Mantlepiece transformation etc.

Hello dear blogging friends,

today I can show you the transformation of my faux mantlepiece, which my Dad has build me for one of my birthdays, 7 years ago.

This is what it looked like just before I've painted it on Friday:

I was thinking about painting it ever since I've got it and now I finally did it and I like it, yeah! What do you think about it in white? Should I paint the little black antique petrol oven also in white now?

Then yesterday, for my 44th birthday, my parents have got me a new mirror for the space above my mantlepiece, because the mirror I've used before was too small. I chose a high mirror, carved out of wood with an antique golden painting and this is what my mantlepiece looks like after it is freshly painted, decorated and with the new mirror hanging above:

The mirror has a lovely detail, it's an angel playing the flute, carved in:

Well and this is the round bird nest collage, that I was talking about in one of my posts below, which I had created the weekend before last weekend:

A big thanks to you guys for all the lovely comments on my Winter garden pictures of my last post, which I loved to read. The bit of snow is all gone and we're back to warmer temperatures again, around 7-10 degrees Celsius plus, which seem to be the normal Winter temperature this year.

My mum has got me lots of lovely spring flowers yesterday too, like Snowbells, blue Pansies, white Primeroses and white Helleborus and blue Hyacinthus, which I'm looking forward to plant and decorate during this week :D

Winter impressions

I haven't posted pictures from my garden for a while now so today I thought you might like to see some winter impressions. Yes we've finally got winter over here too, we have frost since Monday and today we've even got a tiny bid of the white stuff, as you can see in some of today's photos:

A frosty heart:

A frosty enamel cake:

My patio with the bird houses and lanterns etc. is always a quite nice sight:

My garden princess covered with a touch of snow:

Plants are covered with moss to keep them warm:

I love the look of it, when my garden balls are covered with snow and/or frost:

The frosty lantern kind of glows in the morning light:

I hope that you've liked to see a few garden pictures for a change.

Nostalgic Heart Swap!

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http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9965/pinkheart19bw.jpg

Click on the link for the bigger version of the photo above!

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.My German garden friend Anita owner of the beautiful blog "My Country Cottage" is searching for participants for her "Selfmade Nostalgic Heart Swap"! This sounds like so much fun and everyone who ownes a blog can participate! I'll sure do! I have already tried my first nostalgic heart collage which you can see in the pictures above and below:

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http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/9302/pinkheart24xs.jpg

Click on the link to see the bigger version of the picture above!

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Selfmade hearts made from fabric are as welcome as paper hearts, what ever suits your creativity, so don't hesitate, head over to Anita's blog http://ein-stueck-garten.blogspot.com/ and read her post from January 18th for more information and let her know that you'd like to participate! I'm looking forward to swap with you!
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Yesterday I've also finished this "Valentines paper girl":

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and a round Bird & Nest collage which I'm going to show you in my next post because Blogger won't let me post anymore pictures tonight. I'm quite happy that I had time to spend in my studio corner for the last two days, don't you just love creative weekends too?

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The lovely hearts exhibition

I've told you in my last post, that I was creating pieces for Valentine last week. Well actually I'm excited to tell you that I've created them for the "Lovely hearts charity exhibition" of artstreamstudios. Susan the owner of www.artstream.com and of http://artesprit.blogspot.com/ is looking for artists from around the globe to submit their art work about the theme LOVE, in all it's forms, for presentation in the gallery of artstream studios in February 2007. 50% of the retail price of each artwork sold will support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The other 50% goes directly back to the artists.

I've chosen the altered Love CD above as well as the two following collages as my submisson:

In the photo below you can see the other side of the Altered Love CD. The Altered Star CD is not part of the pieces for the exhibition:

The exhibiton in the Gallery of "Valentines Around The World" opens with a presentation complete with Cocktails and Chocolate on February 10th.Artwork will also be available in the Online Shop from February 10th through February 28th. Click here for more information:

I've first read about Susan's charity exhibition on my pink friend Sandy's lovely art blog over at www.arttealife.blogspot.com .

Bitten by the jug bug!

Yes I admit it, I've been bitten by the jug bug, since a long time, I love jugs, all kind of whether they are new, vintage or really old, made from porcelain, enamel, stoneware or glass. So after I've read the post about Niki's delightful jug collection on her blog here I decided to join in and get my jugs out to take pictures and post them. Click on the photos to enlarge them and see more details.

I think the rose jugs are still my favourites:




but as you can see I also love enamel jugs:

and the glass jugs of course!

I have had even more jugs but I gave some away when I moved houses two years ago thinking I will not get them all in my new house, ha ha how stupid was I!

Well all in all I blame my mum for giving me the jug bug! She has a great collection of beautiful jugs too, some precious antique pieces are displayed in the cabinet of this dresser:

Okay then it looks like these are all photos blogger is going to let me post today, but I think you've got an impression of my jug love, don't you? Anymore jug lovers out there in the blogging neighbourhood?

Other than that I was busy with my daughters 19th birthday last week and with crafting Valentine collages and working of course and trying to change my blogger account into the new version, now that it is out of beta, but it won't let me so I just have to hang in there with the old version some time longer I think.

I hope you all have had a good start in the new year so far!

So long! xox

Crystals in the backlight

Firstly I like to thank all of you lovely people who have commented on my last post, it makes me very happy, that so many of you like my little studio corner too :D !

Well, after putting some Christmas decorations away this week I hung this corkscrew hazelnut branch with some of my crystals up in the livingroom window and even on a very grey day (like we had every day for the last 2 weeks or so), they do still look brilliant in the backlight. Wouldn't you agree with me?




The ones with the vintage bows were a present of my dear English blogging friend Niki and I really love them!


I have had lot's of work last week and was quite busy at the weekend too, so I couldn't do my blog round and visit my fave blogs like I usually do, but I hope to make up for it this week, so possibly I see you soon! xox

Studio Impressions

If you are a bit like me, you are certainly also nosey, about what other people studios do look like, that's why I took these photos for you the week before Christmas. As you can see my little studio corner is situated in our loft room, right behind this wall. This where I love to spend most of my spare time:

A few cards that I have made and sent out last minute to my German friends and family: http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/327/kartenproduktion2me1.jpg

Click the link above for a bigger version of the following picture!

A few month before this corner was practically unused and now it is stuffed with all my baskets, drawers and boxes full of papers, scraps, stamps, fibers, embellishments etc. and of course things that just inpires me and some finished work:

Click here

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for the bigger version of the picture above!

Some close ups:

That's it for now and I hope that you enjoyed the little tour through my seasonal decorated studio corner and maybe those of you who didn't yet will also take some pictures of your work space and post them on your blog?

Try clicking on the pictures to see more details!