Happy

I get so happy when Anne-Sophie sends us photos from Thailand. It's fun to see the places they have been to, but most of all I love to see how they are doing.

So when we got this particular photo, I knew that our daughter is enjoying her time with sun, warm weather, new experiences, lovely food and sweet people - I can tell by looking at her eyes that she's happy. And I hear it in her voice when she calls us on the phone.

Then I need no more for the time being...

All about knitting

I did knit one gift this Christmas - a scarf for my dad. But for obvious reasons I didn't dare show it on the blog (eventhough I doubt that my father reads my blog!)

The scarf is grey and knitted in a simpel pattern - seed stitches - and the yarn is wool, which doesn't itch. A very important detail when it's going to be used close to the skin on one's neck...at least if I should decide it.

Another Christmas present - the one for my niece Ida - was related to knitting too.

Ida has recently started knitting, so I bought her several knitting needles in different sizes, a measuring tape, needles for sewing in yarn and a gauge ruler.

I also gave her this yarn - enough to knit this pattern.

Luckily both the scarf and the knitting packet were well received....

And then...

After a very cozy night it's time to try out one of the - outdoor - presents....

A snow skateboard (not snowboard) which we ordered in the USA. I never knew that such a thing existed before Emil wrote it on his wishlist. But I knew that he would be able to skate it the very minute he stood on it...and I were right.

He had so much fun skating down the long and steep slope, and after him ran happy Otto - trying to catch up with Emil.

Now we are all back in our warm house, and soon we will begin the family Bezzerwizzer tournament.
Take care and enjoy the day...I sure do.

. . .

Yeah!!

They are done!! And the snow hasn't dissapeared....

A different Christmas evening

This year's Christmas evening is going to be different from the ones we have held before. Anne-Sophie has - once more - been invited on a holiday in Thailand by her boyfriend Tim.

Only this time they leave tomorrow and doesn't return before January the 3rd. That means a Christmas evening without Anne-Sophie - something we haven't tried before.
I know that it's going to be very hard not to have her here, but on the other hand I'm happy that she will have a lovely time. She has just had 14 very stressful days due to the fact, that she (and the rest of  her classmates) had to make a big assignment. She has had very little time to relax, and I really think it will be wonderful for her to have the time to enjoy herself and take it easy.

However, I'm convinced that lots of thoughts will be sent to her from all of us and the rest of her family, when Christmas evening arrives...and the other way around.

So now I have made her a Christmas letter to bring to Thailand. And it's not to be opened before the 24th. (All her presents are left at home for later).

When Anne-Sophie and Tim return in the beginning of January, I have promised Anne-Sophie that we will make a traditional Christmas dinner for them.....with Risalamande and - of course - an almond prize (the one who finds the almond which has been put secretly into the Risalamande, gets a little gift)..

Little Mibo friends

I love these little creatures from Mibo. Especially the reindeer I'm about to glue together...

These Christmas ones have been lying on my computer for a long time since I bought them...(and so have the Easter ones). Finally I got them printed and cut out.

Soon the mouse, the icebear, the reindeer and the birds can stand on our wall and look at us during the holidays. I know that I will look back at them ever so often...

It's A Wonderful Life

How come we don't get to see this fine, old Christmas film in Denmark anymore?

I remember seing it every Christmas in my childhood.

Has it ever been a part of your holiday memories?
 Or perhaps you love another film, which you just have to see in December?

Never too old....

...for making all sorts of confections for Christmas. Emil (who froze his ears in this photo!) has always loved that and I remember how Emil made huge pieces of marzipan with lovely chocolate and other goodies, when he was little. He was so proud of his work and enjoyed the fact, that he had his very own to eat during Christmas.

Nowadays he's much more fuddy-duddy and makes fine little pieces. All lined up and ready to be put in a tin and saved for Christmas days.

I do have to keep an eye on the tins, though. Sometimes the content in them seem to become reduced...rapidly.

My perpetual guilty conscience

Every single Christmas I have one thing hanging over my head. Something which I have put upon myself.

Actually it was a joy in the beginning, but in recent years it has only become a greater and greater source for guilty conscience.

I have always wanted to embroider a blanket on which we could put our Christmas tree. And 4 or 5 years ago, I found the perfect kit. It's designed by fabulous Pelse Asboe and is called "Skøjtenisser".

And I started to sew lots of x-stitches when the kit had arrived. It was so much fun but soon I found out that the fibres from the burlap made my astma bad.

I tried to continue with the blanket several times, but had to give up.

So now it's in a tin box in my sewing room, and every time for Christmas I go have a look at it, and become annoyed about the fact that I haven't been able to finish it.

Now I just hope that someone has a great trick to keep the fibres out of my throat....

Cozy Elf Tuque

That's the name of a new pattern I bought. It's designed by Barbara Prime. Here's a photo I took of it and it might just become a favourite one, when I knit for little baby and toddler friends of mine.

The shape looks so promising - I think that it will have a great fit. Maybe as good as the Devil hat pattern.

