We Did Bring Spring

It looks like our little anti-winter campaign worked. We got the little room of the cafe full to the brim of colourful creations, people flocked to see them and what do you know! little by little, a tentative sun started shining through the fairy-guarded window. 

Se pare ca mica noastra campanie anti-iarna a functionat. Am umplut incaperea cafenelei pana la refuz cu creatii colorate, oamenii s-au inghesuit sa le vada si ca sa vezi! incet incet a inceput sa straluceasca un soare timid prin fereastra pazita de zana.

 

And the light has only grown stronger since. It looks like spring is finally on its way, which delights me to no end!

Si de atunci, lumina e tot mai puternica. Se pare ca in sfarsit vine primavara, si nici nu va pot spune cat de tare ma bucura asta!

Here are some images of shiny creative people in their natural environment. Some sketched...

Iata niste imagini cu oameni creativi in mediul lor natural. Unii schitau...

...some worked...

...unii munceau...

 ...others made sure everybody knew about the fair...

...altii se asigurau ca toata lumea stie de targ...

...and others, less fortunate, had to finish their maths homework for Monday.

...iar altii, mai nefericiti,aveau o tema la mate de terminat pe luni.

 

But everybody, absolutely everybody smiled.

Dar toata lumea, absolut toata lumea zambea.

 

 

Well, maybe not her, but only because she doesn't have a mouth; she would definitely be smiling if she had one!

Ma rog, poate ea nu, dar numai pentru ca n-are gura!

All in all, it was pretty, relaxed, friendly and inspiring, as always. Even my mucklor were happy to lend a hand in the marketing of the products.

Una peste alta,  targul nostru a fost frumos, relaxat, prietenos si plin de inspiratie, ca intotdeauna. Chiar si mishumacii mei au dat o mana de ajutor in prezentarea produselor.

Last but not least, I would like to take a minute to say a heartfelt goodbye to Frank and Archie, who were adopted at the fair, and wish them the best of luck in their future lives.

Nu in ultimul rand, as dori sa le adresez un calduros ramas bun lui Frank si Archie, care au fost adoptati la targ, si sa le urez mult noroc in viata de acum incolo.

 

Archie did not leave before summing up the whole weekend's activity. Thanks dude, I couldn't have said it better myself! 

Archie n-a plecat inainte de a rezuma activitatile acelui sfarsit de saptamana. Mersi frate, nici eu n-o puteam spune mai bine!

For more pics of the fair, go here.

Pentru mai multe poze de la targ, mergeti aici.

Bring Spring!

Friends, brothers, fellow countrymen! Too long have we suffered the gloom of winter. Too long have we cowered by the fireside, waiting for mellower days.

Prieteni, frati, concetateni! Prea multa vreme am suferit intunecimea iernii. Prea multa vreme ne-am ascuns pe langa vetre, sperand sa se inmoaie vremea.

Well, I say no longer! The time has come for us to liberate our bodies from their wolly prisons! To roam the streets without hats and gloves, basking in a sun the existence of which we had almost forgotten!

Dar a fost destul!  A venit vremea sa ne eliberam trupurile din inchisorile lor de lana! Sa hoinarim pe strazi, fara caciula si manusi in lumina unui soare de a carui existenta aproape ca uitasem.

My army may not stand tall, but it stands ready. Come join us, come fight the Battle for Spring, today and tomorrow, between 11 and 6, at J'ai Bistrot.

Armata mea nu e mare, dar e pregatita. Alaturati-va noua, veniti sa luptati in Batalia pentru Primavara, azi si maine, intre 11 si 6, la J'ai Bistrot.

 

And let winter fight back. If it dares.

Si iarna n-are decat sa se impotriveasca. Daca indrazneste.

The Wendy Challenge - Part I

  Wendy, thoughtful as always, took note of my newly discovered passion for refashioning and sent me (among other lovely b-day gifts) some of her old dresses to use for fabric, or whichever way I see fit. It was a wonderful surprise, and I decided to give myself the challenge to turn each of the dresses into something different. So... let The Wendy Challenge begin!

Wendy, grijulie ca intotdeauna, a observat noua mea pasiune pentru modificat haine si mi-a trimis (printre alte cadouri de ziua mea) niste rochii vechi pe care sa le folosesc pentru material, sau in ce fel imi va cadea bine. A fost o surpriza minunata, si m-am decis sa-mi dau eu mie provocarea de a transforma fiecare rochie (+fusta) in ceva diferit. Asa ca...sa inceapa Provocarea Wendy!

I seek permission to place before the jury...
Cer permisiunea de a supune atentiei juratilor...

