BUTTONS ON WHITE- OUTFIT FOR A BABY

 Between all the holidays we are living through now, I´ve managed to make this new outfit for my (fast!) growing baby.

Off-white is a beautiful color that can be worn year round, and every baby looks healthy and natural in it.

I added cotton lace to the sleeve- and leg hems to give it a more romantic look. White on white looks subtle and doesn´t draw too much attention to the lace. The beige stitches give it some contrast and add detail.

The buttons are the star of this look. The main focus is on them. I bought a big bag of random buttons, and selected the best suiting ones to go here. They form like a necklace of different beads, which of course could not otherwise be worn by a baby. But this necklace is totally safe, and cute.

I felt the pants were too bland with just the lace and stitching. Then I got an idea to add this fake "hatch" to it. I have always loved the look of old long-johns I´ve seen in movies, and now finally got the opportunity to use the idea myself. With the risk of making the pants look underwearsih. But with all the other details, they didn´t end up that. (Must note here that, the one leg is not shorter than the other, it just looks like it for some reason =)

  This outfit is original, definitely not boring, and makes my baby look soooo cute!
  Babies are cute no matter what they wear, but why not magnify cuteness by dressing them well? It can only do them good.

MY FAVORITE HOME MADE BREAD

  Now this is easy. I´m no baker by nature, but since I want to eat as much additive-free, home made food as possible, I have been on a quest to find a recipe quick and easy enough even for me.

  Have no fear, this bread is so full of nutrients, that it will not make you fat! So many people are afraid of carbohydrates these days that an honest, clean, whole grain bread may feel like a vicious enemy. But I assure you, I have eaten this bread a ton lately, and have not gained any weight. =) After eating it I feel satisfied and full for a long time. Yummy and healthy!

  The (basic) recipe:

5 dl water
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp raw cane sugar
1 bag (11g or 3 tsp) dry yeast
about 1 liter flour (I always use 1/4 white and 3/4 whole grain flour)
1/2 dl oil

+ In luke warm water mix the yeast, 1/4 of flour, salt and sugar. Cover with a cloth and let sit for 10-15 min, until you see it rise and form bubbles.
  Add in the rest of the flour, or until it feels right. (Depending on the flour, more or less may be needed.) Finally mix in the oil.
  Place in a greased kettle, cake tin, or whatever you have big enough in hand and cover once more. Let rise for about 30min and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 45 min. or until it is done (again, more or less time may be needed, depending on the form and size of your container). This dough is not sensitive to overtime, it will not burn easily, I have tested... =)

  To this basic recipe can be added pretty much anything you wish. In this particular one pictured I added two finely grated carrots, two finely grated apples, gingerbread seasoning mix, grated lemon peel, and raisins to make it Christmasy.
  My baby girl eats this bread three times every single day. She will only taste, out of pitty, I´m sure, a couple of spoonfuls other food I try to feed her. And the rest of the meal is all about my home made, salt-free bread. I get her to eat veggies by grating them into this bread dough. I have even added celery root in it, and she has eaten the bread with the greatest joy.

SNOW!

 We are getting lots of snow for Christmas. A white Christmas is the only right kind there is!

Lovely!

Oh man, I hadn´t done this in years!

  I heard that the first ice cream ever was made of snow mixed with sweet juice. And it was served only to the rich and fortunate of course. I don´t find snow appealing enough to try that recipe... =)

WOODSY HAT

  This is a Christmas present to my sister, whom I´ve always seen as a forest elf. (I´m sure she was one in her past life. =)

I made this hat from my favorite winter fabric,  fleece. It keeps frost bites and wind  out and warmth in and is super soft.

The "evergreen" is also made of the same fabric. I simply cut it in thin stripes and sew it on in the middle. Adding a genuine pine cone gives it a lively and natural look. Little glass beads act as snow on the branches.

  With this hat on my sister will definitely look like a forest elf in this life too. All ready to wander in the woods doing magic. But this hat is subtle enough to be worn in the city too. Decorative and unique, but not too costume-like. I love it!

  I made this hat with the same pattern as I did my own yule hat.

YULE EARRINGS

Inspired by candy canes.

When I saw these beads in the craft store I just had to get them. At the time I didn´t yet know what I would combine them with. I was thinking about maybe little red bows, but I found these bells at home. Craft stores sell earring hoops, and they are cheap.

