onsdag 29 februari 2012

Ibland blir det bara för mycket för mig...

Det finns bara två saker som riktigt får mig att varva ner när det blir för mycket - bakning och handarbete (helst virkning eller korsstygnsbroderi av någon outgrundlig anledning). Allra helst ska man kombinera de två, så att man först bakar och sedan sjunker ner med virkningen och en kopp kaffe, gärna med en dokumentär om Timur Lenk eller belägringen av Stalingrad eller annat angeläget ämne i bakgrunden. Alternativt kan the UK 1940s Radio Station funka med.

Det är lycka, det. Och full pott i tant-poäng som bonus.


tisdag 28 februari 2012

Dagens video: North Side Gal

Nästa lördag spelar  J.D. McPherson på Rocket Room på Debaser Medis. Det lär säkert bli jordens ös och jag är lite sugen på att gå. Vet inte om det finns biljetter kvar, men ryktet säger att det finns 400 biljetter i dörren med.

I alla fall så förstår alla som känt mig hyfsat väl en längre tid varför jag tycker den här låten är som skriven för mig.



måndag 27 februari 2012

Om hurusom man fett i ansiktet må smeta


 Efter att ha matats både med mineraloljans skadlighet och cold creamens mirakulösa kvaliteter, beslöt jag mig att göra ett experiment med cold cream.  Det känns ju himla retro och gediget och så. Plus att ALLA ANDRA verkade göra det, och jag ville gärna kunna delta i debatten.

De klassiska cold cream-märken som t.ex. amerikaner och britter använder finns givetvis inte att köpa här. Visst kan man beställa Pond's från Amazon för 13 satans pund burken, men då faller den där trevliga idéen med att använda något basic och billigt och då kan man lika gärna köpa nån tjusig kräm med enhörningstårar och stjärnstoff. Dock mindes jag att en kompis mamma tog bort sminket med Nivea-kräm, så varför inte? Tänkte jag.

Nivea-kräm är dock, för den som inte visste det, jädrigt hård och utsmetad känns den lite som att ha en blandning av Bregott och stearin i fejset. Men huden blev mjuk och fin; bättre än nånsin faktiskt (låter det vara osagt om att använda frotté-tvättlapp och därmed daglig peeling har något med saken att göra). Billigt var det också!

Dags för Plan Nivea 2.0. Jag tog helt enkelt och blandade Nivea med olivolja till samma konsistens som majonnäs. Resultatet var enastående. Olivoljan gör dels att krämen blir mjuk och leta att kleta ut och dessutom blir den lättare att tvätta av än både ren kräm och ren olja. Och så luktar det gott; vagt citrus och olivolja. SCORE!

Så för den som är intresserad, här är min nya beauty-rutin:

1. Blanda Nivea och olivolja tills det ser ut som gulskimrande majo. Jag gör en större sats i taget och har burken i kylskåpet men man kan blanda i handflatan för varje gång man ska använda den.

2. Smeta ut ordenligt i fejjan. Vänta lite. Smeta mera. Torka bort, endera med papper eller frotté-lapp. Sminket följer med.

3. Smeta in en omgång till. Hoppa in i duschen eller ta din frotté-lapp med vamt vatten och lägg över ansiktet.

4. Tvätta håret eller tänk snälla ljusblå tankar eller något. Låt i alla fall det hela sitta på ett par minuter.

5. Torka bort med en frotté-lapp med varmt vatten.

6. Tvätta med en snäll mousse - jag har Oliva från Apoteket, men det går säkert bra med annat.

7. Ansiktsvattna. Igen så använder jag Oliva, men YMMV. De rättrogna cold creamarna säger att man ska ha trollhassel och vill man prompt ha det så vet jag att Boots säljer det (finns bl.a. i PUB-huset i Stockholm).

8. Ta lite, lite mer av mirakel-smetet och gnugga in det i ansiktet.

9. Sov, och vakna med kinder mjuka som en bebis-stjärt.

Hep!






söndag 26 februari 2012

Recept: Vanilj pudding med päronkompott


För många år sedan bodde jag och min mamma hos Brigitta-systrarna i Vadsten. Vi hade halv-pension och systrarna där hade gjort världens godaste marmelad - päron med saffron och en aning vanilj. Det fick mig att inse vilken enastående kombo de smakerna är.

