Francisco Fonseca is a Portuguese artist with a special interest in spaces and places. Buildings with a lot of character, traces of people, myths, and moods. I've been following Francisco for...
Thanks to our friend from Amazing Nature Scandinavia, Mogwai and I got the unexpected opportunity to try out the Kolarbyn eco-lodge. Kolarbyn means something like ‘the coal village’ and it’s also...
Yeah, I'm old school and I still love reading blogs. The app/website that I've been using for years though seems to be down for quite a while now- and I'm...
Between spring and autumn, the rock tumbler works almost non-stop to smoothen and polish the rocks I've been collecting during winter and early spring. The slag stones are local finds from...
It takes a while before a Nordic garden produces some edibles, but it's worth the wait. At my studio, the first raspberries are delicious and sweet despite the many rainy...
In early July, I joined 'Konst Runt Barken', a local arts & crafts event where creatives and makers from our area (Barken is a lake) show their work in art...
It's absolutely incredible how my garden transforms after a long and cold winter. Until early May, it can feel as if everything is dead and dry forever. But then suddenly,...
Today is the longest day of the year and the official start of supseason summer! Soon the lakes will get warmer, the mosquitoes less hungry, and fruit will start to ripe....
I've been curiously waiting all winter to see the flowers that I planted come out. In September, we started our Valborg-garden-project, transforming a weed-covered corner of our garden into a...
Summer is (almost) here and since that means that liquid will remain liquid, I've started the rock tumbler again! Rocks tumbling around in a barrel obviously make some noise. It's probably...
My main goal in traveling to England's Jurassic coast was to search for fossils like ammonites, Belemnites, and Ichthyosaurus vertebrae. And yes, I chose the word 'search' rather than find...
The Andy Warhol Diaries is the dictated memoirs of the American artist Andy Warhol, posthumously published. It was edited by his frequent collaborator and long-time friend, Pat Hackett, and first...
Did I get ginger biscuits just because I used to read about them in the Famous Five books? Yep! Very much. I even texted a good friend who lives in England...
Visiting the United Kingdom has been on my bucket list for...
"So what are you going to do will all those rocks?" -- this was the number one question that I got after finally getting a rock tumbler (a simple machine to...
1. What identical twins separated at birth teach us about genetics. 2. Blown away. Unconsciously I've been waiting for a series like this...
Sure flowers are pretty and they bring unique colors to a landscape, but to me, there isn't much that can beat the beauty of ice in all shapes and forms....
The past few weeks have been all about working on larger formats both on paper and canvas. It's been a search by 'goesting' (desire) for textures, colors, a narrative, and...
While I feel late to the party, I know that many people are not really aware of what TikTok is, so I'll start with a brief explanation. Wikipedia writes:" TikTok is...
Some simply call it a glass ball, others go for a crystal ball or lens-ball, but the concept is the same. One gets a clear round object to shoot through...
Only a few weeks ago we had a snowstorm so bad that when I tried driving to my studio, I had to turn back after barely 100 meters because the...
One simple fact: I wear color in winter haha :-) Recently I saw a few TikTok clips about dressing Scandinavian/Swedish and every single one of them was wearing black head to toe....
There is a special kind of joy that comes with seeing your designs on real products in the real world. One day this pattern was just an idea on the...
- The L-word, generation Q, S2. I'm actually not so much into drama series where people fight over stupid things and relationships change every five minutes, but well, here I am...
Lines and shapes, pink and blue, playful experiment. This design is available in my Redbubble-shop. ...
While sketching, grubbing, and searching the right lines for this work, I noticed the skulls and skeletons were finding their way again into my work, and perhaps it was the...
Dreaming of traveling just like the birds when the sun chases away the cold winter dust. This new design is available at my Redbubble shop. ...
Recently I shared my very first jesmonite (terrazzo) experiments and promised some further updates. This set of 4 coasters isn't sanded yet but straight from the mold- the same silicon type...
Today I'm staying inside with a hot cup of tea on my windowsill and sleepy dogs cuddling against me. This morning I did try to get to my studio, packed...
We liepen in Gent rond, we waren met zessen We kwamen van nergens, gingen nergens naartoe Vanaf de terrassen, in de koffiehuizen Bekeken we de mensen en hun drukke gedoe We liepen met ons...
