New fabric in my shop

Find these vintage sheets and a Scandinavian print (orange to the right) in my ETSY shop. Available as Fat Quarters.

Note: The green fabric to the right is NOT available as this is a tiny left over piece from an apron... Sorry.

Kärlek
Annette

About a little girl...

Cheeky Emmy Bo climbing the apple tree. April 2012.

She is 4, turns 5 in only two weeks. Little Emmy Bo. A little person. Full of curiosity and adventure. I need to hug her more. Look at her more. Listen to her stories and funny questions... I look at her and I wish I had more of that naivety and natural capacity of living here and now. Catching the moment. Things seem so uncomplicated for little Emmy Bo.

Flowers from dear Emmy Bo. With too short stems for a real vase. :D ♥♥♥ April 2012.

I saw her from my kitchen window, come running from a friends home next door. She came to a sudden stop by our gate in the backyard. She kneeled down in the wet grass and picked something up,  something hidden in the corner by our raspberry bush. She walked through the gate and stopped and looked up in the sky with a frown on her face as mini rain drops probably made her wet. That scrunched up little nose. So cute... I wonder what was running through her mind right then and there?

A second later she set off in to me in the kitchen and even before opening the door I could hear her calling loudly:

- Mama!!!

She handed me two cute flowers with too short stems to be put in a vase while catching her breath.

- For you Mama! I found them by our... eeehhh "hallon" bush! (Swedish for raspberry as my kids tend to mix their language a lot being multi lingual...). Oh, how my heart was ready to burst of love.

I lifted her up to hug this little person that I once carried in my womb. And she clung on to me with her legs wrapped around my waist and I thought: "This is happiness! This is what living is all about.".



"Mama! Look! I took a picture of the moon!" Do you see the moon? Photo: Emmy Ciccarelli 28th of April 2012

Time passes so fast. Soon I won't be able to lift her up like that anymore. It makes me a bit sad as she is the little one in the family. Soon these "small people" days are over. And things will change. I have to be more aware and present before all this just passes me by without even being noticed...

Carpe diem.

Maybe it is time to really start practicing that expression for real. I find it so hard... I get so easily distracted by House Work, To Do lists and all these Have To's... But honestly, when stopping for just a moment and taking it all in all those chores suddenly gets easier to handle.

Blog tips:  Kate over at Foxs Lane's is a woman of three girls and married to her farmer boy. She reflects about life on her organic farm, shares her crafts and I have been following her incredible 6 month caravan journey she just came home from. I found her blog very inspiring. Her photos are fantastic. She is very good at living in the moment in my opinion and her posts all reflects the small pleasures, and struggles, in life. Well worth a visit if you are looking for a blog with great reading material and real life stories. She inspires me to catch the moment.

 Kärlek

Annette

Hexagon WiP update

I am proud to show you my first ever hexagon WiP progress. This will be sewn on to a pillow case I think...

Kärlek
Annette

Come Walk With Me Report - Week 8

Who would have known that COWS would be such a source for love? I am so happy to hear you share my love and that my cow sharing was worth reading. Your stories about cows, childhood memories built around this creature and how they make you all just as happy as me has been truly joyful reading. Big thanks, girls! And yes, isn't she lovely the licking Madonna? Ha ha ha! It was pure luck to catch her in that moment.

This time I want to share one of my most precious walks this week. My work has some fantastic forest and field surroundings. I have 3 different routes that I can choose from depending on length of my break and weather. My favorite route is a 15 minute walk through the woods.

This Friday the sun came out for the first time in days if not weeks. Things are exploding around here. Just look at all these mini daisies I had to walk through!

I adore these white precious spring flowers. In places they cover the ground like a thick blanket, like here. At my office I have a teeny tiny vase on my work desk where I can stick a teeny tiny bouquet of flowers like this to brighten my work space. :D

This day I had forgotten my iPod which was a great thing. There are so many sounds to listen to in the woods. Birds, the breeze, the small creeks...

I remind myself how lucky I am having this type of nature next door to our dull office building. Isn't that just fantastic? It doesn't really feel like I am at work when I can escape out here on the small curvy paths in the woods on my coffee breaks.


Friday was a great day for walking this week. I really felt happy being out there. Did you have a special moment this week to? Would you like to share it with me? I sure want to hear all about it. :D

So lets get back to Come Walk With Me Report - Week 8. It is not overly great but it is good compared to the Easter weeks. Please share your report by sending me an email or comment and I'll add you on to the list. This is my walking report.

