Autumn & Easter

Easter in the northern hemisphere is usually a special time for it is the start of spring and with is comes a sense of renewal, freshness and awakening after the long grey winter. I have fond memories of going on a long walk with the whole family over the Easter holidays and my grandfather would walk ahead and drop little chocolate eggs along the way - it certainly kept us children motivated and I don't think we ever quite made the connection why Opa walked ahead of the group all the time.

Here in New Zealand of course, the temperatures have dropped, the days are getting shorter and there's no denying that summer has come to an end. With the cooler temperatures, we are spending more time indoors and I have once again got my decorating mojo back.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter break - wherever in the world you are. I am counting down the days until my dear mother arrives from Germany and for her to finally meet her latest grandchild.

Tschüss...

Summary Christmas Decoration

As much as I love this warm temperature we are having at the moment, I still struggle with the concept of a southern hemisphere Christmas. I miss the cozy atmosphere around this time of year in Germany - the smell of baking, candles and snow.

This year I combine my traditional decoration with some beachy elements. The boys and I collected driftwood and turned it into stars and a small tree.  

 I loved filling the advent calendar bags this year. The temptation of peeking was just too much for my little one though so I ended up taking them down and putting them all in a basket - out of little hand's reach.

I hope you all have a lovely time leading up to Christmas. It will be very quiet around here as we are waiting for the baby to arrive early in the New Year.

Tschüss...

Easter Sunday...

Just a quick hello to wish you all a Happy Easter. I have spent most of today preparing for tomorrow, I'll be hosting family for a traditional german style Easter lunch. I'll leave you with a few photos I took today...

 

Tschüss...

Easter Decorations & Lounge Update

I hope you are all having a nice week? I just wanted to let you know how happy I am to have you stop by and how grateful I am for every single comment. 

I managed to find my Easter decorations (or should I say my husband did, after he spent an hour in the garage looking through unopened boxes) I was keen to bring a little Easter feeling into the home. In the northern hemisphere Easter is associated with springtime yet here we are heading into autumn - it does feel a little strange. I don't know too many people that decorate their homes for Easter in New Zealand but I am determined to keep a little Germany tradition going in my home - mostly for the boys. 

We used to go for a long walk on Easter Sunday with the whole family and my grandfather would drop little chocolate eggs along the way without us noticing. I still remember the excitement as a little girl discovering the treats amongst freshly sprung flowers. Do you have any easter traditions that you are keen to pass on?

This cute little pair of ceramic bunnies was a gift from my mother. She has always been a keen decorator and she celebrated the change of season by updating our home.

I received some new cushions from H&M last week - my mother sent them to me along with some 

Haribo - Mmmmhhhh :-) The pot plant was a recent project I did. I noticed them in many scandinavian interiors and never found one ready made - so I used a circular wire and twisted ivy around it. Easy!

Tschüss...

Welcome Back!

I did promise I would return ;-) 

So here I am on the other side of the world blogging from our new home. So much has happened since we left Germany in early December. I think this has been one of the most emotional times I have ever experienced. 

Joys and Sadness so closely interlinked. 

Saying goodbye to my family and friends in Germany has been heartbreaking but then we've had the most wonderful welcome here in Christchurch and I feel deeply happy about being back here.

After two wonderful weeks with my mother-in-law (thank you Jane!) we have shifted into our new house yesterday - just in time to celebrate the start of a New Year.

I am so excited to turn this house into a home. We chose location and size over style so there is a lot for me to do to turn this ugly duckling into a pretty swan ;-) 

I will also be blogging a little about life in New Zealand for those back in Germany interested in a slice of the kiwi lifestyle.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful start to the New Year!

Tschüss...

Easter Egg Decoration

I should be packing for our weekend trip away but I thought I'd quickly post these photos of some more easter decoration around the house. I bought these black & white easter eggs at ALDI. I know- not the kind of place I would really think to get decorations from but I really liked the rabbit silhouettes on plain white eggs. You could easily make them yourself with a fine black marker or ink.

I made the egg below using some of the leftover pink cushion fabric (here). It was really quick and easy. I used wallpaper glue which I always have a glass made up for the kids when they do some crafts.

(images: Nina Lamb)

Ok, I better run now. We are off to Ghent (Belgium) for the weekend to spend some time with friends. I love how here in Europe you can hop over to another country in less than three hours.

Have a great weekend everyone, and thank you so much for your sweet comments throughout the week. They really make my day. 

Tschüss...