2013 – What’s your Word of the Year?

Posted by on Jan 2, 2013 in Blog | 4 comments It’s funny, yesterday I was thinking what the new year would bring and what my expectations and plans were. As I was daydreaming about 2013 (I don’t like new year’s resolutions, btw), I decided, the new year should have at least a motto or I should give it a theme. Shortly after, I came across Layla’s blog The Lettered Cottage with “Word of the Year –...
read more

Our Last Christmas in Texas

Posted by on Dec 30, 2012 in Blog, Living & Design | 4 comments So, this was our last christmas in Texas before our big move to Portland Oregon in October 2013. And we even had a white christmas, so romantic and beautiful, serene and peaceful! This year, I decided not to make christmas cookies; recipes from my family in Germany but I didn’t have a chance. My husband’s family insisted, they wanted their stash… so I spent two full days in the...
read more

German Season’s Traditions: The Advent Wreath

Posted by on Dec 10, 2012 in Blog, Living & Design | 0 comments In Germany, we have the tradition of celebrating the 4 weeks of advent. It’s the 4 Sundays before Christmas Eve. Every Sunday, we light another candle, those candles are typically on a wreath called “Adventskranz” (advent wreath). The christmas tree isn’t up before December 24. These four weeks are filled with all kinds of different events and celebrations. So for the...
read more

At Home in Germany

Posted by on Oct 22, 2012 in Blog | 0 comments This is the time of the year of getting ready for the holidays, hot tea, cozy blankets and snuggling, lighting candles and cleaning up the backyard for winter. If everything had worked out as planned, I’d be in Texas with my hubby doing all of these things. Instead, life decided else for me, so I had to go home to Germany because my Dad was in hospital. I booked the very first available...
read more

How to Make Your Own Deodorant (From “The Bust DIY Guide to Life”)

Posted by on Sep 25, 2012 in Blog, Green Stuff | 2 comments After a one week vacation (we went to visit Portland!!), back and ready to roll my business again!! We went back to check out the area closely and to find the right neighborhood, in case you wondered, yes, we’ll be moving there next year. That’s the reason we went to visit again.. So we didn’t travel much this time -only one trip along Columbia River on our 4th wedding...
read more

Aquaponics Project in our Backyard – Fish & Veggies!

Posted by on Sep 7, 2012 in Blog, Food, Green Stuff | 1 comment It was my husband’s idea to start with aquaponics in our backyard. What a great idea!! I had no idea what it was and when he explained to me, I was hooked. We have raised vegetable beds, but with the heat, most of my plants stop growing after June, so my harvesting time is usually over by then. But with this concept, we could have fish AND veggies all year round in our backyard. This is...
read more

Easy Ways to Save Water

Posted by on Jul 7, 2012 in Blog, Green Stuff | 0 comments The easiest way to save water is not to use any (says the person who consists of 90% water!!). Ok, there are many ways like - brush your teeth or shave without the water running - fill the washing machine and use the minimum amount of water Or, catch the rain water for watering (I have buckets to catch the water from the gutters). But be careful! Did you know that there are states in the US...
read more

How a Delayed Flight turns into a Real Treat

Posted by on Jun 1, 2012 in Art, Blog | 6 comments Hi guys, I’m back! You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been around much. I just came back from home (Germany) to spend time with my parents, sister, brother, grandma, neighbors and friends that I haven’t seen in two years. It always seems like time is too short and things come to an end too soon. My trip started in Dallas, saying good-bye to my hubby – I left...
read more

We Don’t Need Earth Day

Posted by on Apr 18, 2012 in Blog, Green Stuff | 1 comment Earth day is coming up this weekend and I actually couldn’t care less about it. Do we really need a theme or a specific day to celebrate earth? Common sense please! While on the one hand, it’s nice to raise some awareness to stop malicious destruction of our planet. Because it seems like the majority hasn’t heard how we (the ones on top of the food chain) kill our own and only...
read more

My Latest Upcycled Projects

Posted by on Mar 30, 2012 in Blog, Green Stuff, Upcycling & DIY | 3 comments The last couple of days have been filled with picking up scrap wood at construction sites, building stuff, painting and getting ready for my next shows. I am so excited about all the cute stuff I made and that will (hopefully) find a new home this weekend. Here’s a slide show of some of the things I made this week from scrap to upcycled home decor: Materials I used: - scrap wood from...
read more

About Suburbia, My Undies & Saving Money

Posted by on Feb 29, 2012 in Blog, Green Stuff, Living & Design | 11 comments It’s this season again and my laundry can’t wait to smell the fresh spring air! If there’s one thing I really like about Texas, then it’s the short winters and the free clothes’ dryer. Even though we live in suburbia (which I can’t stand, I think I’ve said it before?! Counting the days to leave…) and there’s a homeowners’ association...
read more

Can I Call A Blog Post “Miscellaneous”?

