LAST MINUTE PRESENTS

  Last winter my son lost all but two pairs of his winter gloves. The same seems to continue this year, and I´m pretty upset about it truth be told. In the fall, when it begun to get cold, I bought him a pair of good quality gloves. He wore them twice, and on the third day he came home without them. He´d lost them already (I do not want to think anyone at school had stolen them...).

  This Christmas I´m happy to give him this gift, self made my mommy:
 

Four pairs of dark blue fleece mittens.

The fleece I use is thick, warm, and keeps the wind and snow out. As opposed to knitted mittens, fleece beats them clearly in wearability. And that´s what counts most in kids´ clothes.

In addition to being extremely great to wear, they´re also ridiculously easy to make. Simply draw the outline of your kid´s hand on paper, add 1/2 inch seam allowance (except to the tip of middle finger), and cut out of fleece. Then sew , right sides together, with a regular straight stitch as close to the edge as you can. Turn right side out and you´re done!

  In the fall and spring, when it´s still muddy and dirty, but chilly already, I like to place these fleece mittens inside the rubbery rain gloves to keep the little hands warm. After coming back inside it is so neat to pull the two gloves apart and they´ll dry easily and won´t stink at all!

PARKOUR OUTFIT FOR A BOY

  My son was very specific with his Christmas present wish: a black sweatshirt with white text saying "parkour" on the chest. He´s done some parkouring since the fall, and is all into the sport with his friends.
 Here´s what I made him:

Dark grey, not black, because it suits his very fair hair and pale face better, and because it shows dirt less. =) But he gets pants to go with the shirt. The designs are loose and will give him well room to do all sorts of leaps and jumps. 

I found these masking letters in the craft store, and tried this technique for the first time. Me like! And not far from the original request.

I used black accents here and there to give contrast, and to get closer to his wish.

    Happy and energetic X-mas my love!

YULE OUTFIT FOR A LITTLE GIRL

  This is somewhat an X-mas present, but I gave it to my two-year-old daughter already...

...for obvious reason. This color combo is to be worn prior to and on X-mas, not after. The dress is made of soft cotton velour for warmth and comfort. The leggings are cotton jersey.

The edges are trimmed with a slightly darker jersey to give a bit of contrast. I was soooo tempted to use the polka-dot fabric here, but that would have made the whole dress unsuitable to wear after Yule. It is simply utterly too lame to dress like an elf after Christmas!  =)

 

I HATE KALE- GREEN CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE

  My ten-year-old son hates vegetables. Cucumber and potatoes are the only things he´ll eat without a suffering face. But behold, Vitamix to the rescue! I have found a sneaky way to incorporate raw leafy greens into his diet, without him refusing one bit. In fact, he now asks for kale almost daily!

Chocolate smoothie, what a perfect way to start the day (and hide greens)!

A high-speed blender makes an unbelievably creamy and smooth texture. This stuff is very different from the produce of an "ordinary" blender, that leaves the smoothie more or less chunky.

The recipe (serves 1):

1-2 handfuls of kale (or other leafy greens)
1 banana
5 medjool dates
1-2 Tbsp cacao nibs
vanilla
3 tsp cacao powder
1/2 avocado
1-2 cups soymilk (for him, for myself I use water)

+ Blend everything until creamy and smooth.

This is satisfying and filling, and keeps us all going until lunch time.

FUNERAL DRESSES

  We attended a funeral recently. Funerals are never fun, but it is fun to plan what to wear to the occasion. Overall I try to keep a positive mind on funerals, thinking it is the last party thrown to the person, and we´re there to celebrate having known her/him and all the good things shared together.

  In the past four years we have been to four funerals, and I thought it was time to make myself a new outfit. My daughter doesn´t have such dark clothes in her everyday wardrobe, so I knew I´d have to make her something in any case. So why not make matching dresses? She is still so small, that it counts as cute. =)

  Here´s the one I made for her:

Instead of all black, which is too harsh and sad for a little girl like her, I chose a more subtle print in grey and black. The fabric is nicely soft, stretchy, and warm for the weather. Even party wear needs to be comfortable to wear, so one can concentrate on partying, not worrying about clothes.

