KissKus

The garden in autumn

Although it's officially autumn the garden still has lots of beauty to offer.

Some photos of what I found while I was soaking up the sun yesterday:

Crochet pincushion

Now that I'm serious about sewing again I thought it was time to spoil myself with a new pincushion. Yes, I was a little embarrassed to take my old, scruffy pincushion to sewing class (although I'm the only one that actually has one)!

So I picked out some happy colours from my stash and crocheted a circle until I thought it was big enough. Then I looked up how crochet a scalloped edge, which turned out to be easy and fun.

 

I then cut two circles of fabrics, slightly smaller than my crochet circle and sewed them together. Of course leaving some space to turn and stuff. At that point I took my little project outside to enjoy the lovely sun while a I handstitched the crochet top onto the cushion.

Finished. I'm sure sewing will be even more fun from now on :) By the way, those red Ikea pins are nice!

Fabric I found in the thrifstore today. I believe I paid 3,60 for this lot. Good stuff...

Restyled bookcase

I've been on the look-out for a bookcase for a while. I haven't been looking very hard, but a nice(ly priced) secondhand bookcase is not easy to find. Then one day I saw one online and bid 10 euros, Michel picked them up the same evening... I like it when things go so smoothly :)

This is the before-photo. Do you see its potential? It was a bit worn and smelly as it came from a smokers' home (yuk!). Some treatment was in order... I sanded it and then spray-painted it a few times. Fire engine red! Yes, you know that I like colour :)

Then Michel attached oilcloth to the back of the bookcase. I think that bright red and yellow gingham is a very happy combination :)

Now it sits in the livingroom and holds the library books and some of Linus' puzzles and Schleich animals (in the rotan baskets). We're all pleased with this new acquisition to our home. And happy that we have a bit more place to keep our books, because we do like our books!

This little rack is also new. From the thrifstore, painted and it now accompanies the other two!

The end of summer

A full weekend at work for me while it was beautiful weather outside (so I heard). Perhaps it was the last nice weekend before autumn will strike? The end of summer always makes me so melancholic, I'm really dreading winter. I'm one of those people whose mood is affected by the seasons (a lot). And we've had such an awful summer with so much rain that I feel that I just haven't built up enough reserves for the months to come.

But what can I do? I just try and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts and ignore the dampness, the crisp in the air and the early darkness. Sigh... I told you I was feeling melancholic?

My house is my castle

I'm starting to become more confident in finding my style around the house. For a long time I thought that my taste needed to become simpler, more basic, more grown-up. However, I now realise that I just like my eclectic interior. I like my mix of IKEA and thrifstore. I like to be surrounded by colour.

Here are some photos that I took lately:

T-shirt yarn rug

After hours of frantic crocheting (I get obsessed, perhaps you knew) I finished my t-shirt yarn rug.

As with the stool cover I first cut up some colourful t-shirts and then used a large hook to crochet the rug. It was fun, although the yarn can be a little thick sometimes, which requires quite a bit of pulling.

I was in need of a new rug in the kitchen, so it's already in full use. The great thing is that it can be washed really easily!

I'm sure this wasn't my last t-shirt yarn project ;)

PJs for the girl

I used a serger! Eek, so excited! (I want one, I NEED one)

Ok, back to the start... I'm taking sewing classes. I know how to sew, but my limitations were getting in my way. I'm so happy I made this decision. It's fun and it's something that I get to do for me. I pick my own projects and the teacher is there to help along.

My first project were pyjamas for Amber. I wanted to use a knitted fabric, because I don't exactly know to deal with it. The fabric by the way was 50 cents from the thriftstore :) Here is the Flickr link, I used all three of those fabrics... go me!

The pattern (Ottobre) was easy. And then I got to use a serger for the first time in my life! I love it! I want one! Seriously, I love the finishing, it's so neat and tidy.

The pyjamas fit. Amber is a happy girl, she is wearing them right now, while she is sneakily finishing the last chapter of her book in bed. I've been ordered to wash them in time for schoolcamp. The PJs will travel! They must be as excited as I was while making them :)

The new stool

As I said yesterday (or technically today, because it was past midnight) I finished a new project.

Let me introduce you to my new stool!

Bought for 3 euros at the thriftstore I quickly spray painted it shocking pink (I hate that old fashioned brown polished wood). And then I crocheted the cover out of old t-shirts.

Now it graces our living room along with the other stool. It's smaller than the other one and perfect for a small kiddo to sit on or to put a bigger person's feet on.

The funny thing is that Linus pointed out which t-shirt belonged to which family member and we found out I used a shirt from all five of us (the purple is mine). I hadn't even thought about it... smart Linus!

T-shirt crochet

Still in and out of thriftstores, buying too many plates and cups. Also still buying small pieces of furniture that I spray paint in the garden (when it's dry, so it's a very haphazard thing).

However! A new obsession has entered my life since yesterday :) I've been wanting to try crocheting with cut up t-shirts and that's what I've been doing these past two days.

I just started cutting some of Simon's old shirts and then used that yarn to crochet a big granny square. I've actually just finished that first project; I will take a photo of it tomorrow.

This is the yarn that I cut today, I've become a bit more efficient. About half of this stash has already been used again, since I started a new project this evening.

You see, I told you: new obsession. I have a feeling that no t-shirts are safe in the house anymore. I've never been so enthusiastic about cleaning out our wardrobes!

Thrifty Tuesday

I found some time to go a thriftstore a little further away (only 15 minutes or so). It's the largest thrifstore that I know of in the area. Linus was a little reluctant to go. The poor boy is being dragged along so often on mama's treasure hunts ;)

However, on this occasion he was a happy little man and told me: I LIKE it here!

Well, I liked it too. And I found lots of little treasures. Not everything is photographed yet.

Fabric. What can I say? It's nice and it's fabric and that's reason enough :)

Lovely tin. Ira Denmark, designed by Ethel von Horn.

A bag of kitschy shoes. They are so ugly it's funny. I have a vague plan with these... (the little rack is also a thrifstore find from a couple of weeks ago, spray painted of course)

A fun wooden ABC-set. Not vintage, but in perfect condition.

Well, there was more & I'm sure that stuff will show up here sooner or later.