:D!!

Good morning! I started my day like never before - I drank Sakura Sencha! So what's the big deal you might ask. Well, let me tell you!

For five years we used to have a small cafe called Manga Cafe. They served the best tea ever, Sakura Sencha. Green tea flavored with cherry blossom flavor. I don't usually like flavored green teas, I prefer the plain Japanese green tea. And genmaicha (lesser quality green tea with toasted rice - very yummy!). But at the cafe I was brave enough to try something new so I had my first cup of Sakura tea. And ever since I've been going to that cafe just to get the tea. I never tried any of their other flavors, always the same sakura. It was that good! (The cafe itself was quite...um...not very cozy, and they didn't have anythng vegan, and even their non-vegan treats were quite awful looking, not like freshly baked treats, but store-bought, ones that stay edible for ever). So, after five years they closed. And I no longer got to drink my favorite tea. I was stupid enough not to ask where they got their tea. But yesterday on my FB wall there was an ad for a teahouse called Thehouse. I contacted them, asking if they knew what was the Sakura Sencha I enjoyed so much - and it was that very same place where Manga Cafe bought their teas!! And now I have it at home!! Life couldn't be any sweeter!

I got so much done yesterday! I drove my broken car to my dad's, who'll get it fixed (perfect timing for that, it was still very nice spring day yesterday, and now there's tons of snow and more coming non-stop!). I had a massage, got to hang out with my mom, and dad also. Then I came back to Helsinki, bought my tea, bought fabric for an albino bat that was requested by a customer, I met bunch of friends to whom I had bunch of stuff to give to. We had lovely tea and even a vegan sandwich!! at a baby friendly cafe in the middle of the city. I was so surprised to hear they had a vegan option, and they even said it was vegan on purpose!! If you know what I mean.

And then finally after a long day I got home, to have my very first home brewed cup of Sakura Sencha. It was perfect! And it still is :) I'm very happy!

Yesterday, while meeting friends, I traded two of my cookbooks to two hand made notebooks. And now I'm in love! I had ordered one notebook for myself, and one for Mr. C. He got to decide what kind of he wanted, and of course I got to decide what kind I wanted. I wanted pink dots, and he wanted orange triangles.

  

They are made by super talented and very sweet Russian girl, named Sasha. She has cute store on Etsy, called PaperPlane Stationey. Sasha also has a blog! 

 

My notebook had the most amazing pages! They were made of three different types of paper (all leftovers from the printing house she works for - very eco friendly!), and every now and then there's a pink sheet! Love it!! The notebook I'm using at the moment for my To do lists is about to be full, so I'm very happy to have such an amazing replacement for it! Thank you so much, Sasha!

So much to do today! Sewing, cutting, drawing patterns and then later on we have 90's party! Not sure if I'll dress up or not, because of the weather...

Take care! What do you think of my new notbooks?

xoxo,
Raisa

Self pity post turned into something else.

I feel like poop. But enough about that! Lets focus on what I bought instead!

As you all know I'm going to Japan in

• 2 246 400 seconds
• 37 440 minutes
• 624 hours
• 26 days
• 3 weeks (rounded down) 

And I''m pretty well prepared for the trip! I have bought tons of food (for three reasons: 1) eating out 3 to 5 times a day is damn expensive! 2) Eating out 3 to 5 times a day is quite a challenge for a vegan who does not speak the language! 3) Finding a restaurant that serves vegan food 3 to 5 times a day will take up a lot of time! I don't have a lot of time. I'll be too busy shopping! ), I've booked my extra suitcase, or room for one on the returning flight. And I've contacted three travle agencies to get a trip to Studio Ghibli. I still don't have it, but I'm waiting for a response from the most recent company I contacted. Keeping my fingers crossed! I really want to go! I've been there twice already, but I love the place. I love it even though I'm too old/big to play in the Catbus! :( 

I also have a small Smash Book album for the trip! And I have big plans to actually work on it during the trip. Somebody told me that won't work but I want to prove her wrong! It's different when you travel alone! I also have my travel journal, the same I've had for almost a decade! My first entry on that journal was written somewhere between Helsinki and London, on my first trip to Japan :D But! Last night I was reading my business book and it had a picture of a website, and on that picture there was a picture of a Bon Voyage Travel Journal from boygirlparty. And I wanted that journal!! So I went to Etsy looking for travel journals. Didin't see any I liked. Checked the boygirlparty site. Couldn't find the journal there either. Googled it. Found it! On Etsy and also on the actual website. Hmmm...I must've missed it.