Inspirerad av Syster X's marmelad, hittade jag hastigt och lustigt på den här efterrätten häromveckan. Jag tog  receptet på choklad pudding från Husmorsskolan och gjorde om den till en vaniljpuddign och improviserade ihop en kompott med saffranspäron.

Sannolikt var det ett av det bättre besluten jag tagit. Puddingen smakar inte olikt en pannacotta och saffranspäronen till är så gott att jag nästan övervägde att inte äta någonting annat den närmaste månaden.

Ingredienser till vaniljpuddingen

6 dl mjölk
5 msk Maizena

4 tsk socker
2 msk vaniljsocker

1 ägg


Hur man gör

Vispa ihop alla ingredienserna och värm under omrörning. Låt krämen sjuda tills den blir ordentligt tjock. Låt den svalna lite och tippa över i en form. Tips: om man sköljer formen i vatten först lossnar den sedan mycket lättare.

Den behöver sedan kylas för att stelna, endera i kylskåp eller ute om det är kallt. Hur lång tide det tar beror på temperaturen - ute en riktigt kall vinterdag (vi snackar ett antal minusgrader) går det ganksa fort, typ en timme, men i kylskåpstemperatur tar det kanske en 4 timmar.


Ingredienser till päromkomppotten

4 päron
0.5 g saffran (en typisk påse)
1.5 dl vatten
0.5 - 1 dl socker, efter smak och hur söta päronen är
1 tsk vaniljsocker
0.5 dl pressad citron

Hur man gör

Skala och skär päronen i ganska rejäla bitar (typ 1x1 cm). Värm vatten och socker tills det senare lösts upp. Tillsätt saffran och sedan päronen. Låt sjuda 20-30 min eller tills päronen verkar ordentligt mjuka.



Servera ihop och njut!



Mammas lilla kråka


Det sitter en kråka på taket mittemot och poserar. Med jämna mellanrum får han någon sort anfall och sprider ut stjärtfjädrarna och skakar på baken och utstöter läten. Jag tror det är solen. Förledd av värmen och ljuset har den arma kråkans sexdrift löpt amok, och nu försöker han locka till sig någon het kråk-dam för en tête-a-tête genom det adekvata beteendendet att vifta på baken och utstöta läten.

Tja, varför inte. Det funkade ju för Elvis. Och Backstreet Boys.

Schyssta pjuck

Jag har införskaffat dessa skor från Lindex.



Jag föll givetvis  för dem för att de ser smått 30-tal ut, men också för att de kändes så vårlika. Just nu behöver jag klamra mig fast vid illusionen att våren snart är här nämligen. Än så länge är de dock reserverade för inhomhusbruk, men jag ser framför mig hur jag har dem en dag då solen skiner och jag sitter nere vid floden och tittar på hur folk puntar förbi...

Nä, just det. Nu är jag i Oxford i tankarna igen.  Men ändå. Det är ungefär så jag tänker.



lördag 25 februari 2012

Recept: Oxsvansragu

Vi är så himla tetiga med vad vi väljer att äta på djuret. Filé ska det vara, gärna torr och smaklös, och allt annat är ÄCKLIGT för det är liksom mer som om man måste erkänna att man faktiskt äter ett djur. Alla som testat gränserna vet dock att några av de absolut bästa bitarna är de mer oortodoxa. Svans, t.ex.

Oxsvans går fortfarande att köpa färdigstyckat i ganska många butiker, men jag undrar hur många som verkligen köper det. De som gör det – grattis! De har hittat guld, som amerikanarna säger.

Emellertid är oxsvans ingen snabbmat. Man fräser liksom inte på den i woken på fem minuter. Å andra sidan sköter sig en rätt som oxsvansragu helt själv, så det går utmärkt att kombinera med att ha tvättstugan eller, som jag, storstäda.

