Easter feathers | Påskfjädrar

I really like Easter feathers. They look like candy at the flower's market, and - yet again - it is something that brightens up this grey month. I am really REALLY happy spring is around the corner now.

To make this holiday season a little bit longer, I usually decorate the branches with feathers only at first. A few days before Easter, I add the other decorations.

Swedish Easter decorations come in bright colors, you can buy the branches "ready-made" at the market, or buy feathers and decorate yourself. Inside and outdoors, if you like.

From the children's book classic "Måns och Mari om våren" by Kaj Beckman

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Summary in Swedish: Jag gillar påskfjädrar. Gillar deras glada färger och att de ser ut som smågodis.

The cutest strawberry baby hat you ever saw | Sockersöt jordgubbsmössa

This hat is so cute I'd like to eat it. No, seriously.

When I first started dating my husband, the first thing he said when we talked about children in general was that if he ever had any, they would all wear strawberry hats. I sort of agreed, but didn't explore the subject any further (Did he mean at all times? To bed? Until what age?). But when our first son was a baby we must have forgotten all about it, because he never had one.

No worries though, we're making up for it with baby I who can't escape this cute creation.

I haven't knitted this one myself, but if you want to give it a go there are several free patterns online. If you have a link to a pattern that you've tried and liked (or disliked!), please share it in the comments field! I might want to knit one myself (maybe a blueberry one?), and I bet there are many others who'd like to try it as well. Am I right?

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Summary in Swedish: Denna sockersöta jordgubbsmössa pryder nu bebis I. Det var på tiden, vi glömde helt av det när A var mindre. Jag har inte stickat den själv, men gratis mönster finns på nätet. Tipsa gärna i kommentarsfältet om ni har något favoritjordgubbsmössemönster, eller har provat ett mönster som inte blev bra.

Five things for kids and babies I pinned last week | Fem saker för bebisar och barn från Pinterest förra veckan

It's Monday, and time for this week's Pinterest round-up! This time I've picked out things for babies, toddlers and kids. Follow my Pinterest boards here.

From Babycenter

 A super cute baby bunny beanie! And the best part - the pattern is free and found here. The pattern is for 3-6 month olds, but can surely be adjusted to fit other sizes. A quick knit for Easter perhaps?

From Meet the Dubiens, via justb.

 I'm not sure if this gets kids to eat their meals more easily, but it sure looks fun!

From Pickles

I like to make sets of several items for babies, and this looks like a quick and cozy knit. Free pattern is found here. I've just discovered Pickles, and it's a fabulous Norwegian blog (in Norwegian and English) about crafting, knitting, sewing, and much more. I'll surely return to their site in the future.

From The Meta Picture

 Ever wanted to turn a glove into a chipmunk? The Meta Picture shows you how!

From Honest to Nod

Have your kids super scary monsters under their beds every now and then? I know, the monsters are difficult to get rid of, and can be quite sleep-depriving. Enter the monster spray! The problem will be gone in seconds! Download the free ingenious monster spray labels here.

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Summary in Swedish: Här är fem saker från mina Pinterest-boards, den här veckan har jag valt ut saker för bebisar och barn. Följ mig på Pinterest här.

DIY Daffodils and marbles | Gör-det-själv: Påskliljor och glaskulor

Here's a tip for you - if you put flowers in a vase but they keep falling to the sides, glass marbles are your saviors. And they look nice too! Much prettier and spring-ier than pebbles.

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Summary in Swedish: Glaskulor är både snygga och användbara, de är bra för att få styrsel på blommor i en vas till exempel.

The baby beach robe | Bebis-badrock

I am posting next week's contribution to the sewing circle today already, since I'd also like to be a part of the fantastic site Project Run and Play's link party about kids' clothes.

I made a cute beach robe for baby I, from a pattern by Dana made it. Pattern found here.

The robe is made by a very cheap Ikea beach towel, some bias tape, and cotton fabric for the lining (which I like the best, I LOVE the lining). It was my first time ever sewing in terry cloth, and I still find tiny pieces of light blue terry cloth everywhere. Well, Dana warned me about that, so I was prepared.

