Tuesday 30 January 2018

Reading Notes 5/52: January



This week's book was far from light reading. Not that any of the books I have read this year were easy. What made Truman Capote's In Cold Blood so hard to read was that it is based on true happenings. Four people were murdered in 1959 without any reasonable motive. Murdered family was highly respected in local community and it took long for the people to get through and accept what had happened. Truman Capote went deep to the case and spent six years searching the happenings and people twined to it. Maybe because Capote gets so near to both victims and murderers, describing their life and thoughts in detail, makes this book so heavy to read. I am not a fan of crime literature and I have read maybe two crime related novels in my life. I am not curious to read crime and violence. I picked this book because it is a classic and brings up questions about good and evil and what is the purpose of punishment. I have read Capote's novel Summer Crossing and found the same melancholy and dark tones in this book.

5/52 Truman Capote. In Cold Blood (1965). I read the book in Finnish. First when people of the community hear about the murder of Clutter family they try to understand what motive and logic is behind it. The murders can not be comprehended with the logic of a healthy person. Clutters were hardworking, honest and highly respected in the local community and it was difficult to understand why anyone would want to harm the family. It rises the question why bad things come to people who don't seem to earn them. It is against what we are taught to believe. That when we lead a good lifestyle and treat our fellow humans with kindness we cannot be touched by any harm. Because when we choose to act according to shared rules and choose right instead of wrong we get a reward. As we know from our own lives and watching news every day life doesn't obey this system. This fact doesn't make us abandon the law. We still agree what is right thing to do and what is not allowed but considered crime or at least bad behavior against fellow humans. We have a conscience to guide us. That is why it is so shocking and almost impossible to understand what kind of person is behind crimes like in the Clutter case. People try to find a reason why someone has abandoned the common ways of acceptable behavior and violated the shared agreement about right and wrong. We need a special reason why it happened so we can continue believing. Because it feels unacceptable that crime like this could happen without reason as an act of randomness. 

Truman Capote describes the murderers' thinking process before and after the murders. First it looks like the murderers and the happenings of the murder night are two separate things because the murderers seem so normal. When they go trough the night's happenings they don't seem to understand what they actually did. They seem astonished by the way things turned out and ask themselves why they did it. They also ponder the consequences and if it is possible to get through. It feels like they share the same mindset as the local community shaken by the murders. They look after reason. They are taught to believe in right and wrong and that doing wrong doesn't go without punishment. There is a plot we believe: Do good and you will be rewarded. Do bad and you will be punished.

When the murderers' road trip continues their twisted mind begins to reveal. In one situation they speak kindly to a man they are about to kill and steal his car. They use acts that express empathy but don't seem to feel empathy enough to prevent doing what they have planned. Capote also opens murderer's life stories and their mixed minds begin to make sense. Especially Smith has had very difficult childhood and youth. Both men are divided, they have one side that works according to common norms and other one that is violent, without empathy and not in control. When they think through their acts they sound like they don't always understand what the other side is doing. Even the Clutter family murder is random in the end. They have planned to go and rob Clutters and maybe even murder them. Yet when murder night is described it feels like one action lead to another without clear plan. That night's interaction between murderers seems to play a big role instead of shared plan. Even though the murder's environment and atmosphere is a result of a long time plan it's execution was a  thing of a moment.

Both murderers were caught and got a death penalty. I found strong criticism against death penalty in this book. It is questioned what makes killing a murderer different from murder. Reading the murderers' backgrounds made me think that they had both difficult mental problems. They murdered four people and it cannot be undone.  It is shocking that something like that can happen. Still killing the murderers doesn't bring the ones murdered back. It is interesting how even the members of the local community, who had known the Clutters, don't seem to agree about the necessity of the death penalty for Smith and Hickock. Doctors and specialist are called to investigate whether the murderers had mental problems that influenced to their actions on that murder night. 

One of the crime's investigators, Dewey, says in the end of the book that murderers getting executed was not the actual closer of the case. It was when he saw young Susan, Nancy Clutter's friend, rush into her life. Maybe death penalty for murderers didn't bring peace to the victims and the community. More essential was to process what had happened, take time to heal and then concentrate to life. The community was shaken when it's norms and believes were questioned by the murderers' actions. But they got over the happenings and found again what they hold precious. 

