Thursday, May 31, 2018

6 Ways I keep my weight down; more leather bracelets for the summer; new experiences and discoveries at my daughter's place.

If you are getting my post in your mailbox, please consider reading it in it's original form by clicking on the title: more elegant, colorful, more pleasant to read with pinable images. Thank you.  



How I keep my weight down


I know we are all different persons and especially with weight issues, what works for you may not work for me. It IS hard to loose weight when you get older, so I try to keep my weight steady instead of down. Anyhow here are a couple of my tricks that might work for you or  give you inspiration. If it did inspire you and you discovered new ways, please tell me!

- At breakfast, despite the doctor's saying that you should eat a good breakfast, I only have a slice of bread with cheese and honey and olives. If I have more, I give my body a sign that still more is coming and I get easier hungry during the day.
- When eating, I chew my food thoroughly; this way I feel longer satisfied, I have enough with less.
- When I am creative or do something with my hands I don't feel hunger. The CREATING PROCESS satisfies me and I don't have this gnawing feeling that I mistakenly take for hunger!
- I eat a lot and I mean a lot of green leafy vegetables like spinach, sorrel, lettuce etc. It helps emptying my bowels.
-I have bread, spaghetti and the like only once a day; it is hard to eliminate them out of the body, it stays in the twists of  the colon and you add weight!
- I have observed that when I eat at a family gathering or in a nice restaurant and even if I eat a lot, I don't gain weight. So, enjoy your food and it eat in good company!


More leather summer bracelets


I have a set of leather bracelets, right for summer time, but not right for swimming because of the wooden beads. I like them a lot especially 2 bracelets with 60-ties color combinations. I made a double bracelet with leather tassel


LoveLea's leather double bracelet with wooden beads  and leather tassel.
LoveLea's leather double bracelet with wooden beads and leather tassel.


 and a triple one: in 1 click you put on 3 of them.


LoveLea's leather triple bracelet with wooden beads.
LoveLea's leather triple bracelet with wooden beads.

This set also has a wrap bracelet/choker with wooden beads in a variety of colors and closes with a handmade leather button and loop.


LoveLea's leather choker/bracelet with wooden beads.
LoveLea's leather choker/bracelet with wooden beads.

LoveLea's leather choker/bracelet with wooden beads.
LoveLea's leather choker/bracelet with wooden beads.

And the last of the set is a leather string with green wooden beads, handmade letter button and loop and will fit someone with a large wrist.


LoveLea's leather bracelet with green wooden beads.
LoveLea's leather bracelet with green wooden beads.


I am feeling something but I don't know what it is!


Last Sunday we visited our daughter; we had a very good time with lots of experiences. Around 6 pm on Sunday, I was taking a walk with Max, my 12 year old grandson. He wanted to chase pokemons! we walked around in the neighborhood and his cell phone showed the road we were walking and  pokemons hidden along the road. We had to discover them (on the screen) and then trow a ball to catch them. Since he was doing all the catching it was not very exciting for me. I told him so and then I was allowed to throw a ball at a pokemon. (I was rather good at it!).

Suddenly we heard an odd noise and we saw an air balloon coming our direction almost hitting the trees! Max shouted: you are gone hit the trees, be careful! (so sweet).We ran up a hill to have a better look but were hold back by the trees and private property; they were frantically pumping the gas to get higher and eventually they succeeded and receded. That was close! Thank God they didn't get tangled up in the trees.

We stayed for 2 nights and around 5 o'clock in the morning, we woke up with an aubade of many different birds, all equally spectacular; but the blackbirds were the champions. Wow, what a thrillers and high notes comes out of such a tiny bird! we were mesmerized. Of course, nothing equals a nightingale's song; you go all quiet and get tears in your eyes but I have only heard their song twice in my whole life. A good blackbirds song leaves you speechless and the birds were competing and showing off their different trills. 

Vicky, Max's little sister will be 9 in October; she's very independent and wants to do everything herself. On our last evening we were eating out and Vicky choose a nice dressy frilly dress, put on some lipstick (this bothers me because she's only 8) and dressed her hair like a pro! I like it that she wants to dress up for eating out.

Max is in his last year of first grade and the school organized a bivouac. He has been sleeping out with friends for 1 night but never 4 nights in a row. But his biggest problem is food: he is very picky and only eats a couple of things. The morning of their leaving, about 30 min before leaving, he tells his father: I am feeling something in here (and he shows his stomach) but I don't know what it is. Isn't that super cute!!!!

Tip of the week!


If you have a garden and in your garden you have grapes and if you are out of lemon, don't worry I have the solution. When the grapes are still green and quite hard, pick a small bunch, wash them and crush them in a mortar with a pestle; if you don't have a mortar and pestle, put the grapes in a bowl and crush them with a stone; squeeze out as much juice a possible and pour the (sifted if you like) verjuice over your salad or wherever you need lemon juice.

