Spring on my mind...

Yes, with spring on my mind and in my step, my mission this morning was to treat the Swenglish house to some tulips, and of course I had my favourite tulip colour in mind: deep purple/magenta. Imagine my upside down smile when I realized that the shop only had yellow and red ones to offer... Not seeing a tulip-less day as an option, especially since these were to be the first of the season (!), I had to think outside of the box, call out to all the flexibility this Swenglish head could muster... 

And with a bunch of squeaky fresh friends, I left to go home to play...

Mixing these two colours is a rather daring and unusual adventure for my otherwise so one-tone-themed mind, and I do confess to a purple longing still humming inside, but for now, these colourful little heads will serve as reminders that spring will soon be here and my beloved flower-picking season not far behind...

My head is bulging and brimming with ideas for decorative symphonies, but having just returned from a work trip to the US, and with another to Sweden in a few days, I will have to practise a -to me- rather alien concept: patience... Ugh, not something I will ever win awards for, but nevertheless a necessary mantra...

And to all of you lovely readers out there who so patiently wait for my new blog posts, to you who send me the sweetest comments and incredibly kind emails, a warm thank you and a squeaky bunch of tulips to each and every one of you!

Helena

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I have heard a whisper...

... that something special is happening quite soon...

... which will involve flying reindeer and awkward incidents with chimneys and bellies too big...

So I have started gathering my moss and planting my hyacinths...

... because I heard it all from a pixie in Lappland... so it must be true!

***

Last year, this room looked like this:

... and I think there is a chance those NOEL letters will soon emerge again, 

and pine cones may find themselves potted and "mossed"!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Helena

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Summer outside and in...

Just after I took the photos for the last blog post, 

the rain clouds drew closer and I decided it might be

 a good idea to move summer indoors instead...

Garden-harvested white beauties, pretty even as they are wilting...

And what if we check out a different angle of the room...?

Well, then we find the slightly "overbearing" former TV-cabinet, now housing a sowing machine and all sorts of craft material. Next to it, one of my grand-parents' old chairs, recovered in a cushion cover from H&M, in front of which lean some of my wooden trays and bowls, awaiting their next "assignment"...

***

Another guest appearance...

The Swenglish Home is today featured on the life style website Mammas Egen (Mum's Own) in their series "Room of the Week": http://www.mammasegen.com/material/otroligt-vackra-hemmet-i-danskfransksvensk-countrystil. Thank you, Camilla, for asking me to contribute to your site - I feel honoured!

***

Wishing you all an invigorating day in the sun!

Helena

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Modern meddling in the middle...

In the Middle Room, a k a the TV room (TV and stereo hidden in the cupboards under the stairs), a slightly more modern tone has snuck its way in. A coffee table much too large for this small space - but excellent to build Lego cities on. A sofa so treasured by the man in the house (what is it about men and their old sofas?), that it has moved from the UK to Sweden to Turkey to Sweden to the UK... - the firm fluffiness of its cushions a sweet but very distant memory... A fire place with exposed bricks, courtesy of the previous owners of the house and unfortunately not to our taste, still on our to do-list (together with many other 'wants' and 'needs' in the house)...

Through the door to the left is the kitchen, to the right: the hallway, stairs and front room (see Living Room). Behind me is the white sofa with the CALM letters above (see The Middle Room).

The ceiling light is my beloved Midsummer Light by Tord Boontje. Designer items are a very rare sight in The Swenglish Home, but this sensual paper 'skirt' makes me happy every day and brightens this window-less room in more ways than one.

The table lamp is one of my finds from my trip to Paris last week, and was found at Maisons du Monde, a -for me - new and VERY nice acquaintance in the world of shops... It had a minute, hardly visible scratch and voilà: 20% came off the price immediately and at  € 31 (£ 27) including the shade, I thought it was a good deal.

The fire place in this room is not working, but that does not mean a rusty greenhouse heater (another bargain at £ 8 at one of my local bargain hangouts in Bath...) filled with fairy lights can't have a go at offering a warm ambiance, does it...?

