In a few days I head to Berlin to attend The Hive European Blogging Conference.  I attended the first one last year and had a great time, learned lots of new bloggy-things and, most importantly, met some fantastic people whom I can’t wait to see again this year.  My week-end is already packed full of lunch dates, museum dates, dinner dates and lots of talks and workshops.  Oh and a hotel room to myself where I can watch mindless TV and order roomservice.  Nice.

I don’t know if any of you know but I am a HUGE fan of Instagram (follow me here).  So you can imagine how excited I was last week when I received these Instagram prints in the mail from Origrami.  I absolutely love this small Sydney (Australia) based husband and wife run business.  The photos are great quality, it’s very reasonably priced and they arrived in record time (considering Posta Italiana was involved).

The photos come in a super stylish cardboard box and have Instagram information on the back (if desired).  On my photos I can see a map with the location where it was taken, the date and number of likes it got.  Now I’m trying to figure out what the best way is to display all these great shots.I can’t wait for the weather to improve so we can enjoy our Wednesday evening picnics with a group of our closest friends here.  This photo was shot on our first (and only due to bad weather) picnic this year.  Us parents kick back on blankets beside the lake while the kids run and play in the fields around us.  Photo is of the sweet little Patagnoma.  

I received this lovely painting above from one of my daughter’s for Mother’s Day.  This girl knows me well.  I love everything about it (and her).

I have been passing this little church at least four times a day for the last decade and I finally stopped the car and got out to take some photos.  There are so many of these lovely little spots that I get to see on a daily basis.  Lucky me.

That’s enough random thoughts and photos for today.  Happy Wednesday everyone!

Today I have a great recipe for Belgian Waffle Cookies.  These miniature wafeltjes are baked in a waffle iron and are so rich and buttery (the recipe calls for 400g butter!).  My husband grew up eating these cookies (made by his grandparents) and is capable of eating them by the dozen.  And now my kids as well.  While making these our neighbours were calling over the fence to know what the amazing smell was that was coming from our kitchen.  There is nothing quite like the smell of baking waffles (there must be a waffle inspired perfume out there somewhere).    These keep for at least 3-4 days in a closed tin and are great to package up as a gift for someone special.

We found the recipe for these waffles on the site of Jeroen Meus who is pretty much the Jamie Oliver of Belgium.  Jeroen has his own cooking show, tons of cookbooks and a really great website full of recipes.  Everything I’ve tried of his has turned out to be delicious and simple to make (favorites are Baked Cauliflower with Ground Meat and Bruschetta with Guacamole, Smoked Sprot and Tomato Salsa).

Continue for wafeltjes recipe…

Wafeltjes

500g pastry flour
400g butter
300g sugar
6 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
pinch of salt

1. Gently melt the butter (make sure it doesn’t colour).

2. In the bowl of your mixer put in the flour and sugar.  Add the baking powder, salt  and the scraped out seeds of the vanilla bean (or the tsp of vanilla extract).

3. Mix on medium low speed and slowly add the eggs one at a time.  Let mix for one minute then slowly pour in melted butter.

4. Cover bowl and put in fridge for at least one hour.

5. After letting the dough sit in fridge heat up waffle iron.  Make small balls of dough and drop onto waffle iron (we did 4 at a time because we wanted them to be small but you could also do two bigger ones).  Let bake until golden brown and remove from iron with wooden skewer onto a cooling rack.  Store in covered container.  Makes: a lot!

(Adapted from this recipe)

We actually made these to sell at a fundraiser pajama run around a local lake in support of children with cancer.  We set up our bake table with these waffles, chocolate cupcakes, Rice Crispie Squares and popcorn and tempted all the runners who passed by (the waffles sold out almost immediately!).  The money made at the race was donated to the Associazione Bianca Garavaglia which organises activities for  children in hospital.  Whether it’s a craft workshop, clown visit or a pizza party it’s something that makes these kids lives a little bit happier and bearable.  So come on, make up some of these waffles and set up your own bake sale in support of kids in need!

For the first time in years I actually don’t feel like a serious slacker.  After writing about being the Queen of Unfinished Projects a few weeks ago I went into sewing overdrive and actually finished most of my half-done and half-sewn projects that have been lingering and taunting me in my sewing room for the last months (years).  I hemmed, I mended, I button-holed, I zippered and I even hand sewed until the wee hours of the morning.  I guess writing it all down and addressing the fact that I needed to get my act in gear helped me to realise it was time.  Time to have a clean sewing slate and move on to new and fresh projects without the niggling feeling of having all those almost-finished purses, bags, dresses, shorts and wallets that I would eventually have to deal with.

