Perhaps another photo challenge?!?

So, I've just finished this photo challenge and I'm already considering another one. This time though, I don't think I'll be able to make all of the challenges since my students' exams are coming up and I'll be doing a lot of correcting... But anyhowx, here's the idea for June...

I do feel there are some beautiful pictures in the making here... Let's see if I can try to make it work...

Love,

Crazy Crafter...

#photoadayMay ... Day 31 ... Something beautiful...

Wow, I can't believe we're already at the final day of the photo challenge... It's been loads of fun (and at times challenging), so it's definitely something we need to do again ;-)

Now, for today I decided to go for something I always love to watch every time spring comes along: blooming flowers in all of those gorgeous trees...

Gorgeous blossoms right??? So, enjoy!!!

Love,
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 30 ... My personality

This is a difficult one, because there are many words that describe my personality: I'm bubbly (most of the time), smart, sweet, funny, kind, proud and stubborn, hard-working,... But if I had to take a photo of my personality, I'd currently go for something like this...

A waterlily... (Sorry, I didn't actually take the picture, but it's so pretty and kind of makes my point): I feel like I have a beautiful personality that is still trying to find itself completely. I've gone through a lot of changes the past 2 or 3 years and they haven't stopped yet. The blooming can also represent my creative side that is finally starting to make its way to the surface. And lastly, just like a waterlily, I only reveal my true self when I'm ready for it (so around the people I trust)... Ok, I think that's it... 'Til tomorrow...

Love,
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 29 ... A number

So... hi again... For this one I decided to go for the number 31, since that is the number of days left until the summer holidays (2 months of blissful rest, so I can start anew in September and teach my students some useful languages)

I guess I'll see you tomorrow then...

Love, Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 28... The weather today

And we're back on track...
Luckily today's weather (as last week's) was absolutely gorgeous... Lots of sunshine, no clouds, and a pleasant heat (although at times it does get a bit too hot)...

Just check out the neighbour's roof and a tree-top (including bird) and then... The gorgeous blue sky... Now all I have to do, is hope that my room will cool down a bit before I go to sleep (about 30°C does not make for a comfortable sleeping temperature...) So keep your fingers crossed...

Love,
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 27... Something sweet

So, this was an easy one because I went to the Antwerp carnaval (great place to observe people who really should wear bigger/more tasteful/... clothes and of course THE place to find lots of sweets. I decided to settle for a picture of a lollypop stand...

I hope you'll enjoy the sugar rush...

Love,
Crazy Crafter
xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 26 ... 12 o'clock

I know, I know, I'm too late... Reason: I was staying at the boyfriend and forgot to take the cable for my camera with me so I couldn't put the pictures on my computer... But I did make the pictures, so I'll be posting everything today ;-) First of all, 12 o'clock... Since I missed it at lunch that day, I made sure to have the camera ready right around midnight when I was watching the Eurovision song contest (I know, shame on me, but you have to admit, some of the entries are right down hilarious)...

So there you go...

Love,
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay... Day 25... Unusual

About two years ago I went to Egypt with my mom (a graduation present from the parents) and over there we visited this gorgeous nature reserve island where we ran across some stray cats... And one of these cats had a clear case of heterochromia, meaning his eyes had different colours: one green and one blue...

Sorry, the cat wouldn't turn it's face completely to me after I'd taken the camera, but I think you can see the difference in the eyes... Unusual, but in my opinion also beautiful...

Love,
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 24 ... Something new...

Well, I didn't know what to choose for this one... I was just thinking that I had nothing new in my life, when I remembered I had just bought some mod podge for future projects (and had just received the hunger games trilogy box)... So here goes...

Can't wait to get started on my projects...

Love,
Crazy Crafter...

#photoadayMay ... Day 23 ... Technology

This one posed a problem for me since I don't have any real beautiful pieces of technology at the moment (if I had had a kitchen aid, the problem would have been solved much easier). So I decided to go for the piece of technology that I probably use the most... My laptop...

And as you can see, I was pinteresting at the time (I admit it, I'm a pinterestoholic)...

Love,
Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 22 ... Pink

So, today's pink... Wonderfully happy colour on a gorgeous sunny day like today. And it so happens that mom has a gorgeous amount of hot pink flowers in the garden. Therefore I present to you... A close-up...

I do love me some beautiful flowers...

