PROJECT SUMMER HOME

  Finally we got our hands on the main cabin at our summer home! It is about time to renovate it, we´ve had it for nearly four years now. Easy does it, we´ve learned. Living in and getting to know your property is the key to successful remodeling.

  The ice finally melted off, and we were able to go there by our boat. It actually feels like summer season has started already!

Looking at this picture of our boat bay, it also looks like summer too! But in reality, it was only a bit above freezing...

Signs of spring have arrived here too.

Flag up to show summer season has started! Yay!

The project begins. This is the main room, I guess it could be called the living room. So far we´ve already taken down the old bunk beds and half paneling on the walls. The bunches of panels are awaiting installation.

Originally this room was the kitchen, which we turned into a bedroom two years ago. Now it is getting another makeover.

When it comes to survival in cold and windy weather, something´s got to give. In this case it is style... =)

It was not all springy sunshine, we also got cold rain (and occasional sleet).

An unfortunate creature on the shore...

I got a tip from a Kentuckian friend of mine to try out Jack Daniel´s. Wow, so different and tasty from the Scottish or Canadian whiskies I´ve tried before. Really yummy, and surprisingly girly. Me like. Thanks Carl!

I was actually able to be helpful!

After two days of work. We built a whole new bedroom and added a window to it too. Now there are two bedrooms, in which three of us can sleep (we´ll see where the fourth one will end up... on the couch maybe?).

This is the first bedroom after makeover (the one that used to be kitchen.).

The new, second, bedroom. Here the color of the walls is quite close to the original. We used breathable and non-toxic wood wax for finishing the wood paneled walls.

In between the bedrooms we were able to squeeze a tiny toilet. It will be an eco-friendly waterless one, but more about it later.

  Phew, that was a lot for one long weekend! Now we just can´t wait for the next one!!!  =)

SETTING THE MOOD FOR HALLOWEEN

  Even if I did not have kids, I would like the house to be set for Halloween. Change is always welcome, and exaggerating fun is essential, and it lifts up spirits for us all. Here´s what we have in our kitchen:

A little goes a long, and a stylish, way. I don´t like layers on layers, instead keeping it simple and letting the few selected things catch the eye. Sometimes less is more.

The little pumpkin is grown by my sister, and the spider candle holder I originally bought for aroma lamp use. But after I invented aromatherapy earrings a year ago, I have not had the need for aroma lamps anymore.

Somewhat tacky, but fun, jack o´lanterns.

  Also we enjoy listening to Halloween radio to further get into the mood. And it works!

BIRD´S NEST

  This is our kitchen dining area:

This part of the house was built in 1830. I always do Sabbat-related decorating around the table. Now the balloons are not for Ostara, they are for birthdays around this time.

Grass and eggs are such classics for the season.

This egg is fake, but the nest itself is genuine! I´m no ornithologist so I can´t tell which species built it, but I found it this January at our cabin. It had fallen down from a tree during a storm. The nest was unspoiled, and looked so cute and adorable, that I had to pick it up. And now it gets to beautify our Ostara kitchen table as the center piece! 

FREEDOM FASHION: LIVING THE DREAM- SHIRT

  The mind is a powerful force. It can make us either happy or unhappy in our lives, depending on how we look at things. I try to stay on the positive side, and to boost that I made myself this inspiring shirt:

A basic off-white shirt combined with jeans is a timeless classic everybody looks good and fresh in. Regardless of age. But have you ever seen a seventy-something wearing this? I have not. It´s a shame really. I think women can be gorgeous at any age, and there are no such things an elderly woman could not wear. As long as my posture stays good and healthy, I ride towards old age with pride and confidence, looking forward to what life has to offer.

Back to the issue... It says "Living the dream" on the bust, to remind me that I am the most important person in my life. I need to take care of myself first, and then I can be my best to others as well. The world is out there for me to grab bits and pieces from, to build the best life I can for me and my family. That´s the attitude I feed and keep in mind, and try to pass on to my kids. Anything is possible, and I need to be grateful for the little things in life.

The back is plain. As can be seen, I like slightly loose clothes. Especially pants. And I admit: I hate skinny jeans. I don´t know who they look good on.

I hand-printed the text on with fabric paint and stamp letters. Then I added delicate pearl white drops of another fabric paint to give it slight contrast and to make it three-dimensional. Very subtle.

