Friday is my day: Kanelstrand

This week we travel up to Scandinavia to say hi to Sonya in Norway. You can see more of her beautiful felted jewelry in her Etsy shop kanelstrand.etsy.com, but don't forget to take a look at her day first!

Handmade Organic Bracelet - Tribal Vibe Zuma
kanelstrand

Hello and welcome to my day!

I am Sonya and I live with my family in a pine forest by the sea on the Southernmost tip of Norway. The area around my home is so fascinating that it fills my head with creative ideas which sometimes storm me and leave me sleepless.

I run a handmade business on etsy where I sell my organic felted jewelery with Scandinavian design. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to devote to creativity full time.

I am so happy that you are going to join me on a Spring Friday and I will get to show you so much of the beauty around my home!

09:00
I wake up and the first thing I hear is bird songs. Yes, the birds are finally back after a long and cold winter and you cannot imagine how happy I am to have them around. I go downstairs, where my husband who has already taken our daughter to school is waiting for me with warm waffles and jam. We have breakfast while he is updating me on the latest news.

I check on our little pet rabbit who enjoys life on the balcony but is often scared by the sound of the wind.

09:30
The weather is lovely and from my balcony I can see the glittering sea. I can’t wait to go out but first I turn my laptop on and check my emails, the etsy forums, and read the comments I have received on my blog the previous night. I love it when there is a discussion on my blog! I go through my Google Reader and write a blog post.

It is time for a walk! I have so many places to go to, and they are all in the wild. I am a photographer, so I take a close look at every little detail around me. My first stop is a lovely glasshouse with a peach and a fig tree inside, as well as many roses. But today my attention is attracted by the tender and young cherry tree just outside the glasshouse. It is so beautiful in its blooms!

After a good while photographing the lovely cherry blooms I turn and see I have company. I love the deer living in our forest! They have grown so much used to people that sometimes they get really near.

I continue along the path that leads to one of the beaches and when I get closer I see a not-so-solitary swan in the water.

I follow the path to the second, the third and the fourth beach. Each of them has a different color of sand and different reasons to attract me. The walk through the pines with this breathtaking view of the sea and the scattered small islands not only gives me a chance to take amazing photographs but also charges me positively for my creative work.

Before going back home I decide to climb the hill right behind our house to get a full view of the sea.

11:00
I am back home and it’s time for more work. I am developing new designs for my bracelets and since I have an idea for increasing the diversity in my etsy shop, I get to crocheting and felting. I love reading but unfortunately it takes up the time I use for crafting. That is why I have resorted to audio books, so now I load the CD in my laptop and continue listening to Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov.

12:30
We love home baked bread and I decide to bake one for lunch. I continue working while the bread is in the oven.

14:00
Our daughter is back from school and we have a quick lunch of fresh salad, cheese and warm bread. After that we get to our tasks.

15:00
I go out to meet my husband in town. Our house is 10 minutes away from the center and it is not long before I am walking on the river promenade.

15:15
I love to stop in front of this restaurant. They are baking their own bread and very often there is some old bread left in a basket for everyone that wants to feed the birds. So, I take the opportunity.

15:25
I meet my husband and we head to a cliff overlooking the town. The weather is so inviting and we never miss an opportunity for good photos.

Afterwards we climb down and before sitting in our favorite jazz cafe we check out some shops. Although it is still spring I can feel the coming of summer already, looking at all the lively and sunny colors.

We enjoy the best cups of hot chocolate around and have a nice chat with friends.

16:30
We head back home but since our way follows the curves of the beach we feel tempted to stay there for an improvised sunbathing session. We are 2 minutes away from home anyway, so we finally decide to grab a blanket and to take the sunbathing seriously. In the meantime, our daughter is ready with her homework and joins us for a fun game of badminton.

18:00
It is time for the family dinner. We prepare grilled vegetables and enjoy them while talking over our day, school, books, news and ideas.

19:00
The three of us take a final for the day walk together.

19:30
Boardgames are a favorite family pastime for us in the winter but when there is nothing special on TV we play them in spring as well. There follows an hour of train journeys through Scandinavia.

20:30
It is time for me to go back to my virtual part and comment on some blogs, see what is going on in etsy, check my Facebook and Twitter, go through my Google Reader and sketch up some ideas for blog posts. I also work a little bit more in the quiet darkness of our living room.

24:00
I normally go to bed between 1:00 and 2:00 o’clock but tonight I will do that earlier because tomorrow morning we are going on a journey.

Thank you for spending the day with me and good night!