Green Monday

Dear hypothetical readers,
Dragi cititori ipotetici,

As I've been discovering more and more crafty awesomeness in the blog world of late, I have decided to revive the Monday of envy.
De vreme ce in ultima vreme tot descopar minunatii in lumea blogurilor, m-am decis sa reinviu lunea invidiei.

Today's envy target: Tilly and her buttons :)
Tinta de azi a invidiei: Tilly si nasturii ei :)

Reason for envy: I'm never going to be able to make such professional-looking clothes
Motiv de invidie: Niciodata n-o sa fiu in stare sa fac haine care sa arate asa de profesional cusute.

She didn't even discover this hobby that long ago, and look what she can do already!
Nici macar nu si-a descoperit hobby-ul asta foarte demult, si deja uite ce stie sa faca!

I mean look at this! Pockets lined with pretty fabrics, and truckloads of buttonholes, and scalloped edges and....
Pe bune! Buzunare captusite cu materiale frumoase, si stive de butoniere si margini rotunjite si...

Not to mention she's so cute.
Ca sa nu mai zic ca-i draguta foc.
Darn!
La naiba!

Little people dancing on my brain

Somebody used to complain of the thermal inadequacy of the bedding available at my humbe abode.
Cineva se tot plangea de ineficienta asternuturilor puse la dispozitie in umila mea casa.

Somebody also fell (a little bit obsessively) in love with the design of a plate belonging to our friends.
Cineva s-a indragostit de asemena (un pic obsesiv) de modelul de pe o farfurie a unor prieteni.

So I, the generous, creative, patient and thoughtful person that I am, had the brilliant idea to combine the wish and the complaint into one dancing-people-themed birthday present.
Asa ca eu, persoana generoasa, creativa, rabdatoare si grijulie care sunt, am avut ideea geniala de a combina dorinta si reclamatia intr-un cadou pe tema "omuleti dansand".

I started from the design on the plate, turned it into stencils of various sizes, and stenciled the living daylights out of everything that came my way. Thus, somebody received the following:

Am inceput de la modelul de pe farfurie, pe care l-am transformat in sabloane de diferite marimi, dupa care am pictat tot ce mi-a picat in mana. Astfel, cineva a primit urmatoarele:

A little-dancing-people quilt. This is actually the second one I made, as I hated the first version. I will give you the entire saga in a future post.
Un quilt cu omuleti dansand. Asta e de fapt al doilea quilt facut, nu mi-a placut deloc prima versiune. O sa va povestesc toata saga intr-un post viitor.

A little-dancing-people cup. This was funny. I handed it to him casually to drink from, he uses it just as casually and, about an hour later, goes "wow, check out that awesome cup! Where did that come from!?" Duh! Talk about a man's spirit of observation!

O cana cu omuleti dansand. La asta m-am distrat. I-am dat-o foarte nonsalant sa bea din ea, el bea la fel de nonsalant si, dupa vreo ora, zice "uau, fii atent ce cana faina! Asta de unde-i?!" Poftim! Spirit de observatie de barbat!

A little-dancing-people scarf:
Un fular/ esarfa cu omuleti dansand:
...as well as other things which (miraculously!) did not have any dancing people on them.
...precum si alte chestii care (in mod miraculos!) n-au omuleti dansand pe ele.

After a silly beer-and-popcorn party, somebody had a very good birthday sleep:
Dupa un chef zapacit cu popcorn si bere, cineva a dormit foarte bine:

The making of a friend

Last month I caught up with an old friend from highschool, come to spend a holiday in Romania, together with her English husband and in-laws. And it was a lovely holiday, except for the car crash they had on the very last day. They were not very seriously injured, but the accident kept everyone in the country longer than previously planned.

Luna trecuta m-am intalnit cu o veche prietena din liceu, venita in vacanta in Romania, cu sotul si socrii ei englezi. Si a fost o vacanta minunata, cu exceptia accidentului de masina din ultima zi. N-au fost raniti foarte grav, dar accidentul i-a tinut in tara mai mult decat era planificat.

Which gave me the chance to spend more time with Maureen, who is a quilter! Can you imagine that? A real, flesh-and-blood quilter, who owns sewing machines and buys fabrics, organises tea parties and is part of several (several!) quilting and embroidery clubs. Such a character might sound like a myth to someone living in a country with no fabric shops and no "quilt" in the dictionary. But mark my words, my crafty Romanian sisters, they do exist!

