(IN)HUMAN TRANSFORMATION

  Yesterday was the due date for my baby to be born. But she didn´t.
  What better date to capture my current figure on film than that?! I won´t be this big for long (hopefully), and unless photographed, later on I will never believe the size I achieved during pregnancy! It amazes me how much a woman´s body can stretch and change in just nine months...

This is my home-look. No make-up (if I don´t leave the house), but jewellery and other accessories are used to complete the relaxed look. Outfit colors match the house´s main colors. It is a skill to dress right for each occasion. And homing is an occasion, right?

  For comparison, here is a picture of me a year ago:

This is a genuine going-to-work-look. So not too much make-up, but otherwise a neat appearance. Thought through to the smallest detail, like the hairband. (Needless to say, I have made the dress myself.)

  Once the baby is born, it is time to start hunting that lost waist again... It won´t happen over night, but don´t they say that it takes those same nine months to transform oneself back to the original state? I have a long way to go: -20kg...
   I will post about my progress during the year. Thumbs up!

DIY CUSTOM-FIT MAKE-UP STATION & CABINET

 My earlier (and successful!) experience with woodwork encouraged me to try a bigger project. This time I made an important, quality-of-life improving, piece of furniture I have been struggling with for years now: a working make-up station! Yes, yes, men don´t understand the importance, but us gals, we use it daily to achieve the best results in life, right?  =)   (I do think a neatened and somewhat stylish appearance affects the way we are treated by the world. And that goes for both sexes.)

Whenever possible, I put on make-up in daylight. Therefore the station needs to be in front of/next to a window.

There is a door leading to the upstairs balcony right next to my make-up table, so I built storage space for slippers as well. Now they´re not in sight all the time, and it´s easier to vacuum the floors.

Not a pretty sight inside, but so important in use, that I want to show this too. Hidden from the eye are electric extension cords, trash bag, and tissue/toilet paper for cleaning make-up brushes.

The mirror is from a vintage make-up table I had before. It was pretty, but too small and not handy. I saved the mirror, and placed it over the ugly (but necessary) air conditioner we have in our bedroom. The lamps are located at an ideal 45 degree angle above my face, to shine light nicely when I do my beautifying in the mornings ( this face does need a lot of work  =).

In the corner there was a nice space to add a cabinet to. Can there ever be too much storage room?

Now I finally have a proper place for all my sewing magazines and patterns!

In the feminine corner of our bedroom I have allowed myself to have a tiny bit of pink. Otherwise I keep it to the minimum, because I always think that if I were a man living in our home, I wouldn´t want too much girlishness around...

  The combination of these cabinets is made of glued wood panels, and attached together with small angle irons. I screwed the cabinets to the wall behind also, to prevent falling (maybe I don´t trust my skills enough yet...).

  Since I´m no expert, and all custom-fit cabinets need to be made by specific measurements to fit the desired space, I can not give detailed instructions. But go see Ana White´s page to learn more about the making of wooden furniture.She has done wonders, and is inspirational!

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!