Bye bye 2011…

Best wishes for 2012!

I hope the new year will bring you lots of friendship, love and happiness!

I hope the new year will be a year filled with laughter and fun!

I hope the new year will be really creative and full of inspiration and ideas!

I hope the new year will be a happy year, one without worries and pain!

I hope the best days of 2011 will be the worst of 2012…

Lots of love, Zjizjipke!

I made a cake!

Finally I can show you my first homemade cake!

I made it especially for my mums birthday, she’s one of those unfortunate people who have to celebrate between Christmas and New year.. Just when everybody has enough from the eating too much, drinking too much and sleeping too little, you invite them for another party :-)

So why a cake, I hear you say… Well, it’s not one suitable for consumption! It’s a crochet cake!!

I found the pattern in a really cute book about Amigurumi, ‘Superlieve figuurtjes zelf haken’ or in English: crochet super cute figurines. For the cake itself I followed the pattern to the letter, only using different colours. The decorations, I chose myself, just crocheting some flowers, because she loves them…

At first the cake looked like this:

Then the candle was made:

The decorations in close-up:

And we can proudly say: she loved it!

Love, Zjizjipke!

10in11, the end…

In the beginning of the year talked about 10in11 a project from Peachy. The idea was to make a list of 10 things you wanted to create in 2011 and to blog about your progress. I posted the results of my year onto the blog in Dutch, so I’ll post a translation here for my readers abroad.

With pain in my heart I have to admit my 10in11 list wasn’t very successful… Shame on me!!

I started out very enthusiastic with crocheting my ripple-blanket and getting my blog online, but around April-May I took a big blog and creativity breakdown… Well, breakdown is such a harsh word, let’s just say other things needed my complete attention. If I mention through nose and lips that I’ve found myself a boyfriend in May, you’ll probably understand why my time online and crocheting became rare…

All is well with the boyfriend, but I really missed my blog and crochet hooks and sewing machine, so I divided up my time a little more fair :-)

Now for the end results from my list:

- Starting blog. Check! Maintaining blog. A little less check, but I have high hopes!
- Heating pads with grains. Nope... All the ingredients are present, but I didn’t start yet...
- Make skirt with thrift store fabric. Nope, my sewing capabilities aren’t there yet… Maybe 2012?
- Make a bunting. Check, crochet star-bunting for Christmas!
- Cath Kidston purse. Nope, the trial version is halfway done, so again 2012 probably…
- Cover for the cats pillow. Nope, but she claimed number 7 from the list, so she has a nice place to sleep ;-)
- Ripple-blanket. Check!!!
- Crochet flowers. A few, for a soon to be presented project … So maybe half a point?
- make a skirt from an old pair of jeans. Again no, but I made one from an old sweater (so maybe half a point?)
- Socks. Nope! Tried and failed... But someday!! At the moment I’m crocheting gloves…

Final score: 4 out of 10. Ooooh, failed! Better next year! Promised!

Love, Zjizjipke!

Merry Christmas!

We wish you all the very, very best, most amazing Christmas ever!

(photo taken in Finland)

Love, Zjizjipke!

A Merry Tree-less Christmas!

No Christmas tree for us this year… Because my apartment is located on the top floor and the elevator is busted for months on end now, I really don’t feel the urge to drag my tree up all those stairs!

But off course, decorating is a must! So I promoted one of my orchids to the wearer of ornaments :-) My hooky-star-bunting can cheer up the wall, lights and baubles in a vase will make the picture complete…

Non-orthodox, purple and orchid Christmas looks something like this:

Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Love, Zjizjipke!

Oven baked pumpkin soup!

Yesterday I made some pumpkin soup! Yummy!

What do you need?

Pumpkin – onions – garlic - olive oil – herbs – water – stock cubes – leftover veggies

How to?

Just cut one pumpkin in large chunks, don’t peel them yet, put them on an oven tray. In between the pumpkin put some garlic cloves (also not peeled!), one or two onions cut into four. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs (thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, oregano,… use whatever is within reach!). Put in the oven until tender (about 40 min on 180°C).

