Ravenhill

Back to Black and White Monday

The snow we got during the holidays made everything white and lovely.

It seems it tastes pretty good too. Yes, there are some fine things about snow in the winter.

A couple of my favorite gifts this past holiday

This adorable little mousie was a gift for the entire family from my dear little daughter. What a great project that they made at her nursery school, where they felted the body, glued on the parts and then even made a house.

She had us all curious as anything about the gift and she allowed her big brother the honor of opening it up.

This was another gift that I just love! Mom and dad treated me to this sea urchin ornament from an Etsy seller who I know well, Estella!

I have long admired her work with finds from nature and must have mentioned this to my mother since she surprised me with it!

Estella actually works with her mother making things and have an impressive total of 4 shops on Etsy. This fabulously creative duo has an incredible range in their abilities. Thank you Mom and Dad for this beautiful ornament! I is also a lovely reminder of the beaches of Maine and all our trips when I was growing up, where we discovered sea urchins, crabs, starfish, etc. in the warm tide pools.

Happy New Year!

Mom loves to knit too and she made these for Lilly.

She made up the design herself! I sure love how she combined the two-colored knitting with the cables.

 
This time of year I miss the family a bit more than usual, so we are already dreaming about our next visit together.

Meanwhile we are enjoying the snow! This hat I made for Lilly. It is really nice on cold days, made from alpaca. Things actually warmed up today, it got up to -8 celcius. We were all tired after staying up until l past midnight to see in the new year so today was a good day for snuggling on the sofa and reading good books.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Wishing you a very Happy Holiday!

The gifts are ready...

Our stockings are hung...

I made these little stockings this season just for fun.

The fabric with the elves is from a very close friend who also appreciates fabric and was kind enough to share with me. The fabric had rows and rows of elves, I just cut a strip of them to make the stocking.

Adorable?

The same very generous friend also gave me this cute Christmas fabric with geese and more elves. In Norway the elves are often eating or holding Christmas porridge as this is a traditional part of Christmas feasting.

Hoping your stocking will be filled up with someting nice if you celebrate Christmas. I think I have been very good this year so I am expecting a lovely celebration with friends and family.

Peace and happiness to all!

Return to the Christmas Market

 

These youth look so cute dressed in their costumes at the Norske Folkemuseum's annual Christmas market. (Yes, we are back again!)

 

These elves were also adorable, check out the ringlets!

 

I wanted these...

This is just a lovely idea, with these traditional Swedish baskets made with felt hanging from the pretty branch.

 

And then less tradionally, in black and white.

 

You must be hungry now, time for a little snack?

 

Perhaps a tasty Lussekatte? These are traditional Swedish rolls with the characteristic saffron making them the golden color.

Little hands making

I have been busy these past few days getting orders together and sent off to all over the world. With my 25% off sale things are hopping in my shop! Things are clearing out fast! I am so pleased to see that the majority of my orders are repeat buyers. I guess that means they like what they are getting and that is so gratifying to me. Knowing that people are happy with my creations makes it worthwhile and satisfying.

Customers in my shop are the nicest people! Sometimes they let me know that the reason they are buying up oodles of dolls is to give to everyone for Christmas. Other times they tell me how much they have wanted to have one of my dolls and that the particular one they bought just called out to them.

We are also busy these days indoors (outdoors is unbearably cold) making Christmas decorations. Here are my husband's big hands helping my 4 year old's little hands to make a chain for our tree.

The joy in making something with your own two hands is so intoxicating. I can't think of a better addiction to have than making things.

Happy weekend and happy crafting!

P.S. My 25% off sale is still on until Wednesday, December 23rd should you be wanting to treat yourself to a little something!

More winter gear

 

somehow I forgot to do a post on these mittens and headband that I made for my son. We did this photoshoot in late September. He really got into pretending to be cold, but the green grass and still bright sunshine are a great clue to the season.

 

His love of the brights and multicolored make my task of knitting things for him so joyful! I truly hope that he will never outgrow his outragous non-conformity.

He isn't wearing the socks though, I am. I love them. I am not sure why, but he just never wants to wear them. They are so warm from my toes all the way up to my knees and stay up really well.

Grey Norway

Before I bring you back to the Norske Folkemuseum's annual Christmas market sometime soon I am dying to share a bit of Norway's winter wonderland with you.

 

If you're not from the far North you might find it hard to believe how dark it is here in Oslo on a grey day at 8:45 am. Being able to see the beauty in all this gloom is very important to me. Being able to share it with you is also really nice. Truly, blogging has helped me to appreciate the wonder of daily life, and helped me to find beauty when at first glance I didn't notice anything special.

 

On our walk to nursery school we always see many birds. This one was soaring high up in the trees today on this grey day.

 

Many of the birds settled by the stream to find a crumb or two.

 

I think these two birds were double daring eachother to take a swim. They were both chickens though.

 

I thought this bird might be saying "don't follow the crowds, go your own way."

 

This little lady was saying quite clearly, "put away the camera, I am tired of waiting for you." She can be pretty strict.

Oleana

Yesterday my little one and I took a little trip to town. Just going by Oleana's amazing shop and gazing into the window was glorious inspiration.

 

You have all said such nice things about my knitting, but just feast your eyes on these!

 

The combination of color and pattern are just outstanding.

 

I would love to own one of these, but how to decide which one?

 

The scenes they set and their photography are also exquisite.

 

I hope this flurry of color and design has given you a bit of inspiration to set off and make something beautiful yourself!

I am spending my morning happily in my sewing room today, dreaming up new mixes of colors and patterns myself.

Gifts to inspire YOU!

It is finally the most festive of months! December is a lovely month to enjoy making things. I thought it would be fun to share my enthusiasm for the Christmas season and my love of crafting with you by offering inspirational packs! I have two to give away and two that are in my shop. Because I am lazy I only took photos of the two packs for my shop, but the two I am giving away are nearly alike, they simply have a slightly different selection of buttons and threads. So feast your eyes on the goodies....

My first fun pack features reds, greens, whites, and a bit of aqua and blue thrown in!

I put together a mix of new and vintage prints in the spirit of the season.

Here is the second one, very traditional reds and greens, and like the first pack, it too contains fabrics, ribbons, notions, stickers, flosses:

I love to spread a bit of Christmas cheer!

Yes, a great amount of fun could be had with these and I hope that the two lucky winners will have a ball! If you would like to enter my little give away please simply leave a comment to this post. Comments will close Tuesday, December 8th at 7 am Norwegian time. Soon after I will announce two lucky winners!

I also have two Christsmas inspiration packs in my shop (so sorry, they sold out fast!)

Black and White Tuesday

I didn't have time to do this post on Monday as I had intended. I am sorry about not posting much lately. The children are still sick and I have little time for anything. I did go out for a long walk on Sunday though.

While fall has been bursting with brights: gold, red, rust, yellow, and browns it is challenging to see the beauty in the lights and darks of the season.

 

The past few days there has been ample opportunity to catch shots of the flowers all dappled with raindrops.

As I said, I donned my cold weather gear Sunday and headed off for a much needed walk in the woods. Oh, this hour to myself after weeks of tending to flu-ridden children was pure bliss.

The trees look pretty stripped of their foliage after the recent frosty nights.

This fine creature posed for just a moment before scampering off. I have to admit that my photography hobby is helping me get out of the house this time of year when the living room's warmth and comfortable sofa is so very appealing.

Fru Sort is the last in this latest black and white series of matryoshkas and she is now in the shop.

The children are home again today, but I seem to have gotten a second wind after long talks with friends on the phone last night. Today is starting off very cozy, looking at bird books all together in bed, and now we are going to play go-fish (again).

Black and white and sick Monday

We had an absolutly horrifying moment last night when after waking up in a fit of coughing, Lilly seemed to spit up blood. Seconds after when I was carrying her I realized in a flood of relief that it was just a nose bleed. Oh, those little ones really can cause a big scare! Everyone was home sick, half sick or tending the sick today. Even the neighbor called to see if we could take out his trash and pick up a few dinners for him at the grocery store. So my black and white Monday theme seems appropriate somehow.

 
My dad let me know that he noticed I didn't do a b&w last week. So here's one Dad, some very dried up leaves, still hanging on. How wonderful it is to have the beautiful fall foliage for so many weeks, many of those leaves still holding on.

I put together a basket of embroidry wools and a few frames, ready with cloth. When they caught sight of it the children pounced with such pleasure. This quiet and diligent work helped them to pass several hours over the past few days. At first we were impressed by how Sebastian made a pretty square design, and then we were impressed again by how Lilly followed his lead the following day and made the same design. What a wonder it is how they learn from eachother.

I do  hope all the tender loving care, herb teas, vitamins, homemade soup, hot baths, naps and quiet moments today will mean a healthy day for all tomorrow. Wishing you a happy day.

Socks for my son

It is about time I get around to showing off these turquoise and red beauties!

I used nearly 5 balls of yarn on these knee socks.

 

My 8 year old son selected the colors. On our outing last spring we bought enough yarn to make these knee socks, a headband, and a pair of mittens. None of them match. He seems to like to stand out in a crowd.

The heel is a bit funny, but I am overall satisfied with how they turned out. The best part is that his feet are so big now that these socks fit us both!

 

He was very kind to sit in various poses wearing them so I might show you. I am almost glad it is getting so chilly now so we can put all my handwork to use!

Autumn decor

I am not really very good at decorating. Funny isn't it when I make so many decorative dolls? Well, that is just it. I like to spend time looking for inspiration, making things or with my little ones. Home decorating isn't my strong side. But one can try?

 
I made the fabric basket for my son upon his request awhile back. It wasn't even remotely close to Halloween, but he just loves the bright and spooky fabrics. He brought in a pile of leaves for me that he had gathered outside. He likes to find things for me to take pictures of, isn't that sweet?

 

Anyway the leaves made me think of the basket and how pretty it would look filled with Rowan berries. I think I have a long way to go when it comes to tasteful home decorating but my kids think it is awesome and that is good enough for me.

Gratitude

Well, it ended up being a tour bus of us filling the shop when all my blogging friends joined me for the excursion. Thank you one and all for all of your enthusiasm over our outing! I will be sure to be asking you again soon.

Thanks for stopping by for Black and White Monday!

 

Today was a busy day with school and nursery school starting up again, me dashing off to a meeting and then rushing home in time to pick up little one who was bubbly and jolly as can be after her time at nursery. This evening I am listing a few more items in my shop. This needlebook is just one of the new ones I am listing. I am crazy about the Liberty wildflower fabric on it.

 

The morning started off so nicely with everyone in sunshiny moods. How happy we all are to be finally settling back into routines of everyday life. Then it hit me hard how fast my little chicks are growing up and how quickly each day passes.

Is it just me or is there a whole lot of beauty and joy in the eyes on these guys? I guess it is just one of those days to feel contented and greatful for such a good life.

 

Yes, let's not let these wonderful years race by too fast. My husband (the tall, dark and handsome man two shots back) took this last photo.

Handy

It is nearly time to start wearing our new mittens as it is getting chillier in these parts!

The vibrant colors of autumn mean that Jack Frost is visting us at night.

These are going to be mine. I had to retire a pair or two of mittens last year and these will be quite handy. Please forgive my bad pun. I used a pattern in the book PT Desisn NR. 82 to make them. (I am so sorry, the website for PT design seems to be in Norwegian only.) You can see the book I used on an earlier post.

I found the patterns easy to follow and there were so many designs in the book that I would enjoy making. It was definitely a good purchase. With my growing children's constant need for new cold weather necessities : hats, mittens and socks I am always interested in new books with these patterns.

I hope your day is a fine one whatever the weather where you are!

Black and white Monday

I might declair Monday the official Black and White photography day, I am just so inspired by this "new" perspective. Today was the first day of Fall vacation and since I needed some felt for a custom order the children and I took a trip downtown to Oslo.

I had my old trusty compact camera along and as always we enjoyed the views on our journey.

Noway Design had a new window display for autumn.

Finally we arrived at Husfliden for some yarn for my pjoning project and thread. This is their pretty symbol outside the shop. My children had behaved so wonderfully and were perhaps even a bit unusually well-mannered... until we got to Husfliden. While I had my back turned looking at some yarn I hear my 8 year old tearing through the shop after my 4 year old. I had to stop that. I couldn't be banned from Husfliden! They now offer ever 9th ball of yarn for free!

By this time we were hungry and the park bench in front of the parliment building was the perfect spot for people watching, a bite to eat, and to rest our weary feet a bit.

Lilly seems mesmerized here by the birds that were flitting around close by.

Oslo is a beautiful city. Here it is 11.15 am and our bellies are full as we head down the main street to Panduro Hobby shop for a half meter of felt. We had a lovely trip to the city.

These jet black buttons that I have been dying to show you and have you ohhh and ahhh over with me are perfect for my Monday B&W theme. I bought handfulls of these pretties and even have an idea of what I would like to do with them!

I have a few sets of several, some pairs and many many singles. Most of them are different. I was lucky enough to find a button collector at the flea market we went to in Maine. He had such gorgeous ones and picking was no easy task.

Japanese sewing!

This morning I dropped my little one off at the little red house where she goes to her nursery school. After she and I did our ritual waving to each other in the window I took a few pictues of her while she watched the other children arriving.

I dawldled a bit on the way home enjoying the crisp and beautiful fall morning.

I figure if I take my camera along and make a habit of photographing daily I am bound to improve.

Once home I set about ironing the heap of freshly washed new fabrics I have. Then I realized I needed to show you the adorable top I am making for Lilly from a Japanese pattern book which I would highly recommend. (Anything to get out of ironing!)

 

Please don't mind my mess, behind the little top is my iron and the mountain of fabrics waiting for a good pressing.

 

This is the Japanese book with the pattern I am making. Mom and I traced many of the patterns onto tissue paper which is what you need to do if you are making a pattern from one of these books. All the patterns are true to size but are overlapping on just 2 big sheets of paper. So you first trace the pattern, then you need to add the appropriate seam allowance - then you are ready for cutting.

Here is the top I am making! Aren't the pleats great? Mom helped me do them! And the pocket is downright adorable too, so clever with a little elastic insert to scrunch it up like that.

I am sure I will want to make another with the lace trim...

 

 

 

A fantastic break

It is delightful to be back! Oh, how I have missed you and blogging! Please forgive me my long abscence. I had intended to blog more, but I really did need a break and it turned into the nicest of breaks as we spent it with my family in Maine! YES! We took a vacation, taking the children out of school for three weeks. For years my family has been advising us to consider a late summer visit. They have said things like, “You know, the end of summer is really the best time of year in Maine.” Or “Not only is it sunny and warm but also bug free in early fall.” Neither my husband nor my children had ever been there this time of year so at long last we took heed of their suggestion. We found that everything they said was true! The bad thing is that my son’s teacher made it very clear in her pre-boarding phone call to me that she didn’t think he should go.

Well, the magnificently sunny bug-free days were pure bliss and although we won’t take him out of school for three weeks again it is hard to have any regrets.

 We couldn’t have timed our vacation better as family and friends all moaned about the miserably rainy weather they had had to endure for months on end prior to our visit. We enjoyed beachcombing, swimming in Damariscotta Lake, picnics by the sea, family gatherings, etc.

The beauty of our surroundings and the quality of the time spent relaxing and visiting with our loved ones has allowed us to return filled up with good memories and joy. Hopefully these along with the stored up rays of late summer sun will sustain us through the upcoming winter.

I am already busy listing a few new items (Fru Bøler is now in the shop So sorry, she is already sold!) and looking forward to making some new things with my renewed energy and enthusiasm after my lovely break. Thank you so much to all of my wonderful buyers who have given me such great encouragement by nearly clearing out my shop before and after my break. A huge thanks to all of my faithful readers and those of you who are so kind to take the time to write me a few words so I know you have been by. It means so much to me to hear from you!

Starting school

It seemed a bit more stressful than summer vacation... Having to get up on time, make lunches and a regular schedule to follow... School in Norway starts early. August 17th my big boy went back to school, starting in what is known as 4th grade in Norway, but is comprable to 3rd in the US.

 

Here he is intent on getting ready to go off.

 

He barely had time to smile for me to take his first day of school photo.

 

There he goes rushing off to meet his friends. He'll have the same teacher this year as last year. We are so pleased about that as she has been wonderful at motivating him. Before leaving he asked me if I thought this year would be really hard at school. I'm not really sure, but I think he is up for the challenge if it is.

 

I am used to Sebastian being gone a large part of the day at school, but Lilly and I have spent nearly every week day together the entire day since her birth. So I have been feeling rather odd about her now going off to nursery school for a whole 4 hours a day 4 days a week! I feel an incredible sense of freedom to finally have so many hours uninterrupted time. I aslo feel disbelief that she should be so big! Her nursery school is just a 5 minute walk from home, that is if I am walking alone. Lilly and I take about 20 minutes to do the little walk though, hand in hand, sometimes skipping, nearly always chattering.

  

She really seems ready to go too. I might not be though. The great thing is she is a born story teller and tells me each and everything that hapens while she was away.

While they are gone I hope to have some time to do something with these bright and cheery fabrics! I have decided to definitely have my shop closed until mid-September, but I will likely miss you all to much to stop blogging until then. Wishing you a fantastic week.

DIY bangs and a custom order

Lilly and her friends are already into Do It Yourself. Yes, her little friend who is actually starting 2nd grade tomorrow decided Lilly's bangs needed a trim.

It turned out kinda cute! This touristy photo was acatually taken by my dear brother while he was visiting and he took Lilly off for an outing just the two of them.

 

I made this drawstring bag as a custom order for a very sweet buyer in my shop.

 

I liked how these appliqué flowers looked decorting the bag.

 

Here's the mama and baby she ordered to go with the bag. Custom orders are fun yet challenging. I want to make sure I interpret the customer's wishes just right.

Hoping your week is staring off well. My little one and I are heading downtown this morning to do some fabric shopping for another custom order! The sun is shining brightly and I expect we will have a delightful time.

Finds

I'm so sorry to have been gone for so long. First one of our hard drives crashed leaving us computer-less. Then we had to wait for the new one to arrive in the mail. My husband tinkered and laboured into the wee hours of the night but something still wasn't right. A few trips downtown to the computer shop and many kroner lighter, we now have nearly a brand new computer and I am finally back again...

With photos of my new gorgeous vintage laces.

When mom was here recently I was so busy with her I didn't even have time to show you the wonderful flea market we went to and where I bought these. Mom and I sorted through a large basket of laces, vintage and every one unique.

 

The market was bustling that pretty day.

 

This fleamarket is open Saturday's in Oslo during the summer and offers many fine vintage and antique items.

 

This seller had a wonderful collection of textiles and small dolls.

 

I bought these too.

While our computer was down I had a bit of extra time to make things. So I kept myself happily busy sewing some new things for my shop.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Toes

As it has been much cooler lately I have taken a keener interest in knitting. The winter is approaching and I would so like to have warm and pretty handknits for fingers, toes, ears and necks. Right now I am concentrating on the toes. Maybe it is best to work from the bottom up?

I showed you a few balls of yarn and half started projects quite awhile ago. I just wanted to show that I finished some of them! There was enough of this candy colored yarn to whip up simple pairs of socks for both of my little chicks.

There wasn't quite enough of this yarn to make the entire socks so I grabbed a matching wool from my stash for the toes.

This little lass does have two completed, matching socks to warm her toes this winter but only had one of them on for this shot. Thank you again Mervi for this most gorgeous yarn! Funny because she is knitting socks now too. Must be a Scandinavian thing. We always have the upcoming winter on our minds and how best to prepare for it.

My shop has a distinctive summery feel to it, despite my winter preparations, with the lastest crop of hand appliquéd blossoms decking out my dolls.

Today we all went to a delightful birthday party! Lilly can still wear the beautiful dress mom made her last year.

 

Creative clutter

The visit with my brother zoomed by and he is already back home. I think the kids tired him out a bit. He actually teased me because he said my sewing room didn't look as neat and tidy in real life as it does on my blog. So I thought I would expose my messy side!

Isn't this a delightful array of fabrics spread out all over?

I fail to see how this jumble of ribbons could be considered messy...

So they spilled out a little...

Do you have some lovely creative messes too? Please join me then on my brand new flickr pool: Creative Clutter. I hope that Müriel will post her photos on the group! She got right to work on the fabrics she won on my blog give away. Take a look at what she made! Another place to get a sneak peek at creative spaces is here.

I would like to thank Cassandra for the great interview about my dollmaking! Sarah, of the new website Sewn has me blushing: she features my dolls on the front page heading up her favorites.

This is getting embarrassing... so many features! I really couldn't fail to thank Sharie for another very nice feature too! I am really overwhelmed by all these write ups!

Thank you for the encouragement! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend creating messes too!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone is having a great day! I made these dolls recently with the patriotic 4th of July colors in mind.

Fru Larsen and Fru Bryhn are in my shop.

I have to tell you we have been HOT! Yes, the heat wave continues. We are keeping cool as best we can.

 

Here the children are trearing down to the beach at full speed ready to plunge into the cooling fjord waters.

 

Actully the early mornings are quite nice as temps do go down considerably at night. We were one of the first to arrive and Lilly paused to look at the birds. I love this hat on her. Mom made it for her to go with a dress that she adored to wear but has outgrown. I am delighted that she can still squeeze into the cute sunhat though.

We are so fortunate to be able to celebrate the 4th with my brother who is visiting this week! He is a great Uncle and the kids adore him. He let the kids douse him with water again and again. He got them back good when he found a large bucket... We all had a ball and cooled down nicely.

These aren't such patriotic colors but they are the dolls I made after my recent shopping spree at Katrine's fabric shop. I am so loving the Japanese prints I bought and used on these dolls. (The dolls are in my shop).

I was happy to find my matryoshka featured on Anna's For the Love of Cute blog here. Thank you Anna, it is sure a treat to have my matryoshka mamas and babies turn up in such good company. I am positively bursting because I have been asked if my dolls could be featured on another very prominent blog. The problem is that I shouldn't let the cat out of the bag yet.

Happy creative weekend!

A fresh Marie Claire is perfect inspiration. The magazine always has some fabulous embroidery that quenches my never ending thirst for eye candy. I think it was what finally motivated me to take out my supplies and I played with some variegated threads in some free-form embroidery with no plan or purpose other than to try out the pretty flosses.

My subscription to this French magazine must have run out because this summer issue is in the shop but not my mailbox so I bought it at the kiosk.

I don't usually make anything in the magazines but the colors and patterns can spur me on to action.

 Isn't this a delightful splash of color?

I am positively silly over buying new threads lately. It is embarassing really, but if I embroider all day and night then I can likely use them in my lifetime. Well, maybe with Lilly's help...

Embroidery seems better than knitting with wool in this unusual heat wave here in Oslo, Norway. My brother is coming to visit in a few days, traveling all the way from cool and cloudy Maine. What a shock he is going to have when he gets off the plane. Norway seems to have gotten tropical.

My first roses are in bloom and the kids are already picking blueberries! The berries are typically ripe a month from now. I wonder what has happened to the usual month of cool and rainy weather we get this time of year?

I hope my adoration of colors and threads will inspire you to do some creative play of your own! Happy weekend!

 

A skirt for Lilly

I thought I would surprise my dear friends, family and readers with a blog post this morning! I have really been terrible lately about finding time to sit down and blog. The sunshine and perfect weather have been calling me outdoors. We just run in once in awhile when we are hungry. Our little pool is filled up and the kids are splashing and sqealing out there from as early as 7 am many days. Sorry neighbors, such summer joy just cannot be suppressed!

Here they are bright and early today. This morning my husband is taking the children to visit Oldemor, my husgand's grandma. I would have liked to have gone too but I needed the day to myself even more. Lilly is wearing the brand new skirt I made for her.

I was just going to put the one yellow yo-yo on there but she insisted on 3. She also chose the fabrics for the skirt. I picked the vintage ricrac. I think we make a good designer team, don't you?

My matryoshka creations end up all over the world. The other day I had an order from someone in the town next door to my hometown! I thought that was fun and even more fun was seeing Fru Herland on this blog. I hope you will read her post because it was so delightful! Thank you so much Rhea. I will definitely drop by and visit Alewives and visit with you when I am in Maine!

Before I run off and do whatever I please I wanted to tell you that I have new needlebooks in the shop.

You might also want to hurry to Jennifer's as she is having an amazing give away that ends tomorrow, June 28 at 5 pm. Please tell her I sent you!

Now I have a custom order to finish. I haven't painted a face in months and am a bit nervous about it. It is probably like riding a bicycle though I will remember how when I sit down to do it. Doing this embroidery on the back was really fun. I really love it when someone asks me to embroider something special on a doll. 

Thank you so much to everyone who wrote such lovely messages on my last post. Your kind words really meant a lot to me. I hope you will have a wonderful weekend!

Knit one miss you

My closest friend in Norway is moving away tomorrow. It might be just for a year but more likely it is for good. I have had many moves myself over the years and many good friends move away but it is still very sad to say good bye. Funny that her moving seems to have inspired a big knitting craze, because not only had we both moved from the US to Norway, married Norwegian guys, had kids the same ages, etc etc we also both love to knit and that is what we did nearly every time we got together as we chatted up a storm. So the needles would fly and our we could chat about everything under the sun for hours. So I suppose this stack of yarn I bought over the weekend is an attempt to cheer myself up.

