Bull

My next Zentangle attempt got kind of carried away. I couldn't stop and it covers almost a whole A4 sheet. I'm not content with it but will show it anyway. Jasmina called it a bull.....

Zentangle

My latest Zentangle. I got inspired by a stamp from Terry Medaris.

Craft Fair/Handwerkbeurs

 The craft fair (handwerkbeurs) in Zwolle opened its doors again last weekend. Last year Jasmina and I went there for the first time and we had a ball attending workshops and looking at all these fabulous crafts. It makes you want to buy; but I've learnt not to be an impulse buyer so I did alright.

First project: a heart

 

Then quilting:

Here Jasmina learned paper piecing. We both made a label.

Paper piecing is a way of sewing through the lines on paper to do detailed block designs without any cutting of template pieces.

 

 

 

We had to finish them home.......

 The finished  result.

Textile Art

Next we made a small wall hanging using different fibers and tyvek.

Jasmina's creation

Mine.

And last...dry felting

Jasmina made a little mouse.

Isn't he cute?

We have been so busy that time slipped by. Before we knew it was closing time, so no time to shoot some pictures of the fair but the two below.

 

Zentangle

What  better way to get inspired and recharge the creative soul (after 6 months visiting and caring for my friend who passed away January 19) than to see the beautiful art from other friends' blogs. It was Carole who got me interested in Zentangle. I had seen this before and my thought like usual: "I'll try it one day", adding the link to my favorites and forgetting about it until....I saw Carole's creations and how enthusiastic she was. She was the one who gave me a push to give it a try. Lucky her that her birthday was around the corner so I made my first Zentangle into a birthday card for her.

Zentangles are doodles that are created using black ink pens and are meant for relaxation or meditation while creating a design. You don't have to be a professional artist to do this. Everybody can do it. This link will bring you to many tangle patterns to try out. It's a wonderful site to learn how to Zentangle.

Here is my second one:

Like I said earlier, everybody can do it. I got my granddaughter Jasmina (9) interested too and Monday afternoon we tangled together. I downloaded a  Zentangle fill pattern sheet  for her where she could tangle her heart out. This was the result:

Then she started on her Zentangle, which she hasn't finished yet.

I think she did a wonderful job. Sunday I take her to the annual craft fair in Zwolle and participate in some workshops.

Matchbox Valentines

Matchboxes can be turned into little chests for keepsakes or trinkets or as a little gift with "a gift", like these matchbox Valentines filled with heart candies. Jasmina made them for her Mommy for Valentine's day. Aren't they pretty?

Tutorial

Cards made at workshop

A few months ago I made these cards at Corine's workshop. It's called the grid technique. It's easy and it gives a nice background to your card. I used the Martha Stewart scoring board.

Tutorial can be found here:    http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/grid_technique/

In another workshop we made Christmas cards:

It's jam-making season again.

Every year, in August and September, someone in my neighbourhood brings us plums, apples, berries etc. A relative of him has a fruit orchard and the trees bear so much fruit he cann't use it all by himself, so he gives most of the fruit away. This time we got a big box of plums. Too much just to eat them so I had a job to do: jam making.

Besides making the regular plum jam I also tried out some recipes. I found an interesting one on a german site: peach plum banana marmelade. I had to try this one and it came out perfect and taste delicious. Here is the recipe:

Peach Plum Banana Jam

500 gram peaches

500 gram plums

1 banana

juice of 1/2  lemon

1 kilo jam sugar

Wash and removes the stones from the fruit and cut in pieces. 

Add the banana and mash the fruit with a stick mixer.

Add the jam sugar and stir it until it has completely dissolved. Bring it to a full rolling boil and boil it rapidly for about 5-6 minutes. Add the lemon juice.Immediately pour hot mixture into sterilized jars right to the top and seal. Invert jars for at least 10 minutes then turn upright. This will create a vacuum seal. Let cool.

This was my first batch. Also made blackberry jam from my own blackberry bush.  Two more batches followed in that week. It's time consuming but well worth the effort.