HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hellu!
Last year I did a recap of 2012 on New Years Eve and I thought I'd do the same this year since it's fun :) Here's the one for 2012.

This has for some reasons been the hardest year ever and for a lot of reasons been the best year of my life. The best thing that's happened this year (and except for my bf, the best thing in all of my life) is that I'm an aunt now. I got a niece in february and a nephew in july. Holding those little people for the first time... Last week my niece fell asleep in my arms for the first time and I felt so lucky I could burst. I could probably never describe exactly how happy becoming an aunt has made me so I'll just stop here before I cry all over my keyboard ;)

Another cool thing is that me and the bf got engaged on my 25th birthday (where does the time go??). In june I graduated after 3,5 years of studies. I have a title now (and a job that I like woop woop). Pretty cool! The next big thing happened in august when I went to Iceland to discover my roots and learn icelandic. It was awesome meeting my relatives and getting to know the people in my class. Hopefully I can take the bf there next year :) My niece and her family ;) moved to our city in august and now live real close, which is like the best thing ever. My bestest friend also moved and is just a short walk away! :)

This was also the year I got really into no poo and all that jazz. I still buy 90% of my clothes second hand (I should do a post soon since I've updated my wardrobe a bit). I also try to get other stuff second hand, from shops or from my family he he. I also kinda took the no pooing to another level by quitting the pill, which I haven't talked about on the blog but seriously increased my quality of life by like a billion. Preach!

Anyways, this will probably be my longest post ever since I'm gonna post my favorite nail arts of 2013 as well as my favorite DIYs (the ones I have pics of that is). First up, the best nail arts!

Spongy, tape and rhinestone mani with two new favorites: Sephora - Any Way Any Where & China Glaze - Stella. Purdy!

Bought me some new neons with shimmer. Perfect for crazy leopards!

I still love rainbows.

Tried another way to use hole reinforcers with some A Englands.

Wedding mani and plastic wrap sponging.

Finally got the hang of the cloud mani.

2013 wasn't a very nail arty year. Hopefully I can get more creative in 2014 :) And now the best for last, my favorite DIYs! Trying to remember them I thought I didn't make that much but eeh.. I kinda did :)

 Two rainbow favorites in one pic. The pillow because it's cool and the baby sweater since it was the first one and also the first piece of baby clothing I made.

Probably one of my funniest posts. Pobody's nerfect.

One of the coolest pieces yet. Stomach warmed with Hönsestrikk.

Upcycled a skirt.

One of my most complemented pieces, also very fun to make. Embroidered kånken.

Blanket for lil A.

More experimenting with the sweater pattern.

Stepped out of my comfort zone both sewing- and clotheswise.

And another adventure in cotton. Samfestingur.

Phew! If you got all the way down here...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Day of DIY # 56. Samfestingur.

Hellu!
Here's a baby DIY I cast on in april. And finished in october lol. It lay almost finished for a while when I gathered energy for figuring out the finishing touches. I intended this for my niece lil G since she was the only one around at that time :P Then I was too slow and she outgrew it before it was even finished. But fear not because my nephew entered the world and I got it ready for his visit. Unfortunately lil A is a bit bigger than his cousin and it was too small for him as well! Ah well, it's on hold for the next baby to grace our family :)

 Tadah! The pattern was originally an icelandic one called Samfestingur that my mom translated for me (yes she knows everything). I then modified it so I could knit it in the round and with raglan sleeves. Because I löööv me some raglan! ;) The yarn is cotton from various sources and a tiny amount of bamboo. I bought the buttons new (oh my!) since I didn't have any fitting ones at home. I did the size 3-6 months (if I'm not totally mistaken).

I'm really pleased with this one so it was too bad neither kiddo could wear it... Since I do like squares I'm happy with the pattern, which was also effortless to make but makes it all the more interesting :)

Toodels!

Grey + holo.

Hellu!
I finally made some nail art. A subtle mani with grey and grey.

This is two coats of H&M - Miss Stone Heart (yes I use it aaaall the time 8)) then I added hole reinforcers and A England - Ascalon + Seche Vite top coat.

It's hard getting good pics now since it's dark before I go to work and dark when I get home. So expect flashy pics on the scarce manis...

Toodels!

Life.

Hellu!
The days are moving quickly. I've been working for three weeks now. It's going fine and I like it. Just a lot of stuff to remember. But I'll get the hang of it :) I'm working on some christmas gifts at the moment but I still have some unposted DIYs. For today though, just some random lifey pics.

I love it when my outfits are mostly second hand/hand made :)

Cosy nights in with the bf.

And an awesome breakfast on a saturday.

Yesterday me and lil G went on an adventure in the snowy weather to visit my best friend. For his birthday I gave my brother in law (and my sister) a home cooked lunch and some baby free time :) And yesterday we found the time for this special occasion! I made some pannbiffar and a sallad and took lil G out for a walk. First time I've been away by myself with her and it went really well :) About two hours away from her parents and she was happy until we were about to leave my friends place. Proud aunt! :)

Toodels!

Day of DIY # 55. More baby pants.

Hellu!
Here's another pair of baby pants I made a couple of weeks ago. More info here. This is my contribution to this weeks Husmorsskolans Syförening.

You may recognise this fabric :) The cuffs are from two old sweatshirts.

These were also too big... But I'm getting there lol.

Toodels!

Day of DIY # 54. Baby socks.

Hellu!
I made these socks for my nephew. And got them ready in time for his visit :)

The yarn is sock yarn (75% wool, 25% synthetic) from Lidl, bought a couple of years ago. I have the same yarn in brown tones and red/orange/pink. The pattern is this one from Drops. One ball of yarn made 2 pairs of these. For some reason it's such a nice feeling knitting up balls of yarn :p

Action pic! :)

I have a feeling I'll make a lot more of these since I have a lot of nice sock yarn in different colors :)

Toodels!

A moment.

Hellu!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Toodels!

Some words.

Hellu!
No posts in 2 weeks oops.. Anyways I'm still here. Just need to find some time and energy to write. I haven't been very craftsy lately but still have some finished, unblogged items. I think it might be that I put too much pressure on myself to make a lot of christmas presents and it made me a bit overwhelmed. So I'll just finish the pieces I've started and then if I feel like it I'll make more. I might even make something for myself even tho christmas is coming up! Crazytown! :)

Anyways, another reason it's been quiet is because I've gotten a job! :D It's a temp for 3 months in the field that I was the most interested in. I've just had my first week but I already feel at home and like the assignments and so on. Everything just worked out perfectly :)

Today I've had my dad and sister, brother in law and last but not least niece over for dinner (which my dad brought and prepared in full - the luxury!). Awesome :) Yesterday evening was spent with by bestie and good food and lots of talking :)

I even tried roller derby this week which was really fun (certainly crazytown that one! :P) and I think I'm gonna try it a couple more times since I only have ATS now and need exercise more than once a week.

Hopefully I'll paint my nails soon and make some nail art. It's been a bit dry on that front...

Anyways, life is good you guys!
Toodels!

Sparkly leopard.

Hellu!
I wanted something colorful and sparkly on my nails. And leopard print is so easy + requires no clean up. Perfect!

 The blue is one coat of Barry M - Cyan Blue. It's such a cheerful color! :) The leopard spots are Color Club - Hot Like Lava and the black is A England - Camelot as usual. And some Seche Vite to smooth it all out.

The pink is a metallic which really made the spots sparkle. Need to make more metallic leopards!

Maybe I should include a pic from further away because that's probably when I think leopard print looks best. Next time!

Toodels!

Day of DIY # 53. Baby pants.

Hellu!
Last week I tried something new... Baby pants! I got a pair from my sister to take apart and make a pattern out of. Google "t-shirt to baby pants" / "make baby pants" or something like it and you will find lots of tutorials! This is my contribution to Husmorsskolans Syförening this week.

 I used a pillow casing I bought second hand and an old t-shirt from my mom.

They turned out really nice but sadly a looot too big :p No worries though, they will be just as good in the summer :)

I've made a couple more of these and modified the pattern a bit. Not quite there yet but I'm getting the hang of it. Learning by doing! ;)
Toodels!

Hairhairhair.

Hellu!
I think the main purpose of this blog is to document and help me remember. The stuff I make is there in the flesh or in pictures but the no poo stuff isn't always as documented. So here's a hairy update. The last 4-5 hair washes has been with honey since the season for itchy scalp is upon us (sigh!). Anyways, it works pretty well and my scalp feels good. The funny thing I've noticed with the honey wash is that my hair looks better the day after I've washed it. Kinda like the natural oils have sunken in a bit. I've also been combing my hair more to spread the oils out. The roots have been a bit oily but the rest of the hair is softer than ever! I'm leaning towards having a bit oily roots + awesome hair rather than really clean with dry lengths. Going no poo has made me care less about if my hair looks a bit dirty I guess. Plus there's always dry schampoo you guys! (corn starch + cocoa powder) 8)

Here's my hair just before I cut it a month ago. Didn't get an after pic oops. This is the longest my hair has ever been. 10-15 cm below my waist or so. I'm growing it back. Kinda curious to see how long it can get... 8)

Also, I cut my own hair since I'm cool and all. (and don't really care that much ;)) I'm guessing that it's a lot easier when you have long hair. Here's a video I found pretty helpful. Youtube also has like a million tutorials if you wanna learn how to cut your hair. Since I don't go to hair dressers (for several reasons) and can't always get someone I know to cut it (guessing my mom's a bit tired after cutting my hair for 20 years ;)) I just had to dive in. I do it when the bf is home so he can tell me if it looks somewhat straight at least ;P

I LIKE HAIRZ!

Toodels!

Matte and shiny.

Hellu!
How many designs can you get with hole reinforcers? Here's 4 anyways.

The gorgeous semi matte shimmer fest is Sephora - Any way any where (WHY IS IT A MINI BOTTLE????) and the black is A England - Camelot.

This Sephora is a true staring polish. So purdy.

Toodels!

Day of DIY # 52. Embroidered top.

Hellu!
This week I'm finally on board for Fredrikas Sypepp again! I've been meaning to join in since my first time in may... Eh. :p Better late than never! This time it was an upcycling theme, perfect! It's also nice since this DIY is actually inspired by her as well. She's posted a lot of cool short tops and when I was working on this one I was like heck, why not make it a short one! This is also my contribution to Husmorsskolans Syförening this week.

This is what I started out with, courtesy of my dad. A jeans shirt with short sleeves.

 I embroidered the back before I had any idea what I wanted to turn it into. My first thoughts were a dress, since obviously I like 'em dresses ;)

Of course I had to throw a rainbow in there. All the embroidery floss was thrifted, the sewing thread was a gift. Monetary cost for this project = very close to nothing.

Then I cut off about half of it and took it in everywhere :P I'm so glad I have a sewing mannequin! I probably wouldn't have made it otherwise lol.

I'm super happy with this one. Even though (or especially because) it's not really my style. Comfort zone -> stepping out of it. Plus I've never refashioned anything this much or well :)

Pics by bf <3 I'm also wearing my fantastical harem pants that he bought me in India. Woop woop!

Toodels!

Let's talk about sweat for a second.

Hellu!
I've been meaning to write this post for aaages. Since may. Oops. Anyways. Better late than never. This here is about deodorants. And no poo. You can google deodorants and antiperspirants and read about why they're bad. And make up your own mind. I don't use commercial products on my body anymore (only soap and tooth paste. More on that another day). So since I'm into the whole no poo thing deodorants was a natural step. I had already stopped using deodorants since a couple of weeks so the toxins had already been sweated off by the time I started experimenting. Here you can read in swedish about deodorants. The first one I tried was alum + water.

Get a suitable container (I bought two small pump bottles from Åhlens since I didn't have any spares at home). Then you pour alum and water in it and shake. When the alum doesn't dissolve anymore you've poured in enough. Doesn't take that much either so it's a cheap deodorant.

Then I continued with the experimenting and wanted to try the baking soda deodorant. There are a lot of recipes for this one if you google. I used coconut oil + shea butter, corn starch, baking soda and some essential peppermint oil to make it smell good.

Melt the solids down and mix it all together.

Pour it into a jar or a container like these ones. (What the heck is hylsa in english??) Containers from Hemgjord.

The baking soda deodorant did not work for me aaat all. Made me smell 10 times worse than I would with no deodorant at all. I do know though that this one works for a lot of people and I'm not inclined to give up on it just yet. I might try to modify the recipe one of these days. For now I use the alum one. With no poo you have to be willing to try stuff and not give up right away if it doesn't work.

Toodels!

Day of DIY # 51. Baby cardigan.

Hellu!
I actually have several DIYs ready. Which is pretty nice since there won't be much home made stuff here until oh say the 24th of december... ;) Here's one I finished last week. And this week I'm right on schedule for Husmorsskolans Syförening :)

 My first cardigan :) Modified this pattern. This is the 4th sweater from that pattern. It's really easy to follow and modify so I like it :) The size is 0-3 months. Material is wool yarn from Klippans Yllefabrik and size 3 needles. Cutting in knits is fuuuun! I also crocheted the neck a bit higher but you can't really see that in the pic.

 I made this for my niece since cardigans are easier to use. And because I just can't resist making stuff for the babies... The buttons are from my grandmothers sewing box :) Why buy stuff you guys? (except you yarn... my precious)

The pattern is (aside from stripes..) pretty much the easiest possible but still really nice :) I have a special love for squares... I crocheted the button holes.

And an action pic from when I had some real special little peeps visiting :)

I will most def make more of these! :) Now if only adult sweaters knitted up this quickly... ;P
Toodels!

Leopard rerun kinda.

Hellu!
I was browsing my nail art lable the other day and got in the mood for a neon leopard. It's kind of the only kind I do. If it's not neon it's some other really bright colorful combo. This is like the non identical twin of this mani.

 The base is two coats of China Glaze - Surfin' For Boys (which doesn't match my skin color and makes it perfect for covering :P). The spots are China Glaze - Stella and the black is A England - Camelot. And some SV to smooth it out.

With flash.

Macro shimmer!

I don't really buy polish that much anymore but if I place an order it will contain some more polishes from this collection. Drool!
Toodels!

Just everyday life.

Hellu!
Just some pics from the life of this one.

1,3 litres of water melon juice, infused in the fridge with mint leaves for a couple of days. As we say in Sweden, ska det va så ska det va.

Making baby food. It's super easy! Just boil some organic goodies, mix it up. Serve.

Also, thanks to my mom we make our own "table butter". You know, the stuff you put on your bread. I found that 250g butter and 2,5 dl oil works perfectly. Plus, it's super easy to remember. This saves us 10 SEK per batch. Pretty good I say.

After months of cotton it felt good getting my hands on some wool again. Picking colors from a crate with wool in all the colors of the rainbow = <3

Toodels!