zsazsazsu

Inspired by ...

2012-02-10T08:10:00.000+01:00

Power

4 ways to wear this necklace

Frozen sea

2012-02-09T11:22:00.000+01:00

In the winter of 1963 my father took these pictures.

One of the coldest winters we ever experienced here on the Belgian Coast.

Weatherforecasts predict a raise of temperature next week.

So 1963 will stay the coldest winter we have ever known here.

Let spring come ... pleeeeeeaaaaase !

Leather and crochet

2012-02-08T07:29:00.002+01:00

Made some more of these leather and crochet bracelet.

My daughter modelled them. But I found a beautiful

blogpost at LaTouchables with some better pictures of one of

these bracelets ... go have a look here !

Matching piece

2012-02-07T08:12:00.001+01:00

Spoiled myself with a beautiful delicate tricot 'knitted marvel' from

the new Cora Kemperman collection.

Made a matching necklace for it.

Too bad the color on the picture isn't a 100 % good.

Exercise in balance

2012-02-06T07:18:00.002+01:00

Inspired by the blogpost from ArtMind about making a

combination of her famous sculptures "feelings"

one called : stress in balance (awesome how she did this)n

I thought I would like to give the 'balance'

a 'crochet' try too (and leave the stress behind )

What to do on a saturday ?

2012-02-04T08:27:00.001+01:00

Get energy from a fresh walk in the snow

Spoil yourself with a hot chocolate

And of course : shop untill you drop in the orginal

one and only Lolly Pop-Up Store in Antwerpen

to see al the beautiful work of these designers.

Admiration and respect

2012-02-03T07:12:00.000+01:00

A little tribute to European 'ETSY'-woman whom I adore for their craftmanship and originality in their creations.

They all have an etsy shop (click on the picture)

and a blog (click on the name)

Lucietales from France

LaTouchables from Germany

Donauluft from Austria

Juanita Tortilla from Switzerland

L'Accentnou from Spain

Colorcombinations

2012-02-02T08:30:00.000+01:00

Let these beautiful colors speak for itself

Details

2012-02-01T07:17:00.001+01:00

Using different kinds of materials for this necklace, but only when you have a closer look you will see.

Silk cordonnet thread size 30/3 mixed with 1 overlock shiny polyester thread size 100/3

Silk cordonnet size 30/3

mix of 2 sewingthreads : 1 overlock shiny polyester and

1 Gütermann Mara sewingthread + a combinationthread of

silk and steel from Habu

The red dot number 3

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000+01:00

Eye update

2012-01-27T08:57:00.000+01:00

wearing the plastic eyeshell after surgery

left eye right eye

I had the eye surgery on Tuesday. All went ok. Temporarily I don't have a good sight. On my left eye (the one that had the surgery) I can't see good far away, but very well closeby. In my right eye, I am wearing a contactlens

so there I can see good faraway but not closeby.

This will be my sight for the next 4 (difficult) weeks.

After that I will have my final eyeglasses and have

a better sight then I had in the last 6 years.

If I don't wear the contactlens, I can see perfect within 10 cm of my nose ... but then all the rest of the world is blurred ...

Crocheting with beads

2012-01-23T07:15:00.000+01:00

For men and woman

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000+01:00

Unisex leather and crochet bracelets.

The Lolly pop-up store in Antwerpen !

2012-01-19T08:15:00.002+01:00

Last Tuesday I went to Antwerpen to fill the shelfs I have rented at the Lolly Pop-up store. .

A cute little shop right in the center of Antwerpen. Not all shelves were filled yet, but

by tomorrow, all will be in as it is Grand Opening for the press and

for the public on Saturday.

A shop filled with original handmade items. Most of the participants do have an etsy-shop too.

A big 'thank you' to An and Heidi for making this possible !

You can read all about this shop coming to life on

their FB page.

Hope you will share this message and get us the all the publicity we can get to make this into a big succes !

Have a look inside with me

How to get there : click here

mmmm caramel !