Map behind the book is cut out from Finnish Seura magazine from 1.4.1977. I once found it among other cut outs between a book that I bought from thrift store. Heading shouts "Näin maailma parantaa rikollisiaan!" (This is how the world cures it's criminals!) In the map you can see which countries had death penalty in 1977. According to this map in 1977 there were only six countries that didn't have a death penalty, Finland was one of those six. Map has changed a lot, not even all the countries exist anymore. According to Amnesty International (Amnesty International / Death Penalty) when they began their work to end executions in 1977 (same year when that map was published) there were 16 countries that didn't have a death penalty. In 2017 only European country that still uses death penalty is Belarus.  


Friday 26 January 2018

Nordic Style Bedside Shelf DIY


Bedside table is a classic and there is a reason for that. It is easy to leave glasses, phone, clock and books to a surface near a bed so those can be found in the morning or next evening. Small furniture in every corner then is a challenge when you try to clean the floors. Pretty wall shelves answer to the problem. The most beautiful pieces are like sculptures on the wall. Random items on a shelf might ruin the look so I came up with this idea to hide the items on the shelf. Of course you can see through the rows of wooden beads but it tricks the eye so that the overall look is organized.

For over an year now I have liked bare wood. It looks so beautiful after years of thick paint and ornaments. It has also calming effect as the wood feels soft and it has so many details when you stop to look at it. It also matches with colorful textiles surprisingly well when the wood in question hasn't turned too yellow but has still the shimmering white hue. This small shelf would also be a stylish decoration in the kitchen with few glass objects or jars in it. The basic idea how to make this shelf is simple, you just drill even row of holes to the front of the shelf and thread beads through.




Nordic Style Bedside Shelf DIY

You will need:
150 cm* 20 cm plank
6 shelf holders and screws
Wooden beads: 
48 beads in 35 mm 
64 beads in 25 mm
16 small beads
Strong cotton yarn
Glue

Saw
Sandpaper
Drilling machine and 3 mm drill
Needle
Pencil
Ruler




Step 1. Saw three 50 cm pieces from the 20 cm wide plank. Sand the ends.


Step 2. Drill similar holes to every piece to one long side with 3 mm drill. Because the biggest bead is 3,5 cm I put the holes in the corners 1,75 cm from side edges.  Also the row of holes comes 1,75 from the edge. The space between corner holes is then divided to seven even (6,64 cm) parts to get the points where to drill.


Step 3. Attach the shelf holders with screws 6 cm from the sides.


Step 4. Put the shelves to a wall in even row 20 cm from each other. Thread the beads through the shelves with strong cotton yarn. I put double yarn with a small bead in the middle so the top shelf got an interesting detail from the bead row. I also put similar small bead under the last shelf and made double knots. Then I put some glue to the knot and let it dry before I cut the yarn ends off. 



Tuesday 23 January 2018

Reading Notes 4/52: January


4/52 Cheryl Strayed Wild. From Lost to Found on The Pacific Crest Trail (2012). I read the book in Finnish. I have seen the movie Wild that is based on this book several years ago. I loved the story about a woman who decides to clear her head from past experiences and quilt by taking an enormous challenge to walk 1770 km part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Book is based on a true story and it's writer has really experienced what is described in the story.

Following might contain some spoilers! When reading the book it was easy to live through the hardships Cheryl confronts on her journey. I felt exhausted like I would have walked tens of kilometers every day even though I was reading in my own sofa. She also describes food cravings like only a person who has had hard physical exercise can picture them. I don't even like hamburgers, chips and soda that much but walking the path with Cheryl I felt huge appetite for those things. 

The story is cathartic. During her walk she memorizes the hardships and difficult moments she has had in her life and walks those memories away. First she tries to make herself unbreakable, amazon queen, that survives everything and never cries. When the journey goes on she learns a different approach to live her life and see her past. Instead of seeing her past  as a series of mistakes and unmoral behavior she questions whether these actions are actually the ones that brought her here. Maybe there is no need to remember, ponder and feel quilt about things that have already happened. It is easy to compare oneself to others and their righteous life but actually the point is to accept one's own life as it is and abandon the thought about right ways of doing things. I began to think about the essence of life and how we consume our precious moments here. Is it actually possible to live life without wasting it? Always choosing what is accepted and morally right? Or is the essence of life to sometimes live wrong, waste time for actions that take us behind in the personal progress, ponder old things we cannot change, be still and stuck. Like Boris Pasternak writes in Doctor Zhivago: "Life is no stroll through a field". It might be unnecessary to try to wipe away bad choices as those are part of the life anyways. 