Man behöver 

ca 1 kg oxsvans, styckad i mindre bitar
2 msk smör
1/2 flaska rödtjut av rekorderligt slag (jag brukar använda Dão som är rustikt och redigt)
Köttbuljong eller fond på flaska, jämte vatten
2 vitlöksklyftor, lätt krossade (ta locket till en kastrull, lägg över klyftan och dunka till med näven)
2 lagerblad
10 vitpepparkorn
2 tsk timjan

ca 10-15 steklökar (om de är stora, halvera både löken och antalet)
1/2 rotselleriknöl
2-3 rejäla morötter 
Lite smör

2 tsk maizena

Beräknad tid: ca 3 timmar, allt som allt

Så här gör man

Bryn köttet i smöret i en stor gryta tills det fått en ordentlig stekyta. Slå sen på vinet och fyll på med vatten tills det täcker köttet. Addera buljongtärning eller fond efter hur mycket vätska du har. Tillsätt även kryddorna och vitlöken. Låt koka 2-2,5 timmar.

Skala och skär grönsakerna i mindre bitar. Bryn dem i en stekpanna och peta över dem i grytan när de fått färg.



Låt koka ca 30 min till (men det är inte hjärnkirurgi så det är inget exakt - grösnakerna ska ha en textur du gillar helt enkelt). Rör ner maizenan och låt det puttra ett par minuter. Smaka av med salt och peppar. Ta gärna upp köttet och putsa bort ev. fett och lägg tillbaka i grytan innan servering.



Det låter kanske trist, men jädrar i min lilla låda vilken koncentrerad smak det blir. Som 'essence de gryta', liksom. Man kan servera nästan vad man känner för till - ris, kokt potatis, bröd, couscous eller bulghur... Gärna lite sallad eller ugnsbakad rotfrukter också.

Utmärkt mat en kall vinterkväll!

fredag 24 februari 2012

Switcheroo!

When I began this blog, I blogged in Swedish. Then I felt that was somewhat too 'exclusive' so I switched to English. After test driving that for about a month, I've decided that those trousers just don't fit me very well. Hence, I'm going to go back to Swedish.


Rainbow clips

Last week I bought a pair of dress clips at the Antiques Fair (or, Antikmässan) in Stockholm for practically nothing. I love dress clips, and these are rather colourful which is a plus for someone like me who tends to opt for black on black eleven times out of ten.

Could anyone help me date them? I really have no idea.

I wore them the other day and got several compliments.  I still felt awkward because of the whole COLOUR thing, but I suppose I have to get use to it, unless I am to get more questions like that my former boss asked me: "Did, ah, something sad happen?"

Oh no, it didn't. And just to prove that I do (occasionally) smile, here is me wearing them:


(like I was told by a photographer once; "You have a big smile. Could you tone it down a bit?")

onsdag 22 februari 2012

Video: Coin Operated Boy

Today is a dark and dreary. And drizzling. We need something to pick us up!



Coin Operated Boy with the fabulous Dresden Dolls

söndag 19 februari 2012

Words of Wisdom: e.e. cummings

An e.e. cummings quote that I for some reason think goes wonderfully with this fashion print I found in Collection Maciet.

lördag 18 februari 2012

Recipe: Cake or Death?

The other day, I got the desperate urge to bake. Everybody handles stress differently, and for me, the best way to wind down is to muck about with eggs, butter and flour. I have no idea why, but I'm sure it's a better option than, say, turning to recreational drugs.

As Eddie Izzard would put it, cake or death?

Because I am also incapable of following a recipe without 'improving' it (the same goes for sewing patterns), I quickly invented a variety on what we call 'sugar cake' (which I suppose should be translated as 'sponge cake').

Ingredients

2 eggs
2 dl sugar (≈ 0.8 cups)
3 3/4 dl flour ( ≈ 1.5 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
50 gr melted butter + a little for the cake mould
1 dl milk (≈ 0.4 cups)
2 tsp vanilla sugar
100 gr Green & Black's Organic Chocolate with orange and spices, chopped
1 handful of sultanas  
Breadcrumbs

Prepare the cake mould with butter and bread crumbs.

