Another way to felt beads

Normally when felting beads I do it with water, some kind of soap and my hands. However, my skin doesn't really like wet wool and after just a few it hurts so much I'm ready to cut my arms off ... almost. I don't have a needle for needle felting (but be sure I'll have one before the end of the year, I'm very curious to try it) so I tried a new technique to felt beads.



#1:


#2 Then I made small balls:


#3 And put them like this:


#4 Time for washing:


#5 This is how they came out. Some are really pretty and some ... are ... hrm ... not so good. But it's my first try and I'm happy about it, with some experience I might know how to make all of them round ;-)


#6 Final part, time for decorating!


(And they can be used for so many things, not only jewelry. I can see them in altered books, bookmarks ... even as Christmas decorations!)

Have you seen Én Gry & Sif and all their wonderful felted accessories?

dog ;-)

dog ;-), originally uploaded by maria nenita.

i didn't know what to do saturday evening so i just played around a bit ... and it ended up being a red dog ;-)

felting etc

felting etc
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

just trying some new things :-)

baby hat # 2

baby hat # 2
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

Here's another little crocheted supersoft baby hat. It's for my unborn niece/nephew. Crocheting hats is indeed a perfect thing to do on the train :-)

~dear diary~

journal
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

I was the coordinator of a Swedish journal swap ("dear diary") and here's a creative (and soft! :-) ) journal that Anna decorated. For those of you who participated in the swap: I'd love to if you could send me a picture of what you sent or recieved (or a link to your blog, if any) so that I can show some more beautiful journals.

*work in progress*

work in progress, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

... and a cup of tea

detail of journal

6juni 006
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

~journal

6juni 005
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

~journals

6juni 001
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

Updating my shop

I have a lot of almost-finished-things for my shop and this weekend I decided to finish some of them. It's already Sunday evening and I didn't even have time for half of what I've planned, I'm too optimistic about time ;-) I have updated the shop with new things, however I still haven't had the time to finish the shop itself. It's still a mix of English and Swedish. *sigh*

A bracelet with beads I felted some days ago:


Body cream:


More earrings (similar to those I made a week ago):

baby hat

baby hat
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

While travelling to work and back home I've been knitting and crocheting lately. Here's a baby hat I made.

inside the baby hat ...

soooo soft inside
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

... so soft!

~share~

I found those birds a little while ago and before using them I decided to scan them so that they can be used more than once ;) And now when I've scanned them, why don't share? (Click on the picture and it'll open in a new window from where you can right-click and download.)

~melting brain ...

I complained about the extremely long and cold winter, I know I know ... but still, now when summer is here it's too hot and ... and I complain a bit again ;) It wouldn't be that bad if it would be a nice temperature inside, but unfortunately our flat is even more hot than being in the shadow outside. I sit in the shadow on the balcony, create - paint, collage, knit - but the weather gives me headache. I'd like to have a little house by the sea with fresh air blowing in. And to be honest, it's not the heat itself that's so bad, it's the construction of our house that makes our flat so terrible to be in at the moment.

Enough complaining for a while *lol*. When travelling to work and home I use to either sleep (mostly in the morning), read or sometimes write. But lately I've been knitting and crocheting. I'll soon show you what I've made. Okay, it's hats. I have to learn to make something else than hats ;)

*summer*

*summer*
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

From left to right:
1. Jam I was cooking saturday evening
2. Midsummer, Öland
3. Zam by the sea
4. In my aunt's garden

*in swedish about a swap*

midsommar 038
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

Hej alla som är med i Dear diary-swappen. Hoppas det går bra för er :-) Kom ihåg att sista dag att skicka är 20 juli. Det skulle också vara kul att efteråt få höra vad ni tyckte om swappen.

Birthday

My friend Sharky and I have birthdays in the beginning of May, but not until now did we exchange gifts. This is what I got from her:



I was so inspired I had to try a few things ... Like this necklace:



And those ear rings:

bird house!

bird house!
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

*earrings*

earrings, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

I had a crafty evening yesterday when coming home from work ;)

tea time

tea time
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

In a tea bag swap I recieved this from Julie Benge. French vanilla, Boston chocolate and many other. At the moment I'm drinking a peach tea that she sent me.

