For Oliveria.

This lovely card by Oliveria will soon be mine! In return, she will be getting two ladies and a small boy:

SAY does it again.

And another set of goodies arrives! Thank you, again, and now I think I might have a clue as to who you are! Or I might be terribly wrong :)

Down the memory lane....

This reminded me of a photo I took of DD when she was one. My kid. In a plastic cake cover thingie.

Summertime blues.

I think I need to clear my desk...



I have in fact already started , gotta love ziplock baggies, the big ones!



But why bother about the cleaning, as I seem to manage to scrap in the middle of the (creative) mess?! Here's a layout I started this morning, it still needs to be put together and I need to do the journalling.


Makes you wonder how much I would scrap if I was more organised....

Wanna show me your desk?

Maybe, maybe not.

I'm not too sure about this one....it's a lot busier than my cards normally are...what do you think, ok or not so ok?

Shhh...work in progress.

I've been stamping and cutting and messing about with inks so later tonight I will try to set up an assembly line, there will be new work to show. But now I'm off to get milk and bread and other exciting stuff :)

Brilliant mailday!

It feels like Xmas, because yesterday the mailman brought me not only bills but two lovely packages filled with such amazing supplies that I think I need to quit my job and stay home and play!

The first one is from my friend Anja in Germany, she was my secret sister many many many years ago and we have kept in touch. Anja, you are too generous!! I love everything and DD loved the stickers and the wallies and she got some of the sparklies as well.




And the second one is from my current secret friend, who is spoiling me rotten! I want to know who you are and where you get these things from!! I can't possibly wait until the end of June to get to know your true identity!!

Sayni, olet taas yllättänyt minut tällä upealla paketilla! Kuka kumma oikein olet... Kiitos tuhannesti!

Kid art with wire and beads.

My DD (6 yrs) amazes me every day with her talent and her good heart. This is a beaded fairy/angel she made for a friend at daycare. She asked for some wire and beads and after a few minutes for a little help. The design is all hers, I helped her to put the parts together. I knew I was right when I decided to make all sorts of supplies available to her, this kid rocks! The photo, however, is horrid....sorry.

Inner turmoil.

"Although he was able to keep his composure, he was in inner turmoil."

Scanned and printed vintage photo, with gesso, chalks, inks, a paper ornament and cut-outs from a 1960s novel.

Totally spoiled!

I'm so spoiled by my secret friend, look what she sent me! Four vintage photos that I will first scan in for later use and then... alter them away! I have my stash of vintage photos from my grandmother's belongings, but they are too valuable for me to alter so these ones are perfect! Thank you sooo much. Oh and there were some cool coins, too, and a card.


Voi SAYni, nyt iskit suoraan kultasuoneen tai johonkin hermoon, nämä kuvat ovat siis aivan täydellisiä! Skannaan ne ensin, että voin printata kuvia myöhempään käyttöön, varsinkin tuon etummaisen herran hiuslaite on sitä luokkaa, että sitä on pakko hyödyntää monesti :) Mutta sitten tarkoitukseni on tuunata näistä jotain toivottavasti kivaa! Kiitos tuhannesti ja aivan kamalasti ja voi että mie oon aivan töpinöissäni nyt just! :)

Mother's Day.

Having a wonderful Mother's Day, DD made me a bead necklace at preschool and I made DH help her with a minialbum as well, so pressies were good. There was also plenty of sleep, ice cream and pizza! And a bit of time to make three ATCs:



Cut-outs from my old mags, chalks, and a piece of old wallpaper, oh and some prima flowers :)

Texts:
Today I'm happy for the sunshine (top).
You darn cheater. The thought of insecurity. (bottom)
It's pleasant to dream. But at the end of the day, you need to live in the world of people, not dreams. (side)

Look at these!

Another lovely pressie from my secret friend! There was also chewing gum included in the packet, but it was gone before I got to take the (bad) photo. Our camera is acting up, so I'm using my mobile phone...

Kiitos SAY tästä kivasta paketista, purkat meni ennenkuin pääsin kuvaamaan, ja nuo miniastiat aiheuttivat lapsessa pientä katkeruutta, "äiti, sulla ei oo ees nukkekotia, epistä". Nyt pitäisi vaan saada sitä aikaa käyttää näitäkin ihanuuksia!

