Valentine day cards

Here are some cards that are sure to bring a smile to that special person in your life's face. You can find more Valentine related lovelies on my pinterest board here and here. 

Yum!! Mac & Cheese
You are the Mac to my Cheese card EggPress

I love you more than me card by Offensive + Delightful

Anchor love card by Smock
Easily one of my favorite paper design stores. 

Lost without you card by Hello Lucky

Everything sounds romantic in French.

J'taime card by Yellow Owl Workshop 

Anatomy of love card by Rifle Paper Co

Freaking love card by hillarybird

My life would suck without you card by letterhappy

Just My Type card by dudeandchick

This just makes me smile. Crazy Needs papercut valentine by Owly Shadow Puppets

Skidamarink card by luludee

You melt my butter card by echoletterpress

Checking You Out card by crabappledesign

Love makes the world go around card by Mr. Boddington's Studio

Coolest couple card by Sycamore Street Press

Love letterpress card by Moxie House

Suspect card by ableandgame

Periodic Table Greeting Card by SouthernPestPrints

Nothing says I love you more than pink and gold :-)
I Love you card by Sugar Paper 

You're a Hottie Letterpress by Printerette Press from Mercier Beaucoup. 
Mr. Sunshine would love this! He pours, yes, pours Sriracha on everything he eats.

Homemade beauty products

Blackboard art from
Free Pretty Things for You

A couple of months ago, I decided to start trying to make my own beauty and hygiene products (it was also part of new year plans), and to stop using store bought products that use synthetic chemicals, scents, and colors. For the most part, my decision was compelled by a need to challenge myself (to see how long I could keep up with making most of my hygiene and beauty products from what I could find in my pantry), and to do my little bit in protecting the environment. The fact that I can avoid harsh chemicals is an added benefit. 

This decision also fits with my overall plan to simplify my life. Must be something to do with turning 30, but lately I have been fascinated by how my grandmothers and mother ran their households - they used fresh ingredients to cook, tried to keep wastage at a minimum, recycled and reused everything they could, and grew what they could - and I want to try and see if I can emulate them. I admit that I say this from a very privileged place. I am really lucky and grateful to have the time, and the resources to even contemplate these things, much less try them. 

This is what I have tried so far, and have more or less succeeded in sticking to it. Let me be clear though, none of these products that I am listing are scientifically tested, and I have no idea if they could be harmful to me or to the environment in the long run or not. My reasoning is: if I can ingest any of the ingredients that I use in making them, and live without any side effects, I should be okay using them in my hygiene and beauty products, and releasing them in the environment. 

No shampoo or conditioner. I have not used any shampoo or conditioner in two months. It is not as disgusting as it sounds. And in fact, my hair seems much cleaner than when I used to use shampoos and conditioner, and I don't have to wash it as often because I have less build-up. I just use a baking soda wash (one teaspoon of baking soda with a cup of water) to first rid my hair of all the build up and then rinse my hair with apple cider mixed in water (one part of cider mixed with two parts of water). And no, my hair doesn't smell vinegary at all! I just make sure I rinse my hair thoroughly with water after I have used the vinegar. I also douse my hair with a little bit rose water before I get out of the shower, just in case. I also sometimes use a honey and olive oil mask (a teaspoon of honey with about 4 tablespoon of olive oil), which makes my hair really shiny and soft.  I have to say though that even though I like that my hair looks shinier now, I  don't really like how my hair has lost any body it had. For the most part, my hair just feels very limp, and I can't leave it down at all - which is fine most days because I just put my hair in a bun. I haven't had to leave my hair down for any reason so far, but I don't know what I'd do if I wanted to.

No store bought moisturizer. I have the most success with this, and I have to thank my hostel roomie for the recipe. After washing my face, unfortunately with a face wash that I haven't found a good replacement for, I just dab my face with a mixture of glycerin and rose water (mix one part each in a glass bottle and shake vigorously) using a cotton ball. I have weird skin - it gets dry in the winter and really oily in the summer - and  I haven't felt the need to use any additional moisturizer since I started using it. I also love that it makes my skin look fresh and it smells really nice.

Face wash. This for me has been a complete failure. I tried using castille soap and baking soda separately, and my face broke out like crazy. So for now, I am sticking to my chemical ridden face wash until I can find something that works for me.

Face mask. Chick pea flour (or any other kind of flour), turmeric and a little bit of milk/ yogurt/ lime or lemon juice to bind it. It works wonders, just make sure you don't over do the turmeric and are not wearing light colored clothes when applying it. Turmeric will stain your clothes and it will dye your skin yellow if you use a lot of it. I also throw in whatever fruit I have at home in the blender with some yogurt and/ or lime juice  and some olive oil, and apply it on my face. Leave it for a bit and then wash it off with just water.

Shaving cream. When I must to shave (shaving is one of my least favorite things to do in the whole world) I just use a few drops of baby oil and apply it on my skin. Not only does it easy to shave, but it also moisturizes your skin as your are shaving. I think olive oil will work as well. 

Do you use any homemade hygiene/ beauty/ cleaning products? Are you happy with them? 

XOXOXO

Ms. Sunshine

PS: I have started writing for the expat website here in Stavanger. Find me here.

Link Mondays

Happy Monday everyone! Did you have a good weekend? We had a few friends over for a fun night of board games on Saturday. We played Smart Ass and Apples to Apples (which has to be the most fun board game ever), and guess who was the Smart Ass? Mr. Sunshine of course. It is amazing how much useless stuff he has crammed in the adorable bald head of his. I really need to stop playing any kind of trivia games against him! We (Mr. Sunshine) made some really yummy carnitas, and a cheesecake flan. The one good thing, among many others, about not having a lot of cheap ethnic food around where we live is that we have been experimenting and cooking a lot of dishes that we would never had bothered about making at home. Also, I have started cooking more often, which is a big deal around our household because, as anyone who knows me will know that I am not a big fan of being in the kitchen. Both grandma Sunshines, and mommy Sunshine would be so proud of all that I can whip up in the kitchen now. Moral of the story? If you want to learn how to cook, move to Norway. I am already dreaming about making my own jams and jellies, and I just bought this book on homemade dairy products last week. Home made butter and sour cream here I come!

Here are a few things that intrigued me and made me smile this past week.

Picture from Broken Dimanche's website

Wordpharmacy, an installation, and publication by Danish artist and writer Morten Søndergaard. Søndergaard   imagines words as medicines that one can get off the counter at a pharmacy - so clever! Great medicine for curing the terrible writer's block I keep getting. You can buy a box of the "word medicines" here. Via Notcot via crapisgood

Picture from Umihotaru

This amazing sculpture by Japanese paper artist Wataru Ito. Can you believe that it is made entirely of paper? Called the Castle on the Ocean, the sculpture is handmade and took about 4 years to make! I couldn't find the artist's website, but here is a video of him showing some of his work.

This amazing website, called newspapermap, that allows you to search, and translate newspapers from all over the world. The newspapers are visualized on a google map, so you could search for newspapers by region. I can already think of a billion academic uses of this website.

This absolutely cute video rant by a very smart toddler on gender bias in toys. I wish I was as articulate as she is. I hate shopping for toys as gifts for this very reason. We are not parents, and have never been around a lot of children, so we never know how to shop for age appropriate toys. Every time we are in a toy store, I have to solicit someone's help to pick out a toy, and every time I am asked the same question - "is it for a boy or a girl?". My response generally is (after I have mentally counted up to 10, and calmed myself down), "how does it matter? I just want something a five/ten/three year old would enjoy playing with." I have nothing against dolls, and princesses. What I have a hard time with is that such toys are almost exclusively meant for girls, while other kinds of toys - legos, trucks, science kits, building toys are exclusively marketed as toys for boys. This makes it seem like girls couldn't possibly enjoy playing with legos, and boys couldn't play with princess toys. In fact, it has always bothered me that most building toys I have seen almost always have pictures of boys on the packaging, never a girl, and vice-versa. So until the day comes when all toys for children are gender neutral, I am going to stick to buying books for the kids in our life.

This book by Lisa Congdon is part of a year
long project where she photographed or drew
a collection a day for a year.
You can buy the book here, or see a digital copy here.
She also has a blog that showcases her work.
 I need to have this book on my shelf now.

On Saturday, at our party, we were talking about cross continental moves (most of us were expats) and the conversation moved to collecting things. Some of us (not me) were of the opinion that collecting things is silly because they tie you down. I like collecting cookbooks, saris, and I have just started collecting vintage ceramics, and they are like my babies - I wouldn't go anywhere without my books, and now my collection of plates and bowls, but I can see how they can become cumbersome, especially as an expat who moves frequently. I also worry that because I don't use a lot of things that I collect (I certainly don't wear saris as much as I would like to), I could turn into a pack rat - just collecting things for the sake of collecting. I have realized that being able to edit, and throw away/ give away things is a good skill to have when you are a collector. What do you think? Do you collect anything? I also really want to start collecting vintage maps and needle point work.  

Link Mondays

Here are some things that have fascinated me, inspired me, intrigued me, and made me smile this past week:

Who knew sandwiches could be a work of art. 
Brittany reinterpreted famous artists and their 
work in the form a sandwich. 
Any guesses for whose work this sandwich represents?
Picture from low commitment project.

