Switzerland; some random pics of my holiday!

Hi everyone! You may remember all the picture posts I mae of my holiday to Switzerland. Well I have some totally random pictures left, and want to share these with you as well. I hope you like them!

Park your doggie here!

Pie-heaven!

 

 

More pie-heaven: best carrot cake EVER!

Say hello to my little friend, girl of wood.

I love Switzerland!

Climbing a mountain in style baby!

Behind the blog: Zie Campbell

Hi my friends! Today sees the start of a new series of posts on my blog. Some of my favourite bloggers will be interviewed, so you can get to know the person behind the blog! I am really excited to start this first edition with the lovely Zie from Zie Darling and Hello Darling Dear. Enjoy!

Welcome to Even Sweeter Dreams Zie! Would you like to introduce yourself to the readers?

 Hello, sweetlings! I’m Zie of Zie Darling and Darling Dear! And I’m so excited to play with you all today :}

Could you tell a bit about yourself and where you are from?

I’m an illustration and graphic design student in Nashville, TN and I’ve lived all over the country. I’m a city girl at heart, but am enormously in love with the countryside where my grandparents live, as I spent huge chunks of my childhood there. I am nearly 21 come this December, though, I am probably much older in spirit.

When and why did you decide to start a blog?

I decided to start blogging as a way to share my adventures and stories and to connect with the other old-souls who like to play as much as I do.

How did you come up with the name of your blog?

Darling Dear is both my business and my blog, but I have had many different blogs under different names. I always tried finding something that fit my ever-changing personality and it was just a constant struggle. Nothing seemed to fit my sassy side with my sweet side. And then during the past summer, I finally stopped trying to find a name & let the name kind of come to me, as silly and cheesy as that may sound. So Darling Dear became this little place that captures my adventurous side, my sassy side, my silly side, and my darling, sweet side. :}

You are a very creative person, were you creative as a kid too?

I believe everyone is born creative. I’ve never met a child that didn’t make-believe and invent these amazing and magical worlds all on their own. But I think that as we get older, most of us tell that magic to be silent so we can focus on grown-up things. So I guess, I wouldn’t say that I’m “creative” per say, more just trying to relearn how to let the magic and the make-believe run and rule my life again. :}

What is your favourite way of crafting/being creative?

Pretty much anything that includes paper, glitter or some other form of making a pretty mess.

How did your project It’s Paper Dear get started?

Again, this past summer my mother and I were talking about our undying love for paper. And then of course, we got quite a bit carried away and started talking about this nonsense of my opening a monthly subscription service of my own dedicated to pretty things, paper things, and pretty, paper things. And then, you know what? It happened. And I can honestly say I’ve never had so much fun in my life!

What is the most rewarding thing about blogging to you?

Now I know this will sound silly and disingenuous, but I can honestly say it has been the people I’ve connected with. I cannot tell you how moving, inspiring or uplifting it can be to read comments and emails and letters from people who have found such pleasure in my pictures and my words. I’ll never forget the ones who say that I brighten their day or that they cry with me and laugh with me and rejoice with me. I’ve touched strangers, yes, but they’ve touched me in return. And nothing is more rewarding in my mind.

How do you see the future of your blog and project?

Oh, goodness. A large question if I ever read one, ha! But I have journals and journals filled with plans for both my blog and my business. But the most important one, I feel, is to keep having this much fun for the rest of my life and to continue to meet and play with strangers and these darling readers of mine :}

Do you have any advice for new bloggers?

Have fun. I know a lot of people will go into how you need to just be yourself & not worry about anything, etc., etc. And that is all very true. But if you want to pretend to be a pirate one day & a royal princess the next, all the while documenting your intricate needle-work and cupcake-skills, then I say that’s more important then anything else. Have fun & enjoy it. Because your blog is for you, above all else. :}

Thank you Susie for letting me play on your blog today! :} I would love to invite you to all to come play on my blog with me all of the time. Who knows, maybe we’ll have a grand adventure together :} 

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Thank you Zie! Please check Zie's wonderful blog at Ziedarling.com and you can join It's paper dear at this site.

