digibudi's digital garden

new kawai purse

2011-03-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

I've finished this little cute purse with kawai fabric and a sweet little black press button.. :)
It's on super sale (only 8$) in the digibudi's digital garden Etsy shoppe.
Hope you like it.

bye now, and remember : 'Keep your loveliness lovely!'

Zipit zippers and my first Mimi Kirchner doll

2011-03-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

As I'm writing this, my next project namely a new digibudi's pillow case is lying next to me ready to sew the zipper on. I've got my zippers at an amazingly cheap price from my favorite Etsy zipper store Zipit. You can find it here. I wanted a variety of different bright colored zippers in size 16 inch.
I've contacted the shop owner - Jennie - who was ever so kind to reply on my demand with the notion that I could get any color I wanted, in any amount. This shop is the best!
To my surprise when the zippers arrived I found inside the package another package.. Jennie treated me with a bunch of small squared fabrics in all kinds of kawai prints.. 'for your pillows' read the note inside the sachet.
Well.. I can't thank Jennie enough for this gesture.. and that's totally the reason why I buy on Etsy, the customer/seller relationship is so friendly. It feels so right to buy from small sellers, the friendship - and yes, love - you receive is utterly bliss.
Thanks Jennie for those wonderful quality zippers in all those lovely rainbow colors!

Zipit zippers from Zipit on Etsy - YKK zippers

The same experience I've been having lately on Etsy (I do buy quite a lot on Etsy) is with my new passion with Mimi Kirchner dolls. Her dolls are so poetic, so lovely made and so amazingly detailed. Buying a Mimi Kirchner doll isn't like buying any ordinary doll, these dolls are handmade, stitch by stitch, the amount of love that is put into each doll is radiating out of the finished design. Truly a work of art! I just can't get enough of what she's doing. My second doll is on it's way.. so I'll make a special post about that new arrival as soon as she's arrived here in little old Belgium.. :)

My first doll is called Bird Baby, you can read about her/him on Mimi's blog, which of course is here.
It's sleeping quietly in our living room now. Whenever I pass by it, or look at it coincidently, I feel so tranquil, so at ease. It's a perfect doll and amazingly talented created.


my first Mimi Kirchner doll

I've ordered my second doll a few weeks ago, but because we went to our Island in the sun (see previous post) I asked mimi to send it as soon as I've got back from Gran Canaria. It's arriving next week, and I'm so anxious to add this new one to my collection. I've already spotted my third one.. but it's not yet on sale in her shop, so I have to be quiet in case someone else will snatch it before me.. shhhh.. is the word! :)

my second mimi doll

I have to run, my pillow case is winking at me and silently (if only inside my own head) whispering 'sew on me zipit zipper and stitch me together, I want to sit next to a gorgeous mimi doll!'
Oh well.. for the love of fabric and buttons I'll say!

Ahoy! And bye, but remember : 'Birds have to fly, fish have to swim and humans have to create!'

On a Holiday in Gran Canaria

2011-03-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

I took some time out, the Island Gran Canaria is our get away place to find some sunshine and beautiful shores, flowers and all kinds of exotic paradise-like birds and things to spot..
We go three times a year, whenever we've got time. It's become a second home for us now. Maybe later when we are older we come and live here. It's such a beautiful place.. you'll adore it too!

Here are some photographs of pretty things I've been spotting lately :)

I'm preparing a really big post on zippers, fabrics, dolls, pillows and some very lovely purchases I've done recently..

Bye now, and remember : 'Let the sunshine in!'

Digibudi's Digital Garden open for business on Etsy!

2011-02-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

It's finally here!
The Digibudi's Digital Garden shop on Etsy.

Please visit my shop here.

More items will be added during this week.

Have a Happy Shopping Day!

New Emily Inside a Black Apple goodies arrived, and a digibudi's pouch

2011-02-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

This came in the mail today.. love love love Emily's goodies.. always a treat to get those carefully packed and styled little goodies unpacked..
You can buy Emily's Inside a Black Apple goods here on Etsy. Also do read her blog if you haven't already, it's amazingly beautiful. You can find her blog here.

I'm gonna enjoy these lovely items so much..

Also I've made a new digibudi's pouch, it's from fabrics I also bought from Etsy, you can see the link a few posts before this one..

So, that's it for this afternoon, I got my Valentine's present for my guy in the mail to, but I can't show that yet, because he's spying on me by reading my blog.. haha! Just you wait a little bit, loverrrrr!

Bye now, and remember: "Small package, big pleasure" and no, I don't mean THAT! :)

Katinka's Story (a collage about courage and tea) restyled 1.2

2011-02-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

There is a strange lady-friend who's been to my imaginary tea parties for over a while now.
Her name is Miss Naturelle Gazeuse and she has the most adventurous life one can imagine.
She lived all over the world, but as she told me herself ; 'I wouldn't mind living here by the sea for a while.'
So now I often enjoy her company and stories she knows so many of, over a cup of Golden Ceylon from the Himalaya's. Because Miss Gazeuse told me very clearly that the tea leaves were handpicked by Buddhists and that it was one of the most respected blends one could wish for.
You can't deny that, can you?
She also told me the strange and sad story of Saint-Katinka, an unknown Saint that once saved all the books and art from destruction of evil! I've made a collage of that story...

Katinka goes to the Big City, there is trouble over there. Her mission is to save the books and art from the museums and libraries. It's a Quest perfectly matched for Katinka! But it's also a dangerous Quest so she must be brave and smart. Then it will become a Quest of Courage...

Katinka got hold of a tank, she isn't proud of the way it all went, and she actually doesn't want to talk about it anymore. We must respect Katinka's feelings.. Anyway, she does have the tank now! It's straight to the library.. or maybe some tea first?

Always prepare yourself for any task involving books and art, refuel yourself with some Golden Ceylon Tea. Handpicked by Buddhist in the Himalaya. And so she sipped, and sipped.. and got herself ready again.

Katinka saves the books from the library, and funny enough the first book she took in her hand was called 'Katinka's Queste of Courage'. She then knew her Queste was over, and she understood the true meaning of sacrifice. The rest of the story is a little sad.

They burned Katinka the next day in the middle of the marketplace. The last thing that went thru her head whilst the flames where burning her beautiful hand-beaded dress was ;
At least it's me that's burning and not the books and art, they are save now.

And now Katinka is a Saint.. Saint-Katinka. Bless her soul who lives on and on, until men will stop writing books, painting pictures or making music..
"And that my friend,"
Miss Naturelle Gazeuse told me while squinting her eyes very tight, almost like a fox, ready to hunt.
", will not happen after a very, very long time."

We sipped our tea, and stared happily into the future, grateful for all the things we had yet to enjoy.

The End

by digibudi

Jane Foster pillow cases and more Japanese fabrics

2011-02-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

Today in the mail :

Two wonderful pillow cases from Jane Foster, which you can buy here on Etsy and on her website.
Love, love love these vintage fabrics. Happy happy!

And again some fantastic small print Japanese fabrics from Beautifulwork, which I like to buy here, also on Etsy.

Now I'm waiting on a very big load of designer fabrics from Cia's Palette, which you can find here. But be aware! Those fabrics are pretty pretty cool!
But more about that later..

Finished my sky blue striped pillow, I was in a romantic mood and now it sits on my bed, perfect for resting my head full of dreams..

Oh, yes, I ordered 40 pieces of colorful zippers, but as soon as they got in here I'll post you the shop address and some more details!

Bye now, and remember : 'Buy, buy, buy, handmade!'

Feeling romantic with a sky blue striped pillow case

2011-01-30T09:51:00.000-08:00

I found this fabric in my stash, totally forgot about it, turning it into a romantic striped pillow case with white broderie anglaise as the topping for this crème fraîche cake..

Bye now and remember : 'Keep it (crème) Fraîche!'

Cupcaked pillow finished, happy!

2011-01-30T07:59:00.000-08:00

Just finished my "Cupcaked!" pillow :)
Happy happy!

Backside of the 'Cupcaked!' pillow finished

2011-01-28T14:23:00.000-08:00

I just finished the backside of the "Cupcaked!" pillow.. tomorrow I'll sew the front and back together and my pillow will be finished! yihaa! :) happy happy

Bye now, and remember : "A pillow has two sides.." :)

a video of my day job at the restaurant

2011-01-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some photographs put into a little video of the things I make at the restaurant :) my day job
When I'm not sewing and cutting cute fabrics I'm opening oysters, baking fish and editing sauces.. mmmm.. I get hungry again!

