AROMATHERAPY EARRINGS

  Naturally I´m all about fabulous style and out-of-this-world ideas =) but I think this is one of the best things I´ve come up with so far:

Classic and pretty, but scentable, earrings! Now I can wear essential oils as perfume throughout the day, which equals to pampering myself with aromatherapy all day long. How cool is that?! I´m totally excited (can you tell ?  =).

I made the earrings myself, of course. They do take quite a bit of patience and time, but are so worth the while. All the material is from an ordinary craft store: the hooks, loops, bows, and glass pearls. The satin bows are the key to success, because they absorb the oil,  and let it evaporate and sway around me as I move.

Right now my favorite scent is orange. It is good for lifting up spirits, relaxing,and aids with digestion. But mainly I like the scent, everything else is a bonus. Orange is one of the few essential oils that is colored (slightly orange), not clear, so I expect it to stain my white bows in time. But no worries, they can be washed carefully by hand in soap water.

  Over the past years I have not worn any perfumes whatsoever. I guess I only saw them as added poison to the already toxin-laden environment.
  Only recently I begun to miss a nice, non-human, scent around me. But I did not want to spray chemicals (read "ordinary perfume/edt") straight on to my skin, because through it some would end up in my bloodstream. Then I realized that essential oils smell magnificent. But they are so strong that they should not be applied to the bare skin without a carrier oil to dilute it with. No good, it would stain my clothes.
  It took many hard moments of pondering to come up with these earrings. Now I have tested and worn them for a couple of months, and I can say that THEY WORK! And make me happy!

  Some ideas for aromatherapy with essential oils:
Eucalyptus: refreshes and purifies, relieves the respiratory system...
Grapefruit: prevents and reduces depression, eases tension, reduces fatigue...
Lavender: calms down, helps to fall asleep, relieves all sorts of aches, treats rashes...
Pine: desinfects, gives manly power, strengthens, relieves caughing...
Peppermint: aids with digestion, reduces nausea and headaches, boosts you up at work...
Citronella: antiseptic, uplifts spirits, relaxes, eases with headache and migren, repells insects...
Ylang Ylang: seductive, helps with impotence and menopause symptoms...

  In addition to the above, many oil mixes are available for different uses. Overall, there is something for everybody!

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

  Today was another gorgeous winter day, and I obviously can´t get enough of it´s beauty! I took a stroll in the freezing weather and let my eyes feast...

  See why light blue, white, and grey are the main colors in my Imbolc´s color palette?  =)

  Now Louis Armstrong´s "What a Wonderful World" is in place. I can so relate to it!

FREEDOM COLLECTION: HANDY HANDBAG

  Last spring I made a handbag that I loved and used a lot. But it missed one thing: the ability to close it securely. I found myself constantly checking it when in a crowd. A bit stressful.
  Now I designed a completely new handbag all by myself, according to my own needs. Here is the result:

I made it of my husband´s old jeans again. I included a zipper on top, so I don´t need to worry. This is all ragshion = from rags to fashion. I love the idea of repurposing materials.

On the other side I added a back pocket from the pants. It is handy for storing little things like the keys, lip balm, or grocery list.

 

My "signature" and a strip of black lace I had in my drawers make the bag look nicely finished.

The size is right for my usual needs, it measures approx. 10 x 6 x 4 inches (25 x 15 x 9 cm). The model is not too deep, so digging things out of it is easier.

 

  This bag holds everything I normally carry with me: cell phone, wallet, snapshot camera, three cloth shopping bags, a little makeup, a couple of diapers for my girl, and a pen & some paper. There is still room for a bottle of water or a banana, if needed. What else does a gal need?

FUZZY FURRY FAORITE- DRESS FOR A TODDLER

  Cold days demand warm clothing. What a great excuse to make another cute dress for my little princess!

I love this furry fabric! It makes me feel warm (inside and out) to see my girl wear this super-warm dress.  =) Once again, the color is perfect for Imbolc.

I neatened the neck- and sleeve edges with a strip of cotton jersey (the same one I used in her Imbolc Sky- dress). It adds a slight contrast, material wise mostly, and softens the cut edge without bulging.

Blue on blue. The decorative buttons add a nice, finished touch, without standing out too strongly.

The back view. I let the buttons flow here too, as I like detail in the back as well.

As a  cherry on the cake, a heart-shaped button on the neck.

  Happy and warm days!

ICE SKATING

  Our neighbor´s small lake has frozen perfectly for ice skating! Not every winter is it possible to skate on natural ice, but now that it is, how could I not go there?!

It is so beautiful! Why do I always think I do not like winter?

Another neighbor of mine cleared out this track yesterday. Now it is just like a real ice rink!  And the neighbor, a retired 60 something, skated for 10 miles (16 km) on it today. Way to go! I only did four laps...

