Around here

As I am writing this I am sitting in my garden.  I’ve taken all of my blogging and drawing supplies (I’m planning on some art journaling after this) from my “office” upstairs and set up shop in my garden.

We had our pation put in almost 2 weeks ago. This means I am finally able tuo use the garden table without having to first make room or only have a quarter of the table to use.
I’m hoping for a long beautifull summer so I can do this very often.

After my art journaling workshop with Lou Niestadt, also almost 2 weeks ago (same day as we had the patio done) I have been drawing more. Still not everyday; I just have so much I want to do. And never mind my seemingly endless to-do list. I’m hoping I can keep this up. But time will tell...
You can read all about that workshop HERE.

With this warmer and dryer weather my fibormyalgia is finally becoming less of an problem. Less pain means more energy. So I’m filling my  to-do list with projects that have been waiting around to be finished or start new projects that have been lurking in my brain for a while. This includes some crochet-projects ( I have been bitten by he crochet-bug), drawing and other small bits and pieces. Some will end up in my little shop, some are presents ( thus I can’t share anything about them here..) and some are just for myself.

The warm spring weather also means the garden is coming to life. Our Japanese cherry tree has blossomed beautifully. The delicate pink flowers are now making place for fresh green leaves. Other plants are also strating to bloom and produce new leaves. Our lawn is recovering from all of the doggy-play last fall and turning into a lush green mat.
Weeds are also growing furiously so I’m spending quite a bit of time pulling them out. I try to divide the garden into 30 minute blocks and do one section a day. Or more when I feel like it.
Abby is not a very great help. She loves just walking around and taking a little nibble of every plant that’s in her reach.

I’m also very busy making stuff for my little shop. This Saturday is “Kingsday”. Traditionally we celebrate the bitrhday of our current monarch. This usually includes huge fleamarkets. This year I’m setting up shop right here in Hoorn. Besides the things I already have I’m also debuting some new items. They will appear in the shop next week. ( if I have any left, let's keep our fingers crossed)

So that’s whats going on around here.

How are you doing?

Currently 18.04.2014

Each week I take a moment to record what's happening right now.

Workshop Art Journaling with Lou Niestadt

A few weeks ago somewhere on the internet I stumbled upon the announcenment that  Lou Niestadt would give an artjournalning workshop. I was immediately excited! I have been following her ever since I accidently found her book in our local liberary almost a year ago. Whilst searching for the exact details of the workshop I started debating with myself how far I would be willing to travel fort his. Amsterdam..shure. Utrecht maybe.. To my amazement I found that it would be held in the next village. Only a 20 minute bike-ride away.  With the added bonus of recieving one of her books I immediately signed up.

This Sunday the wait was over and it was workshop-day.  I actually was quite nervous..  In my mind Lou is somewhat of a celebrity so the idea that she would be right there filled me with jitters.
I had never been to the “schijfsalon” before but it felt like coming home. The room was light and decorated with crochet-banners, lovely paintings with inspiring quotes, a table with typewriters and other lovely stuff. At every seat there was a black pen and a small , cheap box of waterpaints and a piece of paper.
I found a seat and met some of my “classmates”. I think I wasn’t the only one who was a bit nervous thankfully.

Lou had brought her 2 dogs and came to introduce herself to everyone who came in. She was lovely and I really had nothing to be nervous about. 

She started the workshop telling about how she does her artjournaling. She showed us some of her pages and talked about how everyone can do it.  She also spoke about how we sabotage ourselves. We tell ourself that we need those expensive paints before we can start or how we need that one specific type of pen in order to draw. And how, when we finally have all of those things, we are scared to actually use them because we think  we need to make a masterpiece with those expensive things.

The actual “work” part of the workshop consisted of drawing. We had a piece of paper that we folded in 4. That we it became a kind of little booklet. Next came the question: “what to draw?” I always struggle with this.  Lou had a very simple awnser: “what’s in your bag?”
Most of us carry a purse. And , if you are anything like me, you carry along things that have meaning to you. Now I carry a massive bag most of the time. My bag is really somewhat like my securityblanket. I have something in there for every occasion or emergency. I am trying to carry less with me but still I had lost of options to chose from.
I decided not to make it to hard for myself and started with my ever present tube of handcreme. 

There is nothing I hate more then dry hands..

To make it really challenging we weren’t allowed to use pencil first.. Because the problem with that is that for perfectionists like me you draw until everything is perfect.. and that is an impossible thing. So you spend ages erasing and re-drawing..
We had to draw straight onto the paper with the black pen. The first line onto the paper was really scary. But , as Lou told us, mistakes happen, you just need to accept them and move on.
After a few lines it got beter. I noticed it my lines did actually look like the tube of creme in front of me. 

After the drawing I got to use the paint. With my first stroke on the paper I realised that the black pen wasn’t waterproof and smudged in my paint. At first it really bummed me out  and I was tempted to pull out my "expensive"waterproof pen. But soon I realised it just added character to my drawing. It made it look really artsy. 

I happily drew and painted for the next hour and a half. I glanced at other people work and saw that everyone made lovely drawings and was also happily at work. Lou meanwhilst walked around and talked with everyone, awnsering questions and giving advice.

Before I knew it, it was 16.00 and time to go home. I was given some really good advice and went home very inspired. 

Lou is a lovely person and the way she talks about art journaling makes you want to try it yourself.

She even took the time to sign my book! 

If you ever have the chance to meet her or attend one of her workshops I highly reccomend it.

I had never been to the “schrijfsalon” before. And was pleasantly surpirsed to find such a lovely place not far from my home. They have regular writing-meetings and I intend to go to more often.

Spring Sale!

Earlier this week I updated my little store with some fresh notebooks, new crochet items in spring colors and some other bits and pieces. 

It's getting a bit crowded so until Monday the 14th of april I'm offering a 20% discount on everything in the shop!

So if you have been debating weather or not to buy your favorite; now is your moment!

Simply enter the code : "SPRING20" when you check out.

Happy Shopping!!!

The things I am, try to be and am most certainly not

The things I am
* a creative person who always wants to try new things
* owner of a chaotic mind
* a book lover
* documenter of life
* the person behind the camera

The things I try to be
* more patient
* less complaining
* let my moods be affected by things I have no control over
* more organised
* more enjoying the right now

the things I am not
* a domestic godess
* stress-proof
* shure of where I need to be
* good at making choises
* a winter , snow loving person

And you?
Who are you?

Currently 05.04.2014

Every week I take 5 minutes to record what's happening right now.
I use a small list to help me.

And what are you up to right now?

30 days of lists: wrap up

With the start of April there has come an end to the 30 days of lists.
I really had a lot of fun!
There where some easy topics and some things I had never thought about before.
There was one list that I just couldn't make work.: no.20 When I was your age.
I don't have any kids and my only nephew is only 4 (and a half) years old.
I couldn't think of anything from that age.
So I left that one blank. I rather leave it blank than make a list that doesn't make any sense.

It was awesome to see all of the different lists on the 30 days of lists webpage, the facebookgroup and on Instagram.

So here is my complete album!