Scoop the tender pumpkin out of the peel and throw the good part, not the peel ;-) in a cooking pot. Also add the soft onion, squeeze in the garlic (just squeeze them out of their jacket). If you have some veggies left that need rescuing, put them in (I had a lonely poor tomato lying in the fridge). Add water (depends on the size of the pumpkin, just put it under water) and stock cubes and let it boil for ten minutes.

Blend the mixture, add extra water and herbs according too personal taste. Mine was a bit on the spicy side (small pumpkin, lots of herbs…), so I added a nice dollop of cream before serving.

Enjoy!!!

Love, Zjizjipke!

Blankie the First!

Remember the crochet blankie project? I sort of promised the Tadaaaaah-post by Christmas and it seems I’ve even got a week to spare… ;-)

So…

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaah!

It’s finished! Even with my wrong calculations and ending up with a yarn shortage, my DIY sabbatical and other stuff going on, Blankie the First can finally be introduced to you all!

Conception: December 2010

Birth: December 2011

Length: 78 ripples or 170 cm (90 cm width)

Materials: 100% cotton yarn (Drops Paris) in 12 colours

Gorgeousness: unbelievable

Cuddliness: extraordinaire (according to the housecat that is, she claimed it…)

Thanks again to Lucy from Attic24 for the pattern!

Love, Zjizjipke!

Sweater changes career!

A few weeks ago I came across this really nice blog, Cleolidewij. Cleo loves to use old clothes and transform them into new, beautiful items.

One of her posts is a tutorial on how to make a skirt out of an old sweater and this is the one that inspired me!

So I was a woman on a mission…

In the thrift shop I looked and rummaged through piles of sweaters, hoping to find one in wool, in a greyish kind of colour… And yes! The thrift gods have rewarded me with the perfect sweater to cut up!

After apologizing (again) to my sewing machine for abandoning her for so long, I started on project ‘my new-old skirt’. With success! So tadaaaaaaaaaaah:

It fits! I got lots of compliments when I first wore it, so I guess this is a winner…

The red stitches were a nice detail on the sweater, so I kept that side intact.

On the other side, I cheated a (little) lot… Because the wool stretched a little while sewing the dark grey borders didn’t line up… So I crocheted a little heart and used it as camouflage! You only notice it on the picture or if I’m standing still, so I’ll keep moving and it’ll be our little secret ;-)

Love, Zjizjipke!

Hooky update!

Evening all!

I've been meaning to do an update on my crochet projects, but the weather is spoiling all the fun... I'm waiting for a reasonable amount of daylight to present you with some decent pictures. Sadly when I get home from work, it's dark and last weekend it was really gloomy and grey outside...

So I'm hoping for some sun next weekend, I just need a little bit, for the tiensiest amount of time! But belgian fall/winter has started, which means rain, clouds and wind... Cross those fingers!!

In the meantime you'll have to do with words, no pics... I've finished my ripple blankie!!! Yes, finally gave it the time and attention it deserved and now it's snoozing on the sofa :-) Blankie's the new favorite of the cat... I think she likes the colors!

I've also started a new hooky, blankie project. One with granny squares, lots of color with all white borders. And a present for my mom, it's her birthday this month. I'm crocheting her a cake! Only the decoration is yet to be created, the cake itself is all done...

So, pics will follow, I promise!!

Love, Zjizjipke!

Oh boy!

Yep, I've found it...

And I caught it...

The Pinterest virus...

Oh boy! My to-do-list and want-to-have-list were enormous already, now they quadrupled!!!

I'm just looking for a good soul to invite me, because I see all that awesome stuff, but I can't pin... (Update: Thanks to Lisette from Studio SOIL for inviting me!)

Now, should I go and do something useful? Or wander around Pinterest some more? Ah, the dilemma!!

Love, Zjizjipke!

Time-out

My blankie kept growing,

Slowly but steadily,

Row after row after row.

Untill…

I ran out of cotton..