Sebastian joined me on an the train to downtown. It only takes 5 minutes to walk to the train and then the ride is 12 minutes. We were going to go to the library but we never ended up getting there. We did some window shopping, went to see what was at the toy store, and found a couple of summery sweaters for me and socks for him. The most fun though was going to the yarn store together. I blew my entire birthday gift card from January on buying yarn for making Sebastian's long list of winter gear that he wants.

 

I picked up this new PT pattern book with some great tradional Nowegian Selbu inspired patterns. The colors my dear son picked out were far from traditional and are making the knitting ever so much fun.

 

So this is his sock so far. Aren't those great colors together? The best part about it is that for now, when he grows out of hand-knitted socks I can use them! He is growing like a little weed and has feet nearly as big as mine so I am knitting these in my (our) size.

I can't really say that the knitting will begin to fill the gaping hole the departure of this dear friend will make in my life, but they do say that knitting is therapeutic.

Actually, it is hard to find time to dwell on anything sad with my children around! Summer vacation started today and my little one doesn't even have time to get her face washed after her lunch before she runs off to play. I only caught her in the camera here, but she was playing in a little tent with a friend when I took this and the house was filled with giggles.

Let's go shopping!

Sometimes my sweet customers post a photo of my doll on their blog. Mary was one such appreciative buyer and it made me so happy to get her personal letter and see her blog post about my creation. Thank you so very much for making me feel appreciated for my work!

I am an appreciative customer too... but maybe I seem like a funny customer when I arrive at Katrine's Quiltestue with camera in hand and beg for permission to photograph everything in sight before making my purchases?

 

I am sure I look at each and everything at least twice.

 

Everything is so darn pretty!

I don't want to miss anything.

In a short time I am so enchanted by all the glorious fabrics that it is nearly impossible to narrow my favorite fabrics down and pick just a few.

I mean, aren't these blues beautiful?

 

 Katrine really has an eye for color, aren't these dreamy? Many of us don't even think we like orange and yellow very much but when presented like this... what is not to like?

 

Not only are the fabrics for sale incredibly inspiring, but the shop is positively filled with finished projects like this bag, giving you even more reason to buy more fabric.

 

I ended up splurging on more dots and several florals. I will have to show those another day though. I do hope you have enjoyed accompanying me on my little shopping excursion.

Before I drop off to sleep after a very busy day you must meet some of my latest matryoshkas. One is already spoken for but the others are in my shop.

 

Peachy Keen!

There is still time to enter my Crafty Give Away!

I made this drawstring bag as a custom order recently. I enjoy working together with people and trying my best to make what they are dreaming of. I love how it turned out and would like to make more with pinks and peaches.

I made a few dolls with some peachy pink colors from some lovely Lakehouse Drygoods fabrics called Teatime Florals by Holly Holderman. The first time I set eyes on these fabrics I knew I needed to have them. Her fabrics usually make me feel that way!

Fru Nielsen is already sold.

Fru Eide is just listed and still available. I really shouldn't have looked at the Lakehouse page, now I want more of these fabrics in the blues and beiges. I am trying to be so good. I think it is over a month since my last fabric purchase.

So far this post has been rather subdue, but the peachy pink flowers in my backyard are anything but...

This is the BEFORE shot last week of my lupins that I planted by seed last summer. One week of near 24 hours of daily sunlight does a lot for a plant!

AFTER!I love this time of year when it is light day and night! Everyone is out, we are enjoying the wading pool in our yard, just soaking in the sunshine, and loving every minute of it. Please don't mention the W word. We know it is coming soon enough. Right now everything is peachy keen!

Spring greens and cheerful matryoshkas

I am loving exploring the outdoors with my camera when it is so lush, warm and light.

After a rain it is particularly beautiful.

And here is Lilly in a very vintage spring green outfit made by her grandmother for my little brother in 1972! Wasn't my mom not only good at sewing but also clever to save it all those years? Thank you so very much, mom!

Please forgive me mom for not ironing it... Mom and I joke about how I iron my cloth napkins but not clothes while she irons her clothes and not her napkins. Here Lilly is rolling me a ball while I take her photo.

I was only 3 and a half when my brother wore it but I remember it well. Then my son wore it and now Lilly. I should really appliqué a few flowers and hearts on it to make it more feminine.

Besides photographing the great outdoors and my little one in her vintage duds, I have been a busy doll maker. Fru Ruud, front and center is already sold, but Fru Hansen, on the left and Fru I haven't named her yet are available.

Fru Lauritsen at the head of the line is all smiles and even has a ladybug on her backside!

 

I hope you are having a good weekend.

Simple

This little three day weekend holiday that we are treated to in Norway went by licky split. Friday was May 1st and that means everything shuts down in celebration of Labor Day. It is an official flag day, there are parades and speeches and the day off.

It is a great day for a family walk in the park and my children shared a nice moment in Frognerparken.

Everywhere we look we are greeted now with the sweetness of spring. After the long winter I can still hardly believe our good fortune that the blossoms, long days and warm sun are finally here!

 

And as I mentioned earlier, these good spring things mean extra energy for sewing! My friend Amanda and I went fabric browsing the other day and she told me about how a friend had made her a face cloth out of some waffle fabric and I got some to try it myself. It was quite simple.

I decided the wash cloths would be pretty in a matching bag with soap.

I was tickled to find one of my matryoshkas turn up on this blog (which I am fairly ga-ga over!) I also want to thank Christina for including Ravenhill on her list of favorite blogs. A huge thank you to Katarina for awarding the Adorable Blog Award to me!

It is nice to feel appreciated. Especially since I have been such a lazy blogger lately. This is going to help me get motivated!

Spring!

We are really getting ready to enjoy the spring!

My husband bought a new bike for himself at the flea market and everyone helped with washing it.

The only down side it spring is the pollen. My son is so allergic and with the high pollen count yesterday he was in tears at one point about his swollen and painful eyes, despite the allergi medicine. So my hankie from Vanessa is coming in handy, and my swap-CHOO hankie has now arrived safe and sound with Vanessa. Here is the one I made and sent to Vanessa.

I wasn't able to resist adding a little heart.

It took longer than you might expect to get around all 12.5 inches by 12.5 with all that rolling and stitching, but the work was pleasant.

