Cards on the table

I can't believe it's the last day of March already! I dearly welcome April with Easter lurking just around the corner: next weekend it is! I have been very busy lately (and loving it), and haven't been able to blog about as much I would have wanted. But on the other hand it's great to have ideas for posts waiting...That's a first.

I have talked about my to-do and wish-I-had-more-time lists many times, but one thing I have been dreaming to make a long time is cards. I know many ever-so-talented cardmakers, and those wonderful creations are not what I had in mind. I am pretty much useless with papers and scissors, but I wished to create something to match my felted things. I know many of my customers purchase my bags and pouches as gifts, and I though it would be lovely to have a little selection of HandmadebyMia-cards in my shop to go with a present. Or just to be send to your friend or just keep to yourself to make you smile (this is my option, I have a large cork-board just next to my working place were I have collected pretty cards, handmade and other to admire).



From the very first moment cutting my own cards&folding my own envelopes was not an option. I know I wouldn't have made more than two cards and would have ended tossing the rest: I just cannot cut straight (and I have a cutter too, with scissors I wouldn't even try)! I ordered a big pile of pretty cards&envelopes, and to make sure I can't go wrong, the cards were pre-creased too - just perfect for me! All I needed to add was the pretty things on top.



And ideas for pretty things... Those I do have! I took my beloved sketch book and started writing down my ideas. My plan was to use my needle felted designs, and I wanted to make them a little different from those cut-from-the-cardboard-and-stick-to-the-other-ones I have made earlier. I cut the birds, flowers, bees, mushrooms and other cute little things out of industrial felt and used my sewing machine to stitch them into a piece of a cardboard. Then I took out the double-sided tape (I LOVE double-sided tape, glue I cannot handle at all) and secured my creations into those purchase cards.



I think they turned out quite me...



... or what do you think?

These will hop into my shop when I have more ready. Now I am off to shorten my official to-do list, and wish you sunny and wonderful weekend!

Happy Saturday!

Yours,
Mia

Sunshine coastered

Even I feel I really am repeating myself, I cannot tell you how wonderful this lightness and brightness is. After approximately six months of completely darkness this feels like a miracle. And even you should get used to things after many years of practice, these winters seem to get harder and harder to me as years go by. España here I come?

But as Finn I have realized moaning about winter is a) a national sport b) getting me nowhere, so instead I'll celebrate this wonderful sunny weekend with some colorful new coasters! I made some Easter ones earlier, but these new pairs definitely have the spring feel to them, great to enjoy with your tea or coffee all year round.

There are some flower admiring and picking...



Some sunshine (and clouds)...

...and all have same mint-ish green happy goose families cotton (reused, naturally) on back. And these also have new strings: some cotton thread and little flowers. I like it!

They'll all be nesting here (not permanently I hope) soon.

Happy Sunday!

Yours,
Mia

Summer (solstice)

Today is the summer solstice, and it's simply fantastic, how much more light we have these days! It's gives me energy, makes the mornings so much easier, and also: picture-taking is so much more fun.

That said it's been a pain with blogger for a few days: it didn't let me to load any pictures here, and posting without pictures is a no-no. Oh yes, it was my fault in a way, I didn't realize that blogger stores all the images I load here into a web-album attached to my email. That's fine, but I use my web albums to store some other pictures too, and it was getting rather crowded there. Worry no more, though, I did some spring cleaning yesterday, moved pictures around and now I have some space left there again.

Remember these? Inspired by those I have been making some more designing and voilà: the new birdie-bags were born. Of course the wheel wasn't invented again, but I rather like these! I have made something similar years ago, and had even drawn the pattern - it took just a little modification and the lunch bag is here.

They're spacious, and my pretty (reused) fabric stash gets in good use. And what I really like, is that the fabric gets seen more than in usual bags. And who couldn't use the extra space and extra pockets?

Colors I choose seems to get brighter and sunnier too, just perfect for the summer solstice don't you think?

Happy Tuesday!

Yours,
Mia

Lovely, lovely blog

And that's mine! Thank you so much, Nova!

The award comes with request to tell seven random facts about yourself, but I think I have done that so many times already with other awards, that I'll just bend the rules here and take random shots of 7 of my favorite things in my house. That will do, right? And instead of handing this to 10best blogs I know I'll be an old bore and hand this award to all of you lovely blog-owners, who visit me here - enjoy and share in yours, please!

1. Glassware

Just a few things here, many in use at the moment. Oh yes, I do collect Finnish glass (Iittala mostly, Marimekko and some Ristomatti Ratia pieces too), but all are in use daily, nothing is bought just to keep in cupboard. I dream about the Oiva Toikka birds also...Maybe when I turn 50?

2. Books

Oh yes. I love books. There are piles everywhere, on shelves, tables, window seats, bags...There are hardcovers, paperbacks, new, used...They've all read, though, and many several times too.

3. Sewing machine

I do not enjoy machine sewing that much, but I do know a good machine. When you've used a bad and you get to try a great one - it just doesn't get better than that. Love at the first stitch.

4. Yard

I know it doesn't look that much of a beauty now with all that snow but come May and it's lovely. Behind those threes there's a river lurking too and somewhere under that white stuff are my roses *sigh*

5. DVD´s

My taste to TV-series is as impeccable as it's with the books: anything about 80s or with English policemen goes. And I need to have them at home so I can re-run the favorites. I also am a series-collector, see the three new Poirots still unopened, they'll be my weekend treat. I am also thinking of buying the Boardwalk Empire on DVD (it's too slow for me to have one episode per week) and Madmen 4 is also on its way. Bliss!

