STILL LIFE SERIES 4

FOREST WALK PLANTS AND FLOWERS

This day has been rainy and dark. I've been a bit sick even though it's my first day of summer vacation and then saddest news from Nice. What ever we people do we should start to care more about - everything. 

We decided to take a short peaceful walk in a forest because the whole day inside the house with the crazy news doesn't make you feel better. On the way I picked few plants and flowers because I felt I needed to. Nature is beautiful in every sense, actually I kind of like the rain if I just have proper clothing and that means - my rubber boots. 

This still life is about all the sadness of killing that happens in the world every day. For us it is shown expecially on the days like this. This day stays in my blog as a sign of human nature. I hope we can all work for more peaceful world. 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

xoxo

Kreetta

HOW TO MAKE A BEAUTIFUL FLORAL PARTY DECORATION

FLOWERS IN THE JAR

Phew, this week has been so busy with 4 photoshooting days. We used flowers with all those  cookies, desserts, chocolate. I decided to make a blog post about one flower decoration we used. Actually this idea was born a bit before Christmas with my sister Kristiina at their beautiful Ryti-talo. There were Christmas handmade market and I needed decoration for my table and then she brought a very big class jar. I had been making flower frogs during the autumn and we got an idea to use them in the glass jar and I really have to say that way you can make magic with flowers and glass jar. 

It's very simple. You need a big glass jar. Mine were at least 20cm high but still I think that was too small. The other one - you can see above - is 30cm high. That was ok but I love to use bigger one! It's a lot of easier to put your arrangement in the jar if you have a bigger one or very small hands. I bet we all have a lot of glass jars and I'm quite sure that some might be quite big like those very old ones you've got from your mom, grandma, bought from antique shop or flea market. 

You need a flower frog. There are many kind of flower frogs but for example I have made mine from ceramics. You don't have to make, you can buy one. I have some vintage flower frogs too but this time I used my own design. You can find frogs from Etsy, vintage shops, flower shop or you can also use metal ikebana flower frog if you don't mind the look. Then you need flowers and water of course. My flower frog is open underneath so the flowers get the water.

This flower frog is my raku ceramics. The holes are too big for one thin waxflower  (it's one of my favorites!) but you can put several different kind of flowers in one hole. If you like my design, please don't hesitate to ask me if you want have a unique handmade ceramic frog. Usually I make normal ceramic - not raku. But this one I made last autumn in raku course. 

It's all about imagination. You might have plenty of ideas but you can also go through Pinterest and look for arrangements that inspires you or you can go and see beautiful floral feeds in Instagram like The_Greengallery, Joflowers, Hattieflower, Stilzitat, Flowerona, li.sense.a and many more. I had a lot of pink ranunculus so my arrangements are very romantic and a bit slavic this time.

When you get your arrangement ready you can put it carefully into the jar. But remember to put enough water. Or if you want them as wilted and enjoy of dried flowers  - forget the water.

These flowers are a promise of a spring. Hooray! Light you are so welcome! If you make a flower arrangement in the jar, love to see it! You will find me in Instagram @kreettakreetta just tag me and I'll come to see  your flower jar :)

Have a lovely Sunday!

xo

Kreetta 

ps. Happy Interior blog by Igor Josif made wonderful post about my ceramic flower frogs. 

Go and see his blog :)

HOW TO MAKE A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER ARRANGEMENT

CERAMIC FLOWER FROGS

How are you? It's been awhile I've been blogging here. I will show you this time my ceramic flower frogs I made before the Christmas. You can use them in making a beautiful flower arrangement. I was also honored to be featured in Happy Interior Blog by Igor Josif. Go and stop by his lovely blog and read the story about these flower frogs. I won't write the same story here.  Instead I write something very personal. But Igor wrote a very nice story. Thank you so much Igor!

You might know that my mom has suddenly past away two weeks ago. I'm feeling a bit better but still I am in the middle of mourning my mom. It's amazingly difficult to accept to losing her. I'm also sad about her life - not continuing. It is still unreal and somehow I only see her smiling in my eyes and I almost wait to see her when I go to her home. But no, we are going to have her funeral on next Friday. This time has been hardest ever for us. I love her so and I have decided to make funeral flower arrangement for her by my own hands. I'm sure it helps me on the way to accept that her death is part of life. We all have our own way of dealing with sorrow. I have to make things to feel better. I'm going to bake too like she did a lot because I feel I got my talents from her and I will use them to make her never forgotten. 

