RENOVATING SUMMER CABIN

  This winter has been a warm one. In our corner of the world that means that temperature has hovered only at around freezing, not below like it usually does. Therefore we´ve only been able to go to our summer home twice this year, hiking on ice.

  We have a major project at hand there, we´re about to renovate and remodel the whole cabin inside and out. It was built in the sixties, and nothing done to it since (except changed curtains =).
  So the two times we´ve been able to spend a weekend there with my husband this winter, we´ve done our best to get things started.

This has been a rare treat during the past months, a sunny day.

We have no running water there, so we need to saw a hole in the ice to get water to sauna and wash up. Drinking water we bring in canisters of course. Talk about getting close to nature!

The project. This phase is always the worst, when you´ve torn out the old and not yet put anything new back in.  It does need to get worse before it can get any better.

We´re turning the old kitchen into a bedroom. In the floor there was a small hatch leading to a cool concrete-covered hole in the ground, which used to serve as a "refrigerator" before electricity was brought to this small island.

The door will be removed and sealed, and the double-windows taken out completely. This time it was time to add insulation to the floor and cover it with another layer of plywood. Hopefully we´ll find use to the old door. It´s always valuable to preserve something from the old.

Accurate account on measures on the wall...

Luckily "these tools were made for working, and that´s just what they do"!

   We´re hoping to get the living room and bedrooms done by warm summer days, so we can all fit in to enjoy ourselves as a family! Thumbs up!

LEARNING MACROBIOTICS

  Two weeks ago the mail brought me the "Changing Seasons Macrobiotic Cookbook", a book I ordered earlier. I had been waiting for it so much, and now after two weeks, my enthusiasm has even risen, if possible. Why could I not have had this years ago, when I bought my first ever macrobiotic book?! This rocks in it´s simplicity and hands-on take on cooking. No bla-bla-blas, only useful info and practical guidance.

The book.

The student.

The lunch (whole wheat spaghetti with boiled cabbage and toasted sesame seeds, plus a small raw salad with soy sauce).

  Macrobiotics know nothing about decadent, sweet and fatty, desserts. The practice emphasizes whole grains, accompanied by vegetables and fermented condiments like miso and sauerkraut.
  For a dessert-lover like me, who has always had a major sweet tooth, learning to eat the macrobiotic way is a real challenge. But these weeks have been so interesting and experimental, that it has felt like an exciting journey!
  Be it placebo or not, but it feels like my sugar cravings have given in a little. I´m definitely continuing on this path of wonders!
  Today I begun the "spring cooking" section of the book. It is still stiff winter when looking out of the window here, but days have grown so much lighter, that I can´t help feeling spring every day! While it will still be a great number of weeks until I´m able to collect dandelion leaves for boiled salad recipes in the book, I use what ever happens to be available, and as local as possible, at the grocery store.

IMBOLC FASHION: FAERY TUNIC

  Here´s the second outfit for my Nelland Faery collection at Imbolc:

A baby-blue velour tunic. Clean, sleek lines to keep it modern, accessorized with glass bead necklaces.

The tunic is loosely cut, but not a tent. I combined it with black & white small-checkered pants.

Makeup is very natural and youthful. Eyeshadow is light grey, blush warm shimmery pink, and lipgloss glittery clear.

  This tunic is unbelievably comfortable to wear, and the warmth of the fabric enabled the 3/4 sleeves despite of the cold season.

  I feel light and safe wearing the outfit, almost like a real-world faery!  =)

TRUE LOVE FOR VALENTINE´S DAY

  I´m a do-it-yourself gal. I apply the approach to love also. A true, deep love comes from within, but it has to be kept alive, as life keeps changing.
  I´m no romantic, but I´ve been fortunate to experience a genuine love that conquers all for the past 19 1/2 years. And it´s still growing stronger. How the heck is that possible?! I never dreamed of a husband, kids, or family life, let alone everlasting love.
  As we approach our 20th anniversary, I´ve done some summing up on how to keep love flourishing through thick and thin.

Check it out on my column Nelland Living!

  Love is precious, cherish and pamper it for the sake of yourself! Happy and love-filled Valentine´s Day weekend!

BEAUTIFUL IMBOLC

    Snow has taken over, and I´m enjoying the beauty of white nature. I always say I don´t like winter, and I don´t, but it is the cold I dislike, not the scenery. Bright white nature, either with or without sunshine, is magical. I always try to repeat the season´s beauty inside our home too, so we keep tuned into the natural flow.