Yep, you read correct: I ran out of cotton! Sigh…

Luckily I can order some more,

So I can continue with my colourful blankie,

Ripple after ripple after ripple…

But for now, it'll have to wait...

Love, zjizjipke!

The loot!

Ikea, that’s where I spent most of my day yesterday…

Apart from some storage stuff, which I love btw, I had my eyes on some fabric and orchids.

More orchids? More fabric? Yes, yes, I’m guilty of both charges…

3 different pieces of fabric, I told myself would be enough for now.

So here they are:

The last one isn't really clear, but the cat woulnd't budge... If you look well, you can see it in her eyes, she claims this piece for herself!

Mission: buy three (and only three) pieces of fabric.

Status mission: completed? as if...

Evidence of failed mission:

A bag of fabric??????? Uhm, yes, it is...

Somewhere in Ikea, there is a discount corner, maybe you've already been there?

It's crammed full furniture with flaws and 'end of season' stuff, but sometimes one gets lucky and stumbles over a bag full of goodies!

Goodies in the sense of seven different fabrics, dimensions between a metre and several meters (!) for the grand price of 9,99 euros...

Let's just say, it made my day ;-)

Love, zjizjipke!

Multilingual crochet!

Hello everyone!

While exploring the enormous amount of patterns in the gigantic world of the internet, I kept mixing up the UK and US terms with the Dutch ones… Every time I want to crochet one of your beautiful creations, I needed to check and double-check (thanks Google for that…)

So I said to myself and the cat, because she’s always nearby, I said: Listen girl, now you’re going to make some kind of sheet on which you can see in a blink of an eye if it’s yo once or twice.

I twiddled and fiddled with a spreadsheet and there it was, UK terms sisterly beside US and Dutch terms. Maybe these are even useful for the English speaking lovelies who visit my blog and want to translate a Dutch pattern. Maybe, who knows…

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AtsFXX3qVzwwdGlKTldMalBMTFYteGJDWGtfdGczZGc&hl=en&authkey=COiX1cgB

Love, Zjizjipke!

Need a laugh?

To end the weekend on a fun and happy note, I want to share a link to a wonderful place… Fun guaranteed for the whole family, but especially hilarious and oh so familiar for those lucky people who are chosen by their cat to care for them.


Maybe some of you already know him, but without further ado I introduce:



Simon’s cat

Click on the button for one of his movies... 'The Box'.

Love, Zjizjipke!

Longing...

Oh my! I’m longing for spring!!

As much as I love winter for its cosiness and snowy beauty, enough is enough for now… Rain, wind, cold, leaving for work and coming home in the dark, my body needs lots more sun and daylight!

I feel the need for the first sign of spring, the moment every year you come outside and there it is… It surprises you one day when you least expect it…

That first smell of spring, it holds the promise of all things good, great weather, sun, longer days, being outside, cocktails, new life appearing in the garden and the flowerpots,…

If I have to name one moment, one exact specific time every year I feel absolutely and completely happy and totally zen, that’s it! I just love to stand outside and take deep breaths, just enjoying and smelling the spring in the air!

Oh my! I really am longing for spring…

Love, Zjizjipke!

Gorgeous!

Hello all!

I hope you’re enjoying your weekend! Mine started off with a nice surprise on Friday. When I got home after work, I opened the letterbox and found…

an envelope from Holland!

Could it be? Was it the one I won on Ingthings giveaway? Yes, yes, it was!

In the envelope was a cute postcard, a little crochet flower and a vintage flower card on top of the wrapping paper.

After opening the paper, I found the gorgeous red and black fabric!
But wait, there was more… Vintage ribbons and beautiful buttons completed the treasure!

Oh, how I love buttons!!!

Thanks Ingrid!!! I absolutely love the presents you sent me!!! The postcard is already hanging on my fridge, so I can look at it every day and smile because of its cuteness… ‘You brighten up my day’ Yes, you sure do!!

Love, Zjizjipke!