Super expensive shipping, but I had to get the journal! And now you want to see the journal, right?

Picture taken form the boygirl Etsy site.

 Isn't it pretty! I love filling pre-printed stuff like that! I like doing things "right"! So yes, I ordered the journal and now I'm hopin it will be here before I leave.

Before all that I was in the city, dressed as a bunny. We had like handful of us, "terrorists"/animal activists, and we were raising awerness of animal tests, collecting money, handing out leaflets. The usual. I wear the bunny suit at all of our events, if appopriate. I hate to talk to people. Well, not really hate but I just don't get it if they don't get it. I honestly don't think there's any justification towards animal cruelty/abuse. Period. And if they don't agree I don't feel like explaining, I feel like -beep-! It got censored 'cause I'm also against violent toward people.So when I'm wearing the bunny suit people won't expect me to talk to them. Bunnies don't talk.

I rode my bike, total of 30+ km. :D I loved it, but was very tired when I got home. On my way home I went to the post office to pick up my latest purchase: More fabric! Yay! But unfortunately there was an error on my order I they sent me faux fur I have no use for, and I didn't get something I had ordered for. :(

You probably can't see it, but there's toy animal -like fur on top of the pile, the brown fabric. I want to make "moon bear" sleepsacks with that and donate all the profits to Animals Asia! The fur is really great, like I said it's more toy animal like, smoother that the fur I usally use for my sleepsacks.

Need to get something done! Did I tell about the dresses? I cut some patterns out two days ago, sewed some of them yesterday, not convinced yet, but getting closer! The pattern is nice, but need to find the parfect fabric for it! Sorry for all the bad grammar/spelling. Can't bother busy Mr C anymore with my silly stuff.

Bye! (ps. Talk to me. I like it!)

xoxo,
Raisa

Happy Mail Day!!

I haven't gotten anything in th email recently. Mr C has gotten a lot more, which is really annoying! I'm supposed to be the mail order person in this household! Mail order bride. :D But yesterday this got fixed, and it got fixed good! Even the delivery guy said (to my hubby who opened the door) that this is like Christmas!
                                                             What do YOU think?

I got "rose fur" I ordered for a very VIP pouch/sleepsack, a book (I'm addicted to small/craft business books), striped fur (to make a tail to a lemur pouch which was requested, to make a bee and cheshire cat), zippers and alphabet beads. Very happy!! The rose faux fur is amazing! I thought the roses would be a lot bigger and that got me a bit worried if I was able to sew it. But they are rather small so sewing in the middle of one doesn't "ruin" the whole pattern.

Other than admiring my new supplies I organized the "package" closet. I really didn't do that much-no more taking everything out and sorting stuff and wiping the shelves and walls and all that. I just organized the stuff that was in there and that's it. It doesn't look very impressive, but it's functional!

I also did get a lot of sewing done! Everything that was on my to do -list! Good girl! And on top of that I cut at least four dresses. Hopefully the pattern will work! Also figured out my vest problem! Finally gave up on one vest I've tried to make to work for ages. I'll try something else!

I was supposed to go to school last night. But I forgot. Not sure if I'll take my biology test again after all. My grade wasn't really that bad, and I haven't read at all in two months, I think. So why bother?

Need to go, tons of stuff to sew!

xoxo,
Raisa

Packages, and the Project still goes on!

Hello!

