Favorite Finds // Use Today Wisely

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That should be written on my forehead these days. I feel like every day should be an endless sea of possibilities to get things done, to get closer to your goals and to have a happier life. Which is why I hate a day wasted. But, unfortunately, there have been too many of those lately. Or, maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Maybe the things I manage each day are enough. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't view each new day as a new start, a new opportunity, a new chance to make things better.

We had the most beautiful sunny day today, and it filled me with energy I haven't felt a lot lately. I got a lot done, and some promising news (more on that to come). These are the good days.

How is your weekend going?

xo. Hanna

Friday Favorites: DIY fun for the weekend

You know the feeling when a major exam is finally behind you and you're heart rate is back to normal? I successfully made it through 2 finals this week and I'm feeling such a big relief, I just want to spend my weekend creating and enjoying myself. I think I've earned it :). So, I thought I'd share some fun DIY ideas with you so we could be creative together.

1. I love the armcandy Kinsey made. I'm not sure my arms are made for wearing it, but I would sure want to try, because it looks so awesome on her.

2. Cat person or not, this is a great method for making cute prints to spice up a boring tee. I've been meaning to try out potato stamping for ages, and this tutorial reminded me to put it on my to-do list.

3. If there anything I can't resist, it's lace and floral. I love this shoe makeover from Tea Rose Home!

4. It's colorful and has a musical charm, so I'm sold of course. You can find the tutorial here.

5. If you're looking for an easy-to-make tote bag to carry all your summer gear, this is the tutorial to try.

I hope you're inspired to make and create this weekend! Have fun!

Favorite Things: Life is beautiful

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I took my violin out an played today. That hasn't happened in almost a year. I don't even know why I haven't touched it for so long. I keep meaning to play, but then it gets pushed back again and again. So, today I finally took some time and really played. And it felt so good! I'd forgotten how much I love the sound of the violin. I played for almost an hour and it felt like therapy. Making music really does heal the soul I think.

It's been a beautiful week. Life is good. I've been feeling that a lot lately. Happiness. Content. There are better days, and worse days, but at the end of it all I'm grateful for what I have. A beautiful life.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

Friday favorite reads

It's Friday, my friends! I've been down with the flu for the past couple of days, just kicking it back, drinking lots of tea and getting plenty of rest. I'm already feeling so much better and can't wait to get back into the swing of things around here. Before I get back to drinking more tea, and tackling my to-do list, I thought I'd share some of my favorite articles around the interwebs this week for your weekend reading pleasure (there's still time to use your get-March-for-free coupon to get your hands on this month's DIY Lifestyle Mag).

image via ohdeardrea

Andrea from Ohdeardrea recently wrote about a subject very close to my heart - living a happier, more fulfilled, and sustainable lifestyle. This is something I believe very strongly in, and her writing resonated with me. My parents have thought me to live within my means and to be conscious of my spendings. It's part of the Estonian lifestyle, I think. Most of the people in Estonia don't even own a credit card. So, we never spend money we don't have. And that helps to create a more meaningful relationship with the items you buy as well. When you know you're spending your hard earned cash, you probably think twice before buying something you don't really need. And valuing the things you have is the corner stone of sustainable living. I could go on and on about this, but that will have to wait for another post.

image via A Beautiful Mess

Elsie's post about blogging as a young industry sparked so many thought in me. I spent an hour reading through the comments. It was really interesting to read other bloggers' opinions and struggles on this subjects. I've also been thinking a lot about the direction of Pearls & Scissors recently. I haven't reach any conclusions or decisions yet, but I've done a lot of dreaming and scheming (trying to see the forest behind the trees).

The last thing I want to share today is the Wardrobe Architect series over at Colette Patterns' blog. One of my goals for this year was to work on building my dream wardrobe. A closet full of clothing I would love to wear. I hate standing in front of the closet and thinking I have nothing to wear, although it's backed with clothes. I have a lot of clothing that I have outgrown, but have trouble parting with, and clothing that fits badly, but I love otherwise. I'm looking forward to diving into the wardrobe architect series. It's full of great tips.

I hope you'll have a wonderful weekend!

Favorite Things: Getting inspired

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I've been feeling a little uninspired lately, or rather uncreative....no, that's not the right word either. I have a million ideas floating around in my head, but I can't seem to get going on making them in reality. I keep jotting ideas down in my notebook, but most of them stay just that - a scribble in my little black notebook. Is it possible to be inspired and uninspired at the same time?

Well, I thought that maybe the best way is just to let them be for now. Gather inspiration elsewhere and take the pressure off. I think all of us creatives feel the pressure to create sometimes. Especially when you're a blogger and you feel you should be creating new content. I've sure been feeling that pressure lately. The sad thing is that whenever I feel that way, I lose all the fun in blogging. So, my goal for the rest of the month is to get back into the fun of blogging.

Have you ever felt uninspired to create? If so, how did you get over it?

Favorite Friday: Bows

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Bows are the cutest things! I love them on shoes and dresses, mittens and hats, in my ear and on my finger, and around a man's neck. They're simply that adorable. I think I have to make some bows tomorrow.

Favorite Friday: Embroidered

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I'm so inspired by embroidery lately. It used to my least favorite craft, but now I'm really getting into it and thinking about starting a few projects. When I do get something done, I'll be sure to share.

What about you? Don't you just love embroidered goodies?

October Favorites on P&S

I hope everyone has a productive week behind them! Mine was a mess of school, work and fighting a nasty bug I caught somewhere. Actually, the fighting is ongoing, so I might skip a post or two. We'll see.

All of that aside, do you know it's November already? We are getting close to the holiday season! Every year I think I'm going to make it a special season, but with all the craziness it often seams like the  busiest season, and all the special things get pushed back. Well, this year I'm going to make it special (yes, I know I say that every year). I already have some projects lined up, so you'll going to see some holiday related projects on Pearls & Scissors throughout November. I hope you're as excited as I am.

Today I'd like to share my favorite posts from October.

The sweater socks were hands down my favorite project of the month. I already have a new set of sleeves waiting to make a new pair.

I love how the glitter heels turned out. I wore them to a school recital and they were so comfy to sing in.

I shared my story with you. One of the things I love most about blogging is connecting with each and every one of you. I love reading your comments and responding and I love connecting with other bloggers. I love getting to know you and I hope you liked getting to know me a little bit better as well.

This is one of my favorite refashions ever. It may not look much to you, but it was my first custom order and I'm just so happy with the way it turned out.

Last, but not least, another installment of the Wardrobe Reinvention series. I don't do these posts often, but they are fast becoming my favorite, because I get to be creative in a different way, and I learn so much about myself with each post.

What's your favorite moment from October? Share your stories and blog posts. I'd love to hear them all!

Favorite Friday: The first snow

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All the Estonians could talk about today was the weather. If someone was interested in the attitudes of Estonians towards snow, they would just have to read all the Facebook updates from today. If you ask me, it's a little bit early still for this kind of snowy weather, but then again, the sweeter it is to put on some knitted socks, curl up with a good book and listen to your favorite music. Snow always has a calming effect. And that's pretty nice, even if it is October.

Despite the fact that I had only a few lessons at school this week, it has gone by in a flash. My posting here on the blog is becoming more difficult as the days grow shorter (some days it hardly gets light outside), which makes taking pictures harder. But, I'll do my best to share handmade ideas and inspiration with all of you.

Happy weekend, my dears!

Weekend Favorites: Cozy knits

It's that time of year again. Whenever the weather gets colder and the leaves change color I get that itch. The itch to put on my wool socks and chunky sweater, and cuddle up next to my sweetheart with my knitting needles and some yarn. I'm definitely going to do some knitting this weekend.

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Favorite Friday: Autumn Oxblood treasury by Julie Meyer

Today I wanted to share this beautiful treasury with you curated by Julie Meyer that centers around this season's #1 fashion color. Oxblood is really growing on me, although the name is gross - I don't even know why people would want to call it that. But it's a deep fall color and it does have a hint of royal in it.

Click here to get all the info about the products in the pictures and to share this beautiful treasury with your friends if you'd like.

It's been a hell of a week and I'm really glad to get out of town for the weekend to breathe some countryside air and reload my batteries. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I'll see on Sunday!

Favorite Friday - A handmade outfit

I know it's technically already Saturday by the time I hit the "publish" button, but I really meant this post to go up on Friday. Besides, favorite saturday doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

I've been meaning to do a favorites post for ages, but never seem to get around to it. Every time I spend at least 5 minutes on Etsy I end up finding amazing goodies that simply make me drool like a dog (or, like a dog named Hugo). There are truly so many inspiring and crafty designers out there, that it's impossible to put them into one comprehensive list. I find someone new to admire every day. So, I hope to inspire you by making these little round-up posts form time to time. Just to let you know that handmade rocks!

Oh, and did you notice these items would all fit nicely into one cute outfit? Not a coincidence, I might add.

Click on the numbers below to find out where all this awesomeness comes from.

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So, what are your plans for the weekend? I'm planning on having as creative days as these past two days have been. Lots of new fabulous projects to share in the coming weeks!