A new adventure begins

 Hello arty friends!

It's a bit quiet in blog land.

Where we used to hang out before social media arrived.

Do you remember our Simply Neutrals gatherings?

I sometimes miss those days.

But there are always new adventures around the corner!

One of which is that I started a YouTube channel, eek!

Here's my first video,

I hope you enjoy!

x Wen

Reflecting

 

Hello everyone,

 

Or should I say: anyone? Is anyone still interested in the good old crafty arty blogposts? I have to admit, I don't visit them anymore. Then why would you write a blogpost yourself, you could ask. I don't know, I just felt like reflecting on the years I spent here and the art journey I went on because of starting this blog.

 

Updates and hellos

Hello my dear blog friends,

It's been a while since I last wrote you. And I'm missing you and our Simply Neutrals gatherings! And my stash of yummy fabrics and laces, the needles and threads, the papers and glues, making mixed media books... But alas, no time at the moment... Alsn alas no time yet to have another Simply Neutrals party, I'm really sorry.

At the moment I'm over my head in illustration work (as in work I do for study purposes, not for paid jobs yet unfortunately). I hardly have time or energy left to be social besides family time and the social media side of following an intensive year long online study and trying to set up my illustration business.

 

Here is one of the illustrations I made for a children's book class.

And here is something I did for an editorial assignment.

It was the first time I was really experimenting with a more neutral palette and with drawing techniques. 

I hope all is well with you! I'm really sorry I've been so MIA on your blogs. And that I'm not able to do Simply Neutral parties again. I really loved our cozy gatherings and seeing your gorgeous entries come in.

 

But I want this illustration thing to work and need to hyper focus on that right now.

 

For now, wishing you a happy day and sending you big hugs!

xx Wen

Trying some new things

Hello hello, summer holiday is almost over and we're back to normal. How has your summer been? Just before we went on a few weeks trip I had sent out a little package to dear Dorthe. I had been trying new things, expanding my horizon. Like macrame, knitting, and crocheting in thread size mini.

Like the tiny crochet flower above (see the difference with the white flower in a thread size that is commonly used in our days), with an old crochet hook in size mini. My goodness, that's hard! I'm in awe of the ladies of old that made tons of amazingly beautiful projects with hooks like this one...

I finished a fabric and lace booklet that I had been working on some time ago. It has little pockets to hold sweet messages and a tiny notebook.

On pinterest I had found a tutorial by Lia Griffith for macrame, something I had been wanting to try my hands on for a while now. The result is below. It's a tiny macrame, which can be used as a necklace hanger for example, like Lia does in her tutorial.

Also, I tried knitting, with some cotton yarn I had for crocheting. And from my first little test swatch I made a tiny pocket message booklet with an embroidered uplifting message on the inside. This little message can be carried with you in your pocket, or even used as a wrist cuff. The knitting feels so soft, so cuddly. I added a crocheted heart and an embroidered button on the outside.

You are loved. A good reminder I think. It's something we tend to forget, isn't it?

Well, this is it for today, dear friends.

Wishing you a wonderful new week ahead.

xx Wen

Whispers of the soul

Do you ever feel like you're stuck? Lost for words? Searching your way through thick mist in your head? Knowing that you have so many ideas and options but just can't find them anymore? You try to grasp one and poof! it's gone...

I feel like that for a while now. I know I have tons of inspiration, but it's like all these nice ideas that I have, are like fragile butterflies fluttering around in the mist. I can't catch them. I chase them and they just keep flying away from me.

My mind is misty. It goes blank several times a day.

When I try to read a book or text, the words dance before my eyes and won't stick with me. It's like there is already too much stuff in my brains. I can't focus.

And may be that's where the clue is.

May be I should not try to think for a while.

Just be.

Do.

Play.

Go outside.

Breathe.

Watch.

Feel.

Smell.

Listen.

But don't think.

Well, not on purpose anyway.

No analyzing. No making of mental notes.

No judging, no comparing.

No searching.

Not even trying to make sense of it all.

And may be, after a while, I will be able to hear the gentle, subtle whispers of my soul again and to carefully catch my butterflies.

How about you?

Do you ever feel this way? How do you deal with it?

xx Wen

A pondering or two

My blog AppleApricot has reached its 5th anniversary last February, I just realized. A good moment to look back, chew on it for a moment or two, and then curiously look forward to what the future might hold. Or not.

Looking back I see:

* love received and given between blog friends

* wonderful and meaningful new friendships developed

* lots of inspiration received from watching the work of other creative explorers.

Looking back I also see:

* explorations in different styles, materials, and techniques.

