European Song

Last Saturday night was the big fun Eurovision song contest (i like that event!)

Rich (a bit of Armenia) and I (United Kingdom) went to Haywards Heath (twinned with Bondues - France and Traunstein - Germany) to see Robyn (United Kingdom) and Dorin (Romania) I decided to make and take an apple strudel (Austria) and some wheat beer (Germany) and Dorin had made us a risotto (Italy).

Wunderbar!

In honour of the event, i decided that my mixtape this month would have a taste of europe about it.

 Et voila!

Sehr gut,

zdob si zdub,

Emilka Backerberg. xx

Take me with you

I have been so lazy with my mixtape for the mixtape project, and have just managed to get a little something cobbled together for my partner for March (ops!)

I decided to dedicate this collection to coming out of hibernation and the freedom and adventures summer days promise.

Yours hitting the road jack,

Emilia. xxxx

Midwinter Mixtape

With all the costume making, patchwork quilting, knitting, cross stitch and other little projects, January slipped past me almost without a mixtape. Luckily my partner for the month was very understanding and this week i pulled my socks up and managed to put together a little collection fit for january (and hopefully appropriate for february too).

I really liked the africa inspired mix tape i received from Joe in January as it was very good at blowing off the cold weather blues. I have decided that Chris from Stockton-on-Tees is not going to be uplifted though and for him I have made a collection of wintery songs to help him really wallow in the last few cold and dark weeks of the season.

I don't really know what it means: Winter is all over you, but I like the way it sounds. 

I asked Joe the mixtape organiser if i can have february off from mixtapes. this month is going to be quite a busy one. maybe i will have time to make a valentines mixtape for my boyfriend though.

yours better late than never,
Emilia. x

It began in Africa

This week i made another miniature, she is dedicated to my friend Liosliath who is living in Camaroon at the moment and who gave our Christmas gifts wrapped in some fabric. So i decided i would put it to use in a small tiny dress for  a new tiny friend. i can not really think of a nice name for her so i call her Jane.

Jane the little one

I also made for her a cotton garter stitch cardigan because we're not in africa and it's quite chilly. And a necklace to complete the look.

I think she is quite in vogue too by the looks of things as there are many african inspired outfits on the catwalks of late.

this one is by roberto cavalli. it is quite like the one i made i think

This was quite a nice theme for the week because I also had this mixtape arrive earlier this month made for me by Joe for the mixtape project

.

He has taken some better pictures here. It is really very nice indeed to hear some African rhythms on these grim English days. I have been enjoying the music in the mornings. This reminds me that i must get cracking with my january mixtape. 

Yours out of africa,

Emilia. x

Because I love the sound of Violins

This month, my mixtape is a celebration of my favourite instrument.

I love violins. I am learning to play but i am not that good. I am always inspired when I hear them though so I have created a collection of songs with some really great violin parts in them.

 I am a bit happier with my artwork this month

although did get a bit gluey and messy on the back! oop.

I have been listening to this as a playlist on my ipod and am really pleased with this collection. I am a little nervous though because my mixtape partner is the chief organiser of the mixtape project, and also a boy who might not really enjoy this sort of music. I hope that maybe he will be inspired to learn the violin too.

yours well strung,

Emilia. xxx

The times they are changin'

it is time again to post off my mixtape project for October.

this month the only thing i could think of as a good theme would be the autumn. this was a really lovely task to find those songs. i used the themes of this season as my focus. like the change of weather, nature, harvests, goldenness, hibernation, and being mellow and thoughtful. 

I tried to make sure all the songs were still pretty and uplifting as i think autumn is a grand season and no real reason to be sad. the best sounds for this time are acoustic and comforting like guitars and harmonious singing. I feel that this project has really helped me come to terms with the cold and darkness. Here is my finished collection:

I struggle a little (lot) with the artwork aspect of the project as have seen some other submissions and they seem very well thought out artistically. i am not really very good at art, but i really love my friend Yumi's illustrations of leaves so her pictures were my inspiration and it was nice to use my colour pencils. I hope that this element is not so important as the songs though. I think i will concentrate on this more next month and try my very best.


Yours harvest festivally,
emilia x

The Mixtape Project

Last month, after seeing this from Debbie, I joined The Mixtape Project.

Yesterday i was delighted to receive in the post, my first mixtape from a stranger. It is really a great one with lots of bands i like on it and a lot of illustrations. I managed to find the creator online and here it is.

It is lovely to have received something which has had so much effort put in. i feel quite honoured. I will be sure to write and say thank you.

I decided for my introductory mixtape, i would use the theme of birds.

The past month has been quite hectic for so i fear i have not spent as much time and effort as i would have liked to, and certainly not as much as was put into the one i was sent. But i hope that my recipient enjoys my humble offering.

I am already starting to think about next month. This is a lot of fun indeed.

Emilia. x