Cozy Homemaking

rainy sunday and I'm happy

Rain has been generously showering everything, I know Nature really needs it here, specially in the winter (in preparation of summer's draughts). I love seeing the drops at the tips of the trees facing our building, it's always such a beautiful show rain & trees give us.

According to the weather forecast, sun shall finally shine on us here next week, which I'm really looking forward to ! I can see better for sewing & embroidering when natural light is great. But despite the lack of sunshine today, I'm off to sew a bit. I feel fantastic (even though I went to bed at 3am after the birthday party we attended yesterday), both my mom & mother in law are at home with us, P feels better. All is well in my world. And this song feels like the cherry on top. I can't stop listening to it today ! And the video makes me feel like dancing like noone's watching !

I hope you're having an equally happy Sunday !

ox

S

What is exciting ? Well, my mom's new apartment has become official too ! We are so relieved & so happy ! Of course she won't be as close to us as she used to be, but she won't be too far, just a tramway stop from us ! She'll be getting the keys on Friday ! Now to take care of HER moving as well ! OMG !

What is exciting ? We're getting the keys of OUR apartment TOMORROW !!! Wooohooo !!

What is exciting ? Well, this video that I just created (because yeah, I had time to kill to learn how to use iMovie, right ?!) will explain it all !

 

Do you like it ? Not that bad for a very first attempt at video montage, right ?! Of course it is only a faint memory now, but boy did I enjoy eating snowflakes ! I'm such a little girl at heart !

ox

S

Not much time for blogging so I'll make a bullet point Friday post ... please bear with me !

• the actual cardboard boxes from the movers shall be delivered tomorrow, thank goodness !
• anyway, I've been picking small ones from local stores, and have been using them for sorting things out & putting them away, for NOT taking them with us to the new place. So, in a way, I needed this time for making this before actual packing !
• we're still hunting for an apartment for my mom. I REALLY hope we'll find the right one soon !
• today is weight in day, and I've lost 11 kgs (24.25 lbs), have less hips & butt (yay) and feel better already. The road will be still as long as it's been until now, but now I'm confident I can do it !! Working out is not a chore anymore, so that's a great point too !
• here's a video/song I want to share with you. Music is kind of a vital motivation these days for my sanity. This one seems to be old, but it was recorded in 2009.

Happy weekend, everyone !!

ox

S

fresh, organic summer food

piling up until next shop update

hand making a little birthday cake banner
for the soon 11 to be (on Monday but celebrated tomorrow)

the Sleeping Beauty ...

birthday presents wrapped in fabric,
like we've been doing for a handful of years now
(small one for small brother)

The presence of three ginghams is totally a coincidence that I am now only spotting !! (do I need new glasses ? what do you think ?!)

Before I go, here's a little video of Gary, posted also on IG, with the new video feature (I think I like this !!). Enjoy ! (don't forget to turn your speakers up)

Wishing you a lovely weekend !

ox

S 

A quick post today, the boys will be back home by the end of the afternoon (& it's 2pm, dang !!).

I finished my 1st custom made mug rug, which you can see below.

More infos about custom made mug rugs, in the shop itself >> here.

Yesterday I watched Amélie with hubby, and still don't understand how possible it was that we didn't see it earlier. I've been working to the sound of its soundtrack the last couple of days (here). If you haven't seen it, here's just a moment in the (2 hours long) film :

This kiss scene has to be the most tender & emotional I have ever seen in a film. No wonder why it was such a hit & is considered as one of the best films of 2000-2010.

On this sweet note, I wish you a lovely Tuesday. (or what remains of it !)

ox

S

So here I am, back with photos from January 06th. Today I chose to share those that were water/river related. So refreshing !

I was pretty mesmirized by water & its surroundings ... we picnicked by the river, and I took most of these photos above right at that moment.

I tried to make a video, it's short & simple, straight out of the camera.

Yesterday was cold but sunny, today seems to be grey & who knows what this weekend will look like ? From tomorrow, I'll be officially a soccer mom & a volleyball mom. I hope the boys will enjoy themselves & will learn some things from team sports.

⨳

Totally unrelated, I'm offering FREE SHIPPING until Sunday 20th midnight for orders over 25U$, simply use the code JAN13FREESHIPPING at checkout. There are a bunch of lovely things in the shop right now, and lots of them on sale as well !