Front of my Cupcake pillow is finished

2011-01-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

After work we got home, me and my guy, and I finished the front side of the "Cupcaked!" pillow.
For the backside I'm gonna use that shocking pink zipper and some details not yet decided. :)
I had some troubles with that middle cross stitched patch.. because of it's shape, but after some trials and errors, I think it turned out better than expected.. happy happy! :)

Bye now, and remember : "zigzag your way to bliss!"

cutting out the fabrics for "Cupcaked!" pillow case

2011-01-27T06:23:00.000-08:00

I'm busy with cutting out the fabric and trying to match and fix all the small problems involving this piece I'm trying to do, called : "Cupcaked!" a pillow case with hand cross stitched patch and some of my recently delivered kawai Japanese fabric.. and of course a shocking pink zipper.. ribbons yet to be chosen :)

As you can see, I have lots of work yet.. The most difficult part will be how to add the oval cross stitch patch inside the center of the pillow.. exciting! So, wish me luck!

Bye now, and remember : "Let's get cupcaked!"

making sachets, little purses

2011-01-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

I've been making some little purses, Sachets I'd like to call them... or Bagettes :)
I love these Japanese fabrics soooo much.. very kawai indeedy!

Just need to add some press-on buttons.. et voila, les sachets son prêts!

Another delivery of Japanese Kawai fabrics

2011-01-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

And here's another delivery of new fantastic Japanese fabrics. I got them via Etsy.

Bye now, and remember : Surround yourself with lots of pretty things :)

I heart Japanese mail packages

2011-01-24T05:55:00.000-08:00

This came in the mail this morning..
Everything was so nicely packaged. :)

Bye now, and remember : 'Sometimes it's all about the package' :)

Teckel Dog apron

2011-01-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

Just finished my Teckel Dog apron for my shop 'Les Ciseaux sur L'Herbe' :)
Need to take some better pictures but for now these will do.

Bye now, and remember : It's a dogs tail!

Making thingy things!

2011-01-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my new thingy things!
I have no time to tell about them.. busy busy like a bee..xxxx

365 days in 60 seconds - a blink in my life

2010-10-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures with my Nintendo DSi this year.. here's the result in 60 sec.

digibudi's village Blue House

2010-10-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

I'm making an illustration about a village.. I finished my first house this evening. I use Adobe Illustrator and some finishing touches inside Photoshop.

Red ribbons

2010-10-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Been busy, busy! But here is my next post on yes.. ribbons!
This time I've got some red ribbons to show you.
And because I've been quite busy with a business website I'm designing in Fireworks CS5 (which is amazing by the way) I'll show you the work so far :

I think it's pretty nifty. :)
I like the fact that everything on the website is made by hand, this is weird when working with a computer, but I mean every box and every line or shadow or shiny effect is really build up by using rectangles, shadows, lines and transparency levels.. so no pre-fab widgets or symbols here. I think the result looks good.

And now on to the Red ribbons.. I've made a collage of all the pictures I've taken a few weeks ago.. I still need to upload them one by one from my gallery at photoshop.com, which is a perfect alternative for Picasa. I like photoshop.com better, because it fits great into my photoshop elements software application on this notebook I'm using. And the editing possibilities are much more advanced and professional than - in my point of view anyway - Picasa's. Hail Photoshop again I guess.. :)

At the restaurant everything is going great, have two new menus, of which I'm showing you some pictures after me going on about the effort and the skills it takes us to make that kind of recipes.. plates full of utter delightful tasty goodness, bless to ingredients..

I love them (the ingredients I mean) ; from the pale onions to the blushy peaches, the crispy fresh asperges, the amazingly rich truffles, and on and on.. fresh and quality produce is the best!
Everything tastes so divine that I'm eating way to much these days but I AM NOT ashamed to say that I may need to expand my belt with an inch (or two)...All for the good course of cooking great food, that's not an excuse it's a fact!

End of this month I'm gonna take a vacation (with my other half who's been great and lovely by the way, I love you Bartje ♥♥ if you are reading this) to Gran Canaria. Need some time off and relax.. some sunshine in November and sunscreen factor +50 in my case will do us both good.
Staying at the ever so lovely Riu hotel Don Miguel at Playa del Ingles and will be very happy to see all the staff back after a few months of West-European business.. :) Ola!

Gran Canaria image by Google - Flightline

Bye for now, and remember : 'It's a parasol, not an umbrella!'

For the love of ribbons, The Grand Idea of Organizing my Ribbons by Color Plan, prt 1 Black

2010-09-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

So, I came up with this idea of organizing my ribbons collection I've been gathering during some years now. It's a task long overdue and the amount of ribbons I've collected thus far is overwhelming. Talking about a luxury problem I'm having in my craft atelier.
I normally put my ribbons in a big yellow box which isn't the best idea I figured out. Namely because they are all tangled up together like one big ball of embellishment goodies. Therefore, if I need to pick one particular ribbon in a specific color for an embellishment on let's say a doll or a pillowcase... well, you get the idea.. it's a mess.

But here's where my "Grand Idea of Organizing my Ribbons by Color Plan" comes in! 'Ahaa!'
So I organized my ribbons into groups of colors. Black, red, brown, orange/yellow, blue, green and white.
And some unidentified group I'd like to call "mixed". Those will contain the ribbons that don't exist of one particular dominating color. Like rainbow ribbons for instance, where would you put those in the well organized grand idea?
Well, in the pile-group "mixed". 'Ahaa!', again.

Another problem solved, I'd say!

Now, here's what I've done this evening.. the black ribbons:

some of my black ribbons

I just adore the black lace ribbons.. so graphic!

Gold and silver are great with black

some close ups

I find it quite difficult to photograph these black beauties. Black is something that isn't easy to capture, it turns out brownish or grayish, so I got some help from Photoshop to make the black seem more... well, black!

I think they look pretty sweet anyway.

Bye now, and remember : 'Black is back!'

In between pillow project

2010-09-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here's an in between little side project I've been doing last week.
A pillow with a cross-stitch patch I made some time ago, and some very sweet fabric.
The backside it quite funny, but I love the chicken and violets fabric so much that I had to use this for a fun project like this 'I heart my garden' digibudi's digital garden pillowcase.
:)

And how do you like my brand new banner?? :)

Next time, more about the doll.. it's finished by the way, just need to take some nice pictures of it.
Bye for now, and remember : "mix and match whatever you catch!"

Easy steps on making a doll : part 2

2010-09-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

Lots of works this week in the restaurant. We create two new menu's every month, this takes a lot of preparation and on my part learning a lot of new skills and recipes. I guess the learning process is never done!
Which is great by the way. More about the restaurant menu in a later blogpost though.

Cause this is part 2 of making a digibudi's doll :)

I've made the arms parts of the doll and a part of the body and head.

This video is an eye opener on internet marketing!

2010-08-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

A very interesting video class came my way today. Take the time to watch this, and return to whatever you're blogging about, watch and learn...

Diane Gilleland for 'I Heart Art':

Social Marketing for Handmade Businesses by Sister Diane from I Heart Art: Portland on Vimeo.

Easy steps on making a doll : part 1

2010-08-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Finally, it's Sunday! Finally some time off to make a new digibudi's doll!
I had the cross stitched teapot (almost finished) to start with choosing the fabrics and ribbons and buttons.

my cross stitch patch to sew on the belly-center of the doll

I like to limit my choices in choosing matching fabric for my dolls because this way it's much easier to pick out the right ones out of my quite large stack of fabric. I've been collecting patches of many different kinds of textile, that it is sometimes difficult to have a total overview of what's in stock! :) Talking about a luxury problem..

Anyway, I came up with two main styles of fabric, it's woven Italian furniture fabric. I got a pile of those from a teacher who was retiring and didn't had use for them anymore. She gave it to me, and I'm ever so grateful for those boxes full of authentic woven Italian goodness.

So, here's the idea:

Some dotted fabric I'll use for arms and legs,
and some pretty vintage roses fabric in mustard
and green color schemes.

Now I needed some ribbons and buttons to match..
And of course some sweet pink fabric to use for the doll's head and hands.

Now, that's cute! After all, the doll's name will be 'Tea for Two'.

Now on to the cutting and putting some parts of the doll together.
I like to make some parts first and see if other parts will match and if I maybe can change some of the design.
I work organically, which means not necessarily sticking to the plan. Going with whatever fits at that moment in the progress of creation.

I've chosen some thread to match the colors of all the fabrics, and whatever is in one of my thread-treasure boxes.

I've chosen some very dark green and a color that's more green/blueish.

I sewed the patches for legs together to get some idea of how the size of the doll will be.

And then back to the layout of the doll. The body part, which will contain the cross-stitched teapot patch, and arms, head and ribbons to finish it all off in a pretty rosy kind of way.

