Sunday, December 21, 2014

Green X-mas - Confetti DIY

DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Oh white X-mas where are you? We totally miss you. I decided to make my own colorful snowfall. Are you still wondering what to give for X-mas gifts...here comes a great tip for you then! DIY confetti with plants.

DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Snow is white...I know but I could decide what color my confetti snowfall is, haha. All you need is a basic office hole buncher. That's it. I usually make quite easy DIYs but I guess it can't get any easier than this anymore. But simple ideas are the best ones and many times we think too complicated. I needed a bit X-mas decoration for my succulents and other green plants that I was planning to give as a X-mas gift. They needed a bit little extra something to be adorable X-mas present. So confetti made my day.

DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com



DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Of course there have to be a wow moment or at least a moment of a joy when opening a gift. That's why I made a small white paper bag, put confetti snow in the bag and used the beautiful thin twine to tie it. 

DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
The gift receivers can decide what they want to do with it. It can be sprinkled on plants or not. I guess they are pretty enough without any confetti at all...but I think confetti makes the gift a little bit more special and precious. What do you think?

DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

You can give more than one plant and build your decorated arrangement of green plants on the tray. Use some pretty paper on the tray and maybe even add different kind of things like flag garland. I used disposable Chinese chopsticks as a flag holders. A bit washi tape and some writing and that's it.

DIY confetti - Green X-mas photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Now everything is ready and it's time to make wrapping. As you noticed I love to use materials that are recycled or can be recycled. So go and find some nice paper from your boxes, magazine piles, kitchen cupboards what ever you can find as a nice wrapping paper. Use your imagination! I think it's so nice to get a very original and  gift made in personal way.

This is it. The last post before X-mas. If you are still thinking what should I buy for beloved ones - try green plants. These succulents, Tilladsias are very easy because they don't need so much care or watering. They are very stylish too and can bring joy the whole year around - not only on X-mas.

I wish you very Merry X-mas my friend! Have a peaceful and cosy time with your family and friends!

xo
Kreetta

ps. Here you can find another Christmas DIY I made last year. It's a paper flower. A simple decoration for your home for X-mas.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Pick your favorite X-mas DIY by Anu Harkki

Anu Harkki photo by Kreetta Järvenpää for Huili magazine www.gretchengretchen.com

Today I will take you to the home of Anu Harkki. She is full of ideas and talent so you will find out few good ecological gift ideas and wrapping tips. I also photographed her animal family. She has horses, sheeps, dogs, cats, chickens, rooster and of course so adorable mini pig Bruno. Well, I don't know how mini he really is...haha. I photographed this story to Finnish ecological lifestyle magazine Huili but here you can see something that you didn't see in the magazine, so come along!

Anu Harkki photo by Kreetta Järvenpää for Huili magazine www.gretchengretchen.com

To me the best thing in X-mas is the time befre it. Why? I love the feeling of excited waiting. I use to buy a lot of things and planned my presents well but nowadays I don't do it so much any more. I think we have already too much things at our homes. When I buy something it have to be something that can be used or enjoyed or something that the person have hoped for and I prefere handmade and design by talented people. I try to avoid random somethings for X-mas present. That is not my thing anymore. Ok, two thing is what I can't resist. Vintage and handmade. 

Let's get back to DIYs. I will show you first candle present by Anu.

Anu Harkki photo by Kreetta Järvenpää for Huili magazine www.gretchengretchen.com
She has used the original box of candles - without package plastic - and made it pretty with washitape. Then she used thin natural colored silk paper and some cotton string, brown cardboard and old key with crystal. Voilá. Looks quite nice, doesn't it! And everybody use candles. 

