My November in Collage

Not much photographing this month - waiting for Winter Wonderland!

Christmas has slowly entered into my mind and home...

Sissi has been pretty bored; she thinks she does not get enough attention because the
master and mistress of the house are too busy on their own stuff.
She wanted to go bird hunting more often!
...
Anyway she joins me in wishing you a peaceful First Advent weekend.

// MAKROTEX CHALLENGE / Monthly collages

Friday Bliss #12 - Busy Loving

Last week I bought only a few small items from Koiramäen pajutalli. 
Every year I buy less and less and want to restrict my consumption. 
But this sign was fun, pretty and cheap - with a good message, so I could not resist!

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, 
is very simple: loving others. 

- Bob Hope

Remember this December, that love weighs more than gold! 

- Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

During these dark days at the end of the year it is also vital important 
to preserve one’s enthusiasm. In the past, during some tough times, 
I found positive encouragement from Norman Vincent Peale’s (1898-1993) books. 
He was an American minister and author known for his work in popularizing 
the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book 
The Power of Positive Thinking. 

There is a real magic in enthusiasm. 

It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment. 

- Norman Vincent Peale

Advent candle from HERE.

With these simple thoughts and a few photos I wish you Blessed First Advent,

- riitta

 #FRIDAY BLISS 

The link is open

FROM FRIDAY 10 AM TILL THE NEXT TUESDAY 4 PM

Helsinki time

Before First Advent

First Advent invites us to calm down in the middle of all the hustle of Christmas preparations.
These pleasing signs of winter offer me a relaxing break: fairy lights & candles,
blooming November cactus, warm woollen socks, a new book, glögg, almonds, raisins...

❤︎

Ensimmäinen adventti on ovella, ja se kutsuu meitä myös rauhoittumaan
kaiken joulunalushälinän ja touhun keskellä. Lepohetken suovia talven merkkejä minulle ovat
kukkiva marraskuun kaktus, villasukat, odotettu uusi kirja, glögi, mantelit, rusinat...

// MAKROTEX CHALLENGE - Signs of Winter - Talven merkkejä
// GARTENGLÜCK

You are worth a break now and then! - Muistakaahan rentoutua välillä! 
- riitta

Virtually Anything out of Willow

Koiramäen Pajutalli - in English roughly The Doggy Hill's Willow Stable

was my excursion destination last week. This charming gift shop is situated
in an old country house and rural setting very near my home.

The main building hosts a pleasant small cafe and a shop with all kinds of Christmas accessories
and decorations. In the sheds and barn scattered around the courtyard you’ll find
almost anything made out of willow. The atmosphere is gorgeous with old big birches, maples,
rowans and spruces. We don’t have yet any snow, but later closer to Christmas
the enchantment shall certainly be perfect.

Koiramäen Pajutallin miljöö on aivan ihastuttava.
Päärakennuksen lahjatavaramyymälä pikkukahviloineen on silmänruokaa täynnä.
Piharakennukset pursuavat mitä hauskimpia risutöitä. Kun siellä piipahdin vain lumi puuttui
- ehkä menen vielä uudemman kerran!

Lumikuorrutus valtavien puiden oksilla olisi kruunannut jouluisen tunnelman.

I wonder do these cute doggies keep the villains away?

Pitävätköhän nämä suloiset hauvelit roistot loitolla?

HERE more creative twig work ♥

Next Sunday is the First Advent. 
Definitely I feel the Christmas mood approaching although there’s plenty to do - how about you?
All the best - riitta

We Wish You a Merry ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ .¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ ♥ ♥ .♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ♥ ♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪
We Wish You a MERRY MOOD ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ♥ ♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪... Getting Ready for Christmas!!!!!

// MOSAIC MONDAY #4

Color Collage in Lime

Color Collage 48 / Lime - Limenvihreä

Friday Bliss #11 - Creative out of Willow

Koiramäen Pajutalli - in English roughly The Doggy Hill's Willow Stable

was my excursion destination on Monday. This charming gift shop is situated
in an old country house and rural setting very near my home.

They import twig work directly from Poland and through different wholesalers
from all over the world. I just admired the diversity and creativity.
How about a twig cat or watch dog?

There were plenty of wise owls and cute hedgehogs.

My week has flied. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Finland - so very everyday life:

- Monday a visit to Koiramäen pajutalli & running all kinds of errands in town...

- Tuesday in the middle of secret Santa & writing business...

- Wednesday and Thursday housecleaning jobs... I have been too tired to read in the evenings...

- During the weekend my plan is to decorate the house for Christmas,
mainly by adding candles and fairy lights.

My old & versatile willow wreath got pretty fairy lights and ended on the kitchen wall.

Before that my little angel got time to relax on it a moment:)

I wish Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my US friends & joy & gratitude for us all!

- riitta

 #FRIDAY BLISS 

The link is open

FROM FRIDAY 10 AM TILL THE NEXT TUESDAY 4 PM

Helsinki time

Candy = Chocolate ❤︎

Our topic at Makrotex Challenge is CANDY.

I don’t eat any other candy but chocolate, you might say I’m a chocoholic :)

Lately I have cut my chocolate eating to a minimum and have tried stronger ones

with more cocoa and less fat & sugar.

This cheap Rainbow’s 64% mint chocolate is pretty good, at least consumable.

Since childhood I have been truly addicted to Karl Fazer’s milk chocolate brand Geisha.

But lately it has tasted too sweet & fatty. Maybe my addiction is setting me free! 

// MAKROTEX CHALLENGE / Karkki - Candy

Rhododendron Jungle - Rodoviidakossa

I was lucky to visit this stunning rhododendron and azalea jungle in June 

with two healthy feet! I have posted already about my visit, but the park is really great.

Hope you’ll enjoy some new photos of it. Links to the previous posts are at the end. 

Rhododendron Park Haaga, Helsinki - with 8 hectares dedicated to rhododendrons
and azaleas was founded in the 1970’s and has been a research garden for 

University of Helsinki’s plant breeding programme.

See more:

Charm & scent of azaleas - more close-ups

Rhododendrons

// MOSAIC MONDAY #3

// IMAGE-IN-ING

Wishing you all a good week ahead!

- riitta

Color Collage in Orange Shades

Voi Aino, minkä teit! Menin tästä värimaailmasta aivan sekaisin.

Koneelta löytyi tuo oranssiksi manipuloitu heinä, joten taustaksi käytin sitä.

...

I was quite confused with Aino’s color choice. I just had to add some other colors.

This orange grass was ready in the archive, so I chose it for the background.

Color Collage 47/2018

Kesämuistoja - Summer Memories

As many of you know I did not have too many happy moments outside in the garden

due to my bad ankle injury - still using crunches.
But nevertheless there were flowers! I made a few collages out of my hundreds of photos. 

Here they are: Spring, June, July & August.

June

July

August

And of course there were cherries and strawberries in all forms!

There was nothing to complain about the skies either - the rainbow is from 2017,

because it was sunny & hot - no rain :)

Wishing you a lovely weekend - linking with

// GARTENGLÜCK