Wishing you a cozy weekend, ladies. Thank you for stopping by today !

oxox

S

Today started overcast & muggy (like 90% of humidity) It's now clearing & drying. There is undoubtedly something changing in the air & in the light, even though it's still almost 27°C outside. We're lucky to live in front of a tiny (yet very neglected) private garden (only accessible by people living & working around, not us). Today was clearly autumn cleaning, several men have been spending all day chopping down the many bamboos & the tons of dry or decaying leaves on the ground. They have been pretty noisy though, so I closed my windows & put some nice (and calm, instead) music.

I can't remember if I already told you about Lullatone. (maybe once) It's a Japanese musical duo, whose music is characterized by an innocent, child-like quality and spare, lo-fi sounds. I discovered them totally by surprise, once when I was visiting Hello Sandwich blog. This music has the ability of soothing me, calming me, and I remember last winter, when I really needed to feel cozy in our little nest, that's what I was listening to. Their melodies may sound very childish to some, but that's maybe what I like about it.

Lullatone - "Growing Up" from Lullatone on Vimeo.

I also think if you have young children, it's the perfect kind of music for gently, softly playing, or as background when reading/looking at books. Softness and gentleness ... I'm totally happy with these right now.

I wanted to thank you for your wonderful & supportive comments yesterday. You know they mean a lot to me, and I'm very happy to be back. I have now a bit clearer ideas & guidelines in my head. Now it's up to me to make drawing, cutting, sewing, and embroidery happen, and there shall be some things to show in the next weeks or months.

oxox

S

insta weekend

(photos & videos from these last few days)

oxox

S

measuring, cutting, taking pics

Thank you for reading yesterday's post & for your reactions. Since this blog is my online diary, I write in it like I would write in a paper one (which I never managed to keep up with), and most of the time, laying the words down helps me stepping back, having some kind of reflection, and trying to put words onto (sometimes vague) feelings, which is never easy.

So ... I spent some time today (more than I would have thought, just sayin' !) measuring the laces, cutting them to right/standard sizes, and taking photos. Of course now these photos need to be resized & cropped (by the way, did you know that Picnic website is closing down on April 19th ? What a bummer, it was so very practical, and free too ! I wonder what I will use when it's closed !), and descriptions need to be written & listing made. It's always such a lot of work, but necessary.

Thank goodness, as you can see, I have a photography supervisor, as well as a quality supervisor ...

I can't say when the listings will be all done, it could be tomorrow or next Monday. Keep an eye on the blog/twitter/facebook/flickr (links on the side) if you think you could be interested.

What else to say ? Thanks to Jill (and Daniel), I've discovered Django Django, and boy the whole family is already loving them ! We are looking forward to the release of their last album in a couple of days ! (see their video stream here) Jill shared the video that Daniel directed, so I'll be sharing another video here.

I wish you all a lovely weekend. Relaxing or exciting, it will be up to .... you ? (or maybe not up to you !)

xoxo

S

return of the light

Last minute gift making, last minute gift purchasing, last minute food purchasing. I'm not stressed at all, everything is happening just right. (or so it seems)

Today's activity was made not long ago. Watercoloring watercolor paper & making simple luminarias. (I think that's the word)

I think the result is sweet & adorable. The things you can see at the bottom are glass ramekins, which held the tea lights.

Tomorrow'll be the last activity. (insert a big sigh from mama) Yesterday we went to the cinema, for the first time in ages. We went to see The Field of Enchantement (in French, "la Clé des Champs")

You can read a review here. Here is the synopsis :

A deserted pond. Two lonely children fall under the spell of this wild place that, little by little, draws them closer to each other and gives them the strength to cope with life. 
Seen through their eyes, and through their imaginations, the pond becomes a secret kingdom, both marvellous and frightening, thronging with creatures born from dreams or nightmares. 
The children experience an initiation, brief and intense, from which they will emerge transformed.

And here is the trailer, sorry, it's in French only. (I couldn't find a translated trailer)

LA CLÉ DES CHAMPS : BANDE-ANNONCE HD par baryla

I'm talking about it because it was so refreshing & poetic & dreamy. Something everyone should watch, from the youngest to the eldest.

I have baked a yoghurt / apple cake (using this recipe, that I shared on my previous blog, here) for tomorrow's breakfast, we'll simply sprinkle it with icing sugar & it'll be simply perfect.

Christmas will be soon over, and I already know I will soon feel the need & urge to clean & reorganize, to refresh everything & anything. It's just the way I am. But for now, I'll enjoy the bluriness (is that a word ?) of Christmas ...

