My little cave is so hard to photograph, and even more impossible to photograph other things while in it. But my new twinkle lights have helped. Their bright bluish light makes me think of stars.

My own drawing, just taped to the wall for now.

Some treasures atop my make-shift bookcase. I needed more room, so I stacked two of my grandma's old cupboards after taking off their doors. It's worked really well.

Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my last post, they mean a lot too me. Happy New Year and blessings to you all!

Love, Clara

my cave

I figured it was about time I showed you my new room. When I moved back home at the end of January I got to upgrade to a larger room (my parents old room, there was a lot of switching around), for the most part size was the only upgrade that took place... it's very dark so I'm not sure I can ever promise good pictures of most of it.
It's taken some time, but I'm actually getting attached to it. I still miss my old room a lot, but my little gypsy cave has become a nice little sanctuary over this time. I've hung stars above my bed, as I hope you can tell from the photo above. They're glittering for me quite beautifully right now, I think they like the dim light, it lets them shine better.

And I've got my snowflakes above my dresser as well. (sorry for the mess, I have cleaned it since these photos. mostly.) It's a basement bedroom (yes. I live in my parents basement... bring on the bad jokes. *eye roll*) which takes a lot of adjusting from the amazing south-facing window I had a year ago, but I think I'll do fine, having stocked up on my vitamin D as much as possible at the greenhouse.

Also, the last couple of times I've been thrifting I've been able to stock up on fabric! The prices are so much better than anywhere else, one piece cost me two dollars and the rest were only a dollar each, that's the way to sew if you ask me. That's all for now, hope you are having a lovely September, I'll show you what mine is looking like outside here real soon.

Love to you all!

Clara

A long time wish has come true! For my birthday my dad and mom got me a typewriter! Oh yes, and this was the big 18, which is (in America) the step into "adulthood" (kind of, you don't really get to do anything exciting though, can just vote and get drafted into the army). Anyway, about my typewriter, it's an old one. Solid metal, with a fabric ribbon which still has ink in it, none of the keys stick (shockingly), and the only problems it has is that the ribbon doesn't move on it's own and the caps lock doesn't work. Both of those are fine with me though, I just love that I can type little notes and letters on it!

Not to mention how nice it is to see it sitting on my desk when ever I'm in my room. There will be more on what I've aquired lately later, I just thought this deserved a post of it's own, and you all deserved a post sooner as well. I just can't get over how wonderful you all are.
The end of summer is going wonderfully, I've been getting out alot, and making sure I enjoy every minute of it. Life is good.

Love, Clara

Winter Crafts

Well, it's been a bit of a while hasn't it? This is just going to be a crafty post since I haven't done one in a long time. I actually finished these socks a while go, but I never showed you a complete photo of them. So here they are! I was finally brave enough to just wear them and they are the most cozy things I have ever put on my feet. Which is why I started a second pair of socks!

Meet my Raspberry Float (which are very yummy, perhaps all post about them sometime) socks. This is where I'm at on the second sock, it's a hand painted super-wash wool that I'm pretty sure you can only get here in Alaska, the pattern however, is free here.
For Christmas, I made these lace pointe shoe bags for my best dance friends (and me).

See what I've done to my tree? I've been trying to do as much as I can to keep winter happy and beautiful this year. Usually about this time I just get disgusted with it and can only dream of spring and flowering trees. So please, if you have any ideas or suggestions of things to do to keep winter magical, let me know, the snow won't go away here for good three months.

I don't have much time, but I'll leave you with a hint of what I'm working on for (hopefully!) my little fashion collection. I have no clue if it will work out or not, since I've been planing these things for over a year and it's never happened. I hope you all have a lovely Friday and weekend,

much love,

Clara

best things of 2009 part 1

Happy New Year everyone! Well, It's taken me a while but I should be back for good now. This new year is very exciting for me because so many good things are going to happen, but I still want to look back and be thankful for all of the positive highlights of the last year. So here they are!

Good Thing #1 finding Vintage and Antique things at low prices, the little clock and this embroidered picture, thing, are my most recent purchases.

Good Thing #2: decorating my room! Here's my tree, (there will be more on it soon) and I love it so much. I feel so blessed to have gotten to do so much to my room this year, it feels amazing to finally get to make it look how I want it too. (this picture is from this summer when there was actually LIGHT, all my photos look so grainy this time of year)Good Thing #3: My art class. I learned so much, had a fun teacher, and got an A! These are all little drawings from my sketchbook, twice we went to the museum and spent two and a half hours drawing animals, I think that was one of my favorite things we did. Above is a seal.

Left: Emperor Goose, Right: Muskox

Left: Grizzly Bear, Right: Auklet

another little drawing.

Good Thing #4: Altering and fixing up clothes. The dress is what I changed this time, all I did was shorten it, but that's all it needed to become my new favorite dress!

Good Thing #5: One of my goals I made at the beginning of last year was to get better at Photography. Anyway, I think I did. I'm sure the main reason for this was my wonderful camera, but I can still see a difference.

Good Thing #6: Getting to discover some wonderful small lives right in town was amazing this summer, and I realize now that I never shared these with you! These baby birds grew up in our own yard.

This little guy I found while reading outside of the library, I was just doing my own little thing when I heard a noise in a bush near by and saw a bit of movement. So I went over to investigate and it was several mice! I just am still in a state of wonderment over the fact that I actually took this picture.

Good Thing #7: Dance has been full of ups and downs this year, but it's still been one of the best things that's happened to me. This is also a full view of the mazurka costume if you're wondering. Oh, the hours we put into all of those. :)
Good Thing #8: Finding beauty in my surroundings has become so important to be this year, and it's made me fall in love with Alaska over and over again. The light and the sky, the snow, the rain, the clouds, the woods, even the people here are beautiful in the way that people should be.

Good Thing #9: YOU!!! you all have been so amazing to me this year, it started out without having any followers at all and now I have forty! Thank you all so so so so much, you have no idea how much it has helped to know that there are wonderful people like all of you somewhere in the world, your sweet comments have truly brought the sun out on many dark days. I love you all very much.

So, I had planned to go through my favorite books and movies I read or saw for the first time this year as well, but I've decided to save that for another post because this ended up pretty long, also this way I'll be able to do little reviews of them. I'll be back soon!

Love,

Clara

My mind wanders and my mood is impossible to pinpoint, it's restless and longs to wander, but to be settled too. I guess it's a sort of dreamy gypsy that can't decide what she wants, so she's stuck in between roaming and staying, dreams and reality, fantasy and truth. She wants to go whole-heartily into everything, every passion, every dream, every wish, but she can't choose, she doesn't want to choose, and she's not fully free yet. Don't worry, I don't plan on choosing, I've decided pursue all of my desires and which ever ones happen go with them. I've spent too much time fighting the wind, I'm ready to let it blow me where it wishes, making the ride easier and less painful.

I've got a big assignment due Tuesday in my art class, it's my project we've had to do so far. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's got drawings and words and has to do with wandering travels. I'll show you it when it's finished. My plan for this post was to show you some of the things I've been wanting but can't afford, but I lost heart when I saw that Anthropologie isn't selling the boots of my dreams any more, they were $258, which is way to much for me, but I was thinking that maybe I would try saving up for them because they were perfect, (brown leather, knee high, with a pretty winding ruffle) and I actually was able to justify buying them in my mind. And now there gone, I'm very sad about this. The bad thing is this isn't the first time I've fallen in love with a pair of shoes and lost out on them, the other time it was the prettiest powder blue Mary-Jane's on etsy, has this ever happened to you? sigh. This isn't good. Oh well, I can't stop dreaming about owning perfect shoes and frankly, I don't want to. Silly me, anyway, I hope you all have a lovely weekend and enjoy all of the many things your thankful for!

Love,

Clara

my sanctuary

My biggest project of late has been my bed room. It's become a wonderful place for me to just be. I hope you know what I mean. So I'm going to show it to you, I've been wanting to put together a little video of it, but I got tired of waiting till I had the time. Hopefully it will still happen, just not now. Yes, those are tea bags strung about, it was my friend's idea, I think they're beautiful.

Since the first picture was taken I've taped these papers on my closet, they are copied from my favorite journal entries. I bought the pointe shoes at the antique shop the day before my birthday, they were only five dollars and I just couldn't leave them behind.
My old books. Most of them came from the library book sale where hardbacks are only a dollar. The shelf they're on (up above my closet) was a birthday present from my parents.

My newest tea cup, thrifed.

My grandma gave me this one for Christmas, along with Peter and Wendy from 1914. All summer I found lots of little feathers in the back yard so I put them and some dried yellow flowers in this tea cup. I guess it's one of my ways of collecting magic. I also hang teabags on my mirror.

Now this is my pride and joy. Yes. It's a tree. In my room. And I made it. You can't see it very well, I know, but that's because I'm planing to show you a lot more of it later. After all of it's elements are in place. I'm thinking more little pictures hanging from it's branches and perhaps a fairy door or two?

I love this Bambi picture, it was my mothers.

My sister Teresa felted this chickadee, isn't she incredible? It's perched in my tree right as I speak. I hope you like my room. I love it so much.

~Clara