Salut Stefanie

SALUT MINKE

It's been a while and about time to share some birth announcement cards I made before summer started. I'm struggling a little with time, but that's all part of the deal when you're one-woman show ;>)
This card was specially designed for babygirl Minke. It was lovely to design something with a swan, that had been on my wishlist for a while.
The card has a few extra personal touches that I really like.
The text at the front of the card was written by Minke's mother.
To make it even more personal she wrote it in her own handwriting.
It was quite a challenge for me to carve these letters that small, but I nailed it, luckily.
Have a wonderful life Minke with lots of surrounded love and music.

[NL] 
Het heeft even geduurd en daarom hoog tijd dat ik weer verder ga met het posten van geboortekaartjes die ik nog voor de zomer ontwierp. Ik worstel soms een beetje met de tijd die ik heb...Maar...vandaag: het kaartje van Minke met als thema 'zwanen'.
Ik was daar heel blij mee, want ik wilde al een hele poos een keer iets ontwerpen met een zwaan!
Wat ik extra bijzonder aan deze kaart vind, is dat het een paar extra persoonlijke noten heeft.
De tekst aan de voorzijde heeft Minke's moeder zelf geschreven.
Om dat nog persoonlijker te maken schreef ze het voor me op in haar eigen handschrift.
En toen had ik een flinke uitdaging om deze kleine tekst als leesbare stempel te snijden...
Pittig, maar ik kreeg het voor elkaar!
Lieve Minke, ik wens je een liefdevol leven toe met vele mooie liedjes van je moeder en wil je je moeder bedanken voor de mooie en bijzondere samenwerking?














INTO THE WILD ALGARVE




It's hard to be back in rainy Amsterdam after a lovely holiday in Portugal.
Therefore some cheering up and sunny pictures of a place called Into the Wild Algarve (ITWA).
Because this ecocamping is worth a recommendation. Big time!
ITWA is a small camping, runned by two inspiring families.
All at ITWA is done with so much love, care and attention, you can feel and see this all around you.
Veggies from their own garden, the oven made of natural mud, amazing tents and nature.
This year is their first season, so some things are still in progress, but I have the feeling that this camping is going to be very, very wanted…

Staying at ITWA means:
Surrounded by beautiful nature and spacious dwellings. That smell when you open your tent! Think: pine trees, lavender, oak- and eucalyptus trees.
Our two kids had the time of their lives: running around, playing with kittens, a little swimming lake in front of your tent, a treehut, playing with other kids...
It was great to stay at the camping, and to altnernate this with trips to the gorgeous beaches and villages nearby. It takes about 15 minutes to the nearest beach.
Our favourite beaches were Zavial, Cavanas and Salema, all very suitable for little kids.

Make sure you don’t miss out on a ITWA pizza night. Great fresh pizza’s from the natural oven, made with love and supported by good vibes music from Mike (DJ Aardvarck).
Bonus was daughter Jip from Dave and Sonya, in the same age of our daughter, they had the best time together! Though it was hard to say goodbye, a friendship is born and continued in writing cards.  

There were two things that I had to get used to: the open air shower. Beautifully done, but only warm when there’s been enough sun. At times you normally want to shower your kids the shower was mostly cold. During the day though lovely temperature. I think it would be totally perfect if there’s warm water at all times.
The other thing I had to get used to was the dust. It’s everywhere. It’s not bad, but just something I had to get used to. Just make sure to wash your rental car before returning it ;-)

I already miss all of it and love to go back. Muito Obrigada ITWA!
Nice tip for next year?? :>) 

ITWA website
ITWA facebook
ITWA instagram


GEODOME
Photo by Into The Wild Algarve
Can you find our tent?



Close up from the tent. Perfect for two adults and two (even three) kids.
With good beds.
Photo by Into The Wild Algarve
Pizza Night with amazing fresh and tasty pizza's from the natural mud oven!
Photo by Into The Wild Algarve

I was lucky to do some yoga this holiday.
Photo by Into The Wild Algarve

The ruin. This is where you cook, and where you find a fridge and wifi. 

Yep. Kittens. Purrrfect!


Our youngest was completely happy with the kittens. 


The open air shower


Great view during some spare me time (doodle time)


Diddly Doodly


Painting stones is fun. 


Even managed to carve a stamp :-)
With very limited material but there was a stamp of an Aardvarck in the end! 


An Aardvarck stamp for DJ Aardvarck.




In love with this picture.

Friends


Three musketeers ready for a party pizza night

Kids love tree huts

Cute little play house for cute little kids ;-)


Lovely beaches, even not too crowded still can be found in the Algarve. 

Sand mermaid 


That light when the sun falls...love it! Muito Obrigado Portugal.
 Photo by ITWA.