IMBOLC ART

  In my mind there´s a picture, an ideal vision, of each sabbat´s soul. I want to get them out of there, to make them visible for everyone. It´s nothing I could photograph, it´s more like a dreamy state of being.
  I decided to paint them. Here´s the first one, Imbolc:

Dreamy light blue with hints of pale pink in the top left corner, and minty green in the bottom right (the hints aren´t as visible here as in reality). Painted with watercolors.

Flat paintings are boring. I want my paintings to have more depth, and I don´t mean only with the colors. I mean actual 3D depth. I glued these paper snowflakes on my painting  to really make them pop.

On the bottom of the piece, I glued a little light turquoise glitter on top of the mint color, to accentuate the icy effect I was going after.

I added these tiny Swarowski glue-on crystals to make resemble both stars in the sky, which are still a very remarkable part of this darker side of the year, and little ice crystals.

To give even more depth, I chose to use these bigger Swarowskis as well. Now that´s 3D!

This type of frame doesn´t draw attention to itself, and showcases the piece separating it from it´s surrounding. This baby ended up in our entrance hall. It´s the best place because you see it when you come home, setting you right into the mood of current sabbat, and is the last thing you see when exiting.

  I´m pleased with how this piece turned out. It wasn´t said that would happend, since I haven´t done painting in two decades.
  Not only am I happy now, but also encouraged to paint more sabbats!

IMBOLC FASHION: MINTY TUNIC

  This tunic came out of vanity, I admit. I saw the gorgeous mint green fabric in the store and just had to buy it. No excuses.
  It is inspired by the rare glimpse of naturally occurring mint-colored ice in nature around Imbolc. So beautiful...

  And here´s what I did with it:

I shortened my new favorite dress pattern, so it barely covers my butt, to turn it into a tunic. So this is a prototype, but it worked well at first shot. Yes! I´ve developed a liking to striped pants and leggings lately. They kind of give a more casual taste to outfits, just like jeans do. I like to think of this outfit as ageless. Meaning I could imagine women of all ages to wear something like this with style and grace, celebrating theirselves. 20´s, 40´s and even 70´s (if posture is still relatively normal). Don´t you?

Here again, I accentuate the color of the garment with matching eyeshadow. Light mint green on the inner lid and dark grey on the outer. I even happened to have minty aromatherapy bow earrings to match. Now this might be too much of the same color, if I did this all the time. But playing like this every now and then is perfectly fine, not to mention fun!

  You see, I just had to buy the fabric!  =)

WHITE WONDERLAND

  Imbolc´s other face, beside the sunny light blue one, is the white world. On a cloudy day, when nature is covered with fresh white snow, the world looks washed out of all color. It´s black and white. That´s a magical sight (note that the pictures are not manipulated).

It´s amazing how even spruces look black and white, although I know they are really green...

At the end of our home street there´s a humongous hill, perfect for sledding!

I can still (barely) squeeze into a kids´ sled for a bit of fun!

This humble young birch looks like a feather.

Our apple tree dressed in winter.

  Once again, all this beauty is right here on my daily path, with no need to go far and beyond to experience it. Embracing the little things in life is beneficial to both me and the planet!

IMBOLC FASHION: LIGHT BLUE DRESS (PERFECTED)

  The curse of being a perfectionist is, that while generally pleased with how things lay in life, you constantly keep looking for ways to make everything even better.
  That´s what I did with this dress.

Originally I made this look last year. But now I´ve fallen in love with this dress pattern, and rank it way higher than the one I used last time, how could I resist? Luckily they still had the same exact fabric left at the store. =) The fabric is rather thick, so it doesn´t drape as well as most. But apparently in this particular shape it actually does the look right, resembling more of a cartoon caracter´s dress (like the one in a beautiful film Arrietty).

I simply love an hourglass figure on women, because it is the feature that separates us from men.(To be honest, I´m surprised mine recovered this well from two pregnancies with enormous stomach. I`m not one of those ladies who get a "cute little bump". Even my own mother felt bad for me, saying that a belly that big must hurt! But gladly it did not.) Sadly a show-off waistline has not been fashionable, in street wear at least, for over ten years. But who cares, I do what pleases my aesthetic eye! And that´s what  I encourage everyone to do. A great motto I learned long ago, that applies to so many things, is: "It´s not right, it´s not wrong. It´s different."

Can you guess where the colors of this look are drawn from? Yes, those beautiful sunny Imbolc days with baby blue sky and shimmering white snow covering the ground.

I like to match makeup with clothes. To this look I used baby blue eye shadow on the inner lid, and shimmering dark grey on the outer. Must be careful not to overdo with repeating the same color, and giving thought on the overall appearance staying sleek. Because the blue eye shadow is so dominant, I kept everything else nude. Beige blush and clear lipgloss.

