Things I really miss right now..

Blue sky

Being barefoot in the grass

Eating breakfast outside

Tasty strawberries

Wearing shoes instead of boots

Finally Friday!

I'm having an early morning caffe latte, dressed up in a nice dress just because it's friday. Today I will make my way through London to do some more research for my London guide, and also take lots of photos. And this weekend we're celebrating Burn's night , Husband is Scottish after all, with some friends over for a proper Burn's meal, including haggis, nepe and tatties and whisky. And, of course, reading of Burn's poems like 'Adress to a Haggis' or 'To a mouse'. The Scottish accent will not be a challenge for Husband or our Scottish friends, but more so for the rest of us...

Hope you'll all have lovely fridays!

A collector's confession

I never thought I'd be one of those old ladies who has lots and lots of stuff, but I think it might be time to realise that I probably will be. When you're dreaming of a bigger house so that you can have more space for tea cups, it's definitely time for facing the facts. I am a collector. There. I've said it now. It's out there. In my defence, because I do now feel the need to defend myself, I only collect things that are special in some way, and that make me feel happy, not just random stuff. Let me explain.

Both Husband and I love books, and we have both been 'collecting' books from quite a young age. We're quickly running out of bookshelf space, but we're still buying them. Also living pretty close to a Red Cross Bookshop full of little treasures makes it very hard to stop. To me, a home doesn't feel like home unless I have at least one big bookshelf filled with books. I collect all manner of different books, old and new, but mostly bought second hand. Cheap and environmental friendly!

I have a small, but precious collection of old photos I've found in different markets. It's so interesting looking at them, making up stories about the people and events in them. Who are they? What are they doing? Where are they? It makes me feel happy to see these strangers' faces smiling up at me.
It's no secret to anyone that I am a big fan of the afternoon tea, and there are few things that make me happier on a really dull day than making a nice pot of tea, and drinking it from one of my pretty cups. I don't just collect the cups, but also nice plates, cake stands, sugar bowls or anything else that can be used together for a nice tea party. And yes, I would quite like to live in a slightly bigger house so that I could have room for more tea cups...
Tins and boxes. Husband claims that they are everywhere, which is probably a fair point, but everything is so much nicer in boxes. It's nicer to have the tea bags in boxes, rather than having the crappy card boxes lying around, or it's better to have all the little bits and bobs in a box rather than it creating a mess everywhere. Don't you agree?

In addition to all this I could probably also say, or Husband would almost certainly suggest, that I am a collecter of shoes, judging by the size of my collection, or pretty dresses, that fill my wardrobe almost to breaking point.. So I am a collector, I admit it. Is that so bad?

Those summer days are long gone...

This beautiful photo was taken by a good friend of mine (hope you don't mind me putting it on here, M) and it reminds me of one of the happiest days of my life. Surrounded by all my oldest friends, drinking lots of champagne, laughing a lot and with the nicest weather we had all summer it was truly the best hen party I could ever dream of!

Events on a rainy day..

It's rainy, cold and quite depressing weather outside, and you don't feel like doing anything at all! What do you do?
Well, how about a walk in the park? Not at all bad, even in the bad weather.
Or going to the local farm shop? This farm is a ten minute drive away from us, and it's great. We usually go once a week to buy most of our food for the week. It's really cheap, locally produced (mostly) and the food has a very high standard of quality, when compared to the big supermarkets. And you get to go to this lovely farm and say hello to the horses that are standing right next to the shop! They have a very big selection of fruit and vegetables, free range eggs produced by their own hens, lots of different types of meat produced by farms nearby, cakes, bread, jam and a big selection of flour. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in Norway, it must be a British thing, am I right?

Imaging that

Pictures can also be transferred to pretty pillowcases...

Both of these are photos by Doisneau, one of my favourite photographers.

Pink Saturday

My Saturday treat today is pink lemonade, which makes me think of picnics in summer, pretty skirts, red lipstick, gold shoes and bicycles.

