We are all big children

Last weekend we have celebrated the birthday of my oldest son. We have chosen for him and his friends the birthday party with workshop in the museum for children  Villa zebra in Rotterdam.
Every kid have made the birthday cake from scratches of fabric, polyester blocks, papers.
It was funny to see them ''baking'' own strawberry, chocolate or cheesecakes.
They were very happy to leave a party with their crafty piece of cake.

Today I came through the site of Jennifer Collier who makes amazing goodies from paper and other unnecessary materials.
''We are all big children'': I thought about our adults hobbies reminding us our childhood.

Few art works of Jennifer Collier

And the amazing Paper cuts creation of Etsy crafters:

Cardboard sheriff hat and 6 shooter by Mark O'Brien

Cardboard hanging lamp by Uquworkshop

Cardboard wall clock by Oupas Design

Vintage caravan paper broach by London Handmade

Cardboard swiss pastry by Art on the menu

Enjoy your hobby and upcycle too!

Show must go on

After almost 6 moths of designing, sewing, setting up my new shop Cabassole I am back to the up cycling part of me. Back to Moi Aussi activities and my main product - apron from upcycled jeans.
I have received positive feedback from my Etsy friends who are also constantly busy with the improvement of their shops and products. One of the comments was about sides of my apron, which are not covered with fabric.
In the beginning I was using only front of the old jeans.
Then I have decided to use the back in order to propose the bigger size.
The back of the same jeans is always larger.
It is funny, but women choose only aprons made from front.

The main purpose of the apron is to protect our clothes during cooking.
One evening I did not want to work and just browsed blogs of couture, recyclers and eco-fashion designers.
Without any purpose, just to pass time. Suddenly new idea highlighted my mind - how to improve my design.
Here it is my apron from upcycled jeans with the side parts from new fabric.
Cook in style and upcycle toooooo!

Playing with the wind

Today again about Netherlands and curious things we discover here.

Windmills and tulips are well-known symbols of this country.

And this is an old model which you can see is you visit ''open lucht museum''

And this is an example of modern windmill. They dissolve in the landscape and do not shock anymore even if there are still debates about good and bad part of this installation.

As any other installation some of them comes to the end of their life cycle.

What men creative and eco-consious engineers and architects can invite now-days! 

Wind turbine upcycled to create the children playground by 2012 Architecten

Sec

If you leave in Holland you probably use a bicycle very often. The infrastructure in this country is developed in such way to allow the usage of bicycle almost everywhere. Standing in my car on the stoplight and watching all cyclers passing by I was always wondering: how crazy would be the traffic in Netherland without bicycle. Many world cities try to rearrange their roads to incorporate cycle  corridors. It is not always safe! In Holland the safe cycle route safely separated from main car steam exist already for years.
But when the sun is shining you will not hesitate to put your mini-skirt, high hills and go on your bike. Unfortunately there are more rainy days in Holland and you need to protect your body if you do not want to be completely wet.
The former student of Design Academy Eindhoven Kyra Meilink launches the fabrication of the stylish coats that can be transformed into practical rainwear just in one second.

Slow living

I am trying to continue to pick up new ideas about upcycling from enormous sources of internet.
While reading many blogs I come across another ideas which are connected to my favorite subject.
One of it - slow movement and slow living.

Our life became so hectic!
Metro, boulot, dodo (french expression) - stands for ''metro, job, sleep''.

Running, running, running hole day and week trough. 

Slow movement it is everything about good life, healthy food, enjoying every simple moment of your life that can make you happier!

It is friday! Stop running! Enjoy your weekend!

One of my Etsy treasuries connected to this post

Clothes obesity

People are suffering from 'clothes obesity'. Now-days many of us have  cupboards full of clothes, books, shoes and other stuff which is just laying on the shelf being never used. Storage has no difference with premature death. Why don't we use them any more? Most of the time not because we do not like color, or model. It's just because we do not have time to use them. The design of  Isabel Valdes Marin's dress allow you to wear many of your unused clothes at the same time.
'Matter of time'  - one of the master projects of Design Academy Eindhoven 2011.
'Matter of time' is the artwork f social design which connects human needs with the real needs of our time.
/via Textiel plus number 219/


A Matter of Time: Black from Isabel Valdés Marín on Vimeo.

Tie me up & tie me down

 The men tie attracted my attention while typing the previous post about Guerra de la Paz.
This essential attribute of business men dressing code went through the experiments of eco-fashion designers because of it's enormous color and pattern palette and I suppose quite good state after even years of usage.
Here is the examples of upcycling ideas picked form internet and collection of great Etsy-designers working with this material.

Alabama Chanin takes recycling to funky, stylish new heights with ladder-back kitchen chairs from the 1920's-1970's, reworked and artfully woven with vintage men's ties

Recycled tie necklace by Laura Skelton

New year tree via NYC daily photo

Etsy eco-fashion designers

Guerra de la Paz

Guerra de la Paz is an artist studio formed by two persons Alain Guerra en Neraldo de la Paz. They collect and reuse the clothes and transform enormous mass of colorful textile into pieces of art. Themselves they call their creations as cynic, trying to pass the message about the consuming society in all degrees. Color, texture, social portraits, humor, cynicism, the idea - what do you like more in this incredible world, created by 2 artists?

Upcycled Lace lamp by Shannon South

I came a cross Shannon South shop which sells recycled leather bags. Everything related to upcycling recycling catches my attention immediately. And I am very curious to now about the person who has such great idea. I would like to present this beautiful upcycling idea - Lace lamp. Suits for chubby chic and cottage leaving style.