Whisk eggs and sugar together until fluffy. Blend the flour, the baking powder and the vanilla sugar together (if you use vanilla extract, add it to the eggs and sugar before whisking it together instead). Mix the flour mix with the egg mix and add the melted butter, the chocolate and the sultanas. Try not to stir too much as that may cause the cake to sag and/or acquire a sad, gum-like quality.

Pour the mix into the cake mould and set in the oven at 175°C (between 325 and 350°F) for about 40 min.

When it's done, wait a few minutes and then turn the mould upside down. If needed, carefully pry the cake loose with a knife. Then let it cool under the mould (but honestly, not altogether because it's really good when still slightly warm because the chocolate is all runny and yummy).



fredag 17 februari 2012

Freedom of Choice or Freedom from Choice?

Quite often, the simplicity of life 'back then', is contrasted with the complexity of the world today. Before 1955, it's more or less alleged, people trudged on; good, simple souls who worked hard and slept well and to whom the world order was easily discernable and understandable.

This seems to be what draws some people to embrace a 'vintage' or 'retro' lifestyle. For me, however, that's not so. I don't think life 'back then' was simple. Absolutely not.

On the contrary, in the time between the wars the world wrestled with enormous questions - can Capitalism survive? Is Democracy desirable? How do we cope in a world that is filled with possibilites; a suddenly urban society where women wear short skirts and demand equal rights to pay and vote, where people are suddenly only a telephone call and a train ride away, where information in the shape of papers, pamphlets, books etc. are suddenly swelling to hitherto unknown proportions? 'Breathing', Beatrice Webb wrote in 1932, 'from infancy an up, an atmosphere of morbid sexuality and alcoholism, furtive larceny and unashamed mendacity [...] the average man is, mentally as well as physically, poisoned.'*

That's how the world looked to the people living inside it. It wasn't simple; it was a time of upheaval of the social and political order where men struggled to understand what was going on. The transitions we have experienced since are in no way greater than those experienced between 1870 and 1939. Looking back, it looks simpler because distance tends to blur out the things that didn't happen and so it seems like the choices that were made weren't actually choices but just the natural flow of events.

The patterns that are obscure when we stand close to an object emerge when we back away, like a gouache painting. But honestly, if things had been so 'simple' back then, would the world have changed the way it has? No, that change is caused by the fact that the world in the Golden Era wasn't 'simple' and that suddenly all truths hitherto known to man were up for questioning.

Personally, I don't think uncertainty was ever greater than in this period - and that's part of why I love it. It was so full of possibilities and visions and promises of a grander future that never came. Instead, we're stuck with this world, which chafes on us, and we can't even explain why. We've driven the world to the bring of the Apocalypse through our desperate attempts to consume away the increasing hollowness inside and yet, the void is ever growing.

To put it simple: the Western world is eating cake and wondering why it's still hungry.


*Overy, R. J.,  The morbid age: Britain and the crisis of civilization, Penguin, London, 2010[2009], p. 70

torsdag 16 februari 2012

Great Retro-looking Perfume

The other day I found this great bottle at H&M - doesn't it look like it belongs on the dressing table of some 20th century movie star?

It smells good too. I'm really bad at identifying scents, but there's plenty of vanilla in it, with flowery top notes. It doesn't at all smell 'cheap' the way H&Ms scents often do.

A find for only SEK 99!

onsdag 15 februari 2012

Fairly Beautiful Clothes

I recently came across People Tree through a post on Husmorsskolan and immediately fell in love. They have some absolutely gorgeous styles that should appeal to lovers of vintage fashion. There are lots of things that look decidedly '40s and '50s, including a calf length circle skirt.

And just look at this lovely coat:


or this adorable skirt with teacups:


 
What more is, People Tree makes clothes that meet the Fair Trade principles set out by WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation), and that are produced in an ecologically sound way - according to the website all of their cotton is certified organic and Fairtrade (like the two samples above) and all their clothes are dyed using safe and natural dyes. 