But trying it out will have to wait for a while. But when the time comes, I think I will start with the version with the small buttons....

Well, isn't it....Otto??

I did have an eye on Alyssa's new dog embroidery patterns some months ago. You know Alyssa, who designed the fabulous alphabet which I have written about several times before.

And when the dogs turned up in her etsy shop I simply had to buy this particular one:

Because can't you see it? It looks so much like Otto...Hmmm, at least I think so!



It will be embroidered in black - that's for sure.

I hope for a Butterfly Mambo for Christmas!

I am indeed crazy about porcelain clay and this beautiful butterfly swept me of my feet.
I adore the thin, graceful wings and the red legs and antennas and could easily see the butterfly soar in my livingroom.

It's designed by Wapa Studio and it will definitely be on my wishing list from today...

A little bit of etsy love...

I would have loved something like this when I were a child. Something to cut out and glue together. And play with afterwards...

It's called the Candy Cane Gingerbread Cottage Playset and only costs about 18 Danish kroner!

A perfect little present for the young children's advent calenders, if you ask me.

No cold ears!

Anne-Sophie had seen a beautiful knitted hat in the window of our local yarn shop. She showed it to me when we were in town together and immediately I decided that I wanted to make it for her. Which mom doesn't seize the chance to keep her children's ears warm. ;)

So I bought the kit the other day and paid almost 200 Danish kroner for it! I don't consider myself to be miserly - especially not when it comes to my children (and crafting stuff!) - but I did think that it was quite a price for a hat...

It is designed by Hanne Falkenberg and the hat is called Stella. Anne-Sophie wanted to keep the colours in a classic and dateless way, so she is getting the hat in black and a linen colour.

Now it's up to her mom to finish it before the cold weather is over...

12 + 12 = 24

I split our advent candle in two this year, because I think that we could do with a little more time to burn it in. We always tend to forget to blow it out when the right number has been reached!

So using these made it possible to have two candles.

How about you - are you fast or slow at burning down the days for Christmas?

For me...

So it's time for advent presents again.

The advent bag has been put on it's usual place - right there on the banister, so it's the first thing Emil sees when he comes down the stars from his room.

This year is different from all the other years. Anne-Sophie's advent bag is no longer on the banister but has gone with her to her appartment. It's really strange...and a bit sad...but I know that her advent present is even more appriciated this year.

I'm so fortunate that I get to have an advent calender as well. It's my dear bigsister who has made it for me, and I absolutely love it.

Today I got this beautiful biscuit tin and inside it is lots, and lots of delicious Pebernødder (a Danish Christmas biscuit. Literally translated it's pepper nuts) which she baked for me. Uhmmm!

I got so emotional when I opned the present from Lotte - she has so much to do in her life, but still she took the time to make a calender for me again and bake those lovely cookies. I really appricite it deep down in my heart.

Now I only need to figure out how to keep the Pebernødder away from the rest of my family in this house. I definitely want to share, but it's when I say so...

Do you remember the kings in the bathtub?

These kings...

Well, now she has been making new and interesting things again that clever Hanne Marie Leth Andersen. I don't think that words will do any good here. Just have a look - that's much better.



Photo from Andersenkeramik




Photo from Andersenkeramik



And by the way; now I have a bathtub of my own - a gift from my dear friend Liselotte.



If....

...my Anne-Sophie still was 5 years old, I would do my very best to persuade her to get a Christmas dress like this:

Isn't it wonderful? It's a French pattern called Charleston. It reminds me of old days and yet it has a new and modern touch in the design.

The dress has no sleeves and what you see in the picture, is Charleston with a lovely top underneath it. Elegant and childish at the same time.

I know that it would have looked so fine on my Anne-Sophie...if she would have worn it. That I couldn't tell for sure.

I'm reading Vendestrik 2

So it finally came, that wonderful book I have been waiting for. Once more Hanne Meedom has created beautiful patterns - and the ones you see in the mosaics are my favourites. The book is written in Danish, I might add.

I'm especially crazy about the blue one with the 2 slits in the neckline. And the pink one with the red crocheted tie-strings, gets such a great look of not being too romantic.

I ordered my copy here.

My view...

This is the view I have from our computer...

I don't know what happened to my little mouse - he seems to be so sleepy. Normally he sits on the wall in his box with his knitted blanket and his pillow.

I'm sure that it's Emil who put him to sleep. ;)

The 3 cubes are the most cheap candlestick holders I have ever had - I paid 3 Danish kroners for one!! But I love them and think that their colors go so well together. Eventhough white candles might look a bit better than the red shades I used here.

How is the view from your computer??

K1, P1, K1, P1

I'm knitting. Something for Christmas. For someone.....

It's out!

The new calender from Skals Håndarbejdskole is here. I always look forward to see which ideas they have come up with, and somehow the year doesn't start properly, before the old Skals calender has been replaced by a brand new one on my kitchen wall.