Still green grapes from the garden
Still green grapes from the garden.

This grapes are still to small but the size of the bunch will be perfect for one salad.


So, do you have any tips for me? Besides vinegar or lemon, what do you use to freshen up your salad? Tell us in the comments, please!

See you next week with more leather bracelets (I am working on boho style bracelets!), more stories and tips.

If you liked reading my post, please share it on Face Book or Pinterest with the buttons right below.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

About leather bracelets for the beach, a leather apron and Hurry, it's elder flower time!

Leather bracelets for the beach


I have some nice bracelets, of the first ones I made, superb for the beach: all leather and glass vintage beads, no metal that can corrugate or get ugly by sea water. At that time, I didn't have any ready  made clasp or hasp, so I made them myself: a leather button and a loop and an artful attaching of the button to the bracelet.


LoveLea's beach bracelets with vintage glass beads.
LoveLea's beach bracelets with vintage glass beads.

The vintage beads I found at the nearby weekly flea market. Somebody had stringed this vintage beads to an elastic and there were 3 of them. I bought one "bracelet" and then after pondering and debating went back and bought the other ones.

Back home, I cut a small, narrow strip of leather, chose matching beads and stringed them onto to the leather, made and attached the button and loop and here was a nice bracelet. I also made a longer one that you can wear as a choker and as a wrap bracelet.

LoveLea's leather wrap bracelet or choker with vintage glass beads.
LoveLea's leather wrap bracelet/choker with vintage glass beads.

The last (or first) Turquoise bead at the right is a vintage evil eye bead, a must in the summer. It will protect you when you have an attractive tan.


LoveLea's wrap bracelet/choker with vintage evil eye bead
Detail of wrap bracelet/choker with vintage evil eye bead


Too bad I only had enough beads for 1 more bracelet. Wow, I wanted more of these beads! when I went back some time later: the lady had moved out of town! No more nice vintage beads.


My leather apron made.


I've been talking about this leather apron ( in this posthere ) and not showing you something; you might think: she is pulling our leg, but this week I have pictures. The hide thus was rather small and I decided to show the organic shape of the hide so I could have my desired length. What's the use of an apron that does not sufficiently cover you.




But this organic shape didn't appeal to me very much and I decided to cut off the point below. I like it a lot better now. While wearing and using this prototype I'll learn the flaws & faults if there are any before I sell it in my shop.



It does look a lot better with the tip cut off. Below is the picture of the binding straps: they are adjustable; in winter I have more layers of clothing and I still want my apron to fit. The straps are hand sewn with linen thread.



Hurry, elder flower time is almost over.


Last Sunday my husband and me went for a walk in the nearby park. It is a nice park with 2 ponds, lots of ducks, white goose, Egyptian geese, moorhens...and elder trees! I was so excited to see the trees and the white perfumed blossoms. It has been years since I saw an elder tree.

Why do I love them so much? Because the blossoms are such fragile little things with a particular healthy smell AND I make a syrup from the blossoms that is a real panacea against colds, coughs and even can stop an upcoming flue. It really is magic, wonder, a real elixir that everybody should make and have in the pantry. No bag available, so I gathered them in my cardigan.


Elder blossoms
Elder blossoms.



Besides it's most important use as a remedy against cold and coughing, you can use it to perfume a cake, your tea and you can make a sparkling wine out of it. The methods are too elaborate to tell you here, but you can email me to get the recipe. May is the month they flower and if the weather has been cold, the season might extend into June! So, if you want to make this syrup or sparkling wine, just email me!


Elder blossoms in the sun
Elder blossoms in the sun.


For now, this is it. Do you have a special herb, flower, blossom that helps you recover from a cold or coughing? Tell me, I would like to hear from you. You can leave a comment in the box below or email me.

See you!


Thursday, May 17, 2018

About pampering yourself! More feminine cow hide bracelets; Leather apron;

How do I pamper my self.


This whole moving business, the emptying of 15 m³ of boxes (or 89 boxes) is eating my energy! my spirit is spiraling downwards by moments. What I need is "pamper time". Pampering yourself is great to replenish your energy. Luckily I thrive on small things, not always but most of the time: I don't need expensive gifts or treats. Mostly it doesn't cost me a cent, I only have to allow myself some things. It are small things, but they get me out of my routine; routine kills me.

