It's all right for some

While most of us are just a bit too busy before Christmas, others have the luxury of doing nothing but doze on silk cushions... Like Kurt (above).

Sorry for the long blog post absence. I promise to be back shortly with some pottery pics.

Bunting now in my Etsy shop

2 meters of lovely vintage patterns in bright colors. Only three left... Click here to see more pics.

Christmas fair round-up

First of all, thanks to all of you who left comments wishing me good luck over the weekend. Also, thanks to everyone who turned up and spent their hard-earned cash – it was much appreciated!

Here's what my stand looked like for the first few minutes before I realized I had to 1) fill up the tote bags and 2) take the cushions back home and replace them with some other product due to little or no cushion interest. The bon-bon dishes to the left in the picture were my bestsellers – they sold out in two hours. So I stayed up most of the night producing more to sell on Sunday...

Here's one of them. The plate is a vintage Egersund.

And this is what I replaced the cushions with. Being a bit overly creative during my late night designing, I produced these using some old butterknives and my trusted old Dymo tool. (They will not make much sense to those of you who don't read Norwegian.. Sorry guys!) The concept is 'Not The Sharpest Knife In The Drawer'. They made quite a few people laugh, which was the desired effect and I even sold a couple :-)

I had the pleasure of Cecilie Ellefsen and her family's company this year just like last year. She is one of (if not THE) most talented illustrators in Norway. Check out her beautiful calendars on Etsy.

Anonymous guy going 'Let's photograph each other photographing each other!'

PS! I will be listing some of the tote bags and bunting and the two remaining bon-bon dishes in my etsy shop over the next couple of days. I'll keep you posted!

Tote bags ready to go

The day is here, and it's all about finishing touches before rigging the table tonight at the Christmas fair. The totes are all done and I hope they sell. If not, you can expect to find them in my etsy shop later.

Thrifted trio

It's freezing cold here now, and yesterday I had to defrost my car before driving to my local thrift store. I guess it was worth the trouble. These were my vintage finds: a Staffordshire mug, a West German vase and a dish of unknown origin which I think will make a great little plant pot. They look a bit 'too much' together, but each on their own or grouped with other pieces they work for me. I'm particularly pleased with the yellowy-green mug – I think these colors are quite rare on vintage stuff.

Tote bag no.1

I'm rather happy with this first tote bag that I've made. More to follow later.

Hope you're having a nice weekend, by the way!

Watching ink dry

That title might sound like I am bored and with nothing to do, but the case is quite the opposite. I have way too much to get done before next weekend and now I've got a nasty cold as if I needed more setbacks. Above are some of this year's gift tags put out to dry and waiting for a piece of string. Going for the ruled paper, schoolbook/postal office look this time around. I think it's the old minimalist in me that's come for a visit.

Bunting update

Here's the result. They will be on sale next weekend at Designernes Eget Julemarked in Oslo. Any leftover bunting will be put out on my Etsy shop. And now, on with the tote bags...

This is the poster* for the Christmas fair, mentioned above (and below). The opening times are 10-18 both Saturday and Sunday, at DogA.

* Fab poster design by Cecilie Ellefsen of Happymeat.

It's bunting time

The annual Designers' Christmas Fair in Oslo (Designernes Eget Julemarked) is in just over two weeks (eek!) and I'm doing some hectic crafting at the moment in order to get all my products done. I'm working on three lines at the same time, all involving recycling/redesign. More details later.

The yellow line

Today I thought I'd show you some of my favorite pottery with simple black/grey on white graphic patterns with a yellow line going through it. This screams the 1950's. So simple, so stylish. I threw in a few florals for good measure and contrast ;-)

Clockwise from the top: Egersund bowl, Barrat's of Staffordshire creamer with yellow rose, Stavangerflint plate and Porsgrund Porselen cup, Stavangerflint cup, Uppsala Ekeby Gefle 'Pigg' dinnerplate and 'Bali-Haì' fashion shape (!) plate by Midwinter Stylecraft.

Thrifted print

I found this at a flea market recently, and I liked it enough to bring it home and put it up on my living room wall. It is signed James '56, which means nothing to me. If anyone has any info, please tell.

Update: Thanks for your comment, Scott! Here's a close-up of the signatures. I have a feeling the print wasn't the original picture for the passepartout... (Why would it have two signatures?) It feels a bit like someone's been recycling, here. On the other hand, the frame is properly sealed on the back. I'm tempted to open it to have a closer look... The passepartout is also numbered 13/108. To me the signature reads something like 'Sparre Lund' or 'Sparre Ruud' - both Scandinavian sounding names. What do you think?

It's cold outside

But nice and cosy inside with a fire burning on the stove and a cuddly dog curled up in front of it.

I'm procrastinating, of course. Could you tell? A whole week without any new blog posts. Not sure what's going on. Maybe I need to go and fluff up those cushions...?

Dish update

In the summer I found this Scherzer (Bavaria, Germany) cup and saucer at Stadsmissionen in Stockholm and yesterday I found a teapot to go with it! I love the red ball top on the lid.