Ceea ce mi-a dat ocazia sa petrec mai mult timp cu Maureen, care face quilturi! Puteti sa va imaginati asa ceva? O persoana in carne si oase, care are masini de cusut si cumpara materiale si organizeaza serate englezeti si face marte din mai multe (mai multe) cluburi de quilt si broderie. Asa ceva ar putea parea un mit celor ce locuiesc intr-o tara fara magazine de materiale si fara cuvantul "quilt" in dictionar. Dar luati aminte la vorbele mele, exista!

She was kind enough to spend an afternoon at my place, and we talked and talked. I actually used words like "mitre" and "bias binding" and "applique", words which I knew but had never uttered in my life, for lack of anyone who would understand them.

A fost draguta si a petrecut o dupa amiaza la mine acasa, si am vorbit intr-una. Am apucat sa folosesc cuvinte cum ar fi "mitre" si "bias binding" si "applique", cuvinte pe care le stiam dar pe care nu le-am rostit niciodata in viata mea, pentru ca nu aveam cui.

Talking to her for a few hours was a sensory overload that only reading 5 new craft magazines at the same time could give you.
Vorbind cu ea cateva ore m-am simtit de parca as fi citit 5 reviste de craft noi, toate in acelasi timp.

This miracle made me decide to revive my Green Monday, so from now on I'll do a post every Monday, expressing my envy towards those more craftily endowed or fortunate than me. All in good humour, though! :) (more or less).

Acest miracol m-a determinat sa hotarast reinvierea Lunilor Verzi, asa ca de acum inainte voi posta in fiecare luni, exprimandu-mi invidia fata de cei/cele mai inzestrate sau mai norocoase decat mine din punct de vedere al craftului. Totul in mod amical, desigur! (mai mult sau mai putin).

In the beginning, there were pyjamas

It all started with pyjamas. I needed some. I found these and instantly loved the design and colour.
Totul a inceput cu pijamaua. Imi trebuia una. Am gasit-o pe asta si mi-a placut imediat modelul si culoarea.

But, while walking home after having bought my new happy pretty jammies, I had...
Dar, in timp ce ma intorceam acasa cu proaspat cumparata pijama, am avut...

Revelation 1: Hey, this fabric is way too nice to only be worn in the dark. Is there a way to turn this into something wearable outdoors too?
Revelatia 1: Hei, materialul asta e prea fain ca sa fie purtat numai pe intuneric. Oare exista vreo cale de a transforma pijamaua asta in ceva purtabil si afara?

It turns out there was, and this lead the way to my first ever refashion: the PJ dress!
Se pare ca a existat, si asta a condus la prima mea transformare vestimentara: rochia pijama!

I chopped the pants up and re-assembled them into skirt panels, shortened the top, added some lace and satin here and there, as well as a tulle underskirt and I was quite pleased with the result!
Am taiat pantalonii si i-am reasamblat in segmente de fusta, am scurtat maioul, am adaugat niste dantela si satin pe ici pe colo, precum si un jupon de tulle, si am fost foarte satisfacuta de rezultat!

This first success lead to...
Acest prim succes a condus la...

Revelation 2: Hey, I can do this refashioning thing too! Let the dull and the ill-fitting come to me, and do not hinder them.
Revelatia 2: Hei, se pare ca pot si eu sa fac chestia asta cu transformatu'! Lasati plicticoasele si nepotrivitele sa vina la mine!

I saw my shopping horizons instantly broadened: now I could buy things that didn't quite fit, simply because I loved the fabric. I could always turn the item into something else. So I got onto my second ever refashion. I had had this shirt for a while, thinking I would use the fabric for a quilt or doll dress. It was blah: bulky, uncomfortable and not very flattering, with the hippie pointed collar and all:

Mi-am vazut orizonturile comerciale largite instantaneu: acum pot cumpara si lucruri care nu-mi sunt bune, doar pentru ca-mi place materialul. Pot oricand sa transform un obiect de imbracaminte in altceva. Asa ca m-am apucat de a doua transformare. Aveam camasa asta de o vreme, gandindu-ma ca voi folosi materialul intr-un quilt sau o rochita pentru papusi. Era bla: mare, incomoda, si cu un guler ascutit, hippie:
So I cut and pinned and rounded and almost dislocated a shoulder in the process of trying to work on the back of the shirt while actually wearing it, but I finally ended up with this:

Asa ca am taiat si am prins cu ace si am rotunjit si aproape mi-am dislocat un umar in procesul de a lucra la spatele camasii in timp ce o purtam. Dar in final mi-a iesit asta:
Short puff sleeves (I think that's what they're called), rounded collar (that was a lot of work to transform!) and a more fitted waist. Easy to integrate in a respectable teacher's outfit:

Maneci scurte, guler rotunjit (am lucrat la ala, nu gluma!) si o talie mai stransa. Usor de incorporat intr-o tinuta de profa respectabila:
And thus begin my clothes-altering adventures.
Si iata cum incep aventurile mele pe taramul transformarii hainelor.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful frenship... :)

Baby stuff

I'm expecting a baby.
Astept un copil.

Well, it's not mine, but that doesn't mean I can't expect him with all the crafty goodies I think he might need or enjoy. Oh yes, I plan to be an exemplary aunty! Here is some stuff I made for he who will be born tomorrow.

Ma rog, nu-i al meu, dar asta nu inseamna ca nu pot sa-l astept cu toate minunatiile facute de mana si care m-am gandit ca i-ar trebui sau placea. O da, planuiesc sa fiu o matusa exemplara! Iata niste chestii pe care le-am facut pentru cel ce se va naste maine.

Silly onesies are a must:
Era musai sa aiba hainute caraghioase:

Stylish cloths to vomit on are also very important (since we don't have burp cloths in Romania, I took the liberty to coin the term "vomitowels" -much more suggestive, don't you think?):

Carpe elegante pe care sa vomiti sunt si ele foarte importante:

Si, pentru un somn lung care sa-i ofere mamei pretioase momente de liniste:
And, for a long sleep which will provide mum with precious moments of peace:

I've been wanting to make a chenille blanket for a long time, but I didn't have a good enough reason. Well, now I did!

De mult imi doream sa fac o patura in tehnica chenille, dar niciodata n-am avut un motiv destul de bun. Acum am avut!

Baby furniture - check
Bedding and clothing - check
A healthy amout of panic - check
We're ready for you, little guy!

Love critters

It seems that, even though the frenzy of spring is over, love-time for mucklor starts now. They get all silly and pursue their potential mates with such tenderness and delicate care!

Se pare ca, desi frenezia primaverii a trecut, anotimpul iubirii de-abia acum incepe pentru mishumaci.
Incep sa se prosteasca si isi curteaza potentialele partenere cu atata tandrete si delicata atentie !

They bring flowers and sweets and precious shiny things. They sing and dance and brush their tails neatly.

Aduc flori si dulciuri si alte pretioase lucruri stralucitoare. Canta si danseaza si isi periaza frumos cozile.
They say sweet things and do their best to look their best.

Spun lucruri dragute si fac tot posibilul sa arate cat mai bine.
But never do they lose their funny-shaped heads entirely!

Dar niciodata nu-si pierd caraghiosul cap in totalitate!

Another kind of craft (or this is not your grandma's baking)

I don't cook often. Bake, even more seldom. But every once in a while, I get into a cooking frenzy in which my monumental enthusiasm is only equalled by my monumental lack of skill. This was the case with Easter Eve.

Every Easter since I returned from NZ, I planned to make hot cross buns. For one reason or another, it never happened. However, I decided that this year would not be bunless.

Being a spur of the moment decision, some ingredients had to be improvised. I also used soy milk instead of cow milk and oil instead of butter, but it looked promising even at dough stage:

Some recipes said cut the tops in a cross shape, others didnt mention cutting at all. I cut. deeply.
Which is why my buns ended up looking nothing like the original ones, but tasting di-vine!

Now on to the egg story. Seeing that I was such an ace in the kitchen, I decided to dye my own eggs too. But not with the easy chemical store bought dyes, oh no! Natural stuff: beet root, spinach, blueberries, onion skins... It went like this:
*upon seeing Brigi's beautiful red eggs, with stickers*: "Bah! Plastic, chemical, consumerist, cheapo lazy-people eggs! I'll dye mine the natural way!"
*After 2 hours,pulling eggs out of the natural dyes and seeing the breathtaking array of colours ranging from beige to stone grey to rotten duck-egg brown*: "Brigiii... can I borrow some stickers?"
These were the liveliest coloured ones:

All in all, Easter was a lot of fun. Look here to see how we spent it.