I always loved the first days of a new year. Bringing new flowers at home, cleaning, rearranging, starting a planner, writing down ideas, dusting off what's useless, and dreaming big. I hope you will find inspiration in this new beginning.
Home
We had our first snow! It didn't last very long, but I enjoyed it immensely. It's funny because the day before the first snowflakes appear, I could "feel" that it was coming -that's the Lorelai Gilmore inside of me who's speaking. So the day before the snow, I took my little basket on my elbow and headed out straight to the woods, aiming to gather some branches and pinecones to decorate the house. I came back home with the basket full, certain that it would be enough to decorate every door frame, window frame and window sill in the house. Right now there's a bit of pine branches here and there, but I'm definitely far from the little forest that I wanted to recreate indoors. So I will probably go back on Sunday to gather some more, whislt I'll be hunting for my Christmas tree. Are you a Christmas fanatic too? I always love to put the Christmas tree on the 1st of December, and keep it until mid-January.
Even though I won't be celebrating Christmas in Latvia this year I really want the house to be decorated.
As I was spending some time on Pinterest I realised that I’ve been quite inspired by Scandinavian & traditional homesteading decorations that I would describe as inexpensive, simple and natural. So I have a few ideas in my mind already and I’ll be finding some time next week to work on these. As I said on the podcast I want to make corn stash decorations for the Christmas tree with cookie cutters (I struggled a bit to find this word!). It’s very inexpensive, and I’m sure it will be a lot of fun to make. I’ve also been advised to sprinkle a bit of ground cinnamon to make them smell.
I’ve also made quite a few paper snowflakes that are hanging on my kitchen window. The fun part about them is that I never know what I’m going to end up with as I’m cutting randomly. I made different sizes using the bits and pieces of paper that I could find and the leftovers from the already-cut snowflakes. I’ll be working on some more for sure.
The other idea that I have in mind is to make mini-Weasley sweaters. At the moment I only want to make two of them: one for my sweetheart and one for myself. And the next time that we will be host for Christmas I would make some for each family member that will join us.
Are you planning to make any decorations yourself?
Ps: Thank you so much for your kind messages regarding the launch of my video journal. I have decided to record several times during the month instead of podcasting every week. I don't want to put unnecessary pressure on my shoulders, and only share when I feel like it, and want there's content to be shared.
The time is passing by so fast. I’ve been quite busy lately, and I’ll be even more busy in the upcoming weeks. Not that I’m complaining at all! I’ll be working on a new exciting project, that I hope to share with you very soon.
But that also reminded me to slow down, and take a few minutes here and there during the day to enjoy some simple things: a cup of tea, some details on an almost-eaten pumpkin pie, harvesting some rose hips on my way back from the post office, finding inspiration in the little pussy willow branches that I collected last January, knitting a few stitches whilst thinking of a nice way to wrap the first christmas present, and updating the pages of my knitting diary.
Until very soon..
Where do you find inspiration from / What does inspire you lately?
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Two years ago, I had shared on my previous blog a recipe of Pumkin Spice Latte. Since that time, I drink this delicious seasonal beverage from the very beginning of Fall, until the very end.
And I thought it could be a very good reminder to share how I enjoy it.
So you will need:
- 1 cup of milk ( I love to use nut milk for this recipe, almond milk or hazelnut are perfect).
- 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 1 or 2 shots of espresso
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of orange peel
- Whipped cream
In a saucepan add the pumpkin with a bit of water. Cook until you obtain a thick puree. Then pour in the milk and bring to a boil. Add the cinnamon and the sugar. At the same time make coffee.
Put a tea filter over a mug, and pour in the milk. Then add the coffee and the vanilla extract. Cover with whipped cream and sprinkle with orange peel. And voilà!
A blucase giveaway
in Home
After spending two lovely weeks with my parents in France, I'm back to Latvia, my luggages filled with treats from the countryside (and yarn). Whist I was in Paris, I realised that it was time to say goodbye to my dear old laptop and get a new one. After working for seven years with the previous one, it became more and more difficult to work with it. Since the laptop is quite thin, I needed to get a new case as well. But the one that I saw didn't really please my eyes. I wanted one that could both protect my new acquisition and match my aesthetics. So when I saw the Blucase ones, I immediately knew that I had found the perfect one: minimalistic design, neutral tones, linen fabric, tiny frontal pockets...
So this week, two lucky Mandarine's readers will receive a linen laptop case generously offered by Blucase. For a chance to win, hop over to their Etsy shop to explore their handwork, like their facebook page and leave a comment back here, complete with contact information and tell me which natural product/ garment you like to use/wear the most.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The giveaway will close on Friday evening at 0:00 pm EDT and a randomly selected winner will be announced on Saturday. You don't have to follow this blog in a reader, pinterest, or instagram in order to enter, but if you're new here, it'd be great to have you. Comments closed! Congratulations to pompomcraft & kefanderson.
A knitter's natural wishlist
Here's what I have in mind these days.
1.I'm still dreaming of natural fibers, and these Kelbourne woolens, Road to China yarns are absolutely stunning. I wouldn't be able to choose among them. 2. This little basket is adorable, and I could easily use it for my stash or to carry my groceries at the farmers market. 3. Natural soap for woolies. 4&7. I like to keep a tiny piece of soap or a little pouch filled with dry thyme & lavander in my projects bags. It does not only make my wips smell fantastic but it also keeps clothes moth away. 5. Since I'm at my parents home, I'm constantly using their essential oils diffuser, I wish I could bring it back to Latvia with me. 6. More linen, yes!