And pink lemonade should always, always be drunk from champagne glasses.
The few flowers that are left from the bouquet Husband bought me last week are now living in a little milk jug on the table.
Hope you're all having good Saturdays!

Transferring images to put a smile on your face

I recently received some photo transferring paper that I ordered, and since then I've been a little obsessed with transferring images to t-shirts. It's so easy, and looks so nice!

Like this portrait that Edward Steichen took of Gloria Swanson. He is one of my favourite photographers.

Or this one of my all time hero, Pippi Langstrømpe.

This is one of the prettiest stills from Amelie, one of the best films. Ever. This photo reminds me of being small, running around grandma and grandpa's garden picking rasberries. Or lying in the hey on the farm, looking at all the clouds in the sky.

I'm not sure who this is or who took it, but I really love it.

Finally Friday!

It's Friday again, and this weekend I hope to finish some books I'm reading, drink lots and lots of tea and go for nice walks in the sunny, cold weather. Maybe also take a little trip to the Red Cross book shop around the corner, although that is dangerous as I never manage to leave empty handed.. and we ran out of book shelf space quite a few months ago!

Do any of you have any nice plans for the weekend?

Hope all you lovely people have a good Friday!

Afternoon tea

Yum. You know it's been a good weekend when you've had proper afternoon tea both Saturday and Sunday. With champagne. These scones are Nigella's ones, and they are soooo good. The jam and clotted cream were bought from our local farm shop, where they make their own. The lovely tea sieve was a Christmas present from Husband. Love it.

Hope you've all had good weekends too!

And yet more lace again

I have come to realise that I seem to have an obsession with lace these days. It's so pretty, and it reminds me of my lovely grandmother for some reason, even though I can't remember her ever wearing anything with lace. But she always had little lace tablecloths everywhere, and I guess that's why. I made this the other day, and think it might look pretty with a vintage dress. It reminds me of afternoon tea, friends, red lipstick, sunshine and champagne..

Lace and light

Here are a couple of results of my creativity this weekend. I bought some transfer images when I was at home at Christmas, and thought I'd try it out. It's not perfect, but good enough, no?

An easier option is gluing some lace onto an empty jam jar. Makes a pretty little lantern!

After rain comes shine

After the thunderstorm stopped there was such a magic light. The sky suddenly cleared, the clouds that were left were pink, red and orange, and the sun set in a beautiful collage of colours. So amazingly beautiful.

Rain, rain go away

It's properly horrid weather outside today, even worse than it has been for the last couple of days. And there's thunder too. I'm terrified of thunder..

Finally Friday!

I can't believe it's Friday again! This week has gone by so quickly. I'm enjoying being in a creative mood today, probably as a result of having too much coffee for breakfast.. Lots of new ideas popping into my head, and I somehow try to do everything at once; I'm making chocolate truffles for some lovely people, who's daughter's baptism we're going to on Sunday, contemplating making a new skirt for said event, making a few changes on clothes I found in my closet, figuring out a knitting pattern and making earrings.

Anyhow, I hope you all have lovely weekends ahead of you filled with lots of laughter and happiness!

And just because I love it so much, here's a little music for you on this Friday afternoon.

Happiness is.....

.. when you come home from work, and it's been a bitch of a day, and you're exhausted and just want to go to bed and sleep for a week, and you open the door at home and a wonderful smell fills your nose, your head and your heart, and the lovely one at home has made steak and ale pie, completed by a dough heart on top.

Lacing up

I love lace and ribbons. And I love this box, which is perfect for storing them in! I found it in TK Maxx, a great shop where they sell everything from clothes to accessories, kitchen ware, towels, shoes and toys from big brands, all from previous seasons and at a very low price. This is from the V&A, and the print is by John Henry Dearle, a student of William Morris.

Flowers on a rainy day..

It's my day off, it's raining and 10 degrees outside.

