friendly knitting :-)

My friend Lina is a teacher of textile handicraft. It's good to have such friends when you get stuck with your knitting, or sewing project, or ... something else textile ;-) Recently she was visiting me and, of course, we were knitting. She made those colorful socks:

home decorating

When we moved in here in April we knew we wouldn't be staying here so long so we did no attempt to make it nice like in our last flat. Then I got my job and had no time or energy to make it nice. And then we realised we are allowed to stay here for maybe two years, if we want to, so then it was worth making it nicer after all. During the summer we were told they'd change the floor in all flats here and they'd begin in August. They begun with the house opposite our house and we had no idea of when they'd come to us, but we decided not to do anything about our flat until they've changed the floors since we have to empty all rooms then. Now we know they'll come very soon.

We live in a 1970s flat and it not beautiful at all - too much grey plastic everywhere - but it's nothing we can do about it (we're not allowed to). The walls, doors etc are the way they are (ugly), but I'll do my best to make something nice out of it (and meanwhile I dream of when we have our own place, some time in the future). I read home decorating magazines and my favourites are Danish Mad og bolig and Swedish Drömhem och trädgård (one good thing about speaking swedish is that you can also read and understand magazines from Norway and Denmark). Mad og bolig isn't only about home decorating, but also about food and sometimes crafty things, travels, inspirational interviews etc. Drömhem och trädgård isn't only about home decorating either, but also about a little bit of food and crafting and a lot about gardening. Here's a picture from Drömhem och trädgård:



I'm also inspired by what I see on the internet, sometimes even when it's not about home decorating at all. Camilla Engman's blog is one of those that inspire me by beautiful photos and all the glimpes of her home you get. My friend Fillan just started a blog about her family (she has two cute little boys), decorating, design etc and I think it'll be an inspiring blog too.

Yvestown is another blog you should check out, as well as one of my absolute favorites at the moment Posie gets cozy. Lantliv i stan is a home decorating blog in Swedish, but go check it out even if you don't understand the text - the pictures are really nice. The picture is from a web shop that'll open soon, Cosas, it seems promising, right? (On the picture is "Ljuslykta".)

What inspires you?

~WIP: knitting~

After rain come someshine, they say. After a beautiful sunny day comes ... snow, wind, more snow. I was lucky that day to have a headache. Yes, because if I never had that headache I wouldn't have decided to go home earlier from work and if I hadn't gone earlier I woulnd't have gone anywhere at all ... Because of all the snow, wind, ice on the streets all trains, buses etc stopped. And since it normally takes me two hours to get home from work (metro+train+bus) it's really not possible to walk. My coworker, who is also living in the same town as me, had to stay the night in Stockholm (where we work). So, thank you my head for having a headache that day! ;-)

My train did get stuck for a while too, but it was warm and cozy inside and, as always, I carry my knitting in my bag. So, I was knitting, knitting and looking at the white world outside (yes, it was blowing a lot so you couldn't really see more than just ... white). Snowy weather is knitting weather. Here's one of all my works in progress:

October ~Sunday walk

Last Sunday was the first day below 0 degrees Celsius here (which is quite late I think). It was a sunny, beautiful day and since it was Sunday I wasn't working so I took Zam (big dog) and my camera and went out for a walk. Such days (the sunshine and the nature so beautiful) give me a lot of energy and make me really happy :-)







Go here to see more of my photos.

bye bye october

I'll be back tomorrow :-)

what I like, what makes my happy

*To wake up and realise it's Saturday
*To wake up and see sunshine
*To have a long warm shower on a Sunday afternoon
*To sit inside and craft for a whole day, not being stressed by anything

*To recieve letters from my friends
*To read a good book
*To look at beautiful and inspiring photos
*Anything craft related ;-)
*To have a cup of tea and bread that just came out of the oven
*Flowers
*To be with my dogs

*To sit in my sofa with pillows and a blanket and the dogs, some good music, a cup of tea and write letters
*To give and to get small gifts
*When I get up in the morning the day after I have cleaned the flat
*The first snowfall when snow stay on the ground
*The first evening when you can smell spring is coming

*Chocolate
*To go to a café and sit and talk with old or new friends
*To see a great movie and be inspired by it
*My Magnus <3

... I could continue this forever I think ;-)

What makes you happy?

Children of the forest

When I was little my grandma had an old book that was used in school to teach children reading. It contained many stories and my favourite was the one with the children of the forest by Elsa Beskow.



I loved the illustrations with the children, all so small, living in the nature and of the nature. And I loved all the details, like the mushroom hats and how they played with the animals. I think I've always been fascinated by things that are small :-) and I used to imagine small people living in the trees when I was outside playing.



