DIY Memory game | Gör-det-själv: Memoryspel

This is one of the simplest memory games one can make. Pick a few small stones, paint the memory pictures of your choice on one side. Two of each picture, of course. Let dry. Done.

In case you don't see what the images represent (ok, so it was windy and I had a large brush. Not the best conditions.) there are clouds, lingonberries, pine needles, spiders, and suns. All nature things that I can talk to the kids about.

I'm thinking I will let the kids paint their own memory games. That will be fun, I bet.

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Summary in Swedish: Här är ett superenkelt memoryspel jag har gjort. Plocka lagom stora och platta stenar, måla bilder (två av varje förstås), låt torka. Klart! Jag valde moln, lingon, tallbarr, spindlar och solar, men jag gissar att barnen kommer att välja andra motiv när de får måla sina egna spel.

Felt Baby Shoes | Bebisskor i filt

Today I'm going with the kids to visit my sister who just got a new baby. We are all very excited to meet our new nephew/cousin, and I have even managed to make him a pair of tiny felt shoes.

They turned out quite cute, and I bought the felt at Purl Soho in New York a few weeks ago. The pattern is also from them, from their blog the Purl Bee. You can find the pattern for free here.

They were easy and quite addictive to make, I think I'll have to make them in more colors. It's easy to understand why Molly at the Purl Bee made so many...

From the Purl Bee

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Summary in Swedish: Min syster har fått en ny bebis, och idag åker vi för att hälsa på honom (och resten av deras familj). Alla är mycket exalterade, och jag har till och med hunnit sy ett par små bebisskor i filt till vår nye systerson/kusin.


Filten är från Purl Soho och mönstret är också från dem och kan fås gratis här.

The amazing outdoor cakes | De fantastiska friluftstårtorna

I have been away for the weekend, learning about new ways and ideas to get kids interesting in exploring the outdoors. It was super inspiring, and I have met more than a hundred fun, creative people that know everything about what's out there in the woods! 

And then there was also me. Who don't know everything, but got some exciting ideas for the year to come.

Yesterday they arranged a little celebration, and a woman who had helped organizing had made the awesomest cakes I ever saw. Aren't they over the top? Tiny details and fun solutions - I am mostly impressed by the lake made out of blue jello.

I really have to improve my cake baking skills ...

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Summary in Swedish: Jag har varit på konferens med Friluftsfrämjandet i helgen, för att fortbilda mig som barnledare och lära mig nya lekar, övningar och sätt att få ut barn i naturen. Helt kul och inspirerande, men det som verkligen fick oss alla att tappa andan var de helt enkelt fantastiska tårtor som en tjej ur den arrangerande lokalavdelningen hade bakat. Jag måste verkligen öva mer på att baka tårtor ...

DIY Easy lion costume | Gör-det-själv: Enkel lejondräkt

Well, I don't know if this even counts as serious crafting, but for yesterday's kindergarten party A wanted to dress up as a lion. The kids got to pick any animal to dress up as, and A had a hard time choosing between lion and sea eagle, but settled in the end for lion. Phew.

I made a tail and ears of felt, the ears are supported with cardboard. A yellow t-shirt completed the outfit. Done! It was a success.

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Summary in Swedish: Jag svängde ihop ett par lejonöron och en lejonsvans till dagisavslutningen igår. A vacklade länge mellan lejon och havsörn, men valde till sist lejon. Puh. Jag gjorde öronen och svansen av filt, och så hade han en gul t-shirt till. Klart!

Another DIY Art Caddy | Ännu ett gör-det-själv-pysselfodral

Oh my, things have been really stressful around here lately. Work is creeping up on me, even though I don't start working until August. And the baby has had a fever for a few days, and we're still trying to finish decorating the kids' rooms. Still a bit to go, though.

So, I haven't done much crafting, knitting, or sewing this week EITHER. Or blogging, as you may have noticed. It's really annoying.

But some time ago, I finished another art caddy for a friend's son, and I guess that'll have to do for this week's sewing circle meeting. I have SO many projects that I want to start (and finish...), and I really hope I can get the move on on some of them soon. Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyway, here's the art caddy:

I love Kokka Fabrics... This one is called "Eau de Mer Zoo" I think. I used the pattern from Mr Monkeysuit found for free here.

As usual I filled it with fun things - mini books, a note pad, pencils and crayons. And a small activity book.

I feel that I need to develop the art caddy content a bit - do you have any suggestions of what to put in there? Bring the suggestions on!

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Summary in Swedish: Jag har inte hunnit pyssla eller handarbeta något på evigheter känns det som.Eller blogga, som ni kanske märkt. Urtrist! Efter NYC-resan har sjuka barn, barnrumsrenovering och jobbet tagit all tid. Även om jag inte börjar jobba igen efter föräldraledigheten förrän i augusti. 


Hur som helst, för ett litet tag sedan gjorde jag ett pysselfodral till, den här gången till en kompis son. Fint och prickigt, med Kokka Fabrics "Eau de Mer Zoo"-tyg. Mönstret är gratis och kan laddas ner här.


Jag behöver tips på nya grejer att stoppa i pysselfodralet, jag behöver ny inspiration. Har ni idéer tas de tacksamt emot!

Knitted baby cardigan | Stickad babyomlottkofta

Things have been rather busy around here lately. The NYC trip last week was a complete success, and I shopped A LOT at Purl Soho. You will see a lot of Purl Bee inspired projects during the months to come... 

Before and after the trip we have been trying to get the boys' rooms in order. Not an easy task. I'll show you the progress later this week. So - the horrible truth is that I haven't sewn or knitted anything at all lately. But since I don't want to miss a Tuesday sewing circle - here are two baby cardigans I made in the past. The green was made for A five years ago, and baby I also got the blue one last fall.

This pattern fits all babies since it's easy to adjust in size because of the tie. And it's a quick knit. Me like!

The whole thing is in stockinette stitch, except for the linings around the neck and sleeves which are made in garter stitch. A nice detail.

The pattern is from Nysta, but unfortunately I don't find it on their web site anymore. It's constructed by Nysta's owner Nina Sagulin and you can probably email her and ask about the pattern if you are interested. Nysta used to be a store close to where I work, but it has sadly closed, and only exists online now.

This is my go-to baby gift, I have knitted many of these for friends' newborns. And yes - this was the cardigan that started my obsession with the Hillesvåg yarn...

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Summary in Swedish: Allt har varit upp och ner på sista tiden, New York-resan förra veckan var toppen, men både innan och efter har vi hållit på att göra om i sönernas rum, och det tar sin tid... Så jag har inte hunnit sy eller sticka något alls! Men för att inte missa ett av Husmorsskolans symöten kommer här ett par babykoftor jag har stickat tidigare.


De är toppen och jag har stickat många som presenter till vänners nyfödda bebisar! Garnet är (förstås, det var här det började...) Hillesvåg och mönstret kommer från Nysta. Det finns inte kvar på deras hemsida längre, men det är gjort av Nystas ägare Nina Sagulin och är man intresserad kan man säkert maila henne och fråga om mönstret.

DIY I Spy Bag | Gör-det-själv: "Mitt lilla öga ser"-påse

 

A has been playing "I spy with my little eye" a lot lately, so when thinking about what to bring on our flight to the US, I remembered the I spy bag I'd seen over at Homemade by Jill some time ago. This is a brand new idea to me, and I think it's a great one! You're supposed to find all trinkets that you can see on the card. It's not that easy...

So, I sewed a bag according to Jill's instructions and stuffed it with poly pellets. And lots of small things to find! Then I took a photo of the small trinkets and laminated the picture. Done!

It was not that hard to make, and I hope I didn't stuff it with too much poly pellets. Well, it should be a challenge and will hopefully keep us busy for some time on the plane.

I really like this fabric by Kokka!

Of course, if you don't like sewing you could simply take a plastic bottle and fill it with (washed and dried) rice and trinkets. Just don't forget to glue the lid on!

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Summary in Swedish: Jag har sytt en "Mitt lilla öga ser-påse"! Ett helt nytt koncept för mig, men jag tror det kan bli en succé på långflygningen. Det går ut på att man ska hitta alla saker man kan se på kortet. Det är inte så lätt...


Den var enkel att sy och jag följde instruktionerna hos Homemade by Jill till punkt och pricka. Om man inte orkar sy kan man ju lika gärna ta en plastflaska och fylla den med (avsköljt och torkat) ris och småsaker. Glöm bara inte att limma fast locket ordentligt!

Five ways of using houses when decorating for kids | Fem sätt att använda hus i barnrummet

When flipping through my Pinterest pictures, I realized that a house shape often comes up on pictures of playrooms or kids' bedrooms.

