For free

I live together with a Dutch man. He's from Maastricht, the Netherlands, so historically I'm taking back to Belgium what was initially ours.
That said, Dutch people always try to get a good deal. It's their trader's blood, they can't help it...

As a modest Belgian, it certainly takes some time to get used too. Even shopping in the supermarket can be a challenge. He seems to have a magnet inside that brings him to the 'free stuff'. You know, those products usually have stickers on them 'free item' and in small letters underneath 'if you purchase this product'. So, ocasionnaly, he chucks a 'free item' in the shopping cart without buying the product that entitles you to get the free product.

When we go to the check out to pay, he just drops all the items on the cashier's desk and the cashier person always looks up when she/he grabs the free item to scan. Of course she/he inquires if the products that entitle you for the free stuff are bought. He always says 'no, but it has a sticker on it that it's for free'. Then the person behind the cashier desk explains him that you get the free item if you buy the product. What then usually happens is a discussion between my partner and the cashier person and most likely, he get's away the free stuff.

I can tell you that the first time he did this, I was shocked. I didn't really know if I should feel ashamed or should start laughing out loud. After all, we don't need all the free stuff. It usually ends up in the second hand shop.

So when I told him yesterday that I have a workshop next saturday, he said: 'you don't have to go and buy bread bags for lunch as I have some' and then he magically pulled open the cupboard and showed me these:

Here you have to buy 2 times 6 bottles of water to geta free bread bag.
We never bought the water but we do have 3 bread bags.

And he also took care of the aprons... although I want to alter 'em first before using 'em:

Here you have to buy six-packs of special beer.
We buy beer but not always this one.

I now know that it's a sport for him to walk away with the free stuff - he loves the look on the faces of the cashier desks people when he cheekily says 'it says it's for free' in his Dutch accent in Belgium. Sometimes they stare in disbelieve! LOL :)
For him, it's also a personal campaign to try to get rid of the free stuff they give with products in Belgium. In Holland, they just give you a discount instead of all the rubbish you get for free.

What else is on the free stuff list:

• 12 small whisk tools for the kitchen
• 40 mugs
  
• 30 drinking glasses
• 50 beer glasses
  
• 25 cheese trays
• 10 cheese knives
• 4 soccer balls
• 12 plastic storage boxes
• 2 play boomerangs
• 1 huge tennisbal
• 5 inflatable beachballs
• a pair of sunglasses

And that's the stuff he can remember...
Guess who's doing the grocery shopping around here? It's not me anymore...

Handmade treasures

I have been doing some handmade shopping recently and I quickly want to share my treasures.

Last sunday, Mariana from Florcita showed her work in her small hometown of Susteren, Netherlands. What does a sweet girl from Argentina do in Susteren of all places?
She felts and does ceramics. I wish we lived a tiny little closer so we could play together a bit more often.
I bought this infinity scarf with a twist like the ring of Moebius from Escher.
Fell in love right away so had to have it! It is soft and warm and everything I wanted. And don't you just love the sweet handmade touches? Great branding, Mariana! :)
Something else I'm REALLY excited about is the following: de 'koekpot' (cookie jar) from Elza D. and Annemie. It's a jar with all the ingredients to make cookies: just add butter and eggs and put 'em in the oven. I gave it to my neighbor so I haven't been able to try it myself but I ordered 2 more so as soon as they arrive, I'll make a delicious batch of cookies! Nomnom.
And again great branding: I love the label! Thanks for creating such fun product ladies!
Across my stand on Stiel and Stijl, there was a flower shop stand and this fresh lime green flowerpot from Pot en Papaver is now blooming in my studio.
I bought this little grain pillow for my niece's birthday, she loves soft, warm and colorful things so I thought I hit the jackpot with discovering this. She loved it! You can get 'em at Poembah.
And this pair of crocheted earrings from Nevousinstallezpas is for my other niece who has not yet recieved 'em but I know she will love 'em.
Both my nieces are teenagers with a BIG love for everything handmade so it's really easy shopping for them.
And I bought these for my sister as she loves tiny and black. I love 'em too and had a hard time giving 'em away... Get your own pair at LilaRubyKing's shop. My nieces do not only love handmade goodies but also love reading so I also got 'em these clever and pretty bookmarks from Blue Celeste. Hilde combines handmade Japanese paper with light and leather and all that she makes is made so well that you would want to have it all...
She opened her Etsy shop recently - go check it out!And I'm SO sad that my nieces and nephews are already too big to play with dolls as I love EVERYTHING from tante Hilde! I really do and couldn't resist buying these cute mice although I love her dolls too. Perhaps I should just get a big doll for myself...
If you ask her nicely, she makes you a doll to your liking...Too bad I had to rush my shopping trip on Stiel & Stijl as it was too busy to leave my stand for long enough to stroll around slowly and take it all in. So I'm glad I got to grab a few things at least! I love shopping handmade!