more conversations with Nene

Nene: Daddy, I don't want to grow up. Grown-ups don't have teddy bears.

Daddy: Oh, but they do! Lot's of grown-ups have teddy bears. I still have my teddy bear. Now, try to sleep.

Nene: Really? how come I never met your teddy bear? where is he? I don't believe you.I don't want to grow up :starts to cry:

Daddy  :whispers: hey, Marie, do you know where my old teddy bear is? is he somewhere in our house at all!?

me: do you mean the scruffy old thing in the bottom corner of that mess of a closet where we keep all the stuff we don't use?? 

- two minutes later -

Daddy: here's my teddy, Nene, I told you he was around -say hello! Would you believe mommy had hid him in a closet. Bad mommy.

my new shop

epla.no is a new Norwegian site for handmade, which was launched on 16th of November. I decided to give it a try, and I'm so happy I did, because it's going really well. This is my epla shop. I was particularly happy to see some Norwegian etsy friends open shop there, such as dalinda/plonka, portemone /portemone and Strand/ strandRedesign. Nicole of plaskdesign has opened a soap shop, and that - which you will know if you read my previous post about handmade soap - is something I welcome with great enthusiasm!

this is their BEAUTIFUL Christmas shopping banner, which includes not one, but two, marieflyfly necklaces :-D

At first my intention was to list only a few things on epla, just to keep my name there, and try to minimise the hassle of keeping two full shops. But it's going surprisingly well, much better than my first week on etsy back in 2007, in fact it's going better than the present week on etsy. So I have some thinking to do. The fact that the first week went well, doesn't mean that the next weeks will go well too, but it's certainly interesting to track what sells in which venue. For the time being I'm keeping the same pieces in both shops, but in the future I might want to tailor the inventory to the venue. I might also list some things on epla that I hesitate to list on etsy, because I found that someone else had already listed very similar items there. 

etsy friday: unique jewelry

I'm continuing my Etsy Friday series, as my special Christmas shopping service to you.  These are Etsy shops that I have personally tried out for you (it's such a sacrifice, but I'd do anything for my blog readers :-D), and I can vouch for their quality and service and allround greatness. Once in a while I might point you to a shop I haven't actually tried, but am drooling over and find worthy of a mention. 

The top picture shows my new favorite necklace, and it's from 3squares. It's a beautiful collage in a brass setting, so unique and extremely well made, and I wear it constantly. There are loads of jewelry shops on etsy, and you'd be forgiven for getting a lot of us all mixed up, but I think 3squares stands apart with jewelry that is truly unique. Go have a look at this, this or this. My personal favorites are this and this. I bought another necklace too, that I will show you some other time, because I need to take a picture of it first. Jean of 3squares is also a super nice and friendly seller, whose customer service is stellar.

The bambi necklace in the second picture is from emedemarta and was actually bought last year. I just haven't gotten around to blogging about it yet, but it's still available in her shop. Nene  (6) isn't quite convinced that this necklace is mine, not hers! It's fabulous in person too, and I have worn it a lot. Marta makes beautiful little frame purses too, just check this out. This too is a wonderful seller with high quality items and customer service.

Third is a necklace called Orbit Girl from Marmar. The seller, Mark Poulin, describes her as a "girl who knows where the action is. She may be spacey, but she sure is cute." So cute in fact, that I have bought her twice as a Christmas gift - once as a gift from Nene to her teenager cousin, and once for a friend of mine who is in her late thirties, and Orbit Girl was perfect for both.There seems to be a lot of new stuff in his shop this year - this charm bracelet is too cute, and there's a whole section of little charm necklaces, I'm guessing they're smaller versions of the other necklaces. If so I might just have to buy a third Orbit Girl, for Nene this time!

* if you write "etsy" in the search box up there in the left hand corner, you should be able to find all my etsy friday posts. I tried writing "etsy friday", but that didn't work.

big bad noro

To make up for that fingering weight ribbed fiasco previously described, I decided to cast on something entirely different: Lemonfresh's Big Bad Noro using Noro Silk Garden purchased years ago in a colorway (34) that I believe is discontinued.  There isn't really a pattern for this cardi, it's more like a brief description. It doesn't say anything about shaping, but I have decided to make it a sort of unstructured wrap cardi, with all square pieces, no shaping, no decreases, not even for the sleeves. This could of course go very wrong! I love the exposed seams of the original - I wonder how you do that neatly?

past and present knitting

I was making good progress on MIL's Mermaid, until I reached the second last wedge, where I ran out of yarn. Unsure about how to proceed, it's been sitting in my knitting basket for weeks. I think I know what to do now, so I plan to pick it up again this week.

