Cards

What do you think? I made this from recycled cardstock and scraps of fused plastic bags. In my shop after the weekend.

Yep, this is me

How cool is this??!!
(Click to enlarge)

Winter wonderland

So early!

mini mobile

Remember I made a huge mobile? I made a mini too. So cute and so much fun to make.

Happy weekend everyone!

my workspace

The weather was rather gloomy when I shot this. And it usually does not look like this. It's usually A LOT messier.

Bridge

Somehow I love bridges. I guess it's the idea of bringing people together that appeals to me. 

Sailing

We went sailing a couple of months ago. How I long for these blue skies right now. I love all of the nifty technical stuff a sailboat has to offer.

Dark forest

t-shirt yarn

Recently I visited Strawberry Earth Wonderland in Amsterdam. I was there with Dutch Handmade members Marta and Lies and Anda Corrie from Etsy. It was a really cool event. Look at the video here. At Strawberry Earth people could learn from us how to make t-shirtyarn and make a cool accesory. It was so much fun and ever since I've been fascinated by t-shirtyarn. I especially love the little scarves/necklaces you can make from them. Like this one.

Would you like to know how to make t-shirt yarn? Visit Dutch Handmade blog for a tutorial.
And here's some creations I found on Etsy.

Guitar strap by ASpinnerWeaver

Scarf by janicewallace

Business card holder by greenatheart

Ananda

While groceries shopping my eye fell on the beautiful packaging of this chocolate. It's called Ananda. Find the website here. Here's the pictures of the three flavours I bought. Pretty!

Besides pretty packaging it's also very tasty chocolate. Yes, I tasted it right away. Hey, I couldn't write about it and not tell you what it tastes like? That wouldn't make sense ;)

I tasted Coffee break, a dark chocolate with coffee beans, Pure Extase, premium dark chocolate and Blissful Banana, with chewy banana, which is my favourite so far. BUT, they have two more flavours! Bye Bye Sugar and Mentally Mint, yet to be tasted by me, I'm thinking soon.

So, here's what else is really cool about this chocolate:
It is entirely made in Ecuador.
It's organic.
The box is made from paper from responsibly managed forests and vegetable-based ink.
The foil it's wrapped in is biodegradable.
Ananda chocolate is a product of Amigos International whose mission is: 'Developing rural areas in developing countries by offering ecologically and socially responsible, 100% processed products from these areas to local, regional and international (EU) markets.'

Well, what can I say. These people seem to be doing like everything right!

Lao III

Remember I promissed I'd show you more pictures? Well I did. And here's some more.

rainbow

The other day I was staying with Bai from ThongbaiTatong near Amsterdam. We were getting ready to go to Crafymarkt and saw this incredibly bright rainbow. Isn't is gorgeous?

custom order

Yay, this was such an exciting project. Working on a custom order for the Etsy Berlin office. I made this huge (2m high and 1.15m wide) birds mobile. I think it turned out awesomely.
I'll be making bigger mobiles more often. Well, maybe not as big as this one, but bigger than the regular ones in my shop. 

Shop re-opening

Nooo, is it October already?! I've meaning to talk to you guys for weeks. But well, I'm back! 
And I have a few things I want to share. I've re-opened my first Etsy shop, Babongo with new designs. 
I've been making brooches from felted woolen sweaters. In the second and third picture below I used stamping techniques with stamps I designed and handmade myself. Fun!

They are available at Babongo. From the same felted sweaters I've made this necklace below.

Yay for already existing, endlessly available, ready for upcycling supplies!

Of course I've been continuously working on upcycling plastic bags too. More about that soon. 

O, and I'd love to hear what you think about the new designs! 

Ingermaaike

Hi again,

Just can't believe it's September.
I've been meaning to show you the present Ingermaaike has sent me a couple of weeks ago. It's supersoft and warm, it's gorgeous, it's original, it's handmade, it's colourful and I love it. Thanks a gazillion, Inger. 

Frontpage

This treasury I made hit frontpage on Etsy yesterday

Noorderzon!