With all the extra light I am able to sleep less and play more! I have been working on some little wee babies. Happy days are here...

My friend Katie is having a give away. You really should see the beautiful quilts she makes.

Swap-CHOO

This pretty butterfly decorated hankie is from the hankie "Swap-CHOO" I joined a few weeks ago, hosted by Iris. Thank you so much Vanessa! I can't show you the one I sent to Vanessa yet, as it is still on its way and I don't want to ruin the surprise.

The hems she has hand rolled and hand stitched. Doesn't that make the edges sweet? Iris provided a great link from Purl Bee for a tutorial on how to make a hankie. It isn't so hard, just a bit of fiddling at the beginning and a bit more time than you might expect and it is done.

 

I made this wee baby the other day on a custom order for mama and baby in a sling.

Psst!
If you would like to join a give away for one or maybe even two of my dolls just follow this link .

I hope you are having a great weekend. We all went thrifting today and it was heap of fun. We hauled back as much as we could carry in our hands, on our backs and stuff into little one's stroller. I will try to have photos soon. I hope you are enjoying the weekend.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you if you celebrate! We are overjoyed about the coming of spring, spending time together, and that the Easter bunny hid eggs all over our yard!

Unfortunately, the birds got to a few of the prettily decorated hard cooked eggs before the children. We caught a magpie in the act of nibbling on a egg as we looked through the second story window to see if the Easter bunny had come.

Wow, does he look like a happy guy or what? My husband flew his heli today with some buddies and ended up crashing. He he holds up what remains. I'm not sure why he is grinning so much, maybe he is thinking the crash is an upgrading opportunity? I guess I would too if I crashed my sewing machine...

Yesterday my son worked alongside my husband in tidying up the yard while my little one helped me prune the fruit trees and roses. Horray! The snow has finally melted!

I sometimes think I haven't done anything creative for my blog. I forget about my matryoshkas, which I have started to list for my shop! As I said in an earlier post Jennifer's Flower Power fabrics are a joy to use, with the gorgeous flowers, birds and butterflies in springtime colors. Making them makes me very happy.

 

A good book

Things have been busy here lately. Nothing special, just the daily activities with two children and a husband. We are enjoying signs of spring.

The snow is still covering a larger percent of the ground than I would like though... but the other day my little one squealed: "Look Mommy, grass!" That is a sight for sore eyes after many months of snow coverage.

When I found this incredible book, Yllebroderier, by Ingrid Eggimann-Jonsson, from the library, about wool embroidery I nearly wanted winter to start again.

The link will get you to a site where you may purchase this book if you get the desire.

I think she is so talented and want to try doing this myself... I will just show you a few more photos...

I just wish I was more adept at reading Swedish. It really isn't that different from Norwegian, but different enough that I find it rather tedious.

I am sure you recall the recent swap I told you about in my last post, well, now Anne is hosting a give away of one of my matryoshka dolls if you would like to join in! These two happy mamas, Fru Lind and Fru Blomdal are in my shop.

Inspired...

I met up with three sewing friends this past Saturday with great anticipation as we were going to the annual quilting meeting for Norwegian quilters. Last year's event was amazing so I had high hopes for what this year's would offer.

There was a nice variety of quilts from traditional to a bit more uncommon.

If there hadn't been quilted signs posted everywhere you looked I think this one would have had a few squeezes.

This beauty won a prize and was one of my favorites with its warm and vibrant colors.

I would love to try something like this one. The hand stitches make it so special. After pouring over each and every quilt we were super motivated to make something ourselves so we needed to shop for fabric from the many fabric shop vendors from all over Norway.

I didn't have any particular plan when I bought from this shop and that shop, but when I took them home I found I had selected many that went together so prettily.

I had a hard time deciding the colors to buy in these luxuriously textured cottons, but eventually settled on these fresh spring-like colors. I have never seen any like these before, they have such a nice weave, sheen and soft feel. The fabric reveals nothing as to who has produced these and I am hoping maybe someone can tell me in case I need more?

I am just ga-ga about the Japanse Daiwabo fabric in the middle with the sweet berry-laden circular branches. My dear friend who I was riding home with was so patient with me, as I am the slowest shopper ever! I think she had already been to every shop when I was only half way through.

Happy with dirty knees

It's Friday night and date night. Well, I have a nice date with the computer! Why not blog on a Friday night? After a long week with my husband working so much overtime that he can take two days off with pay next week I am ready for some peace and quiet. I did find the time to make these:

A pair of potholders for my Great Aunt who just turned 86. It was only a year and a half ago that she finally settled down in an apartment after traveling cross-country in her camper for years. She loves to bake cookies so I thought some potholders might be welcome.

If you are a Liberty of London fabric lover you'll recognize a few of those fabrics on them.

I also made this for my son to use as a gymbag. He helped me selecting fabrics that weren't too girly, no easy task.

 

One Saturday awhile back when I dragged the kids to do errands and go to the fabric store Sebastian asked me to buy this bright fabric and cord. This drawstring bag will be useful for storing one of his many collections.

Now that it is the weekend I am going to relax with a cup of tea and some books. Tomorrow we'll likely spend the morning working in our ever expanding garden (as the snow melts around the house we have ever more area to garden in!)

The first flowers of spring are so bright and full of promise of sunny summer days

Click on image for large version...

I have to show you my muddy, happy children! Check out his gardener's knees! (Last three photos were taken by my very talented husband who is also having tons of fun with our new camera. We sometimes have to wrestle over who gets to use it.)

Happy weekend to you!

Scary new project... and recycling

I have been really embarassed over my ugly and watermarked ironing board cover. I have wanted a new one for ages, but I have never attempted making an ironing board cover before and that meant I had the usual fear of not knowing how to do it properly hanging over me, preventing me from doing it. I don't know what finally got me going but one day last week I found myself removing the old cover, finding a fabric that was big enough to use to make a new cover. (That was the hardest part. I usually buy only a fat quarter at a time. I had some vintage peices that were suitable though.)

This pretty, decorator weight floral was once a curtain and now it is reincarnated as my new ironing board cover. I am so pleased that I am overcoming my fears of takling new projects.

I am also delighted to have found a good use for this wonderful textile.

A warm sunny day recently I had my first photo shoot of the season outdoors! Again I am upcyclying a thrifted linen curtain in perfect condition and have combined it with a couple of Japanese cotton fabrics. This bag is the perfect size for toting around a knitting or sewing project. I made it the same dimensions as a bag I made for myself and have used near daily for my sock, mitten or hat knitting projects.

