Fabulous five: thrift store treasures

Thrift stores are my favorite place to go shopping. Me and my toddler each go on our own treasure hunt. My son looks for the best toy car, I look for supplies for a project or dinner party!

I believe everyone can score in the thrift store. Anyone can benefit from these items and ideas:

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vaas1. Vintage porcelein – I have a soft spot for kitch china. My grandmother had such beautiful old teacups, they made every cup of tea special! I like using this china for:

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  • Use tea cups or pretty glasses for serving a soup starter or for a high tea.

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  • Use serving dishes as a gift wrapping for chocolates or home made cupcakes!

2. Vintage clothing – I like looking for dresses and tops. If they don’t fit nicely, I cut pieces of, or add some waist line with a belt.

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The result of a recent thrift store treasure hunt.

3. Accessories – When you find that great dress, try finding accessories to match. After watching a documentary about Iris Apfel, I decided to have more fun with dressing up. This senior fashionista has so much fun and personality with using accessories, that it inspired me to stock up on necklaces, scarves, broches, sunglasses and more.

FondueSketchM4. Kitchen utensils – The thrift store is full of items people got bored of, or maybe the hype passed. I am thinking of fondue pans and bread makers. Use your fondue pan for cheese fondue or surprise your dinner guests with a chocolate fondue with fruit for desert.

5. Supplies for parties like:

  • High tea supplies – tea pots, cups, cake stands and beautiful table linnen.
  • A color themed party, just get table wear in your chosen color! Like getting pink or blue supplies for a baby shower!
  • Christmas dinner or Easter brunchHappyEaster2016.
  • Serving dishes, decorations and outfits for your seventies, eighties or nineties party.

Happy easter!

For this easter we are staying at home with our little family. Some of you might have bigger plans and feel a little overwhelmed by now. These are some easy recipes with maximum impact on your guests:

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Remember to keep your cooking for the day simple (put more effort in the preperations) and make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy your family and guests!

Great birthday treats

My son recently celebrated his birthday. He handed out these lovely creatures for some festive fun. We just combined these googly eyes from Flying tiger and simple carrots. This made for a healthy snack and a fun simple trinket for the kids to take home.

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Last time I made these beautiful cars, but my son really enjoyed being able to join in this year. This made all it feel extra special for a toddler in the “I wanna be independent” fase!

Bookmarks made with love

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My sweet mother bought me a laminating machine the other day (thank you mum!). And I must say I have been feeling very inspired! I used this machine to create a beautiful gift for my son’s daycare lady’s. They are like second mothers to him, which makes them extra special!

I drew 3 bookmarks with a black marker. One with a lucky theme with clover fours, one with a love theme with hearts and one book marker with a party theme with balloons. After this I went crazy with the coloring pencils. Of course I wrote a personal message on the back of the book marks and I added a foto of my toddler. To preserve the book marks I laminated them first, after which I cut them out. I attached ribbons with a bead that can stick out the book they read.

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I attached each marker to a beautiful bouquet for a festive surprise. Of course you could also let your toddler do the coloring for a personal touch too.

Wrap up!

Today I had lots of fun wrapping a gift for a family member. This blog used to only evolve around gift wrapping. With the season of giving coming closer, it is time for some gift wrapping inspiration!

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As you can see in the photograph I take gift wrapping very seriously. Here are my tips:

  • Get some pretty wrapped sweets or chocolates and use double sided tape to stick them on your package
  • Use real ribbon! It looks so much better than that plastic stuff.
  • Use feathers and/or chenille for extra decoration around your bow.
  • Decorate a peg. Use this peg to attach your card to the ribbon.
  • When wrapping a softer item. Create an envelope with the wrapping paper. This ensures a tight finish.

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When you wrap presents, please don’t hold back. It’s like your Christmas decorations, less is not more…

For more wrapping inspiration:

Mmmm monster cookies

The other day I felt a strong craving for some decadent American style chocolate chip cookies. After dome experimenting I found a recipe that works for us.

I made the dough a day in advance and I pulled the dough out when my pre-schooler seemed bored. We had great fun slicing the cookies and watching the oven do all the work.

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After this we enjoyed these satisfyingly chewy cookies with a tall glass of milk, yum!

I turned this recipe into a lovely coloring project. You can download MonsterCookieColoring here.

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Monster cookies (8 to 10 cookies)

  • 250 gram selfraising flour
  • 200 gram light brown sugar
  • 100 gram butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of milk
  • 250 gram chocolate chips
  1. Mix the sugar, butter and salt well.
  2. Stir in the eggs and milk.
  3. Combine with the flour and chocolate chips.
  4. Form a roll of about 5 cm in diameter. Wrap the roll in cling film and rest for 30 minutes to 3 days.
  5. Slice your cookies and place them well spaced apart on a baking tray.
  6. Bake at 190 degrees C for 10 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy your baking and coloring project!

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