Gambibgo baskets

I like natural colors for my home, but when I came across those baskets, I knew it was time to add some color.
The baskets are handwoven in Ghana and the right name is Gambibgo baskets/pots. The difference between the Gambibgo basket and the original Bolga basket is the swivel handle that folds down flat. They are woven from naturally dyed elephant grass and they are incredibly sturdy. Every basket is one of a kind. I love them!

(www.houseoftalents.com)

(www.basketsfromafrica.com)
















  

(www.africanfabric.co.uk)

I have added the links to the shops where I found them, not because they sponsor me (they don't), but because my heart beats for Africa (ànd because these baskets are really fantastic). The weavers (mostly women) get fair prices for their baskets and can feed their families because of them.

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Decoration

 I finally decided which pictures to hang 

above my old French wash stand.

It took me several months, but I hate ruining my 

walls (after all the work), so I wanted to do

it right the first time.

I'm happy with the result.

I love these old pictures.

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Vieille France

We found the antique shop "Vieille France" by coincidence and it was so worth the visit. The Dutch owner has built a beautiful house in French style, completely furnished and decorated. It is like a museum, the difference being that everything is for sale.



I couldn't resist this "pot de grès" in exactly the right color.

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Old wash table from France

We are still moving around the furniture. This is one of my favorite pieces. I bought it in the Netherlands and we somehow got it into the car and brought it home to Luxembourg. The lady I bought it from told me it came from an old farmhouse in France and they had quite some trouble getting it in their car as well. It used to be in our bedroom, but I thought it deserved a better place. I am going to have some old black/white photos framed to make it complete.

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A promise made is a debt unpaid

Tutorial Vintage Easter Eggs



This is what you need:

1. Styrofoam eggs (I use KNORR prandell eggs - 8x5 cm).
2. A paint brush
3. Transfer varnish frosted (for decoupage) (KNORR prandell)
4. Black paper napkins (3 layers)
5. A long pin (to hold the egg)
6. Glue



You only use the upper layer of the paper napkin. Tear it up into pieces (not too neatly!).



Apply one coat of varnish to the entire surface of the egg, then start gluing the paper onto the egg. Again, you don't want it to look too neatly. After you have covered up the whole egg with paper, apply a 2nd coat of varnish and apply a 2nd layer of paper.



Apply a last coat of varnish and let the egg dry.



Remove the pin and cover up the little hole with varnish and paper, like you did with the rest of the egg. Put it upside down in a glass or a cup and let it dry.



When the egg is dry, check if there are no light spots. These spots need another layer of paper.



Time to decorate! The best part! I use this UHU glue stick. It is important to chose the right glue, this one will dry clear and invisible.



Have fun!

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Friday night

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My new favorite spot in the house

I think this is my new favorite spot in the house. There is so much light, even on a dark day like today. We are still not sure if we want to hang the old curtains or not.

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Decorating is my passion

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School cupboard

For our house extension I dreamt about a large, old cupboard. I love cupboards with glass doors to keep all my stuff. It took me weeks to find this old school cupboard in the Netherlands (www.oldbasics.nl). I had it come to Luxembourg and it stayed in our garage for months (we hardly ever have room in our garage for the cars). I was so happy to clean and decorate it last weekend.



I'll show some close-ups of what's inside tomorrow!

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Finally

After one very long year, we are almost ready and I can finally start decorating!



More to come.....

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Candle light

We started renovating beginning of February and the house is still such a mess. I hope it will be ready for Christmas.

I lit some candles. Everything looks better in candle light!

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Brocante finds

I still owe you the photos of our brocante tour in Arlon two weeks ago.

A beautiful old wooden towel rack for 12 euro...

...and 8 lovely old jam jars with different patterns.

The wooden box comes from the Netherlands, I'll probably use it for the firewood once the renovation is done.

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Brocante

There was not much time to visit the "marchés aux puces" this year with all the building activities in and around the house. But we are having such a beautiful autumn weather that we decided to go to the other side of the border, to Arlon/Belgium. It is a big brocante market, every first Sunday of the month. Some impressions:

Next time I will show you the small treasures we found.

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Shopping the souks

I brought home a beautiful, large, silver platter and a dozen of silver colored tea glasses. I was tempted to buy colored ones, but I realized that my home isn't as colorful as Morocco, so I settled for the silver glasses. I am planning to use them for dessert when we have guests for dinner.

And we found a lovely, large plate to spice up some kitchen blog posts.

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Bank safe deposit tins

I don't like plastic containers, so I am always looking for alternatives to store my stuff. I found these on one of my favorite Dutch antique/brocante sites. They are bank safe deposit tins. I love the copper handles!

Have a nice weekend everybody.

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Dreaming....

I wish I could afford me one of these.....

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My little Etsy shop

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Spring decoration

Now that the children are back to school, I finally found the time to set up my own

"astorminsidemyhead Etsy shop".

Some years ago I was looking for the perfect Easter/spring decoration, but all I could find was in pale yellow, blue and pink and these colors just didn't match my home's interior. I started experimenting with paper on styropor eggs. White paper didn't work, the paper turned yellow after some time, but the black/grey paper was really beautiful. I am also a jewelry maker and I have a huge stock of lace, beads, charms and ornaments. I started combining the black paper with natural colored details and I am really happy with the outcome. Hope you like them too!

I offer three different, yet perfectly matching eggs in a lovely bird's nest, however if you prefer the eggs without the nest, please feel free to contact me.

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