Santa brought me these skates the other X-mas. That makes last winter the first I ever skated in as an adult! Needless to say, my style is quite wobbly. Plus I had to drag this sled behind me, with a heavy toddler sittin on it. That explains the four laps. =)

In the midst of all this freezing weather it is difficult to understand that spring is just around the corner. In fact, Imbolc (Feb. 1st) marks the beginning of spring. Incidentally my grandfather, who sadly passed away three years ago =(, agreed with me on this. It was amazing to hear him say how he figured seasons to change exactly as the wheel-of-the-year states too (of course he had never heard of Wiccanism or the whee-of-the-year, but he had been watching the world turn for over eighty years, and come to the same conclusion. A wise man.).

Insanely beautiful snowflakes.

  I´m not pictured skating, because there is absolutely nothing to see there... I suck at it. But as long as I´m having fun, I don´t care about being lousy. Fun is all that matters, and if anyone else saw me, they´d be having a blast too!  =)

IMBOLC SKY- DRESS FOR A TODDLER

  To fight the cold of these Imbolc days, I made a new dress for my girl:

A soft fleece dress made of scrap (originally I bought this fabric two years ago, while still expecting her. Back then I made her this, and was still left with a piece).

I neatened the hem with a strip of cotton jersey, which I also found in my stash.

The same jersey suited well for the neck edge too. Using a different shade and material of light blue in the dress gives it a more finished look. Overall I wanted to keep the garment simple, giving room to the fabric itself with it´s adorable cumulus clouds.

Isn´t it just like the real deal?

The real deal from yesterday. This is how I, in my head, always imagine the perfect Imbolc nature to look like. And now it´s here for real.Oh, how I love to see the light blue sky again after the long and dark fall and winter!

EATING PLAN FOR IMBOLC

  Studies show that fasting prevents cancer. Cancer is the #1 killer in my family. My grandmother, of whom I never even got to meet, died at age 40 of stomach cancer. Makes a girl think...

  Well, I´m not going to fast all through Imbolc, but I will try an eased way of eating. There are many different ways of eased fasting out there, but I will try this: eating two liquid meals and one solid one a day. My plan loosely bases on Dr. Alexandro Junger´s Clean Program, but I do a relaxed version of it. I use whatever fresh whole-food ingredients are in season in my fridge. =)

  I will follow a few simple guidelines:

9-10 am: for breakfast a smoothie made of fruit/berries and veggies/greens. (This is a smoothie made with avocado, cucumber, zucchini, garlic, sea salt, and dill.)

1-2 pm: for lunch a regular, solid, vegan meal with green/herbal tea.(For example a quick and easy stir-fry is always in place, accompanied by brown rice.)

5-6 pm: for dinner another smoothie, including a handful of nuts/seeds. (This will probably become my staple, hot chocolate. Here made with pumpkin seeds, almonds, cacao powder, vanilla sugar, sea salt, honey, and agave.)

   This is an all-I-can-eat plan, and I let intuition decide the adequate amount. Between meals I can drink water and green/herbal teas as demanded by thirst.
   Eating like this leaves a mini-fast between dinner and the following day´s breakfast. It gives the digestive system the rest it needs.

  Easy and no-fuss!

WELCOME, IMBOLC

 It is mid-January, and at last wintery weather has arrived here too! Just in time to make tuning in to Imbolc spirit sensible. How I´ve longed to see the sun and clear skies! Although it is inhumanly cold (-4 F / -20 C) I´m still getting loads of energy simply by the sight of this:

Ahh, the sun. Not warming one bit yet, but simply getting this much light feels awesome. This is a small pond right next to ours, and our neighbor was skating here with his five-year-old grandson. Unbelievable that only a week ago this was all just water.

It looked like it was snowing little glittering diamonds.

As often as I can, I take the time to take a close look at snowflakes. They are so beautiful!

Winter´s icy flowers.

  This is my way of celebrating everyday life. Making the little things count. There is something enjoyable in every single day. All I need to do is recognize it!

FREEDOM FASHION: DENIM-LIKE TUNIC

  My Freedom Collection bases on denim. Besides pants, denim can be worn in tops too. This time I made a tunic that looks like denim, but is in fact soft and stretchy jersey. Comfortableness comes first!

Here I go with my favorite tunic pattern again... A simple look with no gimmicks. The only trick is in the choice of fabric. From this distance it is not yet obviously denim-like, but when seen up-close, the ocra top-stitching steers the feeling right into the world of pure denim.

This tunic is worn with leggings, so I added an inch (2cm) to the hem to make it more decent...

My designs are often quite streamlined and simple. They give room to and let the focus be on the face, which in my opinion is more important than any piece of clothing. Clothes and style is for us, not vice versa! Therefore I find it important to choose the colors for my garments so that they suit my skin tone. It can be easily checked by placing my hand on top of fabric or any colored surface, and seeing how it makes my skin look. If it is lively, with a warm glow, the color is right. If my hand looks pale and colorless, I should avoid the color. If done in good light, this works every time!

  After making this piece, there was still a generous piece of the fabric left. And that´s what I used to make him his t-shirt. How handy, and green, is that?!

