Happy happy New Year!

We will be celebrating the New Years Eve at a friends' wedding. Have a super fun New Year!

Coffee break

I'm tired. I've had people over for two nights to have some cake and before that I haven't been home. I spent the Christmas Eve Eve at A's parents and Christmas Eve and day on my parents. I haven't slept well for many nights. Mostly it's because I never sleep well in new beds but also because I'm getting a new job and I quess I have been stressing about it a bit. So today I'm having a coffee break from blogging.

But I did get one present that I will blog about soon.

Boxing day

It's Boxing day today but it's also known as my birthday! I'm having a few people over on the evening, so I'm busy making cake and sandwich cake. Hope you are having a lovely Holiday.

Yihaa! A Christmas tree

I have a Christmas tree! Yay!

My sister and I drove to the cottage and with our dad's help we picked a tree and sawed it off. My sister did not take a tree, she just took branches. I thought I had took quite a small tree, but at home I noticed it's not small at all. I had planned to put it on top of the commode in the livingroom. On top of the commode that now holds the Teahouse. But the tree was too tall and wide. Ofcourse I could have cut it down, but I didn't want to. So I figured out an alternative placement. I pulled the piano closer to the entry and moved the camera stand lamp close to the backdoor. I also pushed the subwoofer a bit to left. All this moving created me a nook where to put the Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree leg we have is a pathetic one. It's very small and it can not hold much water. Also it's ugly as hell. First I thought that I could place a bucket in a basket and fill the bucket with rocks and then stick the tree inbetween the rocks. But then I noticed that the pathetic tree leg I have fits inside the bucket. So I placed the bucket in the basket and then I put the tree leg in the bucket. I screwed the tree on it and then filled the bucket with water. I'm pretty happy how it turned out, but I'm thinking that next Christmas I must have a better leg.

I allready told on wednesday that every year I buy one or two new decorations for the tree. I usually buy glass ornaments that in my mind are quite expencive and that's why I don't feel like getting all of them in one go. I do have some old plastic decorations that I'm keeping until I get nicer ones. But I'm in no hurry. This year I did not get a traditional ball decoration, but a garland. I had seen bead garlands on shops, but I did not see one in white. I only get white, golden or silver decorations and I wanted the bead garland to be white. So I went to an accessory store and bought five long pearlescent neclaces.

I split them all and attached them to each other with two composite glue. First I tried super glue, but it just melted the pearlescent surface away.

Then I decorated the tree, with the garland and all the other decorations.

 

 

Last but not least

Merry Christmas and I hope you have an enjoyable holiday season.

Holiday pillows

I was going to show you my Christmas tree that I got on monday. But it's not decorated yet. Every year I get one new decoration for the tree and this year's is not finished yet. The glue I used is not yet dry (do you get a feeling I'm having lots of problems with glues? Glues clearly aren't my field of expertise).

On monday I showed the wall board that had ribbon on it wrapped like a present. After I had written that post I realized I still have that ribbon and instantly wanted to use it somewhere. Then I also remembered that I have red pillow covers for the sofa pillows. And this is what I did.

I used a safety pin on the back of the bow to keep it formed like that. The next pillow didn't need any safety pins.

 

What this means is that I cannot lean on my pillows or the bows will go all flat, but look how pretty they are! I love them, so Christmassy and there is also the pillow with those letters that can be leaned on. And besides I hardly ever lay down on the sofa.

Also scb mentioned on the comment for monday that she's used ribbon on a door to make the door look like a present. I LOVE that idea. I would really like to use that somewhere someday. It could be amazing for a house warming party or if you give a house as a present to someone (yeah right, like that's ever going to happen).

I'll show you the tree on friday, I'm sure the glue has dried by then.

Holiday decorations for the wall

 

I have not put up much holiday decorations yet, and I probably won't even put up much. I am getting a Christmas tree but that is about it. I did make a bunting from old holiday cards for the wallpaper covered board we have in the livingroom. The bunting is inspride by Benita. I wish I would have had as nice cards as she did. Oh and I wish we had a fireplace, even a faux one like she has had.

Last year I put ribbon on the board as if it would be wrapped like a Christmas present. (I think I stole that idea also from Benita, but can't find a post about it). That looked beautifull too.

About the I'm a Giant Challenge

This is an extra post about the I'm a Giant Challenge, because I feel that I must write my thoughts out, I felt very annoyed by the fact that the Challenge had been extended. I actually wrote a post that was quite harsh but now I've cooled off a bit and I've revised my text. I'm posting this on sunday, because next week is Christmas week and I plan to consentrate on Christmas only. But here goes.

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Ummm.... I think I sort of stated that the teahouse is finished. And it is, but the dealine for finishing the I'm a Giant Challenge has been extended and now I feel like I need to do more, eventhough I don't really want to. When I started the teahouse I started a project I knew I could finish in the time frame given. Now that more time is given to finish what has been started puts me in an awkward situation.

I made my "dollhouse" deliberately minimalistic and simple, but I think beautifull, because I felt it would look good in my home and because it would be timely possible. So what I quess I'm trying to say is that now that people are given more time to finish what they've started and are able to make their houses as grand as they had visioned, my allready finished Teahouse is leaving behind. I am aware that if I would have not finished the Teahouse I would just be relieved and I would be only happy that the deadline has been moved forward. 

I loved, loved, LOVED making the Teahouse, making miniatures seems to be a great hobby. I cannot remember any other thing for a long time that I've consentrated for as long periods and which I wouldn't have wanted to stop doing. In my opinion the Teahouse I made is amazing and I would ruin it if I would do more to it. I have an idea of making a dry landscape garden around it, or on the side of it, but I'm not sure. Not that the garden wouldn't look good, but I'm afraid it would make the whole Teahouse and it's surroundings too large. Then I would have the issue of where I'm going to showcase the Teahouse. I'm still thinking of the garden though and I might do a setup that can be taken apart later. I even have sand ready in soda bottles (yes, you read that correctly, I have collected sand) from a beautiful beach in the Finnish archipelago.

What this whole post means is that I have no freaking idea what I'm going to do about this challenge.

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Update 19th December 2011
After I wrote this post I got a comment that made me realize that it does not matter at all what others do. And now after a good night sleep I'm not annoyed or stressed anymore and I feel that what I wrote there was a bit selfish. But I'm glad I did write that and that I got such a good comments. If I wouldn't have written that it would have taken me a whole lot longer to realize how wrong I was or I might have never realized it. Thank you Emma :) and scb.

Overdue fix ups

Have you had it with the Teahouse posts allready? Getting tired of them? Well I am (untill landscaping starts at the Teahouse :D )

So lets move on... to mending clothes. I had a glove that had a cut and also a jacket which elbow had worn out.

It seems that I had accidentally cut the glove with scissors, but the oddest thing is that because I'm right handed, how could I have cut the right hand's glove. Also I did not notice it at the time it happened, but the next time I put the gloves on noticed the cut. The gloves were still in an excellent shape and I did not want to get new ones, so I fixed this. First I ironed a support fabric on the back, the fabric had glue in itself.

Then I sewed the cut close.

 

It turned out pretty good I think. So that was an easy fix up. Next I made elbow patches for my jacket.

 

I use this jacket a lot at work (well I used to use, since the elbow had been worn out ONE YEAR ago, and I haven't used it since). I actually followed Benita's instructions on how to make the elbow patches. I got that glue that comes with paper and ironed the glue on the patch material. Then I cut out the patch from the fabric and ironed the patches to the sleeves.

I'm not sure how the glue will hold up the patch material so I also sewed the edges, so the patch won't fray and it won't get loose.

I could have also just sewn it on, but it's a whole lot easier to sew something that does not move than something that moves about all the time.

Now finally after having the jacket in the crafts cabinet for one year I can start using it again.

Teahouse warming party

Welcome! Let me introduce you to the resident of the Teahouse, he's name is Totoro and he comes from Japan. Also one other guest has arrived too, Moomintroll from Finland came to a visit.

Totoro is a very famous actor, he has stared in the movie My Neigbor Totoro, named after him (that's how famous he is). Totoro had this Teahouse built where he could retreat from all the city fuss. So are you interested in a grand tour?

Here is the deck, I know you've seen it before. Totoro has planned to start a zen garden around the decking, but it's still in planning stage.

From three sides of the house the shoji screens open and on summer days those can be left open. Let's move inside then. We'll start the tour from the altar, it's a very sacred place, take note that it is not a table, nothing that does not belong there should be placed there. The image above is a painting of Daruma, the father of Zen.

Then on the left there is the built-in storage space, that has sliding doors. It has three shelves where for example the bedding can be stored.

Then we can move to the center of the house. The floor is covered by tatami mats in a very traditional Japanise style. There in the center is a small table and seat cushions.

As we are now in a teahouse, we also have some green tea and if you are hungry some sushi. The teapot and the cups were made from the same polymer clay as the roof, using instructions from MiniMaker. The sushi set is the only bought item in the Teahouse and it's from Etsy, but I can't find the seller anymore, it's name was 2plus1 MiniWorld. At the time I bought the sushi there was no actual mini sushi sold in Etsy, or then I was really blind, so the thing I bought is actually dim sum, but to me it looks like sushi and it's good enough.

Please enjoy your stay and feel right at home. You can even stay for the night. Moomintroll atleast is staying, he's had bit too much of sake allready.

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This post is the final post for the I'm a Giant challenge by Emily Henderson. All my posts about the challenge can be found behing this link.

Invitation to the house warming party

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This post belongs to the series of posts for the I'm a Giant challenge by Emily Henderson. All my posts about the challenge can be found behing this link.

Crux blanket in mini

I know all of you have probably seen the Crux blanket by Pia Wallén on every other interior design magazine. I love the blanket, but the price of it is ridiculous so I would never ever buy it for myself (especially when one could easily make one themselves on a weaving station in the worker's academy, *hint hint*).

Okey so I'm not going to make one in full size, at leats for now, but since it's such a lovely blanket I made two in miniature size for the teahouse. I had grey felt at home and used that as a base. Then I used some white paint to make the crosses.

I cut out a stencil from a plastic document pocket. And then painted.

After the paint dryed I had myself two mini Crux blankets. Those came out so cute!

Now that I got the blankets ready, the bedding that I started to make some time ago are now fully done and just waiting for the first night guests for the teahouse.

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This post belongs to the series of posts for the I'm a Giant challenge by Emily Henderson. All my posts about the challenge can be found behing this link.

Topping-out party

The building of the roof of the tearoom was getting very wearing, but then I got sudden help from Bob the Builder!

It was very nice of him to come to help me. Just think how many times I would have needed to climb those ladders with a pile of roof tiles if I would have been alone.

The tiles were waiting on the deck. First the straight tiles were laid on the laths using hot glue.

Then was the turn of the arched tiles, those were glued with super glue.

The last arched tiles needed to be formed a bit before baking so they would lay more flat and the arched tiles that came to the top egdes would sit nicer. Also it was possible to see inside to the arched tiles from the lower egde and I wanted to cover them up, so I made cones that I then pushed inside the first arhed tile.

Then suddenly the roof was all done.

Then we had a topping-out party with Bob, we had worked so hard. Bob brought some flowers and we had some wine on the deck to celebrate the finished roof.

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This post belongs to the series of posts for the I'm a Giant challenge by Emily Henderson. All my posts about the challenge can be found behing this link.