Inspiration

Shops like this tend to be a bit too expensive for my taste, especially if they are situated in central Stockholm (like this one). But they're a great source of inspiration. I look at the things, shapes, colors and patterns and come up with my own crafty ideas.

Magic

In my garden.

Sewing

I'm not good at sewing, I only have very basic skills. But, as with all other craft projects, that hasn't stopped me from trying. I've made many mistakes throughout the years, but for each of them I learn something.

I sometimes try to follow patterns and instructions, but since I have a very limited "sewing vocabulary" I often have to give up simply because I don't understand what they mean. This one I made without a pattern or instruction.

It came out almost as I wanted it (the photos are before ironing etc, though).



Recently I bought a book, Sew what! Skirts, which I found very useful and inspiring. I learnt more about how to sew withouth a pattern - or rather, how to make my own - and make it simple and personal. This was my first attempt (olive green linen and old thrifted sheets):

Snail

I'm as slow as this snail when it comes to write about my crafty adventures. I'm knitting, sewing, beading ... I take a couple of photos. But do I write about it? No. Slow, slow me.

sewing + day in my life

Today I've been sewing two pictures for a craft project. I'm way too delayed ... :( But now, finally, I've finished it. This is for February.

And the picture below is for October. The one who will have the picture got married in October (at least as far as I can remember ...), hence my choice of motif.



To see more of my day, go here.

atcs

The other evening I made some new atcs.

house

I like this house.

by the water

Lazy warm summer days ... Well, maybe not so much. I'm working during the day, but the evenings by the water next to our house, oh my. We've lived here for three months now and I love love love being that close to both the lake (photo) and the sea.

Here I go the evening walk with Zam:


And guess what I'll be doing this summer ...

thrifting

Lovely weekend and lovely early summer days. Eating fruit in the garden, delicious icecream in city and walking by the water. Yesterday I went to a flea market and I did find some great stuff. But on my way from the market to a shop I passed by a small yard sale. Most of the things had belonged to an old lady it I found really good things for a really good price. I'm seldom lucky when it comes to flea markets, but this time I was.

earrings

Tomorrow's my friend's birthday and I made her some earrings.
The photos are quite bad, but, well, here they are ...

wip again

Last weekend was the baptise of my nephew Lukas and this weekend ... I've just been relaxing ... Or, hm, rather the opposite: I've been working in the garden. However, that is kind of relaxing for me. Just me and my dog at home, everything calm and quite and in our own pace. I have been crafting a bit, but, as before, it's my WIP and I still have no finished results to show you. I was crocheting a bit yesterday evening and today I continued this:




To see photos from my garden, you can go here.

vegetables

It's not that I don't do anything, not that I don't craft. It's just ... that I haven't finished anything ... yet. Everything is a WIP (work in progress).

Like this one:


Or this one (we'll grow vegetables):

Spring weather and book reading

Spring is in the air, flowers in bloom.

In a book swap I got those wonderful things from my friend Fillan:


And this is what I sent her:

another WIP

Work in progress, a slow progress ;-)
Sewing, sewing, sewing.

atc

Yesterday evening I sat down and made some atcs (since I had, earlier that day, found alphabetstamps and wanted to try them in some way). Earlier (before my time on flickr) I used to make a lot of atcs, but now I haven't made any for a very very long time. It seems I've lost it a bit ... lost my ability ... or how to say. But if I keep doing some more, I'm sure it'll come back. In any case, I had a good time making those.

I wasn't sure what would be the best, to scan them or to use my camera. In the scanner some shimmering and subtile effects of the paper and stamps was lost or almost lost. I tried to capture that on a photo instead. But ... the scanned atcs look more bright and happy, I think. Which one do you prefer, scanned och photographed?

Scan:


Photo:

like a summer day

It's been a wonderful weekend with summer temperatures, sunshine, flowers in bloom, long walks in the forest and by the water ... Not so much crafting, not any organizing in the house at all ... but who cares ... I'm crocheting a bit and I washed some fabric that I'll turn into a baby blanket, but when the sun is shining and the birds are singing, I prefer being outside, in the garden, working, photographing, being lazy.

Here's a frog I met today:


He, or she, doesn't live in our garden. But in our garden we have birds and butterflies and quite often two deers are visiting us.

some more yarn

Yesterday I visited a new shop ... and came out with some more yarn. Did I need any? No? Yes! I always need yarn! Of course ;-)
I love this organic cotton.

Now I have to crochet. Really really have to. The yarn is crying "Maria, coooome, coooome". So, I have to go.

spring is coming, is here

I really like it here in our new place. It's so close to Stockholm (not more than 20 minutes by bus), but still out in the nature, surrounded by trees and water. I have been knitting a bit, crocheting and I've made some cards. But I can't remember where I saved those photos.

Spring is here, however they say cold weather will come tomorrow ... :( But next weekend, it'll be even more sunny and warm than it's been lately! I hope they're right.

I have created a blog which is about enjoying the small things in my every day life. You can visit it here.

My little nephew, Lukas.

I'm back!

I finally have the internet again! Hurray!!

in our new house ...

... everything is just fine. except that we don't have the internet yet. it seems it'll take a while :-( i can check my email and so from work, but it's not so good to write on my blog here. so i'll only write this.

i'll be back with a lot of things to show you. but it may take a little while.

oh, and yesterday evening i got a little nephew. i don't know his name yet. :-)