2012-01-16T06:30:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow I take these two along to the Lolly Pop-Up store in

Antwerp. A pop-up store where other a lot of

handmade stuff from Belgian etsy-ers and designers will be

on sale from the 20th of January untill the 25th of February.

I hope you will pay us a visit !

Summervacation ! Sigh !

2012-01-13T07:47:00.000+01:00

Highseason at the travelagency : many book their summerholidays

this week, as they can get the best deals.

Selling sun, freedom, peace,

quietness, fun, culture, beach and mountains all the time now ... I sure also get into summermood ! So booked a summerhouse in Tuscany for the end of June.

Now, counting down the days, diving into travelguides,

dreaming away ... Tuscany here we come !

"The red dot" number 2

2012-01-12T06:52:00.000+01:00

2012-01-11T07:13:00.000+01:00

Can't help laughing every time I watch this tv commercial :

... vacation ... a great time to misbehave ...

Bracelets in Red & Blue

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000+01:00

Crochet mixed with glass beads.

2 for the price of 1 as each bracelet can be turned into a necklace.

Leather, crochet and a knot

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000+01:00

No knead bread

2012-01-08T11:20:00.001+01:00

Seduced by a blogpost I read here, I wanted to try this kind of bread.

Sounded too simple ... and indeed it is ! I just needs time, that's all.

You can read the recipe here or here.

The crust is thin, crisp and snaps as you cut into the loaf.

The interior of the bread holey, chewy, airy and light.

A big yes to try it again !

Stormy weather

2012-01-07T10:55:00.000+01:00

Due to the extremely stormy weather we had these last days and still today, this major event of

diving in the North Sea mid winter today has been postphoned to a later date.

About 6000 people planned to dive in a sea that is about 5 ° !

Rendez-vous on the 21st of January.

Knotted

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000+01:00

I made small labels with a statement : gehaakt. (crocheted.)

Most people don't even see that it's crochet work.

Playing with colors and leather

2012-01-05T07:30:00.000+01:00

Spiral number 3

2012-01-04T07:10:00.000+01:00

Asymmetry with bicycle tires

2012-01-03T07:40:00.001+01:00

2011-12-31T07:17:00.000+01:00

nothing you can buy in a store,

but what you quietly hope for,

that is what I wish you for 2012

Frivolité

2011-12-29T07:28:00.001+01:00

A while ago I was spoiled by Cri-Cri with a parcel full of goodies.

One handmade item really catched my attention, as I was conviced that it was some

kind of tiny crochet. But ... it's not. It's called 'Frivolité'.

Something in between lace, macramé and crochet.

She made a large variety of christmasdecorations with it.

So for those that want to have a christmastree full of these

cute handmade ornaments ... it's time to start ... so you will be done by the 24.12.12.

Remake

2011-12-28T07:08:00.001+01:00

This necklace was made almost a year ago. A combination of crochet, leather, cotton and wool. I reused the leather, the crochet tube and a copper hoop from the initial

closing. And turned this into ...

yep ... another spiral :-)

Spiral number 2

2011-12-27T08:12:00.001+01:00

Too bad you can't really see the color mixes of the sewingthreads I used for this gradation in colors.

2011-12-24T08:22:00.002+01:00

*for every nationality and every belief

Spirals

2011-12-23T09:50:00.002+01:00

Found some inspiration in my telephone wire !

The red dot

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000+01:00

Back to the minimalistic crochet : this time with some

suède and a red accent mixed with shades of grey.

Made some new !

2011-12-20T07:30:00.000+01:00

For these dark, cold and wet days ... some cheerful

mixes for your keys !

Exuberance

2011-12-19T06:30:00.000+01:00

From minimalistic crochet into the exuberance with beads.

A woven bracelet in the Robin Atkins Beaded Treasures technique.

It was quite some time ago since I've made my last one.

Pinned on cork and using a lot of beads and c-lon thread for this

result.

But ... already back to my crochet needle ...

2011-12-18T06:41:00.000+01:00

Lazy on sunday

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-12-17T08:23:00.000+01:00

Beautiful combinations of winered and raspberry sewingthread !

