and holding hand. And of course George was with us and we all filled up the little shop and listened to a live on stage performance of Bette Midler

And then I have to thank Andrea again for a wonderful swap she sent me. We both love paper and I now she really spoiled me with what she sent to me. Wonderful paper, paper scraps and ephemera that will last for so so long. I don't know if I will be able to cut into them or use them. I think they need a seperate box to be stored so that I can go back for inspiration and use them!

Another blue week

Last Sunday I decided to have a nother blue themed week. I could simply not get enough of all the pretty Blues around me.
There were playful Blues

I found Blues amongst my contacts

And I also went through the house again searching for Blues

And I was happy that even Anastasia fell for it here, here, and Mervi here, here and here. Thanks for joining and please join me in some of the other colour weeks, too!

Little birdie

Little birdie
Originally uploaded by moline

Finally finished this pillow. I made it for Iris a long time ago and it now could fly to her. I never thought I would embroider one day. I always loved embroidery and admired my grandma's tablecloth and bedlinen with this wonderful embroidery on it. She always had a story about the person who made it (all relatives and friends) and so I valued them even more. Now I took it up myself and it is so rewarding finishing just one flower. So I am able to keep the memory of her alive even more!