... till the last drop.

See you tomorrow for the last activity in our calendar. And maybe some recap about it all.

xoxo

S

recurrent

Do you remember ? ...

I thought everyone would do with a groovy song today to start the new month !

It's September, my goodness, we've gone through 2/3 of the year already ! In a couple of days, children will go back to school, and even though it's not chilly yet, we have dropped some degrees in the temperatures, and this morning I was woken up by a thunderstorm. Walking back to school on Monday may be under the rain (drat !)

In order to enjoy these last days of summer vacations, I'll sign off until Monday. Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and good luck for anything you'll need to achieve the next few days ! Take care, too !

oxox

S

there will be popcorn

Instead of going to the restaurant, we have decided to have tonight, an indoor picnic, while watching old Mickey's cartoons (DVDs) and YES, there will be popcorn !

Each Friday evening/night, there is a VERY (and really, I mean it & don't exaggerate) noisy event (just a bunch of meters away from our building, thank you), so we will go to bed late (reasonably enough for the boys, don't worry !), and will take advantage for having "our" little happy event of our own.

I haven't prepared the popcorn yet (it's 9.25am as I'm posting this) so I can't share any with you yet, but I can share some of the many cartoons we'll be watching tonight ! Enjoy !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I personally seriously can't get enough of all these musics ! Have a wonderful weekend ahead ! Things to show & tell next week but since we'll be leaving home on the 14th, I may start these post on Sunday I suppose.

oxox

S

video wednesday - India bock printing

oxox

S

known through friends

Today I'll share with you a film & a singer, but some of you may have already heard of or seen the film, and maybe some of you already know this singer. So forgive me if you already know both, but I'll share for those of you who are strangers to both. (or one of them)

I've known each of them through friends. Margie made me discover the film this past winter, and Ginny made me discover this singer just a couple of days ago, on Twitter. So, thank you both, sweet ladies, it's so nice to make discoveries !

The film I'm talking about is Bright Star, directed by Jane Campion, and was released in 2009. It is based on the last three years of the life of poet John Keats (English Romantic poet) & his romantic relationship with Fanny Brawne. I'm not going to spoil the story of the film, but my own opinion (note that I am not a film critic & that besides, everyone has a different opinion, on everything, anyway) is that whatever you may think of the film itself (and I think it's a great one), it was wonderfully filmed. The aesthetic is impeccable, and in this world of chaos, verbal & physical violence, a film during which your mind wanders, during which your eyes are filled with poetical beauties, is a film worth watching.

Here are some photos from the film, and then video excerpts of it too.

 

The singer I wanted to introduce you is Emily Portman, a singer, writer and concertina player based in the North East of England. I linked her name to her website, where she even shares the lyrics of her beautiful, mesmerizing songs. Here is one of the 12 songs on her last album, Glamoury.

I wish you all a relaxing weekend. Among the (hopefully happy) busy-ness of everyone of us (end of school year obliged), I hope you will make time for yourself, or that at least you'll find moments for slowing down, and breath, and smell the flowers.

xoxo

S

Angie Lewin

I think I discovered Angie Lewin's existence once when I was reading Country Living. Angie Lewin, born in 1964, is a British printmaker, working in linocut, wood engraving, lithography & screen printing. She is now based in Norfolk, England, and she runs St Jude's with her husband. You may know one of her designs if you follow Liberty of London prints ... she designed the Winter Stem design.

I'd have a hard time explaining why I love her creations, her art, but one thing is clear, I love how she represents anything natural, seedheads or pods, wildflowers & other beauties ...

I enjoy very much that she lets us step into her studio, in her Flickr stream ...

And I could get lost in the peeks of her amazing sketch books (also generously shared on Flickr) ...

You can read much more on her website here, and also on St Jude's blog. Her Flickr stream is here, and you can also follow St Jude's on Twitter & Facebook.

And last but not least, here is an enjoyable video that I thought you'd like to see too.

Today's the last day for adding your name to the Giveaway that has been going on this week ! Check Monday's post about it (where all the fun is !), and I'll be announcing the five winners tomorrow on the blog.

Have a good Friday & check back tomorrow for the names of the winners ! Good luck everyone !

oxox

S

 

video wednesday - skin cancer awareness

oxox

S

Wordless Wednesday (should be renamed "Video Wednesday")

xoxo

S

Wordless Wednesday (the one *I* do not say anything)

oxox

S