Flowers to the winners!

Oh how wonderful four day-weekend it's been! Just relaxing, sunny days and lot's of chocolate and family time. It'll be a hard one to get back on track tomorrow *sigh* but hip-hooray, it'll be yet an another wonderful party-weekend coming after just four days! It's 1st of May on next Sunday and we'll celebrate it here both on Saturday AND on Sunday.

Today between nap-taking and chocolate-eating I managed to pick up the winner for the flower-magnet giveaway! And I just couldn't resist, and picked up an another name too. She'll get a little felt-flower brooch to brighten her spring outfit. There were fifteen of you, thank you so much, all! I loved your comments! And still before I'll announce the winner, I truly want to apologize the picture-quality, it's just as sharp as I have been these last days... but here we go:

So the winner is ROBIN! Congratulations! She wrote: " I love the yellow and pinks, sooo bright and cheery." So three flower-magnet-set in yellows&pinks with matching little pouch for you Robin! I already have your details so I'll be sending you a little springly parcel soon!



And as you saw, I picked an another one too, and it was LEAH, congratulations to you, too! She wrote: "...I really like the pink." I like pink too, and will be making you a pretty and bright flower-brooch in pink! Could you please contact me via email at handmadebymia at gmail.com so I can get your package shipped to you too, thank you so much!

I'll get to work tomorrow, but tonight I'll still be as this cute-cat my dear dear friend made me for my b-day, happily on sofa with the very last chocolate-eggs. I hope you have had the most relaxing holidays too, and wish you the wonderful new week!

See you here soon again!

Yours,
Mia

Happy, happy days

Happiest, brightest and sunniest loooong Easter weekend to all of you! And the flower-giveaway is still on a few days! See you next week - and then it's almost May already! Summer... mmm...

Yours,
Mia

Flowers to give away!

It's been sunny, bright and springly around here for many days, and it just makes me feel happy. I bought some felt wool fabric (they're actually wool-polyester blends but beautiful all the same) for a new project I have been working on but couldn't resist making some flowers out of those pretty colored-wools too.

Oh yes, they're little flowers magnets, and they just brighten up any fridge door! I needle felted little flowers, and cut some more from the felt wool fabrics and sew them all together. I used my beloved hot-glue gun to stick the magnets in place on back.

They also come with a matching little pouch to keep them safe when not in use. The pouches were made of reused cotton and they close with matching ribbon.

And I would love to spread some of this spring-feel to all of you - so it's time for a little give-away! All you need to do is leave a comment on this post, and let me know, which color of flower-set you would like to have! I'll pick up the winner on Monday, 25th of April 2011 and make the custom-set with your chosen color(s), both three flower magnets and a matching pouch. And I'll ship the set anywhere you live, too!

Color-wise you can choose any color you like, I am pretty sure I have most of them in my stash waiting for you - so please bring on pinks-greens-blues-browns-yellows-any of you favorites! Good luck!

Happy weekend everyone!

Yours,
Mia

Top design

During these HandmadebyMia-years I have been knitting and felting (and making some designing work too) many different kind of bags. Smaller, bigger, striped, round, with flap, with long strap, two handles - you name it. But I haven't made a perfect purse-design, something just to carry your essentials in a pretty bag on your shoulder.

So to the designing studio I went (read: a cup of coffee and on my dear old sofa) with my beloved coloring pens, calculator and needles&wool. I made some sketching, and started to knit. I made one bag first, liked it, and made more... and some more.. You know me?

Looking not-that-glamorous before felting...

...But once finished, I'm happy! It's wonderful to see how same design (same gauge, needles, different wool) comes out totally different when the color changes. And not to mention the decorations.

I definitely can see more of these coming, but before that I have other designing work to be completed. I am having a happy week - wishing you the very same!

Yours,
Mia

Making the most of it

I love knitting. I do that daily for my felts, but I love knitting in general. Choosing the yarns, colors and patterns, trying out different stitches and techniques. I used to knit a lot, almost all my gifts for birthdays and Christmases were knitted shawls, mittens, hats and even jerseys. If I still had the time, my family (and friends too) would use only (read: much more) hand knitted clothes.

But when there's not that much time, one must enjoy things in smaller scale. Like knitting something slightly tinier (and quicker, obviously) but enjoying the process in full. My dear old friend had a baby in his family recently, and I just had to make the newcomer pair of socks. And not any socks, I spent some time in ravelry searching the right pattern. Did you know that if you type there baby socks, you'll have 57 (fifty and seven) pages full of the most adorable chubby feet with tiny socks in them?



