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Project of the day | Staging Spring
I did get the balcony fixed up. Then I went to a store that as I discovered yesterday had locally grown hydrangea. So far, so spring. Then, on the way back – guess what – it started snowing. It would appear that sometimes wishful thinking isn’t enough (who knew?).
Since desperate times require desperate measures, I resorted to what any home-story-teller who is worth their grain does anyway: I faked it. Rather: tried. As will become apparent in a moment, this is probably one of the worse attempts at staging spring. So … here goes nothing.
Yeah, that table cloth under the hydrangea is not ironed. Neither is the table-cloth on the table, which is actually a curtain. I mean, the table-cloth is actually a curtain, not the table. I must say, those teacup candles are versatile. I need more so I can have them EVERYWHERE. Hyacinths. Just noticed that one of them is molding a little bit. Meh. Hello beautiful! Or should I say: hello bluetiful? Less elegant, more playful. You might say this balcony’s style is all over the place. I choose to call it „eclectic“. Unless I don’t show you the picture I just showed you, and show you this instead. Doesn’t work with real life visitors, though. Unless I make them leave the balcony frequently so I can rearrange things according to what they’re going to look at next. Seems like a lot of work, though, so … probably not. Now we’re getting somewhere with the spring feeling! So … another picture of the same just from a slightly different angle. And another! OK, I’m done. -
Project of the day | The sunny season’s living-room
Today I am going to take on balkonia, and hopefully turn this sadness into something … well, better.
Yes, I was lazy in the fall. Just left the plants right where they were. Guess I’m paying for that today. Maybe I can get Peter to take care of it? Imagine me with kids … Can you find all the miserable plants in this picture? Can’t get so much worse, right? Here’s to hoping that I’ll be able to show you some after pix tonight.
Have a wonderful Saturday everyone!
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More than words
Today started out …
… pancakey. I wasn’t very patient with the camera here, so it’s a little hard to see but …
… I hope you do see that THERE WAS A LITTLE FLOWER IN MY TEA. Later my day turned …
… outdoorsy. Met up with La at Trädgårdsföreningen. Couldn’t get over how nice it was with the sun out and all. And it ended …
… kladdkaka-y. At Dina’s. My second mud cake this week. The chocolatey tastiness was preceded by a most delicious dinner. Thanks, Dina! Lucky (imagine me saying with a Napoleon Dynamite intonation).
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What a day
I am aware that today is Women’s Day. I just don’t know what to say. „Happy Women’s Day“ somehow always seems a little off, for while, yes, we have come a bit further, I don’t think we’ve made it quite yet. On the other hand I am not really in the right mind-set for writing a post about how „we“ still are suffering and suppressed (not that there wasn’t anything to write about, sadly). So I am executing my right as woman and a human being of not taking a stance on womanhood in general or my womanhood in particular today. I encourage everyone around me … to do whatever feels right for them.
Happy human day. All day. Everyday. Let’s let love rule and take it from there.
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DIY – Three tier servers
Like I said: I have been obsessed with (making) these three tier servers.
You need:
- 3 plates in different sizes
- 2 candle holders or other appropriate items to stack the plates
- Two-component adhesive
- a pencil to mark where to glue what
The first time I made these I went through a complicated process of figuring out the exact center of each plate and the candle holders. It was time-consuming, and I realized that it was no guarantee for getting everything perfectly centered anyway. So now I am just going with my visual judgment, which works fine, so I recommend you do the same.
To glue the pieces together, follow the instructions of the specific glue you’re using. With the one I used, that meant applying glue on both objects you want to glue together, not just on the one of them. That’s all, now you just need to wait for the glue to do its thing.
Yes, La, you guessed it … … this one is for you. This one’s a little more funky:
I use candle holders to stack the plates. As always … … everything’s thrifted. Well, except for the lemons. And the super-glue I use to keep everything from falling apart. Which do you like better – romantic or „funky“?
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A house of one’s own
Why even pretend to be modest. No, I don’t just want a room of my own, I want a house. Right now I have neither (who invented this bedroom-living-room situation for couples anyway?). What I do have is access to hemnet.se, a website where you can check out on a map which houses are for sale here in Sweden. I haven’t indulged in this kind of reverie in a while but Peter’s return from a visit to friends of ours who do live on the country-side, and most of all: the enthusiasm in his voice when he talked about it, led me back there. Who knows, maybe one of these is our future home???
It’s address is Solbergavägen – this must be fate! Don’t care too much for the blue but this would do, too. Classic Swedish red house – and I love those kind of porches. While I am dreaming anyway: why not this one??? -
Take me back to the desert!
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Recipe – Scones
When I was an exchange student in the USA, my (host) mom would make pancakes or scones on the weekends for breakfast. I loved and kept this tradition later on. Until I – like most people it seems, including my host family – kind of fell of the sugar and carb wagon. But the other day I just couldn’t resist. So if you want to celebrate this Sunday (or my American mom), make some scones!
Here’s my mom’s recipe for 12 scones:
2 3/4 cups (ca. 6,5 dl) flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup (ca. 1 dl) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups (ca. 2 dl) firm butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup (ca. 2,5) milk
add fruit if desired- Mix dry ingredients,
- cut in butter until crumbs,
- stir in milk,
- knead 25 times,
- shape and place 2 inches apart.
- Bake 400° F (200 ° C) for 18-22 minutes
During the colder season, I like to add orange zest – lemon zest tastes great, too, but to me it’s more of a „cold“/fresh taste (= summer in my mind), while orange feels more „warm“. You know what I mean?
My favorite breakfast – besides American pancakes, of course! -
Spring fever…ish
I thought I had posted this last night but I guess I was too tired from work. Found it under „recent drafts“ just now. So this is „yesterday’s jam“, as Roy from the IT Crowd would say.
The days are getting longer, and most of all: lighter! It’s not until you see the sun again after a very long winter that you realize how much you’ve missed it. I know I did.
When I left the house this morning there was still ice on the ground … … I was greeted by the moon and a pastel sky so pretty it even made our neighborhood seem beautiful. The sun came out during the day … … and suddenly, spring seemed like a possibility. Nothing against these „guerrilla art cherry blossoms“ – but I can’t wait for the real deal.
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Food from a bird’s eye view
Today my bloglovin-feed made me smile:
I sense a trend here – VERY SUBTLE but if you look closely, you’ll see what I mean! Ko-inky-dink – or do we all read the same blogs? Either way, think of this as my attempt to pay homage to Sandra/Niotillfem and UnderbaraClara while contributing something new:
Can you guess what I had for breakfast??? Have a great Saturday everyone!