The pattern is a casual one, not complicated. For example, I also made the Bad Piggies dress with it. Raglan sleeves are always comfy.

To avoid dullness I added pompoms to the hemline. And by a great coincidence I found the same kind, but in larger scale, to my own dress.

Like mother like daughter. We both surfed through the ceremony with comfort, ease, and style! And rose a few smiles on the guests´ faces on the way. =) In addition to that, I eased my own sorrow by wearing aromatherapy earrings with bergamot essential oil on them.

I gotta to use this opportunity to share an idea I came up with for the flower bouquet. I wanted to make one myself to show respect for the deceased. Usually the arrangements are directly from the florist´s, are quite pricey, and don´t last long  (especially now that it´s so cold outside). So my innovative own idea was to make a wreath-based arrangement with a center piece in the middle. Here I chose a spruce twig garland and placed a lantern in the center hole. To top it off I added red roses to circle around the lantern. The whole deal is placed on a plywood round to keep it all together. People liked it, and said they especially enjoyed the calming flicker of the candle flame. This is something I will definitely redo in occasions to come, always altering the design according to who´s being celebrated.

THURSDAY OUTFIT FOR A LITTLE GIRL

 Each day of the week has a mood of it´s own in the plan I have designed for my girl´s garderobe. "Nostalgic" is the feeling I´m aiming for with this Thursday outfit for my 2 1/2 year-old. You know, like in the 40´s and 50´s when cardigans and skirts were the basic apparel for girls and young women.

  Although I´m not all for pink, I´m not all against it either. Perhaps every little girl can wear some pink every now and then, but not in a too mushy kind of way.  =) This one is bright and fun.

A classic cardigan and a skirt. The cardigan is streamlined, and is in fact just a shirt with a row of buttons sewn on top. The skirt is made of stretchy cotton jersey and is sewn together with the tights, so that they share a waistband. That way the skirt won´t twist and turn on her, but stays in place no matter how wild she gets!

Buttons repeat the dark brown of the leggings...

...as does the neckhole edge. The brown binds the outfit together giving it a finished feel.

    No ribbons, bows, ruffles, or anything romantic or too cute, and a girl can surf with style in pink!

UNISEX OUTFIT FOR KIDS

  Most of the clothes I have made for my girl lately have been quite girly. So now for a change I wanted to dress her in unisex, all around cool and classically stylish, clothes. But as always, comfort and coziness first.

A pair of soft & stretchy corduroy pants coupled with off-white and light grey jersey shirts. A true staple in anyone´s wardrobe.

This fabric was found in my old stash.

The sleeves bear a small detail so it´s not all that boring. =) But in a unisex outfit you have to be careful with details anyway, so that it still suits boys too.

Pants are made of a leftover piece from these leggings.

A wide zig zag works lots better than a twin-needle in my sewing machine, giving a more stretchy result.

This fabric is another leftover piece, but from my mom. Now I realize that this whole outfit is made of recycled material, so I can proudly call it a piece of "ragshion" (a term I discovered in all my cleverness =) some time ago). The sleeves are slightly cropped.

I turned the sleeve pieces inside out, so the reverse side of fabric is shown on the outside. The color is the same, but texture is super-soft and somewhat fuzzy. It creates a subtle change in the otherwise plain look.

  Lately I have sewn so much for my kids, that I´m running late on my own Mabon Collection. Better hurry up before the wheel turns again...!

BIRTHDAY T-SHIRTS TO MY SON

  My awesome, brave, smart, cute, and dear firstborn turned ten last week. Kids these days have everything imaginable, so it is difficult to come up with an idea for a gift. He wished for money, and that´s what he got from everyone invited to his birthday party. Thanks folks! He´s saving for a super-unicycle he´s planning on buying in the future (he learned to ride one this summer all on his own!).

