My Creative Space...

I´ve been slowed down by an awful cold this week, so there was a lot of computerwork going on while I was sitting with my herb tea next to the logburner ;-)

One of the news I was going to tell you is that I was accepted by the British based craft and design platform Not Mass Produced, so I opened a wee shop there! Take a look, there are lots of talented people from the whole of Europe offering their work. One of the items I´ve listed there is this delicate lightweight shrug in a beautiful lavender shade with crocheted lace details I finished last weekend:


I also finished two of the items I showed you last week, the quilted scarf now is embellished with a pale yellow crochet edging:


Keep an eye on my Fleur de Bohème Etsy shop if you like it as I´m going to list it there soon.

And the pale pink ruffled purse with doilies is finished, too:


This purse is almost completely made of recycled vintage materials and I´m really pleased with it. I haven´t listed it yet as I might spare it for the summershop, but if you´re interested just contact me!

And of course a little update on my crocheted throw! It´s coming along well I think as I crochet a bit every night:


I even started on a matching cushion cover in a zig zag pattern:


Other news include my new Fleur de Bohème Facebook page where you can sign up and follow what´s going on in my webshops and summershop. I´ll even use it to keep you informed about sales, special arrangements and give aways so if you use facebook regularly anyway it might be a good idea to sign up.

Another thing I want to tell you about is the Fleamarket Floozies group on facebook. We´re a group of European girls who are participating in the Dottie Angel challenge where we have challenged ourselves only to buy second hand or handcrafted for our house and wardrobe for a whole year! On the facebook page we barter and discuss and have lots of fun! Take a look and sign up, there are some really nice things up for swapping already. You simply list what you want to barter in one of the categories under "discussions" and upload pictures - it´s quite easy!

The other exciting news I promised to tell you is that I managed to find and buy another vintage train carriage!! Solely dedicated to my summershop!!


This is a picture from the one we already have, but I couldn´t use the whole space for my summershop as we needed some of it for storage of garden equipment etc, so I had been looking for over a year after a new one as they´re quite hard to find. Another thing is that transporting them is very expensive because of their size and weight, so you have to find one rather nearby. The one I bought is exactly the same model as the one in the picture, from the 50ies, and it´s going to be put up right by the road so the shop becomes more visible and people won´t have to cross the courtyard to get there. I´m planning to build a little terrace outside the entrance where I´m going to sell seasonal flowers (for the right atmosphere) and display my stuff of course.
We fetch it in april as we have to build a foundation first and this can´t be done in the winter, but I certainly keep you updated!

See you soon - and remember - to see what other bloggers are working on in their creative spaces visit Kootoyos blog .

My Creative Space...

I actually realized this morning that the creative space group first starts posting again next week, but I´d taken all my pics and I have soooo much to show you.... many different things on the go.... so I thought I´ll post anyway.

First thing I want to show you is this scarf:


I´ve used a technique where you layer yarn and fibre between water soluble material and then quilt the whole thing together. After having rinsed the scarf I´ve hand dyed it in a dusky purple shade. If you´re interested, you can find it in my Fleur de Bohème Etsy shop!

Using the same technique, I also made this scarf:


I somehow think it looks a bit "naked", unfinished - although there is lots of texture to it, so I´ve chosen some pale yellow yarn to give the scarf a crocheted edge all the way around.

Next project in progress are these two bags. They´ve been on their way for a looong time as I started them over a year ago, haha. I´d sewn the respective fabrics together with material that shrinks when exposed to heat, done the shrinking and cut out the bag shapes.... and then they´ve been resting on my worktable until now.....


...when I suddenly decided I wanted to embellish them with vintage doilies, buttons and beads. The fabric in the bag above comes from a vintage pillowcase and I think I´m going to make crocheted handles in one of the two yarn shades shown in the pic (it´s actually organic cotton). Maybe I´ll add more beads, too.


I certainly love pink, but decided to combine the very vivid colour of this fabric with vintage lace, a doily, and cut out tiny flowers all dyed in a dusky purple hue to kind of dampen the bright pink a bit and not have the finished bag look like a gift from Ken to Barbie, lol. I´m thinking of crocheted handles here, too, in the yarn shown in the photo. What I like about both bags so far is the incredible richness of texture in them.

Next thing:


This is a new brooch design, I´d actually made some similar ones some years ago, found one of them recently and was inspired to do these. They´re kind of baroque I think with pearls and sparkles of gold and silver, but still suitable for the spring and summer season because of their colourway. I haven´t listed them yet, get in touch if you´re interested!

Of course I have someting on the go on my knitting machine, too:


This is a new lace pattern I´m trying, very intricate, and it´s going to be a shrug....well, if the knitting machine decides to behave and not suddenly cast off the whole thing as happened before....

Last thing is a little cosy project for our own home, I´ve decided to crochet a throw out of the many yarn left overs that are piling up in my studio.


I only started yesterday, but I´ll keep you updated on the progress. It´s going to measure 130 x 190 cm approximately so it´ll take me a while...

So, you see, lots of things going on and even more ideas!! I always have to laugh if people ask me where I get all the ideas from.... getting the ideas is not the problem, the problem is more not to get so overwhelmed by them that you end up paralysed because you don´t know where to even start ;-) But you know that probably only too well yourself, haha.

I actually have some exciting news to tell you but that´ll have to wait until next time (always nice with a little cliff hanger, isn´t it?!)

Happy New Year.... ;-)

I know I´m a bit late , but not too late to wish all you guys a Happy New Year I hope! Bjarne was visiting his parents in Norway and I was in charge of the whole pet menagerie all by myself.... We have four horses....feeding, carrying water and mucking out .... plus walking the dogs - very time consuming, especially in this cold weather.... The horse droppings were rock-frozen to the ground so I had to bash them loose with a spade before I could shovel them into the wheelbarrow.... No time for blogging guys!! Luckily the cats only had to be fed....! Well, my man is back now and I have more time again!

Okay, let´s start with all the gorgeous Christmas presents I got this year!

Before Christmas Bjarne and I decided to buy this painting as a joint present.


It´s made by the lovely Rainey from the Josie Baggley Company and I simply love it!! It´s called "Alice`s White Rabbit" and contains steampunk elements & vintage ephemera. Make sure to visit her blog and website, her paintings and steampunk jewellery are gorgeous and both her blog and website are a fantastic visuel experience! Here you can see where I put it up:


Another present I´m very happy about came from my man - he gave me the delicious body powder "Pretty" from Elizabeth Arden. What a girlie-glamorous-daily luxury, and on top of it all it looks gorgeous on my vanity dresser!


Here you can see all my nice gifts arranged on the table in our conservatory. The Dita von Teese book was actually my present to Bjarne, but I enjoy it as much as he does - Dita is amazing and the photos are fantastic, she looks like a goddess from the 40ies.


Of course I made some things, too. I wanted to crochet a lampshade for our bedroom for ages, and finally, I got around to do it. Gives a very cosy light but is still bright enough to read a nice bed-time story ;-) The vintage porcelaine lamp foot is a fleamarket find.


I also made this scarf and matching brooch for my mother-in-law, it was her birthday at the beginning of January. I have used a technique where you arrange different kinds of yarn and fibres between layers of water soluble fabric and quilt the fibres together with the sewing machine. You never quite know how the result is going to be before you rinse the finished piece with water, but this one turned out nicely I think.


Last not least a little update from my Fleur de Bohème Etsy shop! I have just listed this merry crocheted Flower Necklace and matching bracelet - makes me think of a nice spring day!



I´ll be back next thursday with a Creative Space posting!