stockholm weekend pics, part one, valborg and tantolundenparken

the swedes sure know how to bring in a long weekend... with a bonfire!  valborg is a swedish celebration of spring and light.  we were happy to take part with our lovely friends ximena and family.  in their neighbourhood, on the ski hill, an impressive gigantic bonfire loomed.  people drank alcohol openly, pouring from flasks and drinking from mason jars but it was primarily a family affair. petter made blueberry tea which was lovely and warm.  the kiddos ran freely up the ski hill and into the woods having a most happy time.  there was music and fire dancers too.  it was a good night.

the lake we skated on

not the prettiest tower but i am told that from up top you get amazing views while dining and drinking,

 

we visited tantolundenparken for kai's second fotboll match.  and this time we didn't miss it!  stefan and i explored a teeny bit of this huge park.  the garden sheds pictured are made available (since 1915) for those who live in apartments without a garden to call their own.  i would love one of my own but the waiting list to rent is outrageously long. back on the soccer field, it was nice to see that kai hasn't lost his ability to maneuver around the field, he played well, which called for some traditional cake eating afterwards!

this pic was taken from a different day and from the bottom of the park hill.

trevlig hund - the owner of this lovely dog told us she was a 'nice dog'

princess cake, prinsesstårta in swedish, is called as such because the swedish princess is fond of it :)

there was all sorts of goodness that stefan prepared at home... flank steak (my body has been craving iron these days), salad with blue cheese walnuts, apples and mustard dressing, and apple pie with the flakiest crust was shared with friends. and on another day, our go to these days, sausages!  

weekend pics part 2 coming up tomorrow. 

dreamcatcher

beautiful hand-crafted dreamcatchers.  just dreamy.  i think a dreamcatcher displayed in front of the window would look lovely too.

 

 



image from here



totes!

totes are so. very. practical.  and so very easy to make!  a few weeks ago i took a beginners sewing class with spool of thread and i chose their tote class.  i used to dabble in sewing a very long time ago.... i mostly made skirts but i did make a pair of pants once! 

 

the refresher class was exactly what i hoped for :) the instructor explained the steps clearly, was enthusiastic about sewing, helpful, and i appreciated that she made the rounds to ensure everyone was on track.  the most difficult part was choosing the fabric.  although a bit pricey, spool of thread has many lovely fabrics to choose from.  i spent half an hour (or maybe a bit more?) trying to choose between the purple chevron print you see above and a pretty ikat print!

 

i have already signed up for their other 101 sewing class - i think that ikat fabric will do perfectly on the throw cushion covers... can't wait!

 

if you don't sew your own, there are so many lovely totes around (remember this one?).  i really like these ones; so much nicer than the totes you inevitably collect from the shops:



i saw this the other day when i was at west elm





 





a sweet tote from here





coffee molecule tote



 





love this kitty one; so adorable



a simple and cute monogrammed bag





this made me smile; i know who someone that likes his naptime :)









love this elephant tote; so colourful and pretty

i'm curious, do you sew?  if not, and you live in vancouver, i highly recommend taking a class from spool of thread!  my goal, eventually, is to take their beginner's quilting class... one day.



stripes and cats

loving these ceramics by paula greif but why are they so. very. expensive.  sigh.

here is a quote she writes about herself:

...for the moment the hope is to keep making things i find useful and beautiful and send them out into the world...nothing makes me happier than saturday night at the studio listening to the trevor wilkins calypso radio show and trying new ideas...not much interested in production pottery...usually like a shape or an idea and make 10 or 12 of each...a few always fail to survive in one way or another...try see if anyone wants them...and they are off...

paula, i love all of it but i want that cat.  bad.