  But I wanted to give him something  more personal. Something that shows how much I love him. Something he knows I´ve put time and effort in. Self-made clothes of course. He´s big enough to appreciate it.
  My ten-year-old boy prefers jeans over any other pants, so I decided to make him a couple of shirts to go with them. The kind you can´t find in stores. Like this:
  

Two different looks, one pattern.

Unfortunately only subtle (and boring  =) colors are accepted in bigger boys´ and men´s clothing, so I went for this grey striped knit. But there is a trick to it, the wrinkles. The more the better. So no pressure to fold this baby neatly into the wardrobe!

I have found that using the good old zigzag, instead of a twin-needle, is more durable with super-stretchy fabrics.

Somewhat plaid camel-brown shirt is a nice alternative to grey. This fabric drew my attention right away in the fabric store, it has such an interesting structure. Yet the material is adorably soft to touch. 

For a while I hesitated buying it for my son... would it be too feminine after all? But when I added these wide sleeve edges, made of  reverse side of the fabric, and trimmed the neck edge with it, the whole turned into a boys´ garment right away. No question about it.

  Happy birthday my love!

SUNDAY OUTFIT FOR A GIRL: A BIT BETTER

  Although we are not a religious family, it is a nice idea to wear something a bit better on Sundays. Therefore I made this outfit for my girl:

Brown is the key color in my Mabon palette, and it applies to kids´ clothes too, but in a lighter shade. I made the leggings in dark blue to give the outfit variety, although I was tempted to use dark brown at first. But this way the whole is a little brighter and makes the dress pop out even more.

I had these crochet flowers in my stash from an earlier project, and they suit this dress perfectly.

The original pattern had the sleeves in short (see here and here), but now the weather is cool already, so I lengthened them. Simply eyeballing did the trick, no measuring needed. =) I left them about 4/5 in length to keep them from getting dirty so easily. Very handy.

The leggings are made of soft and stretchy corduroy-like jersey. They keep my girl warm and cozy.

  Naturally this outfit can, and will, be worn on any day of the week, not only on Sundays. But Sundays were the inspiration, as I like to create variety in her wardrobe too. There is always a thought/idea behind each outfit. Mindfulness is the trend these days. =)

CHERRY BERRY DRESS FOR A GIRL

  Red cherries on white is such a delicious classic, that I could not resist buying this fabric when I saw it. Yes, I admit, purely by impuls (shame on me). But it makes such a cute dress for my girl.

Now this makes me crave for a cherry pie!

A real treat. The material is cotton jersey, so the dress is super comfy to wear. The back is identical to the front. The cherries themselves were detail enough for the dress, so I did not want to overwhelm the whole with further decorating. I like a certain sleekness in clothes, leaving room and attention to the person wearing them.

Raglan sleeves.

A ruffle in the hem adds volume and girlishness.

   My daughter got a cherry tree as a gift when she was born. The tree is still very young of course (but alive, which can not be taken for granted under my care... =), but there was not a single berry in it this year. Last year there were like five, but none this summer. I wonder why. So luckily, thanks to this dress, we´re able to enjoy cherries in at least some form!

PATCHWORK DRESS FOR A GIRL

  Once again I´m so happy my second child is a girl! Without her I would not be able to make these adorable little dresses! =) Boys´ clothes are plain old boring, there´s not much room to be playful. And it seems the older they get, the narrower the accepted wardrobe becomes. (Yawn.)

  But back to cute girls´ clothes! Here´s the latest of my creations to my two-year-old:

Floral mimic-patchwork dress in late summer/early fall colors. I still can´t do pink alone, but here it is a part of the whole, and looks more stylish combined with the deep red wine. The pattern is the same I used to make the light blue dress for her, and I still think it is perfectly shaped. This one is completely different style-wise, and once again proves that one great pattern can go a long way.

