YogaMatBag3

I received beautiful Indian ribbons as a gift from a dear friend. I decided to make a bag for my yoga mat and decorate it by the ribbons. For the bag I used left over fabric from YoungLady's dress lining.

The cord is from a gift wrapping but 100% functional for this. Also the cord lock is recycled from outdoor clothing.

Every time I use my YogaMatBag I carry the memories of YoungLady and my dear friend with me. I love this kind of story products.

BlueBerries

You know I have a very useful -award winning- arctic kitchen garden. Add to this, we follow even more traditional life style: hunter-gatherer culture of Forest Sámi people. We have done so simply always. 

This year the wilderness provides us excellent harvest of wild blueberries. (Yes, you see it right, the autumn has arrived and plants are shaking off their leaves.)

The main idea in the traditional hunter-gatherer culture is that you never take it all. You are never alone. You must treat the nature right and gentle. You must leave some for the other people. You must, more than that, leave something for the animals, spirits and gods. You don't take, you ask. (This is the main idea also in my kitchen gardening and has lead to great succeed and no need of fertilizers or pesticides. I leave always something for the birds but let's talk about that later in the future.)

GoodNight

 

I designed and made sachets to be given away as gifts. I filled them with good night sleep herbs from my award winning arctic garden. I've made these several times. I have made also easy tutorial for you to make your own. 

Excellent and easy to find/buy or grow herbs for good night and relaxing sleep are for example hops and lavender, but also rose petals. For your recovery and resilience it is very important to have enough sleep, at least rest. Sachets with potpourri including calming and relaxing ingredients help you to settle and slow down.

YarnThing

This week I've been up to yarns. That's why also Liinu had a work to do.

Liinu helped me to create more twist on some yarn.

After that I made the warp for a project. It is one project which needs three different kind of warps.

This week I also set up the winding equipment I bought on the summer 2022 at second hand shop and paid just 15€. It is old proper carpenter work. 

It is simple and reduced but still have beautiful details that prove the artisan work.

It is huge. You can twine smaller but also a lot bigger skeins with it.

I used to borrow my mother-in-law's twining equipment but during covid bought myself one. I need it so often that it is easier to have my own. This KnitPro's twining equipment is smaller than the one I found at second hand so that's why I bought also it. Besides, I can let the students to use both on my craft courses.

KnitPro's twining equipment has needed details with reduced design.

Its screws are plastic so we'll see how they will last in use. 

Anyway, this KnitPro winding equipment is a good quality and I like also it already. It came with a cardboard back so you can use it to store the equipment in a small space when not in use.

 

With the KnitPro winding equipment I bought a bigger yarn winder. Because I now have two full sets, two students can do the same task at the same time on my craft course.

ArcticCircleSocks 2

I made another pair of ArcticCircleSocks. Also now I used Novita 7 veljestä yarn (75 % wool, 25% polyamide) (100g = 200m) for these my own design socks. The shades are middle grey and Napapiiri (= Arctic Circle). The design is very easy and simple. Notice the difference to previous ArcticCircleSocks 1: The heel is different.

Also this pair is going to be a Christmas gift for someone. Woollen socks are very popular -and desired- gift among Finnish people! No matter you'd be able to knit, it is lovely to receive a pair of socks. They are always needed, even on the summer season!

Calculating Cards

I have made several cards for the coming autumn season. One good way to give personalized cards is to make them by your self. Scrap booking materials are high cost but card making suits also for a small budget if you just look around and take the advantage of all that material that is available around you.

Just to mention, Finland is known its high costs and prices. One greeting card cost at least 5€ in Finland. Well, a cost of one card base is just 0,20€ so it makes sense to make your own cards also for the budget reason. But, also to recycle and save the planet Earth.

This birthday card has both background paper and galloping deer paper taken from an old wall calendar. The total cost is 0,40€ when counting in the adhesive tapes.

Green background paper is old origami paper given to me as left over. The pikes are from an old wall calendar. The total cost is 0,40€ when including the adhesive tape and origami paper.

The orange back ground card boar set over the green card base is from an old recycled chocolate box cover. The picture of flamingo is from a recycled magazine. Total cost 0,30€ includes also the adhesive tape.

This card total cost are higher than the previous ones because I used materials from a Papercraft magazine I bought. The magazine cost 10,90€ but makes at least 20 cards. The total cost is 0,55€ per card plus the adhesive tape so it makes 0,65€. Still saving the money but not the planet as it is not recycled card.

This card has both recycled and new materials fort he decoration. The Creek scene is from a recycled sweet box cover. The green stripe is from a Papercraft magazine. The total costs that include everything needed is 0,30€.

Again, materials from old wall calendar so the total cost is 0,30€. The old wall calendars really are like treasures. Can you spot the hedgehog hiding behind the kittens?

This beautiful scene & horse themed card has craft paper base on the back ground (the sand). Sea view paper is -again- from an old wall calendar. The picture of the horse is from an old clothing pack. Just take a look at all those packs you buy. Also they include great material for your card making. Total cost 0,35€.

This Harry Potter themed card doesn't have much Harry Potter labelled products. Only the sticker is actual and original Harry Potter product. Still, it is a left over sticker given to me but we price also it here like if I had bought it. Value 0,20€.

You can't see it on the picture, but the inside page of the card has yellow origami paper to include the shades red&gold of Gryffindor House. The origami paper is left over material given to me but we price it here. Value 0,10€.

Both scrap booking papers are brand new but from a no logo craft paper pack bought on sale. Value together 0,20€.

The card base 0,20€ and the adhesive tape 0,10€. That all makes total cost of  0,80€. Not a lot as it is a Harry Potter greeting card. 

This card has both recycled and brand new materials. The text and teddy bear from recycled tea packs. Total cost 0,65€.

***

I made 9 cards. The costs are 4,05€. That makes 0,45€/card. If I had bought the cheapest possible card at shop that would have made 1€/card if extremely lucky bargain on sale. Still, I would have wasted the same time as such bargains doesn't pop out easily. Not to mention energy and gasoline.

Saving is at least 0,55€/card. Likely saving is at least 4,55€/card. 

I made 9 so that makes total saving 40,95€. Even in Finland you can buy a bag of food by that!