Flowers

In Holland we are spoiled for choice. We have flower shops full of beautiful and affordable flowers. Still, I think your own picked bouquet is a more personal gift.

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This bouquet contained daisies, chive flowers, snapdragons and some plants I couldn’t name if I tried. There are some important attention points when you pick flowers:

  • Ask permission first, or pick from your own garden
  • Make sure you wipe of any bugs or little creatures
  • Cut the flowers at an angle
  • Cut flowers before their prime, so they open in the vase
  • Take the leaves off the part of the stem that will be submerged in water
  • Keep the stems moist
  • Use greens to bulk up your bouquet
  • Contrasts make wild flower bouquets beautiful, look for different textures, colors, smells and use different lengths.

Don’t forget to enjoy the process, I know I did!

Babyshower craft ideas

I firmly believe in celebrating all the milestones in your life. Baby showers are not yet a common tradition in the Netherlands. Among my friends they are very popular at the moment…or it might be because my friends are all entering a certain phase in their lives…

babyshower ideas

Wherever you are, here’s some ideas to give your baby shower a personal touch:

  1. Create a personalized guest book. People can write down personal wishes, you can add pictures of the baby shower later. I made this guest book with some lovely scrapbook pages I had lying around.
    BabyShower1
  2. Give your guests a party favor before they go home, with a thank you card attached. Babyshower2
  3. Make some cupcakes in the theme color
    BabyCupCakes
  4. Looking for a fun craft activity during the baby shower? Pimp the clothe hangers for the baby clothes. Or decorate some pegs.
  5. Make personalized felt figures, like Cloudette or this plane rattle.
    Elly

Check out my pinterest board for more inspiration.

A plane baby rattle

The coming months it seems all my friends will be having babies. This means that I get to make beautiful felt figures. This airplane has a rattle to make it more fun.

I first drew and cut out 2 identical airplane figures of red and orange felt. I then attached a white star to the red air plane. I glued the felt planes together at the wings with textile glue. I stitched along the wings. This way the wings are unstuffed, flat and sturdy from the glue. After this I connected the 2 planes using a blanket stitch. I stuffed the plane with filling and placed a rattle around the nose. You can download the Free Pattern here.

Amaim

For felt inspiration, check out my Fuzzy felty figures board on Pinterest.

Find another free felt pattern here.

Birthday surprise

Painting ceramics is surprisingly easy! I made this birthday plate for my nephew in 20 minutes. You do have to bake your plate in order to harden the paint.

VerjaardagsBord

I bought the plate from a thrift store and upcycled it in a few simple steps using:

  • permanent marker or sharpie pen
  • Decorfin Porcelain paint
  • Paint brushes

I drew my design with the permanent marker. I colored in my design using the Porcelain paint. I baked my plate in the oven for 45 minutes.

This plate can go in the dish washer. This way my nephew can eat of his birthday plate every year!

Try your own hand at making a personalized plate.

DecoBord

Geboortecupcakes

BabyCupCakesGeboortecupcakes zijn vanillecupcakes met speciale decoratie. Ze zijn een leuk alternatief kraamkado. Maak de icing door gestampte muisjes te mengen met roomkaas. Leeg een pak muisjes in een kom. Spatel de icing op de cupcakes en druk deze hierna in de muisje. Je hebt nu een “cupcake met muisjes” gemaakt.

Tip! vries de cupcakes in, zodat je met de cupcakes gelijk uit de vriezer kunt versieren, en de nieuwe mama kunt verrassen.