Monday : 2 x 15 minutes in the rain at work
Tuesday: 2 x 15 minutes in the rain at work
Wednesday: No walking, only lots of nice sandwiches and baked goods at my Swedish Club meeting. Naughty...
Thursday: No walking. sofa delivery and a complete upside down house needed ALL my attention and still does...
Friday: 2 x 15 minutes walking in the woods at work and loving it!
Saturday: No walking
Sunday: 45 minutes in the morning. Very windy today!!!
TOTAL: 165 minutes (2 hours 25 minutes)

Come Walk With Me - Week 9

Next week I am going for the uphill challenge again. Summer is just around the corner and I feel like I have to make a REAL effort now to get into summer shape. This upcoming week I WILL walk every day, no matter what conditions or happenings. And I will walk 30 minutes every day, at least. What are your goals?

Kärlek
Annette

Lets talk a little bit about cows...

The cows are back behind our house since a couple of weeks now. I love having them around. It makes me feel very lucky to have living farm creatures so close by. I tend to take them for granted a bit but when I am having visitors I realize how exotic a bunch of cows can be.

This year they are a bunch of young ladies.

They are very curious.

Over the top curious at times.

They are cute, friendly and just nice to have there outside our backyard. They run up and down the hill in full speed at times. Going completely crazy. We watch them from our kitchen window if it is raining but often do we go outside to watch them.  Maybe pat them if we dare. I don't. But Jay does.
The kids play in the apple trees with the cows munching away below. How lucky aren't they to experience this when there are kids who never see a cow live more than in a zoo?

No, we are lucky to have these ladies around. In a few weeks they will go to the top of the mountain and the melody from their cow bells will stop. I love the ding ding ding, dong dong dong... Every cow has a different size and it is like having an orchestra right there in nature.

I love cows. I never knew I did until we moved here. But I do. They make me happy.

Kärlek
Annette

New crochet WiP with the shell stitch

When the rain tumbles down like "icy rain"-  that is my kids' way of describing hale - I sit down on the couch and work a bit with my crochet hook. Loving the shell stitch... Loving the crisp, fresh and light colors... More about this later.

Kärlek
Annette

Walking tunes

The weather is terrible here. Storms and rain, hale and chills. Brrrr... They say things will change Thursday. I say: THAT IS ABOUT TIME!
This week I am listening to this tune while walking. Perfect tempo. Perfect tune. I listen to it over and over and over again... Did you know this song has his 175 million hits on YouTube. I mean, that is incredible! "Dum do do dum do do dum do do dum... Somebody!"... It makes me walk and walk and walk...

Monday walking report: 2 x 15 minutes at work :D


 Somebody That I Used To Know by GOTYE

Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end
Always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened
And that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger
And that feels so rough

You didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
And I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know...

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened
And that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger
And that feels so rough

You didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

I used to know
That I used to know

Somebody...
Kärlek
Annette

Come Walk With Me - Week 8

My spring flowers are pretty when the sun sneaks out behind the big big clouds here...

Well, everybody knows I fell off the wagon. That is not a secret.  And unfortunately some of you came with me in the fall... I am sorry about that. The truth is, it can happen to anyone so what can we do now? Lets get back to walking!


Easter is over. The weather has been terrible, IS still terrible - I know. But we can still do it. Like I said when I started this - if we can only squeeze in 15 minutes a day, that is FANTASTIC! And that is absolutely better than NOTHING!

My goal for this week is a minimum 15 minutes a day, preferably 30 minutes a day. Because it is a little bit like starting all over and considering the weather reports I think this is a fair goal.
To inspire you a bit to put those walking shoes on I have collected an benefits of walking list below. Enjoy!

♥ Short brisk walks helps to control your blood pressure.

♥ Walking reduces the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer.

♥ Walking strengthens your heart and can reduce the risk of a heart attack with 35%. This is if you walk a minimum of 3 hours or more a week on a regular basis. :D

♥ Walking prevents Type 2 diabetes. Walking a minimum of 1 hour and 30 minutes in combination with loosing some of your extra kilos can reduce your risk of diabetes with approx 50%. :D

♥ Walking releases endorphins and can help beat mild depression. Scientific studies shows that walking can be just as efficient as an antidepressant for mild depression. Do you get the blues this time of the year? Take a walk!