The linen is the most beautiful palest of sage and makes me think of spring. It is coming isn't it? Just wondering... because tomorrow they are calling for more snow.

Thanks to Whipup, Vintage Glam Wedding and The Long Thread for featuring my doily garland.

Perhaps you'd like to see. I sent a little un-birthday package to Mervi - I have such a poor memory I was dreadfully afraid I might forget her birthday after she sent me the nicest surprises on mine. So I surprised her back, only it wasn't her bithday.

Glimpses of Winter Vacation

I am so far behind in my usually daily pastime of visiting everyone's blogs and occasionally even mananging to find the time to thank you for your wonderful comments. You know, all the nice things you write to me really makes me smile and gives me a feeling of being appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such kind words to me, either of encouragement, advice or enthusiasm over what I have made. I read each and every comment with relish. I read many of the relevant comments to my son from the last post.

I really wanted to show you one of the many things my young sewing apprentice made for me this past week. He really surprised me with his using the button hole stitch to embroider his misspelled version of "MOM".  I'm not too worried about his poor spelling, as he is working on two languages at a time. I made the little bird with a friend using a pattern from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoversen.

He really loved the nice words you had to say about him in comments from the last post too! He's letting me take his picture lately, although my talented husband took these shots.  He and little sister had the best weather for Winter Vacation last week. S-N-O-W!

There was some precision snow sculpting going on. 

 

I put this together.

 

I have been playing around with more needlebook designs.

 

I used snaps to close them this time instead of ties. And they are, ahem, a bit brighter than the others I made.

Good winter fun!

There has been a lot of the fluffy white stuff to shovel lately and we have had plenty of help.

My older child found other ways to entertain himself.

Snow this deep makes the world so new and gives a lot to explore!

I have had more indoor winter fun with these mittens I am working on.

I am nearly done! Don't you love the curilicues?

One done and one to go. Complicated patterns like this aren't great for social knitting though. I mainly do these when I have a bit of quiet time alone.

I forgot to show this pretty yarn my mom bought when she was visiting over Chrismas.

Lilly requested an entire doll wardrobe, complete with hat, scarf, sweater, dress, pants, socks, mittens, etc for her dolls, but was quite pleased to get the hat Gramma made her doll. My mother spends so much time playing with the children that there is barely time for knitting.

I have had so much fun lately, making new friends via this blog. Last week I met Anne Marie and today I met Amanda who had a sewing session with me and the children. Imagine she loves to sew but has moved to Norway with nearly no fabric. So she helped me make space on my shelves for new purchases... It will soon be flea market season so I will need a bit of extra shelf space! Actually people say they want to bring thier spouse over to show them how much worse other people are about buying too much fabric (ME= the worse one...)

A trio of Norwegian women with a passion for interior design and the creators of the blog named Flittiglisene,  did a piece about me today which was so nice. It is ironic becuase my dolls have become known in China but not really in the country I live - Norway!

Winter snow drives crafter inside...

Outdoors it is completly white, all day long. Snow and more snow... I don't have cabin fever but sewing fever. I am perfectly happy to be snowed in! A surprise was in the mail for me recently which gave me even more reason to want to sew. Jan sent me a card and a piece of this sweet bunny fabric. Thank so so very much for this fabric lover's treat!

The little bunnies looks so bouncy and jolly hopping amongst the blossoms that it makes me dream of spring.

I am going to use a bit of the bunnies on this WIP (Work in Progress). I am trying to get over my fabric hoarding ways and stop saving everything really special for later. I think the bunnies are going to go nicely with the hens. I haven't worked on this too much because I have been working on a few dolls.

 

I created Anna Margrethe and Fabel with some of my new supplies.

I gave Fabel's heart on her backside some extra attention just for fun.

Bright colors are marvelously fun to work with this time of year to counterbalance the somber and chilly landscape here. We are fast approaching hip deep snow in our neck of the woods so the kids are spending extra time outdoors.

 

So there seems to be a never ending demand for more mittens and these felted ones are thier favorites and mine. They are so quick to knit, are so easy to put on, due to the folded cuff and keep the small fingers warm. Hopefully I will show you the finished pair soon. I think I am stuck on this color combo right now though because look at what Lilly and I selected for some new felted mittens for her!!

Our day, a homemade skirt and mail!

Yesterday my big boy was home sick with a fever which happily was gone by this morning. That meant that little one and I were free to go to open day care.

Occasionally I help Anne Katrine by walking her adorable wee one to her nursery school which is in the same building as the play group we go to.

The walk to our play group is especially pretty in the snow. This is were we often seen the ducks.

The little red house with the pointy roof is where we go to meet some other stay-at-home parents and thier children.

After the fun of playing with the other children, song time, and having lunch we walked home on the slippery paths. I decided it was late for a nap and she agreed to a photo shoot instead! So here she is in a twirly skirt I made her from vintage Liberty of London fabric paired with another Liberty of London at the waist.

The vintage morning glory fabric is a heavier weight and puffs out nicely.

 

Here she is putting her baby to bed and you might wonder about her bare feet on our hard wood floors. Well, our heat is from hot water that is piped into our neighborhood. The water is heated by burning garbage. We actaully never ever turn on our radiators! The heat coming in through the pipes is sufficient to heat our place warmer than we need, so the kids go barefooted year round.

 

Finally, I have to show you Lilly's favorite accessory these days. I won it on a give away held by Kaori. She sent me such a delightful package!

Can you read what she wrote on the tissue holder? "Germs germs - go away!" Everything was so sweet and prettily wrapped. I was so tickled and Lilly just swooned over the handmade hair clips!

It took me ages to convince Lilly that it was ok to just wear ONE at a time and not all three front and center on her bangs...

 

Thank you so very much Kaori! They are certainly being put to good use and Lilly gets so many compliments about them.

I nearly forgot to tell you: Ravenhill Liberty of London photos have been spotted on this blog, Vain and Vapid; and one of my little matryoshkas was featured on Little Brown Pen.

Heaps of fun!

Just what the children ordered: piles of fresh snow!

Our backyard at dawn this morning. I love the bluish tint the world can get with the morning light on new fallen snow.

Lilly was fairly awestruck by the depth of it.

I just wanted to show you that I have played around with knitted designs before. It really is fun.

 

If you would like to make your own graph paper - any size - here is a wonderful link. I have just printed some and am going to have a go at it.

In the knitting mode...