I'm making the legs first because I don't have much fabric to work with, this way making it easier for me to know how big in size the doll will be. I measure and cut the doll parts with a ruler that's so easy to use. It's called Omnigrid and is used primarily in patchwork and quilting. It has diagonal and straight lines on it, and it's a blessing!

Ones I've got the size of the doll I make some alterations.
I cut the patches I need to fit the body part and use ribbons to jazz things up a bit and to hide some seams that I'll need to make for sewing the patches of fabric together.

That's it for now, but I'm gonna be back next time with arms and head parts of the doll, and then finally putting them all together, so that this doll will be a lovely one!

Bye for now, and remember : "A rose is a rose is a rose"

From rhubarb to buttons and back

2010-08-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

As I said before, working in a class restaurant has it's ups and downs. It's very hard work but it pays. Not only in a very generous paycheck at the end of each month, but even more important, in a creative-and -totally-interesting-satisfaction-fulfillment-at-the-end-of-each-day way!
You learn while working in a kitchen.
You create while cooking complicated dishes.
You use your senses ; smell, taste, sight.. while preparing and adding all those wonderful ingredients together.

It's alchemy for the taste buds.

The art of cooking takes on many forms though. Whether you're cooking for business or for pleasure.
And that's where creativity comes in, it provides an abundance of inspiration and How-To's for a fulfilling creative cooking (or crafting) life at every stage. It's ever so interesting. And it smells divine!


Rhubarb arrived at our kitchen, we use it in a main dish.

Working with fresh produce, well.. there's nothing better.

Here are some plates I've been making together with my Chef, who's also my partner and very cute boyfriend (he has a new blog, it's here).
During weekends we have a little helper, Pieter.
The three of us are making jokes all the time, singing along with whatevers on the radio at that moment, couldn't care less, our kitchen is downstairs and the customers who are enjoying their Menu Belle Epoque or ordered A la Carte.. don't hear us anyway.. :)


Foie Gras with marinated figs, port sauce and Kataifi nest.


Lobster with aspic of herbs and saffron ice cream


Quince sabayon, Poire liqueur, red fruit, topped with meringue

Meanwhile at the atelier..
I've been working on a series of new digibudi's dolls, for my soon to open Etsy shop. Which will be in September, next month! Yeah! It was due to open last September, but you know how life gives you all kinds of other opportunities, so I postponed it to this year. :) Which is perfect, because now I'm much more matured, saved much more money, and gained much more experience. So the time is right to do this now.
About the new digibudi dolls:

For now, I will only give you a very sneak preview.
Of some buttons. :)
So stay tuned...

close up of a new digibudi doll

Bye now, I'm going to enjoy myself this evening and I'm looking forward to another day of cooking, sewing and talking about it! Take care ;)
And remember : "Sometimes you have to break some eggs to make a pie!"

And a kiss to anyone who has a sugar coated heart :)

Some day job snapshots at Villa Maritza

2010-08-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

So as promised, here are some pictures I took at my day job (and for the record, I do NOT work at Veritas anymore, that chapter of my life is now happily closed) at restaurant Villa Maritza.

Here's a selection :)

Fresh baked Brioche buns, just out of the oven

Cod with asparagus

Eel with aspic of herbs and cress

Ham mousse with purple Shiso leaf

Delivery of Artichokes :)

Plaice with Samphire and white wine sauce, filled potato with Bearnaise and crab meat

There's much more, but for now this will do.. Going upstairs to my atelier to sew some dolls together now!
Catch you later..

cerebral concoctions of a sous chef

2010-07-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

Had - again - a very busy week working at the Villa. Cutting, preparing, shaking, cooking all kinds of food. Boiled lobsters, cut meat, sliced onions until my eyes were bleeding, sliced carrots and cleaned Coquilles St. Jacques as if there's no tomorrow.. But it's all worth it. It all tastes like heaven, and the customers were more than happy.
But it's so damn hot behind that kitchen stove, imagine three fireplaces in front of you, one grill behind you and an oven that's spitting out hotness like lava next to you.. for hours, sweating, running for more rice and croquettes d'almonds, goose liver anyone? And it never stops..
"I need more Samphire over here.. within two seconds!"
"Can you give me two Sweetbreads, NOW!"
So, while pulling out intestines of oh so cute and vulnerable little crayfish - still being alive - I was thinking to myself.. "I can't take this anymore, why am I doing this.. ???"
The first class restaurant kitchen is hard, hard as hell.. It is really a Hell's Kitchen. But I have to do this.
My boyfriend is the Chef, so I have to obey.. and endure.. I can cope, and I will never give up.
It's hard.

On a brighter side of it all; it's weekend now, two days off.. YEAH!

And I'm gonna spend my time exactly as intended, namely ; making cute stuff out of fabric, thread and all kinds of gentle materials. I'm going - after a well deserved but rather guilty scented rest - up to my atelier and make, create and concentrate on creative exploration necessities!
And I will balance this guilt with a series of serious contra-guilt, which will be.. in one word...

Fairness

Bye for now

, and remember : Eat or be eaten.

We're gonna watch "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" know, I now it's gonna be a fine movie, I've bought the book in New York a few months ago, and I can only hope that it will be as good!

I'm Back!

2010-07-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

After some months of working as a Sous-Chef in a great fancy restaurant called Villa Maritza, Ostend. I finally find some time to blog again.
Working at a first class restaurant deserves a blog on it's own, but I will now and then tell you some of my experiences inside the kitchen and behind that 'oh so crazy hot stove! But not for now. I promise I will post some interesting stuff about working as a sous-chef.. :)
Had some serious issues with spam comments here on 'digibudi's digital garden' that I really was in doubt if I should or shouldn't delete this whole blog.

But after some thinking; I do not want to be scared of by some twisted and pathetic individuals, and my blog will stay, so will the comments, which will be moderated and carefully watched upon, mind you!
So, the digital garden ain't gonna be deleted! If only this is my soul, and one can not delete his soul due to some anti-productive interferences.

So many things happened in the meantime, but first things first, here are some pictures of my new atelier, it's in the attic of our home in the middle of the city.. it's quite spacey in size but still much interior decorating touches must be fulfilled before I can truly say :
THIS is my atelier! :)

I'm working on
1. a new quilted pillow and
2. some quilts to hang on my atelier's walls
3. a shirt with short sleeves, which I won't show yet because I put in the one sleeve upside down, and it's looking rather hilarious.. well, I'm learning.
4. some new digibudi's dolls
5. a banner for my soon to open shop on Etsy's.

So, hello again, and for today I'm greeting you all (if any of you are still reading my blog, after such a long time of non-active blogging from my part) and I'm happy to be back!

Oh, for the record, I bought two new illustrated books from the beloved Miroslav Sasek. I cherish these illustrations, they take me back and forth into childhood, style and elegance, so much appreciated.

And remember : Out of sight doesn't mean out of the heart. :)

It's a sad day

2010-02-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

In memory of

when heroes die, all one can do is cry

the digibudi crew at it again!

2010-02-05T12:29:00.001-08:00

an Adobe Illustrator re-vamp of the digibudi crew

digibudi's castle

2010-02-02T04:34:00.001-08:00

purrrrfect Brigitte

2010-01-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

One of my dearest muzes, all time!

my tree

2010-01-29T04:55:00.000-08:00

I've drawn this tree, it's the anatomy of organic life

ooh, cross stitched cupcakes on a plate

2010-01-24T03:17:00.000-08:00

I'm making this really cool vintage looking cross stitch to hang up in our cute little kitchen. The canvas is painted rose/white stripes. It's not quite finished yet as you can see, but I will add some more details around the center. Like lemons, teacups and other domestic sweetness.

my vintage Villeroy Boch plates

2010-01-22T03:28:00.000-08:00

As I'm in the middle of moving out of my old apartment I'm packing and unpacking boxes for 7 days now. And sometimes I find pretty things I've forgotten.. like these vintage Villeroy Boch plates. Don't know the year of production but it looks to me like they must be from the 50's. But maybe I'm wrong about that. I don't know, and actually I don't care that much either. :) I just love them.

I the meanwhile I'm learning to speak a little bit of Spanish because Bart and I are going to Gran Canaria in April, so I have to understand the language they speak over there just a little bit.

And in November we're going back to NY and stay at the Waldorf this time. It's the most lovely experience to look forward to.
These are definitely the Golden Years. And I'm enjoying every single bit of it, it takes courage to enjoy them fully. But when done right and with the best of intentions, it's the most fulfilling state of mind there is.

my painted window - Flemish style

2010-01-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

I've made a painted window.

sketches

2010-01-14T08:55:00.001-08:00

Here are some new sketches. And some banner designs. I'm working on a new look for the digital garden.

digibudi's digital garden new look wallpaper

sketches for new digibudi's dolls

this illustration is inspired by vintage Russian illustrations, it's not yet finished and I'm still working on it.

