HandMadeSoap

This year I tried out soap making which I have wanted to try out for years. Well, it was not that special nor difficult or fun as I imaged but now I know.

I used herbs (lavender, rose) of my own garden and coffee bean crumbs to scent, dye and make scrub soap. The only noticeable thing I learnt is that you actually can use the normal stamps to decorate the soaps. You don't need to buy any special soap stickers, stamps or decorations to be able to make the figures on the soap. After all, it is just soap and your stamps are even cleaned during the process.

Happy Easter

My Easter is always filled with wool work. I finished spinning 100 g of natural white Finnsheep wool with Liinu. Another 100 g to go and then I can ply it for further use. I also blend Finnsheep autumn shades to create some SleepySnowyAutumn yarn for a project I have in my mind.... I have started to spin that yarn by a drop spindle. 

I also found some time to use my stamp collection to create writing paper for my letters. The shade of this paper is pastel blue. Unfortunately the picture fades away that shade.

I usually am dusting my (and others') sewing machines and empowering them to keep going on. This Easter I participated on dusting old typewriter Olympia 8. It's YoungLady's new laptop which she loves over the moon.

Because it is Easter and we had several reasons to celebrate I -of course- had to bake a cake. It was delicious and just enough. I -after all these years- have learnt to bake smaller cakes! I am very proud of myself! 

See how I used the extra left over edges to roll up narcissus to decorate the cake! If you try out to do the same just make sure there forms out enough wrinkles when rolling up the left over pieces you cut off. I did't tidy the outer edges and let them be "broken". It creates even more narcissus like expression.

I used yellow sugar mass instead of almond because the local shops had ran out of it. I used just a tiny drop of rapeseed oil when I started to work with it. I feared the sugar mass dries up but this oil helped to avoid that.

SnowFlakes

I still keep on receiving mail sent for me last year before Christmas because of the strike. The strike is over and it turn out well but we still feel its consequences. So, don't get worried if you have not heard about me since October or your post has not reached me yet.

I have decorated my own writing papers for many times but not shown you it all. I still am using old papers that I inherit from my grand mother and my kids' old school notebooks. After each grade I pile the notebooks up and took off the empty unused pages. It is a great way to save the nature resources and recycle.

For cleaning your stamps you don't need any special equipment or expensive liquids. Warm water, old toothbrush and kitchen towel do just fine. It the ink needs something stronger than a water, a normal kitchen soap does just fine.

Stamping for Letters

I've had some relaxing moments creating new writing paper for MyLetters. Here are few samples. The red one is created on an ordinary copy paper and the brown one on a real old writing paper from 50's. I do love MyStampCollection and I do enjoy using them.

Nostalgic Ink

Do you remember those pretty blue ink stamp figures on your school books when you succeed in task and the teacher was happy with you? Some teachers still use them. I did that too this year for my Christmas season letters. I really could not help myself!

Correspondence -penpalling as you may know it- has been my hobby f0r over 30 years. I have always decorated  my own writing papers. At 80's there still was available pretty paper for the letters at the shops. Today the changes to find one are few; meaning up here in the North. Despite we have much more shops today than back on 80's. I guess it is because writing letters seems to be disappearing folklore but it is a wonderful way to keep touch with your friends and family.

On January 2015 I did some HomeMade writing paper and decided to start to share also it with you. Also on November 2016 I did some. Of course I've done much between and after too so unfortunately everything doesn't end up here on MyBlog. But sometimes I remember to take a pic before writing and sending them away. This time I used A5 size old squared note book pads which pages have already started to turn out a bit yellow. It all looks so nostalgic. I love to use my stash for crafts.

Christmas Stationery

 

The time to make some Christmas Season Stationery arrived again with November. This time I used very old typing paper. Can you see the watermark? These belonged to my grandmother and I found them last June when helping out my mom to sort out rest of the papers.

I stamped the pictures and then colored a bit.

The deer got also some outline color to look more chic.

I found also some old envelopes I bought on sale years ago after Xmas. They are perfect for these writing papers!

One letter will be enclosed with this reindeer card...

I wish you all

Very Home Made Christmas Season!

L e t t e r s

I love L E T T E R S. I have always loved. 

Correspondence has been my dear hobby -and then LifeStyle- for 30 years. Every year, every month, very often and going on. Via letters I have found unbeliveable loveable life time friends.

For ages I have made my own stationery. I do this for three resons:

1. To personalize my l e t t e r s
2. To keep it cheaper
3. Around here it is difficult to get stationery in big packs. If you get them, they usually are just boring college styled white with stripes or squares. If you get pretty ones, there are just few pieces of papers with high cost.

This time I used A3 papers which I fold to get 4 pages. I used snow flake and this cute girl stamps. I colored the girl with my favourite Derwent Water Colour Pencils. They are over 20 years old. I have used them a lot. But they are still there. Some of them are stump. But if you ever desire to buy ones and think they are far too expencive; I can promise they will last and last and last...

I hate water colouring but with my pencils I love it. You just colour and then add the water. Brilliant!

It is up to you which effect you want. More or less...

The next one goes to dear B...

Miss N's vest

Today I finished this cute vest for little Miss N. It is my own design. I used Makedonian Tonika's Mohera yarn  (100% polyacryl). I knitted the vest and crocheted the edges. The yarn has mohair type effect and it is not 100% smooth as you can see from the result.

These are Novita's teddy yarn which I bought from a sale some weeks ago.They include 45% wool, 30% polyamide and 25% acryl. Each ball include 100g.

Because I finished Miss N's vest I started new project. It is going to be a blanket. Again my own design. It is for living room use; you know -just sofa and me.... Yes I always have several projects going on at the same time. One carry on, one or two stitching and usually one knitting or crocheting for sofa moments (too big to carry on) and some other craft projects too...

... projects like card making; still the Easter cards. :) These are my dear Derwent Watercolour pencils; pack of 36. I simply love them. You just color, then you take your wet paintbrush and water the coloured parts. I am a control freak and real watercolouring is my nightmare. I can do it but I hate it. This is suitable way for me to do it. :) And no, the ink of the stamped pictures doesn't get messed up because I don't use too much water. It is not any special water proof ink. I just let it dry for a week or two before wetting it. ;)

Easter is still far away

It is true there's many weeks to Easter. But if you make your cards it's never too early to start. With hurry you will only to mess around. With time the ideas have enough time to form out better way. And who says the cards need to be finished in one day? There has to be always a project going on.

These Easter cards have something old and new. The hen stamp is old and I have used it in Easter cards since 2009. It is from Inkadinkado. This year I decided to treat me with new stamp. It had to be useful for many occasions. That's why I ended up to this Penny Black's stamp "Gift of flowers". Later on I can use it to birthday cards and perhaps to warm season party invitation cards too. It all depends on it how I will colour the picture (spring, summer or autumn theme) and will I use background card (which shade) or not.

 

Here's the invitation cards fof a birthday party. The same stamp than above. Almost the same colors than above. But still very useable also in this purpose. Multi-useable stamps are nice.