The custom request

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000+01:00

Last week I received two pieces of fabric from

Cri-Cri curieux with the question for making a

matching necklace and bracelet.

This is the result !

Under the spell of ...

2011-12-15T15:34:00.001+01:00

crocheting beads and tubes

The verdict - part two

2011-12-14T16:23:00.001+01:00

About one month ago I posted that I had received the bad news that my left eye was degenerating with cataract. Today I got the new that operation is planned on the 24th of January.

Due to former eye problems, the operation will take place under a full narcose.

The doctor hopes to bring back my sight from a minus 9 to a

minus 3 ... so a pair of glasses will still be necessary (even two if you count in the reading glasses I am wearing when crocheting tiny stitches).

The cataract I have is not really the one older people suffer from (misty sight).

For the moment I see everything in triple ... especially lights ... it even could go up to 4x or 5x or even 6x !

Waw ... and this in a christmasperiod where everything is full of extra lights :-)

Can you imagine what I see ?

Just for the ears !

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000+01:00

A custom order for a friend

New design

2011-12-12T06:38:00.000+01:00

Unpacking the tree

2011-12-11T16:42:00.001+01:00

A few years back I've made a christmastree with just

pinecones and lights. (it took me more then one ride to the woods to collect enough pinecones to make this tree).

Modern and tight.

Carefully packed it was waiting on the attic for

it's time to help make this period of the year a bit cozy again.

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-12-10T07:38:00.000+01:00

Pure and simple crochet. Normally I like asymmetry more, but

this time I went for straight symmetry.

My creative space

2011-12-08T07:23:00.001+01:00

Cri-cri curieux has sent me a huge package with nice surprises to spoil me !

In this package I also found a letter with a request to make a matching necklace and bracelet for the fabrics included. Her wish is that the bracelet could be attached to the necklace to create a second row. So ... I am working on it. Above you can see a selection of beads and colors I have

picked. Meanwhile I finished the bracelet and I am working on the necklace, but to dark after work to take pictures, so the final result will be shown somewhere next week. I really hope she will like it.

Wreath from an old book tutorial

2011-12-06T07:58:00.001+01:00

Instead of taking time to read a good book, I managed to destroy some old pocketbooks to make a nice wreath.

Recycled and goodlooking.

What do you need :

no time to read

a bad pocket book (or two)

I used headpins, but you can also use a gluegun

of course a wreath (can be foam or straw)

If you want you can paint the edges of the book in grey or brown for

a more ancient look

The way I pinned the papersheets onto the wreath

After the first layer, flip over and continue.

Fold and roll the sheets in different ways for a messy look.

Chapter 41 already ... time for coffee !

For the center of the wreath I usd the sheets cut in half,

to give it a bit more depth.

Tada !

But so see how a professional does this,

click here !

The temporarily knitting obession

2011-12-05T06:30:00.000+01:00

This is wunderful poetic animationfilm about ... obession ... you really should have a look.

Meanwhile I have been knitting 3 'loopy' scarfs to offer as

'handmade' Christmas presents.

Not really the style of scarf I would wear, but the

persons that will get these scarfs will be more than happy.

They are so easy to make and are finished in

about 2 hours only.

I heart macro

2011-12-04T16:10:00.001+01:00

Someone will recognize these cute candles !

Traditional bread'lady'

made with 'Zopf'dough

'Sinterklaas' brunch at my mothers home today

See more macro's at Studio Waterstone

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-12-03T07:04:00.001+01:00

Almost a year ago I bought this beautiful :

Miss Tree - Wire Corespun Fingering Weight (30 yards)From moonrover

This crazy corespun on a wire yarn was hand dyed and handspun mixing almost every kind of fiber in my entire studio and a beautiful mini batt from laigrai.etsy.com . I used all sorts of random fluff, some locks, angelina and firestar around a thin yet pliable beading wire. Sooooo soft and fluffy-fluffy!!

