Just met...

... Petra of Vervlogen Dagen! My first exciting, sort of blind blogger date. She and I started a blog at the same time and ever since we have a kind of digital friendship by leaving comments on each other's posts. Now she was my guest and I must say: she is in real even more great and beautiful than her blog is! 
And sweet... she brought this such beautiful bag (see comments in link) for M ('may I say you once again that I love it?'), a pencil case in L's favorite colors and some fat quarters for me :), of course all designed and made by herself, even the fabrics. Please bring me more visitors like this. It was a long, but still to short being together for both mothers and daughters.

Her own Penny

Let's unwrap the small present on the left! M is still a horse lover, very much, even more. And like all girls like her she is fond of the Penny, a Dutch kids magazine for horse lovers. She can't wait for a new one; every second Tuesday our postman makes her very happy.
Now her mother: I don't like the Penny. Don't like the kitschy style, the level, the fact that she's no longer reading a normal book... And I can't stop telling her that once in a while. Poor girl.
To compensate my complaining I made her a special edition of the Penny: a mini photo album full of pictures of her, hugging 10 horses in the Schwarzwald last Mai. A little surprise for her birthday, that made her more happy than the chair she got as well.

Update: the posted animation doesn't work anymore.... I'll repair it after holidays.

HEMA

Here's another happy HEMA-tape-shopper! Look at M's presents, wrapped in the middle of the night... In reality the fluo tape is even more bright, it almost shined in the darkness!
Btw, in the large package on the right she found a chair (in almost fluo red), because next holidays we will make a new worktop in her room. More about that later. And later more about the little present on the left... Hope you feel as curious as M did ;).

Masu

Look what M treated her classmates on her birthday this morning: paper sheets printed by mama, folded into boxes by the two of us (we used squares of 18 and 17 cm)...

... filled with mmmm cookies (based on this recipe, without coffee and with or without chocolate), homemade by papa.

Dots everywhere

Yeah, my first result on my brand new sewing machine. Funny that I first was a bit scared to touch it, at the same time knowing that after touching I wouldn't let go anymore. Wow, sewing was never this easy. 
I couldn't test my new toy better than with this super cheap market buy, a thin jersey of which colors and dessin attracted me. What is the header of my blog doing to me again ;)?

This comfi jumpsuit is M's birthday outfit. She loves it! As she does love her accessories. And her fresh haircut. She feels 11!

This weekend she already was in the spotlight of family and neighbours. Now I'm washing her jumpsuit to be clean next Tuesday.

For those who think the trousers are short...

Thank you!

L's teacher whispered in our ears that the class could use a strong new basket for wooden blocks. As L and other eldest kids are leaving her class after two years, we are going to give her such a basket, decorated with handmade flowers and butterflies. L and I based our creation on these flowers; we only made them a bit more colorful, in this case a better choice, I think. 

This week the other decorations will be added on the outside, and will it be filled with wood supplies for the hammer corner.

Help me...

Yesterday I was browsing the internet for nice paper patterns. I found the ones above, but: does anyone of you know a site to download such nice patterns (in a fine resolution)?

Update 25.6.12: Thanks to your help I improved my collage. This one makes me more happy. And I will keep in mind Fifi Mandirac!

To climb climbed climbed

M will be 11 soon. At the moment she saw some climbers in Luxembourg last Mai she knew at once that she wanted to give a climbing party. As we have no mountains at all, we'll go here in two weeks.

Doing the photo shoot for her invitation was great fun (and inspired by this). M loved to get into the right laying position. Quickly done before the rain started again, pouring away our drawing. Later I discovered that her tail was hanging to the right, so that had to be Photoshopped!
Btw, plenty great locations to be found around the Erasmus bridge and the SS Rotterdam, if you want to copy this idea.

Dancing together

Sofia of Erika turns 11 today! She is M's best ballet friend. Ever since M is wearing this ballet skirt, Sofia is begging me with her sweet brown eyes for a same one. How can I resist?

This, a bit more simple version is for you, Sofia. It does look more simple, but it turned out so hard to make! Although I skipped making many layers, I'll never make a skirt like this anymore. The used materials are to slippery and to artificial in my opinion. Or... maybe... after seeing this one in green...

Most important, M is happy with her present! And Sofia, I hope you like it. I know Erika gave a black leotard like M has, so the both of you will look even more like sisters!

Being super

Inspired by Oon's great pics (thanks Oon!), I made this superhero set for Oscar. Next Saturday L is attending his birthday party.

I googled images of a 'superhero' because this mother of daughters didn't have a clue of how a superhero looks like...

To be honest, superhero's are not my favorite. It might have been different if I was a mother of a son. But even then I doubt it. I doubt as well if L wants to be one. She didn't had the urge at all to act like Oon's kids...