How it all begun and a giveaway!

This is how it started.
I was 4 years old. Dad taught me how to knit. I've never seen him knit other than when he was teaching me. But he has always liked to do woodcrafts and to build stuff - he's even built the house where lived in back then, and where that picture was taken.

Mum on the other hand did handicrafts, and grandmother even more so. She's the one I've taken after the crafty spirit, especially sewing. I always used to stand next to her sewing table and watch her sew clothes.

About the same age, 4 or 5, I made myself my first skirt. But it turned out half too small, because I hadn't realize there had to be a front AND back piece.. I learned my lesson and have never made that mistake again! After that it was Barbie clothes and then all kinds of clothes and other crafts.

Do you still remember how you started with something you still do on your free time - or even as your job? Share your story in the comment box by March 25! By doing this you'll have a chance to win something I made!

Craft it forward

As I was tidying up my sewing room I found this. One of my first craft projects.

I think I made it when I was 6 or 7 years old.

Lately I've been feeling crafty. Not that I have been very productive, but somehow inspired by many things and many people.

I tried some printing on fabric today - had the wrong kind of paint.. didn't work out.

Remembered I'd done some printing with some printmaking colours (for etching and engraving prints) - couldn't open the colour tube.. So that didn't work out, either.. 

I even tried some smoke printing which I've done on paper earlier and that worked out a bit better. Although I would have wanted the snow flakes to be white.. 

Materials: Recycled tent

For the print: a candle, olive oil etc, a tile, a paintbrush or a swab, a stencil.

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In the midst of all this I stumbled upon the challenge (here at v a l o) I have skipped several times this year thinking I won't be able to pull it off. But.. this time I decided to participate. After all, I have almost a year to execute this..

Craft it Forward 2011 rules: I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here... They must in turn post this on their blog and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment. The rules are that it must be handmade by you (sewing, painting, pottery, photography, whatever!), and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011.

First, write a post on your blog with a link back to wherever you heard about the idea first.

Yksi suosikeistani -- One of My Favourites

Pitkästä aikaa avasin yhden lapsuuteni lempikirjoista: Pasin laskuoppi.

Googlasin, josko sarjan muita kirjoja (Pasi värimestarina, Pasin eläintarha, Pasin palloleikki) olisi saatavilla. Suomenkielisenä ainoa osuma löytyi Kerimäeltä kirjastosta. Englanninkielisenä muutamia kappaleita Englannissa, Amerikassa ja Kanadassa, mutta vain käytettynä. Löytyykö kenenkään hyllystä? Tämä on siis harvinaisuus.. 

It's been long since I last read this book, which is one of my childhood favourites: Paws with Numbers.

I googled whether I could find the other books in the same series (Paws with Colors, Paws with Animals, Paws with Shapes). There was only one match in Finnish, in a library and a couple of used ones in England, USA and Canada. Do you have one? Seems to be a rare book. 

Pasin laskuoppi -- Paws with Numbers

Text: Michael Morris & Donald Bisset

Illustrations: Tony Hutchings

Pasi osaa laskea kymmeneen. Osaatko sinä?

Paws can count to ten. Can you?

Kiitos Pasi, nyt me kaikki osaamme laskea kymmeneen.

Thanks, Paws, now we all can count to ten.