♥ 15 minutes of walking can reduce your sugar cravings. Are you craving chocolate or sweet treats? Take a walk!

♥ When walking uphill you burn up to 30% more calories than walking on a flat and it helps toning your bottom and thighs. That is great! :)

♥ Walking downhill helps toning your bottom and thighs as well.  This is even better. :D

♥ After just one day of walking you have increased your metabolic rate and start burning more calories faster.

♥ After a few weeks of walking your quality of sleep gets better. You sleep deeper and feel more rested in the morning.

♥ After a few weeks of walking your immune system in general gets better. :D

♥ Walking is proven to be one of the most efficient ways of getting a slim waist and narrow hips if that is what you wish for (at least I do wish for less love handles material...)

The list can go on of course. Just surf the Internet about walking and you can't help but feeling a NEED to get out there. I have to admit I have felt a bit fatigue and down lately and this might just be a result of me not getting my daily boost of fresh air, endorphins and blood flow. So come on girls. It is never to late. It is not over yet. Come Walk With Me again. Explore how nature is becoming a firework of flowers, leaf buds and green grass fields right now. Share it on your blog. This week I will share a walk from work because I am so lucky to have a teeny tiny forest close by that I usually walk through on my coffee breaks. So, see you later my friend. And don't forget to write down your minutes. And to report next Saturday if you can.

Kärlek

Annette

Bunting... but no walking really...

I am sorry ladies. I have so so hard fallen off the wagon. Me, who started this thing with Come Walk With Me... I am embarrassed but it just happened... I do squeeze in a walk here and there but Easter had so many other things going on and we still have Easter break around here.

Instead I have been starting on various sewing projects, as you can see in my latest posts... Today I actually started and finished a project. Just like that - in one go. That doesn't happen very often. My time is so limited for the crafting. But I have ignored the house  again... It is a bit of a BIG mess actually. I am not sure in which corner to start... Any advice? I need to de-clutter and organize so bad.

Well despite from my apologies and my stress over the mess I am really happy about this bunting. It was made for someone special. A Norwegian-Danish boy named Noah, the first born of a good colleague of mine. I am hoping it will bring that little extra to his nursery. Welcome little friend. :D

Life is swooooosching by like the speed of lightning it feels like... I just don't seem to have so much time for walking or blogging for the moment. I think I have to organize myself a little bit... And my home...

Kärlek
Annette

Practising Postage Stamp quilt blocks

Some points are matching but most of them don't... But I still love my first try at
Postage Stamp blocks and think it will make a great scrappy pillow matching this one.

Rain, rain, rain... Restless kids starting their second spring break week as of tomorrow... Husband back at work after lots of free time together... Family members left a couple of days ago and my house now feels very empty... I am restless too... and I am tired... I have no energy to start any sorting or organizing or detoxing project that this house so desperately need. No energy to even fold laundry or emptying the dishwasher. I made our bed, that is as good as it gets today. I think I'll make plain pasta for tonight's dinner...

And today doesn't seem to be a great day for sewing either. I just think this day is a bit of a blaaahh day. I sneaked in to my crafty corner to get some sewing done. I really wanted to try out the great Postage Stamp tutorial over at Red Pepper Quilts... But I guess I didn't focus very well, making a couple of mistakes like these:

1. Don't use the same fabric in all your strip blocks! Later when you have to piece the cut strips (now a row of teeny squares in a row) you instantly face the problem of having the same fabric squares ending up next to each other in to many places... And you are stuck with re-arranging your strips until you can figure out a good mix, taking forever...

2. Follow the instructions about pressing the seam allowance in the SAME direction at ALL times! If you are skipping this part, like I did - trying to wing it - you end up with pressed seems in the same direction. Not so neat. Clumsy and hard to match the corners is the consequence if nothing else.

Now, this is a practice run. This will become yet another scrappy pillow for my sofa so I don't really mind.  Another day I will give the Postage Stamp technique another go. But for now my crafty corner is shut down. I think I will bake a cake or something. Maybe lay a puzzle. Watch a movie with the kids. And maybe, but just maybe, go outside for 5 minutes. Tomorrow is another day. A work day... And then I will get back to walking again. Looking forward to that. :D

Kärlek
Annette

Crochet baby blanket Little Rainbow - Voila!