Now, I haven't bought anything from them yet, but I very well might. It's the perfect combination of things I feel passionately about - good clothes, organically produced, with a little justice and fairness thrown in to top it off.

söndag 12 februari 2012

Recipe: Chocolate Pudding


One of the most classic Swedish desserts is chocolate pudding. It's basically a chocolate-flavoured milk jelly and was one of my favourites as a child. For some reason, it's going out of use and when it is made, it is usually made from a mix. I think that's a great pity - it's yummy, easy to make and contains considerable less sugar and fat than many 'modern' desserts.

I consider this a 'winter dessert', because it doesn't require fresh fruit or berries and it needs to cool in a chilly environment - so much better to put it outside in the snow than in the fridge!


I got my favourite recipe for it from Husmorsskolan and I've made it several times, always with excellent results. I've tried to translate it into English and hope it makes sense!

6 dl / 2.5 cups milk
5 tbsp cornstarch (Maizena)
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
vanilla extract/vanilla sugar to taste

Mix all the ingredients and whisk them together. Heat slowly while stirring and allow to simmer until the cream is really thick.

Let cool a little, and pour it into a bowl/mould or portions-sized cups. Make sure you rinse them in water before you pour the cream in – it makes the pudding come out much more easily.

It needs to cool off and be chilled to set. You can put it in the fridge or, like I said, outside if it's cold. How long it takes depends on the temperature. One hour is sufficient if it's really cold outside, but in the fridge, you need to give it 3-4 hours.

Tip it out and serve as is or with whipped cream. It looks best if you have a fancy old-fashioned pudding mould of course, but it can be rather nice to serve individual little puddings too.

The texture is somewhere between custard and jelly. Very yummy!

lördag 11 februari 2012

How I got my nose

My father's grandmother was one hell of a woman. She wasn't even 5 ft tall and bow-legged due to malnutrition as a child and had a distinctly upturned nose. I have that too. In fact, it's part of our family lore that the first thing my mother said when she saw me was "God, she has Great Gran's nose!" It's called a 'norrköpingsnäsa' in Swedish, very aptly, since my great grandmother actually was from the town of Norrköping.

She was born in 1901 and grew up mostly fatherless, because her father took the family savings and went off to America to build a better life. The idea was that he would send for his wife and daughter as soon as he got settled. Instead, he vanished without a trace. We still don't know if he died or just decided to start anew, but the latter seems rather more likely, given the circumstances and human nature.

At 17, she left the small town behind and moved to Stockholm. Exactly what went on there, I don't know, but as she never talked of it beyond the need to repent for her youthful sins, I suspect it was something interesting. At some point, she worked at Berns Salonger, which stills looks more or less the same as it did then. She also got engaged to the illegitimate son of a French variety singer and had a daughter with him. They never married and at some point the gentleman disappeared and remained MIA until the '60s when my father found him, surrounded by a new family.

When her labour started, she didn't have enough money for a tram, so she walked straight across Stockholm, an hour long walk or so, to the women's hospital. Unfortunately, it turned out she couldn't support my grandmother and had to put her in foster home. It took years before they were reunited, and honestly, her child rearing methods were a little unorthodox. In the '50s, she had a house right on the waterfront so she'd tether my father with a rope so he wouldn't drown when he was visiting, rather than just keeping an eye on him. He's told me he used to beg: "I'm going to be so good, so good, just don't tie me up!" to no avail.

In the '30s and '40s, she worked as a 'kalaskokerska'. It's an expression long gone, but it means a woman who comes in to cook for large dinners or parties. Today, we'd likely say she was a caterer, but that just doesn't convey the same image of a short. stout woman who could whip a bread dough and roll a few hundred meatballs without blinking. Herself, she'd probably have considered 'caterer' silly faff - she was a woman with little time for pretentions.

And she was a gutsy lady. Since her job often meant late nights, people would ask her if she wasn't afraid of being molested when she walked home. "Nah, they'll let me go when daylight breaks', she'd say, with an 'and they can see what I look like' implied but not spoken.

