Ikea Hacker

I have always liked the way light filters through handtrown porcelain; it reminds me of the rings of Saturn. It has long been the plan to make new lampshade for the Ikea lamp BASISK. The lamp is simple but has the perfect fitting making it really easy to change the shade. Perfect for me since I am a potter, not an electrician. We have three of these lamps by our sofa, and I love the way the shades gives out light so similar to candles.

The Famous White Tablecloth

Sometimes you have to do it. Make life something special, do something extra, spread the white cloth on table and get properly dressed for dinner. We have just one kitchen cabinet that holds our china, which in this case is NOT from China, but mostly earthenware from my studio. Not much space, but I'm trying to combine the tableware in a way we have all we need at hand, not only for everyday dinner but also for special occasions like Christmas and birthdays. I sewed the white linen tablecloth just a day before Christmas eve and made an effort to make the edges and corners to look sharp and good. Next year I will sew napkins to go with it.

The Christmas was wonderfully hectic; family over for Christmas eve, Seth's birthday and friends & family visiting, but I think we are back on track by now.




We don't have curtains because I just love the light in our apartment, but at winter the naked windows look so very big and dark. So, I put up this winter decoration made of two different type of oilcloth. I just stick it to the window with double adhesive tape. It can take the rain if the window stays open and it doesn't fall of even in windy weather. As you can see, it softens the rather harsh winter light. When the light gets stronger and days longer in April, we put it away for next year. Maybe next year with a different border... who knows...

A new and great design blog about kids stuff

Irene has this wonderfull blog Bloesem and now she has launched a new one Bloesem kids. Oh yes, we need this blog... Congratulations...

In Irenes own words:

"It is all about cool stuff for kids…not a laundry list of products you can buy for your kids…but more like a carefully put together selection…cherry picking…among everything that is available which can be quite overwhelming sometimes…so B:Kids will set out to do just that…help you navigate and give inspiration…."

I feel very honored that my design Flødehesten is among her cherry pickings. Go check it out...

Christmas Preparations...

Can it be called for Christmas Preparation when it is already the 17.th of December ?!? Well I do... You know there is Christmas next year too, and even if I am not keeping the sweets, I Will keep my Christmas manual ( as John - laughing - calls my rather autistic approach to these seasonal holiday things. But honestly, it is just because I want to save time and be relaxed. My way of doing is really to get into it. I write everything down, make lists and so on, so I can later just switch to auto pilot... Am I weird ? Well maybe, but it works...

The sweets are mixed up of all the good things I like... nougat, dried apricots, orange blossom water, cognac, coffee, white chocolate...

The Candle holder vase is one of a small series in light cream colour, cream and aqua green. It was made because I needed a way of displaying flowers and candles together, in a low key way... just a single flower in springtime, some green at winter, and maybe just a matchbox when things are a bit too busy...

The candle holder vase will be awailable on my website next week. Look under the catagory "unique pieces"




Christmas preparations...

The local newspaper came by...

Me taking a picture of the photographer taking a picture of... The local paper wanted to write an article about how things are coming along, since I moved the studio to the countryside. The headline says "Far out on the countryside but close to the Paradise". Phase 1 in the rebuilding of the studio is finished and phase 2 ( the final one ) will have to wait to spring... Now I need to focus on the ceramics and hopefully some more sewing since all the ideas are piling up in my head... Well, that's good, isn't it ?

Re-establishing traditions...

This Christmas is a special one for us. It is Seths´ first Christmas... sort of... since he was born December 27th, he had a little of it last year... It is also the first time we are celebrating Christmas ( Hanukkah, would John maybe say ? ) in our little family... with Christmas dinner and all that... We would like our X-mas to be nice and tasseled with magic, but most important; let´s have it without stress this year...

I made This "Christmas stocking" for Seth a little late... Lucky me, he doesn't know the calendar yet. I wanted to make something he can have trough whole his childhood and it can be used for either 24 gifts or maybe just 4 ( a danish advent tradition, 24 days or 4 Sundays before the X-mas )... I found the little embroidered bell string from a 2nd hand shop, and I liked the colours. Running out of time, between 5am and 7am it was made and ready.

Oh yes, as you can see, I still haven't painted that bed... I will get to that soon... but HOW... Where could he take his nap while... Just can't figure out the logistics of this project... I guess I should have painted it before the smaller bed was moved out... hmmmmm...

Time for being practical....again...

I finished Seths' new winter suit.... Just in time, because it is getting rather cold here. I couldn't find one I liked, so I had to sew one myself. I wanted one soft enough for him to move around, and I didn't find it necessary that it could cope with minus 35 degrees Celsius and wear and tear of the toughest military outfit. If he has to crawl around in mud pools - not really my plan - then he just wears extra pair of pants made of water proof beaver nylon. He is not even one year yet... I used some of the leftover fleece to make the small mittens... really easy and a really good idea... I keep the rest of the fleece... 'cause we will sure lose them over and over again...

Early mornings...

Maybe you remember...??!... John took the last three months of the maternity ( paternity ) leave, but today was the last day... so new beginning: Now Seth has to follow me daily to the studio... Oh yes, I can hear you saying "hmmm, is that possible...?" And yes, it is. We get up at 6am and after 1 hour of eating, getting dressed and drinking coffee ( eh, mostly me ) we're heading to the studio. Seth plays in the "kindergarten" ( a low platform about 5 square meters with a wooden floor, fence and of course a little gate ). I got some ideas for decorating it, but that has to wait until spring, because now starts the Pottery Time... well... I quickly fire up the stove and then I have about 1 hour for doing a little miscellaneous work before it is time for Seth's morning nap at about 9am... Two hours of throwing pots, then eating, playing, taking a walk, working, eating and Seth having an afternoon nap. Again two hours of concentrated work. Seth wakes up and he plays a little before we drive home. 12 hours gone since we stood up.

Note to myself :...Make tiny mittens for Seth just like my own studio ones.....

Howdie Owlie...

My plan was actually to renovate Seths new bed, but I ended up making this little Owlie in stead of. When we bought the 2nd hand kiddie bed, I was rather satisfied with the colour....but since the paint now peels of, revealing a rather girly pink, I guess I have to paint it. Being rather tired of painting right now, I ended up at the sewing machine... hmmm so much more fun... The Owl was a make-along-thing... not that much of thinking, just playing... I like the results, and so does Seth......

Owls are favorite animals of mine, signaling intelligence, sweetness and a little bit of funny arrogance.... I think that kind of softie is the best companion at nighttime, and I hope Seth will have long weird scientific discussions with the Owlie.

Let there be light..

Finally we took the time to hang up the lamp we bought on an auction. It has been in storage room for several months, but we had to do something since the days where getting shorter. It is designed by the danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen in the 50´s and is called Radiohuspendel ( Radio House Lamp ) since it was made for the old Danisk National Radio City in Copenhagen. They were also used at a school building designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen ( see the picture below ). I really like the shape and size of it, and with a light regulator it is perfect for both working and really cozy together with candles.... perfect...

My working board by the bench is rather empty at the moment....all my time goes to rebuilding my shop and workshop, no clay, no fabrics...just painting, painting and well.. painting...I miss getting into crafting again...but I also know you have to prepare canvases or you are forever stuck with pencil and paper....