I already bought the base for the flower arrangement and next I will go to Pinterest find the flowers I want to use in my arrangement. After that I will order them from florist and of course because it's the winter time there might not be flowers like peonies. Peony is one of my mom's favorite flowers but also roses were deeply in her heart. I try to make a photo of the arrangement and show it here but I don't promise anything because it might be too hard task on the funeral day.

I want to make a flower arrangement to be a bit like poem. I've never done one before so it will be my first one. But it is the most important one too. This pic above is from my mom's hands in August 2014 when I had my birthday party in our garden. I invited women from my family and friends to make a flower garland with me before the party began. It was great fun even though I was so so excited that I could not concentrate to make it myself, funny. But I enjoyed a moment with my dear people around. That was enough for me. Also the birthday party was very lovely and I have very good memories of that. We danced the summer night away in the garden - my mom, me and all the lovely people.

I wish you a very cosy and happy Sunday!

xoxo

Kreetta 

ps. If you want to see the blog post about the flower garland you will find it here.

NEW CERAMICS + iPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MARKET AT RYTI-HOUSE

Weekend is here. So great. Tomorrow I will be at Ryti-house in Huittinen. It is my sister's family's place. I have all packed and hope we are going to have a great Saturday full of Christmas feeling. There will be traditional Christmas Market. I will be selling ceramics like flower frogs, vases, pendant, small cake stands and bowls and small paintings and small prints of my photos taken by iPhone. They are super cool :)

I wish you a beautiful weekend and maybe we see at Ryti-house tomorrow!

xoxo

Kreetta

ps. Christmas Market is on Saturday 11.12. from 11 am to 17 pm address Raskalantie 218, Huittinen. See the FB event here.

MAGNOLIA + CERAMICS

"IMPERFECT THURSDAY" THOUGHTS OF THE MAKER

Nothing is perfect. I think. And if things were perfect, nothing interesting would happen.

As a creative it is awful to admit that without special reason some days are just more difficult than others. You know...that...block. And how to overcome it? 

White and Blue - Danish influence - My new ceramics

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.

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. 

Do you like raku, herbs or gardening?

The weekend has been busy - again. Raku glazing in Friday. Saturday I tried to find a dress and did find.  Ah, I was so happy. I never find anything when there is a must in sentence...haha. 

Sunday evening. Gardening. First harvest. Oregano. Going to dry these and cherish tomato sauce with oregano in the winter time. People who has a garden knows how time flies and you just forget everything else. That's good I think...but time runs always out and there's always something to do.

Finally I get to raku ware. We started today at 10 am and finished about 5 pm. A lot of wonderful work of different kind of people and different art by people. This one is my vase or pen holder depends on a day... Raku ware aren't watertight so I guess later one will be the right purpose.

Have you ever tried raku?

It is so nice to shoot in the evening too because here we have a lot of light - finally!

Have a lovely week!

 

xo

Kreetta

Frayed and Crackled - Kreetta's Ceramics

Oh, I'm so back from Paris. Wow, that's a place. About my trip to Paris later this week. Some vintage finds of course. Now - ceramics.

I love old and frayed. So when I make ceramics - I like to make things look like they are old and not perfect. I've also noticed that somehow I work in certain period with same way of seeing and when I put things together they might even play well together. Of course not always but this time yes. Do you remember my circus theme ceramics? You can find them here. I decided to move on to different level - still circus but more delicate shades and colors.

 

I've used a lot of raku clay this year because it felt nice to work with. I'm also taking one raku clay course in May. It will be fun! This year I've also worked with paperclay and it's totally different  comparing to raku clay. It's soft and very flexible. Of course I've made paperclay bowl in a rough way and it surprisingly worked quite well.

To make structure I leave my bowls without finishing them too carefully. I paint the glaze and combine different colors.

I have to admit that it's been a little bit difficult process to move on from real rough colors to these light and pastel shades. Of course I use some darker colors to get more drama if you know what I mean. I love crackle!

It's very rewarding when you get something done the way you wanted. I've done a lot of testing before I made bowls that I like. This project needed rethinking and patience. Yes, patience... I've never done one thing so long time. Clay isn't very easy material so many things can make the result not the one you've wished for. But I love to work with clay because you can always start all over again and it feels good - working with hands.

