Little Owl sends Seasons Greetings!

Dear snowflakes, stars and chocolate-hearts,

is the festive season in full swing for you?

Are you baking up a storm, dancing on the ice, creating lots of lovely things for your family and friends? I hope december is everything you want it to be, and the end of this year makes you

Sparkle

with gratefulness for the gifts, adventures, lessons and everything 2014 gave you -

and with anticipation for the New Year to come!

This will be my last post for this year. Like little owl i need some time on my tree, thinking, pondering, reflecting, planning ... spending time with my friends and family and dreaming myself into new creative ventures. 

Little Owl is the Christmas Card i created for this year and you can grab it and send it as an e-card if you wish.

Thank you for being part of my world and see you back soon!

Have a very ...

Dear Blogfriends,

thank you all for an incredibly inspiring year of friendship, inspiration and happy surprises!

Thank you for connecting here with me and sharing so many things. The great thing about blogging is, that it helps me being in touch with that part in myself which is happy and upbeat, even if cold winds are blowing right into my face sometimes. 

Time flew by and i can't believe that 12 months have passed, but i did find the energy to find the groove with my art again, which i'm really grateful for. The end of this year has been really intense and remains so, since, right after christmas, which we will spend in Austria with my family. we are moving house. I'm exited of course, but it will be so much work that this is my last post for this year.

I wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas and enough time to relax, enjoy yourselves and prepare 

for 2014. I've created the card above for you - you can download it and use it as an E-Card for the holiday season if you wish. See you all back soon,

Love,

M.

A christmas break and a present ...

It came without ribbons!  It came without tags!  It came without packages, boxes or bags!"... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!  "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.  Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"  

Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Lovelies, these days before christmas are so busy for me now, that i decided to take blog-break. But i will take time o visit each one of you. Thank you for such a great year of bloggy friendships and fun - you have made my each and every day nicer and brought so many smiles to my lips, even when times were tough. I'll be back with new ideas and a lot of exiting things lined up for you on the 7th. of January.

The cards above are my wishes for you and a little present They are my own design and you are free to print them for yourself or send them to friends and family if you wish to. If you use them on your blog, please link back to me.

Have a sparkly, delightful and cozy festive time with lots of LOVE -

see you son!

xoxoxooxoxox

Artwork: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Merry Christmas, one more DIY - and a BIG Thank You!

Remember

This December,

That love weighs more than gold!

Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

How are you lovelies? Have you decked the halls and wrapped all the presents? I've still got a little bit of work to do, but not very much - and look forward to a peaceful and relaxed christmas time and after with my 3 boys (4, if the tomcat counts!). Am curious already, if the christmas fairy will give me the magic wand i secretly asked for - the one that gets everything clean and tidy in the wink of an eye, accompanied by a sweet birdsong!

Thank you so much for another year of bloggy friendship and fun! Your sweet comments mean so much to me - and your blogs do! I just love how the blogworld is an antidote to the bad "news" we get everyday and shows, how many people are out there, celebrating life and adding to it's sweetness and beauty.

Because i want to do a bit of planning for next years blogging, i would like to hear, what you would like to have more of here:

original art

interior decorating

design and lovely things

fashion and styling

easy DIY's

photography

lovely food

... i'd so appreciate, if you took a moment to tell me!

In case you're in the mood to make one or two more things - this is how we created the things in the photos above. The big X:  tale a cardbord letter from a shop, and cover it in simple cotton wool - from pads you use, to take of your make-up, by gluing it on to the surface in a "snowy" manner. The ornament: Use several layers of tissue papers, cut them in a round shape and sew them together in the middle with a sewing machine. Then fold the layers to ball shape, and add a string and a crystal - ready!

Have a lovely and loving celebration and a wonderful start into the new year! 

Photos: Martina Voigt-Schmid, Robin Benito

X-mas shopping with some "Ooh la-la"

Have you started shopping for presents yet? I usually start rather late - somehow i need the frisson of the little bells ringing to get going. Today, i'll hit the town and hope to add some sparkles to my secret "Treasure box" (that noone is supposed to see before christmas!). I have a big family, with lots of nieces and nephews, so, lots need to be done! To strengthen myself, i intend to have hot chocolate with a girlfriend in between. 

Open publication - Free publishing

And of course there is Etsy and DaWanda, and tons of gorgeous shops online as well. Have a look at the IHOD gift guide, assembled and designed my lovely blogfriend Anna, who is one gifted girl indeed.

For additional inspiration, please also visit my dear friend Anita, she has a blogpost full of amazing shops for you, plus she does the sweetest cards and tags herself!

   

Photos 1-4 via Kate Spade

Monday Love: DIY-candle holders

Happy monday lovelies!

Since the evenings are getting longer and darker now, we need more light in the house - especially candle-light. Although the flames may be tiny, they really do warm us and lighten up feelings as well! These glas-holders are an idea from our latest issue of KidsLife, and they are so easy to make. You cut papaer doillies and fix them with a straw-ribbon on simple glasses. Put a tealight in and - voilá, it looks so pretty!

Photo: Robin Benito

DIY christmas ornaments

Get ready to see things in a different light!

This is an idea from our recent KidsLife-issue: Sweet christmas ornaments made from house and baking supplies. These cupcake papercups make such a sweet hanger - all you need to add is thread and some beads. The weather here is grey and cold - just right for a crafting and tea-afternoon. Are you planning to create something this weekend?

Photo: Robin Benito

Thank you!

Have a very Happy, and Merry ..., you know!

And stay warm and safe and have a lot of fun!

Can't wait to visit you all again soon.

Lots of Love!

Photos: 1st: Martina Voigt-Schmid, 2nd: Corrie Bond photography, 3rd: Good Life Eats, via Tumblr

Christmas decoration: 5 easy last minute ideas

 

5 ideas on a budget

for people who like it light and easy when it comes to Christmas - like me this year. Maybe because the days before Christmas for me, always seem to short to get everything done in them. Not just the decorations, but everything. So many things want attention. And because of this "hype", that doesn't really ad to the feeling of peace and harmony  i'd like to have, easy decoration seems to have what i need. 

Neat little trees and apples in a bowl, doves of peace made from white paper, pinecones stacked up in a tree shape or a plain tree adorned with vintage photos that brings remembrance of family members and times past. I feel very drawn to this "Memory-tree". All these ideas are charming, and you don't need to buy a lot of things to make them. How's your decoration-scheme this year?

Photos: 1-4 Country Living, last picture: Sweet Paul