easy sewing

: : this makes a lot of sense. big eye needle by .woo moon-hyung.
{discovered via .notcot.}

the red balloon

: : watched the red balloon {le ballon rouge} a few nights ago. what a wonderful movie! I love the contrast of the balloons to the surroundings. especially when the red and the blue balloon meet...

images from here and here

magic

: : HAPPY NEW YEAR! : : absolutely amazing paperwork art by .yulia brodskaya.
{discovered via one of my very favorite blogs .oh joy.}

Snowed in

: : my family just arrived from Sweden. they were lucky to be the last plane to land in Boston today. The snow's been falling since Friday afternoon and we're completely snowed in. So, today we'll spend keeping warm inside, watching the snow fall outside. Feels like Christmas is here!
God Jul!

our couch: : before & after

before. in progress & after photos

: : Iz and I spent thanksgiving weekend re-upholstering our couch that we bought for $50 on craigslist. It was custom made in the 70's for the family that we bought it from. we thought it had nice modern, clean lines and decided to re-upholster it ourselves. With no previous experience I thought it would take us weeks. We did it in pretty much 3 days, there were a few final touch ups that had to be made the weekend after, but we are both VERY happy with the result. a little proud even..... we think it came out really nice. *smile*. it used to be in a green/gold tweed fabric, it is now in a natural/off white canvas fabric. it used to be smelly, it now feels clean and fresh!

: : hello : : work has taken over my life at the moment as everything has to get done before the holidays. I apologize for not spending much time here on the blog with all of you . I promise I will be back, we're almost done.... : :
see you in a bit!

pattern inspiration

: : when I'm looking for graphic inspiration I always browse through .print & pattern. This week I'm feeling particularly inspired by these patterns. all can be found on.print & pattern. they've all got elements of traditional folkart, and lots of great details. I am particularly fond of the plate with the curvy, bold pattern.

thanksgiving recap

: : the weekend is almost here again, and I never got a chance to post some photos from our thanksgiving weekend. it was absolutely glorious to have a few days off, with no commitments, no times to keep, just taking the day as it came (maybe that is only a Swedish expression).

we had a delicious dinner on thanksgiving. master chef .iz. cooked up delicious chicken breasts, served over Israeli couscous on a bacon, date puree complimented by a red wine reduction. heavenly. way better than turkey dinner!

A butternut squash, pomegranate, walnut salad was served on the side, together with delicious pumpkin cranberry bread [lena corwin's recipe].

H&M home

: : Swedish fashion giant H&M is releasing a line of home accessories, H&M Home!! I was so excited to hear the news! Apparently it's been in the works for a while, I must have been out of the loop because I didn't know anything about it until my friend .erica. emailed me this weekend and told me that .frida. at .husmusen. had posted the news. Read more about it on .husmusen's blog.

I have no idea what to expect from an H&M home line. Will it be similar to IKEA? and will they sell in the US too?

happy thanksgiving

: : Thanksgiving weekend has officially started. For .Iz. and I it means 4 days off together, nothing big planned, no big family gatherings, just time together at home. We'll attempt to re-upholster our couch [I'll share before and after pics], relax, hike, watch movies....but what we're most excited about is doing a lot of cooking. Thanksgiving is the holiday for enjoying food, but that doesn't mean turkey to us. We've got a lot of recipes on our list, I'd like to make Lena Corwin's delicious pumpkin cranberry bread again, and maybe some new recipes from the Jamie Oliver cookbook I got for my birthday. And the pumpkin gnocchi by .delicious days. sounds original and still appropriate for the season. We will also be testing some new drinks with our meals; caipirinha's are a family favorite, and the christmas caipirinha version in one of Bon Appetite's. latest issues sounds like an delicious variation. Happy eating!!

apoteket's mustard

: : every time I step into the Swedish pharmacy [apoteket] when I'm home, I'm impressed by their organization, layout and packaging graphics. No clutter, everything is simple, clean, easy to understand which creates a sense of calm.

I was not aware that in addition to selling ibuprofen and deodorant they also sell Christmas mustard presented in a package that is in line with the rest of their product offerings. The .apotek. experience is so much the very opposite of the CVS experience in America.

[via .below the clouds.]

{+} my sister got me the mustard for Christmas! Tack söta syster! It tasted delicious with the Christmas ham.

Swedish dancebands

: : Everyone seems to think these photos of .Swedish Dancebands. are hilarious. They came up in our lunch discussion at work and I had a friend email the link to me. Please don't let these photos influence your impression of Swedes! but hopefully they will make you laugh.

view more photos here (via .notcot.)

a new member of our household

: : a dining table to me is the heart of a home. this is where we enjoy meals together, do our work, entertain with our friends, go through the day's events over tea & coffee....it's the central piece of our home. for months we lived with my old desk as our dining table, searching and searching for the perfect table to replace it. now, finally we have found it. we'll we didn't find it, we found .jon. at .rochdale table company. and he made it for us. custom made to fit our space and personal preferences, we couldn't be more happy with our choice.

.jon. makes tables and benches using wood from old New England barns. the wood for our table comes from a barn in Orange, MA. the barn was built in 1850, and .jon. told me he can tell that the trees must have been 100 years old. that means that the trees were standing when George Washington was alive. it's so wonderful to have a piece of furniture with a story and so much character.

the mustard yellow eames chairs we found on craigslist in philly.
the .silicone table cloth. was a birthday present from my brother and sister, comes from Swedish .wisdesign.
the prints on the wall are my own design. customized color combinations based on kurbits patterns I have shared in .earlier posts.
the breadbasket and teak tray were my grandmothers.

friday inspiration

: : love the photography of .bernd optiz. [discovered via .frolic.]
happy weekend!!

Göteborg apartment

: : I was emailing back and forth with my cousin in Göteborg, Sweden. He mentioned that he and his fiance are selling their apartment hoping to move into a bigger place. He included some photos of their current space.I was so impressed by what they've done with the space, I had to share. Their view of .skansen kronan. through the windows is probably one of the best in the city. And I love all the use of wood, the flooring, but especially the wood sidings on the balcony. I look forward to see what they'll do in their new place.

dia rugs

.oh joy. is the perfect place to go for some Friday inspiration. she has such a wonderful eye for everything from clothing to home design to architecture. love these .dia rugs. a yellow one would look great in our foyer!

: : change has come to america : :

"Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope." Barack Obama 11.04.08

photo available by. risamay. on etsy

: : Vote tomorrow, Nov 4th : :

: : I encourage everyone who can to PLEASE VOTE TOMORROW. I wish I could : :

guest bedroom inspiration

: : there's something about rooms with dark walls....having been inspired by the most recent domino issue [see post below] I am seriously considering painting our guest bedroom dark blue. I love the .soot. color by benjamin moore in the kitchen photo above. I like the contrast of dark walls and crisp white trims. and I'd love to add a bohemian feel with a mix of different patterns, gold and silver. I like the rug in the domino pic above. maybe I can even convince .iz. to let me put an open clothes rack in the room to hang my dresses, scarfs and hats on. .iz. could fit some of his suits too *smile*.

darks, lights & jcrew

: : i really enjoyed .domino's. featured article [this month] on the home of j.crew creative director .jenna lyons' home. I particularly enjoy the high contrast between dark and light colors in almost every room. and it really shows that they were selective and chose pieces with care. pieces that feel as if they are part of the apartment.

I was also interested to learn more about j.crew as a brand and company. they have come a long way in recent years. I apparently wasn't the only one who found their clothes "boring and plain" a few years back. whereas now, I can't even look through one of their catalogs without finding a few 'must-have' items [like the pink ruffled shirt in the top corner].

new england fall

: : October in Boston this year has been one of the best months of the year. we've had warm weather, sun, crisp air and all the beautiful colors that come with fall. I know this is the favorite season for many. For me, nothing will ever beat summers in Sweden, but fall in New England is in second place and getting better and better for every year.

we spent this past weekend with friends at a house on a river in New Hampshire. and had a lot of fun playing around in the leaves.

spice up a regular bouquet of roses with maple leaves and some greens.

korvkiosk

: : I forgot to add my favorite image. here it is. a korvkiosk [hot dog stand somewhere in Göteborg]. It's so wonderful to recognize neighborhoods, stores, streets and parks in these photos. some places I used to walk by everyday.

smosch

: : Göteborg, my hometown

: : I've made a wonderful discovery of a new blog today [via .hei astrid.] The blog is called .smosch. by Sandra, an illustrator/artist who lives in .Göteborg., Sweden. My hometown! We didn't always live in .Göteborg., but it is where both my parents came from, grew up and where all of our relatives live. It's always been home to me. So finding .smosch. feels like connecting with a piece of home. .sandra. posts beautiful photos from her walks around the city, you can follow the changes of the seasons in her photos, and get a real feel for what life is like in the city. lots of fika [coffee breaks] at cafes.

I look forward to following life in my hometown through .sandra's eyes.

another great blog of life in .Göteborg., is of course, Elisabeth's blog .fine little day.

new kurbits

: : I've created some new color combinations of my kurbits patterns as wedding presents and presents for friends and family. I particularly like these ones on a black base, in the traditional colors of the region .Dalarna.

searching for sheets

: : with the past 3day weekend, we tried to make some progress on the apartment. the bedroom is closest to being finished. although there was a small disaster this weekend trying to get our curtains up (I was swearing in Swedish on Monday night).

we've been searching for sheets for a while now but are struggling to find what we want. ideally we'd like them to be organic cotton, we want to stay away from the white, and I'd love a bold pattern like the one above in gold, from .dwell studio. I've also taken a fancy for a particular.amy butler fabric., which I think has the perfect color combination for our bedroom. making a quilt is much too ambitious although I love the one in the photos. but maybe I could make my own duvet cover in this fabric?

if anyone has suggestions/ideas for places to find sheets, please leave me a comment.

one biker to another

: : [heard on my way in to work this morning. from one biker to another]
" nothing really seems so bad when you're on your bike".

it made me smile, in a time when the world is crumbling around us.... maybe I am just best off on my bike...

: : tina & hans : :

: : tina & hans got married on Oct 4th on an small island in the Swedish westcoast archipelago. their friends and families gathered on the cliffs by the ocean as the bride and groom arrived by boat just as the sun peeked through the clouds. beautiful pink, greys and blues throughout the wedding. the most beautiful wedding bouquet I've seen. blackberries and lavender mixed in with the table bouquets that tina put together herself. and of course, a beautiful bride and groom. a wonderful reception, with speeches, singing, dancing and games continued until the last ferry was leaving, by then the sunny weather had turned into storm and I returned home, my dress completely soaked. but that didn't matter. I had one of the best nights of my life. and I wish them all the happiness in the world!

: : louise & erik : :

: : two weddings, four of my very best friends, in one week. so many magical moments, laughter, friendship and love.

louise & erik married on Sept 27th. a beautiful, small, bright colored wedding set in the country by a large estate. louise was adorable in her sweet dress made by her grandmother. and erik more handsome than ever. the ceremony took place in a sun filled greenhouse, the reception followed in one of the old, stone houses surrounding the estate. the party went on well into the morning, the bride and groom left only 1 hr before the guests did. walking out hand in hand through the tall hedges, the sky filled with fireworks and their friends and families waiving from behind. a day to remember! I was thrilled to be able to be there, to be involved with the wedding, help with preparations and spend so much time together with louise, erik and their families. I wish them all the happiness in the world!

south end open studios

: : don't miss the south end open studios this weekend Sept 20-21st. It's a great day to be out and about in the .south end. checking out artist's work and the south end open market.

red house dreams

: : I'm leaving on thursday to head home to Sweden for two of my best friends weddings. The days in between the weddings [when I'm not helping out with wedding preparations] will be spent at my parents torp [typical Swedish red cottage] with my mom and sister. I'm hoping to be able to help with some decorating since they just moved in. I found some great inspiration images in the Swedish design magazine .sköna hem.

mamma mia!!

: : I've seen the movie .mamma mia. twice now. I'm a Swede, that's enough of an excuse. *smile*
I loved the movie! the music is great; of course, my Swedish friend and I sang along in every song. The actors are great; .Meryl Streep. really carries the movie, .Pierce Brosnan. is terrible at singing, but brave for trying, .Mr Darcy. my all time favorite is very lovable even in this movie, and the one Swede in the movie .Stellan Skarsgård. adds a lot of humor.

In addition to all this I was LOVIN' all the attention on Swedish Design in the movie. An overwhelming amount of beautiful .Josef Frank fabrics., but even the cross stitching details on Meryl Streep's bed cover, the stitching on her dresses, the colors......everything reminded me of Sweden.

Lastly, it was filmed at what must be one of the most beautiful place on earth, the Greek island of .Skopelos., which is probably getting invaded by mamma mia fans as I am writing this. the photos above are a few of my flickr favorites of the island.