summer list

Things I plan to do this summer:

Fix up my bike and find fenders and a basket for it. Then bike everywhere.

Make lots of small, whimsical, crafts when ever the mood hits.

Sew at least one new clothing item at least once a week.
Learn how to make perfume, from roses, violets, bluebells, and lilies of the valley.

Collect wild plants and learn their uses.

Go places and do things by myself.

Daydream and make up stories.

Write. Poetry, stories, and journaling.

Make all my breakfasts and meals as beautiful as possible. Treat each one like it's an event.

Make jam and jelly of rose hips, raspberries, blueberries, and rhubarb.

Have adventures and spend lots of time in the woods.

Read, classics and fantasy and information and cook books.

Go on lots of picnics, even if they aren't this elaborate.

What's on your summer list?

(all photos can be found here)

FINISHED!

School is over and this is my first week free. It's so amazing I hardly know what to do with myself! I've got some ideas for posts that you should see soon, along with the much talked about tree that I need to get on making a hopeful tutorial. (we'll see how that turns out, it'll be my first and I'm rather nervous about it) For now you get to see my Tiny Twists Camisole.

This was my second and a half time to knit it, over a year ago I had almost finished it when I realized it was much too big, so I had to tear it all out. I didn't have the heart to restart it until a few months ago. But I'm so glad I did, it turned out ever so nice, and I just love it. I've already worn it somewhere too!

This summer is going to be wonderful, every thing's been so high stress lately that now that it's all finished I can't really comprehend it. I keep thinking that I should be doing something else, but I don't! Oh, it's amazing. Finally all the ideas that have been caged up inside my head and in lists can be set free.

Thank you all for your encouragement and suport, I highly doubt I could have made it without you all.

with new leaves and clear skies,

Clara

update on things in my little corner of the world

Oh boy, am I happy right now! Things are wrapping up and getting wonderful here and since I just finished my government course I'm letting myself post. Here's a fair warning, when I'm happy I tend to be wordy and use a lot of exclamation points (I've already deleted four! whoops). I first want to thank you all for your lovely comments and support, you've all been amazing and I appreciate you so much. I am planning to post a whole lot more real soon, this has just been a wild in-between/figure-everything-out-at-least-as-much-as-I-can kind of section of my life, so we'll just have to see where everything goes. ANYWAY, what's some things I've done. I've been baking a little, but mostly playing with what I bake, as you an see from my little elephant parade here.

I've been drinking lots of tea and have the pleasure of watching all the snow melt. That's right, our yard is now completely snow free! I am more ready than I think I've ever been in my life for summer.

No, I did not do this, and no, it is not my truck. It's my friend's and I thought it was funny and fun, and in it's own strange way, kind of pretty. If anything you can see what my little town is looking like right now in the back ground, beautiful skies and soon to be budding trees.

Now for the thrifted things. I wish I had a better picture of this, it's a wonderful leather backpack that I got for a $1.50! It's just what I've been needing and it will be perfect for bike rides this summer.

A nice peach sweater, that's very soft and sweet, I especially love the collar.

And what I got just last Monday, a pattern for little girls coat, some very tall socks, and a nightgown. The coat the pattern is for is so adorable, I'm pretty sure it's early sixties, which I love for little girl clothes, knee socks and short pleated skirts everywhere! When I say these socks are tall I mean tall, as in they go above my thighs, I do have short legs, but I didn't know that they even made socks like these! I'm just hoping I can find more. Now the nightgown, I hope no one thinks is gross that I'd thrift one. Yes, I am planning to sleep in it, but only after it's been well washed. You see, I've been looking for something like this for a long time, it's long and soft, worn, flannel. It's perfect for pretending I'm Elizabeth Bennett or just about any other storybook character.

This summer I plan on learning more about wild plants that grow here in Alaska, their food and medicinal abilities. I know a bit already, but my goal is to eventually know just about everything I can. I'm especially interested in healing properties, have you noticed too that in many of the best books the main girl knows herb lore? How amazing would it be to be able to save some one's life (or at least sooth a stomach ache) without any medicine or help! So yes, that's a summer goal, you will hopefully be hearing a lot about. Here's a little sneak peak on the one and only project I've managed to finish in all this time (but I haven't started any new ones, I've been good, I promise!). I'm going to dedicate an entire post to it though, because it's so amazing. Not really, I mean, yes I'm proud of it, but the main reason for waiting is so that I can show you more pictures of it than I could if it was mentioned now. Also, if I'm to post more I probably shouldn't talk about eveything at once.

And so I'll leave you with this lovely rainbow we saw last week, and I must say, I've never seen one that wide. Ah, the marvels of nature.

with fresh air and leaf buds,

Clara