I didn't know, and finding a perfect pattern...Huh. I didn't actually find one, but many, and made the socks with ideas from here and there. I hope they'll fit (they're tiny but the guy's wee too) and keep his little potatoes warm this cold and rainy spring. Oh yes, it rains constantly. It's good for the snow (good-bye!) but I have a creepy feeling that this will stop only in October, when the snowing will start again. If you happen to have extra sunshine lying around, please donate it to my way, thank you!

Happy Thursday!

Yours,
Mia

Threehundredandsixtysomething

Almost exactly a year ago I had similar flowers on this very same table, and it was Easter. This year we need to wait a few weeks still, but that's not what's bugging me today. It's the a year-bit. Where did the time go?

This past year has been somewhat different to the previous ones, and many new things have happened, too. I started both crafty life and Spanish studies, my nephew started kindergarten, we got upstairs renovated. I have made many new friends, and started very good business-relations, too. We also had the summer of the century (and winter to match). I have learned many, many things, and hope, that they've made me at least a little bit wiser. Older I definitely got, too *sigh* but who's counting anyway?

My head (and luckily my sketchbook and my to-do-list, too) is full of new ideas for this year. Some will see the day light during next year, and some will be marinated a little longer, still. It's not easy to come up with new, original ideas constantly, but as long as there are a few waiting to be tried out I am happy. And I am making what I love - the following years will have a hard time trying to beat that experience!

It's been a good year, all in all. Here's to many fantastic ones to come and to you, my dear friends! I wish to see you again here in one year's time to sum up yet an another one. And hopefully before that too, I have many, many things I would love to show and tell you about!

Happy new week soon!

Yours,
Mia

Artist beret on

My weekend was good. I got many things done, and one of most important was a set of little felted wall hangings I have had in mind for a long time. I have made some earlier, but these I created this weekend have been on my sketch-book over a year now, and I really, really enjoyed making them.

It was lovely to create something somewhat new yet familiar still. I have been wondering quite long time how to get these quite thick felt pieces to work as wall hangings, and after some (a lot) hesitation I grabbed a crochet hook and finished the edges with some free-hand crocheting. Oh yes, I had a pattern too, but you know me, there's nothing worst than make things just as they've told; I need to color over the lines always. And I think it works here just. And I also got to use my stamps, which have been marinading in my stash since summer 2009 (oops!).

There is the family tree...



... some raindrops are falling ...



...and some roses, too.

Unique was the name of the game here, and I wish that to you too:

Uniquely happy, sunny and creative week!

Yours,
Mia

Purrr

I know, this is getting really boring, but I still play with my linens and wools and coasters here. Like I did last weekend (and have done whole week, almost). But to my excuse I have to say that I haven't got a single bunny to show today - just cats.

Hello sweetie, have you spotted the very first bee of this spring?



And you have some ladybug-friends too?

Oh, and some more cats on back too! This set was a special-order and I had the most handsome little cat modeling to me, too. I love cats, and making them makes me happy. So...

To this pretty pink pouch I got my inspiration, like ever so often, from a thrifted fabric. It's pink too, and it has cute and funny cats on it. I used it to line the pouch (and I just love the matchy-matchy). And as you may remember, I am a big fan of pink too, so the pouch has all my favorite elements!

It's cold and and snowy here again *sigh* but tweets sing and clocks turn forward so it's not that bad. I also purchased a few things earlier this week (I had Saturday in mind already on Wednesday) to keep me spring-spirited, and now it's time to enjoy and relax.



And if you just looked very closely...



...Oh yes, there are cats in that sweet (pink) bowl too!

Happiest weekend!

Yours,
Mia

Heading for summer

Yesterday the day and night were equally long, which means *yippee* that today the day will be longer, and we're officially heading for summer! In the following weekend the clocks will be turned one hour forward, and the Summer Time begins!

My weekend was filled with summery thoughts. I just couldn't pick up the knitting needles and wool as sun was shining and almost first time in last 5months we had some +degrees. So I ended up playing my linens, and had some smaller things done. Originally the linen were for these birdie bags but there were plenty left, and some pretty pouches were born.

Some had long straps, some shorter, and some just had a bunny. I seem to be making more and more bunnies, first the coasters, and now...

... They've hopped into a pouch too! And paired with pretty pinks this one turned to be the cutest of them all. And who knows, maybe there will be some bunny bags too - they're so springly figures and ever so sweet too. I am full of new ideas and energy, it must be the sun. I hope you're feeling wonderful in this Monday too!

Happy and sunny new week!

Yours,
Mia