A touch of pink

I hope you did not get a shock yesterday, or the day before, while visiting my blog. I have been messing with my template. Wanting to give my blog a lighter, more contemporary look, but still 'keep the Madelief feel'. I did not manage to built what was in my head. I think I have to ask the help of experts, or give it a bit more thought....  So when my blog looks different again the coming weeks, you will know what it's all about :-)!

I have been busy upstairs in the loft, where my craft room is. Just painted a dark brown picture frame and a blue table 'lily pink'. I did not use any special paint, just a tin from the DIY shop.

I was still in need of  a small table for my stall at the Swan market on the 28th of September. This one, which I found at the thrift store, is just what I was looking for.

The roses were given to me by my husband for our 25th wedding anniversary. I decided to crochet a pillow, using the colour palette of the bouquet. The cups are thrift store finds. 

Wishing you a Happy Weekend! Hope the sun will shine on you.

Love,

Madelief x

Blue and white

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my last post! I had not expected such a huge response....:-).

It feels strange making a post on my collection of blue and white tableware, while my head is full of pastels.  I just finished a crochet pillow in faded colours and painted a small table and picture frame  'lilly pink'. I love to show you, but I still have to take some photographs. Hope you will bear with me :-)

Some of you probably remember we mostly use blue and white porcelain and earthenware at home. Now and then I buy something new, but most of the bowls, plates and cups are gifts or flea market and thrift store finds. They come from all over the world. From my own country, The Netherlands, to Morocco, England and Vietnam. The diversity in age, pattern and origin is great, but somehow they combine together beautifully.

Recently I added two Myott teacups to my collection, a teapot with a Chinese pattern and a 1970s German 'Peacock' bowl. Let me show you...

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Love,

Madelief x

 

Caught in a thunderstorm

Not long ago I was caught in a thunder storm, while at work in the garden. It may sound strange, but this is the second time it happened, and I loved every bit of it! The thick clouds coming in, the stillness in the air, the sudden gusts of wind and the torrential rain. Off course, my garden house gives perfect shelter. I think I would not have loved it as much otherwise :-)!

I lit the candles, made a cup of coffee and watched the spectacle. Afterwards I went into the garden to smell the wet earth and grass and take some photo's. It looked magnificent!

The Dahlia's are really pretty at the moment and I still have roses, like rose Falstaff on the 2nd photo, rose William Shakespeare on the fifth and rose Belinda on the sixth photo. My Sweet Peas are still giving huge amounts of flowers. It took my daughter and I half an our recently, to pick them all :-) Such joy!

The cucumbers and tomatoes I planted in the greenhouse, were a bit of a dissapointment this year. Although I harvested about six cucumbers and a few tomatoes, it could have been better, but......well, you can't have it all!!

Happy new week!

Love, Madelief x

Craft room

 

In January my eldest daughter moved out. She rented a small apartment with her boyfriend, in a different part of town. Since then I have been busy redecorating her old room, making it into a craft room/ spare bedroom. I showed you some photo's in February and March. 

I bought an old table at the thrift store and found a blue bedside table in the 'sale corner' at the IKEA. I painted them both a soft shade of greenish blue, while I kept the table top white. The colours match beautifully with the light blue wall. Although the room is almost finished, I still have to do something about the curtains. I found several at the thrift store, but they are either too short, too long or not wide enough. I also need to find some more prints to put on the wall....... I will update you on my progress now and then :-)

While roaming our local flea market last Saturday, I found some old crochet pot holders, a piece of blue and white fabric and two elegant perfume bottles. Such lucky finds! Perhaps, I will take them with me to the Swan Market, a vintage and lifestyle market in Rotterdam. I booked a stall on Saturday the 28th of September. You will find me there from 12.00 to 17.00 hours. Part of my collection of tea cups and plates will be for sale.  I would love to meet you!

When I look out of the window, the skies are blue and there is only a gentle breeze. It's going to be another glorious summer day!

Have fun!

Love, 

Madelief x