Swedish Apartment

Lets start the week off with a nice little apartment I found for sale in Sweden. Anyone looking to relocate?

My brother-in-law spent a week travelling around Sweden, Denmark and Finland and of course I wouldn't let him come back without some interior magazines to feed my Scandinavian obsession with. I now am the proud owner of the latest editions of Bolig Magasinet (Danish), Hus & Hem and Scöna Hem (both Swedish). The beautiful images make up for the fact that I can't understand a single word.

Do you subscribe to international magazines? And what are your favourites?

Tschüss...

(images: bo-laget)

Danish Fashion Label - Container

I am going to start the week off with a new fashion discovery I made over the weekend. Have you heard of danish label Container?

Container has a romantic, eclectic feel and beautifully combines vintage elements with modern trends.

I practically live in dresses, especially during summer. I do sometimes find it hard to find the right styles that aren't too formal for an average day with my boys yet still make me feel pretty and stylish. The dresses below have the perfect mix.

You must visit their website that in itself is an inspiration and their catalogue is stunning.

Tschüss...

(images: container)

It's the simple things...

Happy Friday to you! I have had a pretty hectic week with my husband away on business and the boys a little out of sort plus my nasty hey fever reached an all time high yesterday and today. All the more reason to sit back and really take joy in the simple things. 

Looking through my favourite Magazine:

A sure way to cheer me up is to dive into my (new) all time favourite interiors magazine: We Love Living. Luckily it's just come on sale and I was excited that they have also brought out a summer special to mark their first year - Happy Birthday to Caroline and the team! 

Strawberries and pancakes for lunch - Mmmmhhhh...

A new scarf: 

There is no such thing as having too many scarfs. If the weather is too hot to wear it around your neck you can always wear it as a wrap top, skirt or shawl, of course you could also just display it around your home... endless possibilities.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

Tschüss...

(images; Nina Lamb)

Dressing up your Outdoors

I must admit I often neglect to dress up my outdoor space with fabrics. It's such an easy way to give a tired outdoor setting a fresh summer look. My balcony is in desperate need of some nice soft furnishings and my project for this coming weekend is to sort through my stash of cushion covers and fabrics and liven up my small outdoor area. 

I am absolutely pining for a big garden and often feel that I will never get used to apartment living. I am a county girl at heart and having my own green space is important, but since having two active little boys it has become almost essential. 

We'll be moving out of our apartment (and back to New Zealand) at the end of the year and until then I am determined to make the most of it - it has so many wonderful aspects and it's true what they say: "the grass is always greener..." when I do have a great big garden one day I will probably think back at how carefree apartment living was.

Tschüss...

(images: Wohnidee)

DIY Birthday Card

Just wanted to share another quick and easy card design with you that I made for a friend's birthday. As some of you may know I enjoy sewing very much and so my gift alongside the card was a voucher for a tailored skirt. 

I really don't get enough time to sew these days but last weekend I went to a fabric market that comes to our city twice a year and bought home lots of fantastic fabric to work with. I plan to make a couple of skirts and a dress for myself plus two jackets and shorts for the boys. I will try and keep you posted with my progress.

Tschüss...

(image: Nina Lamb)

Children's Rooms

How, looks like we are back up and running. Wouldn't have surprised me if blogger had asked everyone to pay up to have their site back online :-)

Would you like to look at some kid's rooms with me? 

I have to admit that our boy's room has been a little neglected in terms of design. It's very functional but I would change a million things if we were staying in this apartment a little longer. My boys are sharing a bedroom and that works beautifully. 

How cool is the first room? I know my boys would love a castle themed room and a little secret hiding place behind the door. I always think the nautical theme works well for boys rooms, but done in a subtle way like in the third picture. 

I would love to one day have a girl and know I would probably end up making it quite a girly space without turning it into barbie's room. I like the subtle hints of pink in the last photo and adore the overall look of the first photo. 

Having children share a room can throw up all sorts of challenges, especially when space is limited. So far I have my older boy in a single bed and the younger one still in his cot but I do like the idea of bunks, as they are a huge space saver. 

These photos have inspired me to update the boys room a little by using soft furnishings rather than investing in new pieces. I'll keep you updated.

Tschüss...

(images: 1st Option)

DIY Letter Art

This DIY project was inspired by the lovely Nina Holst over at Stylizimo. Being of the impatient kind I love projects that take an afternoon or less. 

I really like letter art around the home but am always staggered at the cost. I thought an X would be a simple start and I used some leftover wood that had the right width. I simply cut it on an angle, glued it together and painted it white. 

Now the only thing left is to forever justify to my husband why we have the letter X on our dining room mantle :-)

On a hunt for a Mother's Day gift for my own mum I came across these lovely ceramic vases with delicate detailing. I simply had to pick up two for myself. 

Tschüss...

(images: Nina Lamb)

Mmmmhhh for Mother's Day

Today I woke up to a beautiful breakfast in bed - prepared by my two little boys (with some help from their daddy). It felt quite odd sitting there all by myself eating while I heard them have their own breakfast downstairs - as lively as ever. Isn't it funny how we often wish we could escape the craziness for a little while but when we get the opportunity we feel left out? I had such a wonderful day with my family today and feel so utterly grateful for having my two precious boys. They make my life complete and have given it a true sense of purpose. 

I also feel blessed to have two wonderful women in my life - my mother and mother-in-law. Both are a great inspiration to me. They have devoted much of their lives to staying at home and raising their children but have also then found meaningful careers that they are passionate about. Thanks to them I don't feel torn between being at home with my children and my career goals because they have shown me that you can still pursue your "professional" dreams at a later stage.

Thanks you so very much for your lovely comments on my last entry.

I hope you have a great start to the new week. 

Tschüss...

My Workspace

I have just returned from my parent's house with a nice fresh bunch of lilacs. My mother has a beautiful big garden and it's my perfect escape - the boys also love spending time in the country.

I've put the flowers on my desk and thought that would be a great opportunity to show you my workspace. It's only a little corner up on our landing looking down onto the lounge. I use it mainly to work on the computer. My crafting and sewing table is in our master bedroom but still very much a work in progress. You mind remember me talking about it here.

 As you can see absolutely every piece of furniture is from IKEA - not how I would ideally have it but I wanted something quickly and that didn't cost much. I still have a lovely old white desk stored in New Zealand, which I am looking forward to using again some time.

How is your week going? We have had my sister and family stay for a week around Easter and another friend from New Zealand over the last few days. Next week my husband's brother will be coming over which we're all very much looking forward to. 

Tschüss...

Paper Runway - for the love of paper

Do you love all things paper? Then I have just the thing for you: Paper Runway, a new Australian publication dedicated to the latest paper products, DIY projects and artists.

The magazine is beautifully put together and is such fantastic source of inspiration. I love the fresh and contemporary feel and can't wait to start on some of the DIY projects - perhaps in time for Mother's Day?

They also have a Giveaway on their website, so be sure to hop on over to take part.

Tschüss...

(image: Paper Runway)