Makes me happy

Today I'm here to share something that makes me so happy. As someone who read this blog or follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed the slight obsession that I have developed in the latest months about up\recycling, and lately, about my newest passion: baskets ! Yep, few weeks ago I started just for fun to make baskets out of old clothes striped down ( by me )  and hand sewn and I loved it. I find it so creative and relaxing and the idea that something so beautiful comes out from old items destined to the trash, well makes me feel so good at so many different levels. Back to the point. Few weeks ago I had the chance to visit this lovely shop here in Loviisa '' Krinti ''. I immediately loved it. It features only very high quality and high standard items, going from wool to espresso machines, from vintage to handmade, everything from local artists\artisans. Usually I am quite shy when it comes to talk about what I do, but something there made me feel at ease to just ask if it would be possible to bring few of my creations to see if something could fit the lovely atmosphere. Long story short, my baskets now are happily waiting for a new home from their spot in Krinti !!!! I'm so thrilled and excited about this collaboration. I'm so happy and excited that finally my creativity is finding its very personal way of expression. Litterally I let my hands and my soul do all the job while my mind just rests and I love the results ! Here few pictures I took today when I brought few more items to sell.

I'm really really happy.

This gonna be a great summer !

Feelings and flowers ...

It's a strange and weird period for me. I have so many mixed feelings everyday and sometime it's quite hard to cope with them. So many horrible things are happening in this world. Anger and violence and carelessness. My growing children ( how long will i dare to call them still children ? ) noticing and asking why and pondering and becoming the grown ups of tomorrow and i'm so afraid for the terrible example we are giving them. I try to pass them a message of peace, of love, of faith and joy, but it gets harder and harder and i feel so lonley in the task. I feel like everywhere anger has become the 'new joy'. Like everybody is looking for the right reason to let it all out ... but where 'all' comes from ? Are my own children growing such a 'all' themselves and one day they will let it out ? And in the middle of these thoughts my own lonliness stabs me with its sharp pain. It has been almost four year since we moved here and I don't have not even a friend. Nobody to talk with. No number in my phone ( beside close family ) to call. I keep telling me that if we've been lead here there must be a reason, but .... if there was a reason not to move here and we simply weren't listening ? What a hard moment. Yesterday as every sunday evening I was listening to my doughter radio program and when it finished my husband started playing italian music. I started to sing along and all of a sudden I remembered of so many nights spent chatting and laughing and singing old songs with friends... and the pain was back ... where is my village ? Where is my tribe ? .... Ah sorry for this rant, but it has been sitting heavily on my heart for a long time now ... but still I try to focus on good, and do good and be good and set a good example for my younger loved ones ... so here I am facing the sun and smiling at it and snapping few shots in the garden, finally showing us that spring is coming. Hopefully spring will come in my heart too...

Revontuli : Northern Lights

Tonight something magical and blessed and wonderful happened. We saw for the very first time Northern Lights. Incredible since we're in the south of Finland, 800km south from the artic circle. I've been dreaming to see northern lights for ages, and tonight finally happened. I'm so thankful for the great gift of seeing such a beauty. We should focus on the beauty, there's plenty.

Words can't describe the feeling. I am small, way small, but oh so blessed by the beauty that surrounds me.

Winter & Wool

This morning we woke up at -18. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the frozen snow was glittering and so was the whole world. When it's so cold the air itself freezes and you can see these tiny crystals floating in the air. Birches' fronds covered in frost looked like delicate lace. As a nature lover my heart is full of amazement for the stunning beauty of nature in the very different season we enjoy during the year.
The colder climate inspired me for a new knitted hat and a pair of crocheted fingerless gloves. The knitting always takes longer ( I only learned to knit when I was 30 years old ) but I crocheted the gloves in less than two days. Unfortunately I don't have a pattern to share as I invented either the hat and the gloves while working ( and of course didn't write it ...).

:)

Christmas days

Christmas Eve was a very relaxed day. After dinner as we always do we watched 'Nativity' and talked about the birth of Jesus. After the baby was sleeping and the older children were upstairs me and papaF did some final wrapping and went to bed. Before going to sleep we noticed it was snowing again. We woke up on Christmas day in a fluffy and white world, with a blue sky and beautiful sun and -14 degrees. PERFECT.
After enjoyng surprise on James face and the unwrapping of the presents, we relaxed with a movie and then, while lasagne were cooking we wend out of the door with James to enjoy the beautiful day. We pulled him around in Seba's stiga but after a while he asked us to go back inside because it was so cold. The day passed beetween movies, chatting, playing with the little one and a lot of knitting for me ( I was in need of a new woolen hat and now I have it ! ). A light(er) dinner and another movie after to finish the wonderful day.
This morning it has been snowing again for a while but today we spent the day inside. A lazy morning watching 'The desolation of Smaug' a quick pizza lunch and the afternoon spent chatting with Gaia and trying to figure out what to knit now ( still no idea about that ). Homemade Tacos dinner and Lord of the Rings read aloud while nursing Jimmy to sleep. A very peaceful Christmas indeed.

So this is Christmas,

for once a lovely one,

 ok not for once really,

but indeed a lovely and peaceful one.