Watching and reading in November 2021
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...
Leathercraft practice: glasses case
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!
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...
Campfire waffles
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...
Wood stain experiments
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...
Small pleasures #9: walnuts!
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...
First frost
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...
Årsunda Vikingagård
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...
Bookcase makeover
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...
Cabincore book inspiration
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...
Welcome autumn
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...
Taste of Sweden: Cinnamon buns day
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...
Planting bulbs for spring
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...
Happy loppis find
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...
Our favorite potatoes
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...
Small pleasures #8
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...
Fossil find!
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...
Lars Lerin; Swedish artist and watercolor master
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...
Taste of Sweden: Västerbotten cheese pie with chantherelles
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...
On the road in Sweden, Dalarna- Örebro- Karlstad
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...
Polishing beach pebbles
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...
Making ink from berries
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...
Best and worst Scandinavian series
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...
Leathercraft practice: passport wallet and card holder
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...
Hedestad/ Sollefteå (The girl with the dragon tattoo movie location)
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...
Thailändska Paviljongen
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...
Reading & watching in July/August
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...
Fenne’s wishlist
-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,...
Leathercraft practice: card wallet
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,...
Tumbling blue and green slag stone
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...
Watching/reading in June
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...
Ekomuseum Bergslagen: Skinnskatteberg & Riddarhyttan
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...
Ecomuseum Bergslagen: Finngården Skifsen
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...
Small pleasures #7: carving a wooden Dala horse
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...
Leatherwork practice: pencil case
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...
Leather memory card case
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....
The search for a letter turned into giant spring cleaning
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...
Watching in April: famous five
[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...
Vegan cheese/Cashewbert
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--...
10 things I miss about Belgium right now
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...
This finally happened: Fujinon 35mm f1.4 for Fujifilm XT-4
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...
Learning online; Creative live, Skillshare, and Domestika review
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 print design: What time hides (available on Redbubble)
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...
Vegan raspberry cheesecake
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...
Visiting old mines in Sweden
During the Easter weekend, we took a few days off together to go out and explore our area. Lately, we've been combining my fascination for history and mines/rocks with long...
A new skincare routine
A few years ago, during a cold Nordic winter, I was rather shocked when I saw myself in a photograph. Being a photographer, I am not that used to see...
Home made vegan cheese, work in progress
I guess it runs in the family, or at least in Joeri's family. Back in Belgium, his grandfather used to make plattekaas, which I think translates to a kind of...
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter everyone! Most years we dive into some delicious Belgian chocolates- we love the chocolate eggs from Leonidas! But this year, being far away from our home country, we've been...
Watching in March
1.Ammonite From the moment that I saw a short trailer, I knew I had to see this film that is loosely inspired by the life of British paleontologist Mary Anning, played...
Self-portraits with the Fujifilm XT-4
The setting of this shoot: a foggy morning on a frozen lake. A day on which I had other plans, but seeing this moody landscape, I just had to go...
Small pleasures #6
Perhaps spring is sneaking into my life in ways beyond my choice, but I thought it was about time to clean up my rusty knife as it wasn't even suitable...
New pattern design: Riverside
Inspired by the beautiful song 'Riverside' by Agnes Obel, I designed this pattern. The interpretation of a song is always personal, but I wanted to capture this melody of the...
Small pleasures #5
These boots have been through a lot, but I try to keep them going and I find it super fun to brush off the dirt, moisturize the leather and bring...
Wednesday Wanderings
The snow is gone for now and although I'm definitely not ready for a new warm season, this little break filled with sunlight feeds our souls. We had up to...
Selling artwork on Redbubble/Society6
Both Society6 and Redbubble are websites where visual creators can make an account to sell prints of their work. In this post, I'll be sharing my experience with both platforms...
Crystals// Dalarna
A find from a while ago, but now trying to clean it up. If you're reading this and you have a good suggestion for me: I'm looking for a good book...
The girl with the dragon tattoo, USA movie locations
Earlier this year we started to visit movie locations of the Millenium movies, based on the books by Stieg Larsson. While I'd love to see all of them during my...
New design: Ammonite
They are caught in rocks, still for millions of years while the world had changed. However small they might be, their traces can still be found. Isn't that fascinating? This pen drawing is...
Small pleasures #4
Dragons in the sky! ...
