Owl Wall Decal

 I'm loving this wall decal (extra large) for a nursery, play room or bedroom from Little Lion Studio... the Owl Tree.

Eline Pellinkhof

I love everything in this house.

The Home of Eline Pellinkhof

D:: Dutch is... lots and lots of bicycles and flower shops, the canals of Amsterdam, the traditional sweet & salt gums called ‘Drop’ and the Dutch stew.

E:: Entrance... when entering my home you will notice my bike standing at the bottom of an awful navy and peach staircase which is in desperate need of a new coat of white paint. At the top of the stairs are my two lovely, curious cats.

S:: Style, means... a combination of all the things that you like and make you happy.

I:: interesting places in my city, Haarlem are… the old city centre with its narrow streets and quaint shops like Sjakies, Juffie’s Warehouse and De Wereld van Jansje, but also the fact that Haarlem is so close to the beach and close to lovely small villages like Spaarndam.

     

G:: Gardening is something I... love and do a lot. I have a allotment 15 minutes away, with a garden cottage and lots of flowery plants.

N:: New in my home is... a gigantic iMac computer, and some old-fashioned wooden spools.

H:: Hobby... I always make time for...gardening, friends, eating out and traveling. My work involves designing crafts materials like stamps, printed paper and fabric, but unfortunately I seldom have the time to work with them myself. 

O:: Outfit... my favorite things to wear are...stylish knitted cardigans and jeans and my two silver rings. You’ll never see me in high heels. 

M:: Magazines... I love to read are...VT wonen, 101 Woonideeën, Flow, Uppercase, Marie Claire idées, and online: By Fryd 

E:: Enjoy... I can't live without...being my own boss, having my own work space and garden to go to, watching movies  

Eline works as a freelance designer and illustrator and she just finished her own book, called: 'Eline's Home' , I believe it is only in Dutch available unfortunately, to see a glimpse of her new book, click here or just treat yourself and order here... in a previous life Eline drew and deisgned prints for children wear and was always looking for the latest trends in the kids fashion industry, but nowadays Eline works on collections for hobby materials, designing stamps and patterned papers... all of it you can find on and via her colorful blog!

 Via Bloesem

Save The Children.

I found this post at the red thread and it's very touching. It is so easy to not do anything but the feeling of giving is amazing so please try to do your bit.

I was shocked to read that according to charity Save The Children about 100,000 children have been displaced as a result of Japan's recent earthquake and tsunami.

One hundred thousand children.

A lot of those children are existing in desperate conditions. Some have lost one or both parents, siblings or extended family, they've had their homes destroyed and many are suffering anxiety and emotional trauma.

Image Source: LIFE

The priority for charity Save The Children has been to establish child friendly places where children can connect with each other and play and hopefully ward off long term emotional trauma. I know that some of us might be suffering from donation fatigue following the natural disasters in Queensland and Christchurch, but what has happened in Japan is on such a huge scale and they really need our help. You can donate to Save The Children here.

If you aren't in the position to donate money you could join us in making toys/softies. Lexi (Potty Mouth Mama) and Jac of Operation Angel have got together to organise soft toys for the children of Japan. The toys can be handmade or new. There are drop off points in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide and they will be distributed to children in Japan by Save The Children. This is such a small thing that we can do that will bring joy and comfort to a little one in need. Can you help? Click here to go to Lexi's post with all the info.

Soft Gallery.

I love My Owl Barn where I find so many beautiful posts. If you love anything owl or even if you don't you're sure to love it too.

These are owl print children's clothing, pillows and women scarves by Danish independent label Soft Gallery. I adore the simple and basic feel of the merchandise with a twist of unique embroidery and sequins detail. Available here.

Party Party.

This craziness is Stevie's birthday party. I decided to have it at a play centre as Mike is away and I just could not be bothered with the clean up and catering as I decided to invite her whole prep class. 

I was so happy with the play centre, all the 25 kids were great playing and going a little crazy and it was great to meet all the parents of Stevie's new school friends. And no clean up. It was awesome.

 I think Jimmy spent 95% of the time on the bikes. He loves them. Funniest thing to watch him on the bigger bikes he looks just like Fred Flintstone.

 Loch slept for the first half hour...

 but soon got into party mode.

 Happy Birthday to you.... Hip Hip

 Hooray!!

Stacked Book Paintings.

The Owl Is Wary, The Owl is Wise

 Mike Stilkey, an artist based in Los Angeles, draws whimsical animal portraits and stunning paintings on spine of stacked books.His wonderful ink and acrylic painting titled "The Owl Is Wary, The Owl is Wise" (shown) was part of his recent show - "In the Nursery", at the Corey Helford Gallery in LA.

Via My Owl Barn

DIY Owl Applique.

How sweet is this owl. I love the sleepy eyes, I know how he feels. Found this at My Owl Barn

Make your own tote with Jessica's simple, cute and free owl applique template. It's also perfect to put on a kid's t-shirt, throw pillow or even for making a fun, feathery birthday card.

Modern Twist Placemats.

Modern Twist kids placemats are made in collaboration with various independent artists that make the luch time the fun time. These silicone-based food safe placemats will be loved by your kids and keep them happily creating while waiting for their meal to come tothe table. The placemats are available in over a dozen designs including classic patterns by Dwell Studio. The owl placemats are available in two different choices - owl outlined black on clear base and owl filled mustard on clear base.

These durable, easily washable and crease-proof foldable are ideal for picnics and tea parties. Each placemat costs $19 and also avilable as "Kidz Box" set with 6 non-toxic dry-erase markers and 1 mat in a recycled packaging.

Via My Owl Barn

Stevie's 5!!

Well on the 20th of March it was Stevie's birthday and I can't believe it, she's 5. Time flies. She has been really looking forward to this one. It seems to be a real turning point and Stevie will say she'a a big girl now she's 5. 

And she is, going to school and she has made me so proud how well she is coping with it all.

Unfortunately Michael is still at work for another couple of weeks so will have to do something special when he's back.

Here's some photo's from her birthday and of course she was up before the sun was and I love those sleepy faces.

We had a lovely family lunch and Thank You to all that came, it was a really nice day

 I love these shots, this is just Stevie loving a bit of  time on her own

 How gorgeous is she!!!

Indian block printing

Very talented photographers, Gentl and Hyers, made this video of Indian block printing for West Elm. It's so beautiful, their process and craftsmanship.

I am just trying to figure out how to screen print but this is amazing. The precision and detailing is mind blowing.

P

New Bed Set.

Ok so today I did over indulge a little. Sorry Mike. I bought a new magnetic underlay, magnetic pillows, sheet set, donna cover set, pillow and the lamps. And I'm probley going to paint the walls a dark blue with white trims so I'll post pics when I've done that.

It been so long and our new bed needed some lovely threads so I am now cozied up in bed, blogging. Nice to have some quiet time.

Outside Oslo Fabric.

I found this over at How About Orange and I am loving those designs. Simple yet so effective and I would kill to get a hold of that fabric. Not yet available to purchase but I'm sure it will be hugely popular. This batch is brought to you by The Needle Shop..

Look for Outside Oslo in stores in May. If you're a shop or manufacturer interested in wholesale purchasing, head over to The Needle Shop's page for information on ordering. While you're there, you can grab a PDF that shows all the prints, along with lots of ideas for fun things to make.

Now, allow me introduce the cast of characters. I'm sure it's no surprise there are some orangey guys in here.