The last months the lack of time has been my biggest challenge!!
The extreme work responsibilities of my day-job from the one side, the shop and the seminars from the other side, there was no time left for anything, moreover for my blog which has been left so alone and neglegted!

Last Wednesday we had the last lesson of both cources of knitting and crochet seminars! I can say, that I am kind of relieved, because I will have more free time to do things, but I also feel a little sad that the seminars are over, because we bonded together and became friends with all the girls and we also had a great time every Wednesday!

The girls has a wonderful surprise for me, which made me very happy!! They gave me a present, a set of Knit-Pro needles, which they knew I have ever wanted, so wonderfully packed in a fuchsia bag handmade ans decorated by the lovely artistic hands of Christina, with an also handmade card:

Girls!!! What can I say?? You are so terribly sweet and awesome, I have no words to thank you!!!! I send you all my love and hope we will meet again in September together with our needles and hooks !!!! :)

my new creation - a jacket I have been working for long

I fianlly finished a jacket I started knitting long before Easter,with a beautiful silk yarn I bought last year in a very good price! The jacket of cource was meant to be worn the first warm days of spring, but summer came, before it was finished!
But I'm pleased with the result:

Fashion trend colour orange

The main color of the new season is, without any doubt, the energetic orange. Bright, positive and capable to arouse only good emotions, orange is the best vitamin and cure to the winter blues.

Voted as the colour of the year by Pantone, tangerine tango is one of the hottest colour trends of spring/summer fashion 2012.

The colour was popular in the 20s and 60s and began to ascend in popularity again last year, belying the argument that orange is uplifting and comforting during miserable economic times.

Whether teamed with a pair of jeans, worn as a dress, or used to accessorise, orange shades can easily add a bright burst of colour to your wardrobe.

Dolce e Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Jil Stewart 

Mulberry, Oscar de la Renta, Vivienne Tam

This is my new shibbori nunofelt scarf inspired by this colour trend:

Fashion trend SS2012 pastels and my new scarf

I made a new shibori scarf after a loooong time, inspired by the beutiful pastel hues that are so trendy for this spring/summer season!

Pretty pastel hues popped up all over the Spring runways from many designers such as 

Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Issey Miuake, Carolina Herrera, Versace and Valenitno. 

I  love this feminine color palette – lavender, mint green, candy pink, saturated coral, light yellow and sky blue !

 The upside for this trend is that it's both pretty and appropriate for the season. The downside for petites is that light colors tend to visually add bulk.  For those who still want to wear pastels, but don't look their best in pastel clothing, it would be easy to add a touch of light color with pastel fashion accessories, such as a pastel handbag, a bag or jewelry in pastel hues.

Knitwear is hot also for this spring-summer

"The edge of the yarn" is the title of the article of the new March issue of Elle!

Elle writes: "The designers grabbed their needles and left their fantasy free and the summer defiles were filled with knits of all sorts, proving that it's their year!!"

Κnitting, after it's strong comeback as a creative hobby, inspired the fashion designers too! Already the last two years we witness the love for handmade shown by the designers!

And if you thought till now that knitting is only for winter, to make warm hats and mittens and cosy jackets, you are wrong! There are gorgeous yarns cotton, linen and silk in the yarn market and fantastic light and airy stitches for you to make fantastic pieces for the spring/summer!

This spring summer season the fashion designers showed knits in bold colours, striped with large or small stripes, monochromes with lacy patterns, beautiful pastels long and wide, chunky or short!

We also show gorgeous crochet dresse, ponchos and knitted skirts and blazers!

Take a look at the pictures to get inspired and grab your needles!!

And if you haven't learned how to knit yet, now it's the time!!At Siempre Vivre knitting and crocheting seminars for beginners start soon! After you have finished the course, the knits that you see below will be a toy for you!Join now, the sits are limited!!!

 

Isabel Marant

 Tommy Hilfiger

 Tommy Hilfiger

 Isabel Marant 

 Κenzo

 Kenzo

 Michael Kors

Michael Kors

Michael Kors

 Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta

Rebecca Taylor

Monday moodboard - knitting

The weather is still wintery, the sky dark and rainy, what better reason to stay at home, sitting on our favorite spot, with a cup of hot coffe and the knitting needles in our hands!!

 1. TheHouseOfMouse 2. alexandstacey 3. Morrgan 4. colouritgreen

At Staroftheeast 's blog you can find more monday moodboards featuring gorgeous creations of the Europeanstreettem of Etsy!

Extreme chunky knitwear by Johan Ku

I stumbled upon this talented designer at Pinterest and was amazed by his work!Yes, it is a man behind these pieces of art, Johan K! You can see more of his collection and read about him here!
 

Monday moodboard - pastels

We are in the middle of winter and last week was the coldest week of the year sofar, but I'm choosing beautiful pastel spring colours:

1. ZenzPhotography 2. magalerie 3. jezek 4. sunshineartdesign

Visit  Staroftheeast's blog to see more monday moodboards featuring gorgeous creations by the members of the Europeanstreeteam!

Amaretto cakes

For the first post of the year, I chose a recipe for sweet, to have a sweet year  ;)

I was invited by a relative to lunch on New Year day and I thought I should bring something homemade as a present. I searched my recipes and found an easy and quick recipe for small cakes!

Ingredients

For the dough:
3 eggs
6 tablespoons milk
40 gr. flour
80 gr. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
20 gr. cocoa
20 gr. bitter chocolate
100 gr. savoiardi biscuits (ladyfinger biscuits)
1 / 2 cup fresh orange juice
1 / 2 cup amaretto liqueur

For the glaze:
1 chocolate
75 gr.heavy cream
1 pinch of salt

 

Execution

1) Butter and sprinkle with flour 8 ramekins or a muffin pan.

2) Beat the egg whites to meringue in a bowl, and in another the egg yolks with the sugar.

3) Mix the flour with the baking powder and cocoa and add to the the yolks mixture . Add the meringue also.

4) Grate the chocolate and add to mixture.

5) Cut the biscuits in cubes , then wet them with milk and add to mixture, stirring gently.

6)Fill the ramekins halfway and bake for 25 minutes at 200 degrees in the middle position of oven.

7) Mix the orange juice with amaretto and dip into the baked cakes.

8) Heat the cream with the chocolate and salt in a pan, stirring until the chokolates melts.

9) Once the cakes have cooled, decorate with the glaze. Garnish optional with coloured sugar sprinkles.

I wish everyone a happy sweet year!!!!