postcard from the lakes

We are back from a week long vacation in the Lake District. It was as beautiful as we expected it, and much more. I've finished sorting all our vacation photos - as usual, there are way too many - and will post some trip reports very soon. I did grab a copy of Mollie Makes while in the UK, and it was so exciting to see the printed article of my dog softie. Also, the magazine is lovely, full of great crafty projects and tutorials which I'm dying to try out soon...

mollie makes

I'm on this month's issue of Mollie Makes :-)
The project featured is the dog softie below, which I made specially for this issue.
Thanks to everyone who wrote or commented here to let me know they've enjoyed it !

a set of softies

Hello there :) A new set of softies that were actually made as Christmas gifts, and although two of them are already in their new homes, I only remembered to post about them till I came across the photos again during the weekend.

I had forgotten how I love to make these softies, and it was nice to have the time to make them leisurely for a change.



(I've named them after their intended recipients, so from left to right: #42 Diogo, #43 Natalia and #44 Catarina)

le chat parti

le chat parti, les souris dansent
(when the cat's away the mice will play)

This batch of softies are now on their way to Belgium, to Raquel's new shop which is opening next May 2nd in Bellefontaine. If you happen to be in the neighborhood please drop by to make a visit !

LE CHAT PARTI
Rue des Prisonniers Politiques 279
B-6730 Bellefontaine

#38 #39 Bastien + Enzo



#41 #40 Clementine + Anais



#35 #36 #37 Chloe + Elise + Noemie

wip

some new softies for a new shop opening soon ...





and this week I picked up a project that had been forgotten since January. Not sure I like how the colors are coming together, but this Noro colorway is quite uneven (or maybe I was unlucky with the skeins I chose). But I love the pattern, so I'm determined to finish it.



and also this week I discovered Goodreads, which is quickly becoming addictive.

Now, dearest sun, is there any hope that you might make an appearance this weekend ? I want to go roller blading ...

catching up

And resuming normal blog posting now ... but first, for those of you coming through TripAdvisor and looking for the trip reports, they're now listed on the sidebar. I've also taken out the list of links I had down there, and will put it on a separate page soon (it was quite outdated)

It's been hard getting back to crafting since we returned but last night I finally shook the dust out of the fabric pile and started cutting some new bags. A few of these will be available at Patricia's shop soon, along with other items. I'm also planning a shop update in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned for that. My goal is to have a regular shop update every month from now on, not sure if that's realistic but I'm going to try my best. A few people have written to ask about x-mas orders already, but I'm afraid I won't have time to take any. However, if you're from around Braga, I'm pleased to announce that I'll be sending a big batch of bookcovers to be sold at the Centésima Página bookshop for x-mas (available from December 1st).



One reason I'm a bit strapped for time is because I'm going to Macau and Hong Kong for a few days in November. My friend S. is finally getting married on Nov. 10th and I'm to be the maid of honor (actually since I'm married I guess the correct term is matron of honor ? geesh, that makes me feel so old).
Anyway, since it was pretty much last minute, and I don't have many vacation days left, it's going to be a very rushed trip. I'll be leaving on a Thursday and coming back the next Tuesday, which will be just enough time for the wedding, meeting some old friends, meeting some new ones too, and hopefully some shopping. The last time I was in that part of the world was about ten years ago, so I'm sure a lot of things have changed since then.



(This little bunny was a custom order made sometime ago, and is now in the company of Celine on the other side of the Atlantic, making a little girl very happy)

espaço little objects

disponíveis na Papel e Cª (em boa companhia da Carla e da Marisa)

available at: Papel & Cª
Morada / Address: Rua Prof. Bento de Jesus Caraça, 23 - Porto


(photo by Marta :)

on why I love making softies

I think it's pretty self explanatory, right ?
The blue and red one I made for the birthday girl you see above (my friend's daughter), and was immediately christened Tufa. The pink one is called Molly and is staying at home for the time being...

new batch

Hi there, please meet Berry (red kitty), Mabel (bunny) and Petal (green kitty), my new batch of softies.

I'm really enjoying making these, there's something magical about making softies for me ... you don't get to really see it until it's almost done, and then that magical point when you finish applying the last touches and the whole thing just comes to life, it always surprises me. Plus, they give me a chance to finally use some of that trim stash and all the lovely wool fabrics I've been hoarding lately.



These are now available here.


Pequenos Artistas
Av. Nuno Krus Abecassis, Condomínio do Parque - loja 30
1750-456 Lisboa



 

♥ valentine bunny

now, we don't really much care about valentine's day around here ... and the whole exaggerated marketing around it just tends to irritate me (do people actually buy all that stuff ? I can't help but wonder sometimes). But this week I was inspired to make this. For A., of course.


 

#17 #18 cecilia & delfim

valentine's day editions
(available at Anthrop / disponíveis na Anthrop, em Coimbra)

friday flickr favorites

hello, not much to report today, but I'm leaving you with a totally gratuitous (but cute) shot of the 3 softie kittens under the ripple blanket, and some flickr faves.

I'm signing off early today, since we're flying out later to Barcelona to spend the weekend there with F. and a few other friends. It's going to be so much fun, and I'm really looking forward to it.

About my earlier post on blogger feed problems, the issue is that the first feed that shows up on the list doesn't work anymore (I've reported it to Blogger, but no feedback yet), so if you're trying to subscribe again please use one of the other two feed options that appear below (http://chocolateachuva.blogspot.com/atom.xml or http://chocolateachuva.blogspot.com/rss.xml)

Anyway, have a good weekend, I'll post about Barcelona on Monday (a tour of some crafty shops has been promised) and here are those Flickr faves



1. forest bunny, by littlebirds, 2. magazine bag, by cyn contemporary, 3. fat rabbit, by sudabox, 4. isabelle, by ann wood, 5. patchwork bag, by gayatri, 6. giraffes, by hilda portela, 7. WAWAYA#46, by gnip, 8. n.38, by catarina m, 9. fall toy, by jess hutch

 

three little kittens

were born this weekend and came out to play ...



Dotty was the first of the litter, she's a bit shy and quiet so will be staying at home for the time being. Amélie and Sushi are still getting used to her, but I think they'll get along well.



Poppy is a flower kitty, she loves to meet new people and is very outgoing, and will be traveling soon to Patricia's new shop.



Violet is the youngest, she's very playful and is looking to find a lovely new home where she can play at her heart's content. She'll be available at the shop later today.

 

#15 #16 afonso & beatriz

I was catching up on blog reading last night, and Jane's post on favorite colors reminded me of my own strange choices on this subject. For a long time, I favored darker colors only (black, brown, navy blue - didn't we all go through such a phase ?), then went through a period of neutrals (white, beige, caramel) to settle finally into brighter colors when I reached my 30s (red, turquoise, purple). Although those are my favorite (single) colors for now, there are others that, like Jane said, work so much better in a combo. Like pink and grey, or light blue and chocolate brown, lavender and aqua green, and so on ...



Take orange, for example. I've always hated orange - always - but lately I've been loving it when mixed with brown. Which is how I ended up dressing these latest softies, by the way. I just couldn't help myself, the colors just looked so nice together.



They were made specially for a shop that is opening soon, by talented Patricia, so if you happen to be in the neighborhood, please drop by to visit them, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Also available at the shop will be these bookcovers, these pouches and this bag (more of the orange-brown combo... when I get an idea into my mind, it's hard to let go).