 

Voilá! Quick and easy Christmas earrings are done, with one-of-a-kind guarantee.

BABY´S GINGERBREAD DRESS

  Not a costume, but an everyday dress for Yule time. Inspired by gingerbread cookies to brighten up Christmas spirit for us all.

A vest dress and pants. The dress is just the right length for an active crawling baby, so that it doesn´t slow her down. The pants are big enough at the top to fit a washable cloth diaper easily. With cloth diapers I often find it difficult to fit a baby´s bum in store-bought pants, which are clearly designed for bums dressed in small disposable nappies.

This zigzag is what gives the dress a gingerbread taste. I didn´t want it to be too obvious.

Just for decoration. The top needed a finishing touch.

Just behind the toes I added small bows made with the same ribbon used at the hem. Repeating the same element binds the top and bottom well together.

  It is a joy to watch my baby swish around the house with these beauties on!

  A similar pattern for the dress can be found here.

YULE LIGHTS

  Lights, evergreens and red bows are what I use to create Christmas spirit outside our house. Like this:

Garage windows.

This is the walkway to our house. My darling eight-year-old son built these flower pots for me this summer.

The front porch. (This is where we eat breakfast in summer, when the sun shines here directly.)

This oak was only my height when we bought this place twelve years ago.

Candles are the most beautiful of lights with their naturally twinkling lights. I just do not dare burn them anywhere too near our home (I´ve had two people I know burn to death in a fire started by a candle. Horrible.). A tree  by the driveway is safe enough.

  Now Santa can see well in our yard when he comes to greet us on Christmas Eve.  =)

GOURMET RISOTTO (but healthy!)

  I value healthy, clean, home made food above all. Using quality, preferably ecologically grown, ingredients that hold the most nutrients (the more nutrients, the more satisfying, I have noticed). But since I live in the real world, and don´t have too much time to cook every day, I prefer easy and quick-to-make foods.
  This risotto offers a deep experience in flavors and is mouthwatering. I call it "gourmet" because normally I would just cook plain rice, and certainly would not know how to use wine in cooking.

A dollop of (vegan) margarine crowns it all. Yum!

The recipe (from my Mom):

6-8 dl vegetable stock
1 Tbsp (vegan) margarine
1 red onion
3-4 dl rice (I used whole grain kind, not special risotto rice)
1 dl white wine
2dl frozen peas
2 Tbsp (vegan) margarine

+ Sauté the onion in margarine.
 Add the rice and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
 Pour in the wine and let it absorb thoroughly.
 Add the stock and let rice cook.
 In the end add the peas.
 Season with a dollop of margarine.

  This was a whole meal for me, and it was difficult to stop eating! My mouth kept wanting more, but my stomach couldn´t keep up.  =)

YULE HAT

  This hat can be worn throughout Yule due to it´s neutral color. It is shaped like an elf hat, but when combined with dark blue it no longer looks Christmasy.

The hat is made of a maternity tunic I wore a year ago, when I was six months pregnant. It is lined with a piece of fleece at around the edge to keep ears really warm. The rest of the hat is of thick jersey blend fabric.

The pompom gives it a finishing touch, and I deliberately wanted to keep it simple. I often wear earrings, and they steal some of the viewer´s attention, so a simple hat is more stylish and doesn´t draw too much attention away from the face.

  Grey blends in beautifully with the colors in nature at this time of year. It is a great base color to use at Yule. Grey overall is a nice color, which comes in numerous different shades and hues, and can be combined with pretty much any other color.

  This hat is super easy to make. A similar Santa Claus hat pattern can be found here. Just use your imagination when choosing the materials, this hat doesn´t always have to be red and white!
  Have fun!

DECORATING FOR YULE

  At first advent it is time to put up Yule lights and start decorating for the biggest sabbat of the year. I start slowly, adding things along the way until Christmas. This is what it looks like here so far:

 I like to tune into the mood already when stepping in (and out) the house.

A close up of the above. I found this old telephone at a second hand store years ago. I reckon our mobile phones of today will never be considered equally beautiful in the future when they are vintage...

The opposite wall of the entrance hall. Snow has fallen outside, which is always the signal to turn from Samhain to Yule. Nature leads the way.

