Flowers on pale blue

No, I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth, thanks for asking. Nor have I been slumbering in the sun - as we have not seen much of it here yet. I've been just tremendously, but pleasantly busy. Besides the day job at Ihana Living I've been succumbed by several interesting projects. I'll let you know more about them in due time, all I can say is that I'm delighted.

I find it intriguing that often life seems to run in themes. I mean that the same idea or inspiration seems to plop up in various forms at the same time. Now it looks like the time for large and small flowers on pale blue, like in my wooden clogs in the first picture.



The same pattern in repeated in this whispy fabric - my first attempt at sewing a tunic. (Yay, me done it!) A pot of rose tea has been my inspiration in this, she has made dozens of beautiful tunics. I finally managed the courage to start one when I found a simple pattern book at the charity store.



And a Laura Ashley fabric waiting to be reborn as a cushion cover.

Patches

These sunny patches are a slightly desperate effort to keep in mind that it is June and real summer can't be far behind. It feels like summer has skipped our country! It's been cloudy and rainy the last few days.



This is a project I began quite a while ago, last fall I think. I copied the idea from Simple Sparrow's post last summer.

It's the beach towel quilt - basically a quilt made from towels. I used old towels in different patterns and colors to create this large square quilt. It was fun rummaging around charity stores for flowery prints! I think this would be great for family trips to the beach. It fits us all and it feel nices to the skin.



And it provides eye candy as well!

Fridge to oven to table

I think home baked bread is one of the ultimate comfort foods. I don't bake bread very often but whenever I do, it's so fulfilling. The warmth of bread fresh from the oven, the wonderful scent that lingers.

So when reading about "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg I was keen to know what the buzz was all about. What could possibly revolutinize home baking? You know me, I had to try this out.

The book's cover is beautiful but inside the book looks boring, which is a shame. Luscious pictures would have upgraded the feel of it easily. I wasn't put down by the appearance but was eager to try it out. I scaled the recipe down a bit so I could you use understandable metric measures. (I realize that I so need a pretty set of measuring cups in american cups, hints anyone?)

I keep my flour in an old pharmacist's tin and scoop it with my late grand-mother's measuring cup. Every time I take the cup in my hand I think of her and the dozens, hundreds of times she used it - the best way to preserve memories is to use them everyday!



Well it's not magic but it's a practical thing. Basically you make a large batch of dough, let it rise for a couple of hours and the refrigate it - and you can then take a small amount of the dough from the fridge and bake fresh bread every day with no kneading or other preparations.

It turned out good. A little boule, perfect for a meal for four.



Looks like a pretty good first time artisan bread to me. And oh how satisfying to watch the kids devour it. The dough keeps for up to two weeks, so we're baking bread again tomorrow. The book has an enticing recipe of brioche dough too, wouldn't it be lovely to have freshly baked brioches on weekend breakfasts?

New growth

There's a funny saying I adore: children grow like weeds. It's so true. And now, with the increasing sunlight we have a need for new summer-y clothes. I have a friend in Florida whom I've known for thirty years and whom I haven't met since 1980. It's amazing, how we keep in touch and how she always remembers the birthdays in our family, mother's days and christmases. Just recently she sent me a copy of Quilts and more (thanks Lori!). I think that my sweet Anna will be getting a twirly skirt as soon as I can decide what fabrics to use.



My chives are also growing strong. I like chives. It's a simple herb and looks elegant and pretty. Even our kids wander to our little herb patch to eat strands of chives exactly the same way I used to do in my grand mother's garden when I was small.



I've had the pleasure of working with a wonderful photographer, Marjo Koivumäki. She has - together with eco-artist, Raija Puukko - created a beautiful and inspiring gardening book Hyvän mielen puutarha. It shows dozens and dozens of thing recycled into gardening objects and planters the whole year through.

An upgrade

I turned thirty-five today. So I must be middle-aged? What a peaceful thought, seriously.

When I was younger, in my twenties, I was a bit worried about the fact of growing older (how silly of me to think that being 35 would be the end of anything). As I get older I feel more at ease with life. I'm healthy, I have a family of my own, I get to do things I find pleasure in. And I'm relieved that I'm at ease with being the age I am. I feel that life really gets better year by year.

I think that being thirty-five is brilliant.



And this is another thing that's brilliant. A birthday gift from my husband. Or to be more accurate, the birthday gift. Absolutely gorgeous even though I have just a hazy idea of all its properties. But this Canon EOS 40D has the look and feel of a real camera.

You know, I'm not that brand-oriented. But there seem to be two brands with catchy slogans that have hooked me from day one. First being "Nothing sews like a Bernina. Nothing." Having two Bernina's (and dreaming of a third one...) I almost say this out loud every time I hit the pedal. And since we now have three Canon cameras in our household: "With Canon you can". I quite agree. I must be a marketer's dream.