Are houses the interior decorating thing right now when it comes to kids' rooms, or is it just me that subconsciously likes houses?

Take a look:

From Honest to nod

A bookcase dollhouse.

From Babble 

 A house bookcase...

From Weekday Carnival

 A house bed.

From Kenzie Poo

 A house wall decoration.

From Styleroom

And house closets! Maybe my favorite.

Follow me on Pinterest!

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Summary in Swedish: Helt plötsligt vimlade det av hus i alla former när jag tittade igenom mina Pinterestbilder. Särskilt i barnrummen. Är det en trend eller bara jag som omedvetet gillar hus?


Följ mig på Pinterest!

How to entertain kids on a long flight | Hur man underhåller barn på en långflygning

Tomorrow we leave for a four day vacation in New York! We will have the best time! I'm so excited!

I might have over-done it a bit, but I have totally focused on packing for the flight. (I can always buy new clothes in NYC...) So my hand-luggage is quite heavy, containing among other things: books, headphones for the iPad, an airplane bingo (download the free printable here), more books, activity books, drawing cards with erasable pen, and the I spy bag (more on that on Tuesday's blog post).

From Visiting DC

I am so looking forward to going to Purl Soho, M&J Trimming, and Pearl River. Among others. We will also spend at least a day at FAO Schwarz and Toy's R Us (They have a Spiderman shop-in-shop! Imagine A's excitement.). And the rest of our stay we'll be going to museums, the zoo, playgrounds, and so on and so on. Yay!

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Summary in Swedish: I morgon åker vi till New York! Hurra! Jag har helt fokuserat på att packa för flygningen, och har bl a med böcker, hörlurar till iPaden, flygplansbingo (ladda ner gratis här), fler böcker, pysselböcker, ritkort och "Mitt lilla öga ser-påsen" (mer om den på tisdag). Jag ska besöka alla mina favoritaffärer, och så några till. Och en hel del leksaksaffärer, lekplatser, dinosauriemuseer och djurparken blir det nog också.

Five DIY party things I pinned on Pinterest | Fem gör-det-själv-partysaker jag pinnat på Pinterest

Summer is coming. And I want to arrange summer parties. This week I've picked out five super inexpensive and easy and awesome DIY party ideas from the gazillion creative bloggers out there. 

Let's party!

From Felt & Honey

Have you noticed how everything is about paint dipping now? Well, it's an easy way to bling some disposable wooden cutlery.

From Oh happy day

Here is another way of making disposable things fabulous. These stamped paper cups can be made in any color, and with a potato stamp even.

From Craft & Creativity

I've already tried this idea and it was really easy. Plastic cups + washi tape = party!

From Aunt Peaches

And oh how I love paper flowers. These magnolias are made from a paper plate. Hard to believe, eh?

From Martha Stewart Recipes

And last - this might be a great dessert idea if your party is outdoors, or if you have a buffet. Or maybe you'd want to bring a few of these as hostess gifts? No matter when they're used, I'm sure these mini cheesecake jars will be a hit!

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Summary in Swedish: Den här veckan har jag samlat fem gör-det-själv-idéer för fester, med fokus på enkla projekt som snabbt sätter guldkant (ibland bokstavligen) på partygrejerna. Lycka till med kalasen!

A personalized wedding gift: The photo cross-stitch cushion | En personlig bröllopspresent: Kudde med foto i korsstygn

The wedding season is upon us, and here is what might be one of my weirdest crafting projects ever.

When my sister got married, I decided that I would give them something special, something handmade just for them. Enter - the cushion with their picture in cross-stitches! I worked on it an entire summer and it was more time consuming than I thought since the pattern is based on a photo and therefore not really adjusted to be a quick project. But I like how it turned out, and I hope the newly-weds liked it!

I sent a photo to Ditt mönster and got a pattern and embroidery thread in all colors I would need. Easy peasy. I am sure there are other sites that offer the same service, I googled "photo cross stitch" and got many hits.

Doesn't this inspire to more photo cross-stitching projects...?

Happy stitching!

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Summary in Swedish: Bröllopssäsongen startar nu, och när min syster gifte sig gjorde jag denna något speciella korsstygnskudde till brudparet. Jag skickade in ett foto till Ditt mönster och fick tillbaka ett korsstygnsmönster samt all tråd jag behövde. Lätt som en plätt!