These dresses were supposed to be ready for my twin daughter’s 11th birthday.  Obviously that didn’t happen as it was on March 28th (it was too cold and rainy in March anyway to be able to wear dresses like this).  As I mentioned last time the pattern is one of the basic dress models from the book Stof Voor Durf-Het-Selvers (only available in Dutch).  The book has some great patterns  for children’s dresses, skirts, tops and accessories and gorgeous photos using the most lovely fabrics.  I used contrast colour zippers on the dresses to give them a little something special and actually ended up making one dress with a side zipper instead of back zipper by mistake.  Don’t ask.  These will be perfect for special occasions this summer while we’re in Umbria and Canada.

I did a double lined hem on these seersucker shorts for my son and actually sewed on all 4 buttons needed (miracle).  Unfortunately they’re still too big so he’ll most likely only get to wear them next year.  Until then I’ll display them for all to see and admire (poor guests).  These were some seriously complicated and time consuming shorts to make and I’m pretty sure I could buy similar (even nicer?) ones in H&M for a fraction of the cost to make them.  But I guess I shouldn’t think about that…

I also finished this simple summer sleeveless shirt.  Very quick to sew up and comfortable to wear (even if I did make mine 2 sizes too big).  Fabric is from Max Mara and the pattern is Simplicity New Look 6871.

And today in my sewing group I managed to finish up this boxy shopper bag with zipper closure.  Just what I needed in my life…another bag.  I think I could open up a shop with all my hand made bags and wallets that I’ve been stockpiling over the last few years. Stay tuned for details of my Etsy Shop in the near (or far?) future.

I’m still finishing off the last of my projects and I’m feeling great about it.  Now to get busy with my new projects that I’ll most likely have to finish in a few years time….

Yesterday the newest issue of one of my favourite magazines sisterMAG came out.  The theme of this issue is Italy and it’s absolutely gorgeous from beginning to end.  They’ve included lots of great articles on interesting  people and companies, fascinating and beautiful places to visit, the most delicious looking recipes to make and lots more (the book binding tutorial is one of my faves).  And all of the photos will make you want to immediately hop on a plane to this gorgeous county that I’m so fortunate to live in.

The magazine’s founders and editors Thea and Toni approached me a while ago asking if I’d like to participate in this issue and I immediately jumped at the chance. I’ve been a big admirer of the magazine ever since I learned about it at a presentation by Thea and Toni at last year’s European Blogging Conference The Hive.  Those ladies are so talented and ambitious.

For this issue I wrote a feature article on Italy’s Northern Lakes region (for obvious reasons of course).  After living in and exploring the region for over a decade I thought it would be a great opportunity to share my favorite places and activities that are available around Lago Maggiore, Lago di Como, Lago d’Orta and Lago di Garda.

Pop on over and take a peek at the Italy issue (available in German and English).  I know you’ll love it!

Have a great week-end everyone!

Here in Italy the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and fragrant and I’m blissfully content to be able to get out in my garden and putter around.  I’ve been busy planting all sorts of new plants, trees and bushes.  I expect about 25% of them to survive as I have a pretty bad track record in the gardening department.  My heart is in the right place but I just don’t have that special touch needed to keep my garden alive and thriving.  I’ve been known to even kill lavender which is pretty much impossible in the Italian climate.

One plant that seems resistant to me and my non existent green thumb is rabarbaro (rhubarb).  Due to the fact you can’t buy rhubarb in any of the grocery shops or vegetable stalls we planted it a few years ago and it is thriving.  I show it off to everyone who comes by our house and apparently it’s known to all to be the fool-proof plant (why didn’t I know this years ago?).  Just in the last three weeks our rhubarb has taken over an entire bed and is threatening our beloved strawberry patch.

So to give our strawberries some room to breathe and grow I decided to cut back the rhubarb a bit and make some of my favourite Rhubarb Syrup.  I’ve always loved the delicate spiciness it brings to cold summer beverages.

But what I love the most about this syrup is the dainty light peachy rose colour it has.  I could design whole summer cottages with that colour as my inspiration and theme.  So lovely and reminiscent of warm breezy summer days in Nova Scotia.

Read on for the quick and very simple recipe for Rhubarb Syrup and these delicious cocktails above (which I’m contemplating naming “Jillinis“).

Rhubarb Syrup

2 1/2 – 3 cups of chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup of water

Place all three ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil.  Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Pour liquid through a mesh sieve (or cheesecloth) into clean jars.  Store in fridge.  Enjoy.

Rhubarb Cocktails (Jillinis?)

Take a pretty glass.  Pour some rhubarb syrup in bottom and add sparkling water  (or prosecco/spumante/ginger-ale) and ice cubes.  Decorate with fresh berries and lime wedges.  Perfect to serve at brunches, lunches, afternoon teas, bridal showers….