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Flower LOVE

Cabbage flower photo by Kreetta Järvenpää by iPhone www.gretchengretchen.com

Good Sunday! Lazy morning. Lazy day. This is a bit "dagen efter" for whole Finland because yesterday we had Finland's Independence Day.  That is the day when everybody is watching the Linnanjuhlat from television. It is the Presidential Independence Day reception. It's THE big party in Presidential Palace, approximately 2000 invited guests. Everybody would like to be there even at once...so have to do something that President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö will invite us there, haha. But being honest it's fun to watch how people have dressed up for the party and of course there are many opinions about the dresses...

Cabbage flower photo by Kreetta Järvenpää by iPhone www.gretchengretchen.com
We had also planned to travel to visit our friends and celebrate but sad to say I got weird stomach flu so we missed the party. I had also planned that I will make a blog post about the flowers I bought quite cheap price this week but because I got sick I can only show you these pics taken by iPhone for Instagram by VSCO cam.

flowers photo by Kreetta Järvenpää by iPhone www.gretchengretchen.com
I think it's unbelievable what you can do with your phone nowadays. Of course you can see the grain but this time of the year we don't have so much light so it means grain. But I don't care about it. I think it makes pics even more real and grain has always been one part of the photography.

I have promised many things lately to make and show you here in blog but I have had quite a lot work - which is very good for starting businesswoman ;) I had planned that I have my web shop open before X-mas but...we'll see. I think I'm going to take a nap now.

Have a great Sunday and enjoy waiting for X-mas!

xo
Kreetta

Saturday, November 29, 2014

How to make Granola + X-mas present DIY Jar

granola+diy jar photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

X-mas in my mind. I have planned so many times to make granola...almost a year...that means also I'm not the first one who blogs about it. Actually I'm quite late, haha but still I decided to make a suggestion for you. Make a lovely DIY X-mas present for your beloved ones. There aren't anything that one can throw to the trash bin. You can eat the granola, use the glass jar in your kitchen as a storage item and making granola is easy.

granola+diy jar photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
There are plenty of choises you can make your granola. I made it of those I've written on the picture. But I added only dried figs after I had baked granola in oven. You are free to choose your favorite berries, and fruits. But be careful that you don't burn your granola :) I did it once because I had too high temperature in oven. You don't want to do it because all those precious almond and other peanuts and seeds aren't cheap and of course I use organic products.

granola+diy jar photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
You can decorate your glass jar with handwritten text. I used Illumigraph pen. You can always wipe it off. It's waterbased pigment ink. You can decorate your jars, windows etc. with it. 

granola+diy jar photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Illumigraph pen is great tool to make DIY X-mas decoration like Anu Harkki in new Huili magazine did. I actually went to photograph her lovely X-mas present DIY's and you can see all those ideas in the newest Huili magazine. Huili is THE Finnish ecological lifestyle magazine. Only in Finnish but you can always see the pics :) 
granola+diy jar photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
This week I also took part in Sugar Helsinki blogger X-mas evening. And look what I got! So adorable small X-mas tree. It's a perfect decoration for my workspace. Thinking of decorating it but somehow I like it as it is...small and pure. Will see what I do. It can be planted too but to do that I have to keep it alive through winter. It is sponsored by PEFC Finland.

I will get back to Huili magazine in my next post.

But now I wish you a beautiful weekend my friend!

xo
Kreetta

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Learning Porcelain Painting vol. 1

learning porcelain painting photo by www.gretchengretchen.com
My mom visited us this weekend. I decided to ask her to teach me some porcelain painting. Yesterday we went to buy some utensils for me. I don't remember if I have told you before that I found a huge box of old porcelain painting colors from one flea market last summer. They were so cheap that I decided to buy them anyway...even though I didn't know if they were still ok. As you might know the colors in porcelain painting are in powder form.

learning porcelain painting photo by www.gretchengretchen.com

I bought them because they looked soo lovely. Beautiful colors...and I was quite sure I needed them, haha. If I don't use them in porcelain painting I can always invent something else. I think they are perfect for decorating or as a prop. They are so adorable.

learning porcelain painting photo by www.gretchengretchen.com
...and what did I learn today?

learning porcelain painting photo by www.gretchengretchen.com
A lot. I learned that painting porcelain isn't easy. Yes, I know..sorry to say. You know I like to improvise...maybe not a good idea in porcelain painting. You have to practise. 

