Candles

Candle holders comes in various shapes and sizes in my home, as the long winter nights call for candles to be lit. This is just one of my window sills this winter. Candles are a big tradition in many Danish homes as we relate it to hygge - follow the link as Holly has the best description of hygge, that I have ever read.

A Danish weekly newspaper had an article about, why the candle wick does not burn down(?) As in burn away before the actual candle is burned down. Now that captured my attention as it is those small things that can make you go "Huh! I've never thought of that!"

My Precious Santa

Ever brosed through a magazine and thought "I WANT ONE LIKE THAT!" when you flipped to a page with new products, in an article or similar?? Well I've done that lots of times, saved the clippings with the wish "maybe some day" and pinned it on my noteboard.

This past November, it was this clipping that caught my attention:

Kay Bojesen had in the 1940s made a wooden Santa in his shop/factory in Copenhagen (that shop does not exist anymore, but it was a short walk from my house) and a lot of lucky children that visited his shop back then could be lucky and walk home with a wooden Santa. In 2013 they relaunched/reproduced the Santa to many's surprise as only a few remember the original one.

 

Before Christmas, I knew that I was not going home to my family to celebrate the holiday so I received money to buy a present, that I wanted - of my own choice. Almost enough for the Santa so decided it was my present to me from me too, so chipped in with the remaining amount myself. I can not remember last time I have felt giddy about buying something, like I was a small kid again getting the best thing on the wishlist - but that is how I felt :o) ... and really is that not, what Christmas is all about? 

 

Well that is the last of Christmas 2013 from me - will return later this year when Christmas 2014 is closer with more Christmas stuff - but until then returning to other topics :o)

 

A Little Girls Dream

Think all girls at one point have had a moment, when they dream of the weddingdress they would wear on the big day, once they have grown up to be an adult woman. But I could not help myself laughing when I saw this online article about wedding dresses mad out of...... balloons :o) (My blogpost yesterday, that briefly mentioned a wedding dress made out of a cupcake, made me remember the article). If a child tells her parents, that she wants to get married in a wedding dress made out of balloons, do you think the mom's reply would be like this: "Honey. The dress is not made of balloons. It is the style or shape of the dress that is called a balloon dress" -just imagine her face, if her daughter presents a photo like the one below

Who gets an idea like this? How on earth can you mount that many balloons without busting them? Do you have to use a special type of balloons? As much as I am in awe of looking at creations like this one, I would not dare to put anything like that on my must-try-some-day-list

In my neighbourhood lives a party/event clown, and how cool would it be, if his clownsuit was made out of balloons?? Yes, Yes I know, my weird brain at work again, or maybe just my inner child shining through.

Seems like Westin Hotel and Resorts are dreaming about balloon beds - wow does that not look absolutely cozy and soft?? :o)

TLC - Tender Loving Care - Part 2

CupCake Sisters

Onlike CakeBoss, I have read about these two baking sisters before watching the reality show on TLC. An online article described how they were making a cupcake wedding dress and I was intrigued. Untill then a cupcake was merely a cake and no hanky-panky about that.

The two sisters Katherine Kallinis (former eventplanner for Gucci) and Sopie LaMontagne (formerly employed in the finance sector) quit their jobs and opened DC Cupcakes in Georgetown, DC, USA. Well a cupcake is much more than a cupcake, and I can not wait to see the next episode :o)

Browsing though the October 2011 issue of Oprah Magazine, and I saw this little add - DC Cupcakes supporting the fight agains breastcancer:

Inspiration From Origami

As I have mentioned before, I can not resist picking up a free newspaper or magazine and get some kind of inspiration. Yesterday I discovered two adds, that were both inspired from origami:



The free newspaper URBAN




Free magazine from Magasin (department store)



The paper crane and the paper plane - both origami that are easy to fold, but look at the great effect. For instance it never occured to me, that one could fold a paper crane from a newspaper page, but that is the capture of a child's mind: anything goes or no boundries :o)

It is small details like this, that makes me want to pick up that free litterature, as I often find something catching my attention.