This collaboration, aptly named, low-commitment project, by friends Tae Kitakata and Brittany Powell. Tae and Brittany alternate every Monday to post one simple, low cost, "low-commitment" art project on the blog. So far, each of the art projects they have posted have been creative and smart, and look like each of them had lots of fun doing them! I will certainly be looking at their website every Monday to see what they have been up to that week!

This stop motion music video for Kina Grannis's new song, In your arms. I can't believe that each background in this video is made of jelly beans - thousands and thousands of them! The video took almost two years to make and involved 30 people. I think all of the work was worth every jelly bean - the end result is stunning! See the making of the video here.

I am looking forward to watching the Happy Film - a film that, according to it's website, "takes a look at the strategies serious psychologists recommend to improve one’s personal well-being and overall happiness." The film isn't out yet, but you should see the trailer - it is pretty cool.

From tabisso

These lovely dream-like photos from an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding made me smile. They look like they are so much in love.

These punctuation lamps by French design company, Tabisso. I want each one of these in my house, when I grow up. Also, check out their alphabet and number chairs. So cool!

  

These amazing pictures of the Northern Lights in the Norway from the past few weeks. Apparently the solar activities that lead to the phenomenon was at a seven year peak this weekend. We were planning to go see the lights later in February, but couldn't work the detials out in time. Hopefully we can go this coming winter. Seeing the Northern Lights with Mr. Sunshine is on my life list. The link is in Norwegian, but the pictures are stunning! Check out this beautiful time lapse video of the lights in Finland. Doesn't it give you goose bumps?

Valentine's day gift guide - installment 2

Hi all! How was your week? My week was mostly uneventful, except for a nasty cold bug that been going through our household - first it was me and now looks like Mr. Sunshine is getting it :-/. So this weekend, we plan to do nothing except watch movies in our pajamas and drink lots and lots of soup and hot cocoa. I hope you have a funner weekend planned! I will see you all again next week. Until then, enjoy the next installment of my heart day gifts round up!

Have a sunshiny weekend!

XOXOXO

Ms. Sunshine

1. Book lovers tote bag by hellopossum, 2. Mini Book Pin by lucie0ellen, 3. Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost luggage tag by OfTheFountain, 4. Love Poems by Pablo Neruda from Amazon, 5. Crime and Punishment and Dostoevsky Quote Earrings by DesignsByAnnette, 6. Red Journal Necklace by bookBW, 7. You are my Mr. Darcy embroidered hoop by skrynka, 8. Love word bookends by pbteen.  Yes, it is meant for teenagers, but I think would look lovely in an adult space as well, 9. Book Lovers Stack Print by glasslionstudio, 10. Kurt Vonnegut Doll Miniature doll by UneekDollDesigns

1. Sew in love print by heimastore, 2. Ceramic heart buttons by karoArt, 3. Heart yarn bowl by LASpottery, 4. Heart Cross-stitch by GeorgicaDesigns 5. In Craft We Trust Tote Bag by pannikin, 6. Red Heart Doilies by Knot & Bow, 7.Valentine Ribbon by SomersetMarket

Valentine's day gift guide - installment 1

Happy Friday everyone! I hope all of you had a good week, and have exciting plans for the weekend. I plan to update the blog a bit over the weekend, get some organizing done at home, and tend to what I think is going to become a nasty cold. 

Can you believe that January is almost over, and Valentine's day is just a few weeks away?!? Have you started thinking about what to get for your Valentine this year? For the most part, February 14 is just like any another day at the Sunshine household. We may wish each other in the morning, and maybe do something special for dinner (depending on what day of the week it is), but we don't normally exchange gifts. Of course, it doesn't help that my birthday falls almost a week before Valentine's day. But that doesn't mean that I can't share with you some things that I think would make for a great gift for your Valentine or any other day of the year. In fact, I think that the best gifts are those that are given without any rhyme or reason. Of course, don't forget to wrap the gifts in pretty paper!


So here is installment number of the Sunshine Valentine's day gift guide.