It's a good thing to have a steady hand. You need a good light. You have to know how the colors react...I mean you can't just paint all the colors same time or mix them. You need oil with these old color powders. But there are also water soluble colors. You have to make your color with palette knife and be sure there aren't any lumps...they will destroy your work in kiln. You can fire porcelain few times. So it's a slow process. Comparing to working with clay where you fire your glazing once or twice working with porcelain is more carefully planned...

learning porcelain painting photo by www.gretchengretchen.com
As you can see in the picture - my coffee cup is still unpainted. The reason why it is - I have to do some practising, haha. I find porcelain painting interesting...but I have to have a better plan what I'm doing. I love to work quite relaxed and free way with clay and acrylic painting so porcelain painting is a challenge for me. It needs to be thought more thoroughly. Kreetta is in trouble, haha.

The cup is waiting me on my workspace's table. Let's see what happens next!

..and thank you Mom!

xo
Kreetta

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Workspace Light


workspace light photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Winter. Where are you? 

I'm ready. Bring me the reflecting white. 


Yes, I remember I promised you a sound designed photo. Not today. Let's see if tomorrow :) Today I wanted to show you something light and airy. Opposite of the weather.

xo
Kreetta 

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Butternut + Font

butternut pumpkin photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com


Boo! I've seen many funny and scary costumes in IG and FB during this weekend. I didn't dress up this year because I took part in video sound design course from Friday to Saturday. I was planning to make something here for you to hear and see today but instead...we decided to work in the garden. We took everything away and put them to our garage because it's not summer anymore...we are waiting for snow.

We celebrated Halloween by eating a good dinner. We ate butternut pumpkin with white fish and other roasted vegetables and fresh salad. While my husband was preparing a dinner I photographed this pumpkin because it looked so beautiful. I didn't have my own camera or the lenses at home so I dived into my husbands camerabag and found Canon 650D and Voigtländer manual focus lens 90mm (that will be with cropped sensor about 140mm)...well this is the outcome. My husband likes to photograph stars so that's why he has his camerabag. 

As you might know I love fonts and I like to play so I did play with cool fonts from a food carton that is well designed. Can you guess what is the product? 

This time I wrote down a recipe for you. My husband does a lot of cooking and he never measures things so precise - he goes with the flow, if you know what I mean :)

I'm having a huge pile of things to be done next week. I wish I have energy to make things happen. I hope you have a good week ahead too!

xo
Kreetta 

ps. Next time I hope I have time to make some sound design for you...


Sunday, October 12, 2014

White and Blue - Danish influence - My new ceramics

Ceramic photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
It's the season of working with ceramics again. The course is on every Monday evening. After the summer vacation it was great to start with clay again. This autumn I want to try some new colors and because I'm a great fan of Danish style I chose white and blue.I will continue with my pastel circus too but it is always great to play with new things.

Ceramic photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Many years ago I lived in Copenhagen for a few months. That time changed my style of decorating home. I was amazed of Danish people's homes. Families kept their curtains open even in the evenings. You could take a walk and pass by so many living rooms where people were eating, drinkin, smoking happily together. In Finland we tend to close curtains in the evenings to keep our privacy...well danes definitely didn't mind the audience. 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Birds

birds photo by www.gretchengretchen.com
Lately I've done only one post in week. But this is already second post so it might be I start to make more posts again!

birds photo by www.gretchengretchen.com
Today has been so grey and rainy day that I wanted to bring some color to it. I got fashionated by the black birds behind my workspace window. I was so glad that I could be inside and just drink my coffee wearing a cardigan. But you know it's weird but even though it's cold and wet I have this thing today...I want to eat ice cream like my IG pic was telling you today. Well, soon I have to go out and drive my bike to home and maybe I stop by and buy the ice cream. Can't help it. Weird.

