THE WHEEL-OF-THE-YEAR IN NELLAND

  The wheel-of-the-year is the corner stone of Nelland. It determines the changing of seasons and sabbats, which give years rhythm.

A year can be seen as a clock, with each number marking a month. Here is a simplified graph of a year´s passing, sabbats dividing it in eight. Each sabbat lasts about six weeks, and for those weeks I celebrate the current phase nature is going through. This repeats year after year, and I never get tired of it! It feels like each sabbat lasts just the right amount of time to get everything out of i;, from planning, and making of, to celebrating, and getting enough of it. Perfect!

This is the same graph, but with the key colors I associate with each sabbat. Year after year these colors seem just right for each sabbat. I have been doing this for over ten years now, and still they feel fresh and welcome at each turn of the wheel!

  The sabbats and their meanings for me in short:

IMBOLC Feb 1st: The first sabbat of the year. Marks the beginning of spring, because it is situated between the darkest day of the year (mid-winter) and the spring equinox (mid-spring = when there is equal amount of light and dark in a day).
  Although nature in my neighborhood is thickly covered in snow, and temperature is at it´s coldest of the year, the amount of light is strongly increasing. This is the first, and a comforting, sign of spring approaching.
  Main color of Imbolc is medium grey, due to it´s dominance in the scenery in nature. Snow covers all, washing all colors away. Thus white is also an important color at this time. Ice is another coloring factor, but it´s faint minty hue is not seen much in everyday life (but worth embracing in clothing/decorating). Only the sky with it´s increasing light, shows us some real color, in pale pastels, baby blues and pinks.

OESTARA Mar 19-23: Spring equinox, mid-spring, when there is equal amount of light and dark in a day´s passing. From this point on, light dominates.
  Snow starts to melt, and birds are singing. First flowers and butterflies appear in nature.
  Colors I use are drawn mainly from nature again. Darkish grey being the main color, coming from the bare earth being exposed underneath the melting snow. This is accentuated with the color of the sun: a bright, energizing, happy yellow. Other bits of color are fresh green, which can be seen in small amounts in the first plants rising from the snow, and lilac. Crocuses are lilac, and one of the first splashes of color blooming from the earth.

BELTANE May 1st: Beginning of summer! Beltane is between mid-spring and midsummer, so it´s obvious.
  There are hardly any leaves in trees in the beginning of Beltane, but during it, the nature explodes into all shades of green! It is an amazing transformation in a short period of time. Therefore fresh greens of all kind are the basic color of the sabbat.
  This is the time when flowers are doing their best to bloom as fast as they can. Also all the animals have paired up and are caring for their young. It feels like there is romance in the air! And it can also be sensed in human life as well. What is more of the color of romance than pink? This is the time of year to let my romantic side bloom (it is not very well developed, but I live and learn =). After all, love and lust are what makes the world go around. Why not celebrate that once a year?!

LITHA Jun 19-23: Midsummer, summer solstice, the lightest day of the year! The sun hardly sets for night, and it is light all day and night long! This is the most energetic time of the year. It just seems wrong to be sleeping when the sun isn´t either.
  Colors in nature have grown mature. Trees and grass have reached an almost blueish green shade. They are at their strongest, not needing to grow anymore, but to restore as much sun´s energy as possible. I like to use basic, mature, colors too. Waters are beginning to warm up enough for us people to swim in, and start looking attractive again. Thus dark blue is the main color of Litha. It is time to play holiday all Litha long, although summer vacation may still be weeks away. But it is important to maximize the fun elements of life! So holiday-feeling it is, and I like to do it in the fifties way. (That era has been beautifully idolized as being nothing but the time of fun and dance!) Dark blue is used in the form of denim. I add basic white and red to this, along with black accessories, like shoes and belts.

LAMMAS Aug 1st:  Situated between midsummer and mid-autumn, this marks the beginning of autumn.
  Temperature-wise this is the hottest time of the year, but light is slowly starting to decrease. It affects me in a calming way, like telling me it is okay not to run around like crazy anymore day and night. It is again okay to relax a bit, and enjoy stillness.
  Nature is starting to mature it´s seeds by turning golden beige little by little. This beige is my main color of Lammas. To this beige I like to add white and lace, resembling many flowers still blooming in the wild. But not as strongly and  aggressively as earlier. These flowers are more fragile and wise, knowing they still have time. The sun is shining a lot, but it´s color turns warmer. This warm yellow is one of the colors of Lammas as well.
  The evenings are getting dark enough for burning candles again at the end of Lammas. It´s been a long time since I last did, in Imbolc.

