Earthy tones

Sun shines this morning, and I have a million (you know how I exaggerate but many) things to complete today. The autumn is definitely here, and I am loving it! It seems to bring not only busier days and more custom work but also earthier tones to my work.

Tomorrow we're going shopping (I took a little peek into some shops yesterday), and there seems to be a lot of beautiful grays, blues and browns on clothing this autumn. I may be able to find something for me after all - and oh, my latest designs seem to be so this season. But of course.


Happy Tuesday!

Mr. F(ox) moved out

Someone very special to me turned two some time ago. You, my dear readers, who have followed my stories for some time already, know what is inside that pretty green package. For those more recent readers the card may give a hint. Alright, let's take a closer of look of that card, shall we?

I wanted to make a fox-card, and knowing me that would be a colorful and should we say a slightly whimsical too? I cut the parts from felt, used a bit glue to hold them in right places and sewed it together. It took a while to find the eye as I wanted it to be somewhat visible (and it sure is!) so I used an old, fabric covered button and black marker. Plus my beloved glue-gun.

I made a matching (you know I have a syndrome) gift tag too, and tied everything together with some pretty green ribbon. It was a success.

I love you, L!

Happy Monday, everyone!

I love 80s (and other significant facts of me)

I visited the wonderful Vivienne at Green Rabbit Designs yesterday, and she had just received a Versatile blogger award. Congratulations! She was asked to pick 15 great blogs and give them the award. She didn't (as I couldn't possibly either) pick specific fifteen but gave the award for all the blogs on her blogroll. And there's mine too! Thank you dear!

I haven't had an award earlier so I needed to check the rules still once. So here we go...

• Say thank you for the person who gave you the award!
  
• Tell 7 things of yourself!
• Award 15 wonderful bloggers who you love to read!

I want to follow on Viv's footsteps here and award everyone on my "I love to visit"-list, you all deserve it! And here I leave you enjoy your weekend with my 7things, happy Friday, everyone!

1. My (current) favorite authors are John Irving and Michael Connelly (and many others)
   
2. Pink is absolutely my favorite color, but I mostly wear blue, gray and white
   
3. I hated sewing and sewing machines still three years ago
4. I am a blond (thanks to my lovely hairdresser)
   
5. I love everything 80s, the books, TV-series (Jackie Collins, Dynasty, Murder She Wrote...)
   
6. I am quite tall, almost 1,77
   
7. I cannot drink coffee with sugar (just some milk, thank you)
   

Yours,
Mia

Planning, sorting and keeping

I think you already know, how I (love to) keep all sort of things I may never use (just in case)? It does not mean, though, that I wouldn't have plans for those things, but I have. I just cannot find the time to put them into practice. I have so many fabrics, buttons, trims, yarns and other cute, beautiful and fun stuff I would love to use at some point.

Sometimes I use things from my stash, and it makes me very happy. There and then keep wondering that maybe I have kept (some of) it for a reason. Like this little coin purse I made for a very special 8-year-old for her birthday. I have many of these Maisy-paths (cut from old and used fabric baby-books) and I have dreamed of making these pouches for a long time. It didn't take that much time (really, it was quick) and it turned out cute too.

We're starting a major renovation in our little house in a few weeks. Whole upstairs gets re-done, I mean everything. That also means my stuff being sorted out, packed and stored somewhere for that time. I'll be able to work in downstairs (and I'll get a brand new working space upstairs) but I need to let a lot of stuff go. Seriously. But maybe I just keep my Maisy-patches still?

They're too darn cute.

Yours,
Mia

Introducing the Piglet

The other day I talked about colors and showed my latest knitting, the striped pink&violet bag. Many of you, my dear readers, were convinced that it was the spitting image of him. And oh-oh, so it was - and the Piglet-bag was born!

I knitted the bag ready and felted it in a washing machine. I was busy whole weekend and just had a look of the bag every now and then when I hurried by it. I saw it as a Piglet-bag, yes, but I wasn't convinced that it would need a pig on it, too. I thought it might just be too much - and ended up making it a Piglet featuring birdies-bag. No surprises there then.

I found this matching colored reused cotton from my stash (dear sis, you recognize this? I think you bought this circa 1989 or so? It still is so very pretty and perfect to this bag!) so the Piglet is lined with pinks and violets (and it closes with a violet button) too.