Dunno why, maybe because of the spring? but I've been really tired lately. So annoying. I'm not into sleeping at all. I hate taking naps, I hate sleeping late. Id o like sleeping when I'm tired, at night. And funny thing, I enjoy sleeping while watching movies. Specially at the movie theatre! I do have a explanation to that: When you've paid to see a certain movie you really want to watch it, right? So, if you're so tired you are willing to miss the movie and waste your money then you must be really tired and the sleep is the sweetest ever. Logical?

So, I hate being tired during the day. That's when I'm supposed to be energetic and active and all that. Being tired is kind of like being hungry or cold. It takes over everything and that's all you can think of. Grrr! So annoying!

I hope it'll pass soon! I'm feeling just a tiny bit groggy at the moment, that shouldn't stop me from doing what I've planned for today. Maybe I need some fruits? I wanted to have fruits for breakfast, but we didn't have any. Just bread. Uh, I'm getting sick of bread.

Sorry! Enough about that! Yestarday was all about packages! I had a huge list of things to do, but I only managed to do ship my orders. It's insane how much time it takes! Seriously! Want to hear more about it? (If not the skip the following paragraph - I hope that's the correct term!)

First I write down the addresses and what they've ordered. Then I look for the ordered items, make sure they are free of wrinkles, dust, bunny/dog/faux fur hair. I wrap the item into a tissue paper (usually hand stamped by me. I stamp them while watching movies, if I'm not sleeping ;), also if needed I wrap some details or the whole product into (recycled) bubble wrap, write a Thank you -note, add some stickers or other "freebies", put the freebies in a small (recycled) and also hand stamped plastic bag, maybe add a brochure and/or business card. Quite often I wrap some sort of ribbon or yarn (from a thrift store) around the tissue paper, to make it look like a gift. Then I fill in the customs declaration form (so the ink has time to dry). Lately I've been using old wall paper I found while organizing the Tehdas as my wrapping paper. It's not the best thing to use, since it tears quite easily, but I'd reinforce it with tape anyways, so it doesn't matter. So, I roll open the wall paper on my handy packing table and stamp it with carefully chosen stamps. This is quite silly, but I actually try to match the stamps with the content. I was so bummed when I realised yesterday I had given away my bat stamp! It would've been perfect for the bat sleepsack orders! Last week a customer ordered a vintage horror movie themed pouch and I stamped the package with spider webs and such :).

Yestarday I used bird who "sang the address".

Then I reinforce the paper with clear tape. And then wrap the order in it. And that's about it :D. I know it's silly, but guess what! I like doing that! And I also like to think it makes the receiver happy! Most of the mail I get makes me mad/sad/poor, so when ever I get something "special" in the mail it makes me super happy. And since I'm using quite a lot of recycled/upcycled material on the packing I feel I "have" to make it look nice. It would be so easy to buy pink bubble wrap envelopes and just slip in the product in and print out the address and call it done. But oh! That's would be so boring!

After all that I usually beg for my hubby to walk the dogs to the mail box, but sometimes I have to walk/ride my bike to the post office, usually if I miss the four pm deadline.

I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from my packages! So it's really worth all the trouble!

I love Mondays!

My project is not doing as well. Well, I don't know. Maybe it is. I still have two closets to clean up and declutter and organize. That's not that bad. But I don't feel like doing those at all. I enjoy the room the way it is right now, I'm getting used to the new places for certain tools and supplies. So it's kind of done, but then not really. Two more to go!

The last two pictures are of the doll closet. I can't even open the door anymore. Mainly because of the boxes in front of the door, but also because of the mess that's about to fall all over the place if the door is opened. The other closet is really not that bad at all. I know it looks like a mess, but actually it's just the bottom shelf that needs to be organized. Maybe I'll do it today!

Here's what I did recently. Dusted Kitties and the top of those cabinets and also the dish drying cabinets organized.

Four weeks until my trip!! I'm so excited!!

Take care! Oh, also would anyone of you have any ideas how to organize the doll closet? I don't! I have doll clothes in two suitcases, boxes and boxes full of furniture that I MIGHT need, bags full of food items, Barbie's dogs, cars, a boat, fake grass, rolls of fake dirt and so on...too much everything. But I'd use quite many of them, if I just could open the door without fearing getting it all all over me.