Kitchen table (in the far back on right you can see the entrance hall)

Hyacinths spread the most enchanting scent, and are natural air fresheners. A definite must to have at this time of year. The lamp between them projects beautiful circling light specs up to the ceiling.

I have these cones hanging throughout the year. Adding simple candy canes turn them into Christmas decoration easily.

    Welcome Yule!

MOUSE DRESS FOR A BABY

  My baby has grown out of many of her older clothes, so it is time to make her some new ones. Here is my latest creation:

A knee-length dress and leggings. My little baby is standing up a lot these days, so a real dress is more suitable for her than before. Hem length is still important to keep short enough, so it doesn´t make crawling too difficult.

The decorative mouse and a piece of cheese are buttons. I thought they were totally cute and created this outfit around them. I used the fabric here inside out, because I found the wrong side prettier and more interesting than the intended striped one.

On the other shoulder, three more mice are on their way to the cheese (the third one is behind the shoulder so you can´t see it in this picture). I think adding details in the backside too makes any piece of clothing look higher quality.

The paws add padding to the knees as she crawls on all fours around the house, and repeats the pink in the button mouse´s nose. I like to repeat colors around the garment/outfit to make it look complete.

  This is also the time of year when real mice try to sneak into our home. They are totally cute (but don´t belong inside the house!), and I wanted to turn that cuteness into fashion. My little baby mouse just looks adorable in these clothes!

  (The patterns used here are from the latest Ottobre magazine.)

PRINCESS GLOVES

  It is the time of year to make Christmas presents (again). I have a goddaughter who lives so far away, that I need to mail her present. It always adds up to the challenge of finding the perfect gift for her, in addition that kids these days have everything... Anyway, this year I figured I make her a pair of unique gloves. Just for her, suiting her princess-loving style. She is six.

As a fan of fleece, I naturally made the gloves of it. I know from experience this fabric is warm and comfortable to wear. Upper and lower sides are made of the same material.

Pink is a must to all princess wanna-bes, so I needed to include it here. I still am not capable of making the whole garment pink (I think it´s just too much cuteness =), but little pieces here and there look great. Grey is an essential color to be used in winter, and therefore was an easy choice. The combination works well.

To be honest, I had these buttons already, and did not buy them exclusively for this project, but nonetheless they complement the gloves beautifully, giving them a true feeling of royalty.

  These gloves are made for the real-world-use, so I didn´t want to go overboard with the decorating. These babies please both the eye, and the hands.
  Warm and happy days, your highness = dear goddaughter!

BABY BOOTIES

  Chilly days are here, and my baby´s little feet need to stay warm. Here is what I whipped up for her:

The booties are made of fleece, a leftover piece from another project. The instructions called for felt, but I didn´t have any. Fleece works just as well.

Tie bands are cotton lace, a small strip I had saved earlier.

All in all, this little project was quick and easy to make. And it didn´t need any special material. Going through my cabinets was enough. Handy!

  Patterns for booties can be found on the net easily, for example here.

 

GREEN DRINK

  Drinking with meals is not fashionable nowadays. I go against the grain by gulping down 1/2 liter per meal. That just suits my digestion better. I´m all for intuitive eating and eat how and what feels right.

  Plain water is not very attractive to me, unless I´m really thirsty (which is quite rarely). I have tried to learn to drink plain water with lunch, and I have made progress, but overall I want some variety. Squeezing some lemon juice in is an old trick that works. The other day I tried a new trick:

Salad greens in an easy-to-drink form; a blended green juice to go with lunch.

The recipe:

1/2 liter water
1/2 lemon, juiced
handful of greens like kale or spinach (the darker the better)
a few leaves of sage (or any fresh herb you like)

+ Throw all in a blender and process until the greens have nearly dissolved. 

  This is not in my menu every day, but at least twice a week. It much depends on what I´m eating. For example with soup I would choose plain water, because if I didn´t want to drink it all, I could give the rest to my common ivy at the end of the dining table.  =)

SUNDAY FASHION - NIVEA LOOK

  As far back as I can remember, my father has used Nivea lotion as aftershave. In the blue round container. The scent of the lotion brings back memories from my childhood. That scent has always been a part of my life.
  I don´t use the lotion myself, but Nivea has inspired me to make a relaxed outfit for Sunday chillouts. You know, the days when one doesn´t have to do anything special, can wander around only half-awake, with no need to look creative or unique.  That´s when my Nivea-look comes in handy.