Enjoy my treasury Chubby chic & vintage lovers:

Photo-shoot of upcycled aprons

It is almost 1 year that I have started Moi Aussi and this blog. There were many times I was going to stop my upcycling experiments because of the many reasons. We have moved to another house, completely renovated it and we got a 3rd son. I was busy with many things but did not have enough time to keep up to date my blog and my Etsy-shop. During this year I have realized that my main product will be the apron from upcycled jeans. It is original and fun and I am very proud to put useless thing to another life-cycle.
The experience on the markets in the Netherlands, reactions within Etsy-community and my friends, support of my family and my husband prove that I need to continue.
One of my friends, photographer Frank van Naamen proposed me many times to make a photo-shoot of my aprons. As I was not a good model during the pregnancy, he has made a photos with different models. I was very happy with the photos - they are funny and clearly shows my creations.

I have used these photos to change the banner of my Etsy-shop.

From september my aprons are to sale in the shop Style Depot in Rhoon (Netherlands)

Upcycling idea - Standing lamp of Ikea

We are very busy with our new house. After years of leaving in the rented apartments or houses, where you not always have a possibility to change the environment as per your personal taste,  we explore now all our creative ideas. Some old stuff still placed here and there and I was ready to continue my upcycling experiments. One of them is transformation of standing lamp of Ikea. Many of young couples (as we were 10 years ago) start to furnish their leaving space with Ikea - affordable, nice and easy. So did we. From one house to another we took our Ikea lamps and they came almost to the end of their life cycle.
Instead of throwing it away I have tried to re-look one.
This is the initial image:

The entire lamp made from numerous conical frustums. In the beginning I had the idea to prepare the drawings of each section using mathematic formulas:) What an interesting idea! Finally I have found it too much preparation and cut the paper for every section in order to have ready pattern. I had many peacies of the colorful silk which I have used for my rainbow bag. 

Here is a result:

Catch the idea and upcycle too!

Swan Market in Rotterdam 17th of July

I have tried already to show and sell my products on 2 markets and every time it was a such bad weather! No luck!
During the Christmas market in my village it was so cold and on 25th of June in Utrecht for Zelfgemaakte markt it was raining and raining hole day. I tell myself that I should try another one, it will be good weather. So I will make a publicity:
Come to discover ''Moi Aussi'' products on 17th of July on Swan Market in Rotterdam

• Swan Market
• sunday 17 juli
• 12.00- 17.00 uur
• ROTABS Stylecenter
• zaagmolenkade 46 te Rotterdam

Bath-train or Lazy Sunday in Rotterdam

Long long time absent in my blog and I missed it so much!
This summer we spend our holidays in the city. So be it for one reason...
Luckily the weather this year is pretty good, sun is shining and there are many festivals organized in Rotterdam.
''Summer sundays'' is the festival of the vacation in the city. In the park near Euromast people come with picnics, barbecues, bottles of vine or champaign to relax, listen to the music, play with children chat or simply laying on the grass and watching the sunny sky.
So did we last weekend. The funny activity for the children was a bath-train. The group of 3 creative persons Dan, Gasper en Milena made it possible for our kids with their Vespaqua trein. It is really funny - the vintage baths on the weals full with warm water and you can make your a sunny tour round a park. But as usual there is a story behind  (from summer sundays site:

''In bath while enjoying nature? Vespaqua, the world's first mobile Italian bath,opens its doors to anyone who wants Bellisimo bath. Vespa Ape 500 in 1966, thelocomotive, the cars are pretty elegant baths, a boiler house is the station, waiting for the next train ... along scenic routes through the park surrounded by green leaves andsunshine. Away from the crowds, with relaxing music and a good espresso. No swim suit with you? Not bad, Vespaqua provides everything: bathrobe, slippers, beachwear, towels. Change and can wait to the friendly station. Book for yourself orfor two and experience the feeling of Vespaqua, mobile Baderie''


Rotterdamers on the grass

Bath-train is going to leave

Vintage decoration by Vespaqua:

Boiler providing heat water and the vintage changing cabin:

Our beautiful Rotterdam

Textile museum Tilburg

We live almost 4 years in Holland and try to visit museums, national parks, different cities as much as possible.
Holland is usually associated with Amsterdam, tulips and cheese. It is worth to be visited and tested but there is much more.
One of the treasury which we have discovered recently is Textile museum in Tilburg.
One of the interesting facts that it is not only the museum, but running factory with the small production of wool blankets, weaved, knitted, embroidered, printed textiles. Here professionals and students can try new techniques and their own designs.
The building was perfectly restored from old neglected brick construction to the modern and stylish complex.
I love dutch architecture. They are so many buildings which received a new soul thanks to the contemporary dutch architects.
What impress us as well when we visit museums in Holland, that there is always something to do with kids. And not only list of questions provided to them. Usually it is allowed to touch, try, play with the exposed objects.
My older son was very happy to make about 2 cm of weaved textile with the bike-like device.
There is a working weave machine which  is driven by the movement of the pedals! Incredible! It was very funny to see him biking and saying: ''Mama look, I am working hard!"
My both sons made a piece of knitted textile together. In the textile lab hall there is another machine with a hand mechanism to show children how their socks are produced. They turned a handle for making 2-3 cm of knitted sock. Suddenly we heard explosion of laugh when museum employer put on the button and their sock became in two seconds much longer.
It was very nice visit.
When you will have a chance to come to Holland, put this address on your list.

Machine from Woolen Blanket Factory (everything is working)

Just piece of textile I like inside Woolen Blanket Factory

Modern weave machine

Damask Weaving Centre with huge wooden machines

Furnitures covered with Damask linen on the top level

Museum cafe

Building and summer terrace from outside