And here's a fresh baked cookie! It's tasty!

bye! I'm going to bake some more cookies! xoxo

digibudi's perfume secrets #1

2009-12-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

It's a fluffy affair!

2009-12-17T03:03:00.000-08:00

tasting snow..

Group hug! :)

it's snowing!

my guy :)

Two new digibudi's dolls

2009-12-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

Here are two new members of the family!

Hope you like them..

Nursery Rhymes

2009-12-03T21:07:00.001-08:00

Mother Goose is a well-known character in the literature of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes as if Mother Goose herself was the author or collector.
source : wikipedia

clipped from www.gutenberg.org

THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE

Hey, diddle, diddle!
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Back from NYC

2009-11-12T23:12:00.000-08:00

first night in NYC, a bit jet lagged, but very happy arriving on Times Sq.

New York City was amazing! The instant we set foot on JFK airport, took the cab to Manhattan Times Sq., I was in love.

I've got so many pictures, stories to tell and things to show, that it's almost too much. So I'm going to divide that big pile of stuff and impressions into bite size bits and blog about it every now and than, for as long as it takes! :)

pure energy on Times Sq.

Let me start with some books I've bought at Barnes & Nobles bookstores.

I'd like the Goo-Gen-Heim

Got this book from the Guggenheim museum near Central Park, I was instantly in love with both the building, the art inside and this cute book from A.C. Hollingsworth about Andy, a little boy who wanders away from his napping father in Central Park to discover a sight on Fifth Av. unlike any he has seen before. I must say, I felt a lot like Andy the day we visited Loyd Wright's masterpiece.. :) still happy when I think about it!

wonderful artwork from A.C.Hollingsworth - 1970

I wanted this book since I was a child, and when looking around inside Barnes & Nobles bookstore on 5th Av. I grabbed this amazingly beautiful work of art and held it like I found a lost friend! :)

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett

This book is so funny, so original that I couldn't leave this on the bookshelf. The illustrations are so great and the story (which will be turned into a movie soon) is crazy!

page from Cloud with a chance of meatballs

Oh yeah, there are two new digibudi's dolls smiling at me at this very moment..
I'm making new ones today and tomorrow for a shop in Gent. So hopefully they will find a gentle home and a gentle hand which will take good care of them. Because they deserve that..

two new digibudi's dolls waiting for a home

Bye now, be back tomorrow!

and remember: dreams can only come true if you keep on dreaming

NY, NY

2009-11-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Taking a long break, off to NYC with my guy! xoxoxo

When I'm back I'm devoting myself to plenty of new ideas and blogposts!

silver stars pillow case and bits and pieces

2009-09-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

I'm taking quite a lot of courses these days. JavaScript, Flash 8, Dreamweaver 8 + CSS, ICT.
In between working with tags and classes, strings and booleans I keep on sewing. It gives me the so needed balance from working with abstract and logical behaviors to working with something as earthly as needle and thread.

I love the combo.

I've made a new pillow case,

new digibudi's pillow case with glitter silver stars and fluo pink ribbons

on the backside there's a white zipper

And because my scissors are always scattered around my studio I've been trying a system made à la minute in yellow felt. With simple ribbons attached to it where I can slide my scissors in. Works really well, but I'm working on a slightly fancier model.. Don't know where that's going though. :)

this is the scissor place holder at this moment

the more fancier version

detail of the scissor place holder

cross stitched patch turned into little pocket for the smallest pair of scissors

embellishment cross stitch patch

I'm also trying a new patchwork design, this time I've been using triangle shapes instead of square shapes.

new patchwork pillow case with triangle shapes

It's the first time I've been using triangle shapes, and I like the effect, the possibilities are endless. The backside of this pillow case will be in one piece of fabric.

And I love this fashion drawing from September Issue Italian Vogue

beautiful sketches by the lovely Holly Fulton

And some bits and pieces:

I love these color swatches from knitting wool books

little birdy patch I'm gonna use on my next pillow case

Cooking patch for Bart's Apron, he's a Chef in the kitchen so he's gonna love this! :)

Oh I forgot my laundry and it seems like there's gonna be some rain this afternoon.. better be quick and go back to work..

Must be beauty, what else is there?

2009-09-19T03:38:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about life, again.. seems like it's the only thing I do. What a great waste of time life can be. I thought about beauty, and what is considered what the beauty means. It could be different for everybody, but it can also be the same to some.
I've made a tiny poem, it's a kind of Haiku, but different.. :)

"Some say that beauty has no purpose but to please. Than my life is beautiful."

Toon, Sharon and me

It's so simple sometimes. Right in front of our noses, smelling like roses, and still, very hard to find. But when found, it's like this relief and understanding of the most simplest gift received.

title part of the cover art I'm making for Amalia's new album 'As Thaw Sets In'

Oh, and I've made the bag! It's finished. Here are some pictures:

the MangoMustardy digibudi bag (it's already sold!)

close up of the fabric, I love the color

the flap is inner lined with cotton, the inside of the back with the same fabric as the outside

Sharon with the digibudi bag :)

intermezzo with my plant, it's the only plant I have at home so it's very special to me. And last week it suddenly started to grow flowers! (yes, I talk to my plant, but not in weird kind of way)

I've made some photographs of my shell collection:

And a part of the cover album for Amalia (it's looking quite cool at this moment, but I can't show it yet) But I can cheat a little bit by showing parts of it! :)

this is a study of some of the flower parts for the cover, made in Illustrator

Three digibudi's pillow cases - CraftStylish

2009-09-15T16:02:00.001-07:00

Three digibudi's pillow cases - CraftStylish

Posted using ShareThis

Making a new mustard colored bag

2009-09-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

a collection of some of my trims and ribbons

I'm making a woven wool fabric mustard colored bag. I love the color of this fabric, it's so pretty.

cutting out the pattern (see post on Burda Bag)

close up of the lovely mustard colored woven fabric

I think it's gonna look pretty nice for this Autumn

three new digibudi's pillow cases - free J.P.Gaultier trax

2009-09-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I had so much energy, that I've made three pillow cases.
I've used the zippers from my old ones, who were 9 years old, and didn't look so good anymore.
So the only thing I've used from my personal stock are some patches and squares of 40cm/40cm is 15.7inch/15.7inch, and that's a standard size for small pillows.

The Patchwork pillow, Chinese Flowers pillow and Gooze on the Farm pillow

this is my favorite, The Patchwork pillow

detail of The Patwork pillow

this time I've put the zippers in the middle of the backside. Which I like better than at the top, this way I can emphasize the zipper with some ribbons or other trims. Zippers are cool, and shouldn't always be hid away. :)

Chinese Flowers pillow

detail of Chinese Flower pillow

Also a favorite (let's be honest, I love them all) is this Gooze on the Farm pillow. The fabric is amazing, real original vintage!

I've used a different kind of fabric for the backside, it's a very light with a rough silky feel to it. Used some trims to compliment the zipper.

I've been thinking about making a Happy & Sad pillow, but I only got as far as this sketch:

design sketch for Happy & Sad pillow case

Tomorrow Bart is taking me out for dinner in a not yet known restaurant, I love surprises like this! And it's even not my birthday, it's his! :)
Tuesday Amalia's coming to check the process of the album cover of which I've been blabbing enough.. So busy but lovely days ahead..

And remember: If you're working on your own, you might as well share it with others. :)

I'm really like this tune, you can get the single + two remix of this Martin Solveig track for FREE when you sign in at the J.P. Gaultier Club! here http://www.ma-dame.com/

Recap + making the dolls legs

2009-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

I've been making the legs and arms today of the new digibudi's dolls..

finished the arms and legs of the new dolls

this one is killing me, so much fun!

And as a recap here's the Etsy video on how to make a felt application prt 3

Isabella Nuthing - a sketch and Vintage Books I found

2009-09-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here's my Isabella Nuthing sketch in my Moleskine :)

Isabella Nuthing by digibudi

I love the book, hate the title, translated from Dutch it's 'Being Creative for Women', people who know me, know what I mean! :)

how sweet and cool is this!?

and this Wig-Wam! That's exactly what me and my brother did when we were children

I have a soft spot for soft pirates, love the earrings!

And all this for only 1€!

digibudi's dolls making prt1

2009-08-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

And oh yes, I finally started the new bunch of digibudi's dolls.. sketches are done, cross stitch parts which takes the most time in preparing and making are also finished, except one rooster cross stitch patch that's quite big..