White tulips are a must (a confession: these are artifical ones I pull out of my stash each year. Pretty as they are, I´m not convinced that fresh, genuine flowers grown far away abroad, and which last only a few days, are an ecological choice...).

A non-floral arrangement on our kitchen table (I got the glass vase from my sister in 1999. True beauty endures, I try not to buy excess and stick with my classics). As the snowflakes rotate, they cast magical specs of light around the whole room.

Can you tell that snowflakes play a major role in my Imbolc decor...?  =)

Inside and outside are in tune.

The whole view from our kitchen window.

Our compost is still alive and kicking. We have had snow every day for about three weeks now, and I can´t even remember the last time it was sunny. It feels like a joke to read health experts say one should get at least 15 min. of sunshine a day! Sometimes it´s not a choice not to...

Instead we do at least an hour of fresh air a day. This pic is from a stroll we took the other day. I love how the birches look humble under the burden of heavy snow.

Our neighbor´s organic veggie field resting, waiting for spring.

After dark the magic continues, only different.

 

CELEBRATE WINTER WITH COOL SNOWFLAKE EARRINGS

  Proud to present to you, the newest aromatherapy earrings! Enjoy and embrace the season in a new and beautiful way, and most of all, enjoy life.

These cute metal snowflakes are adorned with tiny "snowballs" (a.k.a. pearls  =). They complete your everyday look perfectly, making you hip and tuned in with the season. Classic snowflakes are easy to combine with anything, from jeans to blazers. 

For more festive occasions go these bigger and fancier earrings. Rhinestones glisten along with nature´s authentic snowflakes, making the bearer a sophisticated, but fun, classy beauty. Perfect for evening wear, and they go with any colored clothing!

  Add peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil on these earrings, and you feel as cool as you look!

  Both earrings are available on my online shop Nelland Boutique for 20/22e (incl. shipping & handling).

NELLAND FAERY - NEW MINI COLLECTION

  My artistic, sabbat based, fashion collection is my way to let loose my creativity in one way. The clothes are unique and quite bold for the everyday work wear. I love every single outfit, forty all together, and I feel great wearing them. But they all require certain levels of energy to carry. They stand out from the crowd, and draw attention. Mostly that´s all nice and fun, but sometimes it feels comfortable to blend more in.

  For those occasions, I now begin to build a whole new mini-collection, which is also based on the wheel-of-the-year and it´s sabbats, but with only two outfits per season.
  I call it Nelland Faery.
  The idea is to wear more ordinary, but cool and neat, clothes that will go for any occasion. The key words to describe this new garderobe could be: fresh, girly, fun, and ethereal.
  For years I´ve dreamed of slipping in one faery-like outfit to every sabbat´s collection, but failed to do so because of my such strong visions of the looks each sabbat represents. So here´s my chance to express this more feminine and frail side of me, in form of faery-like everyday clothes.

  Here is the first ever outfit from my new Nelland Faery- collection:

An ordinary-shaped t-shirt with pants (not jeans). No gimmicks, nothing extraordinary, but neat enough to go anywhere in. The base is then accessorized rather heavily, with mostly matching-colored, jewelry to give it "faery dust". I just love using these terms here! How about that, an outfit sprinkled with faery dust?! Cool, girly, and fun.

Making a slight statement by writing "imbolc" at the chest... Pagan fashion is really hard to find anywhere, and often my searches lead to black cloaks and witches´ hats. Nobody wears that for real! Luckily I´ve learned to make my own clothes to express my own personal beliefs and style.

Makeup is very light and natural. Apart from my artistic collection, in Faery fashion makeup does not repeat the colors of the clothes. Here I wear natural shades to enhance me, not the clothes. Both styles are great, but I want to create a difference between the two collections, and it is fun to do this too. So here I wear grey eyeshadow, warm pink blush, and pink lip gloss. Also I left the eyebrows undefined, to achieve a lighter and more fresh look.

   Although I find this outfit and style rather young, I wish to have the guts to wear it in my fifties, sixties, and beyond (okay, perhaps this particular shirt may have worn out by then, but a new, similar one that is). I see no reason why an older woman could not wear this now. Heck, if I saw a senior citizen in this outfit now, I´d find her more stylish than myself in it! Age is no reason to let go of pretty! We are all gorgeous in our own way, and have stunning features we ought to accentuate and be proud of!