Wedsnesday wanderings; rock hounding
I've been a rock collector for as long as I can remember. As a child, I loved taking home pretty rocks, and I never outgrew that. You might find little...
Small pleasures #3
Catching a glimpse of another perspective. Flying in the air or hanging upside down on a swing. And sometimes when I'd like a different thought, I do a handstand against the...
Leather notebook case, first try
Curiosity and the hunger to learn something new led me to leatherwork. Every little project I pick up a bit more skills and a bit more understanding of the craft...
Small pleasures #2
Every single day, watching my dogs play brings me tremendous joy. It's easy to feel lighter and more joyful with them around. All with their own unique character, quirks, and...
Wednesday Wanderings
Nature keeps surprising us in ways we couldn't even imagine and we learn, adapt, and find joy in numerous ways. Minus twenty degrees Celsius made the lakes sing and roar...
Reading in February
1.Greene Robert, (2012), Mastery I've been really curious lately about the concepts and theories behind mastery and their effect on our lives. Often, mastery is seen as something from long-gone times,...
Rawfood peanut butter cookies
Especially in these times, anything and everything is a great reason to add a bit of celebration into your life. For Valentine, I've been crafting leather hearts for dog collars...
Weekend project: leather notebook cover
Weekends are for making a mess in the sun, trying new things, and testing new ideas. And on these beautiful days, I've been working with leather in the energizing morning...
Small pleasures #1
"So often, we exhaust ourselves and the planet in a search for very large pleasures- while all around us lies a wealth of small pleasures, which - if only we...
Trying new things: soapmaking
Scents and textures have a big impact on our wellbeing, more than we realize. I've always been very sensitive to smells, colors, or weird textures (I just can't eat mushrooms)...
Watching in January
1. /The social dilemma,Netflix 2.Kärlek och anarki, Netlfix ...
Wednesday Wanderings
Rare days of sun enjoyed to the fullest. Feeling just enough of that light on our face to charge the clouded batteries. ...
Nature inspired IPad cover
A new year, a new cover for my IPad, chosen to inspire and fuel future creations but also as a bridge between the analog and digital world that sometimes feel...
Fujifilm night photography
How could I not think about this sooner? It's been ages since I last photographed the Swedish winter darkness. And dark it is. It is heavy and all around. It's...
Reading in January
1.Newport Cal, (2016), Deep work, rules for focused success in a distracted world, Grand central publishing. 2. Larsson Stieg, (2005), Män som hatar kvinnor, Norstedts. (Swedish version of The girl with the...
In the footsteps of Blomkvist and Salander
The holidays are over, the light will return but winter is only getting started. A good time to explore a fun side project like visiting some movie locations. It’s not...
Wednesday Wanderings, a muddy walk
So far, the most gloriously sunny day of December, with at least one minute of sunlight! :-) We squeezed this beautiful walk up the hills in between sunrise and sunset on...
Belgianized Lussekatter
Lussekatter/lussebulle/ Lucia saffron buns, Mostly eaten during the advent here in Sweden, especially on the 13th of December when Santa Lucia is celebrated. Girls in white dresses with red belts and...
Wednesday Wanderings
I wish I could share not only a few photographs of our walk but also the soft smell of pine trees in foggy air and the sound of our boots...
Reading in December
1.The art of making memories. Meik Wiking ...
Movies that fuel my inspiration
1. The dreamers 2.On the road 3.The science of sleep 4.Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. 5. Coraline 6. Into the wild 7. Happy go lucky 8. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close 9. Lemony Snicket's A Series of...
Watching in November
1. All the bright places. 2. Sorjonen/Bordertown -The boys in the band. (2020, Netflix) ...
Wednesday Wanderings
Autumn is such a special season full of opportunities, especially to explore. When the heat moves away and leaves and grasses change colors, hidden paths are suddenly revealed. When we drove...
First snow!
There is something quite magical about that first snow, a hint of nature's magic falling gently from the sky. It resonates to childhood joy and the opportunity to connect new...
Cinnamon bun day!
I hardly ever eat sugar, unless when there is something to celebrate. Since we haven't joined a party since Covid/March, this cinnamon buns day is something we just could not...
Leather craft experiments
A few weeks ago, a new camera joined the pack. An unexpected mirrorless one with a bit of a vintage look that reminds me a bit of the old camera...
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