Here are some Seersucker shorts that I made for my son.  The pattern was one of the most difficult I’ve ever done (thank goodness for friends with such great knowledge of pattern language!).  There are fancy pockets, belt loops, a zipper and way too many buttons and button holes.  I learned a lot of great sewing techniques from these shorts.  But I will never make them again in my life.  Now I just have to motivate myself to hem them.  Hemming is always my weak point.

One day I holed myself up in my sewing room (about 8 months ago) and sewed up all of these fabric leaves and circles.  I never really had a solid idea of what I was going to do with them but I was confident  it would come to me sometime.  It still hasn’t come to me.  Any ideas for what to do with these out there?

My mother-in-law and I started these dresses above during her time here at Easter.  The pattern is from my newest sewing book Stof Voor Durf-Het-Selvers by Lies Bottermans and Griet De Smedt (as far as I know it’s only available in Dutch).  They are absolutely lovely and so close to being finished.  One needs a zipper installed (not my favorite job) and they both need to be hemmed.  In any case, I’ll make sure they’re done by summertime.  Maybe my Mother-in-law should return to finish them with me (hint hint).

A little summer sleeveless top made with Max Mara fabric.  I’ll be finishing it up with my sewing group this Friday.  So at least I can check that one off my list right away.  It’s a start!

This is the project that I started about 18 months ago.  I made about 8 of these purses for Christmas gifts and I guess by the time I started this one I just couldn’t bring myself to finish yet another one.  It’s made with black linen and a soft  thick cotton.  I think I’m finally ready to finish it up and make a few more.  If I can remember the pattern of course.

So wish me luck on finishing all of these projects and making room (mentally and physically) for some new projects that I’ve had simmering in my head for a while.  And if a few of you harassed me every now and then to see the finished products  I’d really appreciate it.

Whenever we get back from a trip people are always so curious as to what sort of souvenirs or items we bought while traveling around.  We don’t usually do a lot of shopping on our family vacations (because we all know how much kids LOVE to shop)  but we always try and bring back a few keepsakes for ourselves and gifts for friends and family (read here and here to find what we purchased in Japan).

And of course in Morocco we had to check out the world famous souks off the Jemaa El Fna Square in Marrakesh.  The kids loved getting lost in the winding narrow alleyways full of  interesting shops selling everything you could ever imagine.

I have to admit I’m not a big fan of bargaining and bartering about prices (although I am good at it!).  I’m always scared of offending the shop owner and /or getting colossally ripped off.  In any case, I’m pretty sure we we paid way too much for some of the things we purchased (you can always tell when they quickly agree to the first price you offer).

These babouche are by far my favorite purchase.  They are so bright, colourful and actually quite comfortable.  One shopkeeper told us that they are made out of camel leather and are hand-stitched   The kids each picked out a pair for themselves and some pairs to bring back for good friends.  We paid between 5€ and 7€ a pair ($6.50-$9).  Quite a bargain for something so unique and typically Moroccan.  Only downside is that they have a very pungent and distinctive smell.  One of my kids suggested it could be what the inside of a goat’s bowel would smell like.  Over the last months it has improved a bit but it’s still there (despite my constant spraying of Sandalwood perfume).

And of course we couldn’t come home without a tagine.  I would have loved to bring back one of the beautifully hand painted larger ones that are available for purchase everywhere but we just didn’t have space in our luggage.  So instead we picked out some of the smaller versions which are usually used for salt/pepper/cumin.  The kids bought some to bring back to their teachers and I brought some to use here at home.  We paid anywhere from 1€-3€ ($1.50-$4).

As soon as I saw a tiny shop which sold tassles of every kind I was like a kid in a candy shop.  They had every size and colour imaginable and were available in everything from cotton to velvet to leather.  I ended up buying three leather ones (€2/$2.50) which I’ll use for key chains or to hang on hand sewn purses and bags  and a whole bunch of tiny little cotton ones in the loveliest colours  (0.15€/20¢ each).  I wish I’d bought so many more.

The souks of Marrakesh are famous for their leather goods.  You can get beautiful purses of every style and colour (and quality).  I found several purses which I loved and didn’t end up buying due to the “smell factor” that we had with the babouche slippers.  The kids bought these sweet little 3-pocket leather wallets above (3€/$4 each) and a few leather bracelets (3 for €2/$2.50).  There are many many styles of wallets, bracelets, purses and belts to choose from.  Just be careful for quality and how the leather is dyed or painted.

You absolutely can’t go to Morocco and not buy their world famous Argan Oil.  These oil is made from the kernals of the Argan Tree which is endemic to Morocco.  It is used for both culinary and cosmetic purposes and is said to have many healing and medicinal purposes (aging, rheumatism, acne, scarring).  We stopped at a Women’s Co-op in the Atlas mountains and bought a few little bottles to give it a try.  I’ll let you know if it changes my life.  I paid about €7/$9 for a small 40ml bottle.