My family visit left yesterday. Heading back to the Swedish landscape. And I finished this blanket just before I took them to the airport. YAY! I love this blanket!!! My brother and his wife are expecting Number 2 in June. It may be a boy. It may be a girl. I think a happy Little Rainbow blanket will be perfect for a summer baby. A real color explosion.

I followed Bella Dia's Vintage Stripe pattern, with some modification as I did multiple rows of every color. When doing that I always end every row with a treble in the top chain of the last treble stitch, chain 3 and then turn my work to start the next row by making my first treble in the first gap between the two first trebles. Make sense?

I start a new color by adding it halfway through my last treble... Well, when I have two loops on my hook, instead of just pulling through the yarn I add the new yarn to pull through. It makes for a neat color change.

I can't remember the exact number of chains I started off with, I think it was just around 100. And I made 78 rows of trebles in total. Every white stripe is 5 rows and all the others are alternating between 2 and 4 rows.

When finished I made two rows of single crochet around the edges, making 2 in around every treble on the long edge... I think I got to many stitches on the long sides as it made the edging crumble a bit but I don't mind... Although from a technical view I would have liked to have more time to re-do it and figure it out to perfection...

I choose an edging inspired by Bunny Mummy's V-edging. The difference is that she is doing it on a granny stripe base and I have done it on a double crochet base. I had 2 double crochet stitches in between my V-stitches and maybe it would have been better to have 3 stitches in between the V-stitches on the long edges... Then it wouldn't have crumbled at all I guess.

I finished off by quickly making  a label saying "Love Aunt Annette 2012" that I machine stitched on. I stabilized it with some Vlieseline on the back, cut it with a pinking shears. And Voila! The blanket now has a signature as well.

I used a 4 mm hook with a mix of DK Cotton from my local store as well as some Creative Cotton from Rico that I once bought at my local craft store a long time ago.

Only when surfing for more Creative Cotton from Rico, in case I was going to run out, I found out that this is the "famous" cotton that Lucy in the Attic24 uses... I was surprised to see how companies uses her name as reference to sell this product and I just hope she is getting some free bees out of this as she obviously has brought so much business that they simply sell out all the time. If you read this Lucy, you should put your foot down about this if they haven't really asked to use your name for this purpose, that is my own opinion. LOL :D.

Anyway. I love this blanket. This is my Little Rainbow blanket. Quick, simple and fabulous for a baby. And for any Walking Lady out there feeling neglected... I will be back now. Will post about Come Walk With Me real soon. I have kinda slipped off the wagon a bit during Easter but after I have cleaned the house and put every one back in their own bedrooms (you know how it is with family visits - you have to re-organize sleeping arrangements and a house full of people really needs a bit of a BIG clean when everything goes back to normal. ). So how has your week been? Any sewing or crocheting to share? See you soon. The cleaning house bucket is calling!

Kärlek
Annette

Today I am...

 

Finishing this colorful baby blanket hopefully. Only the edging left to add. :D What are you up to?

Kärlek
Annette

Pillow l♡ve

My pillow collection is growing. It feels so homey to have these pillows thrown on our sofas. They are loved by everyone in the house. Including the cats.

The one to the left in white, pink and blue is hand quilted and she has a friend but she is still waiting for the last stitches to be done.  The crochet doily pillow is a thrifted doily sewn on to a white pillow case. SO dead simple but gorgeous. The stripy patchwork pillows where made last summer for our bedroom, but they kind of live everywhere in the house depending on who is taking them out on a date and where...

I particularly adore my latest addition, the scrappy pillow with the denim border. It is so so me. And I have lots of scraps left to make more.

I am waiting with anticipation for some family members to arrive. I have taken time off to just hang out. I am going to do these patchwork Easter eggs that I did last year with the kids. Paint eggs of course, have BBQ dinners, crochet and chat in the sun and hang out in the garden. I amgoing to have an Easter egg hunt, we will eat lots of sweets. I am also having quite a few glasses of cheap nice bubbly wine and I've stocked up on my favorite nibbles.

What about you guys. Up to anything fun this Easter? Any special walking plans? I might be a bit quiet for a while so where ever you are, what ever you will do I wish you all a

HAPPY EASTER!
 

  Kärlek

Annette