dress of the day

I got this dress a few weeks ago, at Humana's half price sale, so I paid 75 kronor for it. Money well spent indeed. Today was the first day I wore it, and I loved it just as much as when I tried it on in the store. It's always nice to wear a dress for the first time and get to try out how to accessorize it best. Can't wait for warmer days to wear it too, since the upper part of the dress is the cutest and shouldn't be covered with a cardigan.



Very sweet little buttons in the front. I'm not sure what the material is, I would say a light polyester, but I guess it might have it's own name. I'm not really a fabric expert. Not sure about the make either, it looks very 40's but could just as well be from the 80's.



The sleeves are my absolute favorite part of this dress, so cute.


Today I also had my first semla in years. It's a traditional Swedish pastry that you're supposed to eat one specific Tuesday in March, but nowadays are available in most bakeries from just after Christmas to Easter. I've never been a huge fan of them, but usually had one every year anyway. Some years ago I had a really bad one though, and I was in a business meeting and felt bad to leave any, so I still ate it all and felt sick for the whole day. But today I suddenly got a semla craving and it was delicious! Which means I might just have to have at least one more before the season is over.

three things to make me smile

Obviously I should've posted this on January 1st, my apologies for that, but better late than never. And the upcoming 11 months I promise to do better. Pinky promise. This is a handprinted calender made by Stockholm based designer Tovelisa, that my sister-in-law Sara got me for christmas. She hinted she was thinking of getting it for me when we went to an independent design christmas market together, and I'm very glad she did. It's so beautiful.



Later in the calender there is an owl, but I couldn't wait for it so I went and bought myself another owl necklace. Also the one I got earlier this fall broke again, and I need some help to fix it, but before I get that done I felt I needed another one. Craved one. No, not really, but when I found this cutie with no less than three owls for the price of one, how could I resist? It's from a store I think is called Oriental, at the corner of Tjärhovsgatan and Renstiernas gata in Stockholm, where you can find a lot of lovely stuff. It cost me 149 kronor, which I took from the christmas money budget. I wonder how long I can make that last ...



Now I'm off to my niece Stella's birthday party, with no less than 17 kids and some of their parents. I've promised to help decorate, and be in charge of the "fish pond" (where the kids get to fish for their goodiebags at the end). I also did some baking yesterday, and really went all the way decorating the tiny cookies I thought would be a hit with 4-year olds. If they don't like them I'm not too worried that the grown-ups won't finish them.

Tomorrow it's back to work! I don't know if I remember how to do it ...

the weekend trifecta

A good weekend starts with breakfast somewhere they make a mean cappuccino, for example at The Little Italian Place in Pavillion, here in Durban. Their cappuccino is seriously perfect! Or veramente perfetto, as they would put it in the Mother Country of Good Coffee. It will then continue with finding the jacket I got obsessed with in Grahamstown a week ago, in my size at Truworths, and buying it. 550 rand is not the cheapest, and it does feel silly buying a winter jacket when it's 25 degrees outside: but come on, look at it! If that is not a perfect jacket I've never seen one, and I rarely have to be honest. I'm a coat person mostly, I love coats.



In all sizes black and white hounds tooth pattern is one of my absolute favorites though, that was probably the main attraction of it. And the very classic cut, that at least reminds me of a 60's jacket for example Audrey Hepburn could have worn. Absurdly enough I now long for winter again, so I can pretty myself up with this cutie. Not really though, I can't wait for the unpredictability that is Swedish summer! Especially since I missed it last year, I'm very much looking forward to the long bright nights, park coffee drinking, long walks by the water, new potatoes with pickled herring, fresh strawberries and rhubard pie. It'll be nice for sure.



Getting back to the trifecta weekend, the second ingredient was finally getting the second season of Flight of the Conchords, one of my all time favourite comedy series. Back home again after shopping just to putting it on and watching the whole first disc in one go, then saving the second to Sunday, trying to prolong the pleasure. Indeed it was a pleasure, and I loved the documentary that was featured too. I'm a little bit sad that this is it of course, there will be no more Flight of the Conchords, or so they say. Maybe they'll make a comeback to the career they never got in 10 year's time? That would be sweet. I'll wait for that then.



Thirdly, finishing off the trifecta, was baking "hallongrottor" ("raspberry caves") after finally finding a very tasty raspberry jam in the store, and eating most of them fresh. It is the most divine cookie I know, and only has one flaw: it's completely impossible to just eat one.

In my opinion this makes a good weekend without trying too hard.

bargain books and more polyester

Today it was colder again and I took the opportunity to wear another one of my polyester 60's dresses. This particular one is from Berlin, and was paid for by weight, I think it cost 7 euro about 3 years ago. Pretty nice system I must say, haven't seen it anywhere else. I really like the geometrical, a bit unusual pattern, and the colours are great.

During my lunch I went to one of my fave book stores in the neighbourhood, the always wonderful Bokmagasinet at Hornsgatan 80 in Stockholm. They've got a perfect combination of new and antiquarian books, a good children's books corner, a back catalogue bargain room, and a beautiful selection of art postcards and notebooks. I was just gonna look around, not really buy anything (when did I ever manage that ...?), when something black and red with a gorgeous gold font caught my eye.





I fell in love with them just looking at the spines, took one down to check the price and it said 1-5 200 kronor. I asked someone if that was correct, cos there were 6 bands actually, and the store lady confirmed all of them cost just 200! I honestly started to shake with excitement a little bit, and then I also found out that they're from 1960. Pretty good year. Pretty, pretty good, as Larry David would put it. They're incredibly heavy so I only carried 3 of them home today, will bring the others tomorrow. Expect some quotations in the future.





Just look at that foil stamp! I'm a complete nerd when it comes to many things, but book details are one of the things that make me the happiest. Good thing I get to work with it for a living.

I also got a free baklava at the lunch place today, for being cute, which may sound a bit creepy but completely wasn't. It was a good baklava, but not as good as the best ones that we used to be able to buy next to work. That shop is unfortunately gone now, and I miss it pretty bad. I'm thinking of going to Turkey to get the real stuff one day. And obviously to visit Haga Sophia at least once. Yes, that I wanna do one day.

"BAT, the only mammal capable of true (powered) flight." The Caxton World of Knowledge, Vol. one A-Cap.