This robe suits 7 month old baby I just fine. It is quite short, but that's actually rather practical. We use it when we go swimming every week, and there is always someone admiring it.

Next in line is a matching robe for A in green fabric with blue bias tape. The pattern only goes to 4T, but since A is quite thin I'm simply going to make it longer and use the 4T pattern. More on that as well as pictures in a few weeks. The kids will look fabulous in these at the beach this summer!

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Summary in Swedish: Jag har sytt en badrock till sju månader gamla I av en Ikea-handduk. Mönstret hittade jag här. Den är hemskt söt, och jag är löjligt förtjust i det prickiga fodret.

DIY Map flags | Gör-det-själv: Kartvimplar

My son really likes maps, and to make something nice for his room I made him map flags. I made sure to include places important to him, such as where we live, where his grandparents live, places we've visited on holidays, and exotic places he'd like to go to someday ("the jungle", Antarctica, etc). Hopefully the flags can be something to look at and talk about at bedtime, I'd like that!

The flags were really easy to make, apart from the mentally challenging part of having to CUT into a book. That just felt wrong, but one has to do what one has to do.

I wanted to get an old vintage atlas at first but couldn't find one, and when I came across this really cheap one at a book sale, I figured it was a better choice. The vintage one might have looked nicer, but for a five year old that asks questions about everything, it is better with maps that shows countries as they actually are today.

I used a see-through paper for my template, since it was great to be able to adjust it so that the flag showed what I wanted. 

 The I cut out the flag, folded the flap, and glued it onto a string. Easy peasy!

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Summary in Swedish: Jag har gjort ett kart-flaggspel till A:s rum. Jag såg till att flaggorna visade platser som betyder något för honom, eller platser han vill åka till (djungeln, Antarktis etc...).

It's happening | Nu så!

When living in a country with long and dark winters (especially this one, since we haven't had much snow to brighten things up), it's the thought of days like this that keeps me going for weeks. Spring. It's happening. I like it.

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Summary in Swedish: Nu kommer våren!

The joy of a new bracelet | Lycka är ibland ett nytt armband

This week has been busy, but tomorrow I'll do nothing but sit in the sun admiring my new spring bracelet. From Lindex. It's a good and simple idea for a bracelet, I don't think it would be too hard making them yourself in other colors with other ribbons. Just go crazy.

The web site says it's sold out, but I got it in a store today. Go look tomorrow, you might get lucky.

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Summary in Swedish: Det har varit en stressig vecka, men i morgon ska jag mest sitta i solen och beundra mitt nya armband.

Elisabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Bootees

Have you ever heard of a pair of baby socks that didn't stay on? Sorry, I meant to ask: Have you ever heard of a pair of baby socks that DID stay on?

I have.

Elisabeth Zimmermann did it again. These baby socks are knitted based on the same idea as her Baby Surprise Jacket, and they stay on the baby's feet. Amazing. As you see below they are soon too small for baby I, I'll have to knit another pair in a larger size. But they have been great this winter. And the I-cord was almost too simple. Very smart.

The yarn is more leftover Hillesvåg (the Norwegian 4-ply machine washable 100 % worsted wool, found here), and the pattern is from The Opinionated Knitter by Elisabeth Zimmermann.

Summary in Swedish: Äntligen har jag hittat ett par babysockor som inte ramlar av! Elisabeth Zimmermanns Baby Surprise Bootees är naturligtvis ursmart konstruerade, och "the I-cord", snodden, är nästan för enkel.

Five felt things I pinned last week | Fem saker i filt från Pinterest förra veckan

I haven't had the opportunity to share my love for felt with you in this blog yet. But oh how I love felt. It's a fantastic material, very easy to work with and it comes in the best and brightest colors. I prefer to use the good stuff.

I promise I'll show several felt projects very soon. For now, here are five things made of felt that I pinned on Pinterest last week:

From the Purl Bee

I am addicted to these garlands. I make them for every party or holiday that comes up, and I love how they add an instant party touch. A bonus is that this is a great project to make together with a child. No one will be able to tell if the circles aren't perfect.