People's lives always seem more genuine, better, real and righteous. It feels like people move forward and put effort on things that make them accomplish their goals. Like how do they get everything right when it takes so much time for me to get one part of the life functioning? After all we know little about the people around us and their deepest wishes. Some might have the best life ever when you look at it but that person actually would like a totally different life. Maybe their dream job, partner and house are not what they really want in life. Even the happiest of people are ordinary and lost sometimes.

During the journey Cheryl also goes through her relationship with her mother who died young. Her mother's life had been tough and ended before she could fulfill her dreams. Cheryl's mother says on her death bed that she never got to be herself but only obeyed the wishes of others. Parents are somehow examples of the possibilities in life even though you would choose a totally different lifestyle than theirs. After all we mirror our choices to those of our parents. It is difficult task to find a balance in your own life after an experience like Cheryl's. It sort of pushes you to do over your limits to live your own life without wasting it.

Reading Strayed's life story was purifying. In the book she lets go from her heavy backpack also mentally by accepting her life and letting herself to put behind bad memories and phases of life. The most important thing is to head to the future as a person you have become and make choices that represent you not anybody else.



Monday 22 January 2018

Trendy Terracotta





We don't have to take every home decoration trend by heart. If colors currently on trend are not our favorites we don't have to go and paint a living room wall with the latest shade. Most of the trends I just let go. They might be difficult to modify to a small apartment, don't collaborate with my personal style or are just too pricey/ time consuming to produce compared to the time I estimate they will please the eye. Every now and then a trend seems perfect to my home and add's some interesting detail to the entity. For example last year I was hugely inspired by mirror trends and made a contemporary style mirror wall. Mirror wall completed the style I have in my living room and makes it look bigger.

Quite often it is possible to apply trends in small scale. I browse magazines, blogs and social media and think, now that thing looks great, how could I take part to this? Maybe I could use a trend as an inspiration for table setting, small arrangement on top of a drawer or in a new pillow pattern. Just few people have money to put away all decor and furniture and start from the beginning every season. It is not even something to go for in my opinion. Home is home and built little by little with things that please us and we think are pretty and worth having. It should be a place we can rest in comfortable and aesthetically pleasing environment. Plus it is not ecologically clever to get bored to home decor that often.

When I find a trend inspiring I evaluate on witch scale I will take a part. Will I paint my walls or one furniture? Or is it few small objects that communicate that I am aware of a current style? I go through my cabinets and collect objects that could fit the style. I love this year's terracotta trend because it is warm, earthy and inviting color. At least at the moment I don't feel I need to apply it to my home in large scale but small items fit quite nicely with my bohemian style and deep colors. I changed some winter survivor plants to terracotta pots I bought from thrift store two weeks ago. Then I examined my cupboards to collect everyday items that are in terracotta color or near that. I don't keep every set of plates, vases and candles on show. Most of the everyday stuff is in a cabinet and used when needed. It would be unpractical to have all on show even though every set of plates/ mugs/ vases would be pretty. Trends come handy in choosing what items to have on display at the moment and which ones to put inside a closet to wait for next season.

Now terracotta trend is present in my small home in two arrangements. One on top of a writing cabinet where I have my green plants waiting for spring and light. The other arrangement is inside a turquoise cabinet that has glass windows. The inside of the cabinet is painted with okra and goes perfectly to the burnt and sunny terracotta palette. Items on show are all from my own cupboards, nothing new. I also took candles out from a drawer so I would remember to burn them before light summer days.

What trend would you like to bring in this season? Do you find terracotta inspiring color?

Happy and Inspiring Week My Dear Friends!

Sannu



Friday 19 January 2018

Bohemian Style Curtain Makeover...

... and How To Develop Upcycling Skills





Curtains are a home decor element that bring warmth, softness and character to a room. Because I live in a top floor I am quite minimalist with curtains. I have no need to cover whole windows with shades. I use curtains to finish the overall style and to get more color. A curtain in my living room has pink flowers on grey base and it completes the theme of my living room space that is lead by grey walls & big grey carpets and pink cabinet & small pink details. I love bohemian style and in my opinion it is essential to have some color theme so that super colorful details and interesting objects stand out. Otherwise the result is a chaos and beautiful textiles, baskets, bowls and ornaments will be just part of the mass.