MABON Sep 20-24:  Autumn equinox, mid-autumn, when there is equal amount of light and dark again. From this point on, darkness dominates.
  Time to gather summer´s crops. Colorful carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, you name it! Lots of color in the wild nature as well, as the leaves are starting to turn yellow and red. All these warm, earth-toned reds, yellows, and oranges, are combined with army-green and dark brown to create a beautiful autumn look.
  During Mabon I still have some energy left, basically enough to tidy up the places for winter´s sleep. Darkness is increasing fast, bringing along cozy nights by the fireplace and tv again...

SAMHAIN Nov 1st:  Situated between mid-autumn and midwinter, Samhain marks the beginning of winter.
  Coldness creeps into the world again, bringing frost and often snow. The earth is very dark, both in color and light-wise. Nature looks dead, it has fallen into a winte´s sleep. This is when I turn my head to memorizing those of my beloved friends and family who have passed away already. Burning candles and looking at pictures of them, while remembering all the good they brought into my life. All the fun times we shared. How lucky I was to have known them! And what did they teach me of this world, how can I learn from them?
  Black is the dominating color of Samhain. No doubt about it. Not much else is needed. But to create some variety, dark grey and violet (the sacred color of bishops), are added.

YULE Dec 19-23: Midwinter, winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. This is when I resent going outside, because there is nothing to do... in the cold... in the dark...
  Christmas and New Year dominate my Yule time. They even cut it in half. First comes Christmas. The anticipation of it is so strong in our culture, I don´t even want to fight back. I´d rather enjoy with the rest!
  Colors I use for the first half of Yule (until Christmas) are mostly drawn from nature again. Dark grey rules the palette. That is definitely the most common color seen in nature at this time of year. To this grey I add the dark green and brown of evergreen trees and plants, the white of snow (which most often comes for Christmas), and the traditional red of Santa Clause (isn´t it thanks to Coca Cola?).
  The second half of Yule is ruled by the effect of New Year´s Eve. By then it is high time to say bye-bye to Christmas´s colors and switch into something new. That is still mainly dark grey, but mixed with dark blue and silver. That is what I see in nature from New Year on, dark blue night-like skies with little twinkling stars all over it. What a beautiful view!


  Thanks to these eight sabbats, my life is a continuous celebration, year round! That is what life is all about; being happy and enjoying!

HANGING CRADLE FOR A BABY

  This hanging cradle cost me around ten bucks altogether. Major savings in money, I´d say. I thought about it for quite long, but thought I´d never come up with a clever way to make one, easily.
  But here it is, from design to finish, all made by me (so anyone can make one too!).

Situated between mom and dad´s beds, so we can equally take care of the baby at nights. (Yes, separate beds. The secret to a lasting happiness in our relationship   =)

Made simply of a spare cardboard box. I slightly decorated it with a piece of an old cotton curtain, to give the cradle a touch of  aged romantic look.

The ruffle hides all the ugly screws and hooks used to bolting it in the ceiling. The bands the cradle hangs by are made of an old, very sturdy, table cloth I once got from my grandmother as an early "heritage" (she knows I love to make stuff, and wanted to make use of it).

I cut a piece of  my older child´s baby mattress to fit the box. The bed linens I have also saved from since my first-born was a baby (seven years ago! How time flies...).

This cutie awaits for someone to hug it and drool on it! The string around the teddybear´s neck is secured with stitches, to prevent opening and causing any danger to my coming baby.

This teddy bear is made by Tilda´s instructions.

  Everything, except bolts and hooks used to attach the cradle into the ceiling, is made of old, already existing material. I just checked that, if store-bought, these kind of cradles cost 200 bucks and up! Some examples you can see here and here.

  The recipe:

a cardboard box, big enough to fit a baby in for the first weeks/months
4 pieces of board, short enough to fit into the box (any kind will do, but not too thick and heavy)
glue (and a stapler)
2 long and strong bands (old safety belts would be awesome!)
screws and hooks to attach the cradle into the ceiling

+ Cut the boards so they reach from end to end of the bottom of the cardboard box. One to each side: 2 long and 2 shorter ones. Place these in the bottom of the box so that they form a square around the edges, ends overlapping. Glue in place, underneath the box. This will reinforce the base of the box, so it will hold for sure.
  Measure the distance from the ceiling to the desired height of the cradle, and make two strong bands according to your measurements. The bands need to be somewhat wide to hold in place well.( I made mine a bit wider than the boards in the bottom, so I could hide them.)
  Screw hooks in the ceiling, check the precise length needed for the bands by fitting it in place, and sew the ends together tightly. Place the bands around the cradle so that they go along the crossing boards underneath. Staple/glue in place. This is very important, so the cradle won´t slip out!