Love,
Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 21 ... Where I stand...

Or in this case, where I stood: on top of Castel St Jorge in Lisbon, enjoying the view...

I hope you'll enjoy it too...

Love,
Crazy Crafter...

#photoadayMay ... Day 20 ... Something I can't live without...

After thinking about the usual... Family, friends,... I eventually ended up with the thing I wouldn't know how to live without (again)... My car...

It's the green one in front... My little frog... Now I know what you might say... Why couldn't you possibly live without a car, and why on earth not without this one??? Well, the truth is that this is still my first car and like most people, I didn't really have a big budget when I had to buy one. This one has actually served me so well: it's small, so really easy to park; it's not the fastest, but also not the slowest car on the road, so I can live with that; and lastly it doesn't use a lot of gas, meaning I don't have to go for gas every three days, yay car!!! Sadly enough, the car is getting old and old age has caused it to be more cranky, so I am slowly starting to look out for another car (but don't tell the car that, it might get upset and decide not to start anymore)... Which leaves me to the last question: Why can't I live without a car? Well, although I relied on mommy and public transport for 26 years (!!!), I was shocked to find out that once the car and license are there, it's something really handy: it gets me to work in about 30 minutes (public transport would take 1 hour at least);, it gets me to all of my friends and family and allows me to spend as much time as I want with them without having to worry whether I would still be able to catch my train/bus; and lastly, I just love to drive (it relaxes me, unwinds me and when I'm angry, calms me down. I guess I get this from my dad, because my mom really doesn't like to drive long distances, while I do)... So there you go... My precious car...

Love,

Crazy crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 19 ... A favorite place

I pondered this one for a while, but in the end I had to admit that my all time favorite place is still... My bed...

An awesome place to sleep, snooze and do many other fun and relaxing (or exciting) things...

Love,
Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 18 ... Something I made

Well, I've already made a ton of stuff, but I didn't photograph most of them. One of my latest projects however, are these adorable little elephants I made for the boyfriend and myself...

Cute, aren't they... And if you want to see a few of my creations I actually photgraphed, don't hesitate to peruse the blog...

Love,
Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 17 ... Snack

Now, don't laugh at this picture and say 'Well, that's not a snack', because to me it is. I'm currently trying to lose some weight and am trying to stay away from unhealthy (but sometimes so delicious) snacks. And since I seem to have a taste for bitter things these days, my snack of the day was a grapefruit...

And it was yummy!!!

Love,
Crazy Crafter...

#photoadayMay ... Day 16 ... Something I'm reading

Now, there are a few things I should probably share with you before showing you the picture. First of all since about... oh, I don't know... let's say 10 years ago, I became a real book buff. Before that time I hated the fact that I had to read books in secondary school and even during the early months of college (but I believe that's the fault of the teachers/professors just choosing the wrong books). Afterwards I came in contact with some people who preferred books that were more to my liking, and let's say that they convinced me of the freeing, relaxing, but also exhilirating power of books. So that's number one. Secondly, my taste in books might seem strange to some, but I absolutely LOVE to read fantasy, while at the same time also being able to enjoy a good chick lit, a detective novel à la Dan Brown, the occasional children's book (think Roald Dahl) or even a historic novel (yes, perhaps they are very different genres, but that's just me). And thirdly, I rarely read just one book at the same time. I have the tendency to start reading one book (let's say a fantasy novel) and then feel like reading something completely different (like some chick lit). Sometimes there's even a third or fourth book added to the list (I believe my current record is 5 books). So, it really shouldn't surprise you then that I'm currently reading 3 books (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix + Chasing Harry Winston + Bridget Jones' Diary). I decided to take a picture of the book that is currently on the top of my reading list...

As you can see, I'm currently at chapter 3 of the Order of the Phoenix and Harry is on my mind yet again (after all, I'm rereading the books for the umpteenth time and I'm still loving them). So I hope you enjoy the book, I know I am...

Love...

Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 15 ... Love

So, today's subject is love. For this one I looked up Love in several languages and decided to write them in the shape of a heart (sadly enough I didn't write as straight as I would have wanted, but I think the result's still ok)...

So, for now, as always...