I'm a tea lover and I'm also fond of boxes for tea. This one I found the other day, it's a recycled box!

*necklace*

necklace
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

Just to show you ...

3rd prize ~ Beautiful Spy
Originally uploaded by jesthepea.

... one of Jes necklaces.

Jes' shop

Junque Revival's Contest Button
Originally uploaded by jesthepea.

Jes is creating the most beautiful necklaces and now she has opened her shop (+ a contest!). Go and check it out.

Card ...

Card ...
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

~Rödluvan~

A book that I found yesterday. I love those illustrations:







Go to flickr for a few more pictures.

On our balcony

Flowers on our balcony. I don't have as many flowers as last year (of many reasons), but even a few flowers brighten it up a bit :-)



The tea cup is inspired by liquidskyarts miniatures but I want something else instead of the butterfly (because it doesn't fit in there). I'd love to have a mini gnome, an animal ... or something else that is "mini".

Our balcony from the outside:


It's tea time :-) It's been a real summer day and now it's a perfect temperature on the balcony. I write a letter, read a little bit in a magazine, drink tea ...

Ia doesn't want tea:

beads, beads

Yesterday when I went home from work I passed by a "bead shop" that one of my co-workers told me about the other day. So, in the evening when I came home I was making some jewelry.

~Roses, violets & periwinkle swap~

Roses, violets & periwinkle swap - recieved
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

What a wonderful and heavenly smelling swap package that was waiting for me when I came home from work! Thank you Dana, I LOVE it!! Go here to see more photos.

Necklaces for trade

I have so many necklaces. I get new ideas, I make more ... and more ... Most of them I never use because sometimes I want to try out new ideas that aren't really my style. Funny to make, sure, but it'd be better if someone used them. Perhaps some of you have the same "problem" with having too many necklaces laying around? So, what about a trade? One necklace for one necklace. (Or something else.)
#4 is 37 cm so it's not a big one ;)
#3 is 63 cm
#2 is 49 cm

Post a comment here or email me at nenitas@spray.se if you're interested.

Follow the photos links to flickr to see the necklaces more in detail.

necklace for trade #1

necklace for trade #1
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

necklace for trade #2

necklace for trade #2
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

necklace for trade #3

necklace for trade #3
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

necklace for trade #4

necklace for trade #4
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

*garden dreams*

*garden dreams*, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

I wish I had a garden. It could be just a small garden. But I feel I'm inside too much now when living in a flat on the second floor. Of course, I go out for walks with my dog(s) but it's not like having a garden. I don't go out to have breakfast under the apple tree, Zam (dog) can't run around and play as he wants, I have nowhere to plant the flowers and trees I'd like to have ... Last summer I had flowers and tomatoes and some herbs on our balcony, but this summer I will not have too many things there since I don't know if we will stay here or move. I wish we could rent a flat or a house with a little garden ... And one day, we will. I'm sure.

Anke's Free Friday

free-friday #2
Originally uploaded by huana - (Anke from Anart Island).

I totally forgot to tell that I was the winner of Anke's Free Friday #2 and those goodies arrived here a couple of days ago. Thank you Anke!! :-)

So, go check out Anke's blog and her Free Fridays!

necklace + dagboksswappen

me
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

It seems I have finally finished my studies! Weehoo!

I love the necklace I have on this photo. It's made by my friend Fillan and it's so cool. Something else you can see on this photo: this summer I'll be white as snow. There isn't even a window in the archive where I'm working (of course, because a window - and sunshine - would damage the paper).

Dagboksbytet är "stängt" och jag har skickat ett mejl till alla deltagare. Säg till om du har anmält dig men inte fått mejlet så skickar jag ett nytt! Har du några frågor? Hör av dig! :-)