From not martha

It looks really advanced, but a free tutorial for this lovely felt dahlia brooch is found here. Will you try it?

From the Purl Bee

I am so making these coasters before summer!

Via Swissmiss

 How about a felt necklace? I like it!

Via Try Handmade 

Last but not least, this awesome camera case is made by Hiné. She also makes fun iPhone cases. Made out of felt, of course.

Follow me on Pinterest.

Summary in Swedish: Jag gillar filt! Här är fem saker i filt jag lagt upp på Pinterest. Följ mig här.

DIY Superhero peg dolls. Or superhero bowling? | Gör-det-själv: Superhjältedockor

When traveling with kids, it's usually a good idea to bring small presents or surprises that can be handed out along the way. It kills time. And when I suddenly saw really cool superhero peg dolls everywhere on blogs, for example the really REALLY nice ones made by Homemade by Jill and lil blue boo, I figured they might be a good thing to bring on our skiing trip.

They were fun and quite addictive to make, and I must say they did the trick during the trip. The dolls were a huge success, even though A pointed out that Batman was missing. Well, I have promised to paint a Batman doll soon too. No problems. And the knight is not really a superhero, I know, but I so wanted to use the silver paint. Do you recognize them all? I am especially fond of Buzz Lightyear and Darth Maul (or Darth Owl maybe? He kind of looks like one...). Darth Maul of course got a double laser sword made by a painted match, but I have no picture of it.

The dolls were easy to make, even though I needed a very thin brush at times. It took some time to finish them though, since each color needed to dry before the next one was added.

I couldn't find the "boyish" peg dolls that the American bloggers used, so I went with what the Swedish craft store offered, resulting in quite chubby superheroes. Maybe they can be used as a bowling set as well?

Summary in Swedish: Jag har målat superhjältedockor i trä. Mycket roligt om än lite pilligt.

DIY The Candy Cactus | Gör-det-själv: Godiskaktus

This might look really weird, but the truth is that there was one thing A wanted for his birthday morning, and that was a candy cactus. So I made one. And remembered it from my own childhood. Do you remember making them? Or is this a Swedish thing?

It's really easy to make, and immensly popular with the five year old crowd at least. You'll need: 1 cucumber, candy, toothpicks. I usually put them in a paper cup, but didn't have one this time. Put the candy on the toothpicks and stick them into the cucumber. Done! A ate most of the candy before I remembered to take this photo, but you get the idea...

Summary in Swedish: På sin födelsedagsmorgon ville A absolut ha en godiskaktus. Gjorde ni också sådana då ni var barn?

Party forks | Kalasgafflar

We have gone skiing this week, that's why I can't publish as many blog posts as usual. But I'll soon be back! We're having a great time, but I think I will be done with winter when we return home. The season of longing for summer parties begin...

From jamieoliver.com

Remember the chocolate party spoons? Jamie Oliver has a similar idea, but with party food on forks. I had this at a party a few years ago, and it was great! Really easy to make, and very easy to handle with your party dress on. And you can use whatever food or snack you like, as long as it stays on the fork. Use regular forks, or nicer silver (or colorful) plastic ones.

Summary in Swedish: Snart är sommaren här (jodå) och jag börjar redan längta efter sommarkalas! Kanske kan dessa goda gafflar vara något att prova?

DIY Car Caddy | Gör-det-själv: Leksaksbilfodral

So, I decided to sew a race track. Any questions on that? My son brings die-cast cars everywhere, and I think he'll like this. I got the idea from Homemade by Jill and her fantastic tutorial (found here). I combined it with Mr Monkeysuit's tutorial that I used for the art caddies, and upgraded the road to a race track. This awesome jacket also gave me inspiration, you have to check it out. Scroll down and you'll see it, it's a jacket with a secret car play mat inside! Fabulous.

I like the way it turned out, and I feel that this blog really makes me get out of my comfort zone. I am not great at sewing, this was the very first applications I've ever made. It's not perfect but it works. And it was really fun to make.