Granit och morän by Lars Winnerbäck Jag flyger över ett land Det mesta är skog Och byggvaruhus och miljonprogram Där jag fick min första kyss Där jag förlorade mitt första hjärta Det mesta är granit och morän Där...
A while ago I wrote a blog post about the things I miss about Belgium now we're living in Sweden and many asked me why I'd stay here up north...
A little update on my leathercraft progress as I now finished a small wallet with turned edge and the Flightmaster currency wallet- both designed by Leathercraftmasterclass.com. There are so many ways...
While scrubbing this Jesmonite experiment for hours, I was wondering: Why the heck do I always pick hobbies with so much sanding involved?!?!@%&$@%" :-) But I have to admit, I've had...
A few new designs have found their way to the Redbubble print shop. I think that perhaps there is already a hint of spring energy rising up in my imagination,...
The past month, I added daily sketching back to my routine. Sometimes, when life is busy, uncertain, or challenging, sketching and doodling can feel like a waste of time. As if...
Movies, documentaries & series: 1. Let them all talk. When Meryl Streep plays a role, I'm in. It's as simple as that. This movie might not be for everyone, but it's rather...
About 100km west of Stockholm, in Västmanland, you can find this charming Baroque castle called Strömsholms slott. On the site of a fortress built by Gustav Vasa, this Swedish royal palace...
For weeks in advance, I was hoping for some really stormy weather. Big waves, wild wind, maybe even some thunder! After about 2 years in the woods, I was longing...
When we visited the lighthouse a few years ago, it wasn't standing in the same spot but almost balancing at the edge of a cliff. We had climbed up the...
The first leathercraft project of this brand new year is a small round purse. Something for coins or perhaps -if you're like me- collecting rocks or other found treasures :-). With...
As 2022 arrives, we're ready to unlock a new year full of unknown moments and events, and hopes and dreams to turn into plans. With the world still in pandemic chaos,...
This winter will be five years since we moved to Sweden and until 2020, we celebrated Christmas partly at home, partly with friends, and partly via zoom (the family we...
December used to be the craziest month of the year, especially when I was still studying. When school ends, you dive into your books to study and after all the...
1.Yves Saint Laurent (Netflix) Sometimes it's hard to imagine how quickly our surroundings and trends change around us, and perhaps it's something we can only start to understand better (or at...
Oh, it felt so good to be creating another little leathercraft project. There is something so calming yet exciting about the million steps to go from raw material to a...
Happy Halloween!! I have to say, at first I had a very different plan for Halloween decoration/photographs, but after watching "The Chestnutman" (Kastanjemannen) on Netflix, all I could think about were...
100% autumn hygge. There is always something special about trying something for the first time, and this experiment, we wanted to share with friends. This beautiful and sunny autumn day seemed...
After testing the wild waters of furniture makeovers with my neon-experiment, I was both hungry for more and curious about another type of paint that I had read about. The...
It's been years since I last had a chance to eat fresh walnuts and I missed it so much that already in August I had an important mission for my...
Changes go fast here up north. Blink once and early autumn switches to winter, blink twice and it's pitch black at 3 pm. You can see it coming, those frosty moments...
In our road trip book, this location was mentioned as an attraction for children as, during the summer months, there are a lot of Viking-related activities like crafts and games...
When I first found this old bookcase covered in dust in the closet, my first intention was a drastic and full makeover, but I found myself quite charmed by the...
It's getting colder outside and the short days can feel like an abrupt transition after a wonderful summer. Summer is the season of promise. Of the feeling of endlessness. Of...
Some autumn favourites: - hot chocolate or ginger tea with honey - colourful leaves - misty mornings - getting out warm socks and sweaters - steamy stews - picking apples from the garden - and making apple...
In Sweden and Finland, the 4th of October celebrates the delicious fika buns with cinnamon and while you can buy these treats more or less everywhere, from Ikea shop to...
Up north, spring arrives late and when we celebrate the end of winter during Valborg (April 30th) there can still be snow covering the earth and all the colors have...
It took me a while and a lot of listening to the character of my studio space to realize what I was looking for. I really wanted a sofa, but...
Until Joeri brought home a bag of potatoes from the supermarket, I would argue that potatoes are potatoes and as long as they are on my plate, I'm happy. I...
September arrived with a summery sun and a few delicious warm days to give some extra blush to the apples that are still ripening on the trees. A few sweet...
A gentle layer of fluffy clouds covered the sky the entire day. It might look like autumn, but it was surprisingly warm, something we noticed after dressing way too warm...
We had just received the keys to our new home in Sweden, furniture was still on its way- except for a bed that we got...
The autumn feeling is slowly taking over from summer here up north, and that means time for the edible gold of the woods: chanterelles! I do remember seeing them now and...
It was the sun who initiated this plan after a few days of rain so heavy that the lake took over a part of the garden, roads got severely damaged...
Raw (left side) vs polished (on the right side). Rough vs shiny. A few years ago, when visiting Denmark, I was obsessed with the many rocks one can find on the wonderful...
We've had a wonderful summer with a lot of warm and sunny days and enough rain to keep the soil moist and this perfect mix overloads us...
You might call me a Nordic-series-fan. I'm often drooling over the magnificent landscapes, and enjoying some strong or unusual characters and storylines. Once, the Nordic way of both filming and...
A few weeks ago, we drove north to a local tannery that also has an outlet shop. Not sure what to expect, I was completely overwhelmed with the amount of...
Last winter we started with a little project to visit Swedish movie locations, starting with 'The girl with the dragon tattoo'. Many years ago, even before moving to Sweden, we...
An unexpected sign on the side of the road caught our attention and made us incredibly curious. Thailändska Paviljongen" it said and that's certainly not what one would expect somewhere...
De grote vertraging, (2021), Alicja Gescinska, Daan Heerma Van Voss, Christ Keulemans, Thijs Lijster, Floor Milikowski, Marja Pruis, Haroon Sheikh, Paul Verhaeghe. Verhaeghe P. (2020), Houd afstand raak me...
-Pikesley, R: Landscape Painting. -The Art of Still Life: A Contemporary Guide to Classical Techniques, Composition, and Painting in Oil -The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting: Techniques for Rendering Sky, Terrain, Trees,...
Always curious, always learning. Since I found so much joy in crafting with leather, it was time to consider learning more seriously about techniques, leather, tools, and much more. At first,...
Ever wondered what rocks and stones would look like if they would be all clean and smooth? Well, I'm that person who's often behind on walks, not only to take...
Warm and sunny weather and endless summer days, perfect for getting lost in the world of books and reading undisturbed in a hammock. But we also keep a few movies...
On a rainy evening, we set out to explore some historical places in the Skinnskatteberg/Riddarhyttan area (Västmanland County, just south of Dalarna). Number 46 on the map was Ebba Brahe's lusthus...
On an extremely lucky mosquito-free evening, a tiny village/project where they aim to build a Finn farm the way it could have looked in the 1750s. The location, which is...
When the bright spring sun turns golden and the wonderful light lures us outside, we gather in the garden and make a nice warm fire to sit by. It's quiet...
These blending sticks came in an annoying crackling bag + I had some stitching to practice, so I made a new case for them 🙂. Nice and flat to go...
On my desk, next to my computer, I had a small ceramic container in which I stored all the memory cards that were not in a camera at that time....
A few weeks ago, I got an unexpected request about a letter from Brenda Spencer who I wrote when working on the book "I don't like Mondays". Very sure that...
[caption id="attachment_4347" align="alignnone" width="500"] Illustration by Eileen Soper[/caption] In the last few months, I haven't watched much at all, but by doing some research for a project, I stumbled upon some...
Eagerly, we've been waiting for these vegan creations to be ready for a first bite. The whole process takes a few weeks of turning, checking humidity, and things like that--...
It's been more than a year since we were able to visit our home country Belgium. By now, we certainly notice the Swedish influence creeping in (what size of drink...
Never did it take me this long to decide on a lens! Perhaps it’s because I’ve been working with Nikon only for so many years that I just knew what...
My time at school has been a bumpy ride, and I was actually glad when I had that degree and I could start my own business. It was, however, never...
New design at the Redbubble shop! It's called 'What time hides'. (<-- click this link to get directly to the overview of all the products with this design) What looks like...
The sun was out, shining happily through our kitchen, and filling the air with spring joy. It inspired Joeri to already bring the taste of summer into our Fika. That...