Hi everyone!

I loved your enthusiasm and reactions on the previous post, glad you like Saar's projects as much as I do :)

Today, I'm 'offering' you a peek into my postcard collection. I think this is about 1/4 of all postcards I have in my ever growing collection. Some I found in a thrift shop or at a flea market, some are new. Some were given/sent to me, some I bought myself to send out to pals. If you want to know exactly which postcard I found where, please leave a comment and I'll be happy to help you out. Enjoy, and have a great (and warm! Brrr, it's cold over here!) weekend!

Ik kreeg enkele maanden terug een erfstuk. Een oude doos met schaak- en damstukken. Superleuk. Alleen was er geen schaakbord bij. Bummer. Aangezien je niet zomaar overal een bord kan kopen zonder stukken en de stukken zonder bord een beetje zielig zijn, besloot ik er zelf eentje te maken. Ik dacht aan een soortement quilt met restjes stof. Alleen had ik net niet genoeg overschotjes of waren het niet de juiste kleurtjes of was ik te lui of … Het kwam er dus niet van. Ondertussen staan die prachtige stukken stof te vergaren en willen wij spelen!!!!
I got a family heirloom some months ago: an old box full of chess en checkers pieces. Super fun. Only, it didn’t include a board. Bummer! Since you can’t really find boards without pieces lying around on the street and pieces without a board are pretty sad, I decided to make my own damn board from leftover pieces of fabric. Only I never found enough leftover fabric, or it weren’t the right colours, or I got bored, or… It just didn’t happen. Meanwhile those gorgeous pieces are gathering dust and we want to play!

En toen pikte er vorige week iemand mijn fiets. We vonden hem gelukkig iets verderop terug, maar de hooligans hadden mijn mooie toile cirée fietstas wel kapotgescheurd. Niet dat dat zo’n ramp was, want hij was al een tijdje op z’n laatste adem aan ’t lopen, maar toch: boe!!!!!!! Ik vond het wel zonde om zo’n hoop toile cirée weg te gooien. En toen dacht ik weer aan mijn schaakbordprojectje! Wat een geluk bij een ongeluk! Dus ben ik aan de slag gegaan en tadaaaa: een keimooi, oprolbaar, afwasbaar, beach- en mountainproof schaakbord. Omdat ik jou ook zo’n megacool upgecycled item gun, ziehier mijn tutorial.
And then someone stole my bike last week. Luckily, we found it a little further down the road, but the hooligans did trash my bike bags. Not such a disaster, they were already starting to disintegrate, but still… Boo! I thought it was a shame to throw away so much waxed cotton. And then I remembered my little chess project. What a silver lining! So I did my thing and tadaaaa: a nice, rollable, washable, beach and mountainproof chess board! Since I want you to be able to make such a gorgeous piece of loveliness, I made a tutorial.

Nodig: » 1 kapotte fietstas (of een ander object met genoeg toile cirée of andere stof om er een schaakbord mee te maken) » 1 draaduittrekkerke (of hoe heet zo’n dingetje dat bij je naaimachine zit om naden los te peuteren? Edit door Elisse: een tornmesje!) of een klein schaartje » Een stukje karton » Een schaar » Een stylo » Naaigaren » Naaimachine

You will need: » 1 busted up bike bag (or something else that gets you enoug fabric to make a board)  » 1 destitcher (or how do you call it) or little scissors  » A piece of cardboard  » Scissors  » A pen  » Sewing thread  » Sewing machine

1. Haal je kapotte fietstas uit elkaar. Ik heb zo’n naaduittrekdingske gebruikt. Je kunt je tas ook gewoon uit elkaar scheuren of snijden, zoals mijn lief opmerkte toen ik begon te zagen over ‘waar ik nu weer aan begonnen was’, maar als je op je tanden bijt, heb je meer materiaal om mee te werken! Na enkele uren hard labeur had ik een hoop vies, vuil toile cirée, meters en meters tassenband, enkele sluitingen en goed verstopt gezeten klittenband.
Take your bag apart. I used the dethreaderthingie. You can just as easily rip or cut open your bag, like my boyfriend pointed out when I started nagging about ‘what I had gotten myself into’ , but you’ll get more pieces to work with if you do it good. After some hours of hard work, I was left with a mountain of fabric, yards of webbing, some closures and some well hidden velcro.

