A brighter day

Thank you so much for the wonderful comments on my previous post! I am feeling much more hopeful today, the news from Japan have been encouraging. Sun also shines, we have a family birthday to celebrate today, and there have been some cheerful hopping around here too.

And if you follow those little tracks, they'll take you here.

Happy weekend, everyone, and I'll see you next week again!

Yours,
Mia

Birds

It's been almost a week now since the horrible things went on in Japan. I have a quite close connection to that country, and I have been more than horrified. Fortunately the person I have been worried about is safe, and so are her loved ones too. I am thankful for that, but my heart still goes out to others there in need of help. I have been working hard, and have tried not to check the news on every five minutes. I have been working on birds, and these ones will always remind me of this time - in good and in bad.

I wish these birds will represent the hope and faith to the happier times, and will bring joy and smiles where needed.

Here's to happier times, to the reconstruction and new life.

Yours,
Mia

The bunnies of the year

It's been sunny and spring-ly here all week, and the weather is exactly how I imagine Easter-weather. It feels that it should be here already, but this year it's very late (24.4. is the Easter Sunday), almost a month later than in some years. Easter follows tightly Christmas in my most-treasured-holidays, and the Easter-weekend is the real spring-opener here.

I have been told that there are other Easter-lovers out there too! And when asked I happily agreed to make some happy bunny-coasters. And they have a really spring-feel in them too with the flowered back-fabric too.

I have the most beautiful Easter-decorations I ordered from Beth last year, but I still could use a set of my own, too. One can never have too many cute bunnies around, right?

Happy new week!

Yours,
Mia

The new rule

I think there should be a rule stating when someone has a birthday (or any big day), there must be some cards, flowers and presents left for later. Without you knowing, of course. Because after a special party-weekend normal, dull Mondays and Tuesdays can be quite hard to cope. But if you had some surprise-beauties dropping to you mailbox...

Just look at these cards! If these are not me, I do not know what are? Beautiful, beautiful... But even more (if possible) ME things followed:

A beautiful pink-colorful flowers-scarf! And:



White-pink corsage! And what a match they make:

There will be one happy girl dancing around here this spring. And if someone wondered already, these beauties didn't come from the same person, not from same continent even. My special taste is well-known around the world, apparently. And it warms my heart. Thank you so much, ladies, for making this average Tuesday extra special! I hope I could make you smile as wide as I am smiling now!

Lovely Tuesday, everyone!

Yours,
Mia

The best day ever

It's been a wonderful weekend. Sunny, bright, spring-ly and fun. I got older in the meanwhile but getting family and friends over, having all delicious things to eat and a few packages to open totally makes it worthwhile. A year here or there, who's counting anyway?

I was supposed to take many, many pictures from the food preparations all the way to good-bye's but as always before was too busy and all the sudden almost everything was eaten. We had a cake too (gone by that picture), come delicious pastries and salad (empty bowls by now) but at least I managed to get a photo of the color theme (surprising pink) and my favorite treat ever: whipped cream&raspberry jam filled buns.

These are a traditional February-March treat here in Finland, and I remember them from my childhood. Then we enjoyed them after a long day outside (skiing, sledge sliding) with hot chocolate. Really easy to make, and delicious. Just bake the buns, let cool and slide in halves horizontally. Fill up with whipped cream and some jam and put the "top" back on. I probably had one too many but...

Present-wise I feel very blessed. I had all-expenses-paid trip to my favorite place, a new precious DVD and some heavenly jewelry. My favorite guest (read: my nephew) had also made me a wonderful card and a lovely flower, he's a true artist.

He also shows a great interest in his aunt's work and my crafting area is ever so interesting. I am going to melt all your hearts with one more picture still. We played with my wools and he said: "I make woolen, I make woolen to teddy!" And so he did, the precious little boy:

Thank you all for making my b-day the most perfect. Happy new week soon, too!

Yours,
Mia

I still haven't found what I am looking for

...Any green around here that is. It's no surprise, really, but March just has so spring-lish sound to it that one can't help looking. I think that inspired me with this gray birdie:

He's just ever so carefully inspecting this spring's first flower. It's just a teeny one but the tweet (or the pouch he was needle felted to) is not that large either.

Hello little flower - bring your friends here soon, too!

***

We'll be celebrating some birthdays here soon. Yippee, first real party after Christmas and who knows how wild it will get? So just in case I wish you all happy week and wonderful weekend soon, too!

Yours,
Mia

Recommended

Almost exactly year ago we had some strange but quite cute visitors in our back yard, and this morning their blue relatives arrived! They told me that the previous ones sent their love (from all over the world from their new homes) and they had recommended this particular garden. I was speechless as the garden sounded sort of exaggeration this morning with the snow mountains and leafless bushes.