 Which brings me to some of my pondering of late.

You see, if you have been following my out and abouts for a while, you know how I constantly wander off in quite different directions. Keeping track is not being mentioned in my dictionary, I'm afraid.

And since a while now, I noticed that I tend to wander away from the shabby romantic style with lots of lace, which I used to share here on AppleApricot. So, what's a girl to do?

Shall I just let AppleApricot wander with me on a different path? Or will I keep business here as usual? Will I still want to make things like I made before for AppleApricot? Or will I abandon it all together?

Honestly? I dunno.

Meanwhile, I keep on creating, taking photos, exploring and wandering, in whatever direction speaks to me at that moment.

***

Wishing you a wander-ful day!

xx Wen

Grow Your Blog 2015 plus giveaway (now closed!)

*** GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ***

Hello hello and welcome to the Grow Your Blog Party of 2015!!

Well, my spot in the party anyway :)

Dear Vicki of 2 Bags Full has generously offered to host this wonderful party again this year. Thank you Vicki!!! It's a huge party with lots of beautiful blogs participating. And it's all about sharing and exploring, having lots of fun and making new friends in the world of blogs.

So here I welcome you in my little nook, where I share with you what my blog is all about. And be sure to check out my little giveaway too! Enjoy your stay and thank you so much for visiting me!

***

My name is Wen.

When you visit me, you'll find different kinds of hand crafts. I love making books and collages.

Be it made from fabrics, laces, paper or whatever.

And of course there must be cards.

For that's what we love to send each other, don't we?

I love making little presents for friends and family.

And wrapping them carefully in sweet packages.

Making fabric hearts.

And hand made books.

Glue books too. And ATCs.

Flowers are essential to me in both my work and life.

So you will find lots of those too.

For example in my embroidery pieces, which are mostly incorporated in collages or books. I plan to make more projects with embroidery, like this brooch I made.

And hand made fabric flowers.

An example of a fabric collage:

I love to work with laces, old and new.

You'll also find here some faith inspired projects,

like this fabric embroidered tag.

Or a collage on bark and an altered jar.

Sometimes I add a little tutorial or "making of"

like here of the collage below: 

Sometimes I share my thrifty finds here too.

***


GIVEAWAY


*** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ***

 Well, this is a lot of photos already, so I better hurry to my giveaway now.

My giveaway to you is this little roses notebook that I made.

There are watercolour paper pages in it where you can add your thoughts

or memories or quotes or whatever you'd like to pen down.

I wish you all a wonderful party time!

Thank you so much for visiting me, it's very much appreciated.

Sending you big hugs and happy smiles.

xx Wen

Hello hello

Welcome to AppleApricot!

But Wen, surely we know you already, so what's with the welcome???

Well, it is...

Grow Your Blog day!!!

Dear Vicki has done it again, she's hosting this wonderful party again this year. Thank you Vicki! And I'm welcoming every sweetie, old friend or new, to my share in the party.

So who am I? I'm a girl with a rabbit and we look a bit like this:

Only I'm a little older and greyer and my rabbit won't sit still like that!

Let me show you what my bloghome is all about. Friends who already know me and my blog: please do make yourself at home and help yourself to the fridge.

In my blog home you will come across some fabric, ribbons and laces.

Above is a little pouch in the making for example.

I've done a lot of collaging

and paper works.

Like these...

And here...

But I'm on crossroads at the moment.

Next week is my last week on the design team of

City Crafter challenge blog.

So here's my road ahead

open to whatever comes to my mind.

There will definitely be more fabric and stitching involved!

I'd love to finish this fabric book below...

It's been waiting on my desk for so long now.

Poor thing.

But I have big plans and high hopes for her (him?)

I did finish some little books.

Here's one...

And here...

Furthermore...

I love a good laugh.

So you'll bump into some here sooner or later.

I love to go on treasure hunts in thrift stores and places like that.
(My granny's cupboards and hidden boxes too... heaven!!)

And I love photography. I'm on the team of Our Beautiful World where we have a new word prompt every Sunday and love to share the beauty around us with each other.

Ya, like my feet, which are in desperate need of some new shoes by the way.

And here's something else I love:

vintage children photos
and editing them in photoshop elements.

Here's one for you.
Free to use.

Come on play kitty cat!

So now you'd like to hear about a giveaway, don't ya?

Well, you have to be a little bit patient then.

In a little while I'll be having my second blog anniversary.

So what you'd say to a party again then?

I promise there's a giveaway involved...

Hope to see you around then!

Happy bloghopping!

xx Wen

(So I could have done with a lot less yada yada, couldn't I.)