So if you live outside The Netherlands and you have a favorite magazine you think I would love too. And you would like to swap it with me for this copy of 101 Woonideeën, please let me know so we can setup a spring magazine swap. (I will add some spring happiness with the magazine)

p.s. If you were wondering what that shoe is doing in the picture…. those are my new spring/summer ballerina’s that arrived in the mail yesterday. Those are Rieker shoes, and for me they fit heavenly. I bought them here

Today I received a shot to feed my magazine addiction… About two weeks ago I saw the Donna Hay kids magazine on the Yvestown blog, and spend a whole evening searching the internet if I could order an issue, but no luck.

And praise internet and internet tools like Twitter, because Sarah London offered me to help me out. We have set up a magazine swap, (here you can see what I have send Sarah) and so it happened that today I received these yummie magazines from down under. Thank you so much Sarah.

I have finished and send my summertime quilt, I hope so my swap partner will love it. I’m so pleased with the final result with the crocheted border and the name tag at the back. I’m still not sure about the crocheted flower I added. but hey it was the first time I made my own design.

I think it’s so funny to see, that when you put yourself to a challenge, you are able to do things you never thought you could. Just making my own design and see how it’s coming to life…. I had never thought I could do that.

And now I just hope that my secret* swap partner is going to love the quilt as much as I do. *(I know who she is, but she doesn’t know that I’m the one who is sending the swap to her)

I thought I needed a challenge to try something new, so I submitted to the  In the Good Ol’ Summertime Mini Quilt Swap. My partner’s favourite colour is blue so that was something to start from with my design. I want to try a scrappy quilt with a panel where I can add a summer bird with applique or embroidery. I really like to try a crocheted edging, so I might add that as well to the binding. In the left picture you can see the fabrics I picked from my stash, they really look swimming pool blue, don’t you think?

At the right you can see a glimpse of my desk where I have my computer and where I can put up my sewing machine.

A while ago I set up a magazine swap with Clare from the Lulu Carter blog. She really loves the Dutch magazine ‘Ariadne at Home Kinderen’ which is, to say, impossible to get in Australia. I liked to get the Australian Homespun in return, which is very hard to get here.

Have a look at the lovely presents I received today, the paper handkerchiefs make me smile, and I think I don’t dare to use them…. And the matroeshka paper with the green and white striped ribbon, sigh…. nice wrapping makes a present so much more valuable. And off course the Homespun Magazines full of inspiration!!

If you are curious for the package I have sent, have a look here, Clare made very beautiful pictures.

And look what I got in return: a very soft and warm crocheted scarf, a handy wrap for my sandwiches to take to work, a lovely felt heart and a crocheted rose, fabric covered pushpins and some cute buttons to please my button addiction and very cute note takers and magnet designed by Kers op de kaart. I love it, thanks An!

To the right you can see a glimpse of some things I made and send to Erna: