Ravenhill

Flea market fabrics galore

Big brother made and brought this tasty treat up to his wee sick sister. I so love these amazing gestures of sibling effection, especially since much of the time I am requesting that big brother please let little sister be.

As promised, more on the flea market. It began with what is known as a bag sale. You could fill a whole bag of anything in the textile section for a certain price. I almost couldn't believe my good fortune, as usually the bag sale is the second day when most of the finer items are long gone.


I am starting with a bright fabric in case anyone else is having a challenging day and in need of a lift. My day has been very cozy at home snuggling on the couch or in the bed with my fever-ridden little daughter. It does get a bit tiring. I can feel slightly like a caged animal not able to move around, go out and do my usual things.  However, it is a joy to see her recovering as the day has gone on. I am so happy to say that her appetite is back.

Another couple of brights! I am rather sweet on the wildflower one on the left.

I found 5 hand embroidered matching napkins.

I completly fell for this sheer curtain fabric. I think it would make a lovely top layer for a skirt for Lilly.

This caught my eye too with its small and sweet flowers.

This is the corner of a table cloth which will be perfect for a picnic on a warm summer day.

I found some lovely vintage patterns for little ones.

I wish I could tell you that is it, but there is even more!

This should be plenty of yarn to make up enough mittens and hats for my guys for next winter.

I thought this one was so sweet.

I will end with my favorite. I realize now that I have way too many to show you and I am feeling rather sheepish for buying so much... I will put photos of the rest on flickr. In my defense, flea market season is brief and these fabrics will have to last the other part of the year when there are no flea markets.

FLEA MARKET SEASON HAS BEGUN!!!!

I have been looking forward to signs of spring all winter: the start up of flea markets in Norway. Yesterday was the first!  One of my most precious finds was this vintage tin which I filled it to the brim with the lovely hand made lace and doilies I found yesterday! What good fortune!

Flea markets in Norway are held at schools by sports teams or school bands. The parents spend weeks carting everything from furniture to toys to fabrics and plant pots to their designated storage area. So they have virtually tons of new and used items that they have gotten for free. People are happy to save the hassle of having to cart off their junk themselves. The flea markets are advertised in the local papers and on the internet. You can see what an overcast day it was and catch a glimpse of the patches of snow remaining on the ground here from my view on the bus on my way there.

Each flea market is opened to a crowd of people waiting outside. The pushing and shoving to get in is actually a bit dangerous. You have to just go with the flow as you are swept into the doors by the crowds pressing you on all sides.

And once inside the very first stop was the textiles! Here you see the curtains. I sometimes find wonderful cotton curtains that I can reuse.

There was a lot to look at and it was fun to watch while they brought out even more! Doesn't she look eager to get her hands on it all?

Tomorrow I will show you photos of some more of my finds! For now I barely have had a moment to sit and write this as my littlest one came down with a tummy bug again. Oh, this one is a really bad one. It is hard to see her so miserable. Right now I am so hoping that she will be able to sleep tonight as we could both really use it!

Such kindness!

Just when I think I can relax because my shop is well-stocked with dolls I get another order! Today I was only had two dolls in the shop so I have now added Helene (Sorry, she already off to her new home) and Tone:

I have other goodies to show you today because I received the loveliest gifts in the mail!

Thank you Puk for the beautifully wrapped gifts from the Netherlands! I love this handmade lace!

Puk is handy with both knitting needles and crochet hooks. You can see more of the beautiful things she makes in her shop.

This luscious hand dyed and hand spun yarn reminds me of my mother's beautiful hand spun. Puk, your yarn is gorgeous beyond belief!

Puk explained her thoughtfulness in the sweet handmade card: "Just because I love to read your blog and see the stuff you make." Before I started blogging I never would have believed it, that people could be so nice. But I find myself wanting to give things to other crafters and artists whom I admire - I learn so much from other bloggers. I guess that is also why I enjoy doing give aways, it is a means to give something back to all the wonderful people who take the time to leave words of encouragement!

So I have made commenting easier. I really hated the code thing and my husband has helped me by removing it!

I think that Puk also figured out how much I adore fabric. She sent me two pieces of such pretty fabrics. This one is my favorite. I can't tell you how much I enjoy getting such nice surprises in the mail.

Congratulations!

With the help of my lovely assistant, the random number generator, I have found four lucky winners of my hundredth post give away:

Erin, Lara, Kajsa, and Alison. I won't reveal who gets which fabrics as it will be ever so much more exciting for each recipient to open up the package when she don't know which pretty pile is going to be hers.

I laughed when I found out who the winners were, because Alison sells fabric on Etsy! Who wouldn't want a bit more though, right!? I think it only fitting that Alison should have a bit of fabric coming her way too.

I wish you a happy Easter for those of you who celebrate it and share with you more digital images from Ian of South Korea.

We are nearly healthy now and ready to enjoy the rest of our 5 day vacation! I want to thank everyone for all the outpouring of get well wishes!

Blogging and making new friends

My little family and I are still trying to recover from our tummy bug. I won't bore you with any details, but suffice it to say that I am not getting very much done but I have something fun for you today anyway!


I am dying to know what you think of the digital version of my matryoshka dolls? Click on the photo to get the full view. This digital image was a surprise I got from Ian Hong Brown in South Korea! I was astounded when I opened the flickr mail from him and found this picture of my girls. It must have taken a bit of time to do. I wrote him to ask what he was going to do with the photos and his reply: "A present for you." By the way, I had never heard of Ian before he sent me this image.

I wonder if blogging will ever cease to amaze me? So far I am loving the surprises!

Newbie

I am still really new to having my own Etsy shop. I am trying to figure out how I will package things. Here is an order I sent out on Saturday:

I have tried various wrapping and so far I like this best. I also enclose a hand made and hand written card.

If you haven't already, there is still time to enter my Give Away.

Does anybody know...?

I have a question and I wonder if anyone might know the answer. Can anyone tell me why they make fabrics this way? I have found several scraps of fabrics while thrifting that really fascinate me. They are printed on both sides; one type of print on one and different print on the reverse. I would just love to find out if anyone has any information about these types of fabrics!

The cotton fabric is a bit sturdier than some. I adore both prints! Here I have shown both sides of the same fabric.

Here is the another fabric, front and back sides.

I don't have a lot to show the past few days, taking a few fabric shots is all I could muster. I am more rested though after spending all of yesterday in bed and hopefully recovering now from a nasty tummy ailment. Lilly got hit on Thursday, then me on Saturday quickly followed by Sebastian Saturday evening. Now I do believe my husband is coming down with it as well as he went to sleep at the same time as the kids! I hope none of you or your families are coming down with this because it isn't any fun.

THIS is fun:

My dolls have been spotted around town: the Etsy treasury above, Goiuri,  and Kennedy & friends.

100th post celebration!

Here is the latest dress for Lilly.

How can I thank you for all of your comments, hints, tips and kindness?! Thank you to all for leaving me words of encouragement and for reaching out in friendship! I always find writing the most challenging part of blogging and I wrote more about my appreciation of you but based on my husband's opinion:

"I think it is a little mushy" I have edited it away.

So let my give away be a token of my affection.

To celebrate I will be sharing with you!

Most of us who love to sew, drool over fabrics we see on other people's blogs, so why not share what I have?

I will draw 4 names, one for each pile of fabrics below. Many you have seen. Some are vintage and others new.  I will add in some other treats as well-  like tiny bits of Liberty to get you hooked too! By the way, take a look at what Alex is doing with Liberty fabrics.



Someone will get some pinks!



And there has to be someone who would love some flowery brights?



And the blues. The vintage pansy fabric is one I am especially fond of.


You have seen a bit of these fabrics recently too.

In celebration of this 100th post, I will randomly draw 4 commenter's names (commenters to this post) out of a hat and mail each of the winners one of the fabric piles plus whatever else strikes my fancy that day!  I'll draw the names next Thursday, March 20th at 12 noon EST and announce it soon after.

I welcome those who have never visited or commented before to join too!

Made the Front Page!

For a brief time today unbeknownst to me Aslaug graced the front page of Etsy! Ana had included my matryoshka dolls in her treasury, Matryoshka Love! which ended up on Etsy's homepage for a period of time today. It will only be up on Treasury West for viewing until tomorrow, Wednesday, March 12.

I am so grateful to Ana for featuring my dolls! One of the most amazing things was that just yesterday I met Sylv on Etsy forums and today she wrote to let me know that my dolls were on the front page. I am once again just completely blown away by the kindness of my fellow crafters and artisans. By the way, Sylv has really innovative knitting and crochet patterns in her Etsy shop.

Here is a peek at the dress I just finished for Lilly today.

Now, as promised, more Liberty treats for you to see! I have 3 meters of this one and have a dress in mind for Lilly and some other projects.

These are 4 inch squares of Liberty fabrics. I wish I could show them all!

Next time I post it will be my 100th!

Another surprise in the mailbox!

I think the extra spring light is kicking in and giving me more energy. I feel like I am getting more done and I just love it. I am also loving the incredible thrill of getting a surprise package in the mail! Erna sent me a pile of lovely gifts!

Everything was so beautifully wrapped with the nicest colors it was hard to rip into them.

What kindness! Thank you Erna for the babushka girl bag, the pretty ornament, facial mask and other goodies! I think you are such a dear person to send me something you have made yourself, and I have sent you a little gift too. I am just so incredibly glad that I started blogging. I am so happy to be getting to know so many wonderfully creative women.

I made another dress for Lilly today. I might be addicted. Had I had more time I would include some pictures of the new Liberty fabrics I got in the mail today! I am sorry but you'll have to wait because I need to get to bed. The children will be waking me up at 6 am and I need to be well rested.

Our Sunday

I got up early with the children, 6 am as usual. They don't believe in sleeping in. We made breakfast while Daddy slept. Then there was cleaning up and we began to read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (book 3). Daddy got up and we got ready for a Sunday walk to our neighborhood farm for some exercise and some fresh eggs.

Sebastian biked while Lilly had her regular carriage service when her little legs tired of walking.

It was a bit overcast but it is actually brightening up daily!

The highlight was the baby piggies.

Lilly is also very fond of horses. I might have mentioned it before that big brother is at a stage where he prefers not to be taken pictures of and that is why it is rare that you'll catch a glimpse of him here.

All the fresh air made our littlest one quite sleepy so she was ready for an early nap. Sebastian and I read some more Harry Potter.

Now I am getting to another highlight. Everyone is at the pool now as I write this and I finished my first homemade dress for Lilly!

It makes me think of warm summer days! I made a major mistake while making this: I cut out two right sleeves and I sewed them in. Then I realized after much puzzling... So I took one out and made a new left sleeve. it was really frustrating, the worst part though was before I figured out what went wrong. I really wanted my Mom to be there then.

I bought the fabric at a fleamarket. It is a Norwegian fabric by Sandvika.

Now they are on their way home from the pool and I have to get dinner on the table in 5 minutes... my sewing and blogging fun is done for now.

Easter Egg dying

The children and I had the stove top full of pans boiling away: 5 pans to be exact. One burner held 2 pans! You see we wanted to experiment with natural dyes. We found all sorts of colorful things in our kitchen to try; onion peels, cranberries, raspberries, red cabbage leaves, and blueberries.

It got a bit messy...

And they didn't turn out perfect...

We agreed they were beautifully flawed and boy did we have fun making them! If you want a few other color tips and a "recipe" you can click here.

By the way, do you notice anything new today? My dear husband made use of his photoshop book last night to make my new banners. I don't know what I would do without him!

Easter Egg dolls anyone?

Fresh dolls are making their appearance! Wouldn't they look cute in an easter basket? They are rather egg shaped and most colorful!

Tuva (just sold!) is smiling so broadly because she was featured on Trendy Tots today. You can see that the other girls are being sweet about it and don't seem a bit miffed that they weren't mentioned. Well, their turns will come! (Faster than I thought - now Gunlaug is ready to go!)

I introduced Anne Katrine and Tonje to Liberty of London fabrics the other day when I got an order from the UK.

I orded some 6"x6" charms (pre-cut fabric squares).

I just love thinking of all the possibilities... If you want to see a dazzling array of prints: La plus belle collection de tissus Liberty.

Speaking of possibilities, I was asked today by Jellybelly-Bellybrain if I would like to sell my dolls through their website. I am thinking about it...

Spring planting!

The gardening season has begun unbelievably early this year for Norway. Sebastian and I have been weeding, raking and discovering signs of spring in our back yard. This past weekend my husband took the kids off on an excursion to the garden store and stocked up on some seeds and potting soil. We are getting an early start this year!

How I remember my own mother's joy at poking around in the garden each spring.

As a child I followed her around and listened and watched as she told me plant names and dug here and there. I wish I'd had an aptitude for it. I remember pathetically few plant names and really don't know much about how to grow them. But her great love and joy in gardening was conveyed.

A green thumb seems to run in our family but skip a generation. My mom's mother gardened but without so much knowledge and passion as her own father. My Sebastian has inherited the green thumb. He just throws himself into planting, digging, planning, choosing plants, etc. I couldn't be more pleased.

The beautiful summery images here are shots of my mother's gardens. I miss being home in the summer to see them. There are just too darn many bugs and heat waves for our little family there that time of year.

Lilly carries her babies too

I almost forgot to post this photo of Lilly carrying her baby on her back taken last summer! The "carrier" is actually a vintage apron.

We love babies!

There is something about incredibly special about babies. Lilly and I were so gleeful today to hold our newest neighbor - just 12 weeks old. Lilly clapped her hands to her cheeks as she chortled with joy in delight over the baby. We dropped by so that I could loan a couple of baby carriers to the mother of 3 and give a quick lesson in baby wearing. There is really nothing much I like better than teaching that as I know it makes for such a happy mom and baby. My favorite was the Moby Wrap when Lilly was quite small and then the mei tai when she got bigger. When she is sad Lilly says: "Want you to carry in the sling." We really don't carry her that much anymore. I miss it but she is nearly 3 and weighs quite a bit.

Here she is with her adoring big brother and dad when she was still light as a feather and often carried for hours a day! Doesn't it look cozy?

And this is a close up of the decorative outer fabric on our much loved mei tai. I am not sure what I will do with it when we are completely finished with it. I would like to somehow salvage it and make a keepsake for Lilly.

Deb sent me a gift!

I was so excited to get this sweet package from Deb. It was made with such thought and care, obviously intended to delight which it did! The wrapping was original and very personal: note the reuse of newspaper and with my initial stamped on it! I loved the pretty trim that the gift was wrapped in - I can reuse it on a project or something.

Look at the wonderful hand made things Deb sent!

Pretty gift tags, a notebook which is something I like to keep in my purse in case I have to jot something down, and a lovely zippered pouch which I will use for some sewing notions so that I can see it often! I adore the fabrics! Thank you so much Deb for the unexpected treats!

Better late than never!

I think you can chalk last week's absence up to procrastination. I am rather ashamed to say that I started on February's Take it Further Challenge yesterday, March 1. I guess my school day habit of waiting until the last minute hasn't changed.

Perhaps I can turn over a new leaf? I am going to try. No, I will change!

Anyway, my very late mini art quilt is finished! It even has a proper hook to hang it up!

I made it using what I had: brown cotton, light blue polyester, the medium blue is silk from a blouse I once wore and loved, the blue on the fish and cream with designs are silk from a talented photographer in Oslo, Gro Jarto, who kindly offered to share some of her wonderful fabric scraps with me (silk, linen and wool), the bubbles are cotton and  also from Gro.

I didn't start out by making an underwater scene. My husband suggested it after I had begun on the quilt using Swallowfield as inspiration. My husband walked in and said that it looked like the sea so I changed things a bit and that is what it became. Yous see, Melissa had given me a Swallowfield postcard along with the gifts she showered me with. The colors on the card were nearly identical with the color scheme for February's Take it Further Challenge. By the way, Melissa has just filled her shop with bags similar to the one she made me as well as cute purses!

If you would like to see what others have made for the February Take it Further you can take a look on the flickr group.