for food in a world where many walk in hunger
for faith in a world where many walk in fear
for friends in a world where many walk alone
i give thanks today and every day.
amen.
(yes - i am still alive! watch this space.)
Photo Albums
Some Favorites
handbags
i've just spent waaay too much time on this site (via shelteriffic) playing "design your own very fashionable handbag". very very fun.
when i am out and about in stockholm i am always a bit confounded by the girls who carry such rendy handbags. i know that some of these bags cost hundreds of dollars and are so coloful they surely would only complement a couple of outfits at the most.
i just can't bring myself to do it. practical to a fault, maybe.
but this site really wowed me and i love the concept and even the bags. their fabric choices numer in the hundreds and i am positively drooling over at least 10 of them.
it's still left to be seen if i would actually part with a couple of hundred dollars for a cute handbag i fear i may get tired of after the novelty has worn off, but in the meantime i am loving the idea of it all.
desperate measures
can i even believe it is still sweaters and windbreaker weather on june 1??? actually... yes. i can. sigh. a few years ago it snowed in june, so i suppose this is a good time to count my blessings!
since it looks like summer will never arrive - some of my trees are only juuust getting leaves - i had to take matters into my own hands. flowers i need, and so flowers there shall be. 
some made from vellum some made with some fun new stamps i just bought at my favorite store in stockholm - ljunggrens paper in the old town. the blue one is a copycat of a card with vellum flowers i saw at target and loved - they have the best cards there! who knew? i came home so revved up i decided to play with vellum and embossing powder. i wish i had noticed if there was an artist credited for the vellum cards. now that i have the knack of working with vellum (the knack lies in what kind of glue to use so that it doesnt show through), i'll step away from the copycat and make some of my own.
sure it's fun to make stuff, but it really ain't no substitute for the real thing where flowers are concerned. i'm off to spend far too much money on annuals again this year. i'm all about the instant gratification.
speedy delivery
hurrah!
thanks to kathleen i am now the Very Excited recipient of some Very Cool Music! it was my first ever swap and now i hear my nieces voice in my head "again! do it again!". just look at how beautiful they are:
i literally have oohed and aahed when each of these little treasures arrived. thank you kathleen, yvonne, christina and jill! i can only hope that you enjoy the cds i made (which i forgot to take a picture of but kathleen posted one here) half as much as i enjoyed making mine and receiving yours. you are all so talented.
another exceptionally fun thing that came in todays mail (when it rains...) was this:
you have discovered pam garrisons gorgeous blog, right? her eye for color and fantastic aesthetic are always a treat to see. i've not yet decided how to use this pack of vintage wallpaper, but for the moment i am happy just to have it around for inspiration.
cute coffee
e and i went to a flea market a while back and saw some really cute cups and saucers for a chlld's tea set. i lamented the fact that my nieces all have tea party paraphernalia, so we weren't really in the market, despite the fact that these were so adorable.
in a moment of divine inspiration, e turned to me and said "they're actually the perfect size for espresso...".
and so they were. eureka!
i now know that this set is from the 50's and was produced by the hazel atlas company as the "little hostess moderntone pastel party set". the pieces are platonite - the colors are fired onto white milk glass.
we now use them all the time and our friends always say yes to espresso (a coincindence? i don't think so! who wouldn't want to drink out of this?). they remind me a bit of fiesta - another true love. what appeals to me most about them - apart from their size and overall adorableness - is mixing cups and saucers. no matching allowed!
"maybe my bright red boots if they had wings"
it feels like aaages since i heard new music that i love love love.
the weepies seem to have been popping up in blogland (like here and a few other places i can now not locate! sorry - let me know if you've mentioned them!) and finally i got around to popping over to their website and i haven't stopped listening to them since. go listen! now!
step right up!
how adorable is this pretend shopping street i found in an old swedish parenting magazine? there is a newspaper stand, baker and naturally an adorable little fabric stand. they even sell remnants ("stuvar") and odd buttons ("knappar") in a box on the sidewalk!
the stores are made of cardboard boxes which are covered with fabric. the little shelves in the openings are painted a contrasting color. the adorable bolts of fabric are wrapped around straws.
this would be a fun "rainy day" project. a little café, movie theatre, flower stand...