2. Was je viezigheid. Jaren stof en restjes boodschappen en gemorste cola hadden zich opgestapeld op mijn stof. Dat moest eraf. Laat ik je een gezonde tip geven: begin niet, zoals mij, te werken met bleekmiddel. Ik ben een eco meid en normaal gezien blijf ik ver weg van zo’n spul, maar gezien de schimmel die zich had opgehoopt tussen de stukken stof, haalde ik de pot toch boven. Spijt! Spijt! Ik haal die brol nooit meer in huis. Stank, vlekken op mijn prachtige tshirt (ik had het nochtans uitgedaan tijdens het bewerken), jeukende handen en ogen en mijnen toile cirée gevlekt… Bah. Leve zeep en elbow grease!
Wash your dirties. Years of dust, leftover groceries and spilt cola had gunked up in the bags. It had to go. Now let me give you a very good pointer: don’t use bleach! I’m an eco chick, so I usually don’t use this shit, but seeing all the fungus that infested this bag, I got some bleach and I’m sorry! I’m never using this stuff again. Stench, my shirt ruined, itchy hands and eyes and a spotty fabric. Not smart! Long live soap and elbow grease! 

3. Maak een malletje uit karton: een vierkant van 6 x 6 cm met daarin een vierkantje uitgeknipt van 4 x 4 cm. Gebruik dit malletje om 32 vierkantjes te maken van elk kleurtje met een getekend vierkantje in het midden als leidraad om straks te stikken.
Make a template out of some cardboard: a square of 6 x 6cm with a cut out square of 4 x 4 cm in the middle. Use this to make 32 squares of 6 x 6 cm with a drawn in square of 4 x 4 cm to use as a guideline while stitching later on. 



4. Snij de hoekjes van alle 64 vierkantjes. 
Cut the corners off all squares.



5. Stik de stukjes nu in een schaakbordpatroon aan elkaar. Volg de lijntjes die je hebt getekend.
Sew the pieces together in a chess board pattern, using the lines.





6. Vouw de flapjes aan de achterkant open, lijm of tape ze tegen de achterkant van je stof (tip: Pattex Colle-tout collet blijkbaar niet tout. Werkt niet op dit materiaal), knip een stuk stof dat even groot is als je constructie (34 x34 cm), leg dat met de verkeerde kant op de verkeerde kant van je constructie en leg er een gewicht op. Een boek of zo. Of enkele boeken. Geen Dag Allemaals. Dat werkt niet. Laat de boel even drogen.
Fold the flaps on the back open, glue or tape them to the board, cut out a piece of fabric that’s the size of the board you just made (34 x34 cm). Put that on the wrong side of the construction and weigh it down with a book or something. Don’t use Playboy. Not heavy enough. Let it dry.



7. Trim je buitenste rand met zo’n 3 mm. Naai nu de tassenband rond de randen. Naai aan een kant twee repen lint mee. Die kun je gebruiken om het bord na het oprollen vast te knopen.
Trim your outer edge with 3 mm. Now sew the webbing around the edges. Sew two pieces of ribbon with the webbing. You can use them to tie your board up later.





Et voilà, schaak maar weg!
go play the chess!

Danke schön lieve Saar voor deze geweldige tutorial! Heel duidelijk uitgelegd en zo fijn geschreven, ik zou het zelf niet beter kunnen. :)
Thank you so much Saar for making this tutorial! I couldn't explain it any better :)

All participants have had their chance to win this gorgeous handmade owl plushie by Olga, so now it's time to pick a winner!
I let my friend Rafflecopter do the job (there were 320 (!) entries, so I thought that was the quick option) and he picked...


Congratulations! Can you send me an e-mail as soon as you read this? :) (I wanted to send you an e-mail, but then again, it wouldn't be a surprise! And who doesn't love surprises :) )

Thanks to everyone for participating, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy reading my posts.

