Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Beautiful day

Today I'm really happy. It's a beautiful morning, the sun is shining bright in the sky, the birds are singing, the coffee is just right, and my yarn order just arrived. You should see the smile on my face! And here they are, my beautifully colored yarns.
Astazi sunt fericita. Este o dimineata frumoasa, soarele straluceste, pasarelele canta, cafeaua este asa cum imi place si comanda mea de fire a sosit. Ar trebui sa vedeti zambetul de pe fata mea! Si iata-le, minunatele mele fire colorate.




Aren't they gorgeous? All I have to do now is start crocheting.
Nu-i asa ca sunt superbe? Acum nu mai trebuie decat sa incep sa crosetez.

What would make your day beautiful? Leave a comment.

Ce anume vi-ar face ziua mai frumoasa?Lasati un comentariu.

And my advice for today! Si sfatul meu pentru azi!



xoxo

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

A trip and a hat


Last week we went to visit my sister, who lives in Northern Romania, near a mountain resort called Vatra Dornei. And because that is about 450 kilometers away, it became a one day drive with me on the backseat of the car with my two daughters. It wasn't an easy ride, but the girls were ok.
Saptamana trecuta am fost plecati in vizita la sora mea, care locuieste in nordul tarii, in apropierea statiunii Vatra Dornei. Si pentru ca sunt cam 450 km (depinde de ruta aleasa), drumul a durat o zi intreaga. Iar eu am stat impreuna cu fetele mele pe bancheta din spate. Nu a fost o calatorie usoara, dar fetele au fost cuminti.
I wish I could say that the stay was relaxing, but with three kids with ages between 1 and 3 (my daughters and my niece) it's anything but relaxing. Actually, it was a lot of fun. The girls haven't seen each other in quite some time, and they were really happy to be together again.
As vrea sa pot spune ca vizita a fost una relaxanta, insa cu trei copii (fetele mele si nepotica) cu varste intre 1 si 3 ani, poate fi oricum, numai relaxant nu. De fapt, a fost chiar distractiv. Fetele nu se mai vazusera de ceva timp si erau fericite sa fie din nou impreuna.
I did manage to find time for myself, especially in the morning before the kids got up, drinking my coffee and admiring this view from the living room window and dreaming one day we'd build our own house.
Totusi, am reusit sa gasesc putin timp si pentru mine, mai ales dimineata inainte ca copiii sa apuce sa se trezeasca, cand totul era cufundat in liniste, iar eu imi beam cafeaua admirand privelistea pe geamul din sufragerie si visand la casuta pe care ne dorim si noi sa ne-o construim. 


And of course I had to crochet something! And because my niece is turning 2 in a couple of weeks, I wanted to make something special that would complement her beautiful blue eyes, playful smile and golden locks. And thus I came up with this, a cheerful spring hat, named after my beloved niece.
Si bineinteles ca a trebuit sa crosetez ceva! Si pentru ca nepotica mea implineste 2 anisori peste cateva saptamani, am vrut sa fac ceva special pentru ea, ceva care sa-i evidentieze frumosii ei ochisori albastri, zambetul jucaus si carliontii blonzi. Si astfel am realizat o caciulita de primavara plina de veselie, pe care am numit-o dupa nepotica mea iubita.


And here is the owner enjoying her early present. Her smile really made my day!
Iar aici este posesoarea bucurandu-se de cadoul timpuriu. Zambetul ei chiar mi-a infrumusetat ziua!



 The hat was inspired by the pattern found here. I couldn't understand the instructions, but I used Google Translate and took a close look at the pictures and I think I can say that the end result turned out just fine.
Caciulita am facut-o dupa modelul gasit aici . Nu am inteles instructiunile, dar am folosit Google Translate si am studiat cu atentie imaginile si cred ca pot spune ca rezultatul final a fost unul minunat.

I wish you all a beautiful spring day!
Va doresc tuturor o zi de primavara minunata!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Happy Mărțișor Day and some owlzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm sure most of you (or at least those that are not Romanian) wonder what Mărțișor is. Well, let me explain.We Romanian celebrate Mărțișor on the 1st day of March, which is considered the first day of spring, since the times of the Dacians (our ancestors), that is over 20 centuries ago.
Mărțișor is also the name for the red and white string from which a small decoration is tied, and which is offered by people on the 1st day of March. Giving this talisman to people is an old custom, and it is believed that the one who wears the red and white string will be strong and healthy for the year to come. It is also a symbol of the coming spring. Nowadays women wear it pinned to their clothes, close to the heart, until the last day of March, when they tie it to the branches of a fruit-tree.
In modern times, and especially in urban areas, the Mărțișor lost most of its talisman properties and became more of a symbol of friendship or love, appreciation and respect.
In Daco-Romanian folklore, seasons are attributed symbolic colors: spring is red, summer is green or yellow, autumn is black, and winter is white. This is why one can also say that the Mărțișor thread, knitted in white and red, is a symbol of passing, from the cold white winter, to the lively spring, associated with fire and life.

This is how the string looks like.

And now, after this short lesson of Romanian traditions and history, I want to show you what I came up with for this special day. Recently in my epic search of nice crocheted owls I came across  Annie Design page and I thought her owls are super-cute so I tried to make one similar.

Soooo, here's one...

... and a whole lot more ...


... and this is how I attached a brooch pin.
Aren't they cute?

Unfortunately I forgot to attach the red and white string before taking the pics. Next year I promise I'll be more careful.


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Love is in the air ...

 I can't believe how time flies! Tomorrow already is Valentine's Day. I intend to celebrate both  tomorrow and on Dragobete, the romanian version of Valentine's. There's no such thing as too much love!
Nu-mi vine sa cred cat de repede trece timpul! Maine e deja Ziua Indragostitilor, cel putin varianta importata. Eu una am de gand sa sarbatoresc si Valentine's Day si Dragobetele nostru. There's no such thing as too much love!

Usually, on every special occasion I would stare in shops looking for the perfect gift for the intended person. And every single time I would get home a few hours later, after going through all the shops I could think of (thank God we live in a small town!) with no present, or with one that I wasn't 100% sure it was the right one, or rarely with one I liked. So, starting with last Christmas, I took the brave decision to make all the gifts (or most of them) with my own two little hands and thinking of the person they are destined to. After all, what better present than the one made from the heart? 
In mod normal in fiecare an, cu fiecare ocazie speciala ma holbam prin magazine dupa diverse cadouri, cautandu-l pe cel perfect pentru persoana careia ii era destinat. Si de fiecare data ajungeam acasa dupa cateva ore de plimbat prin toate magazinele care-mi treceau prin cap (norocul meu ca locuim intr-un oras mic) ori fara cadou, ori cu unul de care nu eram 100% convinsa ca e ceea ce trebuie, ori cu cadoul potrivit, dar asta in extrem de putine cazuri. Asa ca incepand cu Craciunul trecut am trecut la fapte marete - pe cat posibil, cadourile sa fie facute de manutele mele, cu gandul si sufletul la cei carora le sunt destinate. In fond, ce alt cadou este mai frumos decat acela daruit din tot sufletul?

With taht in mind and because there still is a little time left until tomorrow (and enough until Dragobete) I want to share with you what I made for these days filled with love.
Acestea fiind spuse si pentru ca inca mai avem putin timp pana maine si suficient de mult pana la Dragobete, va impartasesc ce am mesterit eu pentru aceste zile pline de dragoste.


If you want to make them yourself, this is an easy project and it doesn't take long; you can find the instructions for the hearts here, and you can then decorate them after your own liking. In case you wonder, I used Schachenmayr - Catania mercerized cotton and a 2.5 mm crochet hook for all crocheted parts. To decorate the hearts, beside the crocheted flowers and butterflies I used bows, small buttons and beads.
Daca vreti sa daruiti si voi ceva facut cu propriile maini si va place sa crosetati, acesta e un proiect simplu si destul de rapid;  aici gasiti instructiunile in limba engleza si cateva imagini ajutatoare pentru realizarea inimioarelor, pe care apoi le puteti decora dupa propriul plac. In caz ca va intrebati, eu am folosit bumbac Schachenmayr - Catania si croseta de 2,5 mm atat pentru inimioarele propriu-zise, cat si pentru floricele si fluturasi. Pentru decorat am mai folosit fontite, nasturi mici si margele de diferite culori.

Happy crocheting!

Sa aveti spor si inspiratie!


Sunday, February 2, 2014

Sa spargem gheata


Cred ca a venit si momentul sa-mi iau inima-n dinti si sa scriu prima postare pe blogul meu. Inceputul e mai greu, nu? Nu imi place sa scriu ( compunerile pe care ni le dadea doamna invatatoare erau un cosmar pentru mine), insa imi place sa crosetez, sa cos, sa decupez, sa lipesc ... sa vad cum mainile mele creeaza mici minunatii care, uneori, mai sunt si utile.

Si pentru ca iarna a venit cu adevarat abia de vreo doua saptamani, m-am gandit ca nu este prea tarziu nici pentru mine sa ma laud cu primii fulgusori pe care i-am crosetat.


Insa prima care s-a bucurat de ei a fost minunea mea mai mare.  A fost una din zilele pe care nu le voi uita niciodata - prima ei serbare de la gradinita. Parca ieri tineam in brate pentru prima data cea mai frumoasa minune din intreaga lume.



Sper sa aveti o zi cat mai frumoasa, asa ca a mea.