Okay, take care!
xoxo,
Raisa

Dusting Kitties

Hola! I slept till 9  o'clock! I don't know when was the last time I was able to sleep that late! I guess I woke up around 7am, and almost got up. But then decided to stay in bed. I'm glad I did. I was really tired yesterday.

Too tired and bore to actually sew. I did sew something, vests and shirts, but I had to force myself to do that. I colored my Twin Peaks coloring book :) And also sewed a mattress, a duvet and a pillow for my "Dream come true" doll bed. I liked that. Also took a picture of my newest doll, wearing my newest outfit (bought as a reward for myself for well done job on the sleepsacks!) on the bed (which was also a reward, for the same reason).

I did get something "real" done, too. I dusted my Hello Kitty (and few others) plush toys! Boy, were they dusty!

I took bunch of stuff off the top of my cabinets, and placed something else on top of there instead. Now I have more space for the important stuff close to my desk. And that's a good thing!

This morning, before I got up I was thinking about my upcoming birthday. Since it's the last one before I turn to "really old" I wanted to have a party. Well, since it's me I'd want to have a party anyway. I like parties. :D Okay, so I was thinking about who to invite. And from there I started to think about who has invited me to anywhere during the last 12 months. If I only invited those people I'd get maybe two or three people to my party. That made me so sad. Is it us, or is it me? Is there a partying world out there that I'm not aware of, or is it that we're "too old" to throw parties? Then I started to think about why do I keep inviting people who never invite me to anywhere? Why don't they invite me? Don't they have anything to invite me to? Or do they think they know I wouldn't come anyway? (I probably wouldn't, so I guess they'd be right with assuming that, but wouldn't that be a bit rude?) Or is it just that they don't want me to their parties? (how awful!)

But then I decided I'm not like that! I can invite who ever I want, I can consider whom ever I want as my friends, and if they don't want to invite me for their parties that's their loss!! Not mine! And most of all - I don't have to feel guilty for not inviting everybody I know! Right?!

Enough of that! I have life to live! We've been invited (or was it me who invited us to come over?) to a late lunch at friends' house. And before that we want to stop by at Kierrätyskeskus.

And I need to fix some pictures before I can add them on Etsy. There's one more observation I've made I want to share: Life is weird.

Happy Women's Day!!

xoxo,
Raisa

The Project

I really didn't do anything about organizing the Tehdas yesterday. I tried to take off one of the racks, with no luck. It's stuck. And now I can close the cabinet doors and the door are blocking part of the window making the room darker that it actually is. Grrr! Need to ask hubby to do it for me. Grrr!

Yesterday really wasn't my day. I mean part of it wasn't. And part of it was. I found out that one of my dolls got totally smashed on her way to beauty parlor. The face is ruined. I know it's just piece of (expensive) plastic, but it feels really bad. She was one of my girls. And now she's gone. Luckily she wasn't one of my favorites, otherwise I wouldn't have sent her to a spa (to be customized) in the first place. But still. One of my girls. :(

 It really looks like the post office people have mistreated the package. I wrote to them but am still waiting for a response. The package wasn't insured, so I'm afraid there's nothing they are willing to do about this. It really sucks. That was a sturdy cardboard box and the doll was wrapped in bubble wrap. And they really don't break that easily. The dolls I mean.

