Purples & blues

Just a short post today. We have a birthday party tonight we are all looking forward to. I am still in my blue jeans, so I have to hurry up!

I spent all day in the garden, getting rid of the roots of the giant goldenrod. It's a terribly invasive plant. If I had known three years ago it was so difficult to keep under control, I would not have planted it. In my next post I will show you what we put there instead.

On today's photo's some vintage tins and purple and blue cotton, which I found at the thrift store recently. The cotton is already in use. I am quite happy with my new crocheted flowers, which I will add to an old bag I haven't used for quite some time.

The floral cup and saucer and matching teaspoon were given to me by a friend. It once belonged to her mother. Thank you so much dear Jeannette!

Wish you all a happy weekend! Lets hope we will have some spring weather tomorrow!

LOVE,

Madelief x

Flowers in abundance

 

Last Saturday my dear blogfriend Ingrid from Home & Lifestyle and I spent a delightful day in Breda. We did not really make any plans beforehand, but just started walking and talking! We passed the park, the 'grote markt', saw the Begijnhof and followed the Ginnekenstraat until the end, where we had lunch.

The shops in this part of Breda are lovely. There are some beautiful boutiques and lifestyle shops. I was especially taken with a flower shop called

 V&V Bloemen & Wonen.

It's one of the most beautiful flower shops I have seen. It's light, has beautiful floral wallpaper, pastel painted cupboards and tables, a lovely collection of vintage vases and the most beautiful and fresh flowers. As I did not take my camera with me, Ingrid kindly lend me hers. Due to the light the quality of the photo's is not too good, but nevertheless I want to share them with you. If you would like to see some more photo's of Breda, just have a look at her blog.

Ingrid, thank you once again. I enjoyed our outing very much. You are a sweetheart!

Wish you all a wonderful day! I am off to the garden centre to buy some violets.

LOVE,

Madelief x

2 heurs á Paris

When on holiday, I am always on the lookout for colour. Trouville, a seaside resort next to Deauville on the other side of the river Touques, has it in abundance. From the striped beach huts, the aqua coloured boats to the beautiful murals on houses and hotels.

We liked Trouville very much. It's the place to go to with a family. To lay on the beach, watch the boats in the harbour and stroll around the town eating ice cream. It does have a bit of the grandeur of Deauville, but is far less expensive and more 'down to earth'. When you visit Normandy this year, do visit Trouville. Preferably on a warm sunny day, when the sea, the sky, the beach.... it all looks amazing :-)

Wish you all a Happy Sunday!

LOVE,

Madelief x

February garden

After two busy weeks my husband and I finally managed to find some time to visit our garden. My old followers may already know, but we have an allotment garden at the edge of Rotterdam. It's our little piece of paradise.

The mild temperatures and the sunshine made it feel like spring today! While pruning the roses and cutting back some of the stems that have been left through winter, the sun warmed our faces.

It was the first time I saw the garden after the heavy frost of two weeks ago. Some pots and plants did not survive the cold. I lost my Penstemons, three or four roses and a huge Rosemary bush. I will have to wait and see what comes up in spring.....

On the other hand the Hellebore was looking exceptionally beautiful and so did the yellow and purple crocuses. I picked some snowdrops to put in a vase and planted cyclamen hederifolium in a shadowy space under the trees. Tomorrow I will plant Garlic and make a start with the preparation of some seed trays.

Have you been working in the garden this week?

A Happy weekend,


Madelief x

 

Flower Power

Inspired by the fabric of a new floral pillowcase and the colourful bars of pre made fondant you can buy in the stores right now, my daughters and I made some cupcakes. We used two sizes of floral cut outs to make the flowers and a cocktail stick for the leaves. The cakes were decorated with pink and white fondant and white and silver pearls. We used pink icing as glue.

We had lots of fun and were really happy with the result. The only thing is, we find them too beautiful to eat now :-)!

This weekend a great part of Europe is celebrating carnival. I wish all of you who will take part or go and see the parade lots of fun.


A Happy weekend to you all and an extra hug and big kiss to Koralee from Bluebird notes for sending me some lovely things. Thank you once again dear Koralee!

LOVE,

Madelief x