Thank you SAY2!

My secret friend sent me these: tags and a lovely crafts magazine from 1959! Thank you so much, I love the mag especially!

SAY2 lähetti jo viime viikolla nuo tagit ja tällä viikolla kilahti ihana käsityölehti vuodelta 1959! Oi onnea :) Kiitos!

Keeping things simple is good.

Here's a retro LO I did for a friend's circle journal. The text is about how I don't remember the name of my first grade teacher but I do remember her clothes. So 70s!

Cat in a Box.

He's been keeping me company...There might be something crafty happening later today or early tomorrow!

Sick.

Caught a cold. Feeling tired and uninspired. Will be back asap!

Butterfly.

This is so not my regular style, but fun to make! It's a little box for Ansku, who is the hardworking hostess behind our current circle of secret friends.

Anskulle meni tämmöinen loota, joka ei ole yhtään samanlainen kuin työni yleensä, mutta iloisen keväinen!!

More matchboxes!

I had forgotten how addictive these little things are! The photos are fuzzy, I used my mobile's camera...

Edited: The first one was the blog giveaway and the second one my contribution to a swap hosted by Kaisuliina and found its home at Hemmamamma's.

Ylempi laatikko oli blogini arpajaisvoitto ja toinen meni Hemmamammalle Kaisuliinan järkestämässä swapissa.






DD loved making them as well and we dug into my stash of stickers to decorate hers and to fill it up, too. Isn't she a darling??!!

Giveaway! Arpajaiset!

Edited: The winner is Ingridha! Voittaja on Ingridha!



I have a decorated matchbox filled with small goodies to give away. Leave a comment by Tuesday 9 am (Finnish time...) and you will enter this draw :) Please leave a link to your blog if you have one, so I know who reads mine and can pay a visit to you, too!

Arvon tiistaiaamuun klo 9 mennessä kommenttinsa jättäneiden kesken koristellun tikkuaskin, joka on täytetty pikkuylläreillä. Kipinkapin kommentoimaan ja jättäkää mahdollisen bloginne osoite, että mie tiijän kuka täällä käy!

Matchbox shrine.

Here's what I made for my "secret sister" last month, a little decorated matchbox with an inchie inside.

Hers and mine.

My DD is very dedicated: she makes cards for all the kids in the daycare group for Xmas, Valentine's and Easter. These are her 20+ cards:

This is mine. I made one card this Easter. How pathetic is that?!

And there was more!

My secret friend sent me another package today, with lovely vintage images to be used in various projects.

SAYni muisti minua tänäänkin: postissa tuli ihanaisia vintage-kuva-arkkeja, joista suuuuuri kiitos!

SAY2 is on!

Yesterday was a wonderful mail day, I got cute stuff from Hemmamamma and a lovely package from my secret friend (round 2)! I asked for some miniatures for a project and I got them along with lovely papers, a cute card and chocolate!

Kiitos SAYni, paperit ovat ihania, ja nuo pikkukupit juuri sellaisia kuin toivoinkin! Suklaa maistui illalla salaa lapsen nukkumaan mentyä, kun eikös tää ollut kaikki salaista?!

Create in peace.

Ok, this is a bit of a Sunday sermon-type of a posting, so be warned :)

I have a few blogs that I follow on a regular basis and a bunch of others I visit every now and then. What breaks my heart is people commenting without realising that words can be read in so many different ways: if you're having a bad day, it doesn't take much to get hurt over a comment that you in any other day might laugh at. I just finished a round of blog reading and ran into a "but she said, that they said"-type of a situation that involved quite a few people being hurt. Very sad.

But here comes the sermon; I want to believe that we all create to the best of our abilities and with sincerity. I've come across work I don't necessarily like, but I appreciate the effort the person has put into the work. Everyone's vision is different. I've come across swaps where someone's input has left me wondering if they might have put more effort into their work, but since I don't know them in real life, I can't know if they just had the worst week of their lives and tried to keep going by creating. Who knows, maybe someone is looking at my work and going "what the heck is she doing and why?!". I do my best to create in peace and would like to see everyone else get their peace and space to do their thing.