Exhibit A:
Proba A:

Stripy dress, fits perfectly (turns out we're the same size!). It has pockets and a button-down back, which make it all the more awesome. The length is not very flattering, and there's a mysterious belly hole the purpose of which I cannot fathom. Ventilation? Showing off a potential belly button piercing? Modern design?
Rochie dungata, mi-e buna la fix (cine-ar fi zis ca purtam exact aceeasi marime!). Are buzunare si se incheie cu nasturi la spate, lucruri care o fac si mai faina. Lungimea nu e chiar potrivita, si are o gaura misterioasa deasupra buricului, a carei scop nu-l pot defini. Ventilatie? Posibilitatea de a-ti arata un potential piercing din buric? Design modern?

This has already been dealt with. You'll see the results in a future post.
Pe asta am rezolvat-o deja. O veti vedea intr-un post viitor.

Exhibit B:
Proba B:

White dress, doesn't tell me much. Probably fated to become embroidered tote bags.

Rochie alba, nu-mi spune prea multe. Probabil e sortita sa devina plase de cumparaturi, eventual brodate.

Exhibit C:
Proba C:

Full, flowy hippie wrap skirt. Fits perfectly and looks fine as is. Fine, but not breathtaking. Still thinking whether I should gently approach it with scissors or leave it alone.
Fusta hipioata larga si usoara. Mi-e numa' buna si arata OK asa cum e. OK, dar nu extraordinara. Inca ma mai gandesc daca sa ma apropii de ea tandru cu foarfeci, sau s-o las in pace.

Exhibit D:
Proba D:

A sort of jumper dress. Fits perfectly, but I don't really like the fabric. Should I dye it? Or maybe  turn it into doll clothing?
Un fel de rochie-salopeta. Mi-e buna si asta, dar nu prea imi place materialul. S-o vopsesc? Sau s-o transform in haine pentru papusi?

Exhibit E:
Proba E:

Cute little navy dress, knee-length. This one fits fine too (dammit, I have too many dresses!). Not crazy about the gold thread and the buttons, but that's an easy fix. Very see-through, so it might require a petticoat of some sort. The fabric would be great for making flower-brooches, but I can't bring myself to chop it up. At least not at least after I've worn it a few times.

O foarte draguta rochita bleumarin, pana la genunchi. Si asta mi-e buna (la naiba, am prea multe rochii!). Nu ma omor dupa firul auriu si dupa nasturi, dar asta e usor de rezolvat. Materialul ar fi excelent pentru brose tip floare, dar parca nu-mi vine s-o ciopartesc inca. Cel putin nu inainte de a o fi purtat macar de cateva ori.

Exhibit F:
Proba F:

Very long, very full, very blue skirt.  Looks a bit much for me, I wouldn't wear it. So that gives me heaps and heaps of royal blue velvet to use for...something.
Fusta foarte lunga, foarte larga, foarte albastra. Cam mult pentru mine, n-as purta-o. Asa ca am stive de catifea albastra s-o folosesc pentru....ceva.
 

And, because it wouldn't be a challenge if it didn't force me to do something, I will give myself deadlines for this refashionings. And, because I tend to be lenient with myself, since I'm all I've got, I will only "impose" upon myself one refashion a month. I will keep you posted with the evolution (or lack thereof) of the garments that travelled a long long way across mountains and oceans and rice fields, to begin a new life in Transylvania. And a big thanks to Wendy for providing me with the extra impulse I needed to venture deeper into the misty woods of refashioning.

 Si, pentru ca n-ar fi provocare daca nu m-ar forta la ceva, o sa-mi dau date limita pentru modificari. Si, pentru ca tind sa fiu indulgenta cu mine insami ca doar numa' pe mine ma am, imi "impun" o modificare pe luna. O sa va tin la curent cu evolutia (sau involutia) obiectelor de imbracaminte care au calatorit peste munti si vai si oceane si campuri de orez, pentru a incepe o noua viata in Transilvania. Si multe multumiri lui Wendy pentru ca mi-a dat impulsul suplimentar de care aveam nevoie pentru a pasi mai adanc in padurea cetoasa a modificarilor vestimentare.

 P.S. for my Romanian readers:  Se pare ca Blogger a modificat marimea fonturilor, si cel "mic" e acum foarte mic. Il vedeti asa?

Green Monday

Well, I have a couple of hours left of Monday, so here's my envy target today: Elizabeth from Oh, Fransson!

Mai sunt vreo doua ore din ziua de luni, asa ca iata tinta invidiei mele de azi: Elizabeth, creatoarea blogului Oh, Fransson!

She makes wonderful, bright, fresh looking quilts.
Face niste quilturi minunate, in culori vii si proaspete.

And she came up with the brilliant quick piecing idea which helped me make this quilt.
Si a mai avut si ideea geniala care m-a ajutat sa fac quiltul asta.

Her blog is worth a visit, there's plenty of inspiration to be found!
Merita sa-i vizitati blogul, e plin de inspiratie!

Mighty Pleased

I recently had to make a baptism gift for a friend of a friend. I was told that a brown and blue combination would be nice, and that it had to contain a quote and the baby's name. But apart from that I was given total freedom... which is not always helpful.

Mi s-a cerut nu demult sa fac un cadou de botez pentru o prietena de-a unei prietene. Mi s-a spus ca ar fi faina o combinatie de albastru cu maro, si ca trebuia sa contina un citat si numele baietelului. Dar in afara de asta, am avut libertate totala...ceea ce nu-i intotdeauna usor.

I racked my brain trying to imagine what the baby's mother (Whom I don't know) might like, and after going back and forth a few times, I came up with the following. Quilt...

Mi-am stors creierii incercand sa-mi imaginez ce i-ar placea mamicii copilului (mamica pe care n-o cunosc), si dupa mai multe pendulari, am ajuns la urmatoarele. Quilt...

 

 ...cushion...

...pernuta...

  

... and somebody to snuggle up with them:

...si cineva care sa se cuibareasca in ele:

The fabric came from a total amount of 8 thrifted pillowcases (I used every single inch of them!). I must say I am mighty pleased with how it all turned out.  I don't know what was the matter with me, but everything went so smoothly: perfectly parallel lines, no tangled balls of thread on the back, no twisted bias binding, no corner of the quilt being accidentally sewn under, no cursing...none of my usual quilting banes! Just placid, cheerful sewing.

Sursa materialului au constituit-o 8 fete de perna de la second (am folosit fiecare centimetru!). Tre sa spun ca sunt tare multumita de cum a iesit totul. Nu stiu ce mi se intamplase, dar totul a mers ca pe roate: linii perfect paralele, fara bile incurcate de atza pe dos, fara binding sucit, fara sa prind din greseala vreun colt de quilt in cusatura, fara injuraturi...nimic din problemele mele obisnuite cand fac un quilt.

I also employed a trick for easy piecing, which I found here, and which is total genius! Thank you, Elizabeth, for enabling me to come up with the best aligned squares of my life. :)

Am folosit si un truc de unit patratele, pe care l-am gasit aici, si care e absolut genial! Elizabeth, multumesc ca mi-ai dat oportunitatea sa fac cele mai frumos aliniate patratele din viata mea :)

 The quote in Hungarian says  "I have become God's child". I'm very pleased with how my letter applique turned out too.

Citatul in maghiara spune "Am devenit copilul Domnului". Sunt tare multumita si de cum mi-au iesit literele.

 

As for this little guy, I'm sure he and Kristof will become very good friends.

In ceea ce-l priveste pe asta micu', sunt sigura ca el si Kristof vor deveni foarte buni prieteni.

 But above all, I loved working with this colour combination. I found it so soothing that I just couldn't stop staring at the fabrics. I must make something in these colours again.

Dar cel mai mult mi-a placut sa lucrez cu combinatia asta de culori. Mi se pare asa de linistitoare, ca nu ma mai saturam sa ma uit la materiale. Trebuie sa mai fac ceva cu culorile astea.

Stay tuned for more updates on my craftiness, coming soon!

Ramaneti aproape pentru alte noutati, in curand pe ecrane!

Probably this summer's best weekend

...at least so far. I think I'm not alone in the belief that the fair was quite a success. For three days, the garden was filled with colourful smiling people. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a higher concentration of happy people per square meter before.

Cred ca nu sunt singura cu impresia ca targul a fost un real succes. Timp de trei zile, gradina a fost plina de oameni colorati cu gura pana la urechi. Sincer, cred ca in viata mea n-am vazut o concentratie mai mare de oameni bucurosi pe metru patrat.

The crafters of Mures had been so ready for this to finally happen, so eager to be part of it, and so satisfied once it was done. However, the satisfaction will not be complete unless this becomes a regular event.
Artizanii din Mures erau atat de pregatiti pentru un astfel de eveniment, atat de insetati sa faca parte din el, si atat de satisfacuti la final. Totusi, satisfactia nu va fi completa decat daca acest targ devine un eveniment periodic.

We're hooked. We need more. We can no longer go on without associating with other creative people and exchanging ideas and marvelling at each other's talents and working together.
Am devenit dependenti. Mai vrem. Nu mai putem merge mai departe fara sa ne asociem cu alti oameni creativi, sa schimbam idei, sa ne miram unul de talentul celuilalt si sa lucram impreuna.

I believe this fair is going places. But until then, I'll leave you with a (small) selection of pics.
Ii prevad un viitor stralucit targului astuia. Dar pana atunci, va las cu o (mica) selectie de poze.


Also, make sure to check out Wishes in Motion (who were part of the fair) and their ambitious project.
Nu uitati sa treceti si pe la Wishes In Motion (care au fost prezenti la targ), sa le vedeti ambitiosul proiect.

Last, but not least...
Nu in ultimul rand...

P.S. Special thanks for some of the pics to Raluca & Peter.