  • My cup of coffee, first thing in the morning (conditio sine qua non).
  • From time to time I take an extra bath in the evening, when it is dark and I bath with candle light (takes time). 
  • When done bathing, I cover myself from head to toe with a luxurious body cream. It boosts my self awareness considerably, heavenly.
  • I let myself read some more than I actually have time for (easy one)
  • I purposely sit on the couch to listen to my favorite baroque music (another easy one)
  • I get out my nice plates and have dinner out of them (if they aren't stowed too far away, easy one)
  • I have a nice stash of vintage dish towels and I choose 1 of them! 
  • I take a ride on my bicycle, first uphill and then fly down with my hair blown by the wind!
  • I go the the magazine shop and take my time to choose a magazine, 15 to 20 minutes. It gives me a feeling of luxury. When getting home, at first I only have a look at the pictures and later on I will start reading the articles. This is much nicer than having a subscription, you decide  on the time you want a magazine!  

    Feminine cow hide bracelets


    This week I created 2 more feminine cow hide bracelets. The creating itself is easy, choosing the right piece of leather takes most of the time. I bought 2 kilos of cow hide scraps, all pieces in the most possible odd shapes. When I got my box delivered and opened it, I said: OMG, what am I going to do with this. This purchase is a complete disaster! Now it has become more of a challenge and I find it rather stimulating; the first step is the most difficult.


    LoveLea's cow hide bracelets.
    LoveLea's cow hide bracelets.


    Again they look like strange animals to me: this one could be a carnivore with his sharp teeth.


    LoveLea's white cow hide bracelet.
    LoveLea's cow hide bracelets.


    This one looks like a whale, don't you think so?


    LoveLea's all browncow hide bracelet.
    LoveLea's all brown cow hide bracelet.


    My leather apron.


    I'm all set to start my leather apron BUT no leather yet. I emailed the company (on 29/04) for pictures of pink skins; I got an answer with the question what pink is to me and emailed some pictures back; their answer was: I have skins in this colors, come have a look. I asked then to take pictures of some big skins so I could buy them online (04/05). Didn't hear from them again and this was about a week ago. I should give them some more time.

    Haven't heard of the company I emailed. Too impatient to wait, I visited the web shop of my scrap provider and ordered 1 pink hide. The only choice I had was between a soft thin (0.7 mm), smooth hide and a 0.3 mm thicker hide but with a relief: I don't want dirt and little particles clinging into the grooves how I small they be, so the choice was easily made. Now I have to wait the email that tells me my parcel is on its way.

    2 days ago, 15th of May, my parcel arrived. It is the color I ordered, but a bit darker then I really want and it is small. The description said: 4 or 5 foot and I misinterpreted this. If 1 foot is 30x30 cm, then 4 or 5 foot should be 120x120 cm I reasoned, but that's not the case. I should have imagined a hide where at the most 4 or 5 whole squares could fit in. One more lesson learned. Rushing things is counterproductive, is another lesson I learned. I hope the apron will finally be ready by my next publishing, this is next week.


    My pink hide for apron.
    My pink hide for apron.


    So, what do you do to get energy? How do you pamper yourself? What makes you go on? Tell me or us, we would like to know and learn about other ways and possibilites.

    Hope to hear from you! See you next week!



    Thursday, May 10, 2018

    Repurposing cultural heritage; cowhide bracelet; no more easy gratitude; viva vinegar!,

    Cultural heritage


    a couple years ago, when I still had a passion for fabric, cloth, lace and embroidery, I roamed the flea markets and bought quite a lot vintage embroidered pillowcases, fardels, baby sheets etc. In an antique shop a woman imposed a whole bunch of traditional motifs on me, embroidered with metal gold thread on a silk background; this motifs are all what is left from various caftans, donned by who knows, 100 years back. The big couturiers use them in their creations, she assured me. You'll find something to do with them, she added! She sure knew how to sell what she wanted. It is true Dries Van Noten and  other couturiers has used oriental motives, but who am I?

    Until now I only used 2 small, individual motifs I cut out with infinite patience and pasted them to a strap of leather to create an "Oriental" bracelet; one is gold thread on navy blue leather, the other is gold thread on fuchsia leather. I like them, but they are very fragile, you can't wear them when working or with sleeves.


    LoveLea's Oriental bracelet with vintage motif
    LoveLea's Oriental bracelet with vintage motif.

    Back to the present!


    Gudrun, my sister in law inspired me to make bracelets in cowhide for women. I had a small chunk of cowhide, rectangular shaped with the most cute curl in the middle of the piece and in a very vibrant brown. I only cut the ends a bit shorter and look at this cute bracelet:


    LoveLea's cowhide bracelet for women.
    LoveLea's cowhide bracelet for women, detail of curl.


    LoveLea's cowhide bracelet for women,2.
    LoveLea's cowhide bracelet for women.

