Resolutions for 2013

Hi everyone! The new year is almost upon us, I hope you all had a great holidayseason so far. Tomorrow I'm finally going to see The Hobbit! As some of you may know I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan, so the idea of going back to Middle Earth....WOOHOO! Do you all have fun plans for new years eve? I'm totally scared of fireworks, so I usually stay at my parent's house, inside...all the time haha. I want to share my resolutions for the new year with you. What I do is, I make these resolutions in June (my birthday) and in December I can see how far I have come with them and if I want to add (or lose) any. So here they are:
- Be a better cook.
Well, I got a Jamie Oliver book for my birthday...read it and all. But still have to make some recipes. Yikes, I need to get better at this!
- Bake more and become better at it.
Well I can defenitely say I have been baking alot for the last six months and I do believe that I am becoming better at it. Ok, sometimes a recipe fails, but overall the results of my bakings are quite nice. So yeah, doing good in this departement. But still want to be better!
- Be more creative and more often.
A long time ago I wrote alot of poetry and did alot of painting. I really missed that creative outlet. So I really wanted to bring that back into my life. Now I love scrapbooking, artjournaling, making cards and even drawing some (which I still suck at). So I am really happy to say that creativity is back in my life!
- Work out more.
Oh boy, this is the hard one. I promised myself that I would work out, do zumba and play tennis. Be a more active person overall. And I will, soon enough. I need to. So I write it here as evidence. Going to work out in 2013!
- Create a blog with interesting posts and loyal followers.
Taaadaaaa, here it is! I am so proud of my blog, with many followers already and over 5100 views in the first 6 months. I can't wait to share all the goodies that 2013 will bring. All the trips, bakings, cooking, crafting; the sweet things in life! I hope 2013 will be equally sweet for you all!!

 

 

Christmasgreetings!

Hi everyone, Merry Xmas to you all!! As promised I want to share some of the decorations I have in my home and in my tree. Hope you have a wonderful day with the people you love!

Back from Brugge, with pictures!

Hi everyone, Merry Xmas!! It's great to be back home after a lovely but very rainy weekend in Brugge, Belgium. I ate way to much food and was in awe of the awesome chocolateshops, beautiful! It's chocoheaven I tell you. Unfortunately the weather was really bad, only on friday we didn't have any rain. But on saturday and sunday, only rain...non stop. That really put a damper on our spirits. But that didn't take away the fact that Brugge is a really beautiful city, and as promised I have pictures to share with you.

For the chocoholics out there, some eyecandy for you all! The best chocolate in the world!

I hope everyone will have a beautiful christmas with all your loved ones! I will be back tomorrow with a christmaspost, with my decorations and christmas tidbits!

To Brugge I go! Ho ho ho...

Hi everyone! I am really excited to say that tomorrowmorning I will be in the wonderful Brugge in Belgium. I have never been there before and it is one of my must see cities. Me, my sister and my mum are going for the weekend. Visit a christmasmarket, eat the best Belgium waffles, chocolate and fries. Oh dear, I will gain a few pounds I am sure! I am looking forward to to visit the Belgian chocolate shops, drool over all the goodies there. Ow and see the city ofcourse... Here are some pics. I will post some of my own when I get back from my trip on monday. Have a good weekend all!

 

All the pretty things: Christmas

Hi my friends! I want to share some cute and beautiful pictures for the holiday season. This year I loved the pictures of the pastel christmasdecorations, gotta remember that for next year! Hope all is well where you are! In the meantime, enjoy these pics!

Package love

Does this ever happen to you? You walk in the supermarket and a certain package just catches your eye and you have to buy, for the package alone. Well that is exactly what I did when I bought this.

Luckily they are cookies, so you can't really go wrong with that! And they were really nice, with an interesting almond and rosewater flavour.

 

The package also came with a little magazine and a small carrierbox for the cookies. Cute right?! Didn't regret the purchase at all! So sometime, it's ok to just go for the pretty I guess :o)

A vintage christmas!

Aren't these pictures heartwarming? Perfect for this cold wintermonth right? How are you all doing this season? Have you got your house all decorated? Have a good day and let me know about your christmas decorations!

Flow: For the love of paper!

Hi everyone! How is your day? I have been busy with decorating my parents christmas tree, as well as mine. Pictures soon, promise! I want to share some other pictures with you today. I always love buying the Dutch magazine Flow. Their magazine is full of goodies for lovers of paper, and I happen to love paper! As a kid I always saves pretty scraps and stickers, just like I do now. This winteredition was a special magazine, extra big and with looots of good stuff and all about snail mail!

The pretty cover

Examples of cute cards you can make yourself

Stickers to prettyfie your enveloppe

Awesome article about enveloppes adressed in a creative way (more on that soon!)