Here are the first pieces of Jessamine Garland Slattersly

Right, the first doll of this batch is gonna be a girl!

bits and pieces of the Jessamine Garland Slattersly doll

close ups of some embellishments for Jessamine

Back to the rooster cross stitch patch.. love those colors, it's gonna be swell. :)

digibudi's kitchen set - domestic pleasures

2009-08-27T08:12:00.001-07:00

Domestic Pleasures Kitchen Set - Add a touch of fun and elegance to home décor and kitchen with these 100% cotton kitchen goodies. :) Especially crafted for your domestic pleasures

Greek Vase Apron with big pocket

Greek Vase Apron close up

Pocket close up

Greek Vase Apron apple button close up

Domestic Pleasures Apron and Oven Mitten

Domestic Pleasures oven mitten close up

Domestic Pleasures Apron close up of pocket

Broderie Anglaise close up of Domestic Pleasures Apron

And oh yes, my quilt is finished and is hanging sweetly on my wall

digibudi's digital garden quilt

Quilt

2009-08-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

I'm making a quilt to hang on my mango colored living room walls.

detail of my quilt with robots

Apron

2009-08-25T07:05:00.001-07:00

I've made this apron the other day.. :)

The Burda bag, a forest animal pillow and some swatches

2009-08-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

The Burda bag turned out quite nice.. I'm gonna take it for it's first shopping to the fabric store this afternoon, "In Search for pre-Fall curtains". If only Vogue's September issue was out now! I always have to wait until it's actually that month to buy the Vogue issues here in Ostend. Fish, oh we have lots of fresh fish (which I barely eat because it's all a bit to alive for my taste) - but for fashion and style the West-Flanders region does not care for.

So, here's the bag:
(and thanks to Diane for the support, I'd like to see your version of this bag) :)

the Burda bag (pattern #8235)

Notice the blue lounge pants I'm wearing, also made from a Burda pattern.

On the left side there's the forest animal fabric pillow I've made last week.

I have some good news on the digibudi's dolls front, Gemma from London has just arrived in Belgium and she's gonna take three of them to the UK to sell them over there! So fingers crossed, and here's a sneak preview..

New digibudi's doll - Blue Navy - Cappucino doll

Pied de poule bag in tweed

2009-08-11T03:50:00.000-07:00

I'm making this bag with a Burda pattern. I love the tweed fabric, it's dark/black blue and I think it's gonna be perfect for September/October as a pre-fall bag to go shopping for ink cartridges, dvd's, games, it can all go in the bag! Plenty of space and big belt to wear it safe.

and oh yes, I'm using silver thread for this one!

Simon's shirt and Forrest Animals pillow case - the big post

2009-07-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Nice and busy days full of friends passing by and fireworks at night on the beach.. sewing big time again.. even making preparations for new dolls (which I didn't feel like making anymore for a while, but I guess that it's good sometimes to walk away from things to get back on them later with new fresh ideas and motivations).. phew.. that was quite a long sentence.

I've made Wouter a digibudi's lounge pants.. in sweet and soft cotton with pied de poule design in green/brown, and finished with golden thread. I love golden thread.. especially on simple lounge trousers.. that become instantly more special, and as this is a gift to someone special, it makes sense.

Wouter's digibudi's lounge pants with golden thread

I also did some serious organizing, I stayed up all night (until 5.00am) to get all my unfinished projects from under the dust. Lots of cross stitched patches.. some I'm gonna use for the digibudi dolls, some I'm gonna use for pillow cases, and some for purses and other small cute presents.

I like making a mess with all my craft goodies, it always looks so joyful and colorful. So I made this picture because of those lovely messy threads

staying up late one night organizing my craft goodies,

When I stay up that late, I always keep FB in the background on my computer, listening in the meantime to some LibriVox audio books. This time I'm listening/reading some parts too of Grand Hotel Babylon by Arnold Bennet. I love this book very much, it's very modern for it's time. Not that I'm such a literature connoisseur, I just like it a lot. And would recommend this book to everyone. You can listen, download or read it all here.

I came across the cross stitched hedgie I did some time ago. I've promissed this purse to someone, but I can't remember who it was.. So if the person whome this purse belongs to, please leave a comment, because I forget easily.. :) which is a blessing really but not on the subject of gifts and promises.. must make mental note.. but I'll forget that too... must write it down.. but where's my notebook again?

glitter hedgie cross stitched purse/pencil case - oh wait.. did I promise this to Cathy? I remember something now, something about a pencil case..

I've also started painting my living room walls today.. this is the before and after.. still need to do the second layer.
But I like the sunshine yellow mango color I've chosen.. it's so bright and cheerful!

mango colored walls.. goes perfectly with my purple chair and my paintings

On the subject of home interiors, I love these two ideas I found on the web, can't remember where though. But I've got pictures:

great idea!

simple and clean

As I'm so into yellow this year, I love these shelves and their simple design. I think if you have bright colors at home like I have, it's always clever to keep furniture simple and clean. This way it isn't too much of a good thing. I like to tone things down with blacks/very dark brown and whites.

I've finished the Paint 'n Mess Shirt for nephew Simon. I think it's a nice shirt for a first timer. :)

this is Simon:

Simon Debeuf my 3 years old nephew

Simon's Paint 'n Mess shirt

I'm sewing a pillow case with some left over fabric.

I'm using green passe polle, I don't know the exact word for it, but it's basically a cord with some biais lining..

I found out that sewing with the zipper foot is the best way because the cord has a thickness almost the same as a zipper.

because I had not enough fabric for the pillow case, I've used some ordinary white cotton as a background layer, I can embellish the middle part with buttons or a nice trim..

I'm eating Mozzarella with tomatoes, and plenty of olive oil.. with some fresh ground black pepper.. and some basil :)

Victory! Simon's Pain't 'n Mess Shirt collar

2009-07-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

The collar for Simon's Paint 'n Mess Shirt is not perfect, but for me it's VICTORY! :)
It's a Paint 'n Mess Shirt for my nephew who's 3 years old. It's a bit too big, but he'll grow into it.
And with this shirt on he can paint and make a mess as much as he likes.

my first shirt collar

close up of collar

pocket with crayon button

stitching with green embroidery silky thread

Next part of this project are the sleeves. I'm choosing short sleeves so I don't have to bother with arm length.

Oh My God, It's Full of Stars!

2009-07-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

Making the shirt - difficult collar

2009-07-23T06:12:00.001-07:00

Making a shirt, difficult collar..

the collar

pinning the collar onto the neck part

closer look

adding the front piece.. difficult!

closer look at the front piece attached to the collar..

now I'm gonna take a coffee break..

The Best - Alice in Wonderland by Burton trailer!!!!!

2009-07-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Beautiful losers

2009-07-21T07:22:00.001-07:00

Just watched this movie on YT, it's a must see! :)

Making lounge pants

2009-07-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

I'm making lounge pants with a cool soft squared-fabric.

Good News

2009-07-20T05:50:00.001-07:00

Just got back from my lawyer and I've got good news.. So here's a song to celebrate!

Beautiful song

2009-07-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

I had to share this.. it's such a catchy song, original by KokoKaina - Zee Avi.

Mister Jotter Parker and the virtuous rectangle

2009-07-15T15:56:00.001-07:00

I love my parker ballpoint and my moleskine. What else does a boy need?

mister jotter parker and the virtuous rectangle

Summergreetings!

2009-07-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

It's Summertime, I'm lazy, don't care.. here's an illustration..
I'm off to the beach again.. xoxo

by digibudi

Quilting Time Game Download | Big Fish Games

2009-07-04T09:20:00.001-07:00

Quilting Time Game Download | Big Fish Games

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Fish House dirt style

2009-06-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

I've been trying something new with photoshop. I kind of like this style, and it's fun to do.

I love this photograph by Eliot Elisofon, it's so summertime!

And a nice picture of coffee stains.

Life is good.

House Fish part 2

2009-06-28T05:22:00.000-07:00

I've added some to the House Fish illustration. Hope you like it. :)
And uploaded some other designs for the album cover.

House Boat by digibudi

I Build My Own by digibudi

House Fish

2009-06-26T15:58:00.001-07:00

House Fish
Originally uploaded by digibudi.

Here are some illustration I've been making in my Moleskine with my Jotter Parker. I'm gonna use these figures on the upcoming album cover I'm preparing for Amalia Vermandere. There's also a lot of photoshopping involved, and a big picture of a tree. I can't tell you more for now.

digibudi's digital garden

2009-05-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! Digibudi's Digital Garden has momentarily moved to Facebook..
To join add me as a friend : debeuf nikolaas !

