Ísland

I am a little late in getting this post together, but here is Iceland from my visit in late July. xo

Flying over Greenland means we are almost there

Elf houses

Icelandic horses near Esja 

Kerið Crater, Iceland

Aurora and Clementine at Gullfoss, with so many tourists we had to block the waterfall to get a picture of just these two!

Scrapped fishing boat in Þorlákshöfn  

The new high school in Mosfellsbær. Gorgeous design and architecture are an everyday thing here.

My daily coffee and kókósmjólk date

Hallgrímskirkja, famous church in downtown Reykjavík. And too many tourists! 

Bus stop in downtown Reykjavík  

The famous hot dog stand by the sea, Bæjarins Bestu Pylsur

Harpa, the stunning concert hall in downtown Reykjavík, with walls made of honeycomb glass.

(For scale)

Vala, in old downtown Reykjavík  

Clementine, with one of my grandfather's paintings

Alafoss, the famous yarn shop where I buy all of the Lopi yarn I use for my hand knit bunnies.

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Only Clementine lol

Viggó, Krummi and Ársol/Cousins

More cousins, outside my grandfather's art studio, in Mosfellsbær...

And a lot more cousins in Kopavogur...

And ofcourse, Sverrir too. Cousins. xo

2017 part 1

woodcarving x 3

viggo in Barrio Anita, (where I grew up) + Frank's restaurant + Karamelo King

knitted bunnies x 3 

tiny paintings

reading - Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav (authentic power and eternity) and The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins (motivation).  

enjoying locally - Karamelo King (Hass tacos!) and Frank's Diner (any breakfast).

watching - The Sopranos, finally. And it's the best television I've ever seen. 

travelling - to Iceland to see my family. Pics to come, next post!  

xo Maja

February 2016 (+2015)

A year of: 

Daily struggles and little triumphs.  Of gratitude and surrender, (to each day and what it brings).  And of endless prayer, (that I can learn to love better...through my scattered fears, through the overwhelming beauty, through the grind of this modern parenting/job having life). 

-Woodcarving + woodworking (kept me distracted in the best way, in the way that only working with your hands can)

-Making puzzles again, playing with a new color palette. 

-5 Points Market,  gracious enough to have my work on their walls for this winter.  (Thank you, Jasper. xo)

-My old studio, missing everything about it except the heat in the summertime.  But grateful that I can now work at home,  painting and woodworking.

-Listening, mostly to nothing new...old rock and roll...CCR, Van Morrison, Paul Simon and such.

-Reading, The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, (a brilliant book about developmental trauma and all that we can do for ourselves and others to recover from it)

xo Maja

Sketch to start

Carving

Finished

Carving

Painted and varnished

Horse Carving

New Hand-painted Wood Pig Puzzle 

Backside of puzzle pieces

New Hand-painted Wood Circus Elephant Puzzle

Letters and Numbers

Good read...

Viggo + Hendrix, playing with stone carved blocks, made by my father

Viggo. last summer, at our favorite snow cone shop, Oasis Raspados.

Viggo's crew 

Last year's studio

Hand-carved frames, ready for mirrors. 

Viggo + friends, at 5 Points Market

October 2014

It's mostly me and Viggo these days, as the girls are always busy.  I am back in my studio, painting and carving frames. We now know that we are moving in November, so we are soaking up our last few weeks on La Cienega and, unloading whatever possessions we don't need to make this move a little easier.

Still a little sad about this move, but mostly grateful.  A fresh start, in beautiful weather, with my family...it will be our little tiny adventure.

xo Maja

Listening to...  Shovels & Rope / Swimmin' Time (album) + Aretha Franklin / Baby, Baby, Baby (track)

Cooking...  pumpkin bread + fresh pico de gallo 

Enjoying Locally...  Upper Crust Pizza + Anita St. Market (tortillas + empanadas) 

Morning palate

Afternoon palate

Making pumpkin bread

Ready for the oven

Viggo, at Upper Crust, our favorite pizza joint

We've been hanging out like this, in this spot, since he was born.  I'm soaking up these snuggles...he's getting awfully big.

the latest

My first wholesale order.  Small but mighty.

Viggo's favorite stop when he's at his Amma's house

Running errands...he keeps it interesting

Cabbage and Pico de Gallo for tacos

Boyhood

August 2014

The light is changing, the days are just a bit shorter, and even in the hottest part of the day, the sun does not bear down with quite as much strength. Monsoon storms are coming and going. Fall is around the corner...enjoying the last quiet days of a Tucson summer, before the city wakes up and we are all hustling and bustling again.

 xo Maja

Listening to:  Billie Holiday / Solitude (album) + Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers / Gospel (album)

Cooking: Caldo de Queso / Limeade

Enjoying Locally:  Joel D. Valdez Main Library / El Guero Canelo / Food City / Sun Link Streetcar (finally!)

Riding the Tucson Streetcar

Viggo's view from the streetcar window

Viggo's favorite Tucson library

Home from the library, drawing ocean dinosaurs

Paletitas from Food City

Making Caldo De Queso

The best and the cheapest produce (Food City!)

El Guero Canelo.  Sonoran Hot Dogs / Caramelos /  Mexican Coke.

July 2014

Mucking our way through these summer days...lucky enough to get away to California this month. School starts in a couple of weeks and then I'll be back to work in my studio. Cannot wait.  

Come see me and the ladies of MAST at the MAST Boutique on Sunday, July 27th, for a Meet the Maker event to celebrate the Streetcar Opening.  Hope to see you there!