The birdies seemed happy, though, and they even have two little tweets with them. Suddenly sun started shine too and happy tweeting filled the air. Who am I to argue: Spring is definitely here!

Happy last day of February - and warm welcome to March!

Yours,
Mia

It's the little things in life

Oh yes, they make all the difference. The little things. A sunny moment, the neat piles of fabric, all the pretty buttons in their own jars, a clean working space when you start a day. Enough bobbins with thread ready, a favorite yogurt in a fridge for a snack and a clean t-shirt (ironed if the day is a really great one!).

Of course the little pretty things are very important too. Like those bits and pieces of pretty tweeds and ribbons sewn together for cute key rings. These make me happy and smile.

I have been cleaning my cupboards and drawers all weekend, and have found many pretty things I didn't remember having. Such as ribbons, buttons and some pearls, too. It's like Christmas, actually, opening the boxes and pouches and finding the treasury after an another.

I used to think that I will never be able to use my vintage buttons and trims, but I have started to think that if they can make someone else happy and smile, it's worth it. The little things, you know?

Happy Tuesday from sunny Finland!

Yours,
Mia

Days of our lives

Yet another week has passed, and we're a teeny bit closer to spring. It doesn't feel that much, though, as this week has been coldest in a century or so, all days -20C or more, and nights and mornings as cold as -35C. For you, who live in more warmer climate, these are just numbers, I know, but for even us Finns these temperatures mean very, very cold. Throw in a dentist, using the car in these minus degrees and a some quite urgent orders and this could have been a horrid week.

But no, it wasn't that bad. I was busy, yes, but I am quite exited of these new, more summery linen&birdie-bags, and finishing a order(s) and getting packages shipped always makes me smile. And hey, my dentist is a wonderful chap, bad jokes and perfect at his job - makes me smile too, actually. And the weather...That's just Finland, really.

But all that said I am still very, very happy it's Friday. I am taking the weekend somewhat slow, and dream of a spring clean in my working space. I would love to get all the brightest and lightest fabrics, buttons, trims and other pretty stuff in front row. I have a few (read: many) empty glass jars waiting...

Happy weekend!

Yours,
Mia

My Valentine with P.Diddy

I ordered a magazine for a year to my Sis for Christmas. The price was great, and I also received and extra thank-you gift. The set arrived a few weeks ago, and I have been wondering since if it actually could be used or not.

Do not take me wrong, I like bling-bling and silver is also definitely my color, but this set is just somehow massive. I love the hearts and the heavy chain but but but... The bracelet I have used a few times, and it is almost manageable, although on my last Spanish lesson the guy next to me was tangled with it. He's cute and nice and his sweater didn't suffer that much so hopefully he shares the table with me next Tuesday too. But the necklace... It's just too P.Diddy even for me.

I read Jane's post about her wonderful pay-it-forward gifts a while ago and had an idea! How about that heart as a bag-jewelry? I love everything shining, and use handbags everyday (I have a magpie-syndrome combined with baglady-ism), and the changes were large heart could be just the right size there. I decided to try, I couldn't see myself using the necklace as it was anyway.

All I did was to shorten the chain and attach it to one of metal rings I had lying around. I didn't need heavy equipment, just the nice set of pliers to open and close a chain links (and please do not look the pliers-picture too closely, it's obviously staged for editorial reasons, a lot of puffing and pulling was needed to open the link and camera holding wasn't possible at the same time).

But oh, how I love it now! And it can still be used together with the bracelet too (and what a match they're with my shiamond "M"- bag jewelry)! As soon as we can loose some of the winter-clothing (mittens for a start) I can bling-bling my way to sunset.

Happy Valentine's day!

Yours,
Mia

Never too late

I think this has happened before, and I was sure I had blogged about it too, but couldn't find the entry. Maybe it's the sunshine after long and dark winter?

My Christmas amaryllis in second (or is this a third?) bloom! I almost tossed it in January when the flowers started to look bad, but then I spotted an another bud there. I calmly snipped the dead parts off and started to wait the next flowers to arrive. And we waited...and waited...and waited... And then, one morning, almost two months after I brought the flower home:



The most beautiful flowers opened! And look, there are more buds still:

This little late-bloomer brings me such a joy every time I see it. I think the flower is also more or less like me: give it love, time and some sunshine, and it'll bloom eventually! It took me this long to figure out (and start) a life I really wanted but hey, I think I'm just about to bloom!

Happy weekend dear friends!

Yours,
Mia