Up to now I did not have inspiration to make something out of this
beautiful wire. I tried the necklace above, but I am not happy
with the result. I still have wire left, so whenever inspiration
pops up, I can try something new.

I hope you had more inspiration (and time) this week to make
nice things. Show them off, we would all love to see them.

Quartier Bricolé Shop

2011-12-02T07:24:00.001+01:00

Have a glimpse inside the shop where I sell part of my collection together

with other designers.

ps : not all the designers are on these pictures -

check here to see them all

www.alinevandeplas.be

So a nice adress to shop for some original

christmaspresents !

The atmosphere yesterday

2011-11-28T08:02:00.001+01:00

Preparing my booth for the Innerwheel happening.

The event was organised in the former swimmingpool of the Thermae Palace building. Too bad I couldn't find any pictures of

how it was before. I remembered taking swimminglessons

in the pool when I was about 9 years old ... pure nostalgy.

Veer still preparing her booth ...

I took the pictures early as I did not have time for the rest of the day to leave my booth.

Everybody busy peparing their booths

They all found a nice owner, but with that smile it wasn't difficult.

Charity for cancerprojects

All handmade flowerarrangements were sold to raise money for charity

Who could resist the homemade marmelade !

They saw ... all was fine ! :-)

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-11-26T08:34:00.001+01:00

Three ways to wear this choker

Don't forget the 'live' shopping tomorrow at my

booth in Thermae Palace hotel Oostende

2011-11-24T15:02:00.001+01:00

It's my 4fth birthday today, but please don't make

a fuss out of it, let me sleeeeeeeeeeppppp !

Detailed passion

2011-11-23T06:41:00.001+01:00

I used already some of the (faceted) gemstones I bought at Zahia in Bruges last week.

Pure and simple, no beads.

Crocheted from a to z ... tiny 4mm red coral.

And 3mm Tourmaline !

And of course, stylish Onyx !

The one I was working on last Thursday

Francine feels relieved !

I even made a matching pair of sterling silver earwires.

All will be for sale at my booth on Sunday.

Choker mania

2011-11-22T10:08:00.001+01:00

Oops, almost 'choked' Francine !

Upcoming event

2011-11-21T05:18:00.000+01:00

On Sunday the 27th of November I will be

participating in this charity event.

Together with MeervanVeer we

will sell our handmade collection.

Hope you pop in !

The event is taking place in this wunderful location.

So ... a nice combination with a beachwalk is the perfect way to

spend a lazy sunday afternoon.

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-11-19T07:15:00.000+01:00

My creative space

2011-11-17T07:01:00.000+01:00

working on a new choker

this one with a mix of Habu silk and stainless steel and some

black sewing thread - so this one has a very very

tiny sparkle due to the stainless steel

Some more !

2011-11-16T07:20:00.001+01:00

The verdict

2011-11-15T12:39:00.001+01:00

Some of you know I have been having an (left)eyeproblem since 2005.

Retinaloosening, severe operation, thick glasses and an extra pair to

read and craft. (And always alert to new eyeproblems ever since, as

I experienced being blind for 3 weeks).

Now just returned from the doctor as my sight was degenerating quite quickly

the last couple of weeks. The verdict : cataract.

So in the next months, another operation is on the list.

:-(

But as long as I still can see enough to crochet I am happy !

My newest addiction

2011-11-15T07:43:00.000+01:00

Assymetric crochet chokers combined with gemstones, beads, ceramics, metal,

recycled glass ... or whatever passes on my workingtable.

crab agate combined with a matt metal bead and mixed sewingthreads

More coming up the next days !

Little glass comma's

2011-11-12T07:38:00.001+01:00

Punctuation in glass : little comma's Ann from the Zilverij has sent me combined with some crochet tubes into a long necklace.

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-11-12T07:09:00.001+01:00

It has been a while since I hosted the SSD, due to lack of time.

But here we are back. Hope you join in and show us what you've

made. Time to prepare for the upcoming holiday season !

Natural beauties

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000+01:00

Natural beauties : drilled riverstones made into rings.

