Siv Jane Aksdal's blog

The great outdoors.

I have been wanting to write this post for a while and this inspired me to finally do so.

Living in Norway a very important part of our lives involves spending time outside. It is in our blood I guess and there are so many things relating to the outdoors that seem strange, unusual and maybe even irresponsible to those who did not grow up this way.( like the fact that there are no trespassing laws in Norway) But for us it is Normal and I guess even necessary. To endure the long dark winter and the awful weather we often do have, enjoying those nice day is a must.

This practice starts early, from two weeks old doctors recommend that babies take there naps outside during the day as long as the temp it above -10c and at daycare all the kids are lined up outside in there strollers for nap time most wrapped in a sheepskin lined sleeping bag. It is so funny to see 15-30 strollers all lined up with those sleeping baby's all cuddled up inside.

The weekends are usually spent catching up on chores Saturday morning and Sunday being a holiday is usually spent outdoors on some sort of adventure. Here is a pretty typical winter Sunday for us.

After a walk into the forest/ mountain sticks are gathered to use for cooking lunch

A fire is made.

And lunch is cooked. Our go to favorite is Pinnebrød and hotdogs. Essentially it is hot dogs wrapped in pizza crust then cooked over the fir. Yummy and fun.

After a quick meal it is time for some fun.

And we head of for a quick sledding/skiing lesson.

I am not sure who is enjoying this more!!?

And finally we head for home, cold tired and ready for a warm blanket and a fire.

 

 

 

 

Counting

We made our own number rod set (10 rods cut in section from 10 to 100 cm long and painted in sections of 10 cm) I always thought these looked like so much fun but they are pretty expensive to bye. But making a set was quick easy and cost almost nothing. A fun and interesting way to start introducing math to little ones. She knows how to count to 10 and has a understanding of what the numbers mean so this feels like a good next step. We had the rods cut up and sitting on the shelf for a while and I finally got around to painting them. So now it is just a matter of putting them to use!! Should be fun.

Christmas recap. (Things I loved about the holidays)

-Gingerbread houses and chocolate covered girls.

-Hunting for and finding just that perfect tree.

-Snow that didn't stay but still made our day

-Anticipating and waiting

-Little girls with little curls

-Perfect poses in-front of the tree (totally without request or direction )

-Gifts that make us smile

-Our new canon D7

-Spending lots of time together

And last but not least, Good food, good friends, and wonderful family. Hope your Christmas was magical to.

Olivias bedroom

 

 

Finally it is done. I have been planing this room for about 8 years and it took me 3 years after having Olivia to finally have it finished. But it is so worth it. My idea for this room originally was for it to be a nursery. I wanted it to be somewhat gender neutral and be a sweet and comfortable room to be in. Since my plan was to use this as our permanent nursery and that any child that would occupy it would move into a different room when graduating from this one It was really designed more for me then for my daughter. She has ended up staying in the room a little longer then I had thought since she is still our only child so it has taken on a slightly more girly feel then I had intended. But I love it, I love blue and have no problem painting my little girls room. Who said a girl has to have a pink room and that blue is only for boys. Blue is calming and relaxing and mixed with the crisp white it feels very clean and airy in this room.

 

I got the idea for the walls from an old gustavian interior. I have loved this style for as long as I can remember and kept it in mind when shopping for furniture. To get the real deal is not easy and very expensive so I just went for furniture in light colors. The bed is called Kili and was originally designed in Denmark in i think the 1950's. It goes from crib to toddler bed to junior bed and will fit up to about 5-6 years old. What I love about it is the long legs (very gustavian) and the spindles. Over the bed we made a cornice from some molding and I made some drapes to hang from it. Inside is a lamp from House Doctor. It is a porcelain bisque shade hung from a simple fabric covered wire. So perfect for over the bed. It has a switch hidden behind the drape so Olivia can turn it on and of herself.

  The bookshelf is made by my husband and the rest of the furniture is from IKEA. The little mini Killy doll bed is from a company called small stuff, and the rocking horse was made by my Dad for us when we were little.

 

 

Other then that the room is full of bunnies, some bought some homemade, the train and duck are both from Prague, the baskets hold more toys and there are books everywhere. We love this room and even though we have the playroom downstairs Olivia will sometimes request to come upstairs to play. It is nice to spend time up here with here, she is much more focused when she plays in this space and plays much more calmly and concentrated then downstairs which tends to get cluttered and somewhat overwhelming after a while.

 

Question of the day.

So what is this? Some sort of deranged doily, a weird and not quite finished tea cozy. Or perhaps a sweater missing its better half. Well actually its a scarf. Or a neck as it is appropriately called here in Norway Its basically a turtle neck missing the turtle part. Most kids were these in the winter months to keep those cute and short little necks warm. I much prefer them over the classic scarf since it is easier for a toddler to put on and it doesn't get untangled. And not to mention it is safer. I've never really been a fan of long things twisted around little necks.

(Sorry about the blurry picture. Making a three year old sit still is a challenge that I am not a master of)

Quick and easy to make this one took maybe 4-5 hours tops. Knitted in super soft merino wool from Drops. The pattern is a adapted pattern from an adult piece of the Garnstudio website.

(If you ask Olivia it also makes a great swirly skirt for Pooh)

I think I will have to make few more of these for winter.

 

Cosmetic Bag

A first for me, I made up this little cosmetic bag and decided to try my hand at drafting a pattern for you.

It is my first time doing this so I hope it will work out ok.

The cosmetics bag is made from linen and lined in cotton. The linen I used actually came from IKEA. They carry it in 3 colors I think and it worked great for this project. Although it is a little lively. Kind of like cutting yellow but as long as it is ironed well before you do any cutting and use lots of pins it works good even for theses small detailed projects.

So here is the how to. The pattern pieces are in a PDF just click and download.

Download Cosmetic_bag_pattern

(Sorry the pictures are so bad, it was sunny one second, overcast the next. And I didn't have time to sit and wait for perfect lighting)

You will need 2 shades of fabric plus a contrasting color for the lining. About 15-20cm of the main color and the lining should do. For the piping detail a ribbon or a few centimeters of a leftover fabric will do. A 10cm (4") zipper (some bias-tape optional)

Start by cutting out all the pattern pieces and pressing them, Then sew a zig zag around all edges. The piping is folded in half and sewn together with a zig zag.

Now you are ready for assembling the pieces. Start by making the pleats on the main piece by lining up the marks and laying the fold towards the outside edge of the piece. Baste in place before continuing.

Now pin the top of the bag to the main piece, right sides together, lay the piping between the two layers and sew together.

Trim away any extra piping and press the seem towards the top of the bag.

Now fold down and press about 0,5cm (1/4") of the top towards the back. Do the same to the lining. You may have to adjust the fold to ensure that this piece is the same or just a few mm shorter then the front of the bag.

Then pin the zipper between the two layers and sew in place. Do one side at a time. When you do the second side open the zipper and turn the bag inside out as you get close to the end where the zipper is closed.

Now turn the bag inside out and sew down the sides. If you want this is also a good time to ad a piece of bias-tape to cover this seem since it will be unfinished inside the bag.

Fold the two bottom corners so you create two triangles and sew straight across to create a 4,4cm (1,5") flat bottom for the bag. Trim away the two corner "ears" finish by covering with bias-tape or a zig zag.

Turn right side out. And there you have it.

Oh and did you notice, it has a big sister? It is a different pattern and it is a bit more complicated so we'll see if I get the urge and draft it up later.

Have a great day!

I just created a flickr group where you can share photos from this pattern. I would love to see what you are making.

 

A little shout out to the women who inspire me everyday.

Olivia here Mamma and here Mammas Mamma

I have a routine, every day when Olivia is in bed I sit down on the couch exhausted from a long day relax and check my favorite blogs. There are 3 women that over the last 2 years have inspired me so much with there crafty talents and their amazing family's. Although I know a blog will always be a representation of the best things in life and not necessarily a exact depiction of reality. ( seriously nobody's life is that blissful, right?)Reading theses blogs keep me grounded, re focuses my energy onto what is most important and give me a ton of fantastic ideas on everything from crafting to cooking.

I love sitting down at the end of the day and checking for new posts only problem is that they usually make me want to get back of the couch and start some big project, knitting a blanket, making a quilt or rearranging my kitchen are not always things that are easily done at 9 o'clock at night. But hey inspiration will usually hold til the morning.

So here to my three favorite crafty Mammas, keep it up!!!

Amanda of Soule Mama

Meg of Sew Liberated

Anna Maria of Anna Maria Horner

 

Waterplay

What 3 year old doesnt like to play with water. I have seen thses water labyrinths around on diffrent blogs, exactly where I dont remember but I think Playfull learning might have some.

Anyways we made one from some left over building suplyes and some odds and ends from the recycling bin.

Turned out to be a funn and quick project that even a toddler can take part in making. It was funn to search thrue the house together and look for supplies. And she was able to help hold while I assembled. With a few tweeks to our design it turned out pretty good. And provided a good hour of uniterupted play.

Grandpas shelf

I had this shelf sitting under my bed for a while- And didn't quite know what to do with it. It seemed a little to old fashioned to hang, or maybe I was just a little tired of it since it had been hanging in my mothers living room since I was a little girl. It is carved in pine by my Grandpa (my fathers father) who was a very skilled woodcarver, the details in this carving is just amazing. When Mom remodeled it ended up here, where all old family treasures seem to end up. Not all I know what to do with but I love them and so they stay, under beds in the attic and hidden in closets, all hoping that one day they will find a place in this house they to can call home.

After a long time of feeling guilty every time I vacuumed under the bed and found the beautiful shelf covered in dust, I decided it was time to bring it out from its slumber and make it mine. So up on the wall it went, i filled it with other family treasures, The beautiful plates from my mother's mother, the oval wedding photo of my Fathers parents (They were of the last generation that married wearing black, which was the norm in much of Norway) A vase from my Dad and some other things I love.

And now it feels in a way new, covered in all its old treasures, and it makes it feel a little more like home.

A new project

I have lately been very happily sewing away on a new project. One I plan to share with the world. Here is a little preview. More to come, so hang tight!!

XO Siv Jane