Le Jardin des Plantes

My trip is going great and I am having the best time ever!

I am now on the train towards Leeds (free wi-fi, amazing for Italians) and, while watching the beautiful English countryside go by, I am catching up with your blogs and mine also!

I have so many things to share, this trip has been very inspirational and I am sure that Yorkshire will be the same!

While in Paris with my mom, we went to visit the Botanical Gardens and that was like a dream came true!!! They are big, full of blooming flowers and just perfect! We had a long and interesting walk and I have now lots of ideas for my own garden!

Words cannot express nature's beauty so... it's better to let the pictures speak for themselves!

Stay tuned because there's more to come!!!!

Il pleut doucement sur la ville

Il pleut sur la ville, originally uploaded by piccolasamurai.

I made it to Paris! I'm enjoying this beautiful city with my mom even if it's raining and the weather is so cold it makes me want to take my winter coat with me!
Thanks to all your travelling wishes, they were useful!!!!!!
I will try to keep you updated with my travels!

Waiting for the cloud to dissolve...

The best way to dissolve my anxiety over the ash cloud? Crafting of course!
So, instead of reading every 10 minutes all the Italian and French online newspapers looking for news, I took my sewing machine and made two different pillow covers for our small cottage couch.
The red one is very simple, it's just a fabric case, with no embellishments and no zipper. I overlapped the end on one side and I am still thinking of adding a few buttons... but I need to buy them, as I cannot find any I like in my drawers.
The other one, made with a thick striped cotton is my nemesis for today! I love it! I put a grosgrain ribbon I've had for at least 6 years in between the two sides and sewed all together. And I also managed to attach an invisible zipper!
These were very easy to make but I am nonetheless very excited in sharing them and I am very happy with the final result!

p.s. to tell the truth... I checked internet for news on the volcano every 11 minutes instead of 10... I couldn't help myself!

A European Journey... Eyjafjöll permitting...

This is the exciting news I wanted to share with you all today!

On Tuesday I will be leaving for a 15 days journey across Europe!!! From Catania to Paris (three awesome mother-daughter days), to London (a friend's weekend), to Leeds (visiting my brother), to Milan (family and friends) and then back home.

But my feelings tonight are a bit different... the Iceland volcano is erupting again and travel flights could be difficult in the next few days. The red alert is for tomorrow but, when I travel, I tend to get a bit anxious before leaving... I really really really do hope that everything goes well and my flights will be regular!

Will you please keep all your fingers crossed for me? I would be so grateful... maybe a giveaway when I come back?

Impulse buy: Jelly Gladiators

I have never been a gladiator sandal kind of girl. I always thought they were too fashion-y for me. But when yesterday I saw these beauties in a shop, I couldn't resist from buying them immediately. I can already picture me on the beach wearing them, paired with a vintage dress... and this moment is just 15 days away... parting me from the first trip to the beach is a beautiful journey across Europe... but this is another story that I will share with you tomorrow!!!

Do you ever feel the urge to buy something you never ever thought to wear?

A new home for my ID

Remember my last post where I asked you to guess what I was making with some doilies, linen and polka dot cotton? I finally finished my new ID holder and am very proud to share with you all!

I've had the same ID holder for the past 15 years. It was a gift from my mom and I love it dearly but, after years of use it is now a bit battered and will feel better in one of my drawers.

I couldn't find a better challenge! I knew I couldn't find the perfect case where I live and I wanted to make myself something special, as I always give all the things I do to friends.

So I grabbed a few doilies, some vintage linen and began hand stitching them on the fabric.

I added some polka dot blue cotton for the lining. I love the contrast between the vintage exterior and the modern and funky lining. Using a vintage wallet as pattern, I ironed some interfacing to the linen and then sewed all together.

The stitching on the lining is far from perfect but my sewing machine wasn't working properly... I hope it's something temporary. I also embroidered my initials on the cover, it looks so stylish!

The only problem is it's too beautiful to just throw it in my bag... I will remember to put it in one of its pockets! Otherwise, seen the mess inside my bags, I doubt it will last 15 years!

p.s. thank you girls for the awesome comments on my last post!!! They absolutely made not just my day but my whole week!!!!