  There you have it! Now the most fun part can start: decorating the cradle. Tune it to your own linking which ever way you feel best, and what suits your style. Just remember not to add anything that might come loose or off, and cause any harm to the baby by accident.

  This cradle is easy and cheap to make, compared to what it looks like! Custom-made to suit your bedroom, or a great gift to anyone having a baby!

ENJOYING SIGNS OF SPRING

  Increasing light is the first sign of spring. And that I have been enjoying, and drawing more energy from, lately. But now the other day I was fortunate to notice the second sign: birds singing!
  It´s been so quiet for months. But now the little creatures have awakened to a new spring by looking for mates for the coming summer. The nature is slowly gaining it´s livelihood again after the winter sleep. So lovely! I thoroughly enjoy observing these uplifting signs of spring! (And it´s free of charge!   =)

This is the view from my living room window, the one I always eat breakfast by. Although it is still very snowy, and my compost bin is frozen solid =(  spring is slowly but surely lifting it´s head. And I´m loving it!

  It is said that sometimes the waiting of something great to happen is more than the actual happening itself. I love summer the most of all seasons, but is spring even better after all...?

SUPER LUNCH

  Sometimes I play with the thought of having a café á la Nelland. What would it serve, and what sort of people would come in it? In my remote neighborhood this can never happen, but it´s a fun mind game.
  Today I served myself something so wonderful for lunch, that it would definitely make it in the menu of café Nelland!

A green super lunch packed with nutrition! Main focus is on fresh food, completed with very satisfying and filling mushroom risotto.

A huge green salad with cheesy raw dressing  is the main course...

...after which you can indulge in as much creamy risotto as you can stuff in yourself!

Don´t forget to drink the energy-packed, freshly squeezed cucumber-apple juice as beverage. It is so good, and so good for you!

  The recipes:

Green salad:

1 head of lettuce, shredded
1 green bell pepper, diced

Cashew cheese sauce (by Matthew Kenney "Everyday Raw"):

1 3/4 cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hours
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 mediun shallot
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Pinch cayenne
Pinch turmeric
1/2 clove garlic
Black pepper to taste

+ Blend all ingredients until completely smooth.

  Spread over the salad as much as feels good. This is a rich sauce, which will keep hunger away. The list of ingredients seems quite long, but when combined with such a simple salad, the result is brilliant!

Mushroom risotto:

whole grain rice
vegetable bouillon
water
onions
garlic cloves
mushrooms (any variety, choose to suit your liking and availability)
olive oil
black pepper
sea salt
(vegan) cooking cream/milk

+  Cook rice in vegetable stock.
  Meanwhile chop onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté in a pan with olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft. Season with salt and pepper.
  Add the mushroom mixture into the cooked rice. Pour in enough cooking cream/milk until the desired creaminess is reached.

  Mushrooms have a great taste to them, and I need to be careful not to overrule that with seasoning too heavily. Often salt and pepper is enough.

Green juice:

1 part cucumbers
1 part Granny Smith apples

+ Press through a juicer until you have 1/2 liter per person.


  This is the base of my lunches nowadays: a juice, a big leafy salad with creamy raw dressing, and a cooked food to complete the meal. I literally stuff my face with all this wonderfulness, and then only need a dessert for supper.  =)
  Thanks to this lunch, I´m full of energy the whole day, although I´m 38 weeks pregnant by now! 

ANTI-AGING AND GREEN SMOOTHIES

 Opposite from the usual opinion, I welcome aging and growing old. Darn, I´d like nothing more than to live past 100 years happy and healthy!

  Of course a lot depends on our genetics, but I do believe we can affect much on how quickly our bodies deteriorate. That is why I consider eating nutritious foods so important (sometimes even a little on the cost of taste).