Kaffeslabberas

Well there is no direct translation of this word into English... sorry guys. The word is a description/event with lots of coffee, cake and small talking... you might even spruce it up with knitting, embroidery or crocheting

I often pick up some of the free newspapers and read them for inspiration. Last week was no exception, and I found a review of a new coffee table style book called "Til Kaffeslapperas".... designers who have dared some old biddies (Claire, you got me started on using this word for old ladies) to create something knitted.

For the past year the old biddies have been in the newspapers a few times, as they are knitting items that are sold in designer store - the payment goes to activities at a place for the elderly.... their labels is called kaffeslapperas :o)

Yesterday I bought the book, which is based on the talks between the old biddies and the designers - pair by pair (one designer teamed up with an old biddy) - some knitting patterns and photos from their lives. The book celebrates life and creativity in such a great way.... hope it could eventually be translated to other languages and sold to an even bigger audience.

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Own picture shot at the Smithsonian African American History and

Culture Museum, Washington DC

June 6th, the Danish version of the free newspaper, METRO EXPRESS, had a column with the title "The Americanization Is A Myth" (Amerikaniseringen er en myte)..

Metter Nøhr Claushøj writes abut the tendency of everything turning the American way (watching US movies and TVseries, wearing American clothes and the list goes on) - but argues that the Americans are actually going the European way albeit a century behind.

That article caused fuel for thought. Yes, people has always been fascinated about the American way of living thus making people blind to the fact, that Americans are equally fascinated by a lot of Spanish, English, Italian and French things.

Why are a lot of Europeans afraid of going to America, when the Americans are also going to our continent for inspiration? Are we blind to the European trends while in the US, as they are everyday things for us? Basically, why are some people scared of everything foreign? And why do we deem people to "be behind", isn't that the natural thing if you get inspiration by others: that they discovered it first?

The fact that countries/continents inspire other countries/continents is in my opnion a good thing as it helps us evolve. Having said that, it is equally important to remember one's roots as it is part of one's identity, which could be an inspiration to other peoople. If you keep your feet on the ground when exploring, you are on the learning path.

The Clock Is Loosing the Battle Against Time

BigBen 2009

The title is not mine, but borrowed from a free Sunday newspaper distributed nationwide locally.

More and more young people are skipping the wrist watch, as they are using their mobile phones to tell them time - a lot of teenagers consider the watch to be uncool. I still remember getting my first watch on my 7th birthday, and already then my wrist were so tiny, that it was hard ot get a watch strap that was small enough so it would not fall off my wrist.

When people buy a watch to their home, it is actually a clock - and most importantly: they need the clock to have a history. So going from being a household "gadget" to help keep track of the time, it needs to be decorative and unique and anything but digital, even though that would be a more accurate timekeeper.

Digital gadgets has taken over as storage of addresses, phonenumbers etc. and you do not have to remember a lot of things. Let's face it: How many of you can actually remember more than 5 phonenumbers without looking them up in your phone's directory?

But That's S***

If you are about to eat something, please put it aside for just one second (don't want you to loose your appetite)... cause what the birds did on my blogpost yesterday, might give you a hint... and just for once, no pictures is going to be on my post.....you will figure out why in a minute.

When I went in to the MS attack treatment a couple of weeks ago, I picked up a copy of the free patient magazine, Rask (translation: healthy), on the third day, as my eyes started to regain the normal state again. Found an article, that I had to read twice as it was about research. Research into an area that seem nasty, just by reading about faeces, but then realising that it is actually been done since the late 1950s.

Seems like they are researching about transplant of feaces in the intestinal system, as they believe that this can better situtations for people suffering from eg. MS, parkinsons... but then again some are rejecting it just like people are rejecting the CCVI (blod vein) treatment.....