I am so happy with it now - somewhat pigletty still but not too much so. What do you think?

Happy Wednesday!

Come rain (no shine)

Raindrops are falling and falling... and falling. It's been raining almost constantly for last three days. Somehow I am not as annoyed as I normally would be (it must be the hot, sunny and dry summer?) - I actually am quite enjoying it. Weather has also cooled down and yes, it would be wonderful to open a closet and take out a bright new autumn wardrobe. Which I do not have, I am afraid.

I am a very bad shopper for clothes. For myself that is. When I go shopping, I always find something for my sis and nephew and almost everyone else in whole family except myself. I keep trying things on: "nah" "aaalriiight" "too tight" "just hideous" and so on - and I'll end up buying absolutely nothing.

My other vice is seeing something I like, trying it on, liking it (sometimes even a lot) but leaving it for now (I may find something even better?). You can guess the rest? I'll be back in a day-an hour-ten minutes just to find it sold or at least my size has gone. My sister claims if I do this one more time she'll never shop with me again. She swears she means it.

So I have been browsing through catalogues and web sites of my favorite branches so I would have an idea what to expect/look for/find in shops when I hit them later. I have given myself two weeks, and I seriously am going to do this, I promise. And I promise to buy something, too, and promise to show them to you here. Because working from home doesn't mean baggy sweats and t-shirts from 1998 only, right?

I am going to knit some beautiful autumn/winter accessories with this most beautiful and soft mohair yarn my sis brought me from Rome some...two-and-half-years-ago. I know, it's an unbearable long time not to use them, so can you blame me for typing this with a teeny print?

Yours dearly,
Mia

Finally finished

This bag took me ages and a week to finish. Making it wasn't the problem, I loved the frosty pink wool, and I think I knit the bag in the beginning of July. Then I slowly attached one flower petal here and another leaf there weeks after that. I had the lining fabric ready, too, but it just somehow... Didn't come together quicker.

This bag was actually designed around this reused flowery cotton I found in local thrift shop in June. It is truly beautiful (it has sort of English cottage-feel, correct me please, my British friends, if it is anything but) and I knew how the bag should look but I still struggled a lot. I started embroidering the leaves, left it for week, made the lining but couldn't get it completed.

On Saturday evening, when I got one custom bag knit and felted (and then it needs to dry almost 24hours), I finally took the plunge and finished the bag. And made a matching string bag for it, too. Phew, it felt good. And I love it - both the bag and a feeling of closure.

Happy Monday!

Color me beautiful

I have talked about colors in many occasions earlier, but they just do not stop fascinating me. What colors make me happy, which I just can't stand and which ones go together. I keep getting back to basic stripes, they definitely make me happy. I also love the feedback I am getting from my customers, there seems to be other stripe-lovers out there, too.



As a knitter and a felter I use the colors my supplier have, and I have been more than happy with their choice. I admire people who dye their yarns and even more so if they use natural ingredients only though. Oh those shades! That said I have no time, skills or even enthusiasm enough for that. I happily shop beautiful hand dyed yarn (for myself or as gift) but that's it.



I keep experimenting with colors, and it always excites me when I put together two colors I am not sure at the beginning. That said I am absolutely not sure of this latest choice of mine - but we'll see, I have been surprised (in a good way, really) before. I'll show it to you when I'm done.



Oh dear.

Happy, colorful and sunny weekend to you!

No worries (yeah right)

The rush is still here - and I love it! It tells me, that my things are liked, and that it's all been worthwhile. I know, I know, summer months are slow, but I still start to worry. Every single time. I start telling my family and friends on March already: "June and July will be slow for me with sales and then I'll have some holidays and make some stock and the main think is that I will not worry!" How much do I fool myself?

This year was a bit different though. I was still working 8-16 on June and had many things in my mind on July. But I still worried. My dear sister is the one who always hears it most (my moaning) and she knows better than remind me about my earlier IWILLNOTWORRY-announcement. She kept assuring (like every year) how it's the holiday season and it'll get busier... She should get a medal just being my sis, really.

So now it's getting busier and better. I am worrying (yes, I worry a lot) how I'll find time for blogging now. If I just stopped worrying and used that time for something productive... But nah, that just wouldn't be me.

Worry-free Thursday!

P.S. Those tweets on that picture above are the same ones that I showed you yesterday. The gadget made its trick with shaping, and I made the rest, and they turned out cute. Phew...I was worried already that...