I was really happy when I found "Children of the forest" ("Tomtebobarnen" in Swedish) in the English Bookshop in city.




"Click" the images to see bigger versions.

***

I have told you before that my job and travelling back and forth takes a lot of time and energy, but the good thing about that is that I get so many good crafting ideas. I write them down on pieces of paper (my bag is full of them now ...) and I think I've never been this creative when it comes to getting ideas. The bad thing is, ofcourse, that I seldom have time to try them. I have made some necklaces - completely new style - but I have to work on them a bit more before showing you ;-)

~october~

It's October.

I've painted an old wooden box.

bird cards

I love paper with nice structure, paper that feels good to work with, to touch, to look at. I was happy when I found out that a "home decor shop" (I don't know what it's called, hm) had begun selling things for card making and scrapping. I found some great little cards with envelopes and got the idea of making bird cards with those little birds I had at home + aquarelle.



I like how they came out and I've added them to my shop.

stationary swap

I hadn't been swapping much at all this year, until June I think. Then I had had a period of hard work and little money so I decided to let myself in to some swaps over at Swap-bot ;-) I love the challenge of having a theme and finding or making things for a person I know very little - or nothing - about. That's the pleasure about swapping. But it's also a pleasure to recieve things from someone unknown in another part of the world, things they have put together to ME. I'm always so excited when swap packages arrive since I have no idea of what will be in them. Most swap partners are so generous and send the most amazing and inspiring stuff and I try to do the same when I send out packages (although it's always hard to know whether you succeed or not).

When participating in a swap you're aware of that you might get nothing in return. Things do get lost in mail, although very seldom, and some people do not send anything. It's the way it is and there's not so much to do about it. However, I was disappointed that it was so common not to recieve anything at all. Recieving isn't the most important part of swapping, but it's not something unimportant either. I started a swap at swap-bot, but I never got anything myself. I didn't care. Then I started another swap and this time I so much loved the idea of the swap that I decided everyone would have two partners to ensure they'd get something. I got nothing. And when things like this are repeating all the time it doesn't feel so fun to put effort to make nice packages so I took a break in swapping.

I decided that if I should send gifts to people but not getting anything in return, then why not sending to my irl and internet friends instead? I don't expect anything in return from them, but since it's people I like I know they'd be happy if I send something and that's enough for me.

(And of course I'm always up to personal trades with known and unknown crafters, but for me that's just another thing than swapping.)

However I had signed up for a swap at swap-bot some months ago and I had almost forgotten about it. This week I recieved this great package from Martha, filled with stationary, cards, pen, candy, stickers ... and more! It really made my day and it also put me in the mood for writing letters. Maybe swapping isn't that bad at all ;-)



A while back I bought a book for a blogging friend somewhere in southern Europe (I wont tell who) ;-) I'll show photos and I'll send it to her as soon as possible. I should have sent it long ago, but then I had visitors and put it on the book shelf and completely forgot about it!!

some hats

I have been into making hats lately, as you might have seen ;-) Knitting is easy to do on the train (well, when not sleeping ... which is what I do most of the time), as well as crocheting. Here are some hats I've made the last few months. Some of the hats turn out excatly the way I want them, some different, some better and some ... quite ugly, actually. Still, I think that's the charm with knitting. I haven't been knitting a lot and I still cannot tell whether my ideas will work or not so I just have to try and see.

This hat I made for a friend. It looks rather different when wearing it though.

bags, bags, bags

Yesterday I left work a little earlier and went to buy some blue fabric for a project I'm in (it's about sewing a picture for each month of the year and we begun in November so it's close to its end now). But then I also found a cute fabric with tea cups on and since I wanted tea cup fabric (and cup cake + cake fabric, but I haven't seen any yet) since a long time I bought some although I had promised myself not to buy ;-)

I begun making a bag out of it (+ black fabric) yesterday evening and I will continue today. It's just a perfect day for crafting, outside it's raining and I don't have to go anywhere (except for doggie walking).

Those bags on the photos are not made by me (hey, I'm not good at sewing at all, I make a lot of stupid mistakes all the time. But that's how we begin, right?) but by my friend Jenny. She's making wonderful bags that she's selling + other things such as hats and bracelets.

hat for grandma

hat for grandma
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

During the weeks I think "soon it's weekend then I'll have time for this and that and this and this". I think I'm too optimistic about time and about my own ability, after all I also need time to relax and time to do the laundry, walking the dogs, cooking ... such things. I have some finished and half finished things, some photos but it also takes time to upload to flickr, to blog. I wish it was different and one day I will make it different.

