New fabrics coming to the shop soon!

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Hello everyone on this grey September day.

It is noticeably cooler and the light is fading fast these days. Soon the leaves will turn yellow, then brown and finally fall. I must say, although I appreciate the coziness of the Fall season, ever since I started painting again I'm aware of how short the days are now. I don't know about you, but I can only paint in natural light.

We've made quite a bit of headway in our garden, but it's going to be a while yet, before it looks presentable. Leo, of course, likes it messy. It was fun to watch him play and jump on the small mounds of earth :) 

Anyway, on to shop news!

I've been patiently waiting for new fabrics to arrive and I'm hoping for a September/October delivery. Keeping my fingers crossed. Here's a sneak peek of what's coming:

From German manufacturer Acufactum

From US Designer Brenda Riddle

Summer Picnic from Melissa Mortensen

I'm also awaiting the arrival of a few select novelty fabrics. I don't usually carry novelties, but the theme of the fabric collection is all about "sewing and handmade", so I thought they would fit in perfectly.

In my paper section I have recently received these fun items from German company Krima & Isa

And finally the most exciting news! As long-time readers may know, I have been carrying the gorgeous nostalgic and retro style fabric collections by popular US Designer Tanya Whelan for as long as I can remember. After a hiatus for a few years Tanya is back! She's now an independent designer and will be re-releasing the all-time favorite "Barefoot Roses", re-named "Barefoot Roses Classics". Sewing enthusiasts in the US are lucky, as the fabrics will already be rolled out in November. For the rest of us we will need to be patient and wait until March 2022. So, if you've missed out the first time, here's your chance to grab some of that yummy rose print fabric with additional color aqua to choose from!

That's it from me. Thanks for reading along! Have a wonderful day and weekend ahead. By the way, I have opened a new instagram account (English) for the sole purpose of showcasing my journey in art. In case you're interested and want to take a peek. You'll find me @duni_studio_art

A little bit of this and that

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Hello friends!

oops, I did it again - that is, not blog for weeks on end. At this point I'm probably writing into the void, bar for the handful of exceptionally loyal readers who have stuck with me throughout the years. Know that I appreciate you so much 💕

So while my poor blog has been collecting dust, I have been busy dealing once again with new rules and regulations affecting my small business. In fact, in the past 3 - 4 years it seems like the powers that be have been targeting small businesses - especially online businesses. I finally had to loop in my tax consultant, because the whole process is quite complicated. As the new regulation goes into effect next month I've sadly had to "lower my sights" businesswise. It's kind of depressing actually, but I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. I love my shop, my products and of course my fabulous customers!

In a nutshell, this basically means that I will be shipping my goods primarily to the following countries:

GERMANY, USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, JAPAN, NORWAY, SWITZERLAND, SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA 

I may be able to ship my goods to:

ENGLAND (with reservations), LATIN AND SOUTH AMERICA, SELECT ASIAN COUNTRIES

I may be able to ship my goods to:

AUSTRIA, if you use one of those companies that provide delivery addresses in Germany close to the border and are able  to pick up the goods from there.

Finally, I won't be able to ship my goods to: EU countries outside Germany

The latter must seem especially confusing and not wanting to get into the nitty-gritty, trust that I have gone through all options available to me 😔

If your country isn't listed - contact me at my email and I will check if I can ship to you!

All of this comes at an unfortunate time, because my own website plus Etsy have propelled forward in the last pandemic year and I was actually hoping for a repeat this year. Now with having to cut important shipping destinations I will really need to up my game locally.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with I will also have to primarily source my goods locally too. Thankfully, I have been carrying popular acufactum fabrics for a while now and they are based right here in Germany. Below are some new fabrics that I have received recently. They are certified oekotex® cotton fabrics at 58" wide. 

Except for the fox one, all are available both at my website and at Etsy.

In other news...

This past Monday I received my second vaccination. So far I only have a sore arm and felt a bit tired the next day. I am so relieved. I have decided to keep wearing my mask while grocery shopping, though, out of courtesy for those that haven't had a shot yet. It is slow going in Germany, as there aren't enough vaccines available. sigh.

My beloved sewing machine of 12 years broke down a few weeks ago. Ugh.  I'm still deciding whether to get a new one or bring it to the repair shop, which is actually a bike repair shop, but the guy does sewing machines on the side. I will have to make a decision soon, as it is really weird not being able to sew!

Plus I'm still suffering slightly from "creative block". I'm putting it down to being cooped up at home for 14 months. I miss those garden days . I always found inspiration there. Speaking of garden, we have started picking up where we left off in our garden again, however it's a bigger project than we initially thought! So, no pictures as of yet. 

While browsing the internet I came upon this art site and suddenly I felt the urge to paint again. I haven't held a paint brush in probably over ten years...