There is a definate YUCK! factor, that people have to overcome.... I must admit, that I bit of a skeptic here, but then again I can not help think: What if something that is right in front of us offers some relief to a lot of diseases? Do we sometime forget, that Mother Nature actually offers a lot of natural medicines? In the dark ages a lot of people were burnt at the stake, because people were afraid of their insight to medicine - we do not burn them now, but we are often stilll reluctanct to believe.

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What happened to the days, where there were less meat on the plate and more vegetables? Meat was expensive, so you had to add a lot of vegetables or bread to the meat so make sure, that you got some energy.

These days vegetables have become more pricy, and often if you want to have some taste (other than the watery taste in tomates and cucumbers - locally that is usually the imported goods that has to ripen during transport) you have to buy local/organic produce.

The tendency of buying much more prefabricated food and super size-mentality when it comes to fastfood has unfortunately resulted in a staggering rise in the number of obese people. The US government have therefore launched the ChooseMyPlate campaign, as obesity often causes ilness, that is also a huge expense for the society. Hopefully this new campain will help fuel a better awareness about food.

I can not help thinking about Mireille Guiliano's book "French Women Don't Get Fat", where she encourage people not to multitask while eating as this often enhanses the taste of the food and actually gives you the sense of being full. That works for me, as my favouite pizza now lasts 2 meals instead of 1 - and it is the only pizza I have found to be good cold-the-day-after.

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Whenever I am shopping at IKEA, I swipe my IKEA FAMILY member card - everytime a member does that, a donation is made from IKEA to some preselected charity. I go to the local store 1-2 times a year, as they have great prices/selections on (tea) candles, napkins, baking forms (cupcakes/muffins), wrapping paper etc. Having signed up for the memebership - which by the way is for free - you get to receive the IKEA FAMILY LIVE magazine.

This photo caught my attention - first as "Why are they having a vacation photo in the magazine?!" Then I realised, that it was made out of the FRAKTA bag (yes everything at IKEA has it's own name). The magazine was mentioning Adrian's blog, so I ventured over there to have a peak.

She has also made a dress from a bag - what a fun idea :o) Suddenly my mind is wandering to episodes of Project Runway, where they have to make clothes of non-fabric items.

I own several of the FRAKTA bags as it was great at the time, before I bought my own washing machine hence having to go to the buildings laundry room to do all the washing of my clothes. 18 year ago I had the first encounter of this type of recycled bag, and luckily it has spread out, as I have getting a plastic bag at a store.

This makes me remember a blog that I follow, which mentioned receiving a tote bag made out of pet/bird food bags. It is made of the same material as the FRAKTA bag, but this lady mentioned that the creator, had saved the food bags, cleaned them thouroughly and made some nice tote bags. How many people would actually think of saving a food bag and make it into something that is usable and nice? Definately a person with a creative mind.

 

Going Bananas

Well not me, I am allergic and can not eat them. And whatever happened to "Do not play with your food!" ?? Same local newspaper as mentioned yesterday showed some of Keisuke Yamada's works.

Can you believe it? Made of a banana and a toothpick - and he eats it after having photographed it. That is art recycling for you  *LOL* :o)

BodyArt

Normally I do not like body art, maybe it is because I would never to it to m own body. That perception changed a little bit today, when a local newspaper had a tiny article about Paige Thompson.... her kind of body art makes me smile :o)

Click on her name above and it will take you to her photo gallery - and it is her own lips that she decorates and photograph....

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A reminder once again to remember picking up that inflight magazine in front of you when flying. I have already my absolute favorite among these magazines - Holland Herald from KLM.

Looking at a picture of a creation (the artichoke has a name: Abbi) like this, your smile and awe should definately come forward.... this is created by Carl Kleiner.

Source: Holland Herald, April 2011

Today is Earth Day, which is why I opted for the piece of art that in every sense is biodegradable :o) Well perhaps not the photo, but the motif....and the magazine that would be read by the next passenger....and the next one...and the next one......

Ohhh almost forgot - just click the picture, if you want to see a bigger version :o)

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When travelling, it is not just the inflight magazines that catch my attention - also the complimentary local newspapers provided by the hotels are a great source of many laughs, Wow!s and astonishment.

I was waiting for the assigned driver to pick me up while in Mumbai, and I simply fell of the comfy couch in the lobby laughing over this article. The reception staff really gave me the stare and made them look like huge question marks - when the driver came, I grapped on of the newspapers on the reception desk, flipped to the correct page and pointed out the article to them with a "Just read this, and you'll laugh too!" :o)

When I returned to the hotel, one of their colleagues on the evening shift called me and handed me a note with a smile "Thanks for making us laugh! You would be pleased to know, that "Constitution" just checked in :o) "

Second laugh that day, and the receptionist nodded and returned my big smile. Read this, and hopefully you will have a big smile on your face - remember to check out the local newspapers when travelling..... people's names will never be quite the same again and just emphasize the colorful, wonderful difference between cultures.

Article from The Times of India, Monday, January 3, 2011

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Remember as a kid and you had to learn to tie your own shoelaces? Either you did the bunny-ears-easy-trick or humming a rhyme (I can't rember the words, can you?) when concentrating to do it your-self.

I bet you never thought of using a shoe lace like this:

This is the breathtaking art of Frederico Uribe - and like yesterday's post, it was published in the months issue of Holland Herrold (KLMs inflight magazine). So not only can the plane transport you to a new country/culture but also take you into an airtist's world persuading you to take a peek on his/hers creations :o) Take a look on his website (link is above) and see what amazing artwork he can create with pensils, screws etc.

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I can not say it loud enough: pick up that inflight magazine that is in the pouch just in front of your seat - most airlines have their own monthly magazine. Lots of inspiration your way for free - creating smiles or the big WOW!!s

Just look at this peek inside this months KLM inflight magazine, Holland Herald - photo art or sweater art (you take your pick) as seen through the lens by Bela Borsodi = Mindblowing.

I wonder if the designer behind this sweater's pattern ever envisioned this?

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Papercraft Inspirations Magazine - a UK magazine that finds its way into my mailbox every month. Amazingly enough, it has been unopened on my desk for a while and today I finally opened it to get some... well yes "inspiration".

My eyes quickly caught the general inchie idea, which I will definately try to incorporate into some of my cards using stamps, pictures etc. :o)

The same article, presenting a how-to regarding the inchies, also briefly mentioned the blog You Can Call Me Gwen .... if you have a spur of creativity you will love her idea!!! Everyday she's making an inchie describing the day...you could call it an alternative diary if you would.

First thought: "That's easy! :o)"... soon to be followed by "Wait!! That's not easy at all!" after having wondering if I could make inchies describing the days that have allready went by this year, which makes her idea even more brilliant.

So now, I will be following her blog and be amazed about her ability to describe her day in an inchie.

This picture is from the blog, You Can Call Me Gwen.

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Yep travelling again - and once more experincing a local Christmas out in the big world :o)

Having a job that is very dependant on logistics solutions and especially JIT (just-in-time), reading this article made me laugh out loud while the air. Here is the part, that initiated the giggling:

His home delivery service too, although unconventional, is light years ahead if the competition. Since deliveries are only made at night, there's no chance of the customer being out at the shops when he arrives Plus he's happy to use the chimney in the event of the front door being locked. Never once have has anybody woken up Christmas morning to find a card on the mat reding "Sorry you were out." It's also a very green service, as the only emmisions from the transport are reeindeer poo.

Business Life (British Airways) December 2010



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Merry X-Mas Everyone

Growing up in a place, where X-mas is celebrated, it is hard to imagine that somebody is not celebrating X-mas.

It is true - a large part of Shanghai is decorated for X-mas, but you seldom find anywhere to purchase X-mas ornaments. Even though X-mas is not celebrated in China, they have chosen to X-mas decorate the city anyway. My season spirit did not dissapear while in Shanghai - How could it be when I could photograph decorations like this:

Many downtown streets are filled with Christmas decotrations to greet the Western festival next Saturday.

Source: Shanghai Daily