Colourful Christmas for the Children: Ikea

Found here.

Last year me and my husband spent Christmas in Durban, and as we didn’t want to experience the stress of buying gifts the last week before the holidays, we bought most things in Stockholm and stuffed our suitcases. For all the children we wanted to spoil we bought quite a lot at Ikea, whose childrens department is really something. Since Ikea still hasn’t opened a branch in South Africa, it also felt a bit unique to get things from there. We got quite a lot of this selection I’m featuring, but there are a few new items I think will make their way down south this year. I mean, how cute isn’t the soft breakfast plate?!

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Durban in my heart

Just wanted to share some lovely moments and sights from our long stay in Durban. First up are some pics from a visit to Park Rynie, down the South Coast. It was so beautiful, and extremly crowded, which you wouldn’t know from seeing these pics.

 

 My pretty Pixie girl in her favorite sleeping spot: on a tray on top of the fridge in our house.
 

Magical evening sky.

Cutie-pie Milou, hoping he’ll get a treat if he waits patiently enough.

My favorite Missy, with her signature stare always following me around wherever I go. I love her to bits.

Nice piece of contemporary art on the Beachfront.

More Beachfront art, this piece a bit more temporary.

Oh, the marvellous Indian Ocean, I will never grow tired of watching it.

This is our new little friend, Freddy, a true fighter with a constant scratched nose, but all he wants is love and to sleep really close to you, preferably on top on your stomach.

Supposedly the biggest Hanuman statue in South Africa, maybe the world? It sure took us by surprise when we arrived to Chatsworth and saw it the first time.

Driving downtown Durban.

 Even more Beachfront art.

I miss it already, but I will always come back, again and again and again.

fine Durban finds

So I’m back in Stockholm, with full access to internet again, and there sure is a lot of catching up to do after being away from most of it for almost 6 weeks! I’ve got a long list of things I wanna share here, and didn’t really know where to start, but then I thought I’ll just start anywhere. And anywhere turned out to be sharing some nice shopping finds I did in Durban. Although my husband claims I’ve got enough bead jewellery to last me a lifetime, I don’t agree! So I got some new pretty bracelets at the NSA Gallery shop.

This one has got my fave colours, so obviously it will go with half my wardrobe. The beautiful fabric it’s lying on is a gift from a friend. It’s a piece of Furoshiki, a Japanese gift wrapping fabric. I love it!

Got some shoes from Bata, very retro 50’s looking with a little wedge heel. Was looking at shoes everywhere, but in the end I figured it would be a bit silly to get more summer shoes, seeing that the Swedish summer is so short. I’m really glad I got these though, they are so comfortable and cute.

This red number wrinkles very easily, but I really like it just the same, because of it’s simplicity. I think it’s got that perfect everyday look, but could also work for a formal occassion with the right accessories.

This dress is my best purchase I think, and I’ve got my husband to thank for it! We went to a mall (Pavillion), and as we started to walk around there was a partial powercut and half the stores had to close for about 1 1/2 hours. We walked past a store I’d never been to, and he suggested we check it out since so many of the stores I wanted to go to were closed. And there it was, waiting for me, this lovely black and white thing! It looks a bit boring and plain just hanging like this, but it looks really nice on. Fortunately we had one party to go to, so I got to wear this pretty dress once already. I’m thinking it could work with tights and a black turtleneck underneath too, because the fabric isn’t too thin. So I don’t have to wait too long before I can wear it again.

Here’s a little cute top from Mr Price, surprisingly (to myself) one of very few things I got from Mr Price this time.

 Another cute little top, this one from The Hub.

 I’m in love with this pattern!

And finally a nice teal top with a “faux peter pan collar”, from The Hub. With the buttons in the back it reminds me a lot of some vintage blouses I’ve got from the 60’s.

Now I just need to wait and wait and wait for summer, or at least spring to come to Sweden, so I can use these nice new things!

In just a few hours we are on our way south again! Even though I am not too good with the heat that awaits us, I will sure be very happy to get more daylight and see lush greens and flowers everywhere. And it will obviously be amazing with a five week holiday together, meeting up with family and friends and getting to cuddle with our three cats and one dog! Yes, it will be very nice indeed. I am not sure when we will be online again, but I guess that would be a normal part of a holiday, to stay offline? Eventually I will be back for sure, and in the meantime, if you don’t hear from me before then: have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dreamy dresses from StutterinMama’s

I am slowly getting in the mood of heading south in about a week and a half, when we’re going down to Durban for a long, well deserved vacation with my husband’s family and all our friends there. Although this autumn has been unusually mild, and still is, it will obviously be a big difference from 5-10 degrees to 30-35 degrees. I like being able to wear tights and cardigans and coats with my dresses and skirts, but it will be nice to just throw a cotton dress on, slip my feet into sandals, and be ready for the day. Here are some beautiful 50’s summer dresses from StutterinMama’s Etsy shop I wouldn’t mind packing. Floral print in turquoise and purple.

I love this colour combination like mad! Green and turquoise striped cotton dress.

And predictably there’s a red and white gingham dress in this mix.

This somewhat tropical leaf print dress in green is just lovely.

Finally an adorable white cotton dress with heartshaped flowers and a nice corset waist.

exceptional book covers: oceans

There are few things online I find more relaxing and rewarding than browsing The Book Cover Archive. Today I decided to share a selection of ocean related beauties, just because. Maybe I’m secretly dreaming of a beach somewhere far far away. Although I actually live on an island here in Stockholm, so there’s definitely no lack of water around here. Not that many whales around though, or shells. This first book is designed by Leo Nickolls.



Next up is one by Allison Saltzman.



Followed by brilliant typographer Marian Bantjes, who I admire big time.



Another book on fishing, this one designed by Helen Yentus, whose portfolio is very impressing indeed.



Finally a book designed by John Fulbrook III. In our Durban home we’ve got a small beautiful ceramic bowl, which was part of a wedding gift, filled with tiny shells from a beach on the North Coast outside of Durban. Always reminding us of a wonderful weekend spent there in June 2009. It was truly one of the strangest experiences I’ve had, because as soon as we arrived there and parked the car, time slowed down in the most remarkable way. I’ve heard of sleepy seaside villages, but I don’t think this was what was going on, at least I felt very much awake. And completely relaxed the entire time. We spent probably 2 hours shell picking or just sitting on the beach, watching the sea, but it felt like an entire day. I wish myself back to that feeling.

fantastic flowers and birds

A few weeks ago I got two lovely belated birthday gifts from a dear friend that I hadn't seen for a while. This is one of the gifts, an adorable cup and saucer, here with a midmorning cup of coffee and some gingerbread bisquits, a must this time of year.



Just look at these little birdies sitting in a tree full of flowers! Too cute! Right now I'm having Five Roses Rooibos & Honey in it, which is my favorite evening tea, and some Riviera Chocolate Luvbites, that we just got in a care package from my mother-in-law in Durban. Delish!



We just came back from a small holiday down south in Sweden, and later I'll show some pretty pictures from an incredible place we visited. But for now I'm just gonna brag about this beautiful piece of art that my husband got for me: a Chinese wood carving. When I saw it I just knew I had to have it! It's not only beautiful, it smells wonderful too, don't know what wood it's made of though. Something nice smelling. Cedar Maybe?



I love these phoenix birds. They make me think of getting a phoenix tattoo, that I've considered on many occasions before.



And how about these roses? Oh, how I just adore Chinese arts and crafts. Now comes the delicate question of finding the perfect place for it in our flat, where I can see it the most. Will have to get back on that.

Enjoy your own evening cup of tea! And get yourselves ready for another giveaway coming up in a little bit!