She was also a gold mine of bawdy expressions. In Swedish, we tend to have a lot of suggestive sayings along the lines of '...he/she said when he/she...' and my grandmother knew more of those than anyone I ever met. Some I don't even understand, but as they usually contain references to sex and bodily functions, they're pretty still funny!

One of her expressions that I especially love is about worrying about being indecent or people seeing you undressed. She'd say: 'Kan de se nåt mer än Gud har skapa' låt dem stå där och gapa' - meaning something like 'If they can see something more than God created, let them marvel.' I love that, because to me it conveys beautifully that there's nothing shameful about the human body.

By the time I was born, she was already old beyond her years, worn out from a life of hard work and misfortunes, but would still spout her funny expressions and I remember her fondly. I also have some of her recipes, passed down through my mother, but sadly, most of them are now lost in time.

It's very strange to look in the mirror and realise that I actually look a lot like her, and that her fate could easily have been mine in another time and place. I'm far from sure I'd have handled myself as well, though.

fredag 10 februari 2012

Look, look! It's Asta!

If you know me, then you know how dearly I love the Thin Man films. And if you know that, it won't come as a surprise to you that I couldn't resist buying this brooch when I came across it on Tradera.

I mean, it's Asta; down to the very last bristle!
My grandmother's family actually had a fox terrier in the 30s and 40s. She was called Trickie and my mother claims she was highly neurotic (this probably says more about my family than fox terriers, actually). Remind me to dig out a photo and tell you some stories about her some time!

torsdag 9 februari 2012

Recipe: Salmon Pudding

I cook a lot, especially what we in Sweden would call 'husmanskost.' I suppose you could translate it as 'old-fashioned food', but there's more to it - the word carries connotations of everyday, no-fuss, rustic food. It's 'slow-food' in that it often takes long to make, and it's based on the sort of ingredients traditionally found in Sweden.

A typical, traditional dish is 'laxpudding', which means 'salmon pudding'. I made that recently, but I updated the recipe a little and gave it a few twists. First, I made it with smoked salmon rather than cured salmon as is traditional. I also added fennel for taste and texture and I ate it plain, rather than pouring melted butter over it, which is the traditional and super-yummy, but, frankly, appallingly calorific, way to serve it.

For me, this was 4 servings, but you should be advised it's 4 rather small servings, Vintage-sized portions, if you will.

150-200 g smoked salmon, sliced and diced
8-10 boiled potatoes, sliced
3 dl milk (1.2 cups)
2 eggs
1/2 - 1 fennel, sliced
1-2 handfuls of chopped dill
a little butter
salt & pepper

Take an oven safe dish and apply a little butter to it. Cover it with a layer of potato slices. Follow up with a layer of salmon. Spread the dill evenly over the fish and cover with fennel slices. Finish with a final layer of potatoes.

Whisk the eggs with the milk and add a little salt and pepper. Pour the mix over the potatoes and salmon.

Put a few small pieces of butter on top of the dish and bake in the oven for 40-55 minutes at 200°C  (~ 400°F).

tisdag 7 februari 2012

What's In Your Vintage Handbag?

Yesterday, Black Dahlia challenged other bloggers to post the content of their vintage handbags on her blog Oh, for the love of Vintage!

Mine's not vintage, but here goes.

My bag:



I need a big shoulder bag, see, because typically I carry around books, my knitting, snacks and, often, a laptop. And I love this one because it's red and of genuine leather and quite like a magic Bag of Holding – it is much bigger on the inside than on the outside.

So,what's in there today?
Surprisingly few things, actually! Whew, you caught me on a good day...

From top down:

1. Red lipgloss from H&M
2. Earphones for my iPhone
3. Bottle opener – you never know when you might need it
4. Shiny red strawberry-flavoured lipgloss
5. Apple-scented hand lotion from H&M
6. Solid perfume from sivletto.com, supposedly smelling of lychee
7. Keys
8. Lip balm, tropical fruit-flavoured
9. Travel card for Stockholm Public Transport (SL)
10. Mirror with Millais' Ophelia on the back - I got that at the National Museum when they had a Pre-Raphaelite exhibition last year
11. Crocheting needle (but oddly, no yarn)
12.  Comb
13. Black gloves
14. Mascara from Clinique
15. A perfume "bullet" - a small, metallic container you fill with perfume so you can keep it in your handbag and top up as you go
16. Wallet in grey leather




måndag 6 februari 2012

Sámi álbmotbeaivi!