     


    A different look at gratitude


    All the books about prosperity tell you to be grateful. O.k., I get that, I don't feel like giving to a person who doesn't appreciate a gift; I don't want people to be for ever grateful or I am not the kind of person that says: I gave you this and you do that to me. But to me, being grateful is a bit boring, let's say: no challenge, too clear, too obvious. But not for Ryan Holiday! In a TV interview with Marie Forleo, he says that being grateful for your mom is easy and he adds: "what is something I am upset about and why am I grateful that it happened that way".  and "who is the person that I feel the most anger towards and why am I grateful for them". Wow, this is a challenge, a mental exercise! This will make my mornings different, I won't feel embarrassed again for doing a lousy gratitude job.


    Grateful for my fathers clock.


    Remember the post about my antique furniture I didn't have room for in my new house? One of the items I could find room for is the clock my father dearly loved. The steady ticking of the clock is reassuring, life goes on, continues, no matter what. Every hour its bell chimes and 2 minutes later it reminds you of the time! and 28 min later, it chimes the half hour. When I am on the phone and one of my brothers or sisters hear the bell, they are taken back in time immediately; all of them exclaim: oh, I hear the clock and then some seconds of silence. Isn't it amazing what a sound can do to you!!!! There is no manufacturing  date on the clock, but it it easily 200 years old, still working, giving the time exactly, keeping us company! 

    My passion for vinegar!


    You want to know what my panacea is for cleaning? Plain old white vinegar. I use it in the kitchen: to clean lime traces, to clean my kettle, I poor vinegar in the kettle and let it sit for 30 min or longer, in the dish washer in stead of a chemical product; in the bathroom to clean the washstands, the tub, the mirror, I add some vinegar to the last rinsing water when I wash my hair. When cleaning the windows, I add a shoot to the last rinsing water; if you use soda instead of baking powder, you should add a dessert spoon of vinegar so the soda can do its job and of course, in a potato salad, lemon won't do, it has to be vinegar.

    Any other uses for vinegar? What do you use it for? Tell us, leave a comment.

    I hope to have more news about my apron by next week and I've jotted down some notes for my bucket bag. Don't miss out on the next post: to my blog and latest post.

    Thursday, May 3, 2018

    Who's mom will my leather jewels adorn? The almost making of a leather apron, a cue for your (e- readers) battery.

    Mother day is coming up!


    It is almost Mother Day. I sought out some necklaces and bracelets that would make nice, cute gifts for mother day. I chose out some ranges of necklaces and bracelets that are not too particular, but special and interesting enough to please different mothers.

    I have 2 sets of minimalist necklaces; one set is made of leather string with a big glass anti evil-eye bead and I made 3 of them each with a blue, an orange or a red bead.


    LoveLea's anti evil eye leather necklace.
    LoveLea's anti evil eye leather necklaces.


    The other set is  leather string with a big glass bead, also very minimalist! The dark leather has a big orange bead, the other necklace is in pink/nude leather with a big transparent bead, very feminine.


    2 LoveLea's minimalist leather necklace.
    2 LoveLea's minimalist leather necklace.


    For another set of leather jewels, I used navy blue leather straps with very nice vintage glass beads;  they got a bit of a boho look:


    LoveLea's boho leather necklace and bracelets with vintage beads
    LoveLea's boho leather necklace and bracelets with vintage beads.


    And lastly, 2 necklaces with wooden beads.


    LoveLea's boho leather necklace with wooden beads
    LoveLea's boho leather necklaces with wooden beads


    The  necklace on the outside has small pieces of  mother-of-pearl I picked up at the beach. They are attached with a strip of leather.

    More pictures at my Facebook page; choose the collection: Leather jewels electable for Mother Day.

    The making of an apron.


    Do you remember I love aprons?This week, I started working at my very own and personal apron. I have a huge salmon pink cotton apron, donned it to decide on the right measurements and made a paper pattern. The length of the straps keeps me mulling: they should fit multiple waists; it will be my apron and a prototype at the same time. Leather straps can't be bind thus I have to figure out adjustable straps.

    Alas, I spook too soon! I have 3 big skins in my stash but still they are not big enough. At the moment we don't have a car and I am designated to buy online. Will a new skin get here in time to make my apron before publishing time?


    How to make your battery last.


    One of my passions is reading. Since I travel a lot, an e-reader is an excellent solution for me, I don't have to choose which book I' ll take with me, I take them all. Battery life is often a challenge. At the summerhouse, the air was very humid and the battery was used up in 2 days. I discovered that when I unplug my reader when it is fully loaded, the quicker I do this, the longer my battery last. Rather then plug in your reader before going to bed, do it when you are awake and unplug as soon as your reader is fully charged. Believe me, try it out, it makes a difference.

    Do you have any hints or tips for us? Do let us know!

    See you next week!

    The event of the year (in my town), Pro's of having a dog, How I excorcise inspiration; My revamped quote!

    The event of the year Last Friday it was my daughter's birthday and it was the first day of Suikerrock, a 3 day rock festival in our...

    The event of the year (in my town), Pro's of having a dog, How I excorcise inspiration; My revamped