What’s Snovej?

Snovej is a blog about handmade and DIY crafting. It’s about enjoying the feel of yarn in your fingers, the steady sound of a sewing machine, the smell of a homemade candle and the taste of homemade jam.

Handmade crafting is many things. It’s practical and affordable, without sacrificing style. It’s satisfying, friendly to the earth, and brings depth to your home. It adds a meaningful, personal touch to gifts.

Sometimes making stuff by hand is frustrating. Like when the dog eats your bamboo knitting needles or the sewing machine jams up, or you burn yourself on candle wax or prick your finger on a needle. Sometimes the project you worked so hard on just doesn’t turn out right, and you have to start over.

C’est la vie! Such is life! Scott Adams, the guy behind the Dilbert comics, said it well:

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes

Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

Snovej is about handmade, DIY crafting … and the wholesome, nature-friendly, genuine attitude behind it.

Some upcoming themes you can expect:

• “Craft that Trash!” series: In this regular series I’m going to share tutorials, inspiration, and techniques for upcycling everyday trash and flea market finds.
• More Freeform Crochet tutorials
• Tutorials: I’ll take you step by step through new techniques and projects.
• Recipes: Crafting isn’t just sewing, or knitting, it’s food too! Expect regular, delicious recipes with good ingredients. No box mixes here!

 

What’s in the name?

Snovej is a weird name, I agree! But there’s a sweet story behind it that started over 70 years ago.

Shortly after my mother was born, her sister went to the movies and saw Disney’s Snow White. She loved the story of Snow White, called Snövit in Swedish, and so when the family sat down to discus the name for the new baby, my aunt wanted her sister to be Daisy Snövit.

My grandfather liked the Norwegian name Solvej, which means “sun way” or “sun path”.

Both my grandfather and my aunt were very stubborn about their choices and my grandmother, always the keeper of peace and balance in the family, solved the dispute by graciously announcing that the baby would be Daisy Snövej.

My mother grew up hating her middle name. She kept it a well hidden secret to avoid questions and ridicule, but to me it was a cute name. When I learned the story of it I felt it was very special.

Then one day it was my turn to name a baby—my first born daughter. I could give my daughter three names (a first name and two middle names), but I wanted to give her a name that honored the four most important women in my life: my mom, my grandmothers and my best friend.

Snövej solved the problem in a beautiful way, because it represents both my mother and her mother. And thus Snövej became my daughter’s second middle name. My mother was shocked!

But as time went by and people loved my daughter’s name, my mother started seeing it in a better light. Especially after I gave it to my second daughter, and the third daughter, and finally to the fourth daughter. That’s when I realized that Snövej had become my trademark!

I told my daughters that one day they would get married and have new last names, but that they would always have Snövej in common. They liked that.

I do, too.

Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.

Between posts you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and on Etsy. Subscribe now to Snovej so you don’t miss out. Be sure to follow me on Pinterest, too!

More about me:

I was born in Helsinki, Finland, on May 13th, 1959. I’m a Finland-Swede, which basically means I’m not from Sweden and I’m not a Finn. My mother tongue is Swedish. I’ve studied journalism and marketing, but my life long passion has always been crafting all kinds of things. I love working with fabrics and yarns of natural fibers, as well as paper crafts, wire crafts, painting, mixed media and wood working. I’m always learning new things. I also love sharing and teaching about these things, and about everything I know of self-sufficient living, gardening, foraging and cooking from scratch. I believe in homeschooling, and my daughter told me I’ve been unschooling myself all my life!

I love books, animals and nature. And working with kids and teens. I like volunteering and teamwork.

I collect craft materials, vintage tools and cobalt blue glass. And good friends and precious moments …

I met Kal, my husband, in 1976 and our adventures have taken us many places, and even though we had to leave, we still call Maine home. We have four amazing daughters: Charlotte in Minnesota, Maria in Texas, Emma in Finland, and Anna in Wales. Then there’s our grandkids: Lars in Minnesota, Dexter in Texas, and Mia in Finland.

I travel a lot between these places, from east to west, and back. I have a home in Finland and a home in the US. When I still lived in Maine I mused at the fact that I would leave my home in the northeast to travel across the globe to my home in the northeast! Sometimes I feel like a bridge, bringing east to west and west to east … I guess it’s all about keeping the balance! =)

My muse and tutor and site manager is Anna. She’s an amazing person with her own blogs, Crafting Fingers and Crafted Press. She’s one worth following … =)

Kal and I create and make Kal’s Specialty Foods, the best handmade gourmet condiments! An idea that was born in Maine a long time ago. Today we still make these goodies in Finland.

You can find more about it here: https://www.facebook.com/kalsofmaine

Happy Crafting!
~ Marina (Liljestrand) Hoffstrom