Saturday 25 December 2010

Wish You The Best Christmas

I wish you all the best christmas you can have this year. May all the birds of freedom and peace land on your roof and stay there forever.

The photo is taken where I live - in one freezing night. I like that the heart reflects on the wall outside. And I like the symbol of it:

When you have love in your heart it will reflect in the people you meet

Thursday 16 December 2010

My First Award

My blog just got awarded by a beautiful blogger. To know that what I write online really means something to you and others are the best thing ever. Thank you so much Bundles of Blossom. It´s a great honor to recieve this award. And I will cherish it forever.

I love to share my thoughts and I´m always aiming for the light. And that I´m responsable for how I see the world and how I handle the bad things in life. And that I´ll always have a choise. I try to tell that in my blog. And hope to bring it forward. So my 5 words for why I have a blog are:

HOPE    LOVE    LIGHT    COLORS    SHARING

Rules for this award
1. Thank the blogger's who gave you this award

2. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experiences using five words
 
3. Pass on to other bloggers that you feel are very deserving. It's so nice to be noticed!
 
I pass on the award to these wonderful bloggers:

 
 
 
 
 




Congratulations ladies - you bring smiles, hope and love to blogland!!!

Sunday 12 December 2010

I Choose The Colors In Life

Yes - finally presenting one of my new knitting projects. This time from a free pattern. The sweater is going to be a jacket. And the colors are just wonderful.

I was so inspired by Kristin Nicholas book Color by Kristin. A book that explains colors in knitting so you understand, get inspired and want to create of your own.

It´s no secret that I love bright colors. The brighter the better - and with a lot of contrasts.

It´s like swimming in clear blue water in the Pacific Ocean to look at bright colors.

And finally colors are a choice. A choice for light, hope, joy and fun. One can always choose the dark but it leeds us nowhere and leave us sad, lonely and cold.

Choose the colors you love, put them together and find yourself in them. I´m sure you´ll see the true colors of who you are - and feel the joy of it inside.
These are the colors I chose for the jacket

Tuesday 30 November 2010

Presenting: Seahorse For The Winter

Just in time for the winter to hit Norway my sweater is finished. And I´ve really need it. It´s freezing here at the time. But now I have the seahorse to remind me of the warm ocean in the summer to come.
I´ve enjoyed so much to knit this sweater.

And I love the way it turned out. Despite it´s a litte too big - it´s amazing to wear. The colors are perfect for me.

Knitting is a really great thing to do. I can take it with me everywhere and people in Norway are knitting a lot now.

It´s kind of a trend right now. And that makes a lot of new designs to come along.

I´ve already started knitting on a jacket - I´ll post about it soon.

Thanks to Tori Seierstad for her pattern for the seahorse - that made me so happy.

And that´s the main thing in creating - if it makes me happy life get´s so much better.

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Expecting A Butterfly

I can´t stop making these chrysalis forms. Made of polymer clay and inside everyone of them is a prayer or a wish. That makes them special to wear. It´s like wearing a treasure.

I must give the honor to Lori Wilkes and her tutorial in Belle Armoire Jewelry.

She is so generous and have shared several tutorials in issues of the magazine.

She is a great artist, and she makes art that make you think and she has a deeper meaning about what she does. Check her out!!

That someone out there give away their knowledge is a great gift to all of us.

They have gone a long way to do that. I feel so blessed to be part of a sharing community.

And it gives me the courage to go on with my little creative world.

Thank you so much.

To have courage means so much to me. And it was a word I wanted to put on my last chrysalis. Courage is the thing that makes the fear stop running your life!

Just a qoute from Lao Tzu about coarage:

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Monday 15 November 2010

Plastic Is Fantastic

Especially when you can form it as you want. I did another pencil like form with the word grace on it. Made of polymer clay. The pendants are so fun making, and they are not difficult.

The pendant is also inspired by Xante Walkers tutorial an Belle Armoire Jewelry. You can see the first I made here.

I added some plastic tubes to the necklace. One of them holds a minimized photo of some beads I previous made as you can see in the photo here.

The photo were matching the colors of the necklace. The other holds a prayer.

I´ve used leather cord, torn fabric and a silk ribbon to put the necklace together.

I´m very happy about the colors - they work together. And right now when autumn are bringing grey, black and pale colors in everything I just need to add some brightnes of my own.

I love colors and can´t get enough of the bright ones. Anyway, it´s really up to us what colors we like and are using. So let the spring inside always show on the outside.



Thursday 4 November 2010

He Is Finally Born

No, I´m not talking about a child. But a seahorse which I´ve been knitting on. I can´t thank Tori Seierstad enough for her excellent pattern for this wonderful creature with the traditional norwegian eight leaf rose inside he´s stomach.

Check her out - she´s such a talented knitter. The seahorse pattern is really meant for mittens - but it fitted perfect in my sweater which were suppose to look like this according the pattern.

To have found that seahorse on Toris blog means so much to me.

I could make a sweater for myself which means something special to me.

The seahorse is so beautiful, so delicate and so fragile. But still they survives in the ocean. Just amazing.

So, I have to knit some more. I still need to finish this and two sleeves. And I can´t wait to wear it.

Sunday 31 October 2010

Look What I Won

I must be the luckiest girl in blogland. I entered the giveaway from Craftymoose. I won Debbies giveaway - the halloween necklace. It´s so fun to recieve something from another country that´s part of a culture.

Look closely and you´ll see the bat in the necklace of polymer clay and beads.

Halloween has arrived Norway but it´s more commercial than anything else. So dear Debbie, thank you so much for sharing your art this way. And I can´t say how thankful I am for this.

And I got tears in my eyes when I saw what you made especially for me. A rose made of tiny beads.

I love this kind of bead work. How did you guess that??

The rose is so so beautiful and delicate. I can´t stop looking at it.

And it´s some of my favorite colors. You really touch my heart, Debbie.

Together with the gift wrapping, your card and your lovely words you put christmas into daily life.

Visit Debbie in her blog. You won´t regret it.

Saturday 23 October 2010

Worlds Largest Selbu Mitten


If you don´t know what to do one day you could always start knitting on a mitten that would hold several persons. Or maybe you need a new sleeping bag? The woman in the photo is Kristin Hoem. She´s the leader of Selbu Husflidslag.

Women in Selbu in Norway found out that they would knit the worlds largest Selbu mitten. And they did.

Check out the statistics:
The mitten is 247 cm long
It weighs 5.5 kg
It took 45 persons 3 years to knit it
The mitten were sent around to the knitters in Selbu by car
Every knitter had to knit 4 rounds to get in the project book
Started as a celebration of the Selbu mittens 150 anniversary in 2007

You can see the whole mitten here. Now the women are knitting another mitten - they always comes in pairs. I salute you - the world would be a better place if we could work together as you did!

Thursday 21 October 2010

Nutty Bracelets And Tagged Nuts

There´s no doubt about it: Nuts are some of my favorite items. I had a walnut made in silver and I just wanted to show you more of this madness.

That would be my bracelets with faux walnuts and almonds. They are such a joy wearing. People are just staring at them without saying anything. Nuts, maybe that´s what they think.

Well, last christmas I made tags for the gifts of faux walnuts in polymer clay.

The year before it was biscuits. Everyone thougt they were real and we had a great laugh about it.

It´s always fun to surprise others with these kind of strange things.

Out of the ordinary, must be the thing.

Don´t ever be scared of trying something new and different.

We grow if we think outside the box - even if others think we´re nuts.

Better beeing nuts than unhappy!!!

Saturday 16 October 2010

Gone To Heaven

These red guys are no longer with us. First they got boiled and then eaten. Now they are in lobster heaven. Or in fact in my stomach.

I have this lovely boyfriend who go lobster fishing every autumn when the season starts the 1st of October. In all this mystery and secrecy he dissapear off to the sea to fish for lobster.

This is photos of our first lobster meal - well a bit arranged. I love lobster - and would´nt be able to buy it from a store. Way too expencive.

It would cost about 600 norwegian kroner, and it´s about $105 for one kilo (2.2 pounds).

The rules for fishing is very strict so every lobster is valued a lot.

This luxury is added with my homebaked bread which takes four hours to make: Even more luxury.

Thank you Geir for making us enjoy this. And for taking all the time, effort and love to make me so happy.

Lobster hugs!!!!!

Thursday 14 October 2010

Completely Nuts

A couple of years ago I was almost diving into a big box of walnuts. Well, it lastet that long that it made the staff looking at me. I picked up one walnut after the other to find the perfect example. And I did.

I had this idea about getting a walnut made in silver with a secret compartment. Since I don´t work in silver (wish I did) I contacted Totto Eide in Mandal where I live.

He is melting and casting base and precious metals in sand and soapstone forms.

His occupation is brazier.

Anyway, he took the challenge, sort of finding it quite fun to make this for me. He´s never had such a strange request...

But I was so happy that someone would help me with my idea.

He used the real nut and some polymer clay to make it a little thicker. He has used sand as a base for the process. 

The nut is in silver made from some of my old jewelry and some he added. To prevent the nut beeing too fragile he made it rather thick.

Well, in fact it weighs about 115 grams (about 4 oz). So if I move too quickly I will kill anyone near me. It´s heavy!


I love this nut - it´s so special and made from a real walnut.

I wish I some day get an almond made as well. I don´t know why nuts are so fascinating to me.

But there´s something about their hard outside and the soft inside.

And of course the fact that they have the secret compartment.

Maybe you´ll like to take a look at the polymer clay walnuts I used for an exhibition about hope?

Thank you for reading - I hope you´ll get a day with a lot of light and hope!!!

Monday 11 October 2010

Word For A Pencil

When I saw the tutorial by Xanthe Walker in the autumn issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry I knew it. I had to make something similar. She uses thrown away pencils, cover them in clay and stamp words on them. They end up as fun and lovely pendants.

I dropped the pencil and went for using polymer clay to create a pencil like form. I stamped words on them and antiqued them with paint. I´m happy about the way they came out. And they are so fun making.

Letters are a powerful tool to use. In fact letters that form words can make peace in the world.

The way we use letters to form words tell who we are and what we value. To me one single word can mean a lot.

The pencil is therefore a symbol to me: They can write words and make a difference to the owner or to someone else.

For this pendant I chose HOPE. The word means so much. It´s what keep us going, what make us creative and can be a precious gift for the people we meet.

Saturday 9 October 2010

Growing Up

Well not me, but my knitting project is growing every day. I love this pattern and that it´s so easy to knit. Can´t wait to see when the seahorse designed by Tori emerges later.

Read more about the seahorse and this sweater project here. 

I´m off knitting some more. Take care and have a wonderful weekend.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Welcome To Norway

I live in the most southern part of Norway in a little town called Mandal. The town is by the wonderful coast of southern Norway. Make a cup of coffee and take a trip along the coast in my area. Mandal is shown in the film too. I hope you´ll enjoy it.



Here´s a little map from Google:

Sunday 3 October 2010

Some Chunky Business

The rain has been teeming down and the fog has left the day almost dark. So I got into urging for some colors to make me smile.

So I made this chunky bracelet to remind me that it´s important to keep the summer inside despite the winter is on it´s way.

This bracelet is really not a big thing.

But it´s sometimes so wonderful just finding some bright colors and make something easy to let myself know that I actually made something today.

In addition to the knitting that is.

And it´s easy and nice to make the chunky beads. They don´t have to be alike and I can enjoy that they become beads between my hands.

I love contrasts and put an orange bead into the bracelet. The rest are turquoise, green and purple.

The orange bead reminds me of the moment of making it and that there´s always something positive to see every day.

Even if it´s just the smallest thing: It can make the difference.