So, there we are, a peek into a room where it all happens... Drama and documentaries; numbing news and stories of hope and love, on paper, screen or CD; playtime and parents' naps; bundles with boys - our bundles of joy. Everyday life in a Swenglish home...

***

As many bloggers have pointed out recently, writing about mundane decorating dilemmas or, as above, the joy of lamps, is perhaps done with mixed feelings at the moment. With a world 'gone mad' and natural disasters changing the emotional 'decor' of so many people's lives forever, how can we carry on dwelling on where to place our tables and tulips? 

Personally, I think it is OK to do both. To focus on and deal with the horrifying news from Japan and elsewhere, choose to offer help in some physical form or just in our hearts, but at the same time carry on with whatever gives us the positive energy and the soul-nurturing that allow us to do just that, cope with the overwhelming pain that we may experience near us or from afar... 

So, I will carry on embracing signs of spring in my garden, but I do it now perhaps with a little more gratitude, humble to be here to experience yet another spring, joyful at the signs of life around me.

***

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Turkish treasures and trusty tulips...

How I have longed for you...

...with your squeeky freshness and colourful little faces...

Welcome tulips, YOU are SPRING to me!

Resting here in one of the Turkish wooden bowls from my trip last week,

looking...well good enough to eat! 

Behind the summer hat I dream of wearing one day 

(when I have shrunk my head enough for it not to look 

such a laughing matter squashed into a hat),

nestles a small cushion also found in Ankara...

Wishing you a spring-scented and altogether spectacular week!

Helena

Ps. Thank you for all your kind words about my photos from Turkey. 

What is it about scruffy old doors, I wonder, that 

make so many of us go weak at the knees....? 

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A modest accusation...

Dear blog readers,

Do you, like I, sometimes find yourselves panting a little faster, starting 37 projects at the same time and wonder why you can't finish them, pant yet a little faster and then find yourselves balancing a bottle of glue on your nose, as both your hands are full of craft material you can't put down, because you can't find an empty space on the table...?

Well, I am afraid I blame you! Yes, you. You who offer an endless stream of crafty ideas, a fountain of inspiring projects, stunning photos and decoration galore. How is a girl supposed to find the time to write her Christmas cards, or tidy up at least to create enough space for Father Christmas to find his way to the Christmas tree, when you can't seem to stop feeding me all this inspiration? Well, I suppose that was a bit rude. Thank you for all your inspiration, is a little more appropriate. So, thank you. But perhaps you could slow down just a little, just so that I can sweep the chimney? We wouldn't want a certain well-rounded man to get stuck, now would we?

Today, instead of attacking a long list of important things to achieve, I felt my hands reach for some small, old clay pots, some other bits and bobs and four hyacinth bulbs... oh yes, that was the idea, but as the Swenglish house experienced a severe lack of hyacinths today, four pine cones would have to do.

A few long cinnamon sticks, two bargain candle sticks from a car boot sale ( £1 each!) and the NOEL letters I cut last year from some left-over floor boards - and the little cone quartet can enjoy their new, sleek attire together with some appropriate company, and hopefully some seasonal spirit to go with it...

 

Wishing you all an inspiring week, and thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my last blog entry - you make my day!

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A leafy chaos culprit...

Isn't it funny how the introduction of one new decorative friend to the family of existing "pretties", can send a whole room into chaos, whilst things are being moved around, fetched from another room, poked and prodded... until it all comes together? At least in my head. At least for the time being...

A small olive tree was the chaos culprit this time, but between you and I, I actually jumped at the idea of changing things around a little, of letting my creative juices flow freely for a few minutes, while the boys' dinner was cooking. Wanting a few more "greens" to liven up the browns, I ventured into the garden. The only remotely alive-looking flowers were the little green ones from the ivy, so out came the trio of miniature vases. My recently crafted concrete tea light cups saw their UK debut, as did the concrete stars (made at the same time). The "Live fully" sign made last year was invited to join the scene, and on the sofa you can glimpse my shamelessly self-centred HB cushion made earlier this year - and anyone who dares guess the year to be my birth year must of course be deliriously mistaken. It couldn't possibly be... could it?

So, for now, this is what the "Middle Room" looks like, 

but do not be surprised if when you see it next, it may look entirely different again...

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