Lots of love...
Crazy crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 14 ... Grass

You heard it... Grass... That's today's subject. It baffled me at first because I don't actually have a lawn at home and I had already started thinking about taking a little stroll outside just to find the perfect little grassy field... Until... I remembered I work at a school that feels very strongly about preserving nature and therefore possesses many fields of glorious grass. So this morning I arrived at school, parked the car, took out my camera and snapped a little close-up shot of a spot of grass...

So there you go... Grass... Hope you enjoy it...

Love,
Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 13 ... Mum

As we all know today is mother's day (yay for all the mommy's out there!!!) and I think there's no better way to honor your mother than by giving her a handmade gift (along with something she has been hinting at for weeks and weeks) so my sister and I gave her the present she had been hoping for along with a handmade drawing (I know it sounds silly, but these are the things my mother loves most and actually keeps in a folder somewhere, I still have to discover where so I can remove some of my early disasters ;-) )...

So this is what the drawing looks like this year (along with a little we-love-you-and-appreciate-everything-you-do-for-us text on the back)... Mom was very pleased... So mommy... Happy mother's day and always remember that we love you!!!

Love,
Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 12 ... Something and/or someone that makes me happy

It didn't take me long to figure out who makes me happy: the boyfriend, my friends and family,... The what was a bit more tricky because there are about a million things that make me happy. In the end I opted for going to the seaside (or somewhere else) with the boyfriend (and acting goofy of course)...

He didn't mind showing his face on the internet... So here he is, pretending to do some kind of Baywatch run (and failing miserably at it ;-) )... It was definitely a happy day filled with laughter and delicious sunshine...

Kisses,
Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 11 ... Kitchen

Well, I must say I don't really have a pretty kitchen (it's not to my liking anyway), but it will do the job. And luckily, today my mother is making some spaghetti sauce for about 50 people (for all those lovely soccer fans and players who would like a bit of power food), so I decided to take a picture of the stove with the pot still on it...

I really wish I had one of those wonderful kitchen-aids or some other gorgeous appliance, but unfortunately, that is currently not the case. So enjoy my kitchen picture and I'll be back tomorrow...

Love,
Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 10 ... A word I love

And yet another challenge. I went from words like enchanting and enchantress to incantations from the Harry Potter books (still some of my favourites) and the amazing supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. In the end I decided to go for a word that has a nice ring to it...

Yes... Scrumptious... Besides the fact that I love delicious food, I also just love the delicious sound of the word (I am a big fan of s-like sounds, probably a leftover of my studying Russian days)... So... Scrumptious it is... 

Love,

Crazy Crafter

#photoadayMay ... Day 9 ... Something I do every day

This one took me a while as well. I went from things like sleeping, brushing my teeth and eating something, to work-related stuff and eventually I decided to go for something I actually love doing: crafting... As I'm always working on a zillion things at the same time, I decided to show you some of my works in progress...

As you can see I'm currently trying to finish my cross stitch Audrey, I'm also trying to complete a cross stitch 'keep calm' creation and I'm still working on some hello kitty squares that are to become a bag/purse for my boyfriend's niece, who's a five-year-old hello kitty buff... Hence, I do some crafting every day... Enjoy!!!

Love,

Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 8 ... A smell that I love...

This was a tough one for me. When I started thinking of the smells that I love, there are about a dozen smells that bring me instant happiness. Delicious foodie smells are for instance rosemary (absolutely love it), oregano or a bowl of freshly made soup. When it comes to nature I love the smell of the lotus flower, an orchid, lavender, roses,... and even the smell of a beautifully green forest (if I had had the time, I probably would have gone hunting for a stunning forest picture, but alas, a long day at work prevents a girl from wanting to complete her tasks). In the end I went for a scent that I love the most... The scent of a beautiful summer's day filled with sunshine and nature's beauty... Such as I found when in Lisbon last summer...

I hope you enjoy this scent as much as I do... and I'll see you tomorrow for another picture...

Kisses,
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 7 ... Someone that inspires you

Over the last few days I've been going back and forth as to who is my biggest inspiration at the time and several people made the short list, among which my best friend zjizjipke (for her influences on my creative mind and the strength she shows in times of hardship). In the end, I decided that my parents are and always have been my biggest inspiration. They are after all the people that created me and shaped me into the person I am today. And although my mother and I have a very good mother-daughter relationship (I am just like her in every possible way), it is my father I'm going to honour today...

It is strange, but up until a few months ago I don't think I ever realised all the things my father did for our family. He worked overtime every day (and weekends) so my mom could stay home and raise us. He always gave us everything we needed and often also wanted. He taught me how to stand up for what I believe in and to never be afraid to speak my mind. He gave me his love for music and made me see that it's important to enjoy life whenever opportunity knocks on the door. And mostly, he always protected us and up until his dying day he did everything in his power to spare us as much pain (and work) as possible... I would be honoured if in the future I could do half the things he did for me and the rest of our family... (crying my eyes out right now, but it had to be said)...

Love (sniff)
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 6 ... You (or in this case me)

The assignment for today was to put myself in the spotlight. But, since I'd like to keep my true identity a secret for a tiny bit longer, I decided to go through my photo album and select a picture from my younger days...

You have to admit it, I was one cute baby (I wonder where all that cuteness has gone...) Anyway, enjoy!

Kisses,
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 5 ... Bird

Owkay, for today I had absolutely no idea what to do and since I don't have a lot of time today (again an overfilled weekend...) I went for something I still had lying around...

This is actually a fabric cut-out that I've had lying around for over a month... I still need to finish this project, but for now I give you a blue-and-pink polkadot bird... Enjoy!

Love,
Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 4 ... Fun

Well, it's time for some fun today... Problem is, I had such a long day at work today, that I didn't have the time to take a new fun photo. Soooo, what's a girl to do??? She goes through her long list of photos already present on the pc and selects one from a memorable time. And this is the lucky winner...

As you can see, we are cracking up about something (probably the fact that 2 of us are really close to falling over or the fact that we just saw an idiot running by in the ugliest sporting outfit known to man...). This picture was actually taken last October on our annual seaside trips and is one of the many group shots we have (the four of us go to the same place every year for some much needed female bonding, remeniscing about the good old college days, drinking and eating lots of deliciousness and, of course, the continuous laughs... Now it's up to you to figure out which one is me... ;-) )

Lots of love,

Crazy Crafter xxx

#photoadayMay ... Day 3 ... Something I wore today

So, we're at day 3 already. Now, I contemplated a lot about what I was going to photograph and eventually I decided to go for a few things that belong to my everyday wardrobe and that are really valuable to me (not just the monetary, but rather the emotional value).



I know it's jewellery, but still, every single piece of it was given by someone I love dearly. The watch was given by my sister (who believes in the wonderful power of useful gifts), the necklace and pendant were given by my boyfriend (for the 1 year anniversary) and the ring was given by my parents (although I didn't use to wear it that much, I've worn it every single day since my father died. I know it may sound silly, but it makes me feel like he's still with me when I wear it...). So that's that... Now let's do some brainstorming for tomorrow's theme: fun...

Love,

Crazy Crafter xxx...

#photoadayMay Day 2: Skyline

As you can see, today's subject is 'skyline'. Now I didn't really know whether I could take a good skyline photo where I live, so I went for a little walk and took some pictures of the local town, but no skyline winners. So as a last resort, I went home, climbed up to the attick, opened a window and took some pictures from there (it's not really a good view, but I'll have to make do with what I've got). And this was the best one...



I mean it, this was the best one (I'm sure everyone is doubting my photographical skills right now, and I'm sure you're right to do so. I would love to be able to make gorgeous pictures, but I'm not there yet). As you can see I live right across the street from a texaco station and 3 appartment buildings (though only the smaller one and one of the big ones are visible right now). And in between the 2 apartments buildings you can see some trees (yay nature!!!) and the old firehouse tower (which still sounds the town alarm/horn once a month, just to make sure it still works). Other than that, I just love the sky in this picture: gorgeous blue with some fluffy clouds that make it look even more beautiful (I know it's weird, but I like clouds, as long as they don't cover up the whole sky that is)... So that's it for today... I hope to see you again tomorrow for another picture...

Love,

Crazy Crafter...

#photoadayMay : Day 1

Hi everyone,

Yes, you've guessed it. We have arrived in May and it's time for the photo a day May project. As you might have read already today's subject is peace, so I tried to use my creative side in order to find peace for myself through creating a crafty peace sign...

All you need for this is some craft paper, glue and a figure punch of your choice... Then you punch away and start glueing the little figures in the pattern you would like to create (in my case, a peace sign)... So, I must say I'm feeling quite peaceful right now (job accomplished) and I'll see you tomorrow for day 2...

Lots of love,

Crazy Crafter