Berlin's Whimsy FAQs
Hi, and thanks for visiting! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day. I try to reply to each one but I'm not always able to. If there is a question that is relevant for other readers, I will post a response within the comments so please check back there, too...
A little (or a lot) about me...
I enjoy all things creative: photography, cooking & baking, sewing, knitting, crochet, spinning & felting, drawing, Bento, and all things in between. I'm always up to something and I'm currently teaching myself to crochet. My blog pages are strewn with my interests... What seems to tie all of them together is my desire to create and find beauty in life.
When I started this blog over a year ago, I was primarily a stay-at-home Mom to my gradeschool aged children. Almost a year ago, my life was turned upside down and I am now a single Mom who is trying to find the balance between wholesome motherhood, supporting my family, and still pursuing my artistic and creative side. It's all a delicate balance.
The Whimsical Kitchen: I'm currently working on a project entitled The Whimsical Kitchen. It will include my own embroidery designs, recipes for vintage glassware collections (Pyrex, Glassbake, etc), knitting and crochet patterns for the kitchen, sewing projects, and a few projects for kids, as well. It's an ongoing project but if you are interested in learning more, or becoming involved please email me.
Some answers to FAQs & more...
IN GENERAL--
"Why Berlin?"
My name is Amber but my childhood nickname was Berlin. It seemed fitting to use my nickname for this whimsical blog...
LUNCH--
"What is that lunchbox you use?"
I love the Laptop Lunchbox system and here is why:
1) It allows for a variety of items in my children's lunches----in fact, it forces me to provide a variety.
2) It plays into my natural need for organization and it's cute, too!
3) The way the lunchbox is designed, my kids can eat their lunch sitting in the grass or on a picnic table bench without items spilling (because at their school, they don't eat in a cafeteria).
4) It's easy to clean and the containers are reusable.
5) This Flickr group provides tons of wonderful ideas.
6) They use only the highest grade plastics in their lunchboxes and accessories (no BPA).
"What are those other cute things in your lunches... How do you make those shapes?"
I collect Bento items & accessories. You can find Bento accessories at Daiso (if you have one near you), Uwajimaya, or online on Ebay. I have a lunch/bento supply store on Amazon.
PHOTOGRAPHY--
"What kind of camera do you use and do you use specialty lenses?"
I use a basic Nikon D40. I have always used Nikons and I am familiar with them and their lenses are superb.
Besides the standard lens on the D40, the only other lens I use is a Lensbaby. When needed, I render my photos using Adobe Photoshop. I upload my photos to Flickr.
When I was younger, my desire was to be a photojournalist and I took photography classes in college----you might notice a bit of this background within my images here.
CREATIVITY & TIME---
"How do you find the time to be so creative?"
I make the time and it is who I am. I have no choice but to look at everything I do through eyes of creativity and beauty. I'm always working on something, or dreaming of working on something!
That said, I don't finish as many projects as I envision I will. I have way too many unfinished projects as well as projects still swirling around in my head that have yet to materialize...
SEWING---
"What kind of sewing machine do you have and do you like it?"
I have a ten year old Bernina 150. I love it. It's the best purchase I could have made at the time and I've never regretted it. I am a true lover of Bernina sewing machines.
***I'm sure I've missed a few questions here and if you have any additional questions, please feel free to email me at Berlinsmith@yahoo.com. -Amber
