Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas is almost here and it's time for us to sit back and enjoy a bit of relaxing time. The shop will still be open but any orders will be posted from the 3rd of january onwards.

Have a lovely christmas and enjoy being around your loved ones!

We will see you again in 2014... a year full of new plans!

Christmas spirit - 9 year old bakes and sells cookies for charity

December is all about Christmas spirit and to be kind to each other. Kasper, a dutch 9 year old boy really, really would like to give poor children books for Christmas this year!

 Kasper decided to bake christmas cookies and to sell them in his mum's Etsy shop. The cookies look amazing (and soon I will be able to try them... I just ordered a bunch) and how special is this boy that he works so hard to raise money to buy these books.

So everyone: just buy a bunch of cookies and help this special boy to deliver christmas presents to needy children! That's the real christmas spirit! Buy them right here

You can also donate through their crowdfunding site and read about Kasper's motivation (sorry, only in Dutch): http://www.voorjebuurt.nl/project/kaspers-kerstboek

Christmas cookies by Kleinedromen on Etsy

Christmas card countdown

Just like the past few years popular Dutch magazine 101woonideeen is doing a christmas card countdown. Today our cards are featured! You can find them in our Etsy shop right here.

Creasint 2013

When Imke announced she would be organizing Creasint for the second time I signed up straight away. It was such a huge succes last year that I had to be a part of it this year!

So, you're probably wondering ''What is Creasint?". Hmmm, here in the Netherlands we celebrate Sinterklaas on the 5th of December. Originally he was a bishop that shared  half of his possessions with poor people. Nowadays he spreads gifts around for (mainly) children. He comes on a steamboat from Spain, rides over the rooftops on his white horse and has helpers called 'Zwarte Piet' who deliver the presents through the chimney, letterbox or catflap.

Creasint is a spinoff from Sinterklaas and secret santa and is all about making something beautiful (with love and attention) for someone you don't know and send it through mail. Read all about it here

Weeks before, all of us heard who we were making a present for. Difficult yet so much fun to come up with something that person would really like. Everyone had to tell a bit about themselves to make it a bit easier.

So I made something for Lisa. She liked lots of stuff but the things that got stuck in my mind were a love of fifties adverts, non-bright colours, cooking, writing and vintage. I didn't have a clear idea when I started but it just formed along the way. And it turned out like this:

This is one of Lisa's pictures below. The presents were a handmade notebook and a porcelain brooch.

I received a present that was so completely me, it was spot on! Yvette made it for me and the hand-embroidered booklet with the little bird on is amazing. Other than that there was a string of bunting, origami birds from Birdtoldme and gorgeous chocolate all wrapped beautifully!

Lisa, thank you for your inspiring story and wishes
Yvette, for the wonderful creasint you made for me. It really is gorgeous!
and Imke for organizing it all. You've done brilliantly!