Friday 1 October 2010

The Colors Of A Weekend

I wish you all a very happy and colorful weekend. This photo is taken from my veranda - a wonderful rainbow.

I found this qoute I think says it all:

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain there will be no rainbow.
Jerry Chin

Thursday 30 September 2010

My New Knitting Project

I´m not a complete person without a knitting project. After my sweater with a fish shoal I´m keeping up the knitting. So I needed a new project and went to my old patterns to get inspired. I never buy womens magazines. Only if there´s  good recipes on chocolate cake and knitting patterns.

So in 1992 - gosh that´s some wrinkles ago - I actually bought a magazine where I saw this knitting pattern designed by Birte Aaartun. I´ve kept it with all the other ones from the 80s (with mohair sweaters). Before it get´s antique I decided to give the pattern a go. So the yarn is in place and I´ve already started it.

Going for seahorse
Horses are really great. But I´m not a horse-girl. So i found a lovely pattern made of the norwegian designer Tori Seierstad of a seahorse meant for mittens. So, I must be a seahorse-girl. Without ever meating one of them...

I´m always very excited about starting a new knitting project. It gives so much joy and pleasure. Finding the pattern, the yarn and the colors.

This is going to take some time. So who knows when it will be finished. But it´s all about the small steps.

I chose white and turquise for this project. I love knitting sweaters and it amazes me what you can do with some yarn and knitting needles. I never take anything for granted and the fact that I´m able to knit is so dear to me.

When appreciating the little things one always get happier. Even if it is so small that nobody else can see it.

The main thing is that you see it - and that you can appreciate it. That´s what makes us rich.

What did you appreciate lately?

Monday 27 September 2010

Take A Look At My Fish

Yes. It´s done. I finally finished my wollen sweater with the fish shoal. Not that it was a difficult pattern. But it took a lot of time counting and counting stitches to make the fishes swim along in harmony.

I can´t say how happy I am now. To put this on for the first time - well, that´s even better than chocolate. Hm, let me think a little about that...

This project started when I discovered the pattern from the danish designer Hanne Thorsen. It´s actually a childrens pattern. I´m never growing up...

I found some of my old patterns to make the stitches and everything else right with these fishes.

It´s knitted with norwegian yarn of wool (Pt2 and Rauma) and it´s just lovely to wear.

So now I don´t need to find Nemo. His right there - can you see him?

Creating is mostly about a finished project. But to me it´s in the end all about the way to it. All the thinking, working and playing.


And to finally realize that I can - just exactly whatever I want to do.

This took a lot of time - but it was worth it. Stitch by stitch. Or step by step.

A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step
Lao Tzu

Thursday 23 September 2010

A Squirrel Forever


This jewelry is very special to me. Last year I was in London and went to Kensington garden to feed the squirrels with nuts. And it was such a happy moment. I could have stayed there forever with these wonderful creatures. They just came and took the nut from our hands. And they stayed right beside us to eat our treats.


We took a lot of photos of them. And one of the squirrels became my jewelry. I took one of the photos and minimized it, and cut the squirrel out. Then I glued it on a digital sheet from Etsy. I took a vintage chandelier prism and glued the whole thing on.

In addition I bought a charm with a squirrel from Hint just to make it a bit more personal.

I cherish the memories of that moment and now I can wear it as well. And it hits me: It´s always the little things that really matter. And they are often free of charge. And it´s those moments that makes us rich and happy.

Here are the squirrel you see inside the chandelier. He´s eating one of the nuts I gave him.

And this is my hand (with my polymer bracelet) feeding a squirrel.

Monday 20 September 2010

Salt Of The Jewelry

The story about this necklace starts with a back issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry from 2009. When I first saw the tutorial for these salt shakers I just knew I had to give it a try.

So I went online to find some vintage salt shakers in silver. I ended up on eBay and found these. I was so pleased with the shape of them.

Little did I know what a challenge I gave myself. It seem easy to cut a window in a salt shaker. But there was no photos and it said to use metal shears. I didn´t know what that was. The photos online made me more confused.

