Thursday, May 29, 2014

Are You Growing?

Time to time I need to think where I am and where I want to go and what should I do next. These thoughts have been with me this spring. A lot. I know a lot of things I should do here at our home, haha... but now I'm talking about bigger things. 

tomatoes growing photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com































I love to be a person who just decide and make things happen with good attitude and courage. But I'm not. I need to think things quite a long time depending on how big THE thing is. About ten years ago I decided that I want to be a good photographer. So I've been going forward with that thought in my mind. Yes, I'm a professional photographer now and have quite nice portfolio.

But what now?
What I want to take for my next goal? I admit I'm not ready to say it aloud.

basil photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

What kind of questions you have in your mind?

pesto photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com








































Maybe growing is like our lunch pesto today. I didn't have basil, I didn't have macadamia nuts or pine nuts that I normally use in making pesto so here's what I did.

I used nettle, dried sage, a bit dried basil too instead of fresh basil. I used almonds and sunflower and sesame seeds instead of macadamia nuts. It looks like pesto and it tasted good. On top of it I had small basil leaves. Fresh basil is already growing next to our living room window. 

There are so many ways to make things happen.

xo
Kreetta

Sunday, May 25, 2014

With Friends

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com



Sunny and warm weekend with friends next to the sea. A lot of eating, laughing, riding, talking and of course sauna and dipping to the sea. Not so much sleeping. 5 women seeing each other after a long time. I recommend.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com


Pie recipe by my mother-in-law. Gluten free onion bacon pie. Thank you for Päivi who made it. Tomatoes, rucola and avocado was great on top of it.Yummy.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Sunset.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Pretty Pippi Longstocking horse. We had a great day by riding and after that we went swimming. It was quite hot day. Our riding teacher was also very good.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Next to the beach there were a small sweet cottage with lovely retro furniture. We all remembered these couches from our childhood. We had white one. I just love that old stool too.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Ice cream, yes please.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Local beer and donuts. Good combination?

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
After dinner we ate rasberry, red currant pavlova without cream. On top of it there were edible Ground-ivy and peppermint with some dried lavender. I found this old black and white cake doily from antique shop. It must be from 1920-1930, I think. They are for special occasion and this weekend was definitely one of those.

cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
She's getting married in next month. Then we will have a party! Thank you girls!

xo
Kreetta

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Hanami Hot Dog


hanami photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretcehngretchen.com
Today I was sitting in the car in traffic jam and I only could think one thing - food. Hot dog. It's very trendy, I know. Street food.

hanami hot dog photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretcehngretchen.com

Cherry trees in bloom. Blackbirds are singing. We sit in the garden, what else you need? Today our new tradition was born - Hanami Hot Dog.

Hanami hot dog photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Actually Hanami hot dog halves.

wild edible photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com














































Wild edibles found from our garden...I don't know the name of it...

Hanami hot dog photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Rye bread hot dog.

cherry flowers and strawberries  photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Strawberries with cherry flowers and fresh mint.

cherry flowers photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
They last so short time. Cherry flowers. But they bring a promise of the summer.

xo
Kreetta


Sunday, May 18, 2014

The First Summer Day


growing in garden photo by Kreetta Järvenpää ww.gretchengretchen.com

grilling photo by Kreetta Järvenpää ww.gretchengretchen.com


salad photo by Kreetta Järvenpää ww.gretchengretchen.com





Finally it came. The first summer day. We celebrated it with grilling of course and eating ice cream. I was also at Raku workshop yesterday, made some small bowls and other things. It was so relaxing once again with clay. 

This morning I decided that I have to clean up a little bit this our chaos. You can see a bit of it in my fb.

My little seeds are also growing in my DIY greenhouse. You can see it in my instagram. 

I wish you sunny and creative Sunday! I will have one more cup of coffee and try to get inspired by cleaning. It's hard I admit, haha.

xo
Kreetta


Monday, May 12, 2014

Mothers, few roses and baby

roses photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

This rose has lovely scent and it's called Lavender Ice. Big fluffy rose. We bought actually three of them. To my mom, my mother-in-law and one to our home.

roses photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com














































Lovely weekend is now behind. So many moving moments. I get tears in my eyes - still. I wonder how much I'll cry after next ten years because it's getting worse all the time if you know what I mean. Happy or sad - same result, haha. 
 
baby cardigan photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
This little cardigan was for a little boy called Onni. He got his name this weekend. My husband made this, can you believe it? I was totally amazed when he told me he is going to make one. He has done socks, woolly hat and some other knitting works before...but this was so adorable. It's for his brother's first son. I'm so proud of him and happy for this little baby boy's parents.

roses photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com


hydrangea photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com




My mom and I found these lovely flowers and roses in Huittinen at Ellän kukka ja Taimi. So lovely scene on Saturday evening. Plenty of roses and hydrangeas and many more.

paint photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com





I also found these pretty fabrics with paint at my mom's home. She paints and she has done some screen printing also and she likes to recycle - so this is how she does it.

plant photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com



I was talking about my workstudio plan with her and she promised me some plants what she has few already. Here are two of them. I'll get them from her place when I have my own place ready to be decorated. Not yet - but in the near future - I hope.

plant  photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com


























So delicate and fragile. Oh, I can't wait for that moment when I can carry these pretty ones to their new home! Thank you mom!

xo
Kreetta

Friday, May 2, 2014

Scilla, me and spring

scilla photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com


Few days I've been feeling a little bit tired and feeling not so creative. It's just have been too much work and too many things in my head. I have forgotten way too many things too. I think I have to give my brains a bit vacation. How you make your mind calm and balanced? What is your secret? ..or just habit to win this ugly feeling of numb?

I tried anyway. I took my camera and finally made the effort and picked up some scillas from our yard. They have so lovely scent. I took few photos and this one - I think - is the best one.  What do you think? Would it be nice card or picture on the wall?

xo
Kreetta 



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