eye candy candles

For some, these are just a few candles on a bench in our kitchen.
For me, a feast for the eyes.

Enjoy your weekend!

daydreaming

Luckily we've got daydreams...

For today was all about hale and sleet in my hometown Dordrecht.
Browsing through an old Living Magazine from June 2009, I'm looking forward to return to Marrakech within a few months.

throwback tuesday

My son Minne, the eldest, was born on Tuesday, January 28th in 1992.
He came five weeks early and was a super sweet and tiny baby.
This picture of us was taken in the summer of 1993 in Cuba. Wow, time flies...
Nowadays Minne works as a journalist for a newspaper.

Today we celebrate his 23th birthday!

april adventure

Is a trip to Marrakech on your bucket list?

But you rather not travel alone? This is your chance!
With a group of super nice participants from all over Europe, you will have the time of your life! We have place for only one participant in April.
During the Cool Crochet workshop, you stay in riad Chambres d'Amis in the middle of the Medina in Marrakech.
You will discover the colorful city in a very special and adventurous way.
We will bring you to the most wonderful places and yes, we will crochet 'in between' in the coolest places.
How about a daytrip to the Atlas Mountains?
Furthermore we take you to wool heaven in the Souk (don't forget to save some space in your suitcase, for it's a bargain to bring wool from the Souk)

Click H E R E and send me a mail, if you think this is about you.

winter lights

wool on wood

Is it a stained glass window?

Is it a painting?

No, it's wool on wood.
A handmade harlequin blanket stuck on wood.

You can made this multicolored blanket with wool leftovers.

It's fun to do. All harlequins are simple small projects.
You can make the blanket with all types of yarn and in any size you want.

The harlequin pattern is available HERE.

saturday sofa

A perfect snowy white winterday outside.

The light inside the house is wonderful.

Enjoy the sunshine vitamins and have a bright weekend!

wall peg & work apron

My linen work aprons on the peg when I'm not at work. The Japanese aprons are also for sale in the market shop at Villa Augustus (without hare print).

The wood & wall pegs you can find in my E T S Y shop.

100% wool

Dille & Kamille (dill & chamomile) is one of my favorite Dutch concept stores.
The wonderful mix of sustainable products, all with a natural simplicity, are timeless.

It's simply impossible for me to leave the Dille & Kamille shop without buying anything.

I've bought some 100% wool balls in their shop in Rotterdam some weeks ago.
I chose the nude colors, but they are all very pretty.

Although I'm still working on the black knitted sweater dress, I started a 100% wool crochet-side-project today.
The balls were calling, from the cupboard on my desk, when I was working ;)

to be continued...

portrait of a garden

What? IFFR - International Film Festival Rotterdam, 44th edition

When? 21 January - 1 February 2015

Portrait of a Garden a film by Rosie Stapel

What's the film about?
At a centuries-old Dutch estate, a gardener and an 85-year-old pruning master work passionately and painstakingly on perfecting the fruit trees and crops. An ode to the garden and gardeners. Sowing, potting, thinning, pruning and finally reaping.

Where?
Friday 23 january 17:30 Cinerama (only press)
Saturday 24 January 12:15 Pathé Schouwburgplein in Pathé 6 (première)
Wednesday 28 January 16:45 Lantaren Venster in Lantaren 6

Preview? Portrait of a Garden

white blossom magic

White blossom.

Good thing is the blossom is blooming, the buds have already unfolded.
It often happens the tiny flowers don't open up, but just dry out.

Rosa, you did a good job and brought the perfect blossom branches!
Thanks, for a bit of spring inside the living!

knitting on the carpet

Weekend knitting on the carpet.

Love it! (with music & tea)
Yesterday I finished the back side of the knitted sweater dress.
Now I'm working on the front side and I'm almost halfway :)
The sleeves will be easy, so maybe I can wear my black sweater dress next week!

friday fruitday

Yay, we are halfway January!
The days are getting longer again.

Within 3 months I'm back in Marrakech, for the first Cool Crochet Workshop of 2015.

Let's toast with a fresh juicy pineapple salad, to celebrate the beginning of the weekend.
Bring it on.

Enjoy your weekend!

wood & wool office

Welcome to my wood & wool office.

Here's my desk, an old French table that we already have for more than 20 years.
I've cleaned up the office a bit, before I took the photo. The vintage sorting cabinet (once wool cabinet) is a bit tidier than usual.
You can just see the white Jieldé desk lamp.
On my Bertoia chair, I write my blog posts and do most of my wood & wool 'office' work.

It's a bright spot in the middle of our living room. I'm not complaining...

t u l i p s

Tulip season has begun!

My sweet flower child Pippa brought me a bunch of mixed tulips from the flower shop, where she's working as trainee on Fridays.

knit knit knit knit

Currently I'm knitting another sweater dress.

I like to wear my first k n i t t e d sweater dress daily, it's my uniform.

It has become quite obvious to me, that I need a black version too.

Online I've seen cool versions of my KNITTED SWEATER DRESS PATTERN in grey and striped.

I've started quite a while ago and had some crochet side projects in the meantime.

It's quite an easy project, but the thing is I'm most in my element with one hook instead of two needles.

So my challenge is to finish the black dress, before I start something new...

nhow & mwah

where? Rotterdam
what? hotel bar kitchen n h o w
when? yesterday, a stormy Sunday afternoon
why? to enjoy a coffee & beer with a view
what else? quotes from M w a h