   Music is an important factor for me when sewing and creating overall. While making this dress I listened happy Japanese anime music. I like all sorts of musical genres, variety is the key.

HEART OF IMBOLC

  After discovering the wheel-of-the-yeart over fifteen years ago, I have built a whole new lifestyle for myself based on the eight sabbats. The eight in turn are based on the ancient way of telling time, marking solstices and equinoxes, and the points in between marking the turn of the season (spring, summer, fall, winter).
  Nowadays I incorporate each sabbat into my calendar by celebrating them approximately six weeks in a row. This year it took until now to tune into Imbolc full speed.

  Imbolc, February 1st, is for me the actual beginning of the new year. It is the point in time between winter solstice and spring equinox, thus marking the beginning of spring. A funny thing is that once, after learning about the whee-of-the-year, I was talking with my grandpa and found out that he perceived time this exact same manner by solstices and equinoxes! Needless to say, he´d never googled about paganism... =)
  By now the days have grown lighter, and it is inevitable to feel the change and look forward. Nature has turned white and powdery by snow, and the sky is glowing again with pastel colors on sunny days. As if the year is in it´s baby state.

  This is the heart, the foundation, of my Imbolc spirit. An abundant source of inspiration. And the best part is that it´s all free of charge, right here, surrounding me in my daily life! No need to go far to experience something miraculous. The fairy tale is happening right here and now, and I´m part of it!

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!  =)

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!
 

IMBOLC FASHION: SNOWFLAKES

  When I pulled out my Imbolc garderobe last week, I noticed, for my own surprise, that it was one outfit short. A slight setback, since I thought I had covered it all last year. Oh well, now I got to let my imagination fly again, and here´s the result:

A loose-fitting, light blue stretch jersey dress. I see Imbolc mainly in light blue and grey, so this outfit nails the essence of it, snowflakes and all.

These snowflakes I made three years ago, when expecting our daughter. Back then I still had the time and peace to work on something as time consuming and detailed as these. They are just right for this freezing wintery weather, turning cold into beauty. The dress fabric is quite thick and up close actually looks a bit like quilt material. =)

For once the makeup is showing! I repeated the cool light blue in my eyeshadow, binding the whole look together. Besides the eyeshadow the makeup is very natural. Only nude tones are used on the face, light beige on the cheeks and clear glittery gloss on the lips.

  It was a lot of fun creating and making this outfit. Now I´m kinda glad I was one outfit short!  =)

EATING PLAN FOR IMBOLC

  Taking a leap towards macrobiotics again. After eating raw foods for months, my body craves cooked grain now. And since I´ve always been a fan of intuitive eating, I trust macrobiotic-like food being good for me now. Variety is always good.

A basic macrobiotic-style breakfast. Oatmeal sprinkled with green nori flakes, small green salad, and kukicha tea.

  Ten years ago I bought my first ever macrobiotic cookbook. It was informative, even too much so, but it left me confused and not knowing how to proceed. The recipes were not mouthwatering either, so I buried the book in the shelf for years.
  The second macrobiotic book I ever bought was "Mayumi´s Kitchen". So much easier to read and follow, but it was not hard core macrobiotic, and after all did not differ that much from ordinary vegan eating. But it was interesting and a good experience.
  Now I´m eagerly waiting for my copy of "Changing Seasons". Until it arrives, I glimpse at the online version of it.

Purple cabbage-celery-apple salad with yogurt-ginger-mint dressing.

  I´m taking a relaxed approach to macrobiotics by focusing on whole grains or whole meal, home made products like porridge and bread. Along with grain I´ll eat both raw and cooked vegetables. Some fruit and vegan sources of protein accompany the previous, but not even every day. What I will add to my daily menu is small portions of seaweed, miso, and fermented cucumbers. White sugar is eliminated, but more natural sweeteners such as dates and honey can be used in moderation. That about wraps it.

Wholemeal pasta with carrot-parsnip-rosemary sauce and fermented pickles.

  Since I´m a girl with a major sweet tooth, this will be an experience to me. On weekends I will indulge in chocolate or candy, but otherwise I try to reduce my sugar intake. How awesome would it be to live sugar-free Mon-Fri?!

Wholemeal spelt bread dough on the way.

The plan: is to eat whatever low-fat grain-vegetable dish I want at any time of day. I will test and learn from the suggested 7-day meal plans of "Changing Seasons" macrobiotic cookbook, but I will also use other sources of vegan recipes, altering them if needed to lower fat content and increase wholeness in grains.

Chocolate-zucchini cake sweetened with dates.

  Meal times follow those of my diabetic ten-year-old son´s healthy ones:
 8-9am breakfast
12pm lunch
4pm dinner
7pm supper

    Yum, healthy Imbolc!