REVolution

52 promises in 2013, in a notebook!

remember my post with my 52 promises? i also promised myself i will make a lovely 'mini'-album with all those 52 promises. so 1 spread every week. the journaling is on the mirror side of the page, i have to finish that. but i just wanted you to show how i'll work my 52 promises in a lovely book.

and i've used my own BRANDNEW notebook for that!

this is just perfect for it! have you seen it already in my Etsyshop? it's actually running from my shelves, so if you were thinking about joining me on my 52 promises project this year, you better act quickly if you want to get your eager little hands on one of these!

it's a handmade (by me yes oh yes) notebook with about 65 pages. there are little secret messages from me in there AND a complete free set of 8 of my mixed media postcards! i know you want one. you can get the cuteness here.

on the agenda today: split in half kinda-day. one important call for today: the dentist for Sanne. she has to have 2 teeth pulled out and i was kinda pushing 'the call' away in December... but it just has to be done. ugh. i feel so bad for the little grapefruit. but she'll do fine. just like the last time, she didn't even moved a muscle at all. i've got some other plans up the works. like a calendar, making more notebooks, thinking about creating some flair buttons and setting up the big lines for an agenda/calendar 2014. so if i get that big pink elephant out of the way, i can start creating.

life is good. promise. 
rev 

hello etsy.

Saturday October 27th there will be a conference in The Netherlands "Hello Etsy". this will be during the Dutch Design Week and let me tell you: i bought a ticket and am so so so excited about it! feels like taking this dream of me to the next level.

i can't wait to talk to new people, other (creative) entrepeneurs, inspirators and all the other people i will bump into. literaly. i'm clumbsy and bump into people and sometimes that brings the loveliest conversations.

 

if you are dreaming of a creative career. or thinking about opening up your own Etsy Shop. or you just want to be inspired by very talented & succesfull girls & boys, go ahead, buy yourself a ticket, and let's meet October 27 in Eindhoven!

life is good. are we there yet?
rev

please act quickly before my crow finds out.

i just listed these lovely warm, soft & cozy iphone 4 / Samsung Galaxy crocheted cozies in my Etshop. here. and here. and here. and there's even one very unique special one with a gorgeous tiny heart on it. swoon.

but you know, my-all-you-create-is-mine-crow my sweet little bundle of joy hasn't seen me doing this. so if you still want one, i advice you to act quickly. she already has taken the aquablue one (little...). so the colors above are still available. for now. and once they are gone, they are gone peeps. 

on the agenda today: half work day, but i'm trying to cheat and squeeze in some extra REVolution time, because i've got this canvas on my mind that needs to come out. and this weekend is extra very ordinairy special. some of you allready know FALL is my favorite season of all, and that's not just because i'm turning 38 (iieeek, when did that happen?) this Sunday (October 7th). can you say CHOCOLATE? o yes. indulge.

life is good. i can add another year!
rev 

today is a brand new day.

just a lovely reminder to you. today is a brand new day. i need this reminder frequently. to keep my negative thoughts away. to stop thinking that what happened to me once, controls my life. i won't go into detail, but let's just say there's been a few rough times & years in my life. especially when i was growing up.

but today is a brand new day. don't let your past be present in your future. just think of the lessons you learned and what you gained from it. not what you lost. and there are situations where you most certainly don't have power over, especially when you are a child. but when you are grown up, you DO have power. you have a choice. you DECIDE how situations effect you. how you react and how you choose to live forward.

some people say to me "wow, you turned out nicely eventhough what happened to you". well. i just take that as a compliment. it's all about how much you care about yourself NOW. don't look back. don't live in the past. what's done is done and you cannot change one thing about it. the only thing you can change is how you look at the world. how you choose your friends. your path. your faith. if you want to stay a victim. keep dwelling in the negativity. or do you want to live your life with passion, with positivity, with love, with dreams. what's the message you want to send out into the universe. don't forget. you get what you ask for.

it's all about perspective. maybe you think that sounds easy from 'me' coming, but seriously don't judge, because you'll never know exactly what path somebody has walked. a big smile on somebody's face doesn't always balance out the inner soul. 

life is good. today is a brand new day. and i'm taking it!
rev 

you are my christmas angel.

{soon available as christmas cards in my Etsyshop. oh my}

christmas is one of my favourite holidays ever. i just love the magic feeling. decorating the house. the lights. the excitements of the kids. good food. feeling joyful. overthinking the year. enjoying wine with friends. creating new craftie stuff with the kids at our days off. it's just magic.

and i just NEED to create a complete christmas line with REVolution postcards. with enveloppes! so i'm ON IT. this is my second one. the first i'll show you after December 1st. that's just a nice little surprise. and can i tell you how i love how this canvas turned out? sometimes an image in my head just completely transfers to my canvas. 100%. love.

on the agenda today: you could have guessed it. REVolution day. and i need to get this rear in gear. at least 2 more christmas canvasses on the wishlist. and i have so much ideas swirling around in my head i need to jot them down. because i'm dreaming of such a big product line for my designs and i feel confident i'll get there. not arrogant. confident. i should read this message in a year from now to see if i had the right feeling <3.