See you soon!

Hi! How was your weekend?

Mine was reaaaaally chill. Just relaxing in a slouchy sweater, loose pants, watching some of my favorite series, cuddling with the boyfriend, and studying for school. Still haven't gotten around to writing back to some of my penpals though.. I guess that's why they call it snail mail.

I experimented with my own photographs and drawing on top of them though. Here's my first drawing. What do you think? I'm not quite sure, but I do like the result.



Have a nice week!

Hi there!

I made another a-line skirt for myself, with this beautiful fabric I like to call 'jungle bird'. It's sooooo pretty.







P.S. Yes, I will iron it next time, because it's not meant to look that wrinkly. I'm just lazy.

Don't go yet! First, listen and watch these.



p.p.s. Don't forget to join the giveaway if you're not participating yet!
You can win the beauty on my left, Flora :)

(click on the photo to go to the giveaway)

Good luck!



Okay, now off you go. Have a lovely Thursday evening :)

& see you in a while, crocodile!

It's been a while since I last posted a Fotokabien edition, so today I'm showing you two (real!) Fotokabiens.



This one was made in Berlin two weekends ago. We loved the oldschool photobooths, they are so much fun :)


This one was made in Mechelen back in September, when I was at a festival with my adorable sister. Yay for sweet sisters!


Here you can see all my previous "Fotokabiens".

Every month we take a picture in a photobooth, a real one or the digital version. The idea behind it is to keep track of the most ordinary events or changes in life - as the months turn into years. You can find all participants here.
// Bij de Fotokabien maken we elke maand een foto - online of in een echt hokje. Meer info of meedoen? Nieuwsgierig wie er allemaal elke maand in een hokje kruipt? Kijk hier.

Oh and don't forget:

you can still participate in the giveaway to win the lovely Flora, handmade by Olga from Wassupbrothers :)

(click on the photo to go to the giveaway)

Good luck!

See you soon!

Hi everyone! How's your Friday?

Today I have an exciting announcement to make... I started a "Project 365", which means I will take a photo each day for 365 days (for the ones that can count well: that's a year!). I started on November 1st and will update on this Tumblr. It's been fun so far, so if you want, check out my photos.

Don't forget to join the giveaway! (click the photo to go to the blogpost)



Enjoy your weekend!

Ever since I received Mocco Manuel, I'm in love with everything Olga creates. She is such a talented artist and I want all of you to go check out her Etsy shop & blog & Facebook fanpage. But first, please read this lovely interview I did with her :)

Hi Olga! Please, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Good day everyone! I'm Olga and I'm owl addicted. I am a 31 year old art softiemaker based in Moscow - Russia, where I live with my beloved husband and our 2 best ever dogs.



My softie business is what I've been doing every single day for the last year. Sometimes, when I don't have sales for a few weeks and there's no business going down I start thinking about taking a day job again, but lately with all the support my husband gives me I stay focused in what I'm doing, I'm working harder on my sewing, and everything just keeps getting better.

When did you first start making your owl creatures?

I made my first owl in the end of November in 2011.
It all started a few weeks before that. I still remember the day when I noticed that the piece of lacy eyelet vintage tape I had for years looked like the face of an owl, no, really, that owl eyes literally looked at me from the lace. At the time I put it aside and thought to myself: "I will try it later." Then I forgot about it - as usually. After some time I noticed this lace again and decided to try and create the first little owl with the lacy face and it was a success. The combination of fabrics and textures of that first owl is still one of my favorites.



Where does your love for owls come from? Were you always this passionate about them?

I like animals, no, what did I say? I love all types of animals. In my childhood I always said I wanted to become a veterinarian and I was always interested in biology and botany.

Why did owls start being such a big part of my life? It's not only their cuteness, but there is something else. Owls are like my totem animals. They are beautiful, versatile, and there are so many types of them that appear in nature, so I have many ways to portray them. Often I try to make another animal or bird, in the end I usually carry a sweet owl in my hands.