xo
Kreetta


Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Slow Living - Cottage Weekend

candles, cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

This blog post is about reminding you and me that it is important to see your friends and family. I got an invitation to my friend's beautiful cottage last weekend. I spent time in beautiful nature and in a good company.

mushrooms. cottage weekend photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
Doing things together is very rewarding and relaxing. It's so easy to forget to call, write or have a cup of coffee with your friend when you are occupied with your daily tasks and challenges. I'm like that. I can use my days without remembering the most important people in my life. Luckily everybody else is having a bit same kind of problem...

Friday, October 3, 2014

Slow Living - Natural Dye vol. 5 - Opening Bundle Jars


Natural dye jars photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

I waited for one month. My natural dye bundles in jars were developing. Yesterday I opened the jars. One of the three was succeed. Other ones didn't have enough color in my opinion.

Natural dye jars photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

Natural dye jars photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
 
Natural dye jars photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
If you want to know more about natural dye go and see THE India Flint's work.

I will go to my friend's cottage for this weekend. We are going to mushroom treasure hunting and just relaxing.

I wish you wonderful and colorful weekend!

xo
Kreetta
 

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Iceland vol 4 - Picnic on Videy Island


Hello! Here I am and this is my last Iceland photo story from this summer. Oh, that country is worth to see. During the food photography workshop we had a great opportunity to visit Videy island in front of Reykjavik. We were hosted by Aslaug Snorradottir. She and our workshop teacher Aran Goyoaga made and styled us a perfect picnic.

Aslaug used wild edibles in cooking and those plants and herbs look absolutely adorable in pics too. 

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Try something new - PURE WASTE Textiles by Paula Malleus

Eco fashion. Yesterday evening was the WASTE SIDE STORY fashion show at Teurastamo in Helsinki. It's been a while I've been in fashion show and the reason is quite obvious too. I want to support more ecological fashion. 10 Finnish fashion brand created designs made of recycled fabrics by Pure Waste.  

Atmosphere was excited.  

waste side story fashion show photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com



There were a lot of great designs and I specially liked the lappshoes made of recycled denim. My absolutely favorite was of course those feather crown drama queens by Paula Malleus. Most of the designs were perfect for everyday use. 

As I wrote in headline - try something new. For me it was to use IG pic photographed by phone in this post. Didn't have the real camera with me...and secondly I want to courage you to think again before buying cheap clothing because they don't support anything but consuming. I admit that time to time I buy them too but much less than before. There are a lot of shades of grey in this topic if you know what I mean. I like/try to find my clothes from flea markets and I also try to buy eco fashion. It costs more but you don't have to buy them often. You just have to use them with care. I also make some clothing by myself and you can also make new clothing from used ones. Go and see how it is possible. That's about it. 

Take care and have a lovely weekend!

xo
Kreetta

ps. Thanks Anna for lovely companion. 

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Workspace - Creative Place

still life photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com

This week has been quite busy. I still feel I haven't done enough, you know that feeling? But I'm so happy I have started painting after a long break. I also have been block printing on the day when the light suddenly vanished. Thunder and hail storm came to entertain me. Well, I don't like it so much but it made a beautiful light on my window.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Watermelon Cake


Watermelon cake  blog: www.gretchengretchen.com
Yesterday I was just too tired to everything. So nothing happened...well, today I took the time back. I sewed a t-shirt from old cotton shirt, made two seat covers, made some arranging and cleaning (should do a lot more!), went through papers, some writing and finally I made a cake. Watermelon cake. 

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Slow Living - Natural Dye vol. 4 - Tansies

tansies photo by Kreetta Järvenpää blog:www.gretchengretchen.com

I have had natural dye in my mind so many times but I have to admit I haven't had a time or I've been just too lazy, haha. But yesterday evening I had this big obsession of making some testing with tansies.

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