6. Wall hanging

I bought this wall hanging before we bought this house, and I was sure I'll find the house to match. I did. This was love at first sight too. It's a Finnish one, from Hanhisalon Kutomo Oy, not an unique piece, my sister might just have the same in her wall, good taste runs in a family they say.

7. Wool



Like books and DVD´s, wool is everywhere in our house. In shelves, yes, but in plastic boxes, bags, under and on the sofas, under and on the tables, chairs, in the washing machine and the washing lines... Everywhere. And with these amounts of wool, there's always some dust too. My nephew (3yrs) visited us the other day, and after he had started to play in our living room he quickly came to me and asked: "Auntie, what's wrong with the vacuum cleaner?" (we keep a mini-one in our living room). I helped him with a stuck button and he cleaned a long time, and came to me again: "I had to clean the bigger trash by hand" he said and gave me the look. Oopsy.

***

Have a happy Thursday, everyone, and enjoy the weekend soon too!

Yours,
Mia

Winners!

Hello dear Friends!

Here's to that jug (almost) full of names! There were 24 of you, thank you so much all for leaving such a wonderful comments of those little pouches! I also had the most wonderful little assistant helping me, I had booked him way beforehand to make sure he'll be available for this special occasion, and after my vigorous shake he did a wonderful job:

I apologize a slight blurriness of these pictures, this assistant was so quick I had a real hard time following him with my camera...

...our first winner is LittlePixie4, and she said: "I love the blue pouch the best" - hooray, that will be yours soon! And then the next...

It's Vivienne from Greenrabbitdesigns! She wrote: "I do feel drawn to the brown one with the apples" - that one will be traveling your way soon! And the last one goes to...

...Sibbe! You liked the brown pouch best also, but I wish the green one will bring sunshine to you days too?

So here they are! Congratulations, and THANK YOU ALL still once! LittlePixie4: I'll be contacting you via etsy soon for your shipping details, Vivienne: I'll mail you in a minute, and please Sibbe, email me handmadebymia at gmail.com so I can get your pouch shipped soon too!

And of course there was little something to our official supervisor too...



Here we go!

Have a wonderful week, everyone, and happy Monday!

Yours,
Mia

Easy Easter

My favorite holiday (apart the C-thing which we shall not mention here quite yet) is almost around the corner; there's only about five weeks until Easter! That's wonderful as that holiday really opens the spring in my books, and it's also easy yet just perfect laid back family holiday, four days of togetherness, chocolate, and sunny hours with nothing too major to prepare beforehand.

That said there's always room for little Easter decorations, though. I found those cuter than cute reused fabrics above in a thriftshop some weeks ago and I just saw them as the little...

...coaster backs! Last year it was all about cute bunnies, and this year I went for little tweets and some flowers...

...and birdies AND some Easter eggs...

These are not only for Easter but they're perfect for spring also! There are more tweets (and tweeds) on my desk already, and the nest is here.

Happy Tuesday!

Yours,
Mia

P.S. Giveaway here! Welcome!

Giveaway Sunday

I have received a lot lately. Some beautiful flowers, cards, parcels, greetings, congratulations, best wishes. I also had many visits from the Mr. Postman last week, and I'm not exaggerating if I say I'm been sent wonderful things all over the world, thank you so so so much, dear ladies! I feel so blessed in many ways, and add sunshine from early morning until quite later afternoon - I couldn't be happier. And I firmly believe in when you have - share, and that goes with happiness and...

...and other pretty things too. So it's time to have a little giveaway, and the "rules" couldn't be simpler. There are three little HandmadebyMia-pouches to choose from, and all you need to do, is just leave a message on this post stating which is your favorite, or even making them 1-3. This just when the winners will be picked, the most loved pouch could perhaps be sent to each of them. It may not go just like that, but I wish every each pouch will find a happy home and bring some smiles with it. The comments will be open for one week, and I'll announce the randomly picked winners on Monday, March 12, 2012, and then ship the pouches where ever you are! Please make sure, that there's a name or link or email or any little detail in your comment to make sure it was YOU leaving it just in case you'll be the winner!

And what there is to be won:

Three little pouches, starting with:

1. Green pouch

Green wools, hand knitted, machine felted, and little yellow birdie admiring the sun&clouds was needle felted. Lining is reused yellow-white striped cotton and there's a little pocket inside too. The green pouch closes with an old and pretty pearly button.

2. Brown pouch

This one is made of different browns, hand knitted, machine felted, and little brown birdie eyeing the white (hah!) apple was needle felted. There's some more white apples inside too, it's reused brown-white cotton, and there's a little pocket too. This brown pouch closes with a simple white plastic button.

3. Blue pouch

The blue pouch has many different blues, all 100% wool, hand knitted and machine felted. There's also a little needle felted red birdie holding a heart-y balloon (an old heart-shaped button). Inside there are some more blue (and creamy) stripes, the lining is from an old Marimekko-shirt, and the pocket is the original pocket too! The blue pouch closes with a pretty red plastic button.

Here they were, and I wish you like them and will find a favorite! Happy choosing, and all the best for the random winner picking! I'm now off to have some more cake and admire my more pink than possible tulips!

Wonderful Sunday to all of you!

Yours,
Mia

P.S. I will not be answering the comments on this post, so it will not mess up the names&numbers on this giveaway thing. All your comments are always read with love, though.