On sale in my Dawanda shop

My creative space

2011-11-10T06:35:00.004+01:00

Let's see what others have been up to at

our creative spaces

Some more !

2011-11-09T12:40:00.002+01:00

Some more handmade porcelain & crochet combinations

New stock

2011-11-09T06:51:00.002+01:00

New stock and a lot of inspiration !

A nice surprise

2011-11-08T16:06:00.000+01:00

Ann from the Zilverij surprised me with some handmade

porcelain beads she made during a workshop at Artmind.

Love the irregularity and delicacy of this kind of beads.

I combined them with a bit of my crochet work.

The orange necklace is made with a beautiful piece of

orange coral.

All crochet work is done with 3 threads of sewing thread, a mix of

silk and polyester.

2011-11-08T11:55:00.004+01:00

Just gorgeous George from next door

Carrotcake

2011-11-05T07:53:00.002+01:00

My mothers (handwritten) recipe

...

no picture of the final result ...

just the crumbs are left

Advantages

2011-11-03T16:14:00.001+01:00

Working in the travelbusiness surely has some advantages,

which cannot be seen on the pictures above of my

officeplace. But ... my collegue Sandra has

a very nice blog about the trips she makes, making use of

the advantages that come on the job !

Just returned from ther travel to :

USA Western Wonders

A stroll through Ostend

2011-11-02T07:13:00.000+01:00

no, not Pisa :-)

bbq season finished at the skatepark

humor or art ?

literally in the picture

The best ingredients of the Northsea

This can be called onerously a Healthpharmacie as the

only healthy ingredient is a slice of apple.

I prefer this environment instead of the one on the picture just above.

Flickr Favorites

2011-11-01T07:54:00.000+01:00

It has been a long time since I participated in Artminds Flickr Favorites game.

This weeks theme is FOOD !

So I did an extra effort to scroll through

the Flickr page to find some of my favorite foods.

As you can seen I did

not have to scroll a lot, as I found what I was looking for almost all on

the same Flickr account. ;-)

1+2+3 Photo-copy-ann (recipes all on her blog)

4 my favorite Hasselback Potatoes

(recipe found here)

Opening of a second shop

2011-10-31T07:26:00.001+01:00

I recently opened a shop on DaWanda. The offer will be partially

different from what is listed in the Etsy shop.

Feedback on your experience with DaWanda is of course

welcome !

Before and after

2011-10-30T13:54:00.002+01:00

Finished slipover ! Happy cat !

Contrasts

2011-10-28T07:36:00.001+02:00

a 0.75 needle compared to a 6

I normally crochet with the right bobbin

different result !

I need 2 pair of glasses for my crochet jewelry

working with the wool, a number 6 and just my normal glasses on slipcover

to cover the old Ikea pouf (Mieggeli's favorite place)

Finished it last night, but too late to take pictures, and

still dark this morning too ... so this will be for

the weekend to see the final result.

Precious

2011-10-27T07:34:00.001+02:00

Received this little set from my mother. It belonged to my grandmother, and must be from around 1925. It's sterling silver and was bought in a jewelryshop.

Nowadays you can't buy this anymore in a jewelry shop I think.

It is very precious to me, and I will use it for my crochet work.

And pass it on ...

I googled the adress, to see if perhaps the shop would still exist. It doesn't,

but the 'passage' is still a shopping arcade in Genève.

The lions are still guarding it, preventing it from a

eventual demolishing attack ;-)

Meet Juanita Tortilla !

2011-10-25T07:38:00.000+02:00

I have been mailing since quite a while with Juanita. Found her on etsy when I started my etsy shop. She is from Singapore, but actually living in Zürich (Switzerland) .

Her hubs had to attend a meeting in Brussels, so she took the

opportunity to come and meet me in Ostend !

Waiting for the train to arrive from Brussels. Nice

beachwalk and some windowshopping.

The main touristtrap ... surimi fish !

Of course food and coffee and Minou !

Some of the cute items Juanita makes ! Click on the picture for her shop.

(you will find a lot of items, also jewelry ! She is multitalented).

