286

 Gift to myself

At times, I invite new objects into my life. It doesn't happen often, apart from the products I use daily (such as soap and food). But when it happens, I try to be intentional. February is my birthday month. I don't ask my fellow humans to give me anything, but I give a gift to myself. It doesn't have to be things. At times, it's just a walk. Sometimes it's food. Sometimes it's just many hours with nature. This time I invited an object. It's a small pouch for my bank card, sundhedskort (the heath insurance card) and id card. Previously, for this purpose I used a cotton pouch that came with soaps. Then I started to use it to carry my mobile internet with me, so I wanted something for my cards. The pouch I chose is made from organic cotton. I like using it in my everyday life because it normalises simplicity. It's also affordable. It could be hand-made, but I don't always make things by hand. At times I do, but at other times I prefer to support businesses that are on sustainability paths. The piece of string I used to decorate the pouch came with another object. I usually save those strings for gift wrapping. 

285

 DIY

Whenever possible, I do and make things myself. I repair my own clothing and at times my loved ones' clothing. I cook, and sometimes I make my own skincare. When I was younger and had access to land, I grew some of my own food. I don't try to do as much as possible myself. When I can, I support small, local, independent businesses. For example, I buy soaps and balms from them. 

My loved one and I created a space for my stepchild in our tiny studio apartment. She spends more time with us, and at times she sleeps with us too. We thought it would be nice for her to have her own space. I don't invite decorations into my home and use stones, flowers, and shells I find in nature. But for a young child I decided to make the space more welcoming. She loves drawing and painting, and she painted a picture for us. I will ask her to create artwork to hang above her bed. For storing our objects, I use cotton tote bags. We will have cotton baskets to store her clothes, art supplies and toys. To decorate those baskets, I decided to make pompoms from wool. It's rather time-consuming, but it's ok. We could buy decorations on the market but this is one of those situations when I prefer to make something myself. My work is oftentimes theoretical, and it feels humbling and grounding to create with my hands.