Special day in sight

In about a week, we're celebrating a very special day: Julie's first birthday.
I can't believe how quick the year passed by. When I look back on it, my heart just swells. I can't imagine life without our little sunshine anymore. She's such a happy face that loves to give and get cuddles. This may sound cliché but nothing beats the moment when you wake up in the morning and see this tiny, little creature laying next to you waking up silently. And the moment when she opens her eyes you see instant smiles and misschief. The past year, she turned our lives upside down and gave it more meaning. Yet another cliché. Perhaps life with children is all about clichés? Haha!

Anyway, I decided to make here a little outfit for her first birthday. I used an extremely pretty piece of fabric made by my good friend Anna. And I made a matching crown to complete it.
We're ready to celebrate! :)

Flickr Favorites

1. The Door, 2. A door and two shadows,
3. 0328 red door (hdr-cross processed), 4. The seldom-used door.

Belgians have some really weird traditions. I'm not sure that the following is a folk tradition though. Birthday's are celebrated different everywhere and here, when you turn a new decade, there is this expression 'getting a new front door'. And this is what's happening to me today.
So quite often you see a real front door in someone's front yard, and if you're friends are even crazier you see perhaps 30 or 40. Thankfully I don't have any crazy friends who would actually gift me a real frontdoor - what a relieve! I'll just celebrate this quietly, go to work today and then afterwards go out for dinner and enjoy the new number. The older we get, the wiser, right?

Results Etsy craftparty

The results after firing the pieces made at the Etsy craft party. The colors really got very intense and pretty. But this is not really the end result yet, as people will actually make stuff with this...
Be it jewellery, packages, use the buttons for bags or whatever they had in mind...
I hope to see some definate end results sometime! :)
Clicking on any of these pictures will bring you to an enlarged picture of the end result in my Flickr.

Nicole from BabongohomeGreet from FleurFatale
Kim from Viltalakim
Mariana from Florcita
Ina from DeerLola
Veerle from Nevousinstallezpas
Mitsy from ArtMind

Annemiek from TwoTreesBelgium made lovely things too but she took her goodies home with her so she could fire it in her own kiln. She also made some things in paper clay and fired 'em in a pitfire. I love how it turned out! :)

I feel spoiled... and loved!

At last I took some time of taking pictures from all the cards & goodies I got for my birthday & from the art exchange I took part in.
Thank you so much Jaimee, Marta, Eva (oops, forgot to add your beautiful card above), Nathalie, Veerle, Krisztina, Nathalie, Heather, Anna, Stephanie, Judit, Laura, Baahar, Ina, Kylie, Kristin, Ayperi, Estella, Colleen ,Stina, Kim and Kirsten.
I hope I have not forgotten someone 'cause my mailbox got flooded! ;)
This beautiful scarf was send to me from Heather & I love it so much. It's a fantastic color and has a very soft touch! It's handfelted from superfine & soft fibers! Thank you so much for sending me this beauty just because...
Then Anna spoiled me with some fantastic artworks. I can't wait to get them framed and give them a nice spot in my studio. The first one says on the back: 'inspired by the Barbie murders'
Haha, my collaboration partner is the funniest! :) Thank you, Anna!
My friend Stephanie send me these lovelies: a wonderful and warm beret and a fitting scarf. The cute little stripey elephant is watching me work in my studio! He makes me smile! :)
Thanks so much for adding more knitted goodies to my Stephanie-collection! :)And yesterday, the postman rang and gave me a big box with these yummy goodies!
Ohh, delish bananabread from Nathalie! NomNom! Thanks heaps, Nathalie!
I'm afraid I'll have to share otherwise I won't be able to go through the door anymore...And today I received the Poufiks I won from Evaforeva's giveaway and I am SUPERhappy with them! I knew it: I needed a Poufik in my life! :)
I'll take pictures from them next week and will make you all jealous again! ;)

And I wish you all a wonderful X-mas Eve and X-mas day, whenever you celebrate.
Let it be filled with joy, happiness and cake! :)

Big day?

Is a birthday a big day? Not really when you're getting older, greyer and get more wrinkles...
But oh boy, you spoiled me with all the lovely suggestions I got in the mail!
A very big thank you to everyone who took the time to think about something fun to do and send me a card. I really enjoyed opening the mailbox & reading all these suggestions:

• A visit to a wellness center and totally spoil yourself
• A worry free day
• A spoil-yourself-day, lots of great food & fun
• Distribute colorful helium balloons with inspirational quotes & wishes to complete strangers
• Go scuba diving over some coral reef
• Go to a yarnshop & spoil yourself rotten
• Visit a museum
• Bake a cake
• Paint a picture
• Call a friend
• Take a walk
• Spend time with those you love
• Go to a fun swimming pool
• bring food to an animal shelter
• Go to the movies and get the largest popcorn box
• Open a special e-mail account & postbox for future birthday messages
  
• Visit the Handmade & funky X-mas market in Amsterdam
• Have a crazy hairday/get a new color
• Buy cake/Eat cake

So many awesome ideas! But you know what? I still feel sick.
I've been resting all day yesterday in the hope that I would be OK to go out & have some fun. Alas, I feel like a dishcloth, my nose is red, I'm coughing like an old man who smoked all his life & my throat hurts horribly.
So I'll take it easy and go for the 'buy cake/eat cake' option.
That way I can still veg out on my couch , watch some movies and stuff my face.
Anyway, the suggestion came from Anna Ruby King so she can expect the feeling 'special' in her mailbox soon...
Congrats Anna & if there's any cake left, I'll send you some to go with that! ;)

In search for fun ideas...

Two weeks from now, I'll be celebrating my birthday. Those days usually pass like any other day as every day is a celebration for me. However, I like to do something different this year. Something extra-ordinary or just something silly. But what?
I have been thinking and thinking but have not come up with anything more clever than this... (as I know it would make me extremely happy)

Just send me a note or a card (no presents!) with a suggestion what I could do the 13th of December.
Jip, via snail mail.
Because I love to open the mailbox...

In return, I'll give away this special feeling to the most awesome idea/card.So, let's go! :)
Mitsy Sleurs | Spaarzaamheidstraat 20 | 3500 Hasselt | Belgium