Listening to...Aloe Blacc / Good Things (album) + Mapei / Don't Wait (track)

Knitting...with a new shipment of AlafossLopi and LettLopi from Mossfellsbaer, Iceland

Road Tripping...to San Clemente, CA

Cooking...Albondigas & Blueberry Pie

Enjoying locally...The B Line on 4th Ave. 

xo Maja

Hitting the road

Rest stop in Gila Bend

Road knitting

Clementine, Ruby & Ruby in San Clemente, CA

Viggo's first football game

Viggo and Mikey at the San Mateo Campground

Viggo hanging with the big kids

Last morning by the ocean

Back home, time to recover with homemade soup

Meatballs for the Albondigas

June 2014

Quoting..."The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." 

Keeping...this quote written on a piece of paper in my pocket these days.   Setting new goals, trying not to look back, (looking forward with determination and faith), one day at a time.

Listening to...Jason Isbell / Southeastern (album) +  Sturgill Simpson / Some Days (track)

Sketching...with Lyra pencils (my favorite) from Sarnoff 

Cooking...black beans and rice / bacon (always) / banana bread

Road tripping......with Clementine to Flagstaff, AZ 

Enjoying local...Aqua Vita water, the neighborhood pool, downtown Tucson, and hanging in the backyard when the sun goes down.  

xo Maja

Downtown Tucson with my mama, Clementine and my nephew, Trevor.

Daily sketches and psalms

Clementine in Flagstaff

Latest bunnies in the shop.

.

Viggo, taking care of business at Aqua Vita

Finally learned to swim!

Black beans...boiled with with one medium onion, chopped and sauteed, and one jalapeno, seeded.

May 2014

I have been rooted in this house, our home, for thirteen years. With all my babies...and the light, happiness, and troublemaking they bring. But it looks like we will be moving soon. Hoping that our next stop will be as cozy as this one and making sure to enjoy one last summer in this little house. And in the end, making God's heart my home, wherever we may be.

xo Maja

Viggo, making French crepes

Our first Spring chick from our little Bantam hen, one day old

Viggo, doing "workies" with his Mama

Annie and the hens 

Little Houses by Tin Maja

Little Dove and Sailboat paintings by Tin Maja

Packing up knitted bunny orders  

Clementine at the Sarabande Riding Club Awards Night

Mother's Day at 5 Points Market.  Looks more like Viggo's Day...

Cousins on Mother's Day

R + C, my brown-eyed girls.

April 2014

Changes are coming our way but trying still to live "one day at a time".  Praying for direction and patience. And looking for the adventure amidst the challenges. xo 

"Touch me God, with your hands.  Paint my heart the color of yours, and plant your dreams above my head so that you can keep me close and send me out to do all good things. Amen"  

Spent a day with Clementine in Sonoita, Arizona at the Grass Ridge Derby.

Clementine, tacking up Pedro 

Waiting for the start

Found this little painting while cleaning out the girl's closets.  I wrote and painted this, years ago, before I became a wife and mother. 

Viggo's portraits of Spider-man and Jesus. I love these so much...

Metta made Viggo's favorite cookies at Tooley's

Viggo Baggins. The soundtrack to The Desolation of Smaug was playing in the background...

Chores

Spring Tin available at La Cabana in the Mercado San Agustin

Baby Knit Bunnies, made to order or available in MAST boutique

Ruby and her friends at Oasis Fruit Cones in Barrio Hollywood.  

Fall Production

October is my favorite month of the year in Tucson; the worst of the heat has definitely passed, the city is buzzing again and it is time to organize what I have been making all summer, and get ready for the busy selling season. I managed to get quite a bit done this summer.  And a new BIG project is now parked in my backyard...an adorable food truck we picked up for my sister that we are slowly fixing up. 

Fall in Tucson...time to come out of hibernation and remember why we live here. xo

Been really busy making striped bunnies with Kambgarn yarn from Iceland.    Now that it has cooled off a bit, I'll be adding some more Lopi bunnies, too. 

New Sailboat Painting in Blue

The first batch of Tin Maja Ornaments for the holiday season.  Each and everyone of these is cut, punched and wired by hand.  100% handmade. 

Packaging ideas...love when the dollar aisle at Target adds just the right touch, (polka dot craft paper).  I think I'm going to buy every roll of this that I can find.

Viggo, and his little bantam rooster named Tricky.  This might be my favorite picture...ever.

Lego battles at Time Market. Trying to enjoy every moment of Viggo's last year of not being in school, full-time.  I remember with my daughters, how much our schedule changed once they entered kindergarten. I also remember, suddenly being able to get a lot more done! But these little ones grow up so fast,  so we're hitting all of our favorite spots as often as possible.  

  A new wood block puzzle...more wood, less paint.

Get ready Tucson...for the best coffee truck in town...with the best pastries and cookies made by my sister. (but sorry, no crazy, magic tacos...I think we better start with a paint job.)

This Tucson summer...

Coco Puff. I think she is a Sicilian Buttercup.  She's my favorite.

Clementine and Viggo in front of my father's new place.  His house used to be a horse stall, my husband worked all of June to create the beautiful transformation.  My father lives and paints here.  It is small but really lovely.

Memory Game.  Handmade by me.  27 hand-painted wood block pieces. Handmade, hand-painted box.  These take forever to paint. Spent many afternoons in June, cranking out these little images. This is only the fifth one I have ever made. 

Three new Lopi bunnies in my shop this month. My Lopi supply is running low...hoping Ruby brings some yarn back for me from the Alafoss Shop in Iceland. Lucky girl.