Wednesday 31 March 2010

Birthday and birthday giveaway


Today my Darling Daughter 1 is four! And this little baby is her present. Yesterday I went to Lisbon centre with my OH to buy it. We bought it at the "Dolls Hospital" in Praça da Figueira. This tiny shop sells dolls of all different sizes and races, and their houses and contents, their clothes and accessories. She is pretty big so that my daughter can dress her up with her old baby clothes.

And DD1 was very happy this morning when she discovered her.

In my previous post you saw presents for the girls in DD1's class. Yesterday I finished the boys' presents. I called them tiny Teds from Peter Bowman's Tiny Ted's Big Adventure. It is a very cute story.

Again I sewed the boys' initial letters. Their scarfs are red and green representing the Portuguese flag. On the scarfs I sewed footballs because young or old, poor or rich, all Portuguese are football fans.

Monday 29 March 2010

Birthday giveaway

Last weekend was perfect to be out of the house. The thermometer was showing 24 degrees and all Portugal could have been enjoying the nature. I felt ashamed to stay at home but mother's duty is to be at home and keep sewing. While looking after my sick husband and baby I managed to sew seven little bags for seven little four-year-olds. I was doing this because on Wednesday my older daughter will be four years old and I decided to give my daughter's classmates bags.

I used my seven different children's fabrics and cut the little bags with red lining and handles.

This bag will be for my daughter so that she can put her things like her mobile in it. I bought ladybird buttons to close them.

I chose to put the girls' initial letters on the bags just to make them a little personalized. I got letters from my computer. You can choose any of the fonts on Word. I used little zigzag stitches to sew letters. I do have an embroidery machine but for this specific project I decided to use simple stitches. If you do not have computerized machine as they are called nowadays you can use zigzag or buttonhole stitches.

Girls' presents are ready and tomorrow I will finish boys' presents.

Saturday 27 March 2010

Patch Mania Sale!!!

Patch Mania fabric shop in Oeiras is having sale some of fabrics. The owner, Inês has very nice fabrics and they cost €7.50 per metre.

I was there today and enjoyed shopping and bought some yummy fabric for my future projects. Grab the opportunity.

Galerias Alto da Barra, loja 119
Av. das Descobertas
2780-053 OEIRAS

Telephone: +351 210 967 359

Thursday 25 March 2010

Wednesday 24 March 2010

My sewing essentials box

As we know that we have to look after our tools properly. Mine was kept in several plastic boxes and every time when I need I have to look for them.

Finally, I decided to do treat myself and my tools. I shopped at designated sewing shops but I did not see many varieties.

If you have very handy husband, which I have, he keeps his tools a a big box and when it opens you see everything what you need. I needed similar one but girly and smaller.

My husband suggested that I have to look at sports shops for fishermen's boxes, where they keep their hooks and other equipment. I went to Decathlon and Sports Zone, only two sports dedicated shops in Lisbon area. They had not many choices.

After a bit of disappointment I went to Leroy Merlin, hardware store and my luck was there. You have seen these boxes at hairdressers. When my older daughter saw it and she said that "Mummy bought a box to put her nailpolishes". Of course, my younger daughter, who should be at creche but staying with mummy, loved too.


It was the perfect choice for me choosing a Dexter aluminum case. I put everything there what I do need for my craft. I am ready to do some craft for a long time but only after my younger daughter gets better and goes to creche to enjoy herself and mummy.

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Visiting Rome

I had couple of days off from my family and went to Rome alone to visit my sister at the end of February. Last February Saturday morning the weather in Portugal was not pleasant to fly. I had cough and my younger daughter had fever. It seemed like that everything was against me leaving but with my husband's encouragement I left for Rome. Only 30 minutes delay, an Airbus took off and flight was very smooth and I landed in Rome safely.

Before leaving I made for my sister a little box as a present. This is my second box that I made using Linda Johansen's book on making fabric boxes. My sister was delighted to have this little present.

When in Rome do as the Romans do. This saying is originated from 387 A.D when St Ambrose visited Milan and he commented on its church service. I have to follow the saying.

Before leaving Portugal I told myself that I had to eat pizza and ice cream. I do think that Italian ice cream is the best in the world after trying couple of time during my previous visits to Rome. They even have ice cream university in Bologna. On my first night I had pizza Margarita and on my last night in Rome I had ice cream.

Shopping was the must to do in my agenda. My sister, Temuulen, was my driver for two days. She recently started driving and was a very good "a taxi driver" for me. She was not expensive because for two whole days service we had two lunches together and we spoke only Mongolian.

The funniest thing that happened to us was that when we entered to a shopping centre and everybody was directed to go a level down. My sister saw an empty spot and she told a guy, who was directing, in Mongolian about the spot. He understood her Mongolian and let us to park our car. Only when I told her that she used her mother tongue she kept laughing.

Shop in Rome

Streets in Rome are full of motobikes and mopeds. This one was not used to ride but it invited people to come to have cappuccino. We had two cups of cappuccino and cakes and had relaxing afternoon after long day of shopping.

Another Italian signature is Fiat's Cinquecento, which was awarded "European Car of the Year" in 2008. They were plenty of them all different colours of rainbow running in Rome's streets but this one was parked in the centre of the city and had on its dashboard with little models of cinquecentos.

After long day of strolling in cobbled streets of Italian capital we decided to have relaxing talk and sipping coctails at the hotel Exedra in Rome, when Dalai Lama visits to Rome stays there.


My entertainment finished and I am back to my normal life - cooking, cleaning, looking after my children, husband and the dog. Of course, doing my hobbies...

Monday 22 March 2010

Craft shopping in Lisbon

If you are new in the country and you do not know where you can buy your supply, that’s a different matter. For this reason I shop in Lisbon, and Baixa is a treasure island for craft people.

I lived in Lisbon's São Bento street for three years, which is not too far from centre of the city. Because of this I found some craft shops and from time to time I would visit to buy my supplies. I make lots of things and my treasure hunting starts at heart of Lisbon. I need beads for beading, thread for cross-stitching, sewing, wool for knitting, and paints for glass painting – as well as any new discoveries I might stumble across.

It seems that almost all craft shops in Lisbon are located in Rua do Conceiçao, with a few more shops within walking distance from this street. If you are looking for art shops then visit Rua do Ouro or Rua da Rosa. Of course, being a woman we are always looking for something for our homes, so I wind up my shopping trip in a big home department store Pollux, in Rua dos Fanqueiros – and even then you can find a big knitting shop in this street as well.

I wish you good “hunting” for treasure in an old city.

PS: Wrote some years ago for International Women in Portugal's magazine Janela.

Sewing bags

Last year I started making bags again. I do like to sew them and I intend to sell them too but without much success. Because many of them go to my friends as presents for which I am happy.

I do get ideas from my or friends bags and most importantly internet is my main source. I do like Lis Lam's site . She shares her passion of making bags with everyone. Recently, her passion became the book called The Bag Making Bible and now on sale in amazon. The book will be soon on my desk. If you like making bags and look at her site and you will find many ideas for your unique bag.

My bags modeled by my 16 months-old daughter. I guess we all women whatever ages are we do love bags. The purple bag's fabric was present for me from Angela, who left Portugal many months ago and runs her quilt classes in the UK. The pattern was from Lis's site but I modified a little bit because of the handle.

I gave this bag recently to my friend as a birthday present. Hopefully, summer will arrive soon and she will enjoy her bag. I really enjoyed making this bag and as you can see my daughter loves too.

I think, this is Lis's pattern too. I made sometime ago and forgotten. My daughter is trying to take it away to be posed with it. I used my Pfaff's fancy stitches to make a little impact.

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