I also found these Stavangerflint egg cups and a saucer. I might use them for a craft project at some point.

I couldn't resist this teal blue soup cup (?) from Tamis, England either.

Good riddens, red L

I passed my driving test today! Hoooray! The red learner's L has done it's job and will in the future decorate the fridge rather than my car.

In Elle Interiør this month...

Back in May this year we had a visit from photographer and journalist Elisabeth Hudson who wanted to make an article on our home. She did a great job. The result is now published in the November issue of Norwegian Elle Decoration (Elle Interiør). All in all I think it looks good, although I don't quite recognize myself in some of the text (something mysterious happened in the editing room after the initial go-ahead...)

The caption reads 'The flower child'. It's supposed to be me.

If you go looking for the magazine in the newsagents’ shelves, this is the cover to look for:
(I'm not sure if it’s available outside of Scandinavia).

Cabin weekend, Hemsedal

This is where I spent last weekend. (For those of you who don't already know, Hemsedal is a popular skiing resort in Norway.) The weather was miserable, and the slopes weren't open yet for the season, but it was nice to get away and just relax for a bit. The cabin belongs to Jannicke, who has done a great job with the interiors (you can see some 'before' pictures on her blog).

Cool retro family photos enlarged and mounted on boards, plus home crafted mooses everywhere.

I have jar envy.

My travelling companions, Turid and Jannicke in a very Twin Peaks setting.

Attempting a spooky self-portrait in the window pane. Happy Halloween!

Christmas come early?

I have some fantastic blog friends out there, let me tell you. Look what turned up in my post box today:

A four-pack of Christmas cards. Aren't they great? You can purchase them from the lovely Francesca of Mrs Eliot Books. (Click on the name for her web site or here to go to her Etsy shop.) Thank you so much, Francesca!

Just my luck

I purchased a pajamas in one of the highstreet shops today. Further down the street, my carrier bag set off the alarm in a doorway... Yes, you guessed it; The sales woman had forgotten to remove the alarm tag on the pajamas. The irony of the story is that the brand name of this item is called 'Just My Luck'. Indeed.

Tuesday thrifting again

I went thrift shopping for fabrics today but came home with everything but.

Brown plasic and red hearts. So 1970’s
The mixing bowls are from Rosti, Denmark, the brown plastic canister is by Anm. Design, the mug with hearts is by Table Tops, Cartwrights, Staffordshire, England and the cup and saucer is of unknown make.

More mid-20th century European pottery for the collection
West German vases, white Höganäs Keramik (Sweden) tulip candleholder and a beautiful dish by Norwegian artist Finn Hald. Unfortunately the dish has a small chip damage, but I think it looks great regardless. Also, it was a bargain. I paid about $16.
For the lot.

Busy bee + Wooden Donkey

The lack of posts recently is due to being a busy bee at freelancing (graphics) again. I'll try my best to keep up with you all the same... My blog feed is also taking time these days - some days there are like 90 posts to read up on. There are just too many interesting blogs out there! (And I probably only subscribe to a fraction of them.)

Anyway - thanks to reading Conversation Pieces, I found the link to a great little web shop for 'quirky vintage' - Wooden Donkey. I dived straight in and snapped up these two little purchases:

Set of 6 metal coasters.

Bowling pin dolls. Aren't they cool? I think they will look really good on my shelf above the sofa.

Bird plate

Nice, isn't it? My latest purchase for the ever-expanding collection of decorative plates. It's by Figgjoflint. Designer unknown. (If anyone knows, I'd be happy to hear from you as always :-) I think there's meant to be a cup to go with it, but I like it as it is.

Most stylish TV series? Ever?

I know I am late, but I just recently started watching the TV series MadMen. I bought series one on dvd a Friday not long ago and sat through it that same weekend, then went out and bought series two the following Monday. I am hooked! I have saved the last episode of series two for tonight... I will be longing for more when it's over. I know you lucky guys in the US are already being served the third series, and I can't wait for it to be released over here.



Not only is this one of the most stylish programmes on TV these days – from the interior to the clothes - but it's a great production all around. Storyline, characters, cast, music... Oh, how I hope it never ends!

E for embrace

Or, as my son would say: E for Ellis. I can't remember where in the blogsphere I found this, but I want it as a poster.

Retro Depot patterns books with cd

My heart skipped a beat when I saw these over at Design*Sponge today. The books are by repro depot who has collected 225 vintage-inspired fabrics for each book. Included with the books are CDs so you can print out the various patterns. I want!

Dreaming of Acapulco

Sorry for not having blogged too much this week. It's actually a positive thing as it's due to a freelance assignment I've got, doing layout for Norwegian interior magazine Maison. I'm thrilled about it – I've been wanting this type of job for a long time.

Meanwhile I'm leaving you with some pictures of a recent big favorite of mine, the Acapulco chair.

I saw it at Nordiska Galleriet in Stockholm this summer, and I'm still thinking about it. It is so sculptural and stunning. I want one. At least one.


Have a nice weekend, peeps! I'll be working...