Have a Sunshiny weekend!
XOXOXO
Ms. Sunshine

1. 'A Perfect Match' silkscreen print by Tom Frost from Soma, 2. Je t'aime print by Andrei D. Robu, 3. A Confetti of Love print by Woop Studios, 4. You are my greatest adventure by GusandLula, 5.  Valentine's endless linocut print by Zoe Badger

And some more prints:

1. Flock print by Naomi Murrell, 2. The Beatles print by Sarah Winter, 3. YOU & ME Venn Diagram by YellowHeartArt, 4. You're My Favorite Work of Art by LoveSugar, 5. You are my universe screenprint by Rob Ryan

1. Teapot and tea cup necklace by  Ridley and Dowse, 2. Heart cup and saucer set from Patina, 3. Poppy Meadow Teapot by Orla Kiely, 4: Almedahls Du and Jag (you and I) Tea Towel from Huset, 5. Tea Bags - Cup of Fame by rawspace, 6. Tea cup art by Handz

1. Happily ever after pillow by alexandraferguson, 2. Born to live together by thegretest, 3. Custom Notebook Paper Pillow by designlab443, 4. I like you pillow by Karin Akesson, 5. Heart needlepoint pillow by Jonathan Adler, 6. Alexander Girard love pillow from allmodern,  7. You and Me Venn Diagram Pillow by diffractionfiber, 8. Yes / No Pillow by showpony 

1. Intensely Chocolate by Carole Bloom, 2. Heart ramekin by LeCruset, 3. Stand mixer by KitchenAid. It's red!!, 4. Julia Child Kitchen Print by TexturedInk, 5. Love bird bowl by princedesignuk, 6. Dishcloth from house8810, 7. Measure Your Love Cup from FredFlare, 8. Rob Ryan Four Seasons Plates from designlifeshop, 9. Love plate by Ninainvorm

Credits: Washi tape from puglypixel

Sad Tuesday Morning

It has been a sad Tuesday morning for the Sunshine household. We found out that a great uncle, and a great aunt - both siblings - passed away within a few hours of each other last night. Both of them were wonderful, warm people and will be greatly missed.

It is times like this that sometimes makes me question our decisions of moving so far away from home and family.  Well, this is the life we chose, and this is what comes with it. So instead of being sad, I am going to go make something pretty today to celebrate the lives they lived, and the love they spread.

Link Mondays (Tuesdays)

Beautiful, clear sky over Stavanger.
Saturday, January 14' 2012

Hi all! Did you have a good weekend, and a good Monday? Did you do anything fun and adventurous, or did you, like me, stay at home and lazed around? Mr. Sunshine went out cross country skiing for the first time with his friends on Saturday, and I took a much needed weekend day to myself. He had a good time, but said that it was hard getting hang of the intricacies of skiing, especially going down hill. We will probably go back soon to the slopes to (first learn, and then) ski. Almost everyone we have met here skis - Norwegians seem to start when they are born, and non-Norwegians seem to acquire a taste for it. So, when in Rome, ski!

Here are some pictures from Mr. Sunshine's ski trip:

Sunday, we went to a Stavanger expat tea event at an expat's home. We made some curried, and lemon thyme deviled eggs (which is slowly becoming my favorite party/ snack food) and some chocolate, walnut and sea salt fudge to take with us. We had a lovely time, and it was really great meeting new people, and hanging out with people we have met before at similar events. One of the things I really like about Stavanger is it's very social and helpful expat community. Of course, the size of the town, and it's status as Europe's oil and gas capital makes it easier. It is big enough to accommodate people from all over the world, and all walks of life, but small enough that it is easy to meet people, and keep in touch with them. And contrary to what I was told before we moved here, Norwegians are really warm, friendly, and fun people (just like any group of people in the world). Making friends here is not hard at all.

Here are some things that have fascinated me, inspired me, intrigued me, and made me smile this past week:

Picture by Crafty Dogma
of the Hidden Mothers
group.  Crafty Dogma  has
several other fascinating
vintage  photographs.  

The hidden mothers: Apparently, in the earlier days of photography, photographers taking pictures of young children would make their mothers hold their kids, so that they would be still during the photo session. What's  the big deal about that, you might ask? Well, the photographers of yesteryear had a strange (and in my opinion slightly disturbing) way of doing it. They would drape the mothers with a cloth, and then have them hold the child, such that one couldn't see the mother. Pictures were presumably cropped while being processed at a later time. This flickr group has several of such fascinating pictures. Via retronaut. FYI, this is a great website/ blog if you have an interest in history/ vintage photography. A word of warning  though - browsing through the website can be a time sink. 

This video by They Might be Giants. Illustration and animation by Divya Srinivasan. Check out both the band's songs (especially, The Alphabet of Nations) and Divya's illustrations and animations. They are gorgeous, and so much fun. Via Pinterest.

Also, this very inspiring video. The video was in response to another young girl's video that called for the boycott of girl scout cookies because the Girl Scouts of America were inducting transgender kids in it's organization. This boy is so smart, and I wish I was half as articulate as he is. The person who shared this video on Gawker, also commented: "this kid needs to grow up and be president." I agree! Via a comment on Gawker. 

Broken animal t-shirts by RWHM. Only $20. I especially love the bird one. Via NotCot. Picture from RWHM's website.