BABY BOOTIES

  What can be cuter than baby booties? There is just something about babies´ tiny little feet that make them so darn adorable. And knitting booties to keep those little toes warm is very satisfying, and quick!

  Here are the ones I´ve made for my baby-to-be:

Before making any more, I will wait and see which gender my baby is really going to be (it looked like a girl in the ultra scan, but there have been surprises before too!).

In the back is the outfit these booties were made to be worn with.

This is a classical look for newborn baby boys, but works perfectly for girls also, when combined with a matching outfit.

I´m in the making of a hat to this outfit, of the same yarn as the booties to complete the look.

These would also go well for both girls and boys. It´s all about the color choice.

Simple socks work equally well. I added a bow around the ankles to keep them in place, because babies are quick in kicking off any socks!

  Booties come in numerous different shapes and styles. You can choose your favorite according to your taste and skills. My skills in knitting are limited, and I don´t have much patience, so I chose these styles. It is the thought that counts!
  You can find instructions to many different styles here.

  I have made these booties and socks for years to friends who have had babies. They make a lovely "Welcome to the world" -card when attached to a piece of cardboard and sent by mail! Handcrafted items are luxurious these days, and are highly appreciated. So don´t be too hard on judging your skills!

LORD OF THE RINGS-INSPIRED RECYCLED T-SHIRT

  My husband threw away an old, worn out t-shirt of his about three weeks ago. Luckily I noticed this, and saved the rag for later. It sat next to my sewing machine up until two days ago. That´s when the inspiration hit me: the color was just right for an Ent -inspired t-shirt to my seven-year-old son! (The Lord Of The Rings has remained one of my absolute favorite movies through these years, and is visually brilliant.)

  First I had to turn the old shirt into a new one. Here is what was left of it after cutting out the pieces for a kid´s version:

This is what I love about recycling: so much less waste!

  Then I sat down with my kid, and we talked about what he would like (even boys can be picky sometimes, so I didn´t want to take chances...). And I came up with this very rough sketch :

  Seeing an old piece of clothing transforming into something completely new is still exciting to me! I am a self-taught stumbler, who has learned to sew somewhat, through making mistakes in the past. I enjoy creating and stretching my limits. This time I wanted to try something new: painting on fabric.
  So the tree in my rough sketch ended up looking like this:

The tree trunk is painted and the canopy is simply cut out figures of the leftover pieces of the shirt (which wasn´t much), sewed on.

The eyes are yo-yos made of a piece of old sheet, hand-sewn on, and painted. Slight shading in the eyeballs makes the eyes look even more 3D.

Usually I like to add a touch of the idea to the backside also. Why should a garment only be cool in the front? Here the canopy reaches through.

The appliques are simply sewn on, and I deliberately left a small edge hanging loose on the outlines, to make them pop out more.

  For some reason boys´ world of clothing is much more limited than girls´ (not to mention men´s!). Why do they have to always look as tough as they can, with minimal signs of fun...? 

  With this t-shirt I think my boy will have fun, while still keep his cool with his friends. Children should be able to enjoy their care-free world as long as possible! (And the same goes for us adults too!  =)

  The recipe :

  Follow the same instructions as for the recycled t-shirt for kids I made earlier.

   The paint I used here for the tree (from Schjerning ) is especially made for cotton fabrics. There are other brands (but this is the only one I have experience with), and come in a variety of colors, and are sold in craft stores for a good price.

  If you don´t have a basic pattern yet, a good place to shop online is McCall´s Patterns . 

  I must point out, that making a simple t-shirt is very easy! No skills required, the patterns have detailed instructions for making.

LEMONY GREEN SMOOTHIE

  Here is another superb green smoothie to kickstart a happy day! Very refreshing, yet filling.

Perky lemon and lively greens offer perfect energy for Oestara!

I used rowan leaves for this smoothie (I was lucky to find a big bag of them in the bottom of my freezer yesterday!).

The recipe :
(from The Green Smoothie Bible by Kristine Miles)

Lemon Tart:

2 frozen bananas
1/2 an avocado
zest of 2 lemons
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons raw honey
pale, mild greens

+  Blend and top with grated lemon zest.
(Again, I used whole almonds and water instead of fine almond milk, but still this turned out heavenly!)

  This smoothie is satisfying and filling, just the way I like my meals to be. I eat three times a day, and don´t snack, so I need to get enough calories to carry me through to the next meal with ease.

SWEET ROSES

  Friends are precious. True friends are hard to find, and it takes time to develop a relationship that lasts through thick and thin. Surprisingly many of my friendships are from the time when we all were very young, in our teens or at least before any of us fell into any social category by career choices. 
  I got these roses from a dear friend, of whom I see only a few times a year. She gave them to me as a pre birth-giving gift, because we will not be seeing again until summer. How sweet!

Getting flowers, especially roses, is a rare occasion in my life. I truly enjoy their beauty, and the love they represent!

Thank you!

   Although the roses won´t take the pain away from the actual labor itself, they sweeten my life now, prior to that horrible moment any day now...  =)
  Thanks to all my friends and family for being a part of my life! 