But what better excuse to buy a bouquet of pretty tulips?
And to wear a pretty dress with flowers on?
Hope you are having a good day!

London guide, Part 1: Markets

Here it finally is; my London guide! I will do it in several parts, focusing on different things every time, and I'll give you a little taste of the things I think are worth doing in London. I'll write about well known London favourites, but I'll try to concentrate on things that most tourists don't know about. In this first part I will write about markets.

There are so many fantastic markets in London, it's hard to know where to start! I absolutely love going to markets, either on my own or with friends. I love looking at all the things and people, feeling the atmosphere and getting inspired to go home and be creative. Here are some of my favourite markets.

Cabbages & Frocks

in Marleybone Village, situated at the top of Marleybone High Street, which runs parallell to Baker Street up from Oxford Street. Closest tube is Baker Street.

Open on Saturdays ca. 11- 5.

This market is quite new and small, but very worth visiting! You'll find anything from vintage clothes and accessories, to new designs made by young and often unknown people. I find a lot of inspiration in just looking around, and I often get new ideas for what I can make myself at home. There are also quite a few food and coffee stalls that sell delicious food to keep you going for the afternoon! The area around is also very nice, Marleybone High Street has lots of great shops and lovely cafés (I will write about cafés later on) and is perfect if you want to avoid the stress of Oxford Street (which I always do).

Southbank Book Market

Situated under the Waterloo Bridge, on the Southbank. Easiest way to get there is taking the tube to Embankment and walking over the bridge.

Open every day ca. 11-6.

This little bookmarket is often very overpriced, but you can sometimes find good bargains here. I still think it's great to look through the big piles of books that are laid out on the table, even if you don't find anything you want to buy. The area is also worth visiting; it's great for a Sunday afternoon stroll. The skyline is impressive, you can see Big Ben, Westminster and St Paul around you, and the South Bank area often has little stalls set up on weekends, selling food, coffee, clothes or arts and crafts.

Portobello Road

Open most days, but the biggest market is on Saturday ca 8-5.

Nearest tube is Ladbrooke Grove, but you can also walk down from Notting Hill.

I used to live ten minutes from Notting Hill a few years ago, and spent a lot of time in this area. Portobello Road is probably the most famous market in London, and it's very popular. Saturdays are crazy down there, so I normally try and avoid going there on that day. I find that Friday afternoon is a good time to go, as it's quiet, with fewer tourists standing in your way, but a lot of the stalls are still open, and so are all the shops. At this market you can find almost anything your heart desires, if you're willing to look for it! Most famously they have antiques, but they also have clothes, accessories, shoes, food, arts and crafts. You'll find young artists trying to sell their art or jewelry, stalls with second hand clothes and accessories, old china, or just random 'knick-knack'. The stall keepers are lovely and often very chatty, and they are willing to give you advise if you ask them nicely. A vibrant and exciting market to visit, and one of my favourites! Just be aware that a lot of the antiques can be overpriced, so check the prices in different places!

The market continues all the way down Portobello Road, under the West Way bridge through to Cambridge Gardens.

Northcote Road

Situated in Northcote Road, close to Clapham Junction. The train from Victoria to Clapham Junction takes about 10 mins. You can also get the train from Waterloo. To find it you have to walk through Clapham Junction (which doesn't look all that nice) up to the beginning of Northcote Road.

Open Monday to Saturday 9-5 (Wed. 9-1)

I lived in this area for a couple of years, and really fell in love with Northcote Road. It's got really great independent shops and lovely cafés with great food. There are quite a few kitchen and home-ware shops, in addition to antique- and clothing shops. The stalls at the market (which is situated alongside the road) sell flowers, food, photos, clothes and furniture. If you keep walking up the road there is a lovely antique shop just across the street from Cath Kidston (another shop worth visiting!).

Borough Market

Situated close to London Bridge, just off Borough High Street. Follow the signs from London Bridge.

Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

This has been my favourite food market ever since I first moved here. Sadly a lot of it has closed down because of the Thameslink Project, and a lot of the old historic buildings in the area have been or will be knocked down. This includes the building in which Bridget Jones has her flat in the films.. But the market has moved over a little, and is still going strong. You'll find food from all over the world, both prepared and fresh, and most stalls will let you have a little taste of what they're selling. You can walk around and try cheeses, olives, chocolate, cured meat, or buy your lunch from Greek, Indian, German, Italian, English, South American or Spanish stalls. Other stalls sell fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, smoothies, coffee, glasses of wine or hot cider. Try the Cranberry stall, where they sell umpteen sorts of chocolate covered fruit and nuts, or the one that sells a hot apple and cinnamon drink.. Walk around and look at all the exciting things, enjoy the smells and chat to the nice people behind the stalls.

The area around is also very nice, with lots of little cafés and restaurants. The cheese shop Neal's Yard is one of our favourites, and absolutely worth a visit. Shakespeare's Globe is only a ten minute walk along the river from Borough.

Greenwich Market

A very big market situated in the Greenwich area.

Closest tube is Cutty Sark.

The whole market is open Saturday and Sunday, but different parts are open at other times as well.

This market is almost too big to describe in a brief manner. Here you'll find anything from clothes, antiques, food, drink, toys, music, arts and crafts and general 'bric-a-brac'. Great place to just walk around, suck up the atmosphere, look at things and people and then sit down for a nice lunch or coffee. The markets are situated mostly inside big market halls and in tiny little narrow passages in between. If you're in the area make sure you also take a walk around the impressive Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum up to Greenwich Park.

Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane

Spitalfields Market is situated close to Liverpool Street Station (follow the signs), and Brick Lane is a 5 min walk away.

Spitalfields is open Thursday (antiques and crafts), Friday (crafts) and Sunday (all).

Brick Lane and markets around are all open on Sundays.

Spitalfields is probably my favourite of all the markets in London. It's quite a big area with lots of different market stalls, and it's less famous than Portobello, which means fewer tourists and often better prices! In the surrounding area there are several market halls similar to Spitalfields, which are also worth looking around, but I find that most of them have similar things to offer. There are also lots of interesting shops around, particularly second hand clothes and shoes shops, and lovely cafés and restaurants. The Brick Lane area is quite 'up and coming', which I guess it has been for quite a while, but this means there are lots of fascinating people to watch, and lots of things happening in the streets!

Sunday is the best day to go, as that's the day when all the markets and shops are open. The markets are full of young people trying to sell their own designs, both clothes and accessories like handbags, earrings and hats, and the prices are often quite reasonable. You'll also find lots of stalls selling second hand clothes, accessories and home- ware, and also their prices are often good. In between all these there are food stalls where you can buy your freshly prepared lunch, and lots of different nationalities are represented.

To me this area is the perfect place to spend an afternoon, strolling around, sucking in all the impressions and inspiration you find everywhere.

A perfect Sunday morning..

- waking up to a beautiful sunny day

- having coffee and reading Samtiden in bed.

- going out to the local market to get some cheese and bread.

- seeing a very old man buying a bouquet of roses, and smiling to myself as I imagine how happy his wife will be when he gets home.

Finally Friday!

Even though it's only been two days since the holiday ended, it feels nice that it's Friday, and the weekend is lying ahead. The rain is pouring down, which means wellies, raincoat and umbrella when going outside, but who says you can't enjoy your brand new pretty bow- shoes when indoors? Dancing around singing 'I feel pretty' to myself, whilst putting away everything Christmassy and planning new sewing projects.

And dreaming of days when I'll fill this pretty thing with tea, taking it to the park and enjoying my tea on a bench somewhere. Very good with presents Husband is.

Happy weekend to you all!

I'm working..

I have started working on my London guide, which is quite a time consuming project! But fun! I'll soon publish the first part about London markets..

Christmas and New Year 2010

This is what my Christmas and New Year looked like: