For Crying Out Loud

One of the few remaining pictures that I have left.

Last Friday, the worst thing imaginable happened to me. I knew my luck was running out, that I had to go to someone else for my needs but I kind of had hoped that I’d still have few months of time to get things fixed. But no. Last Friday, I was in the middle of chatting, uploading new selling pictures, listening to music and browsing Netflix when I got it.

Some sparks and then…

The blue screen of death.

My Anders is dead.

Gone.

Goner.

For good.

I still had hope, you know. For two days I managed to tell myself that this is something that I can fix. Or at least I could get someone else to fix. But this morning I received the dreaded message over the phone: “Your hard drive is fried”.

First there was desperation and disbelief which was quickly replaced by hollow feeling in one’s stomach before moving on to accepting that this, in fact, has happened. TO ME!!!

How can I ever get past this? We were together for so long! Since 2006! True, I had to buy more RAM and upgrade the operating system but I could get past all that! I still liked you! You were there when times got tough and you were there when I wanted to blast “Born This Way” as loud as possible and make the neighbours crazy! You are the one who knows all my secrets and internet things!

YOU HAVE MY PHOTOGRAPHS!

How could you do this to me, Anders? How could you? I thought we had a good thing going on! You betrayed me like no one has ever betrayed me before. You knew it and you still went ahead with this! You disgust me.

I’m now going to take your empty hull and replace you with someone else and no, I’m not going to ask them to recover your data. You brought this upon yourself.

Best,

Thrifty Finn or as you know, the Saddo Internet Single.

 

 

 

 

May Thrifty Giveaway- Sew Mama Sew

So many years I planned to join it and equally many years I missed it. What, you ask. Well, Sew Mama Sew’s huge Giveaway Day of course. For those who don’t know, the giveaway day is twice a year event where it’s perfectly okay to comment on people’s blogs just in hopes to win some crafty goodness. I’ve had some luck myself in the giveways. I’ve won fabrics, cute pillow cover and even a lovely handbound leather notebook (which I still haven’t used because I don’t want to use it for anything trivial).

This year I decided to combine my May giveaway with Sew Mama Sew’s Giveaway Day and hereby I present my prize:

10 fat quarters of various vintage sheets! Yes, 10! This is a fantastic way to bulk up your stash don’t you think?

Oh, how I love that pattern. It’s from an old pillow case. And that orange-purple-green just peeking under? Used to be a curtain.

Now the important part…How to enter: 
1. Leave a comment on this giveaway post AND your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. The e-mail won’t be visible to anyone else but me, UNLESS you type it in the comment section that is.
OPTIONAL ENTRIES:
2. Follow me and leave me a comment telling me that you did. Doesn’t matter if it’s via WordPress, RSS-feeder, Facebook or Pinterest, any one will do. If you already are a follower, remind me that you are
3. Help ME to get to TOP10 in a photo contest by voting my PHOTO. Just click the little + next to text ÄÄNESTÄ TÄTÄ KUVAA and your vote should register right away. Then let me know that you did.

The giveaway closes on May 10th at 23.59 Helsinki time and is open globally. I will contact the winner personally and announce it here too. Additional prizes may be offered if amount of comments exceeds 200.

Here’s the list of other Giveaway Day Giveaways:

Sewing + Craft Supplies
Handmade Baby + Kid Items
Handmade for the Home
Handmade Bags
Handmade Accessories
 

This Is Thrifty Finn

Today I had to go the police station to get my ID renewed which naturally meant having a new passport photo taken. Oh the horror! To minimize the possibe visual assault on the would-be-ID-checkers, I spent quite some time in front of my mirror and did proper makeup. With base and all!

Everything went well and the super nice guy at the police station even complimented me on the photo. Yay for me! To my eyes it was just ok, but it was still vast improvement to the normal standard of mine (Monica’s and Chandler’s engagement photo shoot, anyone?) and I felt pretty good leaving there.

Then I went to the local mall. I was just browsing but something weird was going on. All the sales clerks were super nice to me.  At first I thought they were actually doing their job which doesn’t happen too often but then I started thinking; am I being treated differently just because I look (possibly) prettier with makeup on? If that is so, I’m so going to be wearing makeup everyday till the day I die and even then I want the funeral home people slap on all the stuff they have on my face and then insist having a open casket (which isn’t done in Finland but for me, rules must change).

Since I got the thought in my head, I couldn’t let it go. Rather like Sheldon with his pathological need for closure (yes, I watched last night’s episode this morning). So I came home, sat in front of my computer and removed the tape off the camera (healthy paranoia never hurt anyone). It was time to gather evidence.

It was time to see what kind of photos I had taken:

Time to try again:

Thrifty Finn, still looking like she always did. Next passport photo will be taken in a professional studio with world class photo touching.

Related articles

• March Thrifty Giveway (rebeccalouisehancock.wordpress.com)
• Now On The Selling List (thriftyfinn.wordpress.com)
• A Weekly Photo Challenge: A Day in My Life pt.2 (thriftyfinn.wordpress.com)
• Video Tutorial: Best Contour Makeup Routine (myfashioncents.com)
• Demi Lovato No Makeup: Encourages Girls to Do the Same (lorensworld.com)
• How to Work With a Makeup Artist for a Special Event (dailyglow.com)

DIY Memo Board

See that memo board? I made it. Yes. Me! And you can do it too! I was feeling particularly generous and gave this to my sister for Christmas but have since come to realize I need one too. This is a perfect gift as it doesn’t cost a lot of money and even can be free(ish) if you have the materials already in stash but it still has enough WOW to impress the recipient. Materials needed: 

• Picture frame (9 euros from pre-Christmas sale)
• Some batting (I used pillow filling because I forgot where I put my batting. Thus loose filling works fine too)
• Fabric (I had this fabulous vintage moire. I paid 7 euros for about a meter)
• Ribbon (Halloween-project leftover)
• Masking tape and a stapler. DIY-kind not a desktop one.

 Step 1. Take the back of your frame and lay the batting/filling on top of it. If you are using loose filling as I did, don’t lay it too thickly.

Step 2. Lay the fabric on top and flip the thing over like an omelet

Step 3. Start taping the fabric down, pulling the fabric taut. Make a cut where the hanging tab is and fold the fabric down in a V-shape. After taping, pull out your stapler and staple like you never stapled before

Step 4. Flip the thing over again and start positioning your ribbon. I used organza which I doubled because it’s thin. When you like the layout, carefully tape your ribbons down and then flip the thing over AGAIN. Staple your ribbons down from two spots per ending! One is not enough to hold the ribbon down.

Step 5. Put your frame back together and you are done! Now, feel free to admire your handiwork and pat yourself in the back. That’s what I did.

Here’s another picture of the memo board in situ:

FYI. Not my apartment.

Thrifty Finn. Tired yet pleased with herself. Comments and questions are welcome and don’t forget to take part in March Thrifty Giveaway! I’m posting this in following link parties:

30 Handmade Days Pity Party
Simply Sweet Home- Friday Favourites Week 162
Living Well Spending Less- Thrifty Thursday Week 6
Whipperberry Friday Flair Link Party

Related articles

• Upcycled Case // DIY (whitbnimble.wordpress.com)
• DIY Sneakers for Spring (abeautifulmess.com)
• Woven Rug DIY (abeautifulmess.com)
• DIY: Elbow Patches for Boring Sweaters (templefab.wordpress.com)
• DIY Chalkboard Menu Board (thefitlifejournal.wordpress.com)
• Tuesday Top Five DIY’s – Issue #2 (organicallyopulent.com)

Link Parties

My February Giveaway is coming to a close (March will happen together with April) and noticed only few comments. Since I thought 25% chance of winning is too easy, I decided to share my Giveway in a few link parties just to mix things up:

Sumo’s Sweet Stuff (Moomins are sweet. And I’m sweet for giving away stuff.)

Sew Chatty’s Made With Love (in my case, thrifted with love)

Jembellish: A Round Tuit 146 (as soon as I get around to it. Get it? This works for me on so many levels)

Uncommon Designs Monday Funday Link Party (possibility to win free things is fun right?)

Keeping It Simple Crafts: Motive Me Monday #166 (I’m motivating you to like me. And Moomins.)

Sugar Bee Crafts Take-A-Look Tuesday (hey, because I like people to take a look at my blog!)

Now I’m off to click on some links myself!

Related articles

• February Giveaway! Yes. I’m Late. (thriftyfinn.wordpress.com)
• The Moomins and the Great Flood by Tove Jansson (alittleinkblog.wordpress.com)
• Another Moomin Monday (deltiolog.wordpress.com)
• And Then I Read: MOOMIN Vol. 7 by Lars Jansson (kleinletters.com)
• Moomin Houses (thecraftycrow.net)
• Time To Sparkle Tuesday Link Party #2 (thegunnysack.com)