Beautiful enveloppe art

Many cute cards come with the mag! Happy Susie!

What about you, are you a lover of paper goods as well? And do you have a snail mail friend(s)?

Behind the blog: Macarons and Stilettos

Hi everyone! Welcome to a new edition of Behind the blog. This time I would love for you to all meet this wonderful lady, Aubree. She blogs over at Macarons and Stilettos and has her own shop; Fatally Feminine Desings. Get to know her a bit better and then hop over to her blog!
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 Hi Aubree, welcome to Even Sweeter Dreams! Could you tell a bit about yourself and where you are from?

I’m a 24 year old full time Graduate student from the United States, specifically New Mexico aka the desert. When I am not at school or doing school work, I love to spend time designing and creating jewelry in my studio. I have an obsession with Japan, cute things, and my cat Mochi. Basically, I’m a regular girl with a love for fashion and an abnormal amount of creativity.

Why and when did you decide to start a blog?

I started my blog about 9 months ago. I had actually blogged previously for my shop Fatally Feminine Designs, but gave it up because I really was not passionate about it and did not want to dedicate the time it took to properly run it. I came back to blogging as a way to express myself, the person that I feel like I could never really express through a business based blog. I also wanted to connect with other people who share my passions and similar interests.
 
Why did you chose Macarons and Stilettos as your blogs name?

To be honest, I really don’t know. I think I went through a lot of names in my head before I decided on this one. I really wanted to focus my blog on cute things and fashion so I think that’s how I decided to combine the ultra cute cookie the macaron with the fashion item the stiletto. 

Where does your love for Japan and kawaii come from?

As a child, some of my favorite things were little trinkets that were made by Sanrio, the Japanese company that is now known for Hello Kitty. So, cute character items have always had a special place in my heart. Whenever I enter a Sanrio store or character goods store, I get this amazing feeling of happiness, even today as an adult. I started exploring Japanese culture and fashion when I started making jewelry as a teen. It actually inspired me to start my shop Fatally Feminine Designs. Ever since then I have been completely obsessed with everything Japan related and kawaii. 

Have you ever been to Japan? If yes, what was it like. If no, is it a dream to go there?

No!!! I’m so sad I haven’t gotten the chance to go there yet. It is definitely a dream for me. I have dedicated myself to full time university studies for the past 6 years and to my shop for the past 4 and a half years. So I haven’t had much time if any for travel. Also, I’m a broke college student, so thousands of dollars for a plane ticket just isn’t realistic. But my boyfriend also loves Japan and we have talked about going to Japan for our honeymoon once we get married!
 
What’s your favourite part of blogging?

I thought my favorite part would be simply sharing the things I love with other people, but I found out that the best part is really the other bloggers that you connect with and the friendships that you create that span the globe!
 
You have your own webshop. When did you start selling your own crafts?

I started my shop about 4 and half years ago on Etsy.com. (http://fatallyfeminine.etsy.com)
 

What kind of items do you sell and when do you decide to sell (when do you approve it)?

I sell handmade jewelry and accessories inspired by childhood, food, and Japanese street fashion. I specialize in highly detailed and realistic polymer clay (fimo) charms and jewelry. Some of my most popular items include cotton candy necklaces, gumball machine necklaces, and Alice in Wonderland Eat Me cake charms and Drink Me bottle necklaces. When I am creating a new charm or design for a piece of jewelry, I spend a lot of time practicing and perfecting the best way to make it. Once I have made one that I am really happy with and proud of, I photograph and list it in my shop. In everything I make, I strive to make something cute and of the best quality. I always make things as if I were making it for a member of my family or my best friend. Yeah, I’m kind of a perfectionist when it comes to creating and designing.
 

Who are your favourite artists/ webshop owners?

I love supporting other independent artists and designers! Some of my favourites include Kelly of I’m Your Present, Kelsea of Kelsea Echo Studio, Twinkie Chan (And her new shop Yummy You!), Claire of Cute Plush, Natascha of Insanely Sweet Jewelry, Mary of Acrylicana and many many more. I could go on literally forever.
 
What would you advice anyone who wants to open their own webshop?

Figure out something that you are passionate about and dedicate yourself to it. If that is drawing, designing clothes, making jewelry, or simply selling things that you love, don’t ever lose sight of what gets you up in the morning. Once you truly find that passion, something that lights a fire inside of you, you will dedicate yourself to it in order to make it happen. And remember that being your own webshop owner is never easy. It takes time, dedication, and hard work. But if you truly love it, it will never really be work. On days when you feel down or like you have failed, push through and remember why you started in the first place. This can spark your creativity and initial love for what you do so that you can rededicate yourself to your shop and your vision.
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Thanks so much Aubree! Do visit her lovely blog and shop. Hope you all enjoyed this Behind the blog, have a great day!