Soft feet, another blog

My knitting weekend produced (among other things!) these little slippers. They were quick to crochet with a size 9 hook (I used Sandnes Easy yarn). Today I just tossed the oversized pair into the laundry machine for a whirl. And they emerged all felted, soft and warm, a magical transformation.



Nina and I have started a joint effort blog. It's in Finnish and called Ihana koti! (Lovely home!). It focuses on home, life and all things beautiful. Feel free to visit us there, too! (Oh, we'll both keep our own blogs as well, the new blog is just something extra).

Only in Finnish: Main analyysi minusta

Onnistuin pääsemään mukaan analysoitavaksi! Näin kirjoittaa Mai minusta:

1. Vastaa nimelläsi ja minä kerron sinusta jotain.

* Outi. White Countryn ihana ja toimelias emäntä:)Ei ihme, että niin moni pitää sinun blogistasi, sillä sinun tapasi kirjoittaa asioista on niin lämminhenkistä ja inspiroivaa, että se väkisinkin tarttuu myös lukijaan. Itseäni koskettaa erityisesti äidillisen lämpöinen tyylisi kirjoittaa omista lapsistasi, Annasta ja Matista. Onnenlapset, kun on noin ihana äiti!*

Tuo oli kauniisti kirjoitettu, kiitos. Olen elämäniloinen ja avoin ihminen. Ja olen ehdottomasti toiminnan nainen, turha nitistä, työhön ja toimintaan vaan! Ja omat lapset, kallein aarre päällä maan. Elämä lasten kanssa on vivahteikasta ja ihanaa.

2. Kerron sinulle mikä bändi/elokuva muistuttaa minua sinusta.

* Bändi on vaikea ja tätä pohdin pitkään. Päädyin kuitenkin Eva Dahlgreniin, joka ei nyt varsinaisesti ole mikään bändi, mutta hyväksyttäneen kuitenkin. Sinussa ja Evan lauluissa on jotenkin samanlaista pehmeyttä ja raukeutta, mutta kuitenkin taustalta voi tunnistaa voimakkaan tahtonaisen.*

Tämä oli mielenkiintoinen vastaus. Mikä ettei. :-) En keksi mitään parempaakaan.

*Elokuva, josta minulle tulet mieleen on Heinähattu ja Vilttitossu ja erityisesti iki-ihastuttavat Alibullenin neidit, Helga ja Halise. Olen aivan varma, että naapurin lapset tulisivat oikein mielellään syömään sinun loihtiasi ihania vaaleanpunaisia leivoksia tai sokerikuorrutteisia muffinsseja karamelleillä koristeltuina. Uskoisin myös sinun pitävän Alibullenin neitien taikinaterapiasta ja sinulta löytyvän niin paljon huumorintajua, että saattaisit jopa upottaakin takapuolesi taikina-astiaan ihan terapia mielessä:)*

Voi, tämä on hyvä! Minusta Heinähattu ja Vilttitossu on aivan ihastuttavan kaunis elokuva. Olen kyllä samantyylinen kuin Alibullenin neidit. Meillä saa lapset toteuttaa itseään aika vapaasti ja tehdä kaikenlaista hullua ja hauskaa, en ole siis lainkaan tiukkapipoinen. Ja leivotaan yhdessä usein, silloinkin saa sotkea.

3. Keksin jotain yhteistä/samaa intressiä meistä.

*Me ollaan molemmat näprääjiä, eikös ollakin? Eikä voida elää ilman käsitöitä*

Kyllä vain. Käsillä tekeminen on hyvinvoinnille välttämätöntä.

4. Kerron mistä saattaisin kadehtia sinua.

* Minä kadehdin sinun pitkäjännitteisyyttä ja kärsivällisyyttäsi. Minä vain haaveilen tekeväni jonkun suuritöisen käsityön, sinä olet jo toteuttanut ne!*

Käyttäisin mieluummin adjektiivia itsepäinen. Monet tietävät, että eniten käyttämäni lausahdus on varmaan "no, ei se voi niin vaikeaa olla, etten sitä oppisi tekemään". Sinänsä ihan toimiva elämänohje, mutta välillä ärräpäitä lentelee sen ansiosta.

5. Kerron ensimmäisen muistoni sinusta.

*Oli helmikuu 2007. Postasit Mailegin Prinsessa ja herne-nukesta, jonka olit ostanut itselleni. Minä ajattelin, että onpa huippua! Ostan nimittäin itsekin itselleni leluja. Kyllä äiditkin tarvitsevat niitä*

Nukkekotiminiatyyrit ovat toinen leluni, vaikka nukkekoti virallisesti tyttäreni. Hän kyllä jalomielisesti antaa minun väkertää sinne vaikka mitä.