Posted by on Feb 27, 2012 in Blog | 1 comment It’s my blog, I can call it whatever I like! This is a little visual review of random things I did, that kept me busy in the last couple of weeks, days… Here’s a sneak-peak into the life of Franziska! Enjoy Can you change the color of your leather boots? Hell yes you can! Will they last? I don’t know but I painted my boots from purple to brown to glossy black: I made...
read more

Mardi Gras, King Cake & Things That Can Go Wrong

Posted by on Feb 24, 2012 in Blog, Food | 0 comments I was lucky to be teaching a cooking class on Mardi Gras! Of course, I made some classics like Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Crawfish Etouffée, Jambalaya and Bananas Foster. I think everything turned out really good and my hubby was happy I brought some leftovers home for him to try. I am always prepared that something might go wrong during (or before) a class but luckily I am a pretty...
read more

Because I am REALLY Bored, I started a 2nd Blog…

Posted by on Feb 10, 2012 in Blog | 13 comments …and no, I am not bored, not at all! I just had a big aha-moment recently. And because after an aha-moment there needs to be some kind of action, I took action and started documenting my progress in my new blog. Is there a better journal than a blog? That way I can share my experience and document my progress. It’s more for myself than anything but if I inspire someone else, why not?...
read more

New Addiction For Artists, Creatives & Visuals: PINTEREST!

Posted by on Jan 26, 2012 in Blog, Living & Design | 23 comments Who’s tried it yet? Do you have an account? Yes, there’s another forum on the market and I am usually the one who watches the benefits first and analyzes its pros and cons. Kinda like facebook. I was on facebook when they just started and I had 5 friends for 1 1/2 years. How often did I use it? Not at all! If you have just 5 friends who post as much as you do, you can imagine how...
read more

Where Do You Buy Your Gifts?

Posted by on Jan 23, 2012 in Art, Blog | 6 comments We all do it. I am no exception, I do it, too. We all buy gifts. There’s only a few people on this planet who do not make gifts to others. Some gifts are free (like a smile), some are hand- or home-made but most of us actually buy them. Not all gifts are useful, pretty or thoughtful. I got gifts in my life that actually made me more mad than anything. Yes, gifts can do that, too....
read more

Days Like These…

Posted by on Jan 19, 2012 in Blog, Food, Living & Design | 1 comment Today’s one of those days when nothing exciting seemed to happen. But when I look back, a ton of stuff happened, why not share? Thursdays and Fridays are my hubby’s days off and so am I -thank goodness I am self-employed! In the morning the best news in a long time came in: my parents are coming to visit in March, woohoooo!! First time since I moved here from Germany 4 years ago....
read more

A Fast Clears Body AND Mind

Posted by on Jan 10, 2012 in Blog, Food | 4 comments Again a week has passed and you haven’t seen me much around! There is always a reason why I am not around for a couple of days, so let me explain… I have been sooooo B U S Y !!! Ok, I admit, I have been busy with myself, my thoughts, with work on my upcycling projects, tax, cleaning, removing the tree and then finally, I started a fast. And no, it’s not because a new year...
read more

Stylish Winter Decoration On A Budget

Posted by on Nov 14, 2011 in Blog, Upcycling & DIY | 6 comments When it comes to decorating the house, I am always in favor of change! I usually change the decoration every couple of weeks, rearrange furniture, artwork and just love to move things around. And sometimes, I do a little too much and the house looks a little cluttered with all the pretty things I like to put on display. Then I know it’s time to get started again and clean up, remove some...
read more

Upcycling Project: Upholstering a Garage Sale Find

Posted by on Nov 11, 2011 in Blog, Upcycling & DIY | 14 comments My latest garage sale find: a new chair for my studio. Well, not new but used -kind of new for me. My friend Elisabeth had a garage sale and while I decided to come by and give her some support, I immediately fell in love with this chair. I tried it on (sat in it) and it was so comfy that I had to have it. The office chair I have been using almost fell apart and I needed three pillows to not hit...
read more

Where Does An Artist Feel At Home?

Posted by on Oct 20, 2011 in Blog | 11 comments One week after our trip to the West Coast, I am still digesting all the information intake and the impressions we swallowed along the way. We started our trip in San Francisco where we stayed for a week. Then we took our rental car, a silver 2011 Jeep Wrangler, and drove to Crater Lake. We have met so many people who live in Oregon who have never been there. Seriously? And then we met a retired...
read more

A Creative Mind Living In A Fake Bubble

Posted by on Jul 27, 2011 in Blog | 10 comments Most of you know that before I moved to McKinney in Texas, I traveled the world, lived in exciting places like Germany, England, Switzerland, New Orleans and worldwide at sea. Some of them seemed less exciting but they all had something to offer for my needs. McKinney was voted #5 “Best Places to Live in the US” by Money Magazine in 2010. The criteria chosen: - unemployment rate...
read more

How to Make Your Guest Room Inviting

Posted by on Jun 28, 2011 in Blog, Living & Design | 17 comments After I have renovated our bedroom, it was time to have a look at our guest room. It’s quite a dark place because it has only one window to the North, so when I painted it first, I used a bright yellow to lighten it up a bit. The furniture I used in there ranged from dark to light wood. And above all, I mostly used it to store stuff that I don’t use much or not at all -ok, I threw my...
read more

How To Choose Artwork For A Bedroom

Posted by on Jun 24, 2011 in Blog, Living & Design | 10 comments Last week, I decided to give our bedroom a make-over. Here are some pictures how it looks like now: My husband chose the wall color long time before I moved in and even though I like brighter colors better, I thought it was a calming and nice choice for a bedroom. So, I decided to keep it and not repaint it. I chose to put only few artwork into the room because it’s the place where I get...
read more

How Living in New Orleans Changed my Life

Posted by on Jun 16, 2011 in Blog | 7 comments After a week of no blogging, I missed you all! But I spent some great time away visiting my former home-town (was for two years) New Orleans. Love it or hate it, there’s no compromise on this place. I moved to NOLA in 1999, my second job after my 3-year chef’s apprenticeship in Germany. Being an apprentice in a male-dominated profession in Germany is not much fun and there is...
read more