Am I being naive? Sure! I am the first to admit that I my faith in people backfires way too often, but if being naive gets me through the day... :)

Go create something now. In peace. For you.

Greetings from Vuokatti!

Ha, this is the kind of vacation I like, a fully equipped house with a fast internet connection! Having a wonderful time :)

Look what I got!

My secret friend did it again, she sent me the most amazing goodies, including a sweet little maze-book! Thank you so much... mrs vsop! The scan above is horrid and as soon as I lay my hands on a camera or get confirmation from mrs vsop that she has posted the maze-book, I'll come back and edit!


Tuhannet kiitokset sinulle SAYni, mrs vsop, kaikista upeista lahjoista ja muistamisista ja eritoten tuosta maze-kirjasesta! Piditpäs jännitystä yllä viimeiseen asti! Mulla ei ole just nyt kameraa käsillä, jos sulla on tuosta kirjasta parempia kuvia, niin postaatko blogissasi, niin linkkaan sitten sinne??

Tuo kuva yllä on tosiaan kamala, mutta paketissa oli paperipaketti ja nauhoja (ruskeita, kuinkas muutenkaan), tarroja, höyheniä, lisää paperia, Scrapbook inspirations-lehti, jonka mukana tuli vielä lisää tarroja ja paperia ja vielä oli ohransiemeniä pääsiäistä varten ja viimeisenä, mutta ei vähäisimpänä, maze-kirjanen!


Oh and whose secret friend was I? I had the pleasure to spoil Hemmamamma.
Ja mie oli Hemmamamman SAYna, joten kaikki on nyt paljastettu mitä paljastettavaa on?!

What the heck!?

My photos are gone! What the heck.... Will look into this, but hopefully they will be back....

Edited: Ok, Photobucket is having issues, let's see if the photos will work later on, if not, I will upload them again like I did below :) Keep your fingers crossed!

Another set of ATCs.

Still playing with fibers and inks and having a wonderful time! I used pop dots on the lingerie one to give it extra dimension, it turned out kinda groovy!

More metal for me!

What a perfect way to start a week that has been otherwise miserable (got a cold): a letter from my secret friend! Everything was wrapped in shades of brown and orange, so she must have read my details carefully :)



Kiitos SAYni tästä loistavasta viikonavauksesta, olen kotona kuumeessa ja pakettisi totisesti piristi!

Aha, that took me long!

Ok, so I had to come back and post this one:




I'm doing an ATC-swap with fibers included and been toying with ideas. Not the most original outcome, but works for me!

Ready, set, go!

DD's preschool has next week off, so we are getting ready to spend some quality time over at her grandparents' house! I might stop by with an update on a few small pieces I'm working on now, but no promises made :)

Inchies.

The minicollages I've been doing have been 1.5" x 1.5" so when I saw that Hiekkaoliivi had a swap on inchies (1 x 1 inch collage pieces) I figured it's not that much of a difference. Well, it is!

Frustrated.

I'm frustrated with the mountains of supplies that are taking over my desk and the floor.... Just spent an hour sorting things out and there is no end to it. This is it, I will not buy a single sheet of paper or another pretty little thing before I have finished all projects I've started, that's three (3) albums and a bunch of ATCs and possibly a few minicollages just to use up the leftovers. Will report back accordingly :)

More minicollages.

Little things I made for a swap:

Daily inspiration.

Get your daily fix of inspiration at the Sepia Art Studio!

Get a hobby.

A little collage piece I made yesterday; acrylic paints and mag cut-outs. The text is kinda funny: "Spring is here. Nature awakes as does the housewives' cleaning frenzy. This year, try something different. Go for a walk. Get a hobby." (Kevät on tullut. Luonto herää. Niin myös perheenemäntien siivoustarmo. Kokeilkaapa uutta keinoa tänä vuonna. Menkää ulos kävelemään. Hankkikaa jokin harrastus.)

Luckily I don't get cleaning frenzies :)

Bookmarks?

Another set of altered playing cards, these would make cute bookmarks, I think.

Kid Art.

My DD is big on making cards, she made over 30 Christmas cards and for the past two days she has been working on Valentine's Day projects. The result: 29 cards, each with a hand-written greeting. Quite an effort for a 6-year-old.

