Advent Wreaths 2012

Some of my most popular posts have been my inspiration posts on Advent wreaths and so this year, I figured I would be a little ahead of time. The first Sunday in Advent will not be until December 2nd but it is nice to have a little time making the wreath and enjoying it before setting it on fire!

No secret, I love candle light and Christmas so even though I have the same wrougt iron candelabra which I use every year, I like to see tghe other beautiful solutions...

This year, I have seven different ones which stole my heart - from the traditional hanging version to the upcycled and reclaimed version.

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Nogle af mine allermest populære indlæg har været dem om adventskranse, så i år syntes jeg, at jeg ville være i god tid. Første søndag i Advent er ikke før end d. 2. december, men hvis man først skal ud og skaffe tingene og have den lavet er det rart at være i god tid. Så kan man jo også nyde den lidt inden man begynder at brænde den af.

Det er vel ingen hemmelighed, at jeg elsker stearinlys og jul, og selvom jeg har den samme smedet jernlysestage fremme hvert år, så kan jeg godt lide, at se hvad andre finder på.

I år har jeg fundet hele syv smukke kranse - lige fra den helt traditionelle til de kreative genbrugsløsninger.

 

 Even though this is more decor and not an Advent wreath, I really liked this simple idea of using your candle holders for the tree on large jugs and bottles. I like when you get ideas to use somethings in more ways / Selvom det ikke helt er advents-agtigt, så kan jeg virkelig godt lide denne enkle idé om, at bruge juletræslyseholderne på fine flasker. Så kan de jo faktisk bruges altid.

 Bidding Nature welcome inside / Byder Moder Jord og naturen indenfor

 If you are no fan of evergreen and the more Christmas-y feel then this more etheral version would be something. Looks like angel wings and halos which is somewhat also going with the season depending on your personal beliefs. / Hvis man ikke er til det grangrønne og meget julede, så kan denne nærmest overjordiske version være noget. Den ligner næsten englevinger og glorier, og det hører vel på sin vis også højtiden til alt efter hvad man personligt tror på.

 If you haven't got tea light holders - use small glasses and tie them safely into the wreath! / HVis man ingen fyrfadsholdere har, så brug mindre vinglas, eller måske er de endda snapseglas og bind dem godt fast til kransen.

 My favourite of them all - a log from a birch tree and drill holes into it to place the candles. Perhaps spray paint a bit with silver or 'snow' and add snowberries for a perfect Christmas centre piece./ Min favorit af dem alle - et godt stykke fra en birketræsstamme med huller boret ned til lysene. Så kan man eventualt spraye lidt sølv på og pynte med snebær.

 If you are not in the handmade mood every year, a good idea would be to find a candlabra with room for four candles and then you can 'dress it up' according to fashion and flair, and you can even keep it out all year round / Hvis man ikke er typen, som gider at lave en krans hvert år, ville det måske være en idé at prøve at finde en lysestage med plads til fire lys, som så kan pyntes på ny hvert år efter hvad moden diktere eller noget helt andet. Man kan eventuelt beholde den fremme hele året og skifte pynten med årstiderne?

A really fun and surpricing wreath was this upcycled lamp shade covered with moss and ornaments with just those clip-on candle holders on top/ En virkelig sjov adventskrans er denne pyntede lampeskærmsramme med mos og julepynt. Smart med de der clips-lyseholdere.

 

{one two three four five six seven}



*Happy Place*

Things are a bit shaky today. Somehow I am finding myself in the middle of something which doesn't make sense - at least not to me. Therefore, I am in the need of comfort - and what is better than dreaming of my future home?

A warm rustic kitchen with colourful tiles and oils; a soothing bedroom; a clean and crisp bathroom; art, antiques, and books everywhere...

Today, these rooms are my 'happy place'.

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I dag er ikke den bedste dag. Jeg kan ikke finde hoved eller hale i noget som helst. Det eneste jeg kan er at drømme mig væk fra det hurlumhej, der er omkring mig. Og hvad er bedre at drømme om end ens fremtidige hjem?

Et varmt landligt køkken med farverige klinker og olier; et beroligende soveværelse; et minimalistisk og skarpt badeværelse; kunst, antikviteter og bøger overalt...

I dag er dette mit 'happy place'.

 

 

{1: World of Interiors April 2012; foto by Tim Beddow. 2: Bolig April 2012; foto by Peter Kragballe. 3: Bolig March 2012; foto by Birgitta W. Dreyer. 4: Bolig March 2012; foto by Anitta Behrendt; Painting by Mette-Marie Trier. 5: Bolig February 2012; foto by Martin Cederblad. 6: Bolig November 2011; foto by Frederikke Heiberg; Ceramics by Rikke Jakobsen. 7: Bolig May 2012; foto by Thomas Dahl ~ all scans by me} 

 

P.S: Does the normal font size appear too small now? I don't know whether it is my pc or my browser which tricks me. Can you see any difference?

Vintage Illustrations & Animals

Finally Friday! Happy days ahead... Family gathering for my siblings' birthdays on Sunday (they are not twins though) and a bit of relaxing before yet another busy week. I am slowly but steady getting into my mind framework about my thesis, and I feel ready to start a bit of actual writing next week. So happy days indeed!

 

But today, I will show some of the various scans I have from old magazines and new magazines. Long before I knew the term I have been a scrapbooker - or at least tearing out the things from magazines I liked or which inspired me. Usually, I kept them in plastic envelopes divided by themes - vintage, haute couture, interior, wish list, etc. etc. As I have mentioned here on the blog before, due to a slight try of being more efficient in digging these images out I will post these scans here, so you guys can enjoy them as well.

Naturally though, I may not be able to remember from where precisely these images came from but I will try to credit properly to the best of my ability.

 

I adore old illustrations. Simple as that. And I adore Kay Bojesen's mid-century wood animals.

And I love that both of these things seem to have a sort of revival. On various sites, I see many illustrators' works (just think about Taschen's now 4 volumes about Now Illustration!) and Danish Modern architecture and interior design are still going strong - perhaps stronger than ever these years. Therefore, a little collection of both for you guys to enjoy...

 

 The Bunny, the Hippo with pencil (I recieved this from my sister and her husband for my birthday!), and the Bella the Dashhound which was the first animal that Bojesen created in 1934.

 Perhaps the most iconic, also the one which has been in production the longest, the Monkey from 1951.

 The Elephant from 1953.

 

Have a lovely weekend!

{Decor inspiration} Art Rustic

Welcome October! The leaves are already mastering their Bird Phoenix moment and changing rapidly from lush green to orange and red. I love it! Nevertheless, today's post is about interior decorating, something that we especially love here in Scandinavia. Some attribute this to our traditional way of living by inviting people to our homes rather than meeting out. Therefore our homes have to accommodate both the practical everyday life as well as being the setting of both intimate and elaborate dinner parties.

 

This spread is from an old issue of Danish women's magazine, Alt for Damerne. We visit jeweler, Orit Samuelsen and her lovely home, and I really like the rustic elements she has incorporated into a feminine and elegant universe. I like these clashes which helps to highlight each other. In addition, I really like her bold choices in art..

 The two black paintings in the background are by Claus Egemose.

 Painting by Maria Marstrand.

 The large ring by Claus Melchior, the square ring by Orit Samuelsen.

 Wegner chairs, drawings by Maria Marstrand, and painting from a Parisian flee market.

 Art photo from a gallery in Cannes, France.

Drawing by Maria Marstrand and Prada bag.

 

Home: Orit Samuelsen, jeweler

Alt for Damerne, 11/2011

Stylist: Louise Kamman Riising

Photography: Pernille Kaa-Lund

 

{my scans}



{*}

(Because there are still no words to describe the pain or explain the reason)

{Image: Aurora Borealis over Tromsø, Norway}
{July 22nd 2011}

{Lookbook: Noa Noa 2006}

Taking a rest from studies with homemade Madeleines and strong tea, I thought I would share these images from an old lookbook by the Danish brand Noa Noa. So whimsical, pastel, layers, and feminine.