Anyway one art site led to another and another and basically I'm now passionate about mixed media art. I know I'm very late to the game, but I am just happy it sparked my creativity again, even though it's completely different to sewing 🌈

I have been circling Dina Wakley's Mixed Media Art Journal for a while and finally bought it. I was intrigued by the various painting surfaces - watercolor, canvas, burlap and kraft paper - inside and wanted to try out some new techniques. I bought some basic art supplies (that was fun!) and also unearthed the swag bag I once received while attending the KreativMesse. I hadn't even opened some of those crafty things and now they will be put to good use!

Hopefully I can show you some stuff I've done with it in the near future. I know the burlap is tricky. We'll see what I come up with. 

Thank you for reading along. I hope you are all doing well. I know these past months have been so tough for many of us. Take care! Love ~

Final Post in 2020 plus Fabric News & April Rose

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Hi everyone!

2020 is coming to an end and what a tough year it's been for all of us! Especially these last few months have really taken their toll, as I was anxiously watching the US election. My brother and family live there so it does affect me. While I am truly relieved at the outcome and eternally grateful for everyone that came out and voted despite the pandemic, I'm only cautiously optimistic as Joe Biden hasn't been sworn in yet. Even as I write this the current occupant of the White House is implementing destructive policies - honestly, Jan. 20th cannot come soon enough! If you want to know what totalitarianism looks like - check out my childhood home of Hong Kong. Within just one year this vibrant, efficient and sometimes quirky world city has turned into a police state! Ordinary, hard working citizens can and are being snatched off the street for arbitrary reasons by the new "special police". Ring any bells? Hong Kong is officially dead and I can't even begin to describe my screwed up feelings. I'll save that for another post. Top this off with the turmoil in the US plus the raging pandemic (the vaccine will probably only be available to the general public mid to end of next year) and a wannabe dictator vying for the position of chancellor in the election here next year - is it any wonder that my anxiety levels are through the roof?

Sorry, I just needed to vent. Better move on to the pleasant part of this post...

I'm not sure if I've shown these before, but the latest fabrics by Tilda are all about sweet roses in mauve, mint, warm orange and sand. There are some cute buttons to complement the range.

***

Some lovely Christmas fabrics from German company acufactum have arrived recently. I'm happy to say that most of these have sold out, but they are on back order and should be back in stock mid-December!

In the card department I have a lovely range of postcards with Christmas motifs and all sorts of useful items for gift wrapping from Krima & Isa. 

And last but not least there's a wonderful collection of retro inspired Christmas card sets with a "Keep Calm" motto from my lovely friend Siobhan at April Rose. These are exclusively available in my shop. Each set contains eight cards with two designs to easily mix and match and included white envelopes. 

If you're wondering I have temporarily switched off the English version of my shop, because there is a bug that needs to be fixed. I do, however, ship to countries outside Germany. Simply drop me a line if you're interested - duni.buesken(at)gmx(de).

For those who wanted to know - after nursing little Sumi back to health she's is doing much better now, even with just one eye. This makes me happy and I'm so proud of her!

Finally, I just wanted to let all of my long time readers know I appreciate and think of you, even if I may not drop by your respective blogs that often. Wishing you all the blessings of peace and the spirit of love this Christmas season and let's all remain hopeful for the coming year. 

(p.s. I have been receiving loads of spam comments, so I have turned off comments for this post)

Acufactum fabrics, April Rose sneak peek & Life lately

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Hortensientraum

Dear blog friends,
just wanted to check in and say hello. We're halfway into 2020 and what an absolutely challenging year it has turned out to be. The pandemic is raging on and most of us are still self-isolating. Especially people who are naturally sociable have a hard time dealing with this. Do reach out to people whom you might feel to be suffering at home alone. Luckily we live in the digital age where it's easy to engage in "face-time" via phone. While I haven't seen any of my friends in person since March, I'm grateful they are all healthy. Same goes for my family members who live in different parts of the world. I try not to dwell on the fact that I might not see them in a very long time.

On top of everything else, we had to rush my sweet little cat to emergency surgery ten days ago. Right up to the moment she was her normal active self, the next moment she was obviously in deep pain and I discovered blood was coming out of her left eye. Turns out a tumor had been growing inside it, which couldn't be seen from the outside. Sadly, her eye had to be removed. What a traumatic experience for all of us, but especially Sumi. She is eighteen years old now, that's eighty-eight in human years, and recovery is taking longer than usual. The first few days I had to feed her by hand. I liquified some chicken with broth, but she would only eat a teaspoon. Thankfully, over the last few days she's been eating more. Also, I had to administer antibiotics. Catmoms will know how difficult this is. I tried every trick in the book. What finally worked was placing the pills in a small container with her usual dry food. Leave them in for at least 72 hours. They will take on the smell of the food.
I then cut them in half and stuck them in the tiniest piece of cooked chicken. This didn't always work on the first try, though. She's doing better today. She's walking around slowly, getting used to navigating with just one eye. My poor baby :( Needless to say I haven't slept well and I'm a bit frazzled from watching her 24/7.