Sneak preview

One of the projects on my 10in11 list is my crochet ripple blanket. I’m making this with 100% cotton yarn (Drops Paris), it’s about 90 cm wide and the plan is to make it around 1.8 meters long.
After the math, I’ve still got 1.5 meters to go. So the ‘tadaa-post’ on this one will probably be posted around Christmas, since I’m doing one ripple every night.
But, because I can't wait so long, I’m posting a kind of sneak preview!

I’m using 12 different colours, so matching them to get a nice colour scheme is a bit tricky (at least for me…). Thankfully I’m not the only one who suffers from a ‘vision-your-colours-how-they-match-together-defect’ and that’s why somebody invented a really cool stripe maker!

Now for the ‘how-to’: the blanket is completely based on Lucy’s neat ripple pattern, which is a really simple and gorgeous way to get loads and loads of colourful waves…
Lucy from attic24 is one of my inspirations when it comes to crocheting, she makes the most wonderful blankets, pillows and decorations with only a hook and some yarn.

This blankie is still so not ready, but I’m already excited about my next big crochet project! Chances are I’m starting it while I’m working on the ripples.

So … to be continued!

Love, Zjizjipke!

10 in 11

A few weeks ago, travelling in the Wondrous World of Blogging I stumbled onto this great idea from Peachy. She made a special blog where people could post their good intentions for 2011. There are only 2 conditions: it must be a list of 10 creative projects and you have to blog about every completed item on your list. So, I talked it over with myself and decided to post my 10in11 list.
Because the blog is in Dutch, I translated my post in English and will also post about my results here.

Hello social control!
I am so glad I found you all… Plans, plans, ideas, more plans, it’s all stuck in my head for the moment. So hopefully with all those superblogladies waiting for results and applying some gentle pressure and motivation, I will have those projects finished in turbo-mode…

So, my 10 in 11:
- Start my blog. It’s been on my mind for quite some time now, but I guess I don’t have to introduce you to Mr. or Mrs. ‘Puttingthingsoff’, do I? Fortunately I fiiiiiinally decided on a name, after numerous rejected propositions: Zjizjipke! (And if you can read this post, I achieved this one: the blog is born!)
- Make heating pads with seeds or grains. The biggest issue here is: find suitable grains… Been to the market, the health food store, still looking for the best kind.
- Make a skirt for myself with the fabric bought at the thrift store.
- Make a fabric or crochet bunting.
- Sew the Cath Kidston bag with the fabric included in her book.
- Make a cover for the cats pillow (think dimensions of a dog pillow, yes she’s spoiled…)
- Finish my crochet ripple blanket: beautiful, colourful waves, still about 1,8m to go.
- Crochet flowers, flowers and more flowers.
- Make a skirt from an old pair of jeans.
- Knit socks (at least 1 pair) for myself.

Hopefully I succeed in finishing these projects in 2011…
Love, Zjizjipke!

New year, new beginnings

Welcome! Welcome! Please come in!
Take a seat and have a cup of tea and a biscuit too. And for those who partied hard last night, I have some paracetamol...
Welcome everyone in my own, little home in the enormous World of Blogging.
The last few months I discovered this unknown, but beautiful and friendly place. I secretly followed some of the most inspiring, creative and sweet people who already are sharing their ideas and much more with all of us. Soon the urge to join in and make my own blog grew.
So here it is, my little baby-blog, hopefully she (I think my blog is a girl, she’ll be girly, sweet, chatty but sometimes may experience some PMS…) will grow into a gorgeous full-grown blog someday.
In the mean-time please excuse the growing pains, while I tweak and alter some bits and pieces and find my style so to speak. I’m starting the blog in English, to allow non-dutch speaking people to (hopefully) enjoy my ramblings as well. It’s not my mother tongue but hopefully spell check will prevent me from making really, really awful mistakes.
What am I going to talk about? Well, every minute of every day thoughts are flying in and out of my head like colourful butterflies, so this will be al mix of things creative, homemade, yummy, green, frugal, beautiful, funny and so on. There’s so much I want to do, read, create and experience, so I’ll try and let you all join in!
Feel free to comment and share your thoughts with me about my posts or whatever you want to talk about…

Love, Zjizjipke!