14 of the cards had a simple design that involved a lot of work; she made strings of single crochet stitches, which were glued on to a piece of cardstock. She only needed 13 of these, but I cheated her into making an extra one so I can keep it :) Bad mommy!!

Altered playing cards.

Just trying out some ideas for a swap. I got these little playing cards from Skybluepink last year and they have been sort of waiting for the right idea to come along. This might be it! First added pieces of a napkin and then the cut-outs from my lovely 1959 Finnish mags. I love the way the suits show through the napkin! The fibers and the beads might be a bit too much -- what do you think, with or without?




Oh the texts are: on the left "mother does not reply to practical questions" and on the right "quiet sound". I love the image on the right, it's sooo much fun!

Who would have thought...

...that chopping up mags would be so much fun? I'm doing a minicollage swap and needed to try out some ideas; here's the first series I made. Not quite there yet, where-ever that is. The little golden things are watch parts and if you knew what fat fingers I have, you'd really appreciate the fact that I used them!

Say: Thank You, Say!

I'm doing a fun round of "secret sisters" with Hiekkaoliivi and my SAY sent me the most wonderful package. Look at all these seriously cool goodies I got:



Papers in brown and rich shades of orange, a fun accordion album and letterstickers.



Cute postcards and look at all the metal I got; I love the little swords!

Thank you, kiitos, merci, tack and danke schön!


Ja vielä varulta suomeksi, ettei vaan kenellekään jää epäselväksi, että SAYni on onnistunut valinnoissaan aivan loistavasti: noiden paperien sävyt ovat niin kauniita, ettei niille mikään skannaus tee oikeutta, tuo minialbumi on hauska ja metalli.... umm, minua ei turhaan kotona sanota metallimamaksi! Nauroin ääneen kun näin nuo minimiekat, aivan hulvattoman hauskoja!! Kiitos, SAY tästä upeasta paketista!

Dinner and coffee are now being served.

Here are the ATCs I made for the swap at Hiekkaoliivi. I got lovely cards back from Ansku, check out her blog!

She wore a flowered shirt.

And found a new home here. If you visit, check out the shoe card, it's on my wall now!!




With these torsos, I'm beginning to think they would be brilliant for Mother's Day...

All dressed up.

I made some torsos last week, this one was the first of them. She looks likes she's going to a wedding or somewhere where you need to be all dressed up. Gotta love the little rose she tucked under her waistband.



All materials, in case you want to know: the papers are from my collection of paper samples (wall papers and gift wraps), the beads etc. are from various swaps. Using my stash!

Oh, almost forgot...

Happy belated b-day to me! I hit the big 40 last Sunday :)

Preview.

I've been working on swaps, here's a little teaser for you all. I'm mailing these next week so then you will see the real things!

A Flower for You.

Here's a little b-day card I made for a friend using a fun background that you can learn to make here.

Minicollage.

Lisa Vollrath's work is so amazing that every now and then I just have to try to do what she does. I love the little collage squares she makes, and as I was cleaning my desk I realised I had to try them out.

These little babies are cut with my CM square punch, the bigger square is 1 1/2" and the smaller one is 1 1/4".

Pressies for Bro.

My brother has his Bday tomorrow and I scanned in some old photos for him, here's the cover I made for the CD. Keeping things simple.



My little DD, now 6 years old, is sooo into beading that she insists on making beaded pressies for everyone. Her uncle will be getting this:



Darn, the kid has more talent and better concentration than her mom... :)

A Page A Day.

This is so fab; check out mael's blog for her ongoing project "a page a day"; she's commited into doing a page each day, be it journalling, a photo or a note as long as she finalises it in a day. In Finnish only, but hey, art crosses language barriers!

Leave.

Today is different although it started like any other day: wake-up at 6.15, shower, coffee, head to DD's daycare at 7.35. But at 8, I didn't go to work. I have a 3-month study leave. Wow. Better get to it then...

Happy New Year!

What an exciting evening we had, watched a movie, drank one (1) beer, went to bed at half past eleven! Getting old ain't easy :)

Happy New Year everyone and hope to see more of you and more often!