While Mermaid was in hibernation, I spent appr 100 hours on 2x3 ribbing with fingering weight yarn, and completed all the pieces for En Kort og Lang Second Edition.

I also spent quite a bit of money on two extra skeins of yarn for this (a-hem) knit-from-stash-project. Then I spent the remainder of my sanity on seaming it, until I had to face reality: It won't come together. The pieces don't fit. I now have a complete set of parts for a brown silk sweater in addition to half the parts for a black wool one, and neither of them will ever become wearable. 

I'll have to find a way to rescue that yarn. In the year 2020.

Tomorrow I'll show you my present comfort knitting project, an perhaps my next in line. I don't mean to hold back, but I'm blogging from a hotel room with a slow dial up, so I can't be bothered to upload more photos (they do have free wireless connection in this hotel, but I couldn't find out how to use it :embarrased:)

etsy friday: handmade soap

I don't buy commercial soap anymore. After I joined etsy two years ago I have switched to handmade soap, at first because they smell and look delicious, but as time passed I found that my skin doesn't get dry and chapped anymore, and I have gotten completely rid of the rash on my hands that bothered me for years. I think handmade soap is better for me because it hasn't had the glycerine removed, and is made with pure, natural ingredients.

From what I understand there are two kinds of handmade soap, Melt&Pour and Hot or Cold Process soap. Hot Process and Cold Process soap is soap made from scratch. Soap making is a process where lye reacts with fat. Glycerine, which is moisturising for the skin, occurs during the process, but is often removed from commercial soap. Very often commercial soap bars are not actually soap, but detergents. You can read more about handmade soap in this article where etsy soap makers are interviewed.

The pretty soaps in the photo are from Frost Fish Cove Soaps, and the one on top is  from South Pacific Body. It's called Man Soap because of its scent, and it's particularly good for cleaning really greasy or dirty gardening hands. These are both great sellers that I plan to shop with again. One soap seller I keep returning to is Anderson Soap Company, especially for their delicious rosebud soap. Others I have tried and loved and am happy to recommend are Southern Vermont Soaps, Sudstress and for bath salts and oil Stephanie K Naturals. I have a preference for cold process soaps with floral scents like lavender or rose, or lemon, or soft scents like almond, honey or oatmeal, that don't trigger migraines, which is obviously reflected in my recommendations. Your tastes may be different, but whatever they are I'm sure you'll be able to find a soap that is perfect for you on etsy.

My last order, which I haven't received yet, is pure castile soap from CampoDiFiore.  I'm really excited about that order because I've been wanting to try castile soap, besides I was really happy to find a European seller, because soap is heavy and the shipping costs from the US can be painful at times. Most etsy sellers are in the US, and if you're not, the shipping costs might be a deciding factor when you're looking for a good shop. Some US sellers offer 6-8 bars in a flat envelope for a flat rate of around 12-13 dollars for shipping to Europe - I think it has something to do with the size of the envelope. I think that's reasonable, and knowing it's possible I don't like to go much higher.

etsy friday: sunday best

I'm so pleased with Nene's new party dress. Etsy of course! 

The new dress is from Hana & Violet, and the seller, Hiroko, is adorable Hana and Violet's grandmother.  Hiroko offers colorful dresses, outstanding workmanship and great customer service. For a small extra fee I got a custom fit, and yet it shipped in no time at all. 

Nene's last fabulously gorgeous party dress was from Bellasofia on etsy, and although it's getting very small for her, Nene loves it so much that she got really upset with me when I told her I had bought her a new dress. 

Until it arrived in it's full-skirted, lace-trimmed, red-rosed, machine-washable glory - now she won't take it off!

We're sad to see the bellasofia dress become too small, but loving the new dress, and I really want share both these sellers with you, because they're GREAT. 

Nene loves the full skirt:

- mommy, look! The dress is making waves!

- mommy, I'm really dizzy now

* yes I know it's Sunday, but I need to put the words Etsy Friday in the title for search purposes!