Vandaag is Noorderzon van start gegaan. De kijkdoos en containerwinkel van Grun(n) Gemaakt zijn vandaag geopend. En morgen beginnen de workshops voor kids. In de containershop kun je handgemaakte zaken van Grun(n) Gemaakt bewonderen en kopen. Grun(n) Gemaakt is er iedere dag van 16.00 tot 21.00 uur tot en met 28 augustus.  

Ik probeer er zo vaak mogelijk bij te zijn. Kom jij ook?

In de kijkdoos kun je je eigen decor samenstellen en een polaroidfoto van je laten nemen, als aandenken.

Today Noorderzon started. The show-box and containershop have opened and we've already welcomed visitors. Tomorrow kids workshops are starting. 

You can admire and buy handmade goods by the Grun(n) Gemaakt artists in the containershop. In the show-box you can create your own decor and have a polaroidpicture taken. Grun(n) Gemaakt is ready for an incredible ten days at the festival! 

Noorderzon!

Van 19 t/m 29 augustus vindt Performing Arts Festival Noorderzon in Groningen weer plaats. Tijdens het festival zullen mijn mobiles in de containerwinkel van creatief collectief Grun(n) Gemaakt verkrijgbaar zijn. Heel spannend en leuk!  
Grun(n) Gemaakt bestaat onder meer uit de dames van Werkpost en nog een aantal vormgevers, kunstenaars, levensgenieters. Lees hier meer.

From 19 to 29th August Performing Arts Festival Noorderzon is taking place again in Groningen, my hometown. During the festival my mobiles will be available for sale in the containershop of creative collective Grun(n) Gemaakt. I'm very excited about this!

Skating

Today I went skating with a friend. I so enjoyed it. Wind in my hair, sun on my face, excersise, nature. I've been an enthusiastic skater for many years, but this year somehow I never got around to it. Today I thought, what has kept me? This is so relaxing. What do you do to relax?

Cosa Verde finds

What I really love about Cosa Verde is the fact that you don't get lost in their website and it's easily browsable. And of course that it's all about earthfriendliness! Today's favourites.

Porcupine tree neckwear by eveldasneverland

Large plush trout by Leftz

Rocket in my pocket by Usefulbooks

Organic cotton washcloths by Zummi

Patterns and colours and prints

Just like Marlous from PlanetFur I just love patterns and colours and prints. She gave me the idea for this blogpost. Thanks, Marlous.
I find patterns and colours very inspirational and they make me feel really happy and crafty and hopeful.  

Ecofriendly Hemp Bangle by hippiekingdom

Spring hearts by Thaitied

Hello Notecard by papersquid

One million short stories by inaluxe

Custom hand painted quilted silk patchwork pillow by crrysstall

Why choose organic cotton?

Click here for the answer. Thanks, Liesbeth, for sharing. 

Cosa Verde finds

Whilst browsing Cosa Verde, I found out my shop is shop of the week! Thanks, Liz, for this wonderful feature and your kind words.

I also found this amazing eco-friendly shop, Sara Tops. Sara makes 'cute things from recycled vintage and found paper'. Everything she makes is earthfriendly. Well, that sounds like music to my ears.

Library Card Notebook - The Hallowed Ground

Recycled map garland

We have a winner

Remember my give away last week? I'm giving away this bunny pincushion.

Loved all of your comments, thank you so much. But how to pick a winner? Randomly? Nah, boring. Then I thought I'll pick the person with the nicest comment.
This proved to be an impossible task. So, I wrote the names on pieces of paper, put them in a box and picked one. And we now have a winner........ Rebecca! Congrats! Will you send me your adress, please? 

Cosaverde

Recently I discovered cosaverde, an online showcase where you'll find sustainable handmade goods. I opened a store there, because I feel my products fit well and because I love the green, handmade theme.
Here's some of my favourite cosaverde finds:

Where there are trees by PansyMaiden

Tanktop by Tangente

Layered vintage zipper vase by Amalia Versaci 

Swordfish pillow by Chakra Pennywhistle

Recycled paper vase by pica pica