Unplugged - First impression

I have now had my Nokia 3310 2017 for about two weeks and I must say I like it a LOT!

Before my switch to dumbphone, I used my phone for music in my car, but now I use my old Discman and CDs. Yes, it’s a bit more complicated than just using your phone; you have to plan which CDs you want to have with you in the car and it takes up more space than just your phone. On the other hand, there is a lot of pros; you don’t get distracted by notifications and ads, the music doesn’t suddenly stop asking if you are still listening (like youtube does), the sound is actually better, the nostalgia and last but not least, the experience of listening to music in your car is a lot more relaxing than before.

Regarding listening to music elsewhere, it’s really nice to have the music on a separate device from your phone, again, it’s about just listening to the music and not get distracted by other noice on your phone. You do have to be aware of your phone regarding phone calls, but this way, it has been easier than before, to focus and relax and be in my own space.

As I now only have my social media on my iPad, it has actually been easier than before to not doomscroll on my apps all the time. Instead I only have planned when I can go on social medias and on other times I put my iPad away, so I don’t get distracted by it. I have also chosen not to get notifications on my iPad, this makes it easier to make the choice yourself and not get prompted every other minute.

I am also being more aware of what I like on those apps and I try to focus my energy more on the things that inspire me and lifts my mood, when I am on different apps. 

It has been a bit of a learning curve adjusting to my new unplugged lifestyle and there is still a way to go, but one thing I am truly enjoying, is less stressed and less distracted all the time. The last few days I have even experienced a sense of deep focus. I have missed that feeling for a long time and I never thought I could feel like that again. Before this experiment, I thought it was something I had the chance to get in my childhood, but being an adult, there just wasn’t time. I have now learned, that by moving the distraction, there can still be time for deep focus on a hobby or task.

At this point, I only see the pros of switching from smartphone to dumbphone. Some things take up a bit more space, like having to have different devices with you, but there is also pros by having devices with you, that is made for only that thing, like a good camera and/or a good music player. The biggest joy of all, from making this switch, is definitely the fewer distractions during the day.

For now, the dumbphone life is winning and I am looking forward to continue this experiment for myself.

Have you tried the dumbphone life? Have you been thinking about trying it out?

Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts

Have a nice day

- Lea

Upcycled Chandelier

A few years ago, I found some inspiration on Pinterest for an upcycled chandelier and make it a charming, romantic “flowercrown”

I told my husband about the idea and short after he came home with this old beautiful chandelier from our local Red Cross store. Isn’t he lovely 🥰?

I had no idea of where to actually hang it when it was finished, which meant it found it’s way to my moms attic…

Last year my husband and I bought our own house and I quickly spotted the perfect place for my chandelier and a few weeks back, I started working on it. We found the spray paint together and I got some money from my mom to buy an angle grinder (she got a rhododendron from me in return 😉)

I went to the local craft store/ DIY store to get help on which glue would be best for the project. Most of the “How to” guides I could find, was typically from USA and we don’t have the same brands in Denmark. 

I found that both Dana lim and No more nails are good types of montage glue, and has a glue you can use for outdoor projects.

Another thing I learned, is that it is important, that both your primer, paint and topcoat/varnish is from the same brand. This is important, because different brands, can have different ingredients in their sprays, which can cause the paint to bobble up and effect the finished product.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun making this chandelier into a “plantcrown” and I enjoy looking at it from my living room and appreciate the beautiful colours of it all.

BTW the reason for the pots being a different shade than the chandelier, is that I ran out of paint and when I went back to the store it turned out they are closing and they didn’t have that colour. Well, as it sometimes happens, there can be luck in your “bad luck” and I think it turned out WAY better this way and I am actually great full that this “mistake” happened. It is just PERFECT that the pots have a lighter shade.

I think there is a lesson to be learned somewhere in this… don’t be afraid to mess up and go in another direction?

What do you think of this “plantcrown” is it something you would do yourself?

Let me know in the comments, I’d love to talk to you and hear your thoughts.

Have a nice day

- Lea

Stars of Summer MAL

 

📢Calling all creative makers 📢

Whether you knit or crochet or something else, this might be a fun summer make along for you.

Last summer I had a lot of fun knitting scrappy knee-high socks during the summer and capture a whole lot of memories in those socks (easy like summer mal)

Inspired by that, I hope you’d like to participate in my low key #starsofsummermal

The idea is, to use your scraps and make some beautiful stars to remember your summer by.

It could be making a lot of small stars to decorate your Christmas tree, decorating old jars with stars to make lanterns or maybe you’d like to make one big star-shaped blanket?

It is up to you how you want to participate and capture your summer memories in stars.

There is only two rules:

⭐️ You must incorporate the star shape in your project

⭐️ You must use scraps in your project, but you can use new materials as long as you also include scraps

The MAL will start on June 1st and end on August 31st

There is no contest, just the fun of making 😊

Remember to use the #starsofsummermal so I can see your beautiful creations and inspire others.

The MAL is created and hosted by me on Instagram where you can follow along and maybe participate with your own projects as well. 

I will also keep you updated here, which will be with a bit more detail in a diary-like format.

I hope to see your stars out there during the summer.

Will you be participating?

Have a nice day

Lea

Painted terracotta pots - guide and first experience

 I have been seeing a lot of different painted terracotta pots on Pinterest. There are design inspiration for every theme you could dream of: fun, quirky, simple designs, romantic etc.

After doing a bit of research, I have now finally painted my first set of pots. I chose to make the pots for my mom, for her birthday. With her in mind, I chose a simple design and a few colours I know she likes.