Creative challenge #3: Make an artjournal spread

Hi everyone! It's friday, so that means it is time for a new creative challenge. Last time I had alot of fun photographing Fall. This time around I have something else in mind. I have recently discovered the fun of artjournaling. For those of you who are new to this style of crafting. This website is quite informative about how to create your own artjournal and has some nice examples. Here is one I have made earlier.

Now for the challenge: Creat an artjournal spread (so two pages) with a Fall or Halloween theme. I know Halloween has come and gone, but maybe you have fond memeries of this years celebration?! Great for your artjournal, I think.

Want to participate? All you have to do is: be a follower of this blog and leave a comment saying you're in!

The challenge starts today and ends on thursday 8 november (next week!) I will post my result on thursday and you are welcome to share yours too. Leave me a link to your blogpost and I would love to take a look at your result. I hope that you will join me again and remember, these challenges are for us to be creative and mostly to have fun!!

My Icecream Dream #3

Hi my friends! In a follow up to my last icecream dream post. I thought I would share some news on my progress in the shop. Last time around I failed at my attempt to make a brownie, but I am not giving up on that one just yet. Have a new recipe I want to try out. Will let you all know how that goes. I also baked a carrot cake. Don't you just loooove carrot cake??!! I dooo! And this cake turned out great and has been selling like hot cake in the store. I have to bake a new one almost every single time I am in the store!

I have also been quite busy making cupcakes. The decorating part can take up a while afternoon. But the results are quite cute, if I do say so myself! I have already sold a few, but the carrot cake is winning!

Next time around I am going to try out a cookie recipe and hopefully succeed at the brownie one haha. Have a great day my friends!

Happy Halloween!

Hi pumpkins! A very happy Halloween to you all! I hope everyone on the East coast of the USA is safe, scary stuff. Saw alot of it on CNN and was shocked by the force of Sandy.
Do you, my readers, celebrate Halloween? And if so, what do you do on this day? Trick or treating?
We don't actually celebrate it here in Holland, but it is gaining popularity. So who knows, one day we will be trick or treating too! I have my outfit ready, that's for sure.

 How cute are these pumpkins?

This tablesetting is pure awesomeness!

I hope you all have a good day my friends!! Let me know how you celebrated Halloween ok?!

Snail mail exchange is here!

Hi my friends! As promised, a new snail mail exchange is here at the end of a lovely snail mail week. I really hope you enjoyed my snail mail posts over the last couple of days. And ever more so, I hope you got inspired to start writing and sending out some snail mail.

In July I held my first snail mail exchange and got alot of positive feedback on that, which was awesome! So what better way to end the snail mail week and start a new season in the year then with a new snail mail exchange?! Here are the 'rules'.

If you want to participate, please be a follower of this blog.
Leave me your emailadress in a comment.
We exchange homeadresses through email and then the fun starts.

You can choose between three options:
1) Receive a postcard/ handmade card from me
2) Receive a letter from me
3) Receive a postcard/handmade card and a letter from me

Whichever of the options you choose, you will have to return the favour. I would love to receive the same from you! And don't worry, we do not have to be life long penpals after this, it's just fun to receive something pretty in the mail right?!

Snail mail week: Pimp my enveloppe.

Hi my friends. Yesterday I showed you some pretty packages and enveloppes. Toaday I will share a few simple ways to make your enveloppe the coolest on the block. They are simple, but very effective. I hope you will try them out, let me know if you will!
Use pretty wrapping paper to prettyfie the inside of the enveloppe.

Use craftpaper to create many small enveloppes. Fold them to make one big enveloppe.

Use pretty seethrough paper to cover your enveloppe.

Use labels, maskingtapes, stamps and selfmade drawings. Mostly...have fun! Tomorrow is the time for the new snail mail exchange so don't miss it!!