6. Kerron sinulle eläimen, josta tulet mieleeni.

*Valkoinen pitkäkarvainen angora-kissa. Ehdottomasti. Eikä tämä mielestäni edes selitystä kaipaa:)*

Juu. Ihaninta on makoilla sängyllä auringon lämmittämässä kohdassa. Ja jos joku jaksaa vähän silitellä ja rapsutella...

7. Kysyn sinulta jotain, mitä olen halunnut kysyä.

*Koska tuo musiikki oli niin vaikea miettiä, niin kysyisin sinulta, että mikä on mielimusiikkiasi?

Pidän ihanista naislaulajista, jotka laulavat positiivisesti ja tunnelmallisesti. Pitkään suosikkini on ollut Katie Melua.

8. Jos teen tämän sinusta, laitathan sen blogiisi.

Jatkan tätä hauskaa meemiä, kolme nopeinta kommentoijaa pääse analysoitavakseni!

Gone knitting

I have the priviledge of being a member of a knitting club. We meet every month and we really do knit and crochet. It's so nice and soothing to knit together and talk about life, the universe and everything.

This weekend is our once-a-year knitting weekend. No kids (we have sixteen children altogether), no husbands (we have one each).

So I'm off to the countryside, armed with plenty of yarn and this slender bouquet of carnations for our hostess. Hours of uninterrupted knitting and crocheting awaits for me! In addition to excellent company I will be pampered with good food, the occasional glass of wine and two splendid shops to visit (Adalmiinan helmi and Loviisan aitta).

Slow simple life

The pink striped book is Isoäidin puutarhavuosi (roughly translated as A year in grandma's garden), a charming gardening book that provides ideas, information ja inspiration the whole year through.

The pink pelargonium already in bloom reminds me of important things. It's a simple flower (Mårbacka, naturally). A bit plain, nothing extraordinary, but a beautiful, peaceful, living thing.

I try to live a slow simple life. It's my philosophy in life. Those three words capture the things I value and respect. To be actually present in my life, not a bystander. To be driven by things I truly find important. To do things I find pleasure in. To have the courage and strength to follow my heart. To work hard and to be humbled by little things. To feel valuable. To truly treasure each moment in life. I try to tear myself away from stress, rush and pressure, they're allowed in small amounts but not so much as to fill my life.

The saddest thing is that so many people are driven by money, and what is money? It's a piece of paper, or a string of bits. Money gives no true sense of belonging or of connecting with people.



Slowly my little yard is waking up and I've dug my hands in the wet, black soil. The rhubarb already peaks in all its red glory. And a faint scent of thyme. Little joys: my new garden gloves match the garden clogs from last year.

News and blooms

I am so very happy to break the blog silence and share my exciting news! I have a new job! I've joined Ihana Living.

I look forward to working with Nina. We both share a passion for homekeeping, adore certain shades of aqua, live amongst piles of books and drink a lot of coffee.

We both want to treasure Ihana Living and its customers. There are tons of ideas buzzing around and we'll get to them one by one.

So the future looks lovely, indeed!

Five, three and the family tree

Old black and white photographs are very different from our nowaday point-and-shoot colorful images. I find old photographs charming. They offer little peeks into life decades before.

These photos are even more important to me because these are photos of our true ancestors. The lady in the middle is from my husband's side of our family. It shows Anna Viktoria Loimaranta born in 1881. The stern looking soldier is Erik Nikanor Sillmann my maternal grandmother's grandfather.

With the birth of our first child, I felt that we became a real family. You know, we weren't the double income, no kids, happy-go-lucky adults anymore. We had become so much more. So when our Anna was just one month old I made a simple family tree. Some genealogy research had been made on both our sides so I had information to build on.



When Matti was born, he found his place on the family tree. The family tree sits on a little shelf overlooking the kids' room. This family tree makes me humble and grateful. We are family. We are part of something, we have roots. A history of mothers and fathers that goes back generation after generation. We were all once small and helpless. We all grow and learn. Life goes on.



Our little people.

Anna. She's five-going-on-six. I remember the magical, slightly bizarre feeling when she slipped out of my body. The turmoil and rush of emotions, overwhelming happiness and scary helplessness. Everything changed, the weight of the world on our shoulders. The immense, deep joy. She made us a mother and a father.

Matti. He's three. A boy. We didn't know anything about having boys. And there he was, our son. The feeling of not having enough hands to take care of two little ones. Being exhausted and utterly happy at the same time. He made our family complete.

Almost daily we snuggle the kids and tell them how much we will always love them and how amazing and wonderful were the moments when they were born. We're thankful.