I just want to knit. All day long. I really got bit by the knitting bug when mom was visiting and I still have it bad. But it feels so good. The needles click away while I sit with the children who play nicely (always) in the living room or kitchen or playroom. Lilly has been tricycling around on her 3 wheeler in the living room. Sebastian brought it in one day from outside, washed it for her in the tub and presented it to her to use. They were both pleased as can be!

This is what I am knitting. Yes, the beauties on the cover! I have had this book for ages and have always wanted to knit the pair pictured here with the people holding hands. Anne Katrine inspired me to make them when I saw she has this exact pair!

The needles are size 2 mm, pretty tiny and the yarn is ditto. Just finished with the little folk dancers.

I made the moose mittens for my husband many years ago, in the right corner. They didn't fit him though even though the pattern said it was for a man. I wore them instead, but the fit wasn't great. I am sure it is going to be the same for this pair that I am making now too, but I have dreams of making a new pattern myself that will be unique and fit properly. We'll see if I get to it.

I thought you might like to see what the pattern looks like.

I have never attempted gloves before. I know I could do it but it does look fiddly. They are so beautiful though that I might have to make a pair. Now, to get knitting again...

More of the Christmas market

The weeks before Christmas seem to fly by faster than they do the rest of the year, certainly twice as fast as they do in January. I have been sewing lately but most things are secret.

I have to show you these cotton pants I made even though they really are summer pants! I am so happy with how they turned out and Lilly likes them too.

There are so many little secrets this time of year and they are so hard to hide from inquisitive eyes!

Yes, those are the two sets of inquisitive eyes I meant! The snow drifting down this morning helped motivate us to get outside for an early morning Sunday walk.

Lilly wanted to carry her favorite "baby" (a little pig stuffed animal) in her shawl. I made her the mittens last fall and had forgotten about them. I had put them aside thinking they were not ever going to fit properly, but now they are perfect. Lilly's homemade socks were sliding down in her boots this morning though and here you see daddy fixed everything just right.

Finally, some wonderful stands from last week's Christmas market!
Lykke og Liten was new this year and the two designers were so much fun to talk with! They love going to flea markets too, live in Oslo and make wonderful clothes completly from thrifted materials.

Another great stand was ZN Design with such hip and fun children's clothes!

They combine fabrics to make such vibrant and joyous mixes.

Here below are the partners of ZN Design. Lilly and I know Merethe, on the right, well as she works in Lilly's open day care that we attend weekly.

Another amazing textile stand that caught my eye was the work of Marianne Skarpnes.

She hand prints the fabrics and then has workers do the hand stitching.

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas market!

I just wanted to thank everyone for voting for my doll in the toy contest on Etsy! I made third place thanks to your help! I also wanted to share the happy news that this past week I had my treasuries hit the Front Page of Etsy for the third and fourth time. Here is the third FP!

I hope your weekend was nice. We are counting down the days until Christmas and my mother's visit!

I attacked my thrifted Norwegian sweater

We were off line for nearly two days. I nearly went mad! It was probably good for me, but it is frustrating when you have things to do! I got a few sewing projects done instead. Remeber I showed you my pile of Norwegian hand made sweaters I had thrifted awhile ago?

Well one of them had numerous challenges: missing buttons, holes in the sleeve, a wrist coming apart at the seams, and a neck that was no longer staying sewn down.

I repaired the various holes and seams and then took off all but one button. I then dug into my stash of vintage pewter buttons and found mismatching buttons of the right size.

The sweater is so warm and cozy with a perfect fit. I have always wanted a sweater with mismatched buttons and now I have one of my very own! It is definitely sweater weather as it has gotten bitterly cold lately.

My little one having a picnic in the woods with daddy and big brother the other day. As you can see, we are still desprately in need of snow!

These little babies in a basket were barely in my shop before someone had taken pity on them and offered them a loving home! Thank you!

And these little ones are my latest creations!

 

I hope that I can find them a good home soon. They are snug in thier little quilts made from Japanese Lecien cotton fabrics which are my favorite at the moment.

My elf, gifts and a doll

I have some woderful gifts that I have been looking forward to showing you. I received them awhile back and now I can't wait any longer before sharing them with you. First though I have to show you the sweetest little elf I spotted the other day.

Her hat made the nicest little jingle sound when she moved.

Here was the same little elf another day when I caught her with one hand and captured her wee face with my camera in the other.

Several weekends back Anne Katrine and I had a sewing bee and she presented me with this sweater. Anne made it herself, or well nearly. It is nearly finished but it had been put aside for years. She gave it to me because she knows I love Norwegian sweaters and that I like to felt and make new things from them. I am really not sure what to do with this beauty though.

 

She also gave me this pretty matryoshka trim that I am longing to find the time to use. Thank you once again Anne!

 

Here is one of my latest little matryoshkas, Agnete! I really love using lace on them lately.

Hope you are having a great weekend! We are hoping for some more snow soon.

Ravenhill in print and Africa challenge

It's been a little secret... I just got word from Whipup that they are now available for purchase so now it is time to share! Ravenhill Mama and Babies are going to be the September photo for the Whipup's 2009 calendar! Each month features works of a different artist that has appeared on Whipup.

This week's challenge for the European Street Team which I am a member was the theme: Africa. I knew what I wanted to make! Would you like to see what my teammates made you can look here.

Please greet Lateia and her little baby. I made them using Norwegian Tilda designer fabrics.

I do hope that when children play with these dolls it might encourge them to carry their own babies when they are older. Lilly still loves to be carried when she is hurt or sad. It seems to help her to heal.

We have been having such dark and gray days, but we are getting out and enjoying the fresh air.

Flea market finds and shop news

I did find a few things at last weekend's flea market.

These will brighten up a dreary winter day!

Can you believe that someone could part with these mainly silk threads and other notions?

I had the jar already from another flea market, but the narrow velvet ribbons, red rick rack, blue and white trim, and red and white trim were all from this one. Lucky me!

This vintage Sanvika design fabric reflects Norway's countryside - just filled with wildflowers in the summer! 

It is anything but summerlike here but we still have a few frostbitten wildflowers!

 

My little flower enjoying the wonders of winter's first snow.

 

One does get sleepy after long days of thrifting and playing in the snow! Frøydis and Jannicke are sleeping peacefully and dreaming of new homes with someone to love them. I have just added Gift Certificates to my shop, which might be a nice way of giving someone the doll of their choice. Should you like one for an amount not listed please ask and I will make a custom certificate for you.