By now I’m sure most of you have heard about the protest going on in Madison, WI.  So this month, in lieu of our regular wine and chocolate and stitching and bitching craft night, we tromped down to the capitol and crafted for change.

I’m going to refrain myself from political speeches here–though by the signs it’s quite obvious what my politics are–but I will share some pictures, because it was amazing. The capitol was full of spirited drumming, moving speeches, the kindness of friends and strangers, and so many awesome hand lettered signs.

The sign behind her says:

what we think
what we know
what we believe
is of little
consequence
compared to
WHAT WE DO

I don’t know anything about spinning, but I know that this is one super cool spinning machine.

hey look! it’s me.

We are finally home. And while I would like to say it’s wonderful to be back, my kids seem to have come down with all the illnesses they missed while we were away, so I am too busy nursing three very sick and whiny jet lagged kids to even know where we are. I only have a minute of quiet while everyone naps, so I thought I’d show you a bit of where we were.

we stayed in our friend’s amazing house.

we hiked up to..

amazing views.

we went to the beach everyday it didn’t rain (this is a crappy phone picture, but still!)

and we ate amazing food. It was an amazing trip. How could it not be? We are incredibly lucky to have such generous friends who live in such an unbelievable place.  We are offically screwed for all our future vactaions.

A quick shout out to all the awesome bloggers who kindly took care of this space while I was away: Anna, MaryJo, Julia, Rae, Holly, Erika, Abbey, Lily, and Eerika.   They baked and sewed and drew and photographed all that is the best about winter. Made winter look like paradise.

As we are enjoying amazingly bright and brisk winter weather here in Helsinki today, I decided to take a walk in the little forest across the street. So, I dressed in my warmest clothes (it’s fairly freezing outside!), grabbed my camera and headed off.

On sunny, very cold days like this, the sky becomes an almost unreal bright blue. The photo above hasn’t been altered in any way (except to resize it), the sky really is that incredible, intense blue. In the forest it looks like the blue sky has dyed all the shadows blue as well, while the snow basking in sunlight is a blinding bright white.

And oh, the snow! We haven’t had this much snow in decades, and it’s quite impossible to describe the vast, enormous amounts of snow that now cover everything in sight. As I discovered when I got a wee bit too excited about taking close-up photos of snow covered trees and ventured off the path, the snow is now very nearly waist deep where it’s still untouched! This great amount of snow has completely changed the landscape, making even the most familiar places look new and different, and the little forest across the street has become a winter wonderland, like something out of a fairy tale.

Still, no matter how amazing all the snow and the forest are, the cold that had been nipping at my nose and freezing my fingers finally drove me back home to snuggle under a blanket with a cup of hot coco. :)

I’m Eerika and I live in Helsinki, Finland. When I’m not getting stuck in snow drifts in enchanted, snowy forests, I make soft toys filled with rags and oodles of personality, draw and take lots of photos of my cat. You can read more about my work and my life over at my blog: Rag Pets.

Staying warm: a few crafts from the snowy north

This sweater mitten tutorial from five green acres changed my life this winter.  I’ve made about 20 of them, for friends and family.  They are satisfyingly quick, economical and most importantly warm.  This set was for a family who has an annual camp out on a frozen lake, I have yet to participate but I thought their digits could use some extra protection.

Insulated Curtains:  a must have for a drafty old house that sees 4 months of  winter winds that come from the north. These curtains were really simple to make too.  Heavy Ikea fabric and a quilted mattress cover, that had been torn by the washing machine, made for an simple panel curtain.  Made a bit longer than the windows so it can be tucked on the sill to keep drafts down.  Not the fanciest thing I’ve ever made, but it has made the most difference.

Minor improvements every year keep us treading through winter namely a netflix membership and lots of wool.  I hope you stay warm too.

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You can find Lily over at tenfingersworkshop. She blogs about motherhood, sewing, making art and part time homesteading. Stop by for a visit!

Thank you meg for letting me guest post for you this week!