Hope to see you over there!

xoxoxo

lounge trousers and some patches

2009-04-12T01:32:00.000-07:00

snail cross stich patch

I'm making my second lounge trousers, in a cool blue jeans light cotton.
And I've been making two new cross stitch patches, one to use for the lounge trousers and one for a new digibudi doll.

rabbit cross stitch patch

Busy, busy..

I simply will build my own

2009-04-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

I've bought a new moleskine sketchbook, and a new yellow parker! I'm in love with both of them..

'I build my own' by digibudi

Due to some lack of other 'fine' artists, this is my new lover.. A yellow Parker pen with black ink (broad sized, I didn't even know they came in three different sizes, small, medium and broad, if that lovely and über kind saleperson didn't tell me). thnx!

bye now, and remember: 'there's always more than 1 size that fits the body'

cross stitch town

2009-04-11T01:55:00.000-07:00

I've made this cute patch with left overs of DMC thread. I'm gonna use this to make a quilted pillow.

Three is better than two

2009-04-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Barbie's over for Martini's

2009-02-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

Barbie's at the party, heels falling in Dirty Martini's

I've been having such a great time at work, in the shop, my day time job.

I've been reading.. ,

..Cathy Reed Weber's story about "The Golden Ball", which is fantastic! (Cathy, I'll mail you!)

Some of my best friends are gone skiing in Schladming, Austria.

And my ginger haired Barbie doll is hilarious.. (her name is Gingy by the way)

Gingy's hair, ( just used a little of the 'Unsharp Mask' filter in PhotoShop, 0.7% level/88 exposure)

I'm dancing.. so, catch you later!

And remember: "Be proud"

50 years of Barbie and Cathy Weber's Story

2009-02-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

As this year is the 50th anniversary of Barbie, I went to the toy store and bought my first Barbie. Don't get me wrong here, I hate everything about that doll which I love also.
I took these photos with my camera and I must say that the model I've used was very easy to work with.

My first Barbie, Top Model Barbie with ginger hair.

Barbie not shy to the camera lens.

All right, you're pretty!

And to get back to work after a week of vacation, these trims that arrrived at the shop made me happy to get back at work!

Lovely trims in lovely colors

I'm reading Cathy Weber's "The Golden Ball" story tonight which she send me.
I'm looking for a good story to make illustrations for, and who knows what will happen if those two collide?
I'm gonna read it and after that meditate and let the images come, this way I only have to redraw them on paper.

OK, off to the drawing board, and then straight to bed with Cathy's story.. I'm tired, but happy!

Bye, and remember: "Great things are achieved by working together."

Who googles, who finds

2009-02-21T05:36:00.000-08:00

I love these things I've googled today:

Richard Scary's illustrations

Sylvanian Families

Colorful seventies carpets from Flickr group 1970

Bye now, and remember: 'Who googles, Who finds'

Lavishly topped and delicately glazed

2009-02-20T07:59:00.001-08:00

Lavishly topped and delicately glazed
Originally uploaded by Be the HBIC.

I'm having way too much fun with the Gee, That Food Looks Terrible on Flickr..

Imagine looking at over more than 2000 pictures of vintage food recipes and home & living styles. And commenting on almost every single picture, because they're just so great, funny and hilarious! I want to turn this into a job! If only I could..

Anyway.. I'm back to the Photophlow BETA version!

And remember: 'Don't forget the green peas!'

Here are some more great food horribles from my favorites Charm and Poise

Goodbye Facebook, welcome back Blogger!

2009-02-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

So I've closed my Facebook account today, after a week of doubts, I've made this decision based on respect for private and personal freedom. I'm not sure if FB can give me this freedom. So, back to blogging.. and some Twitter. :)

Here's a funny but also realistic approach to this situation at Carrot Blog.

I'm making my second dolls dress this week. So far so good, had some troubles with necklines and arm lines.. Which are quite difficult to get right, because it's all about details and finishing touches. A dress may look totally sad if the hemlines are not done properly. And I'm putting most of my time in these details.

The second dolls dress, Humpty Dumpty fabric and mint green broderie Anglaise.

Also, I've cut the patterns and fabric out for a dolls jacket. In a favorite fabric of mine, which I've just bought this week. I think it's so sunny and summer like.. I love it! Can't wait to put this dolls jacket together. (This will be my first time putting sleeves into something!)

Patterns all ready cut, ready to be stitched and a bit manipulated.

The sunny fabric with daisies on..

I'm watching two Woody Allen movies later this evening.
September and Shadows and fog. I'm looking forward to those!

And for dinner I'm making Nigella's easy tomato/bacon with parsley (and I'm adding some mushrooms, onion and a potato to this dish to give it a full dinner touch). I watched Nigella make this simple dish yesterday evening on television, and I woke up with this dish this morning.. so I had to make it! :)

Bye now, and remember: "Feel free"

New Pearls Arrivals at the shoppe

2009-02-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

The new pearls collection arrived at the shop today. Here's a sneak preview of what Spring and Summer has to offer.

beautiful striped ceramic pearls, quite big!

pastel colored pearls in ceramic

Lots of darker colors this Spring/Summer, combining wood with ceramic for that 'Bohemian Summer Feeling', which we all love by the way! :)

Green and petrol ceramic pearls, with a dash of white

More ceramic pearls in caramel and dark coffee.

Wonderful turquoise/green and mustardy/brown ceramic pearls.

Oh I can't wait to make necklaces with those beauties..

Bye now, and remember: 'Keep it together and make something lovely.'

Making a dress with mom

2009-02-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

Today was a very special day, my mom learned me how to make a dress. I bought the Burda pattern (8308) for making dolls dresses and pants. But on my own it was a little to hard, I've never made a dress before. And my mom is the best teacher.. she can draw her own patterns, she has experience with sewing for more than 50 years. So.. the best!

My mom showing me how to precisely cut a pattern.

With good scissors and precise measuring, half the work is allready done.

The difficult parts of the pattern.

The pieces of the upper part of the dress.

After the upper part of the dress, the skirt.

Sewing with the Husqvarna, my mom showing me how to do curved lines.

My mom loves UFO's candy.. Me too! I brought a whole bag for her (and me).

The fringing of the dress, how it should look inside.

And a pincushion I brought her, Chinese style.

Bye now, I'm making my famous Sauce Bologna tonight.. with lots of red wine and fresh veggies.. delicious!

And remember: 'Make your mother happy!'

Lullism, the Art of Memory

2009-02-05T03:14:00.000-08:00

Here are the investigators, from left to right: Digibudi, Vicky V, Shaun

Always cary a notepad while investigating!

I'm learning all about ancient symbols, some of them are so beautiful. Some of them remind me of emoticons we use on the Internet. And some of them are just hilarious, but all of them are interesting to me.

I'm making a studie about a strange Renaissance science about the Art of Memory.

A lot of Latin names are in a way also symbols for remembering certain knowledge.

A word can be much more than just a word, the way the font is designed and the way certain letters are shaped can reveal hidden secrets or knowledge. In those days some information had to be hidden, because it would against the law to talk about some of that knowledge. Especially during the period between Medieval and Renaissance. Dangerous times! A bit like now actually. :)

This girl ain't precisely ancient or Medieval but the clean lines are inspired by those old symbols.

A bit of photoshop.

I love these little drawings, they remind me of cartoons.

Very beautiful, human life compared with a tree.

People are very important in the Medieval universe.. They seem to rule everything, even the sun and moon :)

Wonderful symbols, ordinary on first view, but look closer and find a world of inspiration.

One of my favorites, old Christian symbols. Not because they're Christian, but because they can be read like a word and seen as a symbol.

Bye now, I'm back to the library..

And remember: Remember!

Fields of cotton wool and friends come by to visit

2009-01-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

New Spring/Summer cotton wool arrrived at the shop, this is Bottone (I love that name)

Had a perfect first day at work again, after a week of vacation. Feels great to be back and especially with my new adopted substitute for ex-colleague Martine, Michéle. We have lots of fun and we can talk about the same things that are happening in our lives, like boyfriends, being dumped, falling in love, having crushes, music, videos, movies, clothes.. anyway, we're like on this same vibe (she's 23, I'm 35, makes sense doesn't it?), and I love working with her.

Michèle, my new colleague at the shop

I love it when people come over at the shop, it's a great way to share some detailed gossip and to show new arrivals.. Max and her friend came by to chat about the next party.. sweeeet!

Sweeeeeet!

And here are some pictures of the new Spring/Summer wool collection, more will arrive later this week, so I'll post more next time..

Santorini, Skiathos, Delos (available in different colors and effects)

Closer look at Santorini, Skiathos and Delos

Wonderful pale colored Duo Plus cotton

Also available in different colors

A very beautiful and shiny (but this picture isn't showing that) cotton wool Lucente

Lucente in different colors..