The finished measurements are 16" (40,5 cm) x 14" (35,5 cm). The pockets for the cars are 2,5" deep (6,5 cm) and each pocket is 2,75" wide (ca 7 cm). The fabric for the pockets is double-folded to make it extra sturdy. I used 0,5" (1 cm) sewing allowance.

I also added one sheet of interfacing fabric. This is optional and depends on how sturdy your cover fabric is. The race track is 14,75" (37 cm) x 10,5" (27 cm). No sewing allowance on the race track! The track itself is 3,5" (9 cm) wide to fit two racing cars.

Attach race track with white thread to make it look road-like. Make a start-finish line and add a little flag if you like.

Pin the pockets to the lining fabric. Make the small car pockets by sewing one seam every 2,5" (6,5 cm). I made sure to go back an forth a few times at the opening of the pocket to reinforce it.

I you want to decorate the cover fabric with an application (I made the green car from Jill's template), this is when you attach it. Also attach the velcro.

Assemble the caddy like this: First the interfacing fabric, then the lining (the green fabric) right side up with the pocket right side up. Carefully place the tape lenghtways above the pockets to that 0,5" sticks out to the right. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of this step (Mr. Monkeysuit does, though).

Carefully place the cover fabric on top, right side down. Pin around the edges, leaving a 3" gap at the top. Pin the tape in place with a few extra pins. Sew it together, and trim the edges. Turn right side out through the 3" gap. Hand sew the gap closed. Trim threads and press. Done!

What do you think I should make next? A Lego caddy? A caddy for my knitting needles? Not another caddy but something else...?

Summary in Swedish: Jag har sytt en bilbana. Vad gör man inte för sina barn? Särskilt inte de som tar med sig leksaksbilar överallt. Detta bilfodral var roligt att sy, och jag fick överkomma min rädsla för att sy applikationer. Vilken sorts fodral tycker ni jag ska sy härnäst?

Five things I pinned on kids' birthday parties | Fem saker för barnkalas från Pinterest

From The Indigo Bunting

We thought about doing this for A:s fifth birthday party last Saturday, but ended up with putting the tail on the lion instead. Maybe we'll toss things next year?

From Williams-Sonoma

The only cupcake option for a Star Wars lover.

From Daily Candy

For everyone else, there are these cuties.

From Catch My Party

The photo booth trend hasn't really hit Sweden yet, but I know it is (or has been for a while at least) well known and used in the US. Have you tried it at a party? I'd like to, with props and all.

From LittleRetreat's shop on Etsy

And last but not least - how about mustache straws? Would actually work just splendid on a party for grown-ups as well...

Follow me on Pinterest.

Summary in Swedish: Här är några bra idéer till barnkalas jag markerat på Pinterest på sistone. Följ mig här.

DIY Car bingo | Gör-det-själv: Bilbingo

We're on our way on our yearly skiing trip! And guess what we'll be doing for the next couple of hours...? "Bil" in Swedish means "car", and "Sälen" is where we're going. You get the rest. You're correct, it's car bingo time! A car bingo is always a success with our family, and is really easy to make. This one is simply made in Word, and could have been somewhat more nice-looking if I hadn't put my four-year-old in charge of making it... His mind was set, it would look exactly like this.

Let the bingo begin!

Summary in Swedish: Vi drar till fjälls och roar oss med bilbingo på vägen. Har ni provat?

B-day (Birthday party day) | F som i födelsedagskalas

All went well, the birthday boy is happy, the scavenger hunt was a success and the eight kids had a blast. I could really recommend having the kids decorate their own party hats, a hat always brings party to the table (literally), and they did such a great job! I had bought stickers with stars, glittery flowers and skulls (!), and they also used colored washi tape to attach feathers to the hats. Very stylish.

The golden dinos also did their part, I glued them to the cake with Nutella...

Summary in Swedish: Födelsedagskalaset är avklarat med den äran, och allt gick finfint. Stationen där barnen fick pynta sina partyhattar blev en succé, så det kan jag verkligen rekommendera. Med hjälp av klistermärken och fjädrar blev hattarna ursnygga.