CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas! Which you know still goes on for more than a week! (Officially, over here and in my book at least.) Hope you all are having a good one!

This year turned a splendid one over here, with much awaited snow falling just a couple of days before. We've been out in the countryside and altough it's beautiful and cosy it also gets rather hectic, with dinners and family gatherings and lots of to-do's. The middle days in between Christmas and New Year's have always been my favourite as those contain a lot of taking it easy.





And eating chocolate. And having wine. Plus lighting candles everywhere.


This year I made our Chrismtas tree to resemble the one's the Moomins make when they once wake up at winter and experience Christmas. Dag is a huge Moomin fan, and I am a big fan of Tove Jansson.



The tree has random items like sea shells (I got huge ones from a masquerade shop and cut them a bit smaller and glittered them over the course of a few days) and spoons and cups and pearls. Altough I used pom poms instead of pears.

Instead of a star it has a huge rose on top.

Quite suitably they read the chapter about the Moomins on Christmas on the radio earlier during Christmas Eve.  Here's what the original looked like from the books:

I noticed I have now apparently reached that stage of adulthood (that some have been in all of the time, I know, but not me) where one changes the textiles at home according to season. I made this table cloth for the holidays, consisting of different bits of red-and-white fabrics - X-mas points to the maxxx!

On Christmas Eve my whole family and Eddi's parents came over to us -four generations all-in-all.


My youngest guest -my new nephew- was just two weeks old!

Dag was a little eager to start with the Christmas dinner. (He's too young still to know to be eager for the gifts. Well, that will propably change nexgt year already...)

Then Santa Claus came over!
I remembered being scared of him when I was very young but this year, being the first Dag met Santa, he was very brave and only a little shy when he shook Santa's hand and introduced himself.

He had been a good boy and got lots of toys.

Calm Christmas Day morning.

MAKING OLD SHOES SHINE: THE SPARKLY VERSION

Suitably for DIY-season of the year (yes,  Christmas time) I was asked to collaborate with Yahoo! and get acquainted with and inspired by their Yahoo!DIY digital magazine - and then come up with my very own little do-it-yourself.*

Yahoo!DIY has a fresh and easy-to-navigate-trough layout, and is now full of eye candy along with lots of tips and tricks to DIY during the Holidays; gift and wrapping ideas, recipes, different decorations and more. I came across a post that mentioned both bling and glitter in the headline (on how to add a little extra glitter here and there without any mess) and as you know, bling and glitter has -apart from checks- been a theme here lately, so that was my thing! And I intended to add a LOT of glitter.

Some time ago I made an old pair of shoes fancier by adding rhinestones to them, and last week I pimped up a plain shirt by embellishing it -now it was time to spice up another pair of shoes: to glitter them up!

Glitter is something that growns on you. There was a point in life that if asked, I would have said that there can be such a thing as too much glitter. But nowadays, and especially at this time of year, I would say No, there simply can not be any such thing as too much glitter or bling. This often from a burlesque point of view, which is slightly ironic and full of the love of all things camp and kitsch. (And if you haven't noticed, Christmas is a very kitschy holiday.) But glitter, even when there is a lot of it, can still be stylish and classy too. And depending on how you choose to style a pair of glitter shoes, the result can be either wonderfully over-the-top or then very elegant. Or maybe even both.

Some of you may recall that crafting and I are not total bff’s, but that is only goes for certain areas of crafting. As I have accepted a lot more glitter in everyday life, I have also come to enjoy the bling up’s a lot more, to the extent that I sometimes start new projects and choose items to bling up without having an actual reason for it. But in this case there is very much reason - to give old shoes a new life. I have glittered up several pairs before and am often asked about how they've done.
So, here’s how I do it:

First take note that this will require a day or two - the steps are rather quick to do but the waiting in between takes time. So if you want to wear your blingy shoes for  Christmas you might be in a bit of a hurry, unless you start in 1-2-3-NOW! and yo might be able to wear then for Christmas day (which is, as I remember from the days when I was young and out and about all the time, the day to part-ey out on town.) But, even better, and as you perhaps might have a few other things on your hands righ tnow, make them in time for New year’s eve to definitely out-sparkle all other shoes in the room!

So - take out an old pair of shoes -or new ones if you so please, but wear them in first - and clean them up if needed. I find this works best on satin (or canvas) shoes, but basically you can do the same on any kind of material - this is also how I made the glitter surface for the (plastic) soles on my red heels that I embellished some time ago.

The pair I’m working on are a pair of by now rather sad looking dancing shoes I use on stage, but as I’ve said before; dance shoes are the most comfortable of heels as they are soft tand flex. In other words, perfect for parties as well!

You will need fabric embellishment glue, one that dries see trough and elastic. I go for my old pal Jewel-It. Then you'll need a brush to paint it on.

And, glitter. Heaps of glitter.

But don’t be chocked by the size here! For someone that pours glitter on herself and throws it in the air for a living, this is standard size and I go trough several of these a year.

A smaller size (that some perhaps may still refer to as a big jar of glitter? Hard to say when you have caught what we call glitter-herpes) will do fine, because in the end you will not need that much to cover your shoes, although the process requires quite a bit. You can smarten things up, and in the same time get by with less of a mess if you grab a few papers along for your working surface and an extra jar for the glitter.

First, fill your shoes with newspaper (or a few rolled nylon socks) in order to keep their shape and to not get messy on the inside. Start by covering one side of the shoe with glue; paint on a rather thin layer (it will sink in fast). Apply a second layer after a about ten minutes. Try to paint the glue on as even as possible - don’t make the layer too thick as the glitter will not attach evenly then, but make it thick enough still not to be soaked in straight away. It should leave a visible surface. (If you are working on another kind of material that won’t soak up the glue one layer is enough).

Fold a paper in half and open it up so that you have a little crease in the middle. Place the shoe on the paper and pour glitter on it. And I mean pour! Pour glitter on it like there is no tomorrow! Make it pile up! Glitter it like it’s 1999!

The shoe will look a bit over glittery and fuzzy, but it will not remain that way. Wait for some ten minutes again, and carefully lift the shoe and let the excess glitter fall off on your paper. Tap the heel and the toe a few times on the paper to get all the extras off.

To re-use your sparkle, fold the paper in half and pour the glitter back in your jar.

Leave the shoe lying on the side to dry while you start with your other shoe.

You can do the other side after an hour or two, depending on how well the first side has dried. Let that side dry too and then glue and pour gitter on the back of the shoes, leave them standing to dry. The glitter surface may look a bit uneven and weird, but fear not, this is only the first round.

You can speed up the drying process by gently blowing the shoes with a hair dryer. And I really want to stress it when I say ‘gently’ -keep the hairdryer on a good distance and on low effect; too hard a blow can make an uneven result as the glue-glitter mass can move. Also, do this away from your crafting table, unless you want to cover your whole house in glitter (which, depending on a lot of things, may not necessarily be a bad idea. But it’s not what were after here).

Your shoes are ready for the next coating after a few hours, or the next day. Paint on a new layer of glue, thick enough to cover all the glitter. It may seem like you are ruining the fine sparkle, but don’t worry, they will improve! Pour on glitter en masse again, wait a while, tap it off and let dry. Repeat on the other side and in the back. Let dry properly.

Two layers will most like be enough, or then go for a third, your choice.
You can choose to finish your project here and strut along in super glittery shoes already. Give them a light fix with hairspray or fixative (for coal crayons) before you head out.


I like it with a little less crisp and more smooth finish, that also makes them last longer, so I paint on one last layer of glue, thick enough to cover all the glitter, on. Once again you might get sceptic and think that you’ll ruin them, but don’t worry, as the glue dries the shoes will sparkle like whoa! again!

Like this!
Now dance the night away in shoes that would make Dorothy and her ruby slippers  jealous.

Some small extra tips and trix:

- you can mix two shades of glitter for more ‘depth’ to your sparkle, like a more yellow and a more brownish gold for exampe. Or red and fuchsia. Mix them in the jar you work with before pouring on.

-Bling your heels to the max by adding a few chrystals or rhinestones on top afterwards., for example in the front on a pair of sandals.

-Glitter just a section of you shoe,  the back and heel for example. Make sure to draw an exakt line with the brush when you put the glue on for a neat and pretty result, or then place place a trim /ribbon or a row of rhinestones on the edge to cover it.

For more crafts inspired from the magazine search for, or for sharing your own creations inspired by the posts use #yahooDIY

*) to be clear, this post has been sponsored by Yahoo! and I give my sincerest thanks for sponsoring me in the making of my glittered shoes. While this was a sponsored opportunity from Yahoo!, the idea of the post, it’s content and opinions expressed here are, of course, my own.

LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Don't get frightened by the headline there - last minute is still far away. According to some at least.

After being rather late when it comes to Christmas myself (in my book at least), this weekend I've made lots of preparations,  glittered things up here and there, prepared food and gifts, bought flowers (I always by a bunch of flowers whenever the season changes) and all that. I love giving presents and prefer never to give anything that is not of any use (unless it is really really funny or really really kitsch). But there are always those who it can be hard to find nice gifts for. Apart from giving away a dinner, tickets to see a play or movie, a day together like going bowing or so or a gift card, here are a few tips and tricks for nice gifts when you are in a hurry or don't know what to give:

Anything in a jar. You may recall that I love jars. And most people have a need for them anyway. Putting something rather mundane nicely wrapped in a mason jar makes it more of a gift, even though it's a pair of classic wool socks. But you can of course stuff your jars with lots of goodies like...

...homemade gingerbread.  Or sweets - home made candy or raw candy. Or go for store bought if you are not the baking type. Or mix!


Or store bought goodies. Mix healthy and less healthy. Or salty and sweet!

Or, give away a recipe to make. Cookies for example, where the receiver ads just the fat (and eggs, if needed). Remember to add the how-to (and ingredient list) along with the gift. (Recipes with candy or dried fruit in it looks nice when jarred up. )

Fill a bowl - new, flea market find, your choice - with fresh fruit and some extra tinsel to go along.
deliver as it is or wrapped in cellophane. Or, wrap it in -

...a tote bag deluxe (with clean seams on the inside). Mke on out of nice fabric to use as wrapping and fill it with just anything, like tea or coffee. Or chocolate. You can seldom go wrong with chocolate. In my humble opinion at lest. Or sew a kitchen towel (as simple as it gets) and do the same.

Or, place those wool socks or movie theatre tickets in a nice box that can be used for storage afterwards. Two-in-one!

Or then - give a book! Because you know, books are great.

TURQUOISE, CHECKS AND HEART-SHOES

I went to Christmas party which was an excellent opportunity to pop on my Heartbraker shoes. And as the theme of this fall-and winter- has been plaid I did not break it this time either! (In real life I actually have been wearing other clothing than checked_plaid only, even though it may seem hard to believe; they just did not make it here.) I put my bangs aside for the night with a couple of pins that my mother used to wear as a kid, they still keep hair in place very well.

The skirt is vintage and the top is self made from last summer. The shoes are by Frollein von Sofa and come in many colours and materials.

MAKING OLD SHOES SHINE : THE BLINGY VERSION

It's the official party season. (Which for me is more of a work season; no time for parties.) All display windows ad billboards fill up with black and gold and red and glittery sparkly things for the season. Well, it's Christmas all year round in many ways for me (not just the lights here and there) as the amount of sparkly stuff  I nowadays have to drape myself in is, well, a lot. For all the obvious reasons.

I was blinging up an old pair of shoes for a show, but, this is of course something you can do without having to strut with them on stage in. You may remember my tip from some years back about attaching jewellery to a pair of heels? Another quick and easy way to bling a pair of shoes up is to use some rhinestones and glue and TA-DA, instant party shoes!

I normally use a fabric glue that is still elastic when it hardens but as the shoes I decided to pimp up are made of (faux) patent leather I used hot glue and pre-glued rhinestones instead. Because theses are for a themed act I put the bling on to resemble daisies. (I also made a glitter surface on the sole but we'll get back to that in another post.)



Be sure to clean the shoes before you start. The smaller rhinestones were pre-glued and came in lines (from Tiger)  which made this an easy task. Otherwise I use a chrystal pen or a pair of tweezers to grab and place the pieces.  Remember to be quick if you work with hot glue as it dries instantly - for bigger stones it's easy but for smaller ones that you might want to add in a formation (a line like here) I'd suggest another kind of glue that takes a little longer to dry. Haberdashery stores also sell rhinestones on a string, which would work nicely for this - the price per meter is high but you will not need so much for a pair of heels so it's doable.



And then it's just on with the heels and off to shine and sparkle!
(and yes I know, my working space is a mess as I, in my usual manner, am working on too many things at once...)

CHRISTMAS AND ALL THAT

I know it has not really begun yet * although it is just around the corner, and we had the first little hint of snow now, so I did a little cheating and hung up the first Christmas lights at home already! November is so dark anyway, but I did wait with the stars and advent lights so far though. Plus, I have different led-and fairy lights at home all year round so in some ways I sort of have a Christmas all the time (much to the joy of my husband).
*) other than in all the stores, everywhere,  right after Halloween as usual and apparently, as I heard, at Ikea already in October...


Then, because I had some extra banans hanging around (they sometimes tend to do that, become extras that just stay there and turn way too dark all of a sudden) I baked a chocolate-banana cake. Vegan.  It was good. Had it wit the first glögg (mulled wine/glühwein. Altough -yes really- this was the wine free version. More like spiced warm juice  really) of the year to go along. And as I was in the pre-Christmas mood I put some gingerbread spices in the cake too. Muy bueno. We can have a closer look on the how-to some other time.

I have said it before, I really am a Christmas person. The Holidays could last for at least a month and a half for all that I care. Well it usually does, as we seldom manage to get the Christmas tree out before the end of January. Ehrm. But mostly I am a "Christmas person" on the inside - for the past decade I have always been so busy I never manage to do that whole cal-getting-in-the-mood-and-relax-thing, where I have lights and candles and tingling everywhere and bake and make goodies for weeks and make and sew presents to all of my friends and family (one year I actually did, but that was a long time ago). It's more the thought of it I suppose, the same with the thought of autumn where I always wear knits and scarves and go out on walk in colourful crispy cold woods and come back home and drink cocoa. That which I have done perhaps once the last five years. Perhaps.  As with most other things and times and seasons in life, it comes surprisingly fast and is over before you know it. This year will be no different as I have lots of shows to do and classes to teach ahead of me still, and producing no less than two events within two weeks. But then I will try my best to take it easy and bake and prepare and all that and plan, make and shop gifts; I do love to hand out presents!

Speaking of which. This one here is mainly for my readers in Finland; a little hint if you plan to do some, or even some more of your Christmas shopping online, one that I had almost forgotten about myself but that comes in handy this time of year - do so via Ostohyvitys! Sign up and shop. This of course applies to all your purchases all year round as well, as you get various discounts (money refunded to your bank account) at most major online stores, both Finnish and international ones such as Apple Online store & iTunes, asos, cdon, Finnish Design Shop and The Body Shop to name a few, as well as at various smaller speciality stores, when you shop via the site. That, and discounts on many services and on magazine-subscriptions and at several travel companies etc. The system is very smart and it is easy to use - log in and then navigate to the store you want to make a purchase from and receive the discount in euros to your bonus account (and later to your bank account ). Well, as I do very little shopping nowadays I have forgotten to use the service the times I have actually bought something, so this serves as a good reminder for myself as well!

And ahoy! As a reader of my blog you will now get a 10euro gift card to use at any of the S-group stores (S-ryhmä) when you sign up and make your first purchase at any of the stores and services via the site (within 90 days).
Sign up here for more info and in order to receive the gift card: Ostohyvitys / S-ryhmän lahjakortti

Disclaimer: nothing in this post is in any way sponsored or paid for by Ostohyvitys but I am part of their affiliate network and can thus offer you the chance of to receive the gift card.

JAR FLOWERS

I love the scent of hyacinths. Or, I love the scent of most flowers actually.

If you still have large Christmas flowers around that are otherwise doing alright and looking pretty but that are starting to tip over, like hyacinths or amaryllis, you can place them in a high vase or big jar to enjoy them a bit longer.

GINGERBREAD TRUFFLES

Room for some sweets still? I've never been too eager on making any Christmas dishes myself (I let others do them for me for when I come over, hehe), apart from sweets. For New Year's I, as many others, like to eat something fresh and not really related to the season. But when it comes to the extras I prefer to still go for Christmas,  as I do like the holiday scents an tastes, sweet and spicy. 

Here's a recipe for gingerbread truffles, to serve with coffee for or after dessert or to place on the table among with the other sweets you've gathered around yourself for this time of the year. I'm sure you could get pretty awesome truffles by just adding gingerbread bits to a regular truffle batch, or by rolling truffles in gingerbread crumbs (>note to self: try). But these here are not that kind of truffles.


For about 18 pieces you'll need:
180 grams of almonds
2 tbs of honey
8 dates (or fewer, if you use very big ones)
Ginger bread spices

Grind the almonds in a mixer. They don't have to get as smooth as flour, keep a little texture. Add the honey, and then the dates one by one. (If you want to do a vegan version trade the honey into one spoon of agave, or just use about one or two dates more.)

The mix should be a rather fluffy, nutty crumble, that will stick together easily when you roll it into a ball. If you put in too many dates it will turn soggy, so check before adding the last ones. Put in the spices last and blend. I use 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and one each of ginger and clover. As I like cardamom a lot I put a teaspoon of that too.


Form into balls and roll them in a mix of cocoa and cinnamon (or if you so prefer, just either one).
Keep cold for an hour or two before serving, and if you for some reason are left with any over, store cold in a plastic box.

No food processor at home? If you use soft enough dates you can do this with just a hand mixer too, with pre-ground almonds (or almond flour). Or mash the dates with a fork for the hand-only version.

You can do several variations on these:

The obvious - cut into cubes instead of rolling them into balls,  or form a roll and cut thin slices. Dust cinnamon or coconut sugar on.

The more created variations:
Press the dough out rather thin and use small gingerbread forms to cut out shapes.
Roll the truffles around a piece of dried apricot or dark chocolate.
Dip the gingerbread balls in melted chocolate, leave as they are or sprinkle chopped almonds, cinnamon or nonpareils on.

You can also bake these. Then they of course will no longer be truffles but turn in to sort-of-gingerbreads.  The raw way would be to keep them in oven on low heat until they dry, some hours in just 40C. The inpatient way I'd go for is a very hot oven for just a minute or two.

Or, if you are among those who like gingerbread dough shut ike that, skip all rolling and just eat right out of the bowl!


PS. these are also healthy! And raw. Child-friendly sweets with no sugar. Haha!