Inspiration came from Nivea´s commercials of course, but once again, I went through the images in my mind, not in the advertisement itself. Dark blue is the most important part. I combined it with a basic light grey, which suits even my no-makeup face. No jewellery is needed, here a fresh and healthy face plays the biggest role.

A happy face is always beautiful!

Makeup is not necessary, but in some cases is in order.  Naturally natural, with only a touch of matte white and brown eyeshadow in the eyes, and a little pink on cheeks and lips. No foundation, only some finishing powder on the skin is enough.

  This outfit is perfect for all occasions when I want to blend in, and not make a statement with my appearance, like when going to the doctor´s. I even went to a beauty-, health-, and fashion expo wearing my Nivea look the other Sunday. Another plus is that this isn´t connected to any sabbat, and can be worn year round. The most basic of the basic.

EATING PLAN FOR SAMHAIN

  It is refreshing to change an eating plan from sabbat to sabbat. Plus it gives each sabbat more character and definition.

  During Mabon my weight still dropped slightly, and now I´m a little under my pre-baby weight. I have no desire to lose any more, but this eating plan is still healthy and I follow a mostly vegan diet. For cooking I use whatever ingredients I happen to have, and don´t go by any specific recipes. After starting to buy veggies from my neighbor, who is an organic farmer, I have just thrown in stuff he offers me, no matter what the recipes suggest. Or gone by my own instinct. My world of tastes has widened by doing so, even though I am eating more locally.

  Here is what I am eating now:

Breakfast:
1/2 liter green tea with vanilla soymilk
weekdays: oat porridge (1dl oats + 2,5dl water-soymilk mixture) with home made jam (apple, blueberry, rhubarb...)
weekend: cereal with soymilk and a banana sliced on top

Lunch:
1/2 liter water (with lemon juice occasionally)
Mon: pasta
Tue: scones
Wed: soup (or rather a stew, because I like thick soups)
Thu: tortillas (store-bought bread with home made fillings)
Fri: foccaccia (like pizza, but less fatty)
Sat: pancakes
Sun: mashed potatoes and tofu/occasional fish

Dinner:
1/2 liter green tea with vanilla soymilk
leftovers from lunch or home made bread (sweet or savoury toppings, whichever appeals)

Supper:
1/2 liter herbal infusion with vanilla soymilk
chocolate coated Digestives or home made chocolate goodies (if I have the time to make any)

Chocolate covered treats I ate for supper the other day. (Well truth be told, I ate ten, not three...)

  The recipe:

100 grams extra virgin coconut butter (the other stuff tastes like barf...)
2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar
2 dl powdered sugar (or honey for a healthier option)
pinch of salt
5-7 dl cereal (rice cereal, Cheerios, even crushed corn flakes, anything really)
1 dl organic raisins

+  Melt the butter ove very low heat (to prevent it from tasting bad), then add the rest of the ingredients except the cereal and raisins. Stir well. Let cool in room temperature for about 10 min, then stir in the cereal and raisins. Scoop in muffin cups, cool in the fridge for 30-60 min, and eat.
  In the next batch of these treats I will add 100 grams of chopped dark vegan chocolate to make them even more rich and decadent... Other variations can be added lemon zest, peppermint oil, chili, shredded coconut...

HALLOWEEN DRESS FOR A BABY

  Halloween brightens up this mellow, darkening time of the year just perfectly. Lovely warm summer is long gone, and there is still quite a bit until Christmas. So I like to take advantage of Halloween, and make it an event.

  This dress I made for my (now seven-month-old) baby girl to celebrate Halloween in:

Made of cotton jersey, this dress is both soft and stretchy. The skirt has a princess-like front to make crawling easier, so that the hem will not get stuck under her knees.

Being true to my style, I kept the back quite simple. Halloween offers so many themes and ideas, that it was more difficult to rule them out than take some few in.

The bow is stretchy, so it allows the little belly to move freely. Originally I wanted the ribbon to be see-through and black, but one has to go by what is available. I painted the pumpkin straight onto the fabric with a small brush and some fabric paint.

This little critter crawls on the front of left shoulder and...

... it has a friend just behind the shoulder seam.

  Halloween starts Samhain, so we have reason for a double celebration! Happy beginning of winter!