WEDNESDAY- OUTFIT FOR A GIRL

  I´m designing a wardrobe for my girl (22 months) too. Seven outfits altogether, inspired by the weekdays.
  Now it is time to introduce the latest piece, Wednesday´s look:

A classic combination of a skirt and shirt. The skirt is sewn on to the leggings for an easy wear. Raglan-sleeved shirt is a nice change, and looks a bit more relaxed. I have liked this color combo since as long as I can remember, from the 1980´s. Keeping the outfit simple leaves room for the materials, and looks more stylish.

This furry fabric is super soft and almost too cute! It suits perfectly the upcoming Imbolc time (in Nelland from mid-January to the beginning of March) with it´s sweet pink combined to basic greys.

The skirt is made of slightly stretchy flannel. Soft and warm, and so suitable for winter.

The waistband is made of the same jersey as the leggings, so it stretches enough when pulling the pants/skirt up and down during diaper changes.

  Naturally this outfit can surely be worn also on Saturday, Thursday, or any other day of the week! The idea was to give each outfit it´s own characteristics, a unique personality, and the weekdays are only there to guide and inspire me.  =)

BOY´S DENIM-LIKE T-SHIRT

  My son, nine years, announced to me in the fall that he does not need fleece pants for this winter. I´ve always made him a pair or two before! I guess he´s come to the age when he wants to dress like everybody else, and I must accept that. I find it boring, but I must accept it.

  Still I could not resist making him this:

A faux denim t-shirt. The look is so basic that it does not stand out in any way. And he does not yet know that t-shirts are usually not denim (but I always like to include a twist or two  =).

The fabric is soft, stretchy and breathable. It pretty much feels like you´ve got nothing on (I know this because I´ve made a tunic for myself of the same material. More about that later).

Contrast stitching in ocra thread give the garment it´s denim-like look. Simple yet effective.

    To my surprise my boy greeted this t-shirt gladly! He even started wearing it the very next day. That makes Mommy so happy!

STORM DAMAGES

  What a weekend! We´ve had quite a few storms this winter, and one of them knocked down big spruce trees at our summer cabin. Luckily there was not much damage to the buildings but, oh dear what a mess! My husband and I spent the entire weekend clearing out the "war zone".

This is the sight we woke up to on Saturday morning (if 9.30am still counts as morning). First snow had fallen during the night (or actually it was the second snow. The first one fell six weeks ago, but only lasted a few days). On Friday there was no sign of snow, which is exceptional. Usually permanent snow falls in November. Climate change?

Off to work. Overall there were eleven big ones, like these, lying on the ground and on buildings.

A sorry sight. This spruce was all healthy, but still the storm was stronger. I´m just glad I live in an area where we need not worry about tornados, major floods, earth quakes, or massive fires due to drought. The worst natural catastrophies we have around are these high winds that occur every year. But all they do is knock down trees and rip off roofs. Not nice that either, but everything is relative. Shouldn´t complain.

How lucky were we to have two trunks crash right between these two buildings?! The one on the left is merely a shag at the moment, but we plan to restore it and turn it into a guest house. Chain saw, by the way, is the only tool we have available to help us in our massive task. The shores around the little island our cabin is in, are so full of big rocks that no towboats can get close enough. Makes the restoring and building new more challenging too.

 This is what we tackled.

The good thing about all this is that now we shall get more sunshine through!

Oh dear... But what a great overall workout!!!  And I must admit it was therapeutic, in a way, to work together with my husband.  Working together makes even a boring and exhausting task more fun, enjoyable even. We have been together for over 18 years now, and still enjoy each other´s company, specially when away from the everyday whirlwind. (Now those 18 years don´t make me old, we just started young!  =) I´m no one to give marital advice, but I like to keep in mind positivity and respect for the other. Has worked so far...

Nature showed us it´s beautiful side right before it got dark. Especially here, surrounded by the sea, I can really feel the power and enormous strength nature has. It can be cruel but also gentle. And I have great respect for it.

I´m so glad to have caught this on camera.

We set fire on the brances. The trunks will end up as firewood in our sauna.

Sunday morning begun with sunshine and temperature way below freezing. The motor in our boat had frozen, but my husband worked his magic on it, and we were able to get back to mainland. It wasn´t easy, though. The sea had frozen a good way from our harbour, but since we have an aluminum boat, it didn´t get damaged crushing through the over an inch-thick (3 cm) ice.

All this in just two days. (This is at a natural shore, where the water flows freely and is not frozen nearly as much as at our harbour.)

Funny little ice clumps.

It was so clear and serene. I hated to leave. The real world can not reach our cabin, but it calls us back home. There is school, bills to pay, taking the car to the shop, work, grocery store, dirty dishes, etc. But thank goodness we do have our little getaway place, to hide from reality when we need to!

  The results for the weekend? Well, we did get a lot done, but there is still a lot more to do. Basically we now only were able to clear out the trunks (and tons of branches!) from our neighbor´s yard. You see, not all of our big trees had fallen on our side... And we figured it´s most important to clean up our mess from other people´s property first. =)