A sticky American situation...

Those of you who have been following me for some time now know that I have a weakness for several interior styles, one of which is the star-studded "New England" style...

So yesterday, when I made some 

American pancakes as a special treat for the boys ...

... the craft-starved yours truly just had to play a little making instant mini-bunting 

("instant" here reads "glue" rather than sewing machine) and flags to top off...

... the pile of pancakes covered in drippy, sticky, gorgeous American syrup...

And all this just because a few weeks ago I happened to stumble upon ...

... a local gem...

A fabulous little vintage café in our neighbour village Box... 

Toast Coffee House is owned by lovely Lucy and Simon Wright, 

and not only do they always make you feel very welcome...

... they have created a fabulous little slice of vintage heaven in their former garage (!