HarvestSeasonCards

The harvest season is slowly arriving up to the north. I made this beautiful card by using the book described below.

I love our library that sells out just by 1€ the old books they don't need anymore. Children books are cheaper, just 0,20€. 

Also garden books include absolutely fabulous material for scrapbook and card makers! The pictures are professional and so delicious.

This 50th wedding anniversary card I made for my parents-in-law who celebrate their Golden Anniversary in July 2022. The couple on the card is from Fazer's Wiener Nougat chocolate box which is very traditional as is the company itself.

This card for high school graduation is made of brand new materials, though the note-card at top I've received from a friend for my crafting purposes. So, it is like recycled but not.

GradingThePatterns

Oops! Well, actually not oops. This is quite common what comes to my hands when I am working with pattern making.

Especially when I am grading the patterns it begins to happen. Here I have been grading our Kuolajärven Lapinkylä siida's women's Sámi costume according to Kaisa Hyldemiina Mukkala's costume which has been is use and preserved despite of the discrimination and WW2.

At the moment I am working with baby luuhka and am at the point to grade it from size 62 to 98 cm. If you are interested about Forest Sámi clothing see the blog essay. It is in Finnish but perhaps you can allow Google to translate it and get something out of it.

SummerTimeOut

 

These, absolutely adorable, harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) live at Ranua Wildlife Park. I usually don't go to the zoos but Ranua is a different. It makes a lot of nature conservation work with a great succeed. This summer season I've visited twice to see charming wolf cubs. I took this video especially for you! See how skillful they are in using their tails!

Also, this video is taken especially for you! I acted like a tourist at Kemijärvi center to get it for you when filling the gas at the station. I've lived two years at Kemijärvi.

This summer I signed off from Facebook at all my devices and deleted the app from my smart phone. I did it to reduce the information feed to set also my brains on holiday mood. I still need to use a lot internet and social media but turn of Facebook which I always need to use most was very conscious act for my brain relaxation and mental health. I do sing in once in a week or fortnight if something happens / is going on, for the information. Otherwise it stays closed. It feels a good time out because I know by school start I need to go back. I am considering to make changes about it so I am not sure yet how I will go back or exactly when...

Following social media takes time for other activities. This is one I managed finally to do when turning Facebook off. My dear loyal hiking shoes looked already so poorly. I supposed to handle them already last autumn but the life happened so here they still were, dusty, dirty, muddy... Only now in July I had a time to sit down, brush them, wipe them by wet towel, let them dry in the sunshine, sit and wait them to dry and then oil them. I even washed the cords and WOW! I feel I have brand new shoes again. I love these shoes. I bought them at ridiculous sale and paid just about 25€. They are Cindarella-size, out of fashion shade (plum) but who cares, they are perfect for my feet! 

(Notice: I used old horse harness nubuck oil for them and that is just fine, and perhaps cheaper than the one made for shoes, but at the end, it all is leather, no matter to which it is sewn into.)

This spring I have done a lot of volunteer work for our Sámi siida (local community that has existed from time immemorial) and its costume team. I've visited the original region of our Forest Sámi siida for several times. There, behind the fells, is half of our region.

This is pic taken 2 km far away from Russian borderline area on a hill by the crossing to Aatsinki village. Kelloselkä is the place where you can across the border. Part of Kuolajärvi Lapinkylä siida faced territorial ceding to Russia in peacemaking process after WW2. There's no way to go back. That's why our hearts cry for Ukrainians now and wish all the good for them.

TheEndOfTrolls

According to old Sámi and Scandinavian/Viking beliefs God of Thunder hunts for the trolls to protect humans. He uses fire arrows in his bow to kill the trolls or evil spirits. This time he hit at something for sure.

I collected a handful of burnt arrowheads sticking out from the trunk of the birch to which his lightning arrow hit recently. It is wonderful to know for a moment our surrounding is free from trolls and evil spirits. 💘

See how the nose and ear of the troll are bulking out! When you look at it all at further distance, you can notice there are at least two trolls! The upper one has mouth open and the lower eyes closed under the weight of the upper one!

GuestQuilt

I designed and made a quilt of the fabric I received from my mother-in-law. She had started it but had sewn only some of the stripes together. I had no idea about the original plan. Neither seemed she have it anymore because this is over 20 years old project! Well, now it finally is finished but I must admit it needed a bit extra work. 

At the end I decided to make sunlight yellow woolen lining for it. It is for one of our guest beds. I think visitors from south appreciate warm quilt with woolen lining instead of cotton. The room locates in our attic and has window to south. Sounds lovely but in south is the sea Gulf of Bothnia. Freezing winter winds from the ice cover of the sea hit at our house's south wall! Brrrr! That's why there are always enough woolen socks and blankets available for "southern fruits" -as we call them with love and appreciation. We don't want them to get frost bites and rotten!

BandWeaving

This summer I got back to a skill I learnt already from my grandma as a child before she passed away by my 8th birthday. I remember how I thought the heddle (reed) is like a funny comb! It is band weaving and so fun to get back to it! I've been doing band weaving also on our deck in the garden and on the back seat of the car when travelling!