For as many years as I can remember, we have had that calender. It was my mum who introduced me to it, and she still loves it as much as I do. Way back the shape was different - longer and slimmer. Perfect to hang on a doorframe, and that was excactly where it hang in my childhood home.

And all those lovely ideas and patterns, which the calender contains every year, have been treasured. I keep all my back issues of  the calender in my grandmother's old, white chest of drawers. Like a big treasure of brilliant ideas and beautiful photos and drawings.

Can you believe that it only costs 25 Danish kroners??

T e m p t i n g ~ c e r a m i c s . . .

And a little beauty in glass.

I have found the most WONDERFUL shop ever. It's Swedish, it's called COSAS and I feel an urge to buy nearly everything in it.

Maybe you like it too...have a look. All the photos are from Cosas, so dig in...



By Marie-Louise Sundqvist

 


Made by Fideli Sundqvist

 


Made by Mia Blanche, K2 Keramik




Made by Mia Blanche, K2 Keramik




From House Doctor



L e f t o v e r s ? ?

All of these things are ongoing projects of mine. I hate having them lying around in my sewingroom and in my knittingbasket. And they give me a guilty conscience, whenever I buy new materials like fabric, floss and yarn.

Besides that, I actually miss some of it. Miss it because I could have used it by now.

That soft, soft scarf from Sortlakrids would have been wonderful to throw around my neck, on a freezing cold day like we had today. And I absolutely need more woodland people from Cathy on my tunics - Ursula needs company.

The POIS embroidery would have given my couch a much needed color touch up, and I wanted to wear the cardigan with faces even before I started knitting it!

But patience is what I need...and in the end I know that slow work will get me there. But wouldn't it be great to wake up one morning and see all one's fabric and yarn leftovers finished and ready for use!?

Talking about green...

...makes me wanna show all these happy and beautiful fabrics from

Amy Butler's new fabricline -

Soul Blossoms.

I know for sure that I will have to pre-order some metres of number 1 or number 4! They would be perfect for a tunic or a dress (and would be excellent with the green shoes).

And there they were!!

The fantastic green shoes I have been looking for, for so long - and I didn't even know that these were the ones I would love!

They are from Gigidio - a brilliant brand. If you have ever worn their shoes you will know why. They are soft and light and you hardly feel like you are wearing any shoes...and besides that, they come in great and elegant designs.

And while I'm in the wish department, I wouldn't mind getting a new pair of Duckfeet. Not that the ones I have are worn out - I simply want them in green....

Finally a last wish: maybe this lovely dress from Like London would be the perfect match with the shoes -and the boots!

I love how the colors are mixed on the beautiful brown background. The fact that the dress has dots, stripes and drop shaped patterns only add to the beauty, if you ask me.

Thank God it's Christmas soon....



F a v o u r i t e s

F a v o u r i t e s, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

What more can I say, than I feel so privileged to be able to enjoy the work of so many talented people.

Label your stuff

Once again Riley Blake has come up with a wonderful design.

This time it's fabric labels to use on your sewing - for instance on a quilt when it's done. That is if you don't fell like making the label yourself (which I might find a bit more funny and personal after all).

And when you have cut out the label you want to use, you can write whatever you like on it, or maybe embroider the letters on instead.

The labels come in three different colours - pink, green and brown. If you want to see the rest of the colours then go have a look here.

And they are a great solution to start off with, if you want to label your things...

Elephant dress

Now our niece Sarah can get a new dress. My husband promised her one when she was here last time.

She loves dresses and this fabric with elephants - and so do I. I bought it in my all time favourite fabric shop Små Tekstiler, which sadly doesn't exists any longer...

I think that I will send the dress to Copenhagen soon...and mail the bigsister pillow to her in another package when I get it done.

N u m b e r - 1 1

 I have always been very fond of the patterns designed by the Faroese comapany Navia.

Now they have their 11th magazin out and these 4 are just some of the many beautiful sweaters from it. The way they play with the mix of traditional and new is just amazing...

A book full of happiness and finesse

Finally!!

Kajsa's book ended up in my mailbox. I have been waiting for it to come ever since the day Kajsa wrote on her blog, that a book was a new and exiting project of her's.

I have admired Kajsa's work and read her blog for a long time.
To me there is a handful of people on the internet, who truely has rocked my world with their work, personality and never ending creativity. Kajsa is one of them...

I remember how thrilled I were when I saw her things for the very first time. Her wonderful pillows, quilts, houses, Tomter, cat pouches, bags and much more immidiately made me smile and at the same time, I loved how obvious it was that Kajsa made her things with such care and meticulousness.

And now we all get the possibility to read about it and make some of Kajsa's things from her new book.

The book is very well written and illustrated by lovely photos. I like how words and pictures have been put together, and it leaves the reader extremely inspired and well equipped for sewing and trying out the variuos techniques Kajsa uses in her work.

Last but not least I appriciate that the book gives you a fine and personal impression of the person behind it.

Need I say that I love Scandinavian Stitches??

The very last one. . . for now

#3 Djævlhue, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.