I considered pulling my hair off (and save money on shampo). But instead of going bald I found that a proper tool hunt was more appealing.

I went to all the hardware stores I could think of. When I told them about my project they were shaking their heads and had that little smile in their face: She is crazy.

I even called stores in other parts of the country. No one could help me.

I also sent an email to the artist, but she never answered. I´m very determined about jewelry projects so I never ever give up anything unless it´s totally impossible. Not even then...

Well, I took my boyfriend with me - who also had gone through both his and my toolbox - to another town to look for some attachment for the Dremel.

We finally found something that could work. And IT DID! Together with some other tools, metal files and sand paper. I can´t say how happy I was to have made windows in my shakers.

Inside this one there is a polymer clay bead. I printed out some text that means a lot to me, and added a bird from a digital sheet from Etsy.

Then I did some wirework. Well, I need to work on that...

But I´m so pleased with this idea of making jewelry out of something that isn´t suppose to be jewelry.

It gives a whole new dimension and surprises.

 So the motto of this project must be: Never ever give up anything.


Not even when things looks completely hopeless.

Saturday 18 September 2010

The Winner Is

Congratulations to Debbie on Craftymoose who won the birthday giveaway. Please contact me as soon as possible with your name and adress. Mr Purple has found his giftbox and he will be sent to you as soon as I hear from you. I hope you´ll like him and that he makes you smile.

I had actually said that the winner would be announced sunday - but I was too excited to wait. I printed out and cut out all the comments and folded them to tiny pieces. And my boyfriend picked the one from Debbie.

And thank you all so very much for your lovely comments and for joining my giveaway. You all made me very happy.

I never expected so many to post comments. A giveaway is much more giving than I thougt. It was so much joy making the mouse and thinking that a person somewhere in the world would recieve it. I got so excited about all this. It´s not my last giveaway!!

Sunday 12 September 2010

GIVEAWAY For My Birthday

It´s my birthday, so I decided to celebrate with my very first giveaway. I feel so happy to have met so many lovely bloggers since I started mine, so I would love to give something back.

This is a purple polymer clay mouse, my very own design. The mouse is hand sanded and hand buffed. It´s stringed on a purple nylon mesh which is about 42 cm before you wear it.

Since the nylon mesh stretch, due to the weight of the mouse, it will be about 45 cm long wearing. You can make it longer by the little chain added.

If you would like to win this you´ll just have to post a comment on this article. The giveaway is of course open internationally.

The giweaway will close the 18th of September at 4 pm CET.



The winner will be announced the 19th of September.

Thank you so much for reading this - and for your comments.

Thursday 9 September 2010

Colors For A Friend

This bracelet is made for a dear friend for her birthday. She has the biggest heart and always spread a lot of it in my life. So, she deserves all the colors in the rainbow. At least, these are some of them put together in a bracelet. The bracelet is made of polymer clay. Attatched you see a Moo minicard.

Since she is such an angel I made a giftbox with decoupage and angels on.

Inside the lid there´s a personal message for her.

I feel rich to have such a friend. She makes me smile, give me faith and hope for the future. Thank you dear.

For just beeing there with your big heart and smile.

This is the box for an angel - with angels on.

Wednesday 8 September 2010

Purple Heart In Faux Bone

This fellow moved into my head, and I had to make him. Sometimes the ideas just come - mostly late in the evening. I actually like the way he came out. Made of polymer clay as faux bone with tiny watch parts on the stamped love letter on it.

Making faux techniques in polymer clay is some of my favorites. It´s so amazing that you can make the clay look like something else. I love these possibilities.

I hope to make a ring and earrings to go with this mouse. Polymer clay is a medium that shows us that everything is possible.

That you can make whatever you want. Just like it is in real life: You can become whatever you want. It may be a lot of work, but see the possibilities and go for it.

Don´t let anyone tell you that you can´t. If your heart says you can - it´s always right.

So find your real heart and show your true color.