2014-08-24

Six


It is that special time of the year again, when we all see elephants around here... 


... and that happy birthday-boy enjoys it full! But when did he get this big... see the previous years:

2013


2012


2011


He really is getting big - 6 already! And how about next years... There is someone else also getting big and ready for her turn:





Happy Sunday, everyone!

Yours,
Mia

2014-08-21

Inspiration board

I just updated my inspiration board a little, somehow felt that the most summery things should go, and look: autumn has arrived into my creative place too. 

You can *click* the images larger too see things a bit more close

There are more darker colors, and it seems that I am getting more and more exited by all sort of finer crafts, cross stitch and fair isle knitting. Too bad I am not mastering either, but for inspiration they work wonderfully. And before you ask, no, the handicraft sampler is not my doing but my moms. If you ask her it was a very long time ago but if I had to guess, I would date that to somewhere in the end of 50s. The other make-me-smile piece there is a hemp pouch done with my dear friend, very whimsical and quite me. And you know, colors always work for me.


The other thing I am always pinning to my board are the cards and notes from my dear friends. At the moment there are a few I really like, the thank you-card from Jane(more of that later) and one from Anne and then there is a fox-beauty from my dear friend M - and that one really got me going:


A fox-bag was born! A little, carry-just-your-essentials-one with a bright, adjustable trap. Definitely a bit autumn-ish yet still with a glimpse of sun and feel of summer there. A happy little bag!


And speaking of the inspiration I still once would love to get back to this happy blog hop, and gather here all the wonderful posts my dear nominees wrote. They really did a wonderful job, and if you are looking for some inspiration to your Thursday, please head to: Nova's, Vivienne's, Anne's and Teje's and you'll be smiling in no time. Thank you still once ladies!

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Yours,
Mia

P.S. I just started to wander in Instagram wonderland the other day, and I am there instagram.com/handmadebymia and even there is not that much to see yet, I am sure many things will appear there soon. Are you there?  If so, please let me know and we can meet there too!

2014-08-17

Tea is served

Hello friends!

Time flies, and we have passed mid-August already! We still have sunny days and quite warm weather, but if you take a deep breath you can smell autumn. Not my favorite subject, so less of that now, and more about the last weekend's giveaway! Thank you all who participated, there we 20 of you, and I used a random generator to pick up the winner between 1-20, and: 


11! Congratulations Michelle T, who wrote: 

Could there be any more sweetness here?!?! I am not familiar with Moomin but have to say they are adorable!! Thanks for the chance, I would love this!! 

I am e-mailing you in a minute, and Moomins tea-set will be coming your way soon! 

Thank you all still once, and happy new week soon!

Yours,
Mia

2014-08-10

Teatime

"Oh dear", said Mamma, and sighed deeply. "What a lovely party! We for sure had great time, and now the house is finally quiet.
 It is definitely time for a good cup of tea."


"Everyone enjoyed the cake, and somehow there was just a one lovely piece left..."


"... to go with my cuppa. Yummm... But oh dear, this table is getting a bit small! But fortunately..."


"...Pappa insisted we get a pair of these. Perfect!"

***

Happy Sunday everyone! I wish you could join me and Mamma for a cup of tea&cake, but I think that is somewhat out of question (cake is already gone *ahem*), so we decided to put together a little teatime-themed parcel for you. So if you would like to have a Mamma's happy tea-set including


A pack of (20bags) happy tea called "Best moment of the day" (including lovely flavors called "sweetheart", "I should have known", "Go for it" and "MoominMamma's magic portion"), two sweet chocolate bars and a handmade coaster to go under your cup


just leave a comment on this post, please, and you're in! I will random-pick the winner next Sunday (17.8.2014) and will ship the set anywhere you live. Please leave your name or some way to recognize you should you be a winner! Best luck everyone!

Yours,
Mia

2014-08-09

100

One sunny Saturday Little My was set in charge of flowers...


and Hemulen, a highly appreciated botanist, was a bit hesitant about her choice!


In the meanwhile Pappa studied a very imporstant subject very carefully as he was preparing a special speech


while Moomin and Mamma decorated the cake she had baked earlier


and Sniff was choosing his best bling bling to wear in 


a special party!


Celebrating the life and art of Tove Jansson (9.8.1914 - 27.6.2001).

***

Moomin-scenes (hand)made by Mia
A happy Moomins giveaway coming tomorrow
Lovely Saturday, everyone!

Yours,
Mia

2014-08-04

Blog hop

Happy Monday everyone! This is a somewhat special day, as it is my turn to take part in the happy blog hop that goes around blogland. I was invited by wonderful Helen Phillips, thank you so much! You can read her happy hop-post here, and I strongly suggest that you go and visit her in her blog, you'll love what you see, I promise.


Blog hop is all about introducing you to lovely blogs maybe new to you, but also letting you know a bit more of each blogger taking part in. There are four questions that each participating blogger will answer, and here go mine:

1.What am I working on?

I am a fiber-artist by heart, and even it has been really hot and humid here for the last weeks, I have been playing with my wool still. I have been creating a few custom-bird bags and pouches, and to balance those I also have been knitting and felting my beloved stripes - new bags for autumn. I am happy to make custom work every now and then, but my love and passion is creating something with my own imagination only, just playing with colors and seeing where I end up that time.


