I love pies

Did I ever tell you that I love pies? Sweet and hearty pies, I love 'em all.
Fleurfatale has started posting yummy pie recipes in her blog lately and I just want to try 'em all. Everytime, she posts one, I really have to withold myself not to run off to the grocery store to buy the ingredients!
She has more recipe's up her sleeve and mostly quick ones she says, as she can't spend hours in her kitchen! I can't either as I'll be reading her blog! LOL :)
I already made this apple/raspberry pie so often and it's loved heaps by everyone who has tasted it.
This intro is also the reason why I started making lots of little ceramic balls some time ago. And I thought that it wouldn't be bad to have some functional ceramic ware in my shop.
So I made baking pearls that can be used for blind baking. When you use puff pastry for a pie, it's best to pre-bake the dough beforehand. You just place a baking sheet on top of the pastry and then add weight to it.
You can use dried beans, dried peas or... jip, ceramic baking pearls.
They would make a fab gift for anyone who loves to bake & play in the kitchen.
Besides that, I think they have more class then the average bean and pea! :)Half a kilo of ceramic pearls come in a handmade, drawstring bag. Jip, made by me on my new sewingmachine - skills are slowly improving. I stamped 'baking pearls' on one side, and the Dutch word 'bakparels' on the other side. And of course a happy girl for even more fun while baking. :) I'll add them to the shop sometime next week.

Poor postman... lucky me!

I feel really happy to have met so many amazing people in the virtual world. And I'm superhappy that I had a chance to meet some of them in real life too already.
For some people it's hard to understand, but the friendships bonded through the internet are for me just as real as in real life. The only trouble I have is using their real name as I'm so used to their nicknames. :)

I have met Greet from FleurFatale last August on the Craftparking fair in Maastricht. We had tables next to each other but unfortunately little time to chat as it was superbusy.
Fleur lives in Gent, Belgium which is about 1,5 hour away from me. She's an amazing woman, mother and artist. Not neccesarily in that order. Sometimes I just don't understand how she all juggles it but she does and never fails to amaze me with her new creations and ideas.
Here are some of her lovely designs:
As a complete surprise, she send me a 'spoil-yourself' package the other day. Her wrapping is always downright gorgeous & she has a keen eye for detail & color combinations.
In the package she put a pack of greeting cards she designed herself, a facial mask & a bar of sexy chocolate. ???? SEXY chocolate ???? Well, it's chocolate which is made with ginger and apparently that works his magic. Better wait to eat it when my partner is home! LOL
Fleur told me that 'every hard working woman needs a break'
Thanks for being so considerate, Fleur! You sure made me laugh out loud with your surprise gift!
Apol from LaPomme is another sweet friend. She always makes me laugh as her witty sense of humor is right up my alley. She lives in France with her husband and the most beautiful girl in the world, Lilou. I love that name!
I have not had the chance to meet Apol yet, but I'm sure that at one point we will meet. Her shop is filled with gorgeous, embroidered and handprinted goodies. I always smile when I go into her Etsy shop. The intricate designs and enchanted stories she often writes in her descriptions make it superfun to snoop around.
Here is some of her work:
And she also takes pride in wrapping her items beautifully. I will actually re-use this giftbag to wrap in goodies for someone else. I think it's a great idea to have gifbags like these! Clever Pomme! She send me a salesfaiy. It's absolutely gorgeous and holds the cutest things in the box: a paper boat (I love paper boats), a clove, a spoon, a knotted piece of lace and a little vintage toy doll.
It has of course a nice spot in my studio. Thanks so much, Apol! :) Just because packages are the best... :)