  Living the dream... What better attitude to have towards my life?

HEATHERS

   Heather is pretty much the only flower that can stand the cold of these Samhain days. Therefore it is the natural choice for my pots outside.

These flower pots, three altogether, align the pathway to our yard. I love to cheer myself up (and hopefully others too) every time I come and go from the house. It is like the first, and last, impression of my home.

These fake little pumpkins have been my staple decor for ridiculously long. The only problem is that birds think they´re edible and go peck on them. So each year I have to discard some because of their bad condition. =)

I´m so happy about my recent discovery: every season is totally enjoyable, as long as the sun is shining! I´ve always strongly disliked winter, especially during Samhain, because it has seemed only murky, damp, and rainy to me. But as I can see in these pictures, it is not like that all the time, and beauty and happiness lies in this sabbat too.

The beauty in heather looks very different from a distance than up close.

  Beautiful Samhain to all!

VIOLETS AND RUST

  Yipee, snow has finally melted off (nearly all of it)! This weekend, at last, the snow gave way to a treasure of mine I got for Christmas; an old bicycle. I have waited for months to get it out of the garage, and place it leaning against a young oak tree in front of our house.

I´m told this bicycle dates back to the thirties. Little do I know, or care really  for the age that much, because all I care about is the beauty it holds. Holds and spreads to it´s surroundings, and it makes me happy.  =)

It took quite a long while before I could decide what kind of case to place in the back of the bike to put the flowers in. I ended up with this woven willow basket. A wooden old box would have been a classic, but it looked too masculine, and, frankly, gave me the impression of an old drunk, who would have carried his liquor bottles in the back of his bike... This basket full of violets is much prettier and more fresh-looking.

Nature is just now exposed from the snow, which staid on the ground for six months this winter. Too long, I say. But now, these violets bring us the promise of the upcoming summer, and just the thought of it makes me smile.

It feels like the bike is staring back at me...

More violets landed to sweeten our yard. Against the barren land and this rusty old pot, the flowers look exaggeratedly sweet and delicate.

Welcome Beltane!

KETTLE WALL CLOCK

  When we bought our nearly 200-year-old house many years ago, it came with some items that had belonged to the previous owners. Nothing valuable, but important to the property altogether. Like this old aluminum kettle.
  Instead of throwing it away I turned it into something useful:

A unique kitchen wall clock. I simply drilled a hole through the center of the bottom, and placed the pointers and clock machinery in place (which sounds fancy but is very simple). Sets are sold in craft stores for a low cost. That´s it.

The clock is the center piece of this kitchen wall, and by itself would have been too small and plain. So I placed it in an old wooden box my grandpa had made long ago, and added a couple of vintage glass bottles on the side. The lanterns are new, but go nicely with the spirit of our kitchen.

The little studs marking hours are actually tiny old nails. My son was exploring the old kitchen log walls the other day, and found these slightly protruding from the surface. What else does an eight-year-old do that grab a tool to pull them out? I again could not throw them away, and after a couple of days pondering where to put them, decided on placing them here. There are only five of them - all the more unique, right?

  Now this old kettle has the privilege of reminding us how time goes by. It is up to us to decide what to do with it...

OESTARA HOME

  Here is how I´ve decorated our home for Oestara:

The front porch. The bunny is totally cute and childish, and thus represents perfectly my idea of the season.

No Oestara without narcissus!

This year it is still very cold at Oestara, so I put this pot of narcissus inside a large lantern to keep it from freezing.

Also because of the cold weather these spruce twigs are still the only greens that can make it outside, so I had to hang eggs on them... Well, at least it is original, right?  =)

Entrance hall and my always favorite pair of old boots.

In all of it´s ugliness, this chick is adorable in it´s own way. It is of course made by my son at school, and I just don´t have the heart to not put it up for decor.

Bathroom needs it´s own touch. Narcissus actually has a mild scent to it, so it works as a light air freshener too.

Kitchen table.

Probably the most important, and classical, place to have decoration at. These chicks have sweetened my Oestaras for many years.

Even the spice basket got it´s own narcissus. Perfectly in harmony with Herbamare and chili powder. (Please ignore the fridge door! I HATE having anything on it, but we are still learning to cope with diabetes, and need to have some instructions at hand.)

We spend a lot of time in the living room too, so I added a touch of spring in there also.

  Happy and beautiful Oestara!