Birds are really something I love to use in my work, and sometimes it seems that more the better!


2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Oh, this is a difficult one. I am not absolutely sure what my genre is -  knitting and felting is a huge field. But then again I have said to have my own style, my work is quite recognizable they say. That is fantastic, I really do not want (and try very hard not to) copy anyone's ideas. I use lot's of color, my animals (my work has a lot of animals!) are somewhat whimsical and naive (in a good way, I have always been a fan of naive art), and it might not be for everyone, but most people can't help smiling when they see my big-eyed creations - a mission accomplished.


3. Why do I write/create what I do?

An easy answer would be that I do this for living, and I create to get bread on the table, but it really is not that simple. I am sure I would create even no one would be buying. I used to create even I had very demanding day job, I just used to knit during nights. Now that I am older *ahem* I appreciate a good nigh sleep but my projects are far more structured, and I get more done in less time. But creating is something I love, and most likely will still do when I am gray and older. What, how and where is still unsure as my creative ways keep changing, or as I prefer: evolving.


4. How does my writing/creative process work?

With custom orders I work with the clients wishes. That can be very meticulous sometimes, especially with those real-bird items I have made for my Japanese customers. Those can be made with photographs for a specific bird even, and although I am very happy and proud of that part of my work, I love creating my own, unique pieces.


For me the creative process usually starts with color.  I may see a glimpse of sunshine, or blue skies with many shades, a flower... It might be a photo in a magazine, a piece of fabric or simply two skeins of wool next to each other. I love colors, and I also put together not so traditional combinations, and every time it is as exciting to open a washing machine to see how a knitted piece has turned out after felting. 


Once a piece has been felted and dry (it can take up to 24hours) I start decorating it with needle felting. That I usually do not plan too much ahead, I might know when I start that this piece will have flowers on it or a cat with birdies, but colors and all other details are decided while working.  I write down some notes, but more things like knitting instructions and ideas than exact designs.


Once the design is ready, I finish my bags and pouches with pretty (and always matchingly colored) linings and buttons. I search thriftshops and fleamarkets for beautiful, colorful and unusual fabrics, and hand sew them to my felted creations. All are also marked with my HandmadebyMia-tag to make the pieces truly mine.


When my creations are sold from my webshop, I pack them and send them off to their happy new owners all over the world. I try to include a handmade note to all my parcels - handmade is what my creations are all about!


And then I had the pleasure of choosing a few (three it said but I found four) blogs to you to go and see! They will be posting their blog hop-posts in one week, on Monday August 11th, but oh my there is so much to see in their blogs right now, so hop hop to visit:

Teje - she is one wonderful Finnish lady living in Greece (so you'll see a glimpse of that beautiful place in her blog too) who masters quilting, crocheting, jewelry making and has some gorgeous pets too. She has been ever-so-busy lately, so it is fantastic to get her along

Anne - she is my dear first friend found via Etsy years ago, and among many things we both like and share we both are very proud aunts. Anne creates and sells Japanese and vintage-inspired pins and jewelry, and gets inspiration from beautiful nature around her too. She has had a lot on her plate lately, so I appreciated her hopping along with me

Nova - a lovely Finnish lady whose creations you just must see! I say I use color but wow! does Nova take that on another level! In her blog you also see corners of her wonderful, colorful home and DIY's and crafts with her beautiful children - and the latest addition to all this is a monstrously cute bunny called Sulo

Vivienne - a fantastic, famous rabbit-lady, whose blog shows her wonderful hand crocheted bunnies, beautiful Northern Ireland nature and her beloved garden with many cats - and she captures beauty around her in a way it really comes across through my laptop screen 



This was all (quite a lot, I just noticed) I had to say for now, happy blog hopping! Sunshine to you all from Finland, and happy August! 

Yours, 
Mia

**'Edit. Sometimes life happens, as we all know, and the blog hop-post might hop into air a bit earlier or later than first planned, but they are all coming with lovely things to see and read. So happy hopping everyone, and lovely August**

2014-08-01

Old piles make my heart sing

The days around here have been wonderfully sunny and almost too hot. But I just got my beloved bicycle back home, it was been serviced (flat tyre, squeaky noise, loose brakes to mention a few things now taken care of), and oh boy have I been pedalling since! No matter how hot, I've been biking all over the town. And I also have been visiting a few thrifstores and fleamarkets around here. And what have I been rummaging there?


Well piles of old fabrics, naturally! And some gems I have found! One man's trash is another mans treasure* or how do they say? And these old bedsheets and pillowcases have been turned into bags...


and pouches...


And then some more bags...


 ...and the scraps for more pouches...


...You see? The little green re-cycler in me is bursting with happiness, the big Moomin-lover-me is smiling wide, and my email box is full off happy messages from all over the world from those lovely people who now have their own Moomin-thing. Or two. Or more. More the merrier**! And talking about happy emails, I just got one while writing this post, with links to some pretty Moomin-tablewear, and message was "saw these - thought of you"! Thanks B, you made my day!

Wishing you a happy August 1st!

Yours,
Mia

*&**My apologizes for using all these slogans and catchphrases, it seems that the heatwave here has melted all my usually highly original words. They'll be back eventually, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Oops, I did it again.

This time of the year...

Usually around this time, when children go back to school, and you can just about to smell the autumn, I start to dig deeper in my fabric...