Today's curtain makeover is both minimalist and bohemian. Black and white combination allows to layer with flowers, plants, beautiful plates, books, chandeliers and textiles. Yet the curtain is interesting with it's tassel details and real eye catcher. You could also use this side curtain as a wall textile or make two curtains to both sides of the window.

Inspiration to this curtain came from the material and texture. I found natural white 80s curtain from a thrift store. I liked the look even though it was slightly too neutral to my taste. I noticed the curtain has a lots of potential to become amazing bohemian style home decor element. It gives through light and is perfect for spring. I had a ball of black mercerized cotton yarn at home and that was all I needed to update my thrift store find to fit 2018.

I think these kind of earthy, natural white and textured curtains are relatively easy to find. You might not find a curtain that is exactly the same, but eye options with care. You could also use simple and loosely woven white fabric to this project. If you want the curtain to be a colorful element in your home decor, you can choose to use different colors of cotton yarn.

Trends come and go but the best part is that thrift stores have items from the era the same trends were in fashion last time. Usually the latest interpretations to the trend have brought a new twist to the style and you have to modify your second hand finds a bit. It is ecological, fun and inspiring to use recycled materials. Not to mention how much money you can save. Study a trend properly and think through what is this trend about. Is it about natural hues, certain color combination, texture, pattern or ornaments that construct the style. This way you see the potential in items that need a little bit of remodeling. Maybe berry hues and interesting textures are in fashion and you find a perfectly textured fabric you can dye. Or maybe you just need to remove paint from a furniture that has perfect shape.

Bohemian Style Curtain Makeover

You will need:

Natural white curtain that has texture
Black mercerized cotton yarn
Piece of cardboard
Ruler
Scissors
Needle


Step 1. Fit the curtain to a window. You might need to cut and sew it shorter.


Step 2. Cut 6 cm * 8 cm piece from cardboard. Cut a piece of yarn and place it horizontally. Then round 26 layers of yarn around 6 cm. Knot the piece of yarn tightly and remove the bundle from cardboard. Take a second piece of yarn and wrap tightly around the bundle, from about 1 cm from the knot. Take a needle and thread the yarn ends through the bind. Open the tassel by cutting the loops and trim the tassel even. I made 77 tassels like this to my curtain and it took few evenings.


Step 3. Attach the tassels to even rows using the first knot's yarn ends. If you have a notable pattern in your curtain use it as a starting point to plan the rows. In my curtain I have wide and thin stripes and I attached 7 tassels to every thin stripe.





Do you use recycled or thrift store materials in you projects? Do you follow home decor trends? How do you apply trends to your home, do you prefer upcycled home decor and furniture or all new?

Have the most Inspiring and Relaxing Weekend My Friend! By the way, the lamp you see in the pictures is also a thrift store find, you can find Ikat Inspired Lamp Makeover with Paint from HERE!

Sannu 

Wednesday 17 January 2018

Reading Notes 3/52: January


Happy Wednesday! It is time for a weekly reading notes post. Today I finished third book for the 52 books challenge. The book is a collection of Franz Kafka's short stories translated to Finnish. It contains all Kafka's stories in order of appearance. 438 pages of small print that holds humor, anxiety and notions human community.

3/52 Franz Kafka: Kootut kertomukset (1997) Best classics hold time and reading Kafka made me forget that even his latest stories are written almost hundred years ago. His world is modern and main characters are going through situations we can relate in 2018. Artist's work is left without audience and respect, single life is full of complexes, some isolate themselves waiting to be found and work doesn't give satisfaction but feels more like a burden.

I enjoyed the dark humor Kafka has put to his texts. Every now and then he nails the essence of singlehood. In Description of a Struggle (Beschreibung eines Kampfes)  a man is sitting alone sipping his drink when his euphoric friend approaches him and begins to tell about his love. He listens to the other man's story involuntarily thinking that if he was on his right senses he would know to leave him alone and not share this subject with someone sitting alone in the corner. When the two walk in the night the main character considers to leave home where warm room, armchair and table lamp is waiting for him and it would be comfortable. But then he comes to think that after sitting to the chair nothing would happen only the lamp would light him in the room. That picture is brilliant and gets to the core. Home is cozy, inviting, familiar but doesn't offer any surprises because nothing will happen but the same old. In Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor (Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle) main character thinks about having a dog that would wait him when he comes home and give company. Hands up how many of you have considered that option at least once? But Blumfeld also likes to keep his house tidy. And he is afraid that dog will gain weight, get sick and unable to move. Old dog would also remind about it's owners time passing by. Could it be that the experience of being single has not changed a bit in hundred years? The dilemma of a home, and life, that seems to lack something. Everything is basically all right, electricity brings light to an apartment, sofa invites to lay down and relax but something bothers in the quietness. Something that not even the most adorable and well mannered dog can solve.

In A Hunger Artist (Ein HungerkĂ¼nstler) main character is a notable artist that makes fasting performances. After some years of success artist's shows stop to attract people. Hunger artist is true to the art and can't stop making performances. People wonder how the artist can stand against hunger for days. Finally he reveals that fasting is actually very easy because he hasn't found food that would taste good. The story describes the essence of being an artist. For someone who has strong intrinsic motivation to do art and create there are no other possibilities. No other way of living comes to question. People with appetite find it difficult to deny food from themselves. But what is easy to some might not be option for all. Being an artist is not always an easy option but only option when easier ways to live are unavailable. Hunger artist's sacrifice is honored among people who see his perseverance and don't know about artist's inner world. Artist gives up from commodities his audience sees as necessity but his necessities are elsewhere. 

The theme of work is also present when main characters battle with motivation issues, low respect and enormous work load. Superiors underestimate their work and question it's necessity. Relationship to the work one is forced to do lacks passion and dedication. Characters are isolated to their offices with their tasks and have to proof their worth. Loneliness and incapability, maybe reluctance in some cases, to adjust to the social life is present in many of Kafka's stories. In The Burrow (Der Bau) the main character is like an animal that has buried itself under the ground where it keeps nest and stores piles of food. At the same time the nest is it's safe place but also a prison. The main character is afraid that it's peace will be broken and someone will invade the tunnels it has created. I was not sure if the fear of being found was actually a wish to be found because there is eagerness to hear someone coming. Character patrols outside it's nest and feels reluctant to leave the home but also to return back. In other stories main characters stay on the background studying how the stream of life passes. Instead of fully participating the social interaction they investigate themselves when trying to follow the given roles that have become burdens, boring routines and expectations impossible to fill.


Tuesday 16 January 2018

Slow Season


Weather today didn't invite outdoors to take photographs. It has been grey, cloudy, snowy and windy for several days now. But this is how January looks like and I think every season is beautiful in it's own way. Because of minimum amount of light there was no shadows and very little colors. What is special in midwinter is quietness. Snow insulates sound and all I could hear was strong wind and trees knocking. 

I walked few kilometers path and noticed the subtle hues in the sky. Little bit of pale pink and blue indicating that light is there somewhere behind the clouds. I found a place where I could see far away. One of the most calming things in life is to see far. Climb to a hill and follow river and earth with your eyes. I don't like high places but feet firmly on the ground it is liberating to see the vast land around you and breathe deeply fresh air. 

It might be actually good that there are no vivid colors, strong sounds or scents. You get to relax your senses and upload for spring. Once a year you can think the thoughts gathered to your mind and start all over. It is like a home after Christmas, empty, all bling taken down and waiting what comes next. We all need these slow seasons so that we don't run out of energy. 








Monday 15 January 2018

One Opinion About Creativity


Quite often people make a mistake believing creativity is a magical force that chooses a person to whom it appears. It is like being creative is something given. You have got a receptor that receives ideas and directions. In my opinion there is no such receptor. Being creative is active process you have to start every day and it requires lots of work. I haven't got a single idea ever just waiting and being passive. Relaxing is one way to process ideas and it might feel like the best ideas come when you just wait but actually the process has been started earlier when you have exposed yourself to something inspiring.

How to start the process then? After you have finished a project you have been working for long it might feel like you need a break. Usually my head feels empty as I have run from project to another for a while. When working with one idea I usually come up with the next one because making is one thing that boosts my creativity. When seasons change or a theme has been worked through there might be a gap between works and you get to start from an empty table. An empty table feels horrifying and inspiring at the same time. First it feels like all ideas have been used and nothing new is coming. That is when I look after sources of inspiration. I like to read, watch movies, collect colors from nature (with camera), walk, go thrift stores, study trends and listen to radio. One way to get started is to choose a material or theme and then brainstorm what it could become. If you are looking after home decoration or craft ideas you don't have to concentrate only on home decor books and trends. It might boost imagination to learn about new phenomenons and ideas outside that focus. Actually reading and learning about something that is totally new to you might open new ways of thinking and with opened senses you come up with new themes in your work.