DIY CUSTOM-FIT CUPBOARD

  My latest adventure in crafting is woodwork. I often admire custom-made furniture, especially cupboards and cabinets, in magazine pictures showing off beautiful homes. Needless to say, I also love home decorating. Never could I afford to have a carpenter make custom-fit furniture for my home, no matter how beautiful and clever their work is. So I needed to try it myself of course!

  This is my first attempt ever; a cupboard to solve the storage problem in our tiny upstairs bathroom.

This restroom is mainly for nightly visits... The toilet is a "dry toilet", meaning it doesn´t recquire water to function. We wanted to minimize the risk of water leaks in our house, and chose this type of bowl instead. It has a fan, which keeps the odors away and runs with low power, and a plumbing pipe, which is connected to the normal piping. Works well, with no risks!

The spot behind a toilet bowl is usually a waste of space. Placing a cupboard is the only reasonable way to go, and it also mounts the toilet into the room nicely, not making it the center piece of the entire room. (I´d rather focus on something more appealing than a toilet bowl!  =)

In here will go my beauty products and morning drink: a cup of water with lemon juice (it won´t have dust land on the surface anymore!). There is still lots of extra space for future needs.

Spare trash bags, a proper place to hang a trashbag, and extra toilet paper. All in the right places, made just for them!

It´s all in the details. Lacing the edge of the top gives the whole bathroom a more romantic look.

Doorknobs are very important! They define the look you want to achieve. Here I wanted to create a rustic feeling, in respect of the original part of our house built in 1830.

   I can´t give specific instructions to make this model, because all spaces and needs are different. Just grab a paper and pencil, and start sketching away! Don´t worry about the details of making it all come true.  The idea and design are the most important things, and there are usually ways to get around challenges, should you face any in the making!

  Again, surf the net for woodworking instructions. An excellent place to start is Ana White ´s page! 

Have fun learning! I sure did, and am sure this won´t be my last project with wood!

PROJECT GREEN SMOOTHIE FOR OESTARA

  Oestara is approaching! Almost exactly two weeks from now we will enjoy equal amount of light and dark in a day, and from then on light dominates!
  Usually I start preparing for the upcoming sabbat about two weeks ahead. Depending on the weather and how the nature looks outside. I want to be in tune with my environment, not too much ahead.

  To keep up with the increasing energy levels this growing amount of light gives me, I decided to dedicate this Oestara to green smoothies. I have grown a liking to them already, but my goal now is to make it a part of my daily routine. Just as I did during Imbolc with fresh juices (I´m still continuing having them each day, along with the green salad).

  Conveniently I just received a book I ordered weeks ago, The Green Smoothie Bible, so I´m all set for my Oestara´s green smoothie-quest!
  I took a head start to Oestara this morning by making my first green smoothie for breakfast:

I prefer my smoothies thick like puddings. A suitable portion for me is about 4-5dl/nearly two cups. I need to feel full before I´m done eating!

Frozen blueberry leaves from last spring are the greens I used in this recipe.

The recipe:

Orange Poppyseed Cake (from The Green Smoothie Bible by Kristine Miles):
1 orange, peeled, segmented, and frozen
zest and flesh of 1 orange, peeled
2 tablespoons agave or honey
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 avocado
1 1/2 cups almond milk
pale, mild greens

+ Blend all ingredients except the poppy seeds. Add the seeds and stir through on low speed, or stir in manually. Serve garnished with poppy seeds and grated orange zest.
  (I didn´t have poppy seeds, so I just left them out of the recipe. I used whole almonds instead of almond milk, and didn´t add any water to reach a thicker consistency. I prefer mine more like a pudding, which I enjoy with a large mug of green tea. To garnish, I used cacao nibs instead of the poppy seeds I lacked.)
  This recipe is from the "dessert" section, and is heavenly! Unbelievable that it can still be healthy!

NEW HOME DECOR FOR IMBOLC

  For some reason I still got inspired to do some new home decoration for the end of Imbolc. There isn´t that much left, but I thought it would still be nice to add some new touches.
  It started with these kitchen hand towels I found accidentally at Bauhaus, when shopping for lumber. Only I thought that the towels are more suitable for decorative purposes rather than wiping my hands in.

The towels ended up adding an aged touch in my kitchen.

As a tablecloth...

... and as a pillow cover. 

I simply sew two towels together, stuffed in an old pillow...

... and tied the open end with hemp yarn, to make it look like a grain sack. Ordinary pillows are fine, but this look suits better in my kitchen.

Imbolc is the last of my candle-burning sabbats. Soon it will be so light that candles don´t show nicely. I´m enjoying this while it lasts!

As a final touch, I remodeled these flower arrangements above my kitchen island. There used to be one that sat on the table, but this style is easier to keep clean. A very important factor, that saves my energy and nerves.  =)  The containers holding these tulips are big ladles that were once used in an army kitchen.

  Even though I will be turning my gaze towards Oestara in a couple of weeks, it is very nice to get something new and refreshing to sweeten my kitchen for these last bits of Imbolc. It is never too late (or too vain  =) to make your life as beautiful and enjoyable as you can!