Beautiful day

Today I'm really happy. It's a beautiful morning, the sun is shining bright in the sky, the birds are singing, the coffee is just right, and my yarn order just arrived. You should see the smile on my face! And here they are, my beautifully colored yarns.
Astazi sunt fericita. Este o dimineata frumoasa, soarele straluceste, pasarelele canta, cafeaua este asa cum imi place si comanda mea de fire a sosit. Ar trebui sa vedeti zambetul de pe fata mea! Si iata-le, minunatele mele fire colorate.

Aren't they gorgeous? All I have to do now is start crocheting.
Nu-i asa ca sunt superbe? Acum nu mai trebuie decat sa incep sa crosetez.

What would make your day beautiful? Leave a comment.

Ce anume vi-ar face ziua mai frumoasa?Lasati un comentariu.

And my advice for today! Si sfatul meu pentru azi!

xoxo

A trip and a hat

Last week we went to visit my sister, who lives in Northern Romania, near a mountain resort called Vatra Dornei. And because that is about 450 kilometers away, it became a one day drive with me on the backseat of the car with my two daughters. It wasn't an easy ride, but the girls were ok.
Saptamana trecuta am fost plecati in vizita la sora mea, care locuieste in nordul tarii, in apropierea statiunii Vatra Dornei. Si pentru ca sunt cam 450 km (depinde de ruta aleasa), drumul a durat o zi intreaga. Iar eu am stat impreuna cu fetele mele pe bancheta din spate. Nu a fost o calatorie usoara, dar fetele au fost cuminti.
I wish I could say that the stay was relaxing, but with three kids with ages between 1 and 3 (my daughters and my niece) it's anything but relaxing. Actually, it was a lot of fun. The girls haven't seen each other in quite some time, and they were really happy to be together again.
As vrea sa pot spune ca vizita a fost una relaxanta, insa cu trei copii (fetele mele si nepotica) cu varste intre 1 si 3 ani, poate fi oricum, numai relaxant nu. De fapt, a fost chiar distractiv. Fetele nu se mai vazusera de ceva timp si erau fericite sa fie din nou impreuna.
I did manage to find time for myself, especially in the morning before the kids got up, drinking my coffee and admiring this view from the living room window and dreaming one day we'd build our own house.
Totusi, am reusit sa gasesc putin timp si pentru mine, mai ales dimineata inainte ca copiii sa apuce sa se trezeasca, cand totul era cufundat in liniste, iar eu imi beam cafeaua admirand privelistea pe geamul din sufragerie si visand la casuta pe care ne dorim si noi sa ne-o construim. 

And of course I had to crochet something! And because my niece is turning 2 in a couple of weeks, I wanted to make something special that would complement her beautiful blue eyes, playful smile and golden locks. And thus I came up with this, a cheerful spring hat, named after my beloved niece.
Si bineinteles ca a trebuit sa crosetez ceva! Si pentru ca nepotica mea implineste 2 anisori peste cateva saptamani, am vrut sa fac ceva special pentru ea, ceva care sa-i evidentieze frumosii ei ochisori albastri, zambetul jucaus si carliontii blonzi. Si astfel am realizat o caciulita de primavara plina de veselie, pe care am numit-o dupa nepotica mea iubita.

And here is the owner enjoying her early present. Her smile really made my day!
Iar aici este posesoarea bucurandu-se de cadoul timpuriu. Zambetul ei chiar mi-a infrumusetat ziua!

 The hat was inspired by the pattern found here. I couldn't understand the instructions, but I used Google Translate and took a close look at the pictures and I think I can say that the end result turned out just fine.
Caciulita am facut-o dupa modelul gasit aici . Nu am inteles instructiunile, dar am folosit Google Translate si am studiat cu atentie imaginile si cred ca pot spune ca rezultatul final a fost unul minunat.

I wish you all a beautiful spring day!
Va doresc tuturor o zi de primavara minunata!

Happy Mărțișor Day and some owlzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm sure most of you (or at least those that are not Romanian) wonder what Mărțișor is. Well, let me explain.We Romanian celebrate Mărțișor on the 1st day of March, which is considered the first day of spring, since the times of the Dacians (our ancestors), that is over 20 centuries ago.
Mărțișor is also the name for the red and white string from which a small decoration is tied, and which is offered by people on the 1st day of March. Giving this talisman to people is an old custom, and it is believed that the one who wears the red and white string will be strong and healthy for the year to come. It is also a symbol of the coming spring. Nowadays women wear it pinned to their clothes, close to the heart, until the last day of March, when they tie it to the branches of a fruit-tree.
In modern times, and especially in urban areas, the Mărțișor lost most of its talisman properties and became more of a symbol of friendship or love, appreciation and respect.
In Daco-Romanian folklore, seasons are attributed symbolic colors: spring is red, summer is green or yellow, autumn is black, and winter is white. This is why one can also say that the Mărțișor thread, knitted in white and red, is a symbol of passing, from the cold white winter, to the lively spring, associated with fire and life.

This is how the string looks like.

And now, after this short lesson of Romanian traditions and history, I want to show you what I came up with for this special day. Recently in my epic search of nice crocheted owls I came across  Annie Design page and I thought her owls are super-cute so I tried to make one similar.

Soooo, here's one...

... and a whole lot more ...

... and this is how I attached a brooch pin.

Aren't they cute?

Unfortunately I forgot to attach the red and white string before taking the pics. Next year I promise I'll be more careful.