DIY LAMP SHADE

  Fancy home decor shops often sell lamps that have a linen shade on them, made of off-white thin fabric, and perhaps some writing in it too. And they cost a fortune.
  I have always loved the look, but never could afford to buy one. Or should I rather say that I always considered the price ridiculous, and left the lamp in the store.

  In our summer cabin, which we bought last year, I found an ugly lamp. It almost ended up in the trash, when I realized that this was my opportunity to try and make a similar shade to it, which I have always drooled after in the shops.

This is what I came up with. The lamp stand is in it´s original state, and I´m quite happy with it.

The fabric is, surprise surprise, a leftover piece I had lying around from an older project. It is relatively thick, and thus doesn´t give as much light throug. But the lamp is merely for decorational purpose, rather than for illuminating the space.

I made a generous bow of the lace, but kept the color subtle and not too romantic. Our cabin is much used by men and boys for their fishing trips, so I want to keep the look suitable for them too.  =)

  The recipe:

a piece of (old/recycled) any fabric
some yarn/lace
an old/ugly lamp
some elastic cord

+ Rip off the old/ugly shade cover material, so that you are left with only the skeleton of the cover. It can be made of metal or plastic, depending on the style and age of the lamp.
  Measure the circumference of the skeleton at the widest part. Double this measure and you have the width. Measure the height of the shade skeleton, add 3-5cm for seam allowances, and you have the height needed for your new shade piece.
  Cut out the correct sized piece of fabric, and sew the short ends together. Turn in the top and lower edges and sew, forming a tunnel for the elastic cord and lace.
  In the upper end, slip the lace through, and tighten to the desired length. Make a nice bow of the leftover hanging ends. In the lower edge, slip in the elastic cord. Place the shade on the lamp and adjust the tightness of the elastic according to the lamp.
  Voilá! You have a just beautified your home one grade higher!

STRAWBERRIES FROM HEAVEN

  My thumb is usually anything but green, but strawberries have surprised me by growing strong year after year in my garden. This year they are giving, once again, generously delicious berries for us to eat.
  

This is one of the things I dream about during the cold and dark months of winter.

I´ve been having strawberries for breakfast for over two weeks now.

  Breakfast recipe:

bowl of strawberries
cashews
little vanilla sugar (optional)

+ Chop up the cashews and sprinkle over the strawberries. Top with a couple of pinches of vanilla sugar.
  Simple, tasty, and filling.

Dessert recipe:

bowl of strawberries
whipped cream (preferably vegan)
vanilla sugar

+ Quarter the strawberries and fold in with whipped, sweetened, cream. Sprinkle vanilla sugar on top and garnish with one whole berry.
  Simple, tasty, and more healthy than most desserts...

DIY BABY DRESS

  It is difficult to find pretty and practical baby girl clothes from the stores! It is always either or.
  So what am I to do but make some myself...

I used leftover pieces of jersey fabric I had lying around. Why should girls only wear pink to look like girls? When they wear  dresses, they definitely look girlish, while the variety of looks is much wider.

Snap fasteners are a must, even with home-made garments.

I made the neckhole big enough to slip on without snap fasteners on the shoulder. The easier the better.

These are plain old body shirts with only the hem added to them. A very easy way to make a dress, or turn a regular shirt into a dress.

This is what makes this so practical: when lifting up your baby, the hem will not gather in her armpits!  I love it. With this same trick and pattern you can create numerous different looks. Simply clever.

  The recipe:

a baby body shirt
some matching stretchy fabric

+ To make the hem you need to measure the circumference of the shirt at belly height. Double that measure and you have the width. Roughly measure the length you want (I did 23cm for my four-month-old) and add 3cm for seam allowances. Cut out the piece, sew the short ends together in the back, and turn in the lower edge of hem.
  Gather the top end of hem to match the body shirt and sew on place. I simply eyeballed the right place. It´ll look good even if the placement is at something around there. With kids´ clothes it is harder to get it wrong.

  There you have it! A cute, modern, and easy-to-wear everyday dress.

P.S. If you want to make the whole body shirt yourself, here is an example of a pattern.

LITHA NAILS

  Toes are often neglected when it comes to beautifying oneself. It is fun to prep them up to date with nailpolish to match with the rest of your beautiful self.

  Here are my nails in Litha spirit, soaking in the sea and enjoying the summer:

Remaining true to my style, I do the dots only. I get the look but with less toxins. Red, white, and blue is the essential  color combination of my Litha.

On a hot summer day, what could be better than cooling down by the sea?

This is about as much as I´ve dared to "swim" yet this summer.  =)  The water is still below 20 Celsius.

Homo sapiens was here...

What a wonderful time of the year! Remembering all this is what gets me through the dark times of winter.