Here's a hat I made for my grandma. The photo doesn't really do it justice. It's a soft & cozy hat, red, a little green and with small white "balls". For me it's a Christmas hat with snow falling ;-) And since my grandma loves Christmas she also loved this hat so I gave it to her. At the moment I'm knitting a scarf that'll go with the hat.

turtle necklace

turtle
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

I made this necklace a while back, but I never manage to get a good photo of it. I don't know why. Tomorrow I'll try again (it's too dark now). Anyway, I like the idea with this necklace with both a chain and glass beads, and the turtle ;-)

sakura hat

sakura hat
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

Of all hats I've made, this is by far my favourite. And I wont even use it 'cause I'll put it in my shop. *smile*

swedish vintage ...

swedish vintage ..., originally uploaded by maria nenita.

Busy me. Already Sunday again, soon Monday ... *phu*
I'm playing "catch up" with myself, but I loose ;-)

Anyway, two new categories added to my shop Sweet Daisy - paper and accessories. Go check it out ;-)

(This little package for crafting and collage making includes Swedish vintage cards, bits&pieces from 1906-1942.)

card making kit #1

card making kit #1, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

*champagne*

I think this is one of my favourite bracelets. It's sterling silver, glass beads and hand felted beads with "gold" details. I've added it to the shop, Sweet Daisy. And now I have to go make a necklace or something instead of blogging, Sundays pass by way too fast, don't they?

shop update

shop update, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

I put some of my bath products in the shop. It's, from the top, mint chocolate fizzing bath melt, bath fizz orange and lily of the valley fizzing bath melt. I also added some other products, go to the shop to see ;-)

And the answer to Jes' comment yesterday is Yes, I do ship to the US. I'd ship to the moon, if possible ;-) I haven't had the time and energy (not to mention inspiration *ha ha*) to translate the shop, but now I've translated almost all prices into USD and also many of the texts. Feel free to email me if there are any questions, and PLEASE email me if my english is too strange somewhere in the shop :-) info@sweetdaisy.se is the shop email address.

*visiting my grandparents*

*visiting my grandparents*, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

Last weekend Magnus and I travelled south to visit my grandparents. The reason for the trip was actually my friend Martina's wedding, close to where my grandparents live.

This is the house where my grandparents and their cat Bonus (who decided - all by himself - to move in there a year and a half ago) live. They have a nice garden next to the forest with flowers, berries, fruits, vegetables ... and more flowers :-)

I have actually been crafting & creating lately, mostly knitting knitting knitting on the train ;-) , but I'm far behind in uploading my photos. Sooner or later ... I'll show you ... and sooner or later I'll catch up in emailing and answering comments. Promise!

thea+chocolate icecream = true

thea+chocolate icecream = true, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

Today me, mom, my sister, my niece and my old little dog went to a craft fair. I'm too tired to do anything about the photos tonight, but here's at least a photo of my niece Thea. We had icecream and fruits before going to the craft fair and she seams to like it, right? ;-)

6 am

6 am, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

(As opposite to the night sky.)

I've had a busy week but soon I'll show you some crafts instead. Tomorrow mom and I + perhaps my sister who is visiting at the moment are going to a craft fair which takes place the first weekend in September every year. I'll bring my camera if it's not raining ;-)

night sky

night sky, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

raspberry cake

raspberry cake, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

~by the lake~

~by the lake~, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

New bracelet added to my shop Sweet Daisy.

work in progress

work in progress, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

I just *love* making this kind of bracelets. I had one half-finished for more than a year, not knowing how I would continue. Then, suddenly, I got the idea of having a theme for each of them + adding ribbons etc. I haven't really finished this one yet though.

~of a fairy tale I~

~of a fairy tale I~, originally uploaded by maria nenita.

I've been into ribbons lately, adding them to all I create :-) Here's a bracelet that I made a while back but forgot to take a photo of. I've added it to my shop Sweet Daisy.

I'm queen of the mermaids ...

the most beautiful necklace
Originally uploaded by maria nenita.

... with this oh-so-beautiful necklace ("Sea Grass") made by sweet Jessica. We did a trade and she sent me this necklace + a dream journal + honey + hand made soaps that smells soooo good! To see more of her unique jewelry, go here.

journal by anne

This book is decorated by Annelito. I love her cute and ispirational illustrations and they turn up on every other page in the journal:





She's also made those bookmarks:



Go check out her website.

~cards~

I ran out of hand made cards and I cannot find those I've bought so one evening I sat down and made some new cards. They're nothing special, very easy design, but I like them because it's really good quality paper with nice structure and patterns, it doesn't matter that the design is simple. And it's always good to have some cards because you never know when you need one and you can be sure that when you need one you will not have time to make one ;-)



Sorry the photo's a bit dark.