Some Impressions

Hey there!
just hoppin' by in between this huge pile of work to keep you updated.
Here are some impressions of the new products I did for Michèle at www.alles-handgemacht.ch.
She's selling all handmade products from various producers and I had the chance to send her some steampunk, gothic and rockabilly...some of my favorites!

Excuse the sloppy pictures! I took them in a hurry just to keep you updated.

Much love, Dina

Time is a suitcase...

...loaded with good things.

Suitcase Rummage in Lucerne, Switzerland
www.koffermarkt-luzern.ch

Yes ladies, I did my first "suitcase rummage" at the end of the last year in Lucerne. "Last year" sounds so weird, or is it just me...
I got an invitation to it without knowing what it is but I was thrilled when I found out what it's all about. It swapped over to Switzerland fully now and there are popping up suitcase rummages all over the country for this year.

No need to say: I had a BLAST and my bags and necklaces seemed to be some of the hot sellers which made my heart sing! By the time I went home there where six small pieces left, so no rummage anymore. I even sold my decoration to a girl; a brooch I used to tag some lace. She wanted it really bad so I gave her a good deal.

On this occasion I naturally wanted to have a unique suitcase.
Here is what I did...

When I got the case the false leather outside was a bright orange-deer-brown and the also-ghastly, brown satin fabric inside was splotchy. Well, don't get me wrong, I guess it looked funky in the 70's. Unfortunately this was the only suitcase at the flea market.

The decision was made with ease, I ripped out the fabric inside and spotted cardboard underneath!
A cardboard suitcase! All right!

I painted the false leather on the outside with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (yes, I did!) Duck Egg Blue, let it dry and then I brushed old white onto it. Just some strokes with an almost dry brush to bring out the highlights.
In this case I did not wax it for I wanted this dry and matt look, keeping in mind that the color could chip off and get wet. As a small decoration I used oxidized metal stamps (a butterfly, a leave and a tag).

On the inside I used Japanese Cotton Fabric (50% Cotton, 50% Linen), glued and sealed it with Mod Podge. You could use outdoor Mod Podge if you would like to be able to wipe a surface with a wet towel.

I did a quick upholstery for the inside of the cover with a light cream cotton fabric and then, decorated with a lace trim (for hanging up some earrings) and two bronze brooches (yes, that where the ones selling too).

Actually you could use such a suitcase as a decorating item in your home too where it could hold magazines, kids toys, books, remote controls, a cat (?)...or just shine.

And here it is in action! Much love, Dina

    

   

My Fair Summer

It's been a while...again.
Life is crazy right now!
A load of my clutches, purses and necklaces arrived in Düsseldorf two days before the re-opening party of "Das Pinke Zimmer" and I thought that's it for a while...but...no. I had to hurry up for the next market date was close and I hardly got done, but I got done :)
The market in Zug (Switzerland) was a great experience although the weather was slightly humid and the visitors rare. But I've met a lot of beautiful and interesting human beings and had a lovely helper by my side!
For the last two hours the sun came up and we enjoyed some more visitors.

Even these two "guys" got soaking wet

My booth

Our direct view from the market

Cleaning up

Afterwards I caught a big, fat cold and my husband had to get surgery on his back, so I was home alone with two grumpy dogs, missing Oliver and dealing with all of it by myself.
I could not work on anything but on a little bit of cleaning.

These days I often have a quick look at my atelier and all the new fabrics lingering for me. I hardly can wait until my head, throat and lungs are getting free of all of this...waste...to go back to this new material waiting.
I also already have my mind set on christmas and the christmas markets but first I'd just enjoy this wonderful summer weather! It's exactly the temperature I prefer for this time of the year (not too hot!). I'll lay back, at least a little, before I have to make decisions, cut some strings, open new doors and live up to all of the new things that will come.

Much love, Dina

By the way: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWITZERLAND!

"Katrina Van Tassel" Collection

Niiiiice weather outside! One little thunderstorm is chasing the other.
The last two days I feel like getting a lot of things done that have been neglected for so long...I didn't have much time to help my husband cleaning and keeping our household up to date and there where a lot of things I wanted to get out of the way.
So, I shifted furniture in our corridor, cleaned, decorated and threw a lot of things away that made it all crowded and just collected a lot of dust and "whool-mouses" as we say...I guess you call it dust bunnies or so. :)
It feels like coming home again in our corridor. Nice! And you actually can breath.

Finally I also got to tear down an old wooden wardrobe at my mom-in-law's. My pa-in-law once got it from a flea market and leached (is this how you say it?) it and did a nice redo of it. The wardrobe was standing in my husbands room when he was a kid and then got moved from one apartment to another and from one room to another and finally one side crashed.
My mom-in-law wanted to trash it. First I thought about another redo but since I'm not a carpenter I thought that I won't be able to do it the right way. Anyways we don't have that much of space in our house.
So I decided to take it apart all the way and to use the wood (which is just beautiful and old) to make signs out of it.
We did not know how massive the wardrobe actually was...but we figured soon.
Glad I had my husband on my side I discovered my personal limit of destructive urge.

After all of this I feel pretty comfortable to spend time at the computer now. And this enables me to get my newest collection out.
It's comforting to get out another collection of purses and jewelry between all of this rough work with chests and furniture, which I love dearly, but I guess I've just got two sides :)

Too many words... here's my Katrina Van Tassel Collection ("Monday", "Wednesday" and "Sunday") dedicated to the female character of Sleepy Hollow.

Love, Dina

"Katrina Van Tassel - Sunday"

"Katrina Van Tassel - Monday"

"Katrina Van Tassel - Wednesday"