Busy busy busy

I have quite a few things to do - and some custom orders to fill so I´ll be very brief today. I wanted to show you the very professional gadget I have designed and built myself to shape out my damp knit& felt cellphone cozies.

I have way too many magazines around the house and hey: why can't they be a bit wet when re-cycled? So exhibit A that we actually reuse other things than fabric around the house, and these even twice: when other end is used, I just turn them around. Genius even if I say myself.

Creative Wednesday!

Fly, fly little bug

When I was a child, I liked ladybugs a lot. They definitely were more common around here then, also. In summers we saw them every day, and oh yes we also had them in big glass jars with some green leaves to munch. They were left outside for a night and were always gone by next morning.

As I am getting older the summers seem to be shorter and less sunny, and there seem to be less butterflies and bugs around, too. I definitely spend more time indoors now but still - where are all the cute little bugs? Jane has them around, lucky girl!

I have been making many different bugs (ladybugs and other little creatures) for my bags, pouches and key holders. All the bugs seem to be quite happy and they appear in all colors possible. My bugs are often also paired with birdies, and they're definitely best of friends, do not even think otherwise. I make them to make you smile - and I think it works?



Colorful Tuesday!

Friendship begins

I have a new best friend. A friend, who I will be carrying around every single minute of my day (and it lays almost next to me at nights), and I'll be for sure addicted up to my eyeballs within next two days or so. This new friend of mine only cares for soft touch and connects me within seconds to you all, too.

It really does not matter that much that I find it quite hard to use my new friend to its main purpose: calling. I really do not mind that when someone calls me, I have great troubles answering. (My sister had call me several times without me hitting the right spot to answer - she has the same best friend and she struggles with same problems, thank goodness).



I now have a friend which I have needed (read: wanted) for long a time, and all I need to do now is to get to know her (yes, she definitely is a one moody lady) better and we'll be together, forever. If I just managed to open the damn thing first.

Sunny Monday!

Gray skies

Who ever said gray is a dull color was wrong. I mean there are so many shades of gray and they're all different yet beautiful. I was so lucky to found all these gray wool-blend fabrics when thrifting yesterday and look how beautiful they are!

Alright, these pictures were taken black&white but I think that just strengthens my point: there's no need for color when there's gray. Besides gray can be paired with almost any color - and both just come more beautiful. Case closed.

I am admiring this mornings gray skies - very happy weekend to you all!

Autumnish

It's way cooler here today, and it's been like this a few days already. For this following weekend there might be some hotter air coming (+25c - +28c) but the hottest summer is definitely gone. It's a bit sad but not entirely. We had the summer of the century and it was almost too hot (can I say that?) at times. And now I am starting to feel autumn-ish, which is great.

Autumn-ish is sort of pre-autumn feeling. It has all the best sides of the autumn: sunny, bright days, pretty new clothes, knitting with earthy-tones and plans for socks, mittens and slippers. I have planned (and designed a bit, also) some felted mittens and slippers for this following winter. I tried mittens last autumn already but wasn't happy with the results. They were great for shoveling snow at home but put them on when doing some Christmas shopping? I don't think so.



I also made a pair of slippers too but wasn't too happy with those either. They definitely need more twist meaning more something different, maybe a strap, maybe... I want to write my own patterns rather than copy-with-a-slight-change from someone else (I know pattern-writing is hard work) so I'm back to drawing board (well knitting board in my case) again!

Happy autumnish!

For the love of...languages, what else?

I have spent most of this morning online. Yes, that's something I probably would have done anyway, but now I had a real purpose. I wanted to sign up for one of those rare interesting courses that there are available in this city - starting this autumn. The registering system is somewhat annoying: you need to be online on a certain time (and date) and try to sign up as fast as possible (as they only take 8-24 quickest depending on a course). Yes, it can only be done online - I still remember the good old days when we used to camp outside the registering office to enroll into jazz dance or aerobics, which both really sound like good old days to me today. It seems now, though, that both me and my sis are in, and all I have to do still is to pay the (hefty) bill they´ll send me (oh yes, these courses are not cheap and by no means free) and hunt down the pricey textbook and then I just may be in that class. But hey, what wouldn't I do to make sure that when I bump into him, I'll be able to introduce myself clean and clear? Yes, I knew you would agree.