I totally forgot - today is the Sami National Day! The Sami are traditionally nomadic gatherer and hunters who with time migrated towards keeping herds of reindeer. Their native lands stretch across northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, although today they are found all over the globe and only a minority still engage in reindeer husbandry.

Since my father is Sami, I would like to wish you all a very happy Sami National Day (or, with a twist of Northern Sami: a happy sámi álbmotbeaivi)!

lördag 4 februari 2012

And then she discovered internet shopping...

Lately, I've become addicted to Tradera. As far as I understand, that's the trademark eBay operates under in Sweden – it's owned by eBay anyway, and works the exact same way.

It's not really that I buy all that much, and what I buy is rarely very expensive; it's more the endless possibilities that have opened up to me. I can spend hours trying to find the perfect brooch or debating whether or not to to get those mint condition, alligator '60s pumps or not.

Here are some of my finds lately:

A vintage faux-pearl necklace. I'm addicted to pearls and I've been wanting one of these double row necklaces where the pearl size grows towards the center for ages. And honestly, can a girl have too many pearl necklaces?

An issue of a weekly Swedish magazine ("Hemmets veckotidning") from 1936. I haven't read it yet, but I leafed through it and already spotted some gems I need to dig into.

A brooch with some sort of spiky flower/fruit and leaves. I have no idea when it's from but it's big – it doesn't fit in the palm of my hand – with a curving stem, and a real eye catcher without being bling-y. I think I fell for it because of the combination of curves and strictness; it appeals to the art deco-fan in me.

Now excuse me while I go contemplate whether or not to buy an art deco sugar bowl in silver or not. I'm thinking it might be perfect for keeping cotton pads on my dresser...

fredag 3 februari 2012

"I do NOT vant to be alone"

I read this wonderful post over at  a cat among the pigeons about Greta Garbo, and that reminded me of an unexpected encounter I had a few years ago.

I was waiting for the bus, when a very, very old man sat down next to me and started talking. He was quite clearly very lonely and soon he was telling me all about his life and how he used to work as a cabin boy on a big Atlantic cruiser. He'd met tons of famous people, and he told me all about who were nice and who weren't. And then he said: "But my favorite was always Greta Garbo. Such a lady! She'd always ask for me the moment she got on board. People think she didn't like company, but that's not true. She loved chatting; she just didn't like all that fuss and being treated like a star. We got to know each other quite well, and when she was in New York she used to go eat Sunday dinners with my sister's family in Brooklyn. See, she'd get a little homesick every now and then so she liked being able to speak Swedish and not being treated like she was anybody special. A lovely lady, she was; warm and very well-mannered."

And then his bus arrived, and I thanked him for his stories and he got on board and I never saw him again. But I can't help thinking that if a former cabin boy remembers you so fondly 70 years or so later, you really must have been something rather special.



torsdag 2 februari 2012

New Wave?

I'm currently recovering from a super-short pixie cut I had this summer. It was cute, but you couldn't really do that much with it so I decided to grow it out again. I want a middy, or at least a proper bob!  In the meantime, I have an ugly in-between hair that is pretty hard to get to look good.



I've been experimenting with waves, and I'm slowly improving. I do a wet set with about 30 foam rollers every night and then I take about 10-15 minutes of brushing out the curls in the morning. I've also cut back majorly on washing my hair. I used to be a compulsive "once or twice a day"-washer, but now I only wash it about twice a week. On the nights when I don't wash it, I use a light conditioner, which is enough to spruce it up.  I've noticed my waves look best on the third day after I wash my hair; smooth and easy to style, but not the least bit greasy. With the waves it looks OK, but honestly, I can't wait for it to grow a bit!


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