life is good. christmas is on the corner!
rev 

a confession. part one.

you all know what it's like. you read other blogs. blogs that inspire you. make you want to create. stories you love to read. and sometimes, just sometimes you get this overwhelming feeling that other peoples lives are so much more perfect and 'together' than yours. well, let me tell you, you are WRONG.

let me start by frequently confess a piece of my life, my personality which is uhm.... FAR from perfect. far from being such a lovely mom. use it to your advantage <3.

like the fact that i scream at my kids. a bit too much to my opinion. it usually happens when i'm exhausted, irritated, busy doing work-related stuff or just not feeling happy. it happens before i can think about the count-to-10-rule. i'm not proud of it. and even ashamed of it. but when it happens i realise i'm a moron. they sure don't deserve the screaming version of me, even IF they are as annoying as they can be, and any other mom would have locked them. but you know, i say sorry. i kneel down. explain to them mommy is just a human being with limits and that i'm so sorry for my meltdown. that i act crazy. that i just wasn't me. and that they pushed a bit too much buttons (which usually cracks a big smile on Rubens face, asking WHERE THE BUTTONS ARE?). ha. not giving them anymore amo then they already have.

and when that happens they forgive me. they say it's okay. we talk about what happened and what we can do differently next time. and that usuallly works. for a day or 2. ha.

i think the thing to learn is: we all make mistakes. mommies too. but to be graciously admitting your mistake and saying sorry for your behaviour is simply teaching them how to say sorry for something you did. and as long as i can do that, i know i'm not completely the worlds worst mom. yet.

{close your eyes, clear your heart, let it go}. available as postcard or print.

life is good. confessing clears your heart.
rev 

new print available NOW.

ohhh. my most favorite canvas to date! i felt i had to create something more boyish so i can make Ruben happy to have a canvas of his own. most other canvasses are more girly than i thought. sometimes it's good he keeps me on both tracks by making it MORE THAN CLEAR to me that he NEEDS a canvas of his own too <3.

and now this lovely print is available in my Etsyshop! hurray. this print is perfect for your little ones room, your grand childs room, or anyother boyish human you have in your life. ha.

i'm working on those to get them as postcards too. because seriously, these would be rad to send out as Valentines cards.

life is good. little boys in balloons are rad.
rev 

what i love the most about writing crochet patterns.

i love crocheting and i love writing my own patterns. and selling them. the feeling i get for figuring out something i had in my head, and finally finding out how to get the pattern right, is indescribable. rush. high. excited. butterflys all in one second. and then i get going like the fire department. moving on, because i simply cannot wait to write the pattern. taking the step-by-step pictures.

when i get feedback on my Etsyshop and i read about how detailed & easy-to-follow my instructions are i feel good. i know that i would <3.

but the best feeling is, when the lovely girls who buy my patterns email me with pictures of their version of my pattern. that's the best feeling peeps. proud comes close. pick your own colors. your own scheme. make it you.

Florence choose to use pastel colors which work so incredibly gorgeous with the light & dark greys. i also love her added border. soft & gorgeous.

Rianne choose to work with creme and shades of pink. i love the romantic look of it!

so. did you buy (one of) my patterns and you love to show your creations to me & the rest of my readers? please feel free to email them to me. i'm happy to show off your talent.

on the agenda today: unfortunately my blood levels were dropped rapidly again, so an appointment with the doctor is on the agenda. i simply need those B12 pills to keep the levels up & running. have some work in the office to take care of but in the afternoon, it's all me & the small dude peeps. and that means either puzzling our heads off (he's a star in puzzling), or he will be occupied with his lego and playmobile and i can continue my canvas i started on yesterday. handling that. driving home for christmas. o yes.

life is good. hey. it's back.
rev

in love with sweet packaging.

oh how i love making cute & sweet packaging for my lovely postcards to go in. it's like wrapping up presents for my clients. who doesn't want to get a set of postcards in this cute baggie, right?

on the agenda today: office & relax day split in half. that's the way i roll lately and that's working for all of us. and don't tell but i will sneek in a few hours for REVolution. i've got so much fun stuff up my sleeve. jadiejadajada feeling so dang good, what's in the water?

pssst. here we go :)
rev 

i did it. the English version of the Bobble Flower Granny Square crochet blanket is R.E.A.D.Y.!

{pattern & complete step-by-step tutorial & 3 instruction video's available in my Etsystore in Dutch & Enlgish}

this was such a BIG project that i really feel kinda empty now i've finished it. the blanket was finished some time ago, so was the Dutch tutorial and the 3 Dutch instruction video's. the English translation took me a while because you know there were 19 pages (!) to translate. and i had to make 3 English instruction video's. and well, live kinda moved on also with the normal daily help-me-i-only-have-24-hours-in-a-day-stuff. but I DID IT.

you can buy the English tutorial at my Etsystore now! it's kinda magic. i promise you. my favorite crochet project ever. ever ever. ever ever ever.

on the agenda today: full office day, but luckely my sweet friend and hard worker Jacqueline will keep me company and keeps me sane. seriously. she works magic also. it's a magic day. wouldn't that be rad.

magic.
rev