***

While stalking the registering I have finished some new tweets too. Some are saying that quite literally this time too, and some just hang around with rather skinny looking bee. See yourself, please, I am now off to make some coffee to celebrate my incredible speediness this morning!

¡Que te vaya bien - hasta pronto!

Mismatchingly challenged

Let me explain. I loved the pouches and key fobs as they were but they just didn't match. Cute? Sure, but no match. What am I talking about? These key rings and these pouches. Still not seeing my challenge? Alright, let's see them today:

and



followed by these two

I know. It could be a syndrome or a condition of some sort, but I just couldn't leave these hanging there on their own - they needed a pair. There were some little key holders in need of a pouch and vice versa. And yes, you may choose them separately, no problem (as long as I know there is a pair). And oops... I may have done some more. A condition, definitely.

Help?

Thinking of you

I was thinking of you, when I cut, cut, cut and cut my new little HandmadebyMia-tags to be used on my new creations. You, my dear blog readers all over the world, who keep visiting me here. You, who leave most wonderful, funny, cheering and loving comments. And you, who just like me sometimes peek in, read a bit, enjoy some pictures and hopefully come again.

I was also thinking of you, who have visited my shop, and to whom I have send my little I-wish-to-make-you-smile -packages during these years. I counted and counted and what a discovery: my birdies, cats, dogs, Moomins, bugs, flowers and other HandmadebyMia-creations have traveled to all these countries (I did my best with the alphabetical order):

Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
Russia
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Taiwan
United Kingdom
USA

Quite a list?



It has taken some label-sewing to get all those packages on their way, to you in all those 26 (twenty and six) countries. I wish to sew some more in the future, and maybe add some new countries into my list. I also would love have a map on my wall, and put a pin to every country I have sent my packages to. And I just may have the pins ready too:



Thinking of you all this Monday!

Self pity on its best aka Saturday night fever

I am feeling somewhat sorry for myself. I am having the summer-flu of the century, and outside sun shines and it's almost +30c already. I have made a nest on sofa, drink hot tea and watch Murder She Wrote on DVD (well those episodes I love but cannot really follow the plot with all coughing, sneezing and nose-blowing). I am too tired even to knit and my eyes hurt. Wonderful.

This weekend's essentials (replace the coffee with some tea&honey every second cup)

I wish you all a great weekend and I'll be (hopefully) back with better stories and some pretty pictures on Monday. Oh, I am feeling a bit better already just thinking of Monday (that's a first!) - see you then!

Feverishly yours,
Mia

P.S. What brightened my day very much was my birdie-pouch being featured in Sharla's beautiful blog! Thank you so much!

Mr. F(ox)

The other day doorbell rang. I opened the door and peered out. There was nobody there. I almost closed the door when I heard a harrumph...

- Down here, please!
- But hello - are you Mr. Fox?
- I prefer Mr.F myself.
- Alright. I was just going to have my evening coffee at the garden - would you like to join me?
- Delighted to - but could I have some tea, please?

- Is it always this hot here in August? And it's an evening already?
Mr. F took off his precious linen vest but finished his tea, though.
- Well no, last time it was 1904 or so, I think. Would you prefer indoors?
- I should think so, I'm British after all. But I love this red china, lovely fox-birdies!

***

He took a careful look around and sat on sofa.
- Is this my new home then? I kind of like it here, especially that bag -very me.
He wanted to try it on and yes, it was very becoming on him.
- Well...You'll be here with us for a few weeks and then you'll move into your new home. You'll be a little boy's new best friend and his birthday surprise.
- That's right, now I remember! Beth actually told me that when she booked me the ticket.

- Hey, I think I know that girl!
Mr. F makes a bow of his tie, he's a little flirty.

- Hello Miss B, remember me from Beth's?

They chatted and chatted, and I made Mr. F bed on sofa, and went upstairs to do some sewing. After a while I sneaked back just to see Mr. F happily tucked it. I was leaving the room when he said sleepily:
- Can I keep the bag, though? and smirked, very foxily.

***

Story: Mia
The most beautiful fox: Beth from The Linen Cat
The prettiest bunny bag: Beth from The Linen Cat
The pretty red china: Iittala´s Taika in red
The foxy bag: HandmadebyMia

***

Thank you so much, Beth, he's so much loved already - I can't wait to give him to my nephew!
Kisses from us all!