Needless to say all my sewing projects are on the back burner and I'm done sewing face masks, but I couldn't resist this special request for a kid-sized mask with a Hello Kitty patch. I'm (still) a big fan myself. This really is the last one though!

I am grateful that I am able to work from home. The only times I leave the house with my mask on and keeping the required distance from other people is when I go to the post office or grocery shopping. Thankfully, the personnel and other shoppers are sticking to the guidelines. Also, for those who are wondering - I pack my products with disposable gloves on.
For those who have been waiting for newsletters/fabric updates - production has been moving slowly or even halted. At this point I can't say whether I will receive my orders this year or not.
Please bear with me!

Luckily a few fabrics from German company acufactum arrived here last week. These fabrics are all 145 cm wide (58 inches) and are certified oekotex R standard 100% cotton. These fabrics feature the most adorable, whimsical details illustrated by Daniela Drescher. You have seen the popular Pippa & Pelle summer fabric in my previous post. I know it is still early, but check out the winter version. The snow-covered cottage is so cute. And can you spot the little mouse?

Coming from acufactum later this year is the new Winter Collection featuring fluffy sheep, winter grass, cut-out ovals framing sweet children plus dots in a subtle cream, light grey and taupe colorway. I sell these fabrics in units of 25 cm (10 inches), but if you buy more I will obviously leave the fabric in one continuous piece. Btw, regular postal service to USA and Australia is still suspended, unfortunately. However, I have had success with shipments to USA using an international courier service, if you are willing to pay the increased shipping fee. Email me, if you are interested.

And last but not least, I have been collaborating with my dear friend Siobhan of April Rose Illustrations on a new post card series! After final touches have been made the designs are now off to the printers. The cards feature the inimitable style unique to April Rose products. So excited for these and can't wait to share soon! I will reveal this much...it's a Keep Calm series. Here is a sneak peak.

Thank you for reading along and I hope you enjoyed this post. And I truly hope you are taking good care of yourselves, your families and communities. Take care, until next time!

New fabric line, Handmade, Life lately & more fabric!

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Hello lovelies!

true to my new motto of "blogging without obligation" this happens to be only my second blog post this year. I admit it feels kind of weird after blogging three times per week for years. If you follow my business account on Instagram you'll find that I have been working on several projects which I'm excited to share here on the blog.
US fabric designer Tanya Whelan, who switched to a different manufacturer last year released a new collection - Janey. These fabrics have such a happy vibe and feature her signature nostalgic rose bouquets in fresh aqua, vibrant pink and red plus fun rose cameos on gingham. It took a while for these to arrive over here in Germany, but when they did I couldn't resist making a little something.

I honestly wish I could sew more, but since I'm still experiencing pain almost every day in varying intensity I can only do as much as my body will allow. As you can imagine I have seen one doctor after the other, sat for hours in stuffy waiting rooms and argued with (at least) one of them. It's frustrating, but I've vowed not to let this, whatever *this* is, become the focus of my attention. Nope.
We've had a weird summer, alternating between relatively cool, rainy days and exceptionally hot days. And two weeks in July were absolutely scorching. Every day I had to fill those water bowls that I had placed in shadow-y areas in the garden for the thirsty birds. Speaking of garden. Earlier this year we decided to turn ours into a low-maintenance one. Right now it's a pretty muddy mess - Leo loves it :) Ever seen a cat roll around in mud?
Also our upper balcony is getting a make-over! I know I mentioned this around three years ago, but you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find and coordinate contractors. So far we've had a new balcony door and the electrical stuff installed, but the big part, the actual renovation is only going to start early next year. Still, I'm so glad we've made progress and finalized our design.

Over the summer my illustrator friend Siobhan and I collaborated on a cute new post card range!Check out these vintage style numbers cards. Coincidentally, I turned fabulous fifty this summer and I spent my birthday weekend in my favorite city Amsterdam. Too bad it was raining, but I enjoyed the scenery, the flower market and the food none the less...and how cute is that hotel kitty?

In additional fabric news, I don't know how I could have missed out on these whimsical fabrics by German company acufactum for so long. Particularly as the company headquarters is only about an hours drive from my home! These are selling really well in my shop. The delicate motifs featuring dainty girls, pretty flowers, birds, magical fairies and little mice are original illustrations by Daniela Drescher. There's also a matching range of satin ribbons. It's all so cute! I made a little zip pouch and tried my hand at stitching letters by hand.

Coming soon, hopefully beginning of October is another new fabric range, which has gained a huge following in Europe in the last ten years or so - the popular Tilda fabrics designed by Norwegian Tone Finnanger. She has published a number of craft books and is known for her sewing patterns for soft toys, home decoration and colorful quilts. Super excited to be receiving "Old Rose" this Fall.

There's some other items coming this Fall as well, but I'll keep that under wraps for now :) Take care everyone and thank you for reading along! Till next time...