However, it is said to be easily too much if you create an outfit just from that brand. But perhaps that is just because it is so far from the normal minimalist uniform here in Scandinavia. It is rare to see someone not wearing edgy and minimalistic clothing, so naturally it would easily be out of Scandinavian women's comfort zones.

Nevertheless, I think the styling of this lookbook is amazing, and I feel very inspired going through it. I also thought it was quite fun that it featured a slight 20s vibe now that everyone is doing that, and the lookbook is from 2006.

Gorgeous lighting and setting. All of it just works in these photos but it would take a a couple of deep breaths if I were to face the world confidently looking like this. Some of the items are wonderful, and I do have a couple of pieces from Noa Noa, but I think they sometimes stuff their collections with too much felt!

Anyways, these are beautiful images and that's the main reason for today's post.

{my scans}



{EmmaKisstina}

I actually don't remember anymore where I first stumpled upon Swedish illustrator Emma Kristina Hultkrantz's amazing artworks. But they had me hooked with their whimsical and yet minimalist style. The bold edges and pastel colours are an amazing combo.

Some of you may know her from Matchbook Magazine where she does a take on What's In My Bag with all the famous ladies out there, like Marilyn, Jackie, Birgitte, Coco etc.

{Anne of Green Gables}

And today, I just discovered she has started a small line of scarves with her wonderful prints. Limited of about 100 each, these could really become a treasure and a keepsake. I am quite hooked on the Marie Antoinette one.

 {Marie Antoinette}

{Glamour}

I am thinking of saving up for custom bespoke illustrations of the three luxury items I am saving for, like a white Birkin bag, Chanel 2.55 bag, and Louboutin heels. Just to help me remind myself everyday when I dance around in my apartment.

{Pink Still Life}

In case you love her work as much as I do, check out her shop at etsy and her online portfolio.

She also has a blog where she posts inspirations and small everyday things.

{SlowFashion Christmas}

I discovered this webshop and brand through the Danish interior magazine RUM's website and fell in love instantly.

The crisp and the cool of the decor appeals to me, and as far as I have been able to read, I can completely follow their sustainability and quality project. Maybe it is the deep dull Nordic soul piercing me at the moment. But the more melancholic and sinister, the better.

The website is also in English, if you are so inclined as giving it a visit.

If you do, please look through their 'magazines'. They are so pretty.

All images found via the website or via RUM.



{Christmas inspired by Karen Blixen}

First of all, happy St. Lucia Day! One of my favourites days {I guess that is my Swedish heritage shining through} and if you are interested, I did a post on Lucia last year which you can see here.

Anyways, since I haven't had the chance to see a parade this year, I will show you a lookbook from Danish decor-brand Rosendahl Copenhagen. It is one of the great Danish brands of this sort, together with Georg Jensen, Holmegaard and Royal Copenhagen. At least in my opinion.

One of their greatest successes is the Christmas (and this year also Easter) line inspired by the great writer Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen).

I showed you one when I did a post on her, but now I will show you some more.

I hope you will like it as much as I do.

Rungstedlund covered in romantic snow.

 The text says, each purchase supports the running of the Karen Blixen Museum at Rungstedlund.

Her nephew tells that Karen Blixen always decorated her Christmas tree in white and silver with a single red ornament hidden somewhere, which would pay off a small cake for the child who found it.

How wonderful right? I can totally see the elegance and luxurious splendour of a white and silver decorated tree, and her little game with the children makes me have even more respect for her (if that's even possible!)

 Very pretty gift-wrapping! I wouldn't even dare to open the present if it looked like that...

 I really like the look of the silver ornaments together with the rough cloth and leather.

The candle holders inspired by her love for the nature. The garden at Rungstedlund is 'world-famous' in Denmark (yeah, we always try to be bigger than we are, ha!) for the flowers and one of the best florists in Denmark (he also does the royal flower arrangements - so he is that big!) arrange flowers from the garden around the rooms and suites during the year.

I love the simplicity and the romantic feel these ornaments have, and for once I think both the silver as well as the gilded versions are equally beautiful. Usually, I favour just one of them. But if I had to choose, I would go for the silver.. Can't help but dream of a white and silver decorated tree too.

Best,

The Dandelion Chronicles