leap day giveaway

Not just another extra day
. . . . .
Congratulations to all those people
that have this special day for a birthday,
not growing older as fast as all the others do !

Is that sad or not ?
Well, I think all of them celebrate their day :
either on the 28th of February or the fist of March . . .

Special days appeal to me
so like other times, I thought I should celebrate it
with a GIVEAWAY
(not only for those people that are born on the 29th
but for all of you who likes to visit my blog !!!)

I drew a mandala on 300 grams water colour paper
24 x 18 cm, the mandala itself 12 cm diameter

You can tell here (or oo Insta) that you would like to have it
and in about two weeks time
a raffle will decide who wins it.

from failure to something better

My snow-dyeing experiment was fun
but the results were very pale,
in fact you could say :
a total failure.

( I don't know what exactly went wrong,
I will try another time with ice cubes
and look for some more advise.)

folded, with dye powder, with snow.

REALLY pale !!!

But
why not use this failed piece of cotton
for another go at the Jude Kingshott workshop !

So I outlined the vague forms that were there
and cut lots of little circles
after I first ironed vliesofix (wonder-under) onto the fabric.
I played around a bit with various options
and started stitching the shapes that were ironed into place.

And after a lot of stitching . . .

I got this far
(resting for the moment)

the backside

What fun when you look against the light !

*

Though it looks already like spring in the garden
the birds still love to come to the feeders.
Some of them are true acrobats :

and while these two are having synchronized fun "in the air"
some others are happy with the mess they make on the ground :

goldfinch as well as moorhen !

just spring

Despite everything

we humans have to endure

spring

goes on.

*

Man's last mandala (in a book of 100 !)

a tribute to spring

birthday was fun !

Well, I said I would be busy didn't I ?
Yesterday
(with a High Tea at our home)
I celebrated with some dear family and friends
my 70th birthday.
Years come and go :
you just have to enjoy them !

Daughter brought me this wonderful big bunch of flowers !

Man made (and bought) some yummy things
for our High Tea

and I must confess :
I totally forgot to take a picture
when all the plates were still full
(some stuff didn't last very long  ;-)  !)

It was a wonderful happy celebration
on a bright and SUNNY day !

You know that you get sweet postcards
on a day like this,
but there was also a package
(right on time)
;-)

My dear Blogging-friend Birgit sent it !
(she heard about my birthday when we met in Arnhem)

In it was a wonderful stitched card in Jude-style :
(we both are very fond
of Jude's stitching)

Some delightful yarns, something sweet
and some of the vintage pieces she dyed for me
in her indigo vat !
An unexpected but very sweet present !

*

The day before my birthday
we had our monthly mandala group evening

"Pele"
(the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire)

a finished cowl

When I began,

not two weeks ago,

I thought it would take ages

or I wouldn't succeed at all

.....

But

I finished my tiny petal cowl today !

HAPPY !!!

I didn't have too many more weak spots in the thread

so I didn't have to "mend" the thread.

It's 64 cm (in the round)

and 25 cm high.

I did 16 times the 12 stitch repeat of the pattern

(could have done the 15 I wanted to do originally)

and did the 4 repeats high

(could have done 3 for this smaller cowl)

Despite everything about the quality

of the thread :

I  LOVE  THE  COLOURS !!!

A wonderful pattern !

*

I received my March felting exchange piece

Thanks very much Margriet !!!

The colours go well with my cloths  ;-)

*

And Wednesday a week ago

we had our mandala group again :

Sedna

(mother of the sea in Inuit mythology)

* 

12 - 12 - 15 ... just small things

Nothing much is going on.

We're in between festivities and

December is just going its quiet way.

Small things I'm making.

I'm thinking of stitching a little cloth

just for the fun of stitching again

Finished a small embroidery project just now

which I will show a bit later ...

and another one.

Last Wednesday we had the last mandala evening of the year

there isn't much to be seen 

of the unicorn  that it was about

(that's what happens sometimes after the meditation)

And this was the one of November that I didn't post either

about the sea goddess Benten and the dragon

When I went to Rotterdam today

my usual Stitch'nBitch visit, 

I fi-nal-ly finished my sock

and made the beginnign for number two

Love the colour of that "Lang" yarn 

So :
just small things

11 - 11 - 15 ..... a mandala and more felting

Today was our mandala evening

(with mythical figures this year)

I have to catch up with Persephone

from October on Man's birthday,

but tonight was about the Japanese Benten

and the dragon.

(only the dragon emerged and no Benten)

*

When I was busy with the felted jewels

that I have to make on commission

there came also some new scissors pouches

( ... "with a little help from my friend ....")

and some more felted jewels

...

(and busy with another few)

But the day after tomorrow I will go to a new workshop

this time with Katia Mokeyeva !!!

So more serious felting coming !

I'll tell you alllll about it when I'm back !

what a man ... !

Daughter and I went on a shopping tour yesterday.

We went by Ferry boat and bike to Rotterdam.

It was a cold and rainy day.

We went to our favourite cloths shop of 

Cora Kemperman

(who had sale !)

We went to some other shops too

and had a delicious lunch at "Spirit" (De Groene Passage)

where you can eat the best organic and vegetarian food !

Then we cycled back in wind and rain to the boat

that took us home to our village.

And   there   was  . . . . .

home baked apple pie !!!

Ohhhh ... what a man !

Still warm apple pie, with a little whipped cream

and a cup of coffee / tea

warmed us up real soon.

This is also Man's work :

his new mandala colouring book !
*

The tour to town was a success regarding the clothes

;-)

mandala and more

Yesterday was our last evening

with the mandala group this year.

In the meditation we had to stay in the "now"

no other thoughts than that

with music a.o.  music of Sarah Brightman.

It was a wonderful evening.

The last few days I was busy making the post cards 

for our Christmas and New Year good wishes.

A few years back I made a lot of stamps

out of eraser blocks.

(HEMA) 

Geninne Zlatkis, a very talented artist,
had made a wonderful tutorial

that showed it isn't a very difficult task

if you have some lino cutters and some special soft blocks.

(but simple eraser blocks work just as well !)

I made some new ones 

because I wanted two stamps facing each other

holding a bit of Washi tape

with 2015 on it.

(yuk : the washi tape is awful to write on !)

Now they are all ready for the mail.