Have you ever tried playing with clay? I think I want to try clay pottery wheel. The course will begin in autumn. I have so so many plans already for autumn. I'm so excited. I promise you hear about them during this spring and summer. 

Have a lovely week!

xo

Kreetta

Slow Living - Never Say Never - Glazing Ceramics

You never know how your pot, bowl, cup or what ever turn out to be when you have glazed it. It's always a little bit surprising. It isn't very easy, I think...and I'm too lazy to make tests. Do you test your glaze before the real one? I don't - yet - so no reason to complain, haha. Any tips for me?

Actually I like the surprise. I actually try to make some glaze combination that I would get different colors what they supposed to be. Few times I've managed to do it. Have you?

I seldom get the result what I have in my mind and I've learned to take it as advantage. I feel making ceramics is very relaxing. Playing with clay and playing with glaze is fun. The last bowl I made succeeded quite well. Or what do you think? 

Ok, I admit I haven't been so happy lately to my glazing but this one I am. I used raku clay and 7 different glaze and made finishing with black ink. It looks a little bit rough and broken. It's a little bit frayed and has some influence from circus that I so love and like, haha.

Dinner making is calling my name. Pizza Sunday. Gluten and dairy free.

Have a relaxing Sunday and let's hope the coming week starts with peace and harmony.

xo

Kreetta

Art wall project exhibition at home

Thank you for people visiting us in so short notice. Ideas comes and goes. These ones goes to Kampaamo Maa on Wednesday.

Some of this work you've seen in my blog before.

I was wondering how my instagram pics will look as photos and they do - look quite nice. So you can make art with your phone. Wonderful news.

Something I have ever done before - an exhibition at home. Now I have. It was fun! Spending time with great people is always a pleasure. Thank you!

xo

Kreetta

Photography Concept and Styling - CIRCUS

This time the word is my own. It's Circus. I love the frayed world of it. I love also ceramics, acryl painting and vintage. Here they are all together. I used Raku technique with ceramics. Ceramic pearls are painted with acrylic paint like the backround. You can also find old vintage pearls that are my faves too. I just got them this weekend from our friend Anne. Thank you! 

What are your favorite things?

If you want to see my previous Photography Concept and Styling posts you find them all here. If you have a good word or just a word in your mind that you like to see as a photo essay...send it to me. Maybe it can be the next word I use.

Enjoy and have a very creative week!

xo
Kreetta

3 blog posts I like - Slow down blogger

What kind of blog post you love? When you are surfing in blogosphere aren't you quite happy when you find a post or someone you totally agree and feel sympathy and companionship.

I decided to pick three blog posts that I want to share with you today. I was very happy to find these and love to share them because I think there are something good and respectable in every one of them. I give you a tip. This post is long, so first crab a cup of coffee. This is the longest post I've ever written.

The first blogger is Erin Loechner and her blog is Design For Mankind. She wrote a post about slowing down blogging. What happens in blogosphere? A need to blog 5 times a week, keep up the speed and trying to find more and more new things first to blog about, tweet and make facebook status etc. It's not only blogging that is in its speed. Yesterday I read from newspaper that nowadays we even walk more faster than before. That was somehow funny but it tells also something about us and our daily life. There are many reasons why I like the idea to slow down. What do you think? I never have blogged 5 times a week but I'm not a pro anyway. Erin wrote about The rebirth of slow blogging. Go and read it and tell me what you think about it!

"there is more noise, and my ears are tired." writes erin

I love pictures - their silence but in the same time I want to hear their voice. Strong voice. A very good photo or picture is not so easy to make.

But still there are so many good pictures and photos. Maybe even too many if we look our Pinterest account. But I enjoy of them. It's great to see what other people are doing around the glope. The amount of ideas - you might get lost in there somewhere, I admit. Suddenly you notice that somebody has already done your super idea...or did you see it in Pinterest and after awhile you invented it and don't even remember that you did see it in Pinterest. This is not about copy cats. This is about our mind that just works mysterious ways.

As we all know ideas goes circles and we process them in our own way. What makes picture interesting to you? I think to me it is about composition, the feeling and rich content. There are many other words that could describe pictures but this time I use these words. As a photographer I might look pics a little bit different way and more precise...and sometimes I wish I had an on/off button on my head.

her styling has beautiful rythms

So the second post and the blogger or maker or actually I would call her artist is Dietlind Wolf. She is a wonder woman of styling and making ceramics and props. She is also a photographer. What a talent. What a skilled woman. Her work speaks to you without my words. I just wish I could have a piece of her talent. I chose one of her picture posts(you see above) but if you go and visit her blog, you'll learn that she has many strong posts. You can also see it demands a lot of work and time. Please go and see her work - it makes your day.