Okay, enough of that! I didn't get a lot done yesterday, I think. But in a way it was a good day. I drew and cut a lot of patterns, even for the secret project. I should have more time to work on that over the weekend. And I have decided to actually finish it and just put it out there. Like it or not. It's nothing that special anyway. Now that time has passed I can have a better perspective of the whole thing. And it's not really that big of a deal at all. It used to be in my head. I don't know why. Maybe because I'm a bit "ding dong" in the head...Okay, so my big project is a line of doll clothes! Wohoo!! I know I might not be the first person you might think of when talking about fashion, but trust me - the style I have chosen for my line I'm very good at! And the style is....? Harajuku/Japanese street fashion! I can't make elegant or sweet, but I'm very good with crazy and colorful! :D So far I have thights, leg warmers, shorts and I'm working on shirt and some sort of a vest. And it will be sold as a set. I love sets! I also have planned another set with stockings, a dress, a bag, a necklace and also a vest. All in "Harajuku Style" :)

I'm struggling with the shirts. So far I've only used second hand fabrics, except for some of the thights. Maybe I should use the store bought fabric on the shirts as well, since it's kind of less stretchy. I might be easier to work with. Well, I cut few shirts yesterday, I'll sew those and decide after that. I also bought some iron on transfer sheets for printer, to make my own designs on the shirts. But so far I've pretty much used only printed fabrics. Sorry for babbling about this. I just wanted to share, and not to keep it as a secret anymore. :D

Okay, my sewing machine wants some attention. One more, two! more things! I rode my bike to the city yesterday. Approx. 15 km one way. First time this year. Mr C changed the tires to my bike and the summer tires were incredibly light to pedal. I loved it! I love riding my bike! There's quite a lot of dust out there at this time of the year, when all the sand is still on the ground, but other than that it was great. (also the sand makes it a bit dangerous, since it's so slippery.)

Also, I managed to get this great kitchen set! I've seen it being sold before, not this particular set, but similar vintage sets, but the shipping has always been ridiculously high. It's big and rather heavy set, so no wonder it costs a lot to ship here. I've seen it in Australia and in the States, never in Europe. I didn't see it in Europe this time either, but better than that - somebody who's also coming to the Blythe Europe con is selling her kitchen! And I bought it! She'll hand deliver it there!! Super awesome!

I've decided to dust my Hello Kitty plush toys today. A lot of work! Also the top of the cabinets.

After that I don't have that much more to do. I still have two closets, and I guess I should do my drawers as well. One of the closets is the doll closet. And that is the worst. I had to use a pice of wood to keep the stuff from falling off when I open the door. It's really that bad. But I'm not doing that today.

Bye!
xoxo,
Raisa

The organizing project, what ever it was called of. Day xx

It's all my hubby's fault - He told me not to write my blog since he's about to move it to somewhere else. And it's taking forever. A month ago I asked how long the whole new website thing is going to take, and he said two to three weeks....yeah right!

Well, my project is not doing any better. But I have a real reason for that:  I've been really busy with sewing! Sewing and drawing patterns and all that. I've managed to organize a "bunny room closet". And that had a huge impact on the whole room, since I got all of the boxes that were lying on Tehdas floor put in it! Awesome!

I know it doesn't look that great even after I cleaned it, but at leats I know pretty well what's in it. The bottom shelf, the one on the floor, I left that for the bunnies. I rarely keep the door open, but when I do Hyrrä, our other bunny likes to go in there.

I've also organized few smaller closets. Not sure if I've shared the first picture already. 

I kind of feel embarrased of showing this stuff to you. I've seen too many picture perfect craft spaces and then seeing these pictures on the screen....not so cool. Pretty much everything I have is from thrift stores and flea markets. I just don't like matching furniture and clean white surfaces that much. It's nice in the pictures, but I need more "action" in my surroundings :) Maybe I should pay more attention to the pictures I take, try to make them look prettier.

My next mission is to organize this:

It's not that bad, at all. But the shelves themself are a bit of a struggle. It's actually dish drying cabinet (fab Finnish invention ;) and the shelves are a bit weird. It's got quite a lot of space, so it's quite valuable. I wish I was still making soap - it would be perfect for drying them! :D I've empitied it quite a lot already, it used to store my glitter, plastic animals, fabric for doll clothes and some unfinished projects.

Uh! 10 o'clock already! Need to go!! The sun is shining and I have pack of bats to photograph!!

I'll try and write more often!! One month and two days till my trip!!! Wohoo!!

xoxo,
Raisa