  Last spring, when collecting wild edible greens, I wished I could start a business serving all old people green smoothies made with wild greens! But the cost per smoothie would be too high to make a living on it... I always reflect it on what I would feel reasonable to pay for something, although somebody else might be able to afford it. But the general idea of letting fragile old people, often with poor digestion, have the best possible source of nutrition, straight from nature, warmed my heart. And still does.
  What I will do this coming spring, when wild greens start to grow in my area (usually in Beltane), is to whip up soft smoothies for my loved ones. I wish nothing but the best for them, and hope they will grow a liking to the smoothies so that they would start making some themselves. Even once a week, on a "Smoothie Sunday" for example.  =)

  I still have some fresh blueberry leaves in the freezer from last spring. I´ve been using them lately in my own green smoothies, which I make a few times a week.

I prefer freezing over drying the leaves. That way they are readily available, and don´t need to be soaked or crushed before throwing into a smoothie.

These leaves were collected while they were very young, before blooming. That is when they are at their softest.

  The recipe:

a generous handful of wild edible greens
1 banana
2 kiwis
2 oranges/grapefruits juiced
a generous handful of sunflower seeds

+ Blend all in a blender until smooth.
  This recipe is very versatile. You can use almost anything in it. Just add enough sweet fruit to make it tasty.

  My blender isn´t the most powerful in the world, thus the specks of green still showing in the picture.  =)  But the smoothie itself is still as good, and tastes even better.

  Victoria Boutenko is a great source of information on green smoothies. You can find free recipes and information on collecting wild greens on her site.

  Green smoothies are said to do miracles in our bodies, like promoting anti-aging for example. I´m not yet worried about aging, but I enjoy the overall good feeling green smoothies give me.
  Aging is a natural process, and I think a person can look stunning at any age! I´m not only talking about celebrities, like Madonna, who do everything they can to look young, but also people who don´t hide their grey hair and wrinkles. What makes a person look old is a hunched back, non-groomed appearance, and tiredness. Genetics determine quite far how one´s back will hunch, but the rest we can do much about!
  Men often get away with aging - to them it just adds charm, they say. So let´s not talk about men here...
  Gudrun Sjoden does wonderful work by using women of all ages in her fashion catalogs! Here you can see my personal idol at work when it comes to aging. When I "grow old up", I want to be like her! A perfect example of how women of all ages can look equally good, even when standing side by side!

  I wish us all healthy, long lives!

IMBOLC-STYLED GLOVES

  These gloves are soooo comfortable and easy to make! You can wear them from Mabon to Beltane, whenever the weather demands. And it´s big fun to design and make new looks for each season! Here is the very first pair I´ve made, to suit the look of Imbolc:

Pretty, soft, cozy, and a wind-stopper. Just the way I need them!

This is the world and scenery the gloves will be used in.

The biggest decorations look like rings in fingers, but are made of cotton circles for comfortable use.

Aah, the combination of grey and light blue just do the trick for me!

Placing a button in an unusual place gives an interesting little twist!

Cool, nature joined in decorating!

These just can´t be beaten in beauty!

  I used to think making gloves would be too troublesome, as opposed to mittens, but I was wrong! Hooray! I love the practicality of gloves. You can do everything with them on, like take pictures in the cold (which is very difficult with mittens), drive a car and use the turning sign switch with ease, or carry multiple shopping bags in your hands while still managing to open the house door, to name a few.

  These gloves are a real treasure! You can manage  through most winter, but not in extremely cold, like lower than -10 Celsius / 15 Fahrenheit I´d say. There are different types of fleece fabric available, choose the one to suit your temperature needs.

  The recipe:

your hand
a piece of paper to fit your hand in
25cm fleece fabric (needs to be somewhat stretchy)
decorating material such as buttons, cotton fabric for crafting, bows,  ribbons...

+ Place your hand, fingers spread, on a sheet of paper. Roughly draw down the outlines of your hand onto the paper, including about 7cm of your wrist. Draw another line at about a generous 1cm away outward from the original hand line. This will make the drawn hand look huge, but is necessary to achieve a fitting glove. This is your pattern, for both hands.

This is my template. Drawn on simple paper, nothing special needed. The wrist isn´t long enough in this pattern, but I added length  when cutting out of the fabric.

  Place the pattern on a double layer of fabric, pin down, and cut along the edges. Sew close to the edges with straight stitches. Cut an opening between each finger at the lowest point to allow them to set nicely after turning inside out (but be careful not to cut over the stitched line!). Make another one for your other hand as well.  =)
  Turn the glove right side out, and start decorating! Once again this is a perfect place to let your imagination fly, and to show your individual style!

Have fun!

SNOWFLAKE JEWELLERY

  Snow is an essential element to Imbolc. Nature offers us so much beauty throughout the year, it is literally never ending! I bring bits of this beauty to the way I dress, not being able to reach nature´s level of course, but by doing it in my own way. Accentuating the most beautiful features of each season.