Both these women has been in Hive this weekend so as you see this was a very good example of how your subconscious works. I've read about Hive quite many times from different sources and now I'm writing about 2 of their speakers. Hm.

Let's move on. 

Third one but not the least one is one blog post I found just by google search words: slow blogging movement. It's written by Anthony K. Tjan and the title is It's Time for a "Slow Conversation" Movement.

sometimes it is just better to call

We, communication and media. Images, stories, quotes, likes, tweets, pins, e-mails, subscriptions, links, search, tips, news, updates, followings, smart phones, facebook, instagram, feed, blogs, portfolios, online workshops, growing the number of readers, youtube, vimeo, e-mags, iPads, communities...you name it. 

The list of what we do and make is endless....sounds familiar? No? Maybe? Yes? 
I've noticed how much time I can spend with my mac. Too much - time to time. I don't have iPad or smart phone. But even without them I just wonder how we can keep up the speed? Is the speed part of our daily life in the future too? There are so many new medias and we are just learning to live with them in harmony. We have possibilities to be all the time connected and we can share so many things straight away and we get instant feedback - why do we have to? And why we need to? What it gives to us? Do we survive without it anymore? Do you feel suddenly lonely when you are not connected? Who likes when you make a dinner or take the dog out? Actually nobody knew that you are making the dinner and taking your dog out before facebook...or your family knew.

I liked a lot Mr. Tjan's writing. Expecially the first subheader Focus on being present in the moment, not recording it. It is so true. There are quite many good points he brings up. I can tell you my experience of my godchild's dance performance. Instead of making a video of it I could have just watched it and felt the presence of young dancers making their best. Of course now I have a recording of it but it won't be the same. I missed the feeling. Please read his post even though you wouldn't be interested about Harward Business Reviews. Sometimes it is good to change habits.

Finally I want to cherise the slow blogging movement. In spring I wrote on my About page that I will blog 1-2 times a week. I prefere quality. That is amount I can live without too much pressure. I enjoy blogging. I love to see new things happening. I like to "meet" new people and read blogs and e-mags. I want to improve my blog. I like the atmosphere. I admit that I have to be a little bit careful not to be too much connected. I have to also be careful not to overdo things. It happens so undetected. Something to learn. I think we live very interesting time because we have so many great new things around us. We just have to learn to live with them.

What do you think about slow blogging? Does it sound too trendy to you? Or is it already done and forgotten? I think it is one part of slow living and I feel it makes us more free. But somehow it maybe also makes a demand of better content.

If you read the whole post - I want to thank you. I'm very happy and I hope I could give you some challenging thoughts. This is a challenge to me also.

xo
Kreetta

ps. Did you like my green underlines? Did it help you to read or was it disruptive? I thought that if you are on hurry you can scan the text quite fast...if you want to.
 

Monday morning with ceramics and green tea

This week will be the last one when we have an evening ceramic class. But it will begin in September again. That's great! I have made quite many small things there and above you can see - very very practical thing - ceramic coffee/tea filter holder. Originally it's for coffee but I tried it with tea and with a little bit slower method it worked quite well. I don't like too strong tea so works for me. I saw striped one in Pinterest so I had to try it also. What do you think? 

The other thing which has been in my mind so much lately is garden. This week I should make some planting. I really should that seeds have time to grow enough before moving out. But this spring has been so weird - yesterday it was snowing again, so one just have to wait for bare ground...

I also have borrowed some garden books from library and going today to get one book more. I should also order few seeds still. This year I really liked to have a great herb and salad garden. As you can see I feel a little bit anxious about garden.  My favorite is also tomatoes because they just taste so much better when you can pick them up straight from your garden. Have you planted already? Do you have big or small plans about your garden? Or great tips?

Link Love Creative

Third time in everything. Winter days, morning coffee moments. Makes you feel creative. Hand picked links for your eyes only.


1. Dana Tanamachi/ Tanamachi Studio

amazing handmade fontadelics. photo/dana tanamachi

2. Yanoya video by Shishi Yamazaki

delicate watercolors wakes up. photo/yanoya video

3. Ceramics by gretchen gretchen in Pinterest

my beginning of making ceramics - a vase