Here's a cool video!

Bye now, and remember : 'Springtime is only a rosebud away'

Vogue Complete Knitting stitches guide

2009-01-23T23:38:00.000-08:00

I've had so much fun last night, spending some time with Julie and Dave, and on top of that Heinz gave me this great Vogue's Complete Knitting Stitches Guide by Anne Matthews. I love this book, all the stitches are inside, even if I'm not a knitter.

Vogue, Complete Guide Knitting Stitches by Anne Matthews

Over 450 different knitting stitches!

Example of a knitting stitch

I do like a man in a sweater :)

And some wonderful broderie

Woke up real early today, so got plenty of time to finish some projects.. back to the shop tomorrow after a week of vacation..

bye, and remember : 'Cobwebs on bakery signs'

Abacadabra buttons!

2009-01-23T09:27:00.001-08:00

Abacadabra buttons! Who designs those things? I wish that the designer was mentioned on every back side of every button.. now it's like 'Artist Unknown' , which makes me wonder..

What a rainy day it was today here in Ostend, Belgium.. But I've made it to the fabric store without getting too wet. And what joy I found in that store! Buttons, the cutest and most adorable buttons I've seen in a very long time, and let me tell you, I've seen many buttons..

Also, that freakin' crosstitched parrot is finally finished, I've made some pictures on how to prepare your embroidery for further use in a project.

After the embroidery design is finished, wash it in some medium warm water and add some soap, I like to use shampoo, because when it's good for your hair, it's definetely good for your threads..

Be sure your water isn't too cold nor too hot

After washing it with the shampoo of your choice (but don't use anything for greasy hair though, normal shampoo works perfectly!)

lay your patch onto a towel and let it dry a bit..

Lay your patch on a towel and put a towel on top of it, and press with an iron.. (temperature for cotton will do nicely)

Et voila, the crosstitched design washed and neatly pressed..

Now you can add some buttons too,

I found these supercute buttons perfect for this project..

Speaking about buttons, look what I've found today at the fabric store here in Ostend, Belgium..

Telephone buttons!

Clock buttons!

Hello buttons!

Sweet tree buttons in pale pink!

Stars buttons!

One of my favorite buttons, EVER! Marble buttons!

I'm quite happy with the loot..

Bye now, and remember: 'A Spoon full of Buttons makes the day so much brighter!'

Love, life and a parrot..

2009-01-22T05:33:00.000-08:00

I'ts been a while since I've worked in the digital garden, and I must say it's become quite a jungle.

After a wild ride with life and love I've come to a point that I need to step a bit back, and relax more.. I'm sure many of you creative people out there have been overloaded with ideas and projects (referring again to a Craftypod episode on Craft Overload). And combine such a spirit with a broken heart and the end of working with a favorite colleague, et voila, ingredients for a big craft crash.. But all the while I kept on working.. never gave up the dream in which I still believe, the dream of creating your own world and inviting other people to join this world. Or better, to combine different worlds and make a bigger one.. There is no limit in our creative possibilities and there never will be.. I must have read this somewhere, it sounds so true..

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is this, Facebook is great for networking, but is bad in cases of heartbreak..
and Blogging is the cure to craft crashes!

I'm making these dolls for a while now, seems sometimes they will never be finished, but it's so much work to make handstitched embroidery to use on their bodies that it takes hours and days, even weeks to complete even one patch.. Like this parrot for instance:

almost done.. *phew*

Finding the right fabric was quite difficult in this case, but I think I found the right design with these swatches of vintage furniture fabric. Woven, not printed!

And to start this new year with a new sketchbook I've got from my father, is always a good thing!

A soft beige semi leather covered Derwent journal.. a gift from my dad.

We were talking about drawing with ballpoints and preferably blue ones.. so I promised my dad that I would only use this for this sketchbook/journal..

I think I'm making my first drawing inside this gem of a journal tonight..

I'm also working on the video for singer Amalia Vermandere's debut CD, Wild Mild, a song called Playground. We've allready had so much fun making the video, that I couldn't resist posting a Making Of Video with Bloopers..

Bye now, and remember : Better to have lost in love, than never to have loved at all.. (*sniff*)

Alice Through the Looking Glass

2009-01-10T14:52:00.001-08:00

Listening to this audiobook from www.Librivox.org

clipped from librivox.org

Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There

by Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

The sequel to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” finds Alice back in Wonderland and a pawn in a surreal chess game. This weird and wonderful book includes the poems “Jabberwocky” and “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” a talking pudding, and that immortal line “Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow, but never jam today.” Lewis Carroll was the nom de plume of Charles Dodgson (1832-1890) an Anglican clergyman, photographer, and mathematician.

Gutenberg e-text

Zip file of the entire book (98 MB)

01 - Looking Glass House - 00:21:23
[mp3@64kbps - 10.2MB]
[mp3@128kbps - 20.5MB]
[ogg vorbis - 10.3MB]

02 - The Garden of Live Flowers - 00:19:57
[mp3@64kbps - 9.5MB]
[mp3@128kbps - 19.1MB]
[ogg vorbis - 10.4MB]

03 - Looking-Glass Insects - 00:20:08
[mp3@64kbps - 9.6MB]
[mp3@128kbps - 19.3MB]
[ogg vorbis - 10.7MB]

Hedgie Glitter

2009-01-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

You'll need some glitter of course, some glitter glue (I used Gutterman, but any other brand will do) and an old toothbrush (preferably one that has been used by yourself)

Glitter, glitter glue and a toothbrush

Add some glitterglue onto the toothbrush like you would when using toothpaste, really!

Apply the glue onto the part of the crosstitched piece gently but quite firmly pressing the glue inside the threads.

Sprinkle loads of glitter over the area you put the glue on.

Wait for it to dry (like two hours is perfect) and remove the excess glitter.. brush slightly with soft towel and you've got yourself some glittering hedgehog, or something else.. whatever!

Pirato Parroti scarf in fushia (and two colored striped buttons too)

2009-01-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

Pirato Parroti scarf in fushia collage
A Spoon Full of Button by digibudi

I've finished some scarfs today, here's the first one, it's for a new digibudi doll called Pirato Parroti.

Fushia scarf crochet with cotton and finished with two colorful striped buttons and a button hole.

The Pirato Parroti scarf in fushia can be easily adjusted with the help of two colorful striped buttons in two sizes.

Accessories your digibudi doll with a customized Pirato Parroti scarf in fushia (although other colors will be available as soon as some tiny production issues are resolved..)

Crosstitching the parrot design unto the Aïda 11ct fabric to be part of the new doll.

Next post is all about hedgehogs with glitters!

Sub Tutorial on how to use the Actions menu in PhotoShop

2009-01-10T03:06:00.000-08:00

If you have a group of photos that is photographed as a series, like when making step by step tutorials on how to's, it's easy to optimize your pictures fast and easy with the Actions menu in Photoshop. I've made a tutorial on how to use this menu.

First of all, open a picture from your picture folder in Photoshop,
Copy the background image as a safety when making mistakes.

If it isn't allready open, open the Actions menu by choosing it inside the windows tab.

Now you have the Actions menu open, click on the little button in the center of the red circle shown in this picture.

You've just made a new set, inside this set we will put actions, so it's very practical to name your set with a list of these actions. Click OK when you're done.

Now we're creating our first action, click on the 'create new action button' , center of red circle in this picture.

Name your action, in this case 'Levels, UnsharpMask, Size'

I'm gonna first level the picture so the shadows and lights are optimized, I'm gonna use a filter called 'Unsharp Mask' to enhance the details inside the picture, and after that I'm gonna resize the picture to a web friendly 500px width.

You can also choose a color, this is helpful when working with more than one action inside your set. In this case I've recorded all my actions inside one action.

Now the fun part starts.. inside the 'Actions menu' click on the 'record actions' button, the little red dot. After you've done that Photoshop will record every click of your mousebutton! Isn't that cool or what!? So, next click on the 'Adjustment layers' button and choose 'Levels'..

Move the right level and middle level slightly until your picture is optimized.
I like to slightly move the right triangle to the left, the higher the curve the more pixel information is available, if you move the triangle too much to the left, there will be loss on pixel information to the right.. so it's all a matter of finding a satisfying ballance. Midtones (middle triangle) and Hightones (right triangle) are usually the only levels that need to be optimized.
Click OK..

Now click on your background copy so we can apply the Unsharp Mask filter, you don't want that filter unto the Levels Adjustment layer, that would be stupid..

Next choose 'Filters > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask
This is my favorite filter in PS, it takes all the detail of a picture and makes it so much sharper.. It's very useful in pictures with metal, glass, hair, detailed structures like macro pictures of fabric and food.. Anyway, it's pure candy!