During her visit in Brussels, Juanita and her husband where interviewed

on the 'Grand Place' ... and they appeared on the tv-news !

http://vtm.be/nieuws/showbizz/75848-kuifje-blijft-ketje-uit-brussel

I really enjoyed this visit, and Juanita did too !

Sneak a peek

2011-10-24T07:06:00.000+02:00

in mother's craft room

Sunday morning walk

2011-10-23T14:34:00.003+02:00

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-10-22T08:58:00.000+02:00

Punctuation

2011-10-21T06:54:00.000+02:00

;-)

have a look here for the comma and the colon

My creative space

2011-10-20T08:56:00.000+02:00

see more at Our creative spaces

Testing

2011-10-17T08:43:00.002+02:00

Minou

16 year old Joggeli

Mint in the garden

Sponge coral beads on my working table

Preparing rings

Apple pie with hazelnutcrumble

Pumpkinslices drizzled with a mixture of crushed

oregano

fennelseeds

korianderseeds

garlic

pepper

salt

olive oil

+ roast it in the oven ....

I was testing my new tool on a sunday afternoon !

Sunday morning beach walk

2011-10-16T13:25:00.002+02:00

fishing grey shrimps

Delicacy of the North Sea : grey shrimps, uncooked

What else is in the fishnet ...

Mussels !

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-10-15T07:15:00.000+02:00

Remember the tiny beads from I heart macro last sunday ?

A sample of beads from Yakutum

Yellow opal sandglass shaped beadscombination

Sneak preview

2011-10-14T07:58:00.002+02:00

Have a look tomorrow for the results

My creative space

2011-10-13T07:53:00.002+02:00

coffee, caramel, chocolate colors !

See more creativity here

2011-10-12T07:21:00.001+02:00

Maybe this will work ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=yEH4Yum4nN4

Reuse, remake, repurpose, recycle

2011-10-11T10:00:00.003+02:00

A necklace I made a few years ago, but almost never wore ... time to

reuse, remake, repurpose and recycle !

I heart macro

2011-10-09T12:45:00.001+02:00

Playing with tiny 2.5 mm beads today

See more macro's at Studio Waterstone

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-10-08T08:19:00.000+02:00

Punctuation

2011-10-06T13:50:00.002+02:00

the colon

;-)

Comma

2011-10-05T07:43:00.000+02:00

This necklace reminds me of a comma :-)

Storing herbs for winter

2011-10-04T11:52:00.002+02:00

The huge bush of rosemary in my garden needs some trimming.

Too bad I can't share the smell on my blog.

Even my cat loves the smell.

Wash the twigs, pat them dry with some kitchenpaper.

Spread the twigs on some baking paper.

Oven at max. 50 ° for several hours untill totally dry and crisp

Bottlecorks are not only used for winding some threads here...

but also to keep the oven a little bit open, so moist can get out.

Rip off and chop !

Store and enjoy with recipes that can be found

here, and here ...

I heart macro

2011-10-02T08:13:00.001+02:00

Handcrochet silk bead : size 1.5 cm / 0.59 inches

The spider in my garden was double this size !

Hop over to Studio Waterstone to see some more awesome shots.

ps : due to a problem I am unable to leave comments on your blogs ... still surching for a solution.

Saturday Shopping Day

2011-10-01T07:11:00.000+02:00

Sneak preview

2011-09-30T06:46:00.000+02:00

made with a mix of sewingthreads

Have a look tomorrow for the final result.

My creative space

2011-09-29T08:03:00.001+02:00

A bargain on Ebay,

more than 100 km of sewing thread,

(to crochet untill I drop)

;-)

have a look at some more creativity on our creative spaces

No beads, no crochet

2011-09-26T10:54:00.001+02:00

For more then 7 days I did not touch my beads nor my crochet needle ... and believe me, that's unsual.

My tools the past 7 days : paintbrush, putty knife, siliconekit, cleaningkit ...

Reason ? Renovation of our daughters studentstudio.

Goal : be ready today as the academic year starts.