  This time I crafted a snowflake out of small glass beads.

A nice addition to an evening gown. You are so up-to-date wearing snowflakes as jewellery for parties in the middle of the snowy season!

 

The size of the snowflake depends on the size of the beads you decide to use. If made of bigger, wooden beads for example, this model would go well as house decor too!

The same snowflake worn in everyday wear. Very versatile little thing!

The make up is matched to suit my clothing. I used pastel mint and medium grey in the eyes, and glittering clear lipgloss in the lips. But the snowflake is what takes this combination into a whole new level of chic!

  Beading is a totally new area to conquer for me. I´ve tried a few simple little things before, and have been impressed by the end result. It does take quite a lot of time to get something finished, but it is still satisfying to see you can make such things.

  Instructions to make this snowflake can be found in crafting magazines, books, or on the net ( for example here ).
  This one is really a fun project, and it feels good to see how you can do it!

COOKIES AND TEA FOR SUPPER!

  After a nice brisk walk in the darkening February evening it is heavenly to light up the fireplace and curl in front of it with piles of munchies!
  A confession: my bad habit is eating desserts for supper on weekends. I try to make up for it by eating healthily through out the rest of the week. It has worked okay so far, and in my normal state-of-being ( not pregnant ) I am quite slim by figure. ( And I do hope to get back to that some day! =)
  Last night after a walk I enjoyed herbal tea with soy milk, and home-made chocolate chip cookies. I make my cookies huge, so I don´t feel as guilty eating "only" four... There are still many left, and I will pamper myself by enjoying a sweet Sunday evening accompanied by the rest of the cookies...

Frozen toes also love the fiery heat!

I often fine-tune dessert recipes one click more to the healthy side. These cookies were made of whole grain spelt flour, instead of regular white flour.

Wood burning fireplaces are our main source of heat in winter. It helps us save money on electricity bills, and because the firewood is local, also the environment.

The recipe:

5 dl wheat flour (I used whole grain spelt flour)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon seasalt
230g (vegan) margarine
1 1/2 dl sugar
1 1/2 dl muscovado/raw cane sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (sugar)
4 dl (vegan) dark chocolate roughly chopped
a little water if needed

+ Whip together margarine and sugars. Mix together flour, soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the margarine and sugars. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry. Spoon in chocolate chips.
  Place tablespoon-sized chunks of the mixture onto a baking sheet (leave plenty of room for it to spread in the oven) and bake at 175 Celsius for about 8-11 minutes.

  The cookies are very sweet, just the way I like my desserts to be! I´ve never understood people who say something tastes too sweet. What does that mean?!

SWEET DREAM SACK FOR A BABY

  Babies are unbelievably cute and adorable! In their helplessness they make us feel like we need to do everything in our power to take care of them. That´s how nature designed babies. Why else would we willingly, and lovingly, clean their bottoms several times a day, and wake up numerous times a night to feed them?! I respect nature in all ways, and try to do my best.

 My baby will be born in a few weeks now, and at that time it will still be chilly and snowy outside. Although it is warm and cozy in the house, it feels like she will need something soft and warm to sleep in.
  The solution is a sleepsack made of fleece and lined with cotton jersey.

In my imagination this is what a dreamland looks like - soft clouds slowly drifting in a warm summer breeze. Withe no cares of the world...

A zipper is the easiest way to open and close the sack, when a nightly diaper change is needed.

The lining is made of very thin leftover cotton jersey. It is better against the baby´s skin than fleece.

The whole sleepsack is lined with cotton.

  May this sleepwear bring happy dreams and deep sleep to both of us!

P.S.  Patterns and instructions are easily available, either in stores or on the net. For example at McCall´s .
   

REFRESHING GREEN DRINK!

  Continuing on my path of fresh juices. It feels like I´ve become addicted to them! I´m drinking 1/2 liter with my lunch every day, and each time wish there had been more! Drinking plain water feels merely a task, but drinking fresh juices feels like a privilege!
  I have found good combinations, but will also explore new tastes as the ingredients vary.
  This is one of my favorites:

The recipe :

1 part cucumbers
1 part Granny Smith apples
(ginger, lemon, or lime may be added for variety)

+  Press through a juicer.

  Feel the good vibrations this juice gives you! So simple!

FATHER-TO-SON DIY RECYCLED JEANS

  These jeans are a true saving-the-nature project! Inspired by the recent recycled t-shirt I made for my son, I thought about making sailor-themed jeans to go with it. From my husband´s old jeans I´ve been saving for months now.

We will be spending a lot of time by the sea in the summer, so these will become more than handy then! And as you can see by the wrinkles, the pants have become a favorite already.  =)

This is what was left of my husband´s old jeans after cutting out the pieces for my seven-year-old son´s pants!

Pant legs have a nice gentleman-like fold to make them look more sophisticated. (I do try to raise him a gentleman!  =)

The buttons add up to the jeans-like look. Using worn jeans fabric gives these pants an overall better look than using new fabric from the store. We are so used to jeans being stone washed to look worn out, that otherwise it is more difficult to achieve the genuine jeans-look for hand-made pants, other than using old material.

In the back you can see these pants are made of recycled material. But rather than being a "flaw", I see it as a proud sign of doing one´s share for the common good!  If we destroy our planet, we will have no place to do any other good deeds either.

The waistline is comfortably held up by an elastic band. The dark area is where back pockets were placed in the original adult´s jeans. I removed the pockets to make the waist nice and stretchy.

The recipe:

old adult-sized jeans (the bigger the better for older kids)
pattern for kids´ pants (don´t need to be for jeans, those are too complicated for my taste =)
piece of approx. 3cm wide elastic band, enough to reach around the child´s waist
(6 buttons, or other accessories your pattern suggests/you want to add)

+  Cut open the seams in the adult´s jeans. Place front pieces on top of each other, and the back pieces on top of each other as well, right sides in.
  Place pattern pieces on top of the pant legs, front on fronts, back on backs. Cut out. (If the legs of the old jeans aren´t long enough, it is easy to grab another pair of old jeans, and combine more material in from them. They will look as cool, if not more so, than these made of just one pair!)
  Sew as usual, instructed in your pattern.
  Add the accessories/decorations you wish, or your child wishes.

  It is fun to design and make clothes together with your child! You will benefit from spending quality, yet productive, time together by letting your imaginations fly!

  Patterns can be easily bought from pretty much anywhere, you don´t need to go to a sewing supplier. My favorite way is to buy a magazine that has several patterns in one. That is probably the cheapest way too. The above pattern is from Ottobre magazine 3/2011. But as I said, any of your favorite will do.

SOFT VALENTINE´S BREAKFAST (RAW)

  I´ve totally fallen in love with sweet, yet 100% healthy, puddings for breakfast! This one goes well for Valentine´s Day:

Along with pampering our loved ones, we deserve to pamper ourselves too! This breakfast does just the trick, so indulge with a passion!

Forget it´s healthy, just enjoy!

  The recipe:

1 banana
1/2 avocado
3-4 dried figs
1/2 - 3/4 cup cranberries
vanilla (sugar)
little water

+ Blend all ingredients until soft and silky. Adjust water to your liking.

  This is so lovely, I´m going to make this again tomorrow morning!

VALENTINE´S DAY MAKEUP

  Charm your Valentine with a fresh, new, make up look!
  Valentine´s day justifies the use of pink. Pink can be a tricky color to use in make up, but in my Valentine´s day look it is used very subtly. Pale hues are used to maintain the cool spirit Imbolc is all about.

Love is in the air, and I wanted to create a look that emphasizes that tingling feeling of having butterflies in your stomach when you first fall in love with someone.

With that special sparkle in your eye, and rosy cheeks, you can look and feel like a teenager all over again! 

  The recipe:

1. Eyes: apply light pink onto the inner two thirds of the moving eyelids. Medium grey onto the remaining outer third of the lids, blending carefully towards the edges to make it look natural. Curl lashes and apply one or two coats of mascara. No eyeliner is needed for this look. The idea is to look soft, natural and rosy-cheeked.

2. Cheeks: use pale pink blush, preferably with some shimmer, onto the apples of the cheeks. You will want to achieve the look of fresh, young, and loveable.

3. Lips: Moisten lips well with lip balm, then apply a thin coat of cool pink lipstick. Or use lipgloss. The lips should look fresh and luscious, but not too made up. The overall focus should still be in the eyes.

  It is a good idea to add one or two pink accessories to your outfit to make the whole look well-put-together. As much or as little as suits your personal style.

  Voilá! You´re all set to sweep your loved one off his feet! I´m sure he will appreciate the effort, and a little change from the ordinary is always refreshing. Enjoy!

A big kiss to my Valentine!