Furthermore I chose to paint the pots with chalk paint. I like the vintage look and the detail in the structure from every stroke of the pencil. I think the charm of the chalk paint, fits very well with the garden scene. 

These are the steps I took, to paint terracotta pots:

1. Wash the pots in lukewarm water and make sure any dust or dirt is washed of, by using a cloth, brush or a sponge. Don’t use soap, just gently wash the pots. You do have to take this step even though it is new pots, and not old pots you want to bring to life again, because the dust from the clay can get into the paint.
2. Paint the pots with a sealer/primer both on the inside and the outside. This step is important, to make sure that when you water your plants, that dirty water won’t seep through and ruin your artwork. However, you can choose to only prime the outside of the pot, but be aware that water from the plant soil, might seep through over time. This can be a design choice and will give a special patina effect to your pots, over time.
3. Paint your pots with the paint of your choice. I have used chalk paint from https://vintage-kompagniet.dk/shop/2070-kalkmaling---vintage-paint/ you can also buy primers and topcoats here. I also used chalk markers to draw the details on the top. Chalk markers don’t fix as well as the chalk paint, but it will be permanent after applying the top coat.
4. Allow the pots to get completely dry, by letting them sit indoor for about a week, before finishing your artwork with a topcoat. During this step, it will also be clear if you have to apply another layer of paint before the topcoat.
5. It is now time for the final touch. There are a few options, you can choose from, regarding the topcoat. If you use chalk paint, I can recommend using wax, it gives a smooth mat finish. You can also use varnish for a shiny finish, it depends on your style and preference. In my research, I read, that it isn’t necessary to use topcoat on pots for indoor use, but I find, that it is a nice finish. On the other hand, applying topcoat makes it easier to clean the pots from time to time. In my opinion, I think it’s best to apply topcoat either way.

My first experience with painting terracotta pots with chalk paint, is that it is quite easy. The paint dries quickly, which means that you can easily apply more that one layer on the same day. I did wait till next day to draw the lines on the pots though. I wanted to be sure that the chalk paint was dry enough.

In the pictures shown here, I haven’t finished them with a topcoat yet, but I can’t wait to show you an updated picture with varnish and flowers. 

The reason I haven’t applied varnish yet, is that I wanted to wait for the pots to have dried a whole week, as I had read in the guide I read about painting with chalk paint.

My mom is really happy with her pots, that she got for her birthday 🥰 Yesterday we had a great trip to the plant store and I bought her two flowers for the pots ❤️

Have you tried painting your own terracotta pots?

What did you think of this small guide?

I’d love to hear from you and talk to you in the comments.

Have a nice day

 - Lea

Unplugged - Preparation

Unplugged pt 1

Unplugged for me, is pulling the plug to the online world and be present where i am without the constant pull from SoMe apps and other annoying notifications and stuff on my phone.

I therefore decided to keep my online life on my iPad and have my phone, for only that, a phone.

In this post I’ll start by giving you some steps I found important for switching from smartphone to dumbphone. After that, I’ll tell you a bit of how I did the preparation.

Before you switch from smartphone to dumbphone, there are a few things to be aware of and prepare yourself for. But first of all, you should make it clear to yourself, why you want to change to a dumbphone.

Here are some steps I found important:

1) Is there any apps or function that are  necessary in your everyday life?

        - This could be apps you use for payments, but it could also be some kind of authorization apps.

        - Are any of these apps essential in the society you live in?

        - Can you have these important apps on another device?

            - For some authorization apps, you can get a code reader instead.

2) What is your budget?

            - Though dumbphones are quite cheap, it is good to have a budget. This will also give you an idea of how much you can spend on other things you want, it could be a new camera, a codereader, music player etc.

3) The old dumbphones uses a the normal simcard size. Most smartphones uses micro- nano- or even E- simcard.

           - This step is easily solved, by calling the phone company and ask them to send you a new simcard that can be used with your dumbphone of choice.

4) There is also another option, instead of getting a dumbphone, you can delete all the apps you dont want to use or you can download an app, that locks all the apps you don’t want to use.

Here is what I did:

I decided to use my iPad for the few SoMe apps I wanted to keep, as I don’t carry my iPad with me everywhere, it would give me the offline time i wishes for, during the day. I also found out, that I can use my iPad for Mobilepay and the Danish authorization app MitID.

The next thing I needed to figure out, was how I can still listen to music and audiobooks. I like to use the audiobook app Mofibo, which meant I needed a device that could be used both as an mp3-player and be able to download the required app. There are a few options out there, Sony Walkman, iPod Touch and other less known brands. But what they all had in common was, they were basically a smartphone without the phone part and the security on them isn’t as good as on a smartphone.

Here is were I got lucky, I got the opportunity to get my sisters old iPhone 11. Yes, yes I hear you, didn’t i just begin this post saying i DIDN’T want a smartphone? Well, without putting in a simcard, this phone would be just like an iPod Touch, but with better security, better camera and it has the newest iOS, which means I don’t have to worry whether Mofibo could be used on older iOS or not. As I also wanted a new good camera (‘cuz even though a Nokia 3310 2017 does have a camera, it is NOT the best) I now got the things I needed from my sisters old phone.

I had the Nokia 3310 2017 from when my husband got the phone for nostalgic reasons, so I saved money here as well.

All in all, I actually ended up with getting started for waaay less than I expected to begin with. I only paid 100 DKK for getting a new simcard.

I am really excited to get started with my dumbphone as soon as my new simcard arrives.

If you have read this far, thank you for taking your time to read my story. 

Have you changed to dumbphone or do you think about changing?

What did you think of this post?

I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments.

Have a nice day

          - Lea