How do you continue when your ideas don't seem to work? As a crafts person my solution is to soak my hands in the materials, do experiments and then finally decide one path and start making. After a break it feels like the projects don't turn out as great as the last ones before the break. There are days of self doubt. I question myself and why on earth I am continuing this when obviously I am nobody with poor ideas and nothing to give anybody anymore. But you have to start somewhere and make without self critique for awhile. Accept the satisfactory. Or what you consider satisfactory at the moment, it might turn out great when you think about it. Because what I have learned is that when you give yourself to crafting, decorating, writing, or what ever is your way of self expression, you start developing ideas and come up with great new project plans. I could twist ideas  in my head till the end of the world and I would always find something that just doesn't quite work. It is essential to move to sketching and testing. Sketches and tests might give results after a while when you hear something new and two pieces of information combine to one. It could be described as the moment when you have just waited and an idea comes out of the blue. But as you now know it was not that simple and there was lots of hard work included.

What I see as the most relevant thing is to see your self worth and believe that you have great ideas coming if you just give time and effort. Also motivation and determination to create are not to be forgotten. Creativity is not a narrow group's privilege and there is no division to creative and non creative people. There are creative people in all fields with different interests and specialties. Still it might arise critique if you consider yourself creative and you might get pressure to proof it. But after all only person who needs to be reassured is yourself. And that means, again, lots of self reflection and work.

Creative and inspirational week to you all!

Sannu

Friday 12 January 2018

Spice Wall DIY Project



While I was a cooking a bit more dishes on holidays I came up with a problem you might recognize. Small bags of spices are difficult to use when you have to go through the pile to find the right spice. When cooking you should find right spices as quickly as possible so that following a recipe and preparing food stays relaxing, fun and inspiring. Also when I went grocery shopping I didn't remember what spices I have got at home because managing this pile was challenging. I found myself in a situation where I had 3 bags of cinnamon, four bags of cardamon and I had run out of turmeric that I needed for a dish I was preparing. So frustrating! Sure it would be possible to buy bigger amounts of spices in glass bottles and have those in a shelf. I have found small bags handy as spices keep fresh. Spices that I don't use that often get ruined in big amounts. 

What if you had all these small bags organized on a wall? It would be super easy to find a spice you need in your recipe. It would also be a handy way to follow what spices are running out. You could easily take a picture from the wall and see what spices you got when you are shopping. If you are browsing blogs on your way to work and find a great recipe you want to try that evening you don't have to memorize if you got turmeric or ginger or cayenne. Just check a current picture of the spice wall. Did I get you excited about this DIY? 

As a little extra tip on how to use spice wall differently I have two ideas. How about recipe wall? You could plan menu for two weeks to this wall. Write down the week days with chalkboard pen, write / cut recipes from magazines/ blogs and hang under the days. I know some of you are keen gardeners so how about keeping seeds organized on this wall! You could keep track on what seeds need to be planted first and then keep calendar when you put the seeds to the soil. I am sure you come up with many more ways to use this organizing wall because this framed wall can be hanged in what ever space you need it. Now I show you how to make this easy DIY!




Spice Wall

You will need:

Big frame
Strong cardboard or thin plywood same size as the frame
Chalkboard paint
Wooden clothespins
Woodwork glue
Chalkboard pen
Ruler
Brush


Step 1. Paint the frame and cardboard/ plywood with chalkboard paint. Paint tree layers: horizontally, vertically, horizontally. I bought this framed print from thrift store. The print was glued to the cardboard but the cardboard was perfect to this project so I painted over which worked fine and I had no need to buy extra cardboard or plywood to this project.



Step 2. After the paint has dried properly (24 hours) divide the board to equal parts using chalkboard pen. Measure how much space one spice bag and clothespin needs and decide how much you need around to write spice's name. See how many bags you can fit to the board. I have got 58 cm * 77 cm board and I divided it to 16 parts (approx 14,5 cm *19 cm each). Then measure the place where you attach the clothespin. 


Step 3. Glue the clothespins and let dry.  Remove chalkboard pen's marks. Hang the spice wall and put in the spices. Write the names of the spices and decorate the board with chalkboard pen.




I am proud to start the weekend with organized kitchen. It is inspirational to cook in this space where everything can be found. Especially in a small space like this keeping organized is challenging. You don't need to have much extra lying on desks to have a mess. At least this solution keeps the spices organized and easy to use.

Happy and Relaxing Weekend!

Sannu