The only accent is the red "belt" around the waist. There is so much going on with the patches of plaid and flowers, that the rest needed to be more calm to remain stylish.

How could I resist this? I bought the fabric two months ago already, and my fingers have been itching to turn it into this dress. And now it´s finally here, right on time for Lammas.

No tricks in the back either, just a zipper.

  The very first day my daughter wore this dress, she got compliments on it and her cuteness. Isn´t it strange how even young girls are noticed for their looks, compared to boys, who can live a life free from scrutiny? Well, since it is so deeply within us/our culture, why not take advantage of it early on?!   =)

LUXURIOUS DAY

  Being alone is the best luxury for me these days. I´m a mother of two- and a nine-year-olds and happily married to the man of my life. They are the most important things to me. But right after them comes me, myself, and I. I love myself too. And I need time to myself too. Luckily my family lets me have it whenever possible. When mommy is happy, the whole family is happier too. It is not selfishness, it is a fact. Mommies need to take care of themselves too.

  Recently I was able to enjoy one of those important moments of solitude. Three full days in fact. Naturally I headed to our summer cabin to enjoy summer. On one of those days I decided to head to the nearby town, where I used to live as a child and a teenager, to refresh memories and check out the little boutiques there.

I started the warm summer day out by having a relaxed breakfast on the pier. 

I could start daydreaming watching these beautiful clouds on the horizon.

After a short ride, first on our boat and then by my car, I landed Rauma, a town I used to live in and have not visited for nearly three years. This view is from the old part of town, and in this particular picture the 19th century atmosphere is exceptionally well presented because there are no cars, traffic signs, people, or anything reminding of the present modern day.

A fun piece of art in the canal flowing through the town. I´m glad I have not encountered anything like that while swimming in the sea. I did get scared twice this day. First there was a bee crawling up my back inside my grey summer dress, but miraculously I was able to slip out of it without getting stung by the bee! And second, I almost stepped on a viper at boat harbor. There are snakes on our little island too, but so far every one I have seen was a non-venomous grass snake.

Next it was time to hit my ever favorite second hand store by the Red Cross. They operate solely on voluntary workers and sell stuff people have donated. The prices are ridiculously low. The store has been there forever, and I remember shopping here already in my teens. I must admit the stuff back then was older, nicer and more retro. I guess the selection just reveals that the lifespan of goods is much shorter now than in the nineties.

Would this look okay with jeans? Why not, it´s only 50 cents, and all I have to do back home is to take it in on the back a bit. Worth a try.

By now I was hungry. I heard that an old classmate of mine, whom I have not seen or been in contact with since 1989, had opened a cafeteria a few years back. So naturally I headed there to support her business by getting me a sinfully buttery and sugary pastry. After all that walking and shopping, I definitely needed these calories, right? =) I so rarely go out to eat, that this definitely was luxurious! And by chance I even saw a glimpse of that old classmate of mine! She had not changed too much since we were... um... eleven, twelve.  =) I have, but naturally only for the better!

Back at the summer house. It was so hot that I just had to jump into the sea right away to cool down. While in the water, this flock of wild geese flew by close to me. I could hear their wings swish and all. It was so cool, and I felt somewhat in tune with nature. Awesome.

After skinny-dipping in the sea I dried off in the late afternoon sun. I only dare to do this when the neighbors aren´t there. =)

In the evening I saw the most adoring sight: a pair of horned grebes feeding their young together (darn my snapshot camera, I could not get a closer picture). That made me miss my own kids...

  When my family came to join me in the cabin, I was fully charged and happy to meet and greet them again. What a difference it makes to occasionally just be left alone for a moment! That´s a big problem in our Western culture. Evening out the hectic times and the lonely times of life. When we are young, we are too busy to do anything. And when we are old, we have too much time and nothing to do. Peace of mind comes from balancing these two, or recognizing the deal and trying to balance it the best we can anyway. Easier said than done, I know.