Easter treats cleared

As Easter approached I played with the idea of making new egg decorations. Last year I painted wooden eggs. I've also used real egg shells and little styrofoam eggs. So of course I had to try something new. The knitted ones are made following a pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits and the fabric ones are from "Springtime crafts" book by Tilda-creator Tone Finnanger.



Another new idea and this is the result. I'm very happy with these. Papier-mache eggs, one Cath Kidston napkin and decoupage did the trick.



Yvestown and Cherry Menlove have blogged of a bit of a bunny cozy challenge on their blogs by providing a simple pattern to be used. Here's my pair! There's also a Flickr group if you want to take a peek.

(This post is a bit late due to persistent Blogger problems. Hopefully future postings will upload smoothly.)

Shaping up a bit

My postings haven't been as frequent as I would like, I'm sorry. (Thanks for all your concern!) I have had a terrible cough since christmas and it's been wearing me out week by week. My son has turned three, my daughter started and ended her swimming school, my blog counter has passed the 100 000 visitor mark (!) and some nice blogland awards have been handed to me (thank you!). And I've just been, well, not well. Light in the end of the tunnel, I do hope.

There hasn't been much energy left in me after work and basic household chores, but I have made some squares for my spring-inspired blanket. These squares are a pleasure to crochet. Smooth, soft yarn, so I usually manage one square per night. From my previous square-madness I've learned to finish and block each square pretty soon after it's complete. And then join the squares into rows as soons as possible. Because crocheting all the squares together and then weaving in all gazillion yarn ends is a never-ending task, so it's best to approch it step by step.

I have been sipping inspiration from reading my favorite blogs (new ones found, how lucky!). Just waiting for my poor body to catch up with my buzzing brain. I have several works-in-progress but the progress has been slow.

I also seem to have some problems with uploading images, so this post will be this short. (Sigh).

Yarns to yearn

After seeing Colinette's Point 5 yarn in a few blogs I was happy to find some at a my local nice yarn store Priima. I chose the colorway "Dark umber" and a pair of frightfully large needles - size 15. Voila, after approximately four hours of clumsy knitting the mysterious yarn turned into this magical scarf. Almost instant gratification indeed.



I was amused to notice that the colors match those on this beautiful Finnish cover of L.M. Montgomery's novel "Emily's Quest" (Runotyttö etsii tähteään). I have been reading it again after I rescued this bruised first edition (1949) from the charity store. The first page has a little inscription that reveals that some mother got it for Christmas 1949 from her children. How sweet.



Oh, how I enjoy Emily and Anne (of Green Gables) and Little Women and Jane Eyre and Emma, it's just like time travel to when I was a very young woman and first found these books.

Anyway, the Point 5 scarf was just a short detour from my original yarn plans, as I was at the yarn store to buy some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK. I seem to buy yarn on the basis of color, not yarn type, and after browsing the net for hazy, soft pastel colors I decided to try Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK. It is an absolutely soft yarn. I mean, really. Not the cheapest of yarns, but by now I've learned not to skimp on materials if intending to spend dozens of hours on a handmade project. So out went the cash and in came the cashmerino.



I'll combine these hues with off-white wool. It will make yet another blanket. The ripple blanket has become our household's favorite blanket, as it is always warm and soft. So we need another blanket. I'm thinking about simple, plain squares in four colors. Now where's my crochet hook...?

Mirror images

I rescued this little mirror from the charity store for a mere three euros. I think it's perfect. A dusty pink with a touch of old silver. It's like the first promise of spring and inspired me to take out some pale pink candles as well. Now I wait for the lingering smell of pink hyacinths. I'm not sure where this mirror will end up, most likely in our master bedroom. I imagine it would look sweet with a few strings of pearls loosely hanging over the edge. But for a while it rests in our living room, doubling up the candles and hyacinths not-yet-in-bloom.



My other old mirror is in our tiny bathroom. It's a charity store find as well, but not as cheap as the pink one. A friend of mine once told me not to buy this one, but I went back after a few days and luckily it was still there (remember this, Laura?). I love the imperfections on the surface that show it has been hung and used many a times. I haven't come up with anything else to pair it with, so the mirror is the only thing on the white wall.

And I'm in a magazine again. :-) Another Finnish women's weekly magazine, Anna, published this week an interesting story written by Mervi Alatalo about the phenomena crafting, housekeeping, decorating and blogging about it all. The story was a bit inspired by Jane Brocket's (of Yarnstorm) book The Gentle Art of Domesticity and the discussions that it sparked in the UK.

Nina who runs the lovely Ihana Living web shop and writes the inspiring Kirjakahvila - Book cafe blog was one of the interviewees and I was the other one.

I think we defended our passions and lifestyles pretty decently and proved that educated working women can love homemaking, crafting and pretty things without losing our IQ's.

And if the story has brought me new visitors, I wish you all welcome to my world!