I also picked up this gorgeous rag rug while we were traveling in the Atlas Mountains.  I saw it hanging outside a tiny shop at the summit of one of the mountains we drove over on our travels and I knew it would be perfect in our home.  I was tempted to buy the large version but lack of suitcase space made it so that I left with the smaller version (€10/$13).  It looks perfect in my son’s lego corner of our livingroom.

All along the mountainous roads we came across men selling these crystallized rocks that they found in various mines and caves.  My kids fell in love with them and ended up using some of their travel money to purchase some for themselves and friends.  We were told they were all naturally coloured.  In any case it’s quite impressive to open the dull black stones and find these beautifully coloured crystal insides.  Everyone who comes to our house has to admire these stones before getting past the front hall.  They cost between €2 and €4 ($2.50-$5.50).We also bought some painting pigments in one of the many spice shops.  These vibrantly coloured powders just need to be mixed with lemon juice and are great for painting or dying cotton clothing (see here what the kids painted). These pigments are sold by the gram  and we paid about €3/$4 total for all of them.

Have you ever been to Morocco and purchased anything special?

Last month when my in-laws visited from Belgium they brought me a huge jar of speculaaspasta (or speculoospasta to some) which is pretty much Belgian spice cookies ground into a creamy spread for bread.  It’s a relatively new invention and it has become a staple breakfast item in a lot of Belgian households.  Before the spread was available my husband’s family would eat a piece of bread with butter and the cookies laid on top.  Strange but true.  Belgians have very peculiar breakfast habits that I’ve happily adopted.  Chocolate for breakfast?  I’m not going to reject such a thing.

I know this spread’s popularity has reached all corners of the world in the past few years.  In North America it’s usually sold as Biscoff Spread if I’m not mistaken.  In any case, if you ever come across it, grab a few jars.  It’s great for eating on bread, spread on top of cake or simply eaten by the spoonful.  And of course for baking.  Go here to find so many delicious looking recipes using this spread.

Read on for the recipe for these delicious Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Speculaas Cookies.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Biscoff Spread Cookies

2/3 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup Biscoff cookie spread
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

1. Beat cookie butter and brown sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.

2.Reduce speed to low and add baking soda, oatmeal, and chocolate chips; beat just until incorporated.

3. Put dough in covered bowl and refrigerate for 1-3 hours (but if you don’t do this they still come out fine!).

4. Form 1 1/4″ balls of dough and place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, for 9 minutes or  until golden. Cool for 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy.  I know you will.

I love momentarily escaping my small town life to visit the big city of Milan which is transformed into a mecca of all things beautiful for your house and more.  My favorite part of design week is the famous Fuori Salone which is a side event located throughout the entire city for companies and designers to exhibit their products.

If you stroll around certain neighbourhoods (Brera, Tortona and Naviglio to name a few) you’ll find old factories converted into showrooms full of the world’s most innovative new designs.  You’ll also stumble upon smaller, more intimiate design spaces which are located in old stone houses with vaulted ceiling or even car garages that are completely made over to exhibit anything from carpets to garden furniture.

The streets are packed full of people and there’s a really amazing atmosphere everywhere you go.  If you pop by on the Friday or Saturday evening there are many VIP parties, impromptu music concerts in the streets and beautifully clothed people everywhere.  We take our kids every year and they really love it.  There is so much to see, sit on, play with and learn about.

We visited the Italian magazine Casa Facile‘s Relaxation Zone.  They served us herbal teas with organic biscuits and rice crackers and then sent us on our way with free samples of all-natural beauty creams and shower gels.  While there they told the kids to make themselves at home.  As you can see, they did.

I fell in love with these bird feeders by Singapore label Hinika.  And the fact they styled it with origami was just icing on the cake.

Some of the most stunning furniture that I came across at the Fuori Salone was from the Chinese company Pinwu Studio.  Their pastel coloured porcelain topped beech wood tables and stools reminded me of those delicate French cookies  called Calissons d’Aix.  The “Lu tables” come in everything from small low stools to large round dining room tables.  Pinwu Studios were the winners of the 2012 Design Report Award.

We also visited the Cascina Cuccagna which was showcasing some more alternative and environmentally friendly designers and methods of production.  I loved hearing about “Fast Fashion” from Dutch designer Laura Lynn Jansen.  We could see how this dress above was produced in an hour from start to finish using only two types of fabric (stretchy and non-stretchy), a large balloon and some special glue and absolutely no machinery.   I love the fact that some designers are recognizing the importance of sustainability and recycling/reusing in the design world.

And of course we topped off our day by visiting one of our favourite museums in Milan La Triennale.  We saw rooms full of some of the world’s most important designs from history and today.

Il Salone Internazionale di Mobile 2014 will be held from April 8th to the 13th.  Definitely worth the trip.

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