It is not always easy to find the right eyes and put all the pieces and scraps together, so when I finish making the owl and everything is completely looking good I'm so happy. I love every one of them so much.
When I just started making my toys I didn't know how much it would hurt if they would leave me (= when they get sold of course). But I love the idea that they bring joy and happiness to others.



What are your hopes and expectations for the future?

I hope my softie business will grow and that I can live without the money issues I go through at the moment. My dream is to live and make my little friends every single day. I want to be more organized and more focused and productive in what I'm doing. I love to give new life to the useless and old things, and I want to do this as long as I can, and share it with others.

Where do you buy the fabrics you use for your plushies?

Almost all materials I use are recycled. I am a huge fan of second hand items. I can't even remember when I bought something new for myself for the last time. I have vintage fabrics and clothes from my mom and grandma, and I recycle my own clothes. My relatives and friends give me what they no longer need/use, like clothes, scraps, and cuttings.
Sometimes however, I use new buttons, lace or ribbons, but that doesn't happen often. If I need anything, I usually buy it in a local little shop around the corner.



Is there anything else you would like to say?

Dear readers, thank you for your interest in Elisses blog and my interview.
I wish you all to find your passion and not to be afraid of making mistakes. It's better to make mistakes than to do nothing. Stay crafty and positive! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Be happy.



Thank you so much Olga, for this wonderful interview and your words of wisdom :) I hope you (readers!) enjoyed this interview, let me know what you think about this type of posts in the comments.

And now, tadaa, as I already mentioned in the title, I have a giveaway for you! In collaboration with Olga, because she made this super awesome owl, and I get to give it away to one of my lucky readers! :) It's a she, she's named Flora, and she's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Too bad she can't stay here with me, because I think she and Mocco Manuel would get along very well :)





Anyway, what do you have to do to participate in this giveaway? Please fill out the Rafflecopter below, and don't forget to leave me a comment! The giveaway ends at 12:01am on 27 November. I'll post the winner on my blog and send him/her an e-mail one day later.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oh and please, don't hesitate in grabbing this button and putting it on your blog :)



Best of luck, and talk to you soon!

Hi! How is everyone doing today? Two weeks ago I was in a writing mood, while last week I didn't send out anything.. Really need to catch up on those letters though!
WARNING! This will be a pretty heavy photo loaded post :)

SENT OUT

to Mary:
Only the coolest Mexican-American girl I know! Her letters are always full of surprises. I wrote her a rather long letter and added one of my notebooks, a pretty bookmark and some stickers.




to Saar:
I saw this amazing idea on Pinterest with a smiley teabag and I decided to make something similar. I love writing back to Saar because it almost seems as if she's become a real friend, to whom I can say pretty much everything.






to Fab:
I explored my drawing skills once again, because I know Fab's drawings are always fab! ( ;-) ) What do you think about my owl?






to Marlou:
And what do you think about the giraffe? As promised, I sent Marlou postcard #2 in the Brussels' collection I own. 8 more to go :)






RECEIVED

from Chitchat:
Yay! I won another giveaway and received this - beautifully wrapped - package from Plastique*, with a pair of earrings, a necklace and a ring. I'm in love. So simple, yet so eyecatching! Can definitely brighten up a plain and simple outfit. Thank you Birte!




from Saar:
Aren't those stamps amazing? ♥ At least I think so. Saar made me a felt pink doughnut, really cute. Her letter was written on an interesting kind of paper, it didn't really feel like normal paper yet the drawings on it are beautiful.








from Eva:
Eva asked me to write a letter/fill up a little package once, and of course I couldn't say no! This is what I received from her (she included so much!). And she made me an owl pendant! Look, how amazing?! She also added a list of her favorite hotspots in Mechelen. Thank you so much for your lovely letter Eva!











from Janina:
A little thank you card I received for giving Janina a few Antwerp tips on her blog :) Thank you!




My plans for today are going to a flea market, drinking some more delicious winter tea and working for school, perhaps writing a letter back to someone :) How about your plans?