Inside the 'Unsharp Mask' menu, slide the triangles until there is a nice ballance of quality and detail. I've put in my favorite data for Amount and Radius, Treshold I'd like to leave unchanged, because that's messing it up a bit too much.. It's tempting though..

Because changing and optimizing pictures must be done with the largest image file size possible, we're now going to resize the picture so we can use it for the web. Choose Image > Image Size

I like to use 500px width for all my blog pictures.. Check if the resize proportions are well set, and click OK!

Now you're almost done with your Action Hero Queste..

Inside your 'Action menu' click on the 'Stop button' next to the 'Record button'.

Now open another picture from your picture series..

Go inside the 'Actions menu' and click on the first action listed inside your set

Press the 'Play button' at the bottom of the 'Actions menu'.. et voila! Your Action set will be automatically repeat each step you took in this tutorial.

For safety, during the replay of the action you have to confirm a layer copy.. you can always change that during the first steps of recording your actions.. But I like to have a bit of control..

This concludes the tutorial on how to use the Actions menu inside Photoshop..

Back to my hedgehog, he's all covered in glitter at this moment, here's a sneak preview of the second part of the tutorial on making a patchwork pencil case.. or something like that.. :)

How to glitter your crosstitch design without messing it up..

Bye now, and in the meantime, a Spoon Full of Buttons to everyone!

Tutorial for Patchwork pencil case - part 1

2009-01-08T03:32:00.000-08:00

A lot happened the last few weeks, but most importantly here's the first part of a tutorial I'm making on how to sew a patchwork pencil case.

What you need is some scraps of fabric, I've used a cross stitched design on Aïda 11count of a hedgehog, and some left over pieces of woven fabric in different colors and patterns. But you are free to use whatever pieces of fabric you've got lying around at home.

So here are the first steps:

Lay down your center piece of fabric and measure it accordingly to the size of your pencil case, I've used a square of 15/15cm or 6/6 inch.

Now you can also add a seam allowance of 1cm, I use this size for all my seams.

After cutting out the center piece, in this case the hedgehog crosstitch, place it on your two other pieces of fabric and copy the pattern with a marker, an Omnigrid helps alot!

Using the Omnigrid helps centering the patches easy..

After tracing the pattern unto the other pieces, cut the squares out with some good scissors.

Now you should have three equal squares of fabric. Like shown in this picture.

Relax, and have a cup of coffee first.. cause now we're gonna pin and prepare the sewing..

Lay down the centerpiece (good side up) underneeth the right fabric piece (good side facing down), pin the two pieces together with some smart colorful pins (I always like my pins to be colorful, this way when they drop on the floor I can easily spot them).

Now start sewing the pieces together using large temporarly stitches and some cheap cotton thread in a contrasting color.

After doing that to both sides of the centerpiece, fold it open and check if the pieces are correctly attached.

This is how your backside should look, we'll take care of the folded seam in the next tutorial.

This is how your three patches should look after following this part of the tutorial..

Okay hedgehoggies, see you next time for part 2 of this tutorial.

Also, watch out for some news about moving the digital garden unto the next phase, which will be a new sub blog called 'A Spoon Full of Buttons'..

Although the light is changing, I'll keep painting..

2008-12-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

Watching the painter painting
And all the time, the light is changing
And he keeps painting
That bit there, it was an accident
But he's so pleased
It's the best mistake, he could make
And it's my favourite piece
It's just great

And remember: It's just behind you.

Skipping Christmas decorations

2008-12-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'm cross stitching like crazy these last days. I've got this fantasy of having a Christmas tree decorated to the top with cross stitch miniatures. Well, I won't make it this year, but nonetheless I'll keep stitching untill next year so I'll have my fantasy tree then.

I'm kinda skipping decorating my home this year, I have to work all December except on Christmas day of course, but I don't have the time to decorate or even look for a tree this year. I don't mind though, it's a kind of relief to not bother.. And skipping this Christmas will make next year Christmas much more nicer! Don't get me wrong here, I'm so celebrating Christmas this year, but I'll have no decorations in my apartment.

Which gives me plenty of time to get the presents right, and to mail them to my dearest friends..

Image copyright by Joanne Sanderson

Anyway, I stumbled upon this great site about cross stitching. It's Joanne Sanderson. And I found this link with charts for making exactly those miniatures I was dreaming about for my next year's Christmas tree..

I love the site of Joanne, it's simple and there are many great ideas for cross stitching.

Here are some of the freebies on her site:

Lovely and sweet, miniature charts I'm using for my decorations.

Color chart for the miniatures

More miniatures for decorations.

And some New Years Resolutions too:

All illustrations and charts are Copyright by Joanne Sanderson

I'm having a new post later on this week, which will be all about trims and buttons and necklaces!

Bye now, and remember: 'Keep the thread in the needle!'

Big News!

2008-11-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

I've known this for a while now, but I had to keep it silent because of laws and such. But from today on it's official..
I'm proud to announce that our shop is the sponsor for the Belgian Project Runway edition! We will be actively cooperating with the program and the designers themselves from this December 'till February next year. This means that our logo and shop will be seen during the program and we'll also have big prime time during commercials. This is quite big for us, and much work is still needed to be done.

I'm not sure how and who the contesters are but I do hope they know a lot about making clothes. I hear that many of them will be from Antwerp, or at least are attending students at the Academy of Fashion. So I'm finger crossing that there will be a respectful level of knowledge present within those contesters. I'm having a party and gathering of friends every week as soon as the program starts, halfway December..

The first ever Belgian Project Runway, 'Ontwerpers, zorg da't werkt!'

Anyway, I just wanted to share this cool newsflash! :)

Bye now, and remember : ''Make it work!"

Warm Friends and the Mega Fuchsia Scarf

2008-11-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

Hooray, it's time for a new post. And let me tell you, this post is stacked with sweets and goodies!

I've had another perfect day at work in the shop today, although it's Sunday. It was so cold on this November day that I needed a big scarf to keep me warm. In fact, we ALL needed one mega big scarf to keep us warm. Luckily I've just ordered one that came in last week.
A friendly customer took a picture of my colleagues and me wearing the fuchsia pink mega scarf!

Martine, me and Max keeping it warm and cozy..

I'm gonna use this scarf as a XL blanket in my living room.

On my second to last post I forgot to show the most special item inside the box I got from Diane. I totally forgot to take a picture because I put it on my bookshelf at home.. But today I took it with me at work and made this picture:

The fantastic plastic canvas basket from Diane at Craftypod.

So, thank you again Diane for this gem of a pc treasure!

I also got this cute little Spongebob Squarepants softie from Martine:

Can you spot him?

Where's Spongebob hiding?

Spongebob Squarepants, my favorite cartoon guy!

And here's a picture I took of Martine at work, at her most serious that is..

Martine ready to serve some customers :) (she's gonna hate me for this)

"Can I help you?"

She's so much fun to work with that she deserved a little space on my blog.

Ok, what did I made this week? Let's see, first of all there was this big heart made with more than 300 Swarovski chrystals.

Heart made with Swarovski.

And a easy way to make a necklace without spending too much money and time. Because we all know that time is precious. And each of these necklaces is made in less than one hour.

All you need is some thread, some pinch pearls and some pearls.

A few pearls, but great effect

Than I showed Max how to make a comfort doll (this one is for Diane soon) with a few pieces of felt and some thread and two buttons. We named him Crooky, for obvious reasons. Max did the ears and sewed for the first time in her life, I think she should be proud.

Crooky in his craddle of fluffy wool

We've made a poem about Crooky too, it's in Dutch but I'll try to translate it in English here.
The poem is called "Crooky, waar ben je?" which is "Crooky, where are you?"
And it goes something like this:

When the tides of my eyes bring tears overflowing,
Where is Crooky?
Oh here you are!
When I'm sad because the world is fighting with the sun
Where is Crooky?
Oh there you are!
When I need a moisterizer for my dried up soul,
Where is Crooky?
He's right here with me..

crooky poem - by max & digibudi

Crooky's first close-up!

And then, the most beautiful buttons arrived at the shop. I just love them. Look at these pretty round things:

Buttons with a cool ceramic-like finishing

Iron buttons with filigraan patterns.. delicious!

I love my job!

Marcsje is about to come over, so I have to run and clean my appartement a bit because this creative Sunday has left a creative mess..

Bye and remember : Clean up afterwards.

Distant Dreamer

2008-11-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

Once in a while a true talent pops out of the dusty and dry earth. Into the landscape of imagination, song and prose.
I love this song of Duffy very much, it's just so frisky cool.. Distant Dreamer