Every now and then...

...I need my big city fix! Seeing as I grew up in a city populated by seven million people, none of the cities here in Germany actually compare. However, I grew fond of one city in particular, a place that part of me still calls "home". 

Von welcher Großstadt hier die Rede ist, sollte spätestens beim Anblick des obigen Wahrzeichens klar sein! Hin und wieder brauche ich meinen "Großstadtfix", obwohl verglichen mit der 7-Millionenstadt in der ich aufwuchs ist keine der Städte hierzulande wirklich groß ;-) Dennoch, diese Stadt ist mir ans Herz gewachsen.

At weekends I used to go for an early morning run along the river Rhine. It's still a great place to go for a stroll, to watch boats and cargo vessels sail by, and sea gulls swooping in the sky!

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Früher ging ich öfters entlang des Rheins joggen. Es ist nach wie vor wunderschön hier spazieren zu gehen, die Frachtschiffe zu beobachten und den Möwen beim Fliegen zuzuschauen! 

There is always something new to discover on each visit, especially if you look up...

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Es gibt immer wieder Neues zu entdecken, vorallem wenn man nach oben guckt...

...or look down.             ...oder nach unten schaut.

there are old and modern stuctures side by side

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Alte und neue Gebäude nebeneinander

The old part of town has lots of eateries to choose from, including this chocolate paradise... 

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In der Altstadt gibt es unzählige Restaurants  und dieses Schokoladenparadies...

Undoubtedly the best part of visiting my old hometowm is catching up with friends!

There are over 550 outdoor sculptures dotted throughout the city, some in unexpected places

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Überall in der Stadt befinden sich Skulpturen, Denkmäler und Brunnenanlagen, manche ziemlich versteckt 

This city is also known as the fashion capital of Germany (I worked in this industry for a number of years) and as such it's about seeing and being seen, especially on the main shopping boulevard. However, if you wish not to be seen (like me) the city also offers plenty of places to escape.

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Lange Zeit galt diese Stadt als Modehauptstadt Deutschlands (nun teilt sie sich den Titel mit Berlin). Die Devise lautet aber immer noch "sehen und gesehen werden". Wer allerdings seine Ruhe haben will (so wie ich), dem bietet diese Stadt auch wunderschöne Orte des Rückzugs.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

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Habt ein wunderschönes Wochenende!

Featured in Etsy Finds!!!

I was wondering why I had 3000+ Etsy shop views today - I'm so glad Edi of MemoriesforLifeScrapbooks kindly let me know that my Paradise Pajama Set was included in the Etsy Finds shopping guide! It was included in the "find a unique gift for Mom now" section. Wow, this is my first time ever to be included here since opening my shop in December 2010 and I'm so excited!

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Ich hatte mich heute morgen echt gewundert, dass mein Etsy Shop 3000+ Ansichten hatte! Zum Glück hat mich Edi von MemoriesforLifeScrapbooks aufgeklärt. Mein Paradise Pyjama war wohl gestern im Etsy Geschenkefinder! Ich fühle mich total geehrt und ich bin sooo happy!

Paradise Dreams PJ Set

Also, it's been included in this beautiful feminine Etsy treasury by Roselle of SeasideRoseCreations !

Außerdem wurde es in dieser wunderschönen Etsy Collage von Roselle von SeasideRoseCreations aufgenommen!

Now that all this attention is on my shop, I better get down to sewing :)

Hope you are all doing great! See you soon,

Liebe Mädels, wenn es die nächste Zeit etwas still wird hier heißt das nur, dass ich am Nähen bin, denn jetzt wo so viele Leute in meinen Shop gucken, muß da auch ordentlich Ware rein ;-) bis bald...

We're going on vacation soon!

Well, my doc gave me the green light yesterday. As long as I feel the way I do now, on the meds I'm taking, everything should be fine. He even mentioned reducing the dosage when I get back. So, I have one more week of work and getting everything in order - then we're gone for two weeks! This'll be the longest vacation since our last one eight years ago. I can't wait. I'll be taking along this new shopping tote. It's nice and roomy for all the souvenirs I might pick up here and there :) There was some fabric left, which I used to make a detachable flower brooch. Here it's pinned to the bag... ...or you can make a fashion statement by attaching it to your shirt or jacket lapel! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Christmas Shopping

Well, I'm glad to say I've finished all of my Christmas Shopping, which is no surprise, because I buy gifts throughout the year. I've written about this in a post on my personal blog, which you may want to read here. But what about unexpected visitors knocking on your door at Christmas time? Or maybe you exchange gifts with your neighbours? You would want to have a little gift ready, just in case! I made up a few zipper pouches in red and tan tartan. I wanted something that had a wintery feel to it, so I chose fine italian wool. I didn't need to buy much of the fabric, since these pouches only measure about 15 x 13 cm or approx. 6 x 5 inches. They are lightly padded and lined with either green or orange checks. For that special touch I appliquéd each one with a different motif, i.e. gingerbread man, heart, angels etc., using scraps of fabric. In the picture below you can see two examples. The red tartan one has a little teddy bear with heart; the tan tartan one has a little birdy.

click to enlarge

So now I don't have to worry about being empty-handed!