Papercrete

I am just crazy about papercrete! Can't wait to see how it holds up to the wet on and off again winter we are having. But for now just making small things for the inside.  

Fall.....

The Flowers are fall, the darkness is fall, the rain is fall but the temperature is Swedish summer! Little strange but hey, I'm not complaining!

Can't really see the pot at all here! But it is nice, I promise! Probably should have planted succulents instead. Oh well, next time. 

Papercrete

Thought I'd show a little of the papercrete process. First I take lots of newspapers and office paper and shred it (luckily my office has a paper shredder, maybe not common in this digital age)

Then I pour water over all of it and let in soak for a week. If I'm in a hurry I pour boiling water over it, then I  can use the next day.  I mix it with my concrete mixer, or if a smaller batch, the paint stirring attachment on my drill. This is how it looks all mushed up. 

Now ready to drain excess water and add cement and perlite. 

Papercrete

Ok, ok. How in the world can I keep up with everything? Instagram, Facebook, etsy, Pinterest.  (Plus of course, work, housework-yuck, I don't do it! workout, Skype with grandson and daughter far away) so the blog has suffered. But I'm going to try to improve!

This huge flower pot is papercrete, made from old paper, concrete and perlite.

A lot of old newspapers! And recycled papers from work (they think I'm crazy at the paper shredder). 

Hearts..........

Dreaming of a White Christmas.......

This is what it was like in Sister Bay, WI, the day after Thanksgiving! I hold that dear to me now as in Stockholm it can't be any grayer , no snow and dark. Just a week left to get in the spirit

Happy Thanksgiving!

A special thanksgiving today 27 November, my Emily's 27 th birthday. Still dark here in Sister Bay but soon I will wake K and drive to Green Bay and pick Em, Seb and little Noah up. And at home, William is trying to get things ready for the 1st of advent!

November

November kaktus time. It's amazing how much you can ignore a plant and it still blooms so beautifully!

This is the concrete pot without flower, well, with it's own concrete flower!

Fall at Vätö

Fall plantings and why did I make such big pots? I bought more heather for the graves only to find out that Elin had already planted there.

So thought I would plant them in them in these urns, but only enough for one. 

Julgrupp?

Är det för tidigt ? Playing with some flowers, out with the heather and in with the tomte! Moved all my gerinamums out to Vätö, so they can have a nice winter. Not sure what to do with succulents, can they take the cold in a pot, or should they be planted in the ground? And the ivy?

Now the garden is pretty well ready for winter. It gets harder every year to put away the table and chairs, AND the plants. Too many concrete pots to take them in, but they will be ok.  Those that didn't get a drainage hole will be flipped upside down and get buried(maybe) under snow until spring. As beautiful as fall is, it still is depressing!

As soon as I brought this in, it bloomed again!

Baby

And now I have another title! I've been Phyllis and Howard's youngest, Sue, Brent and Jill's little sister, Ketil's wife, Emily, William, and Martins mom, the American, the Swede, ex-Olympian, ex-kayaker, etc, etc. and now I'm a grandma! Mormor! Livets efterrätt har jag hört.  I can't wait to see the little guy! The first picture I saw, I swear he had more wrinkles than me! He'd been in the "tub" too long.  Well back to work to finish this before I meet the prince!

From Florida?

3 advent

One week left for preparations!

Wait a minute! It's going a little too fast here. Ok we were gone the 1st of advent but then it is Lucia and 3rd of advent already. And missing my little Lucia, this must have been 25 years ago! 

Nature girl part 2

Good ol' Florida with gators.....

And Manatees!

We aren't the only ones who like to sunbathe.   

Nature girl

 What are these guys up to?  

  

These shells were all alive! Or there were animals inside anyway! And this guy is why I'm sticking to the pool!

Sitting around a pool is not really my thing I've discovered. In the water, swim and/or water aerobics and then out again. Down the beach for a walk and the things you see! I think this is a shark!?

Not mine.......

Stepping stone advanced....... At our motel at Lido Beach Florida   

Advent 2013

There is just one week left to the first of Advent. Some outside lights up.  Our first Thanksgiving dinner was yesterday. Hoping for one more on Thursday! New adventsljusstake made. 

Christmas in concrete.........

Fall

Today is fall, windy and rainy....

Have to show latest heart.  Now to figure out if it will be a table or what?

Last day of September

Well, I had promised myself to increase the number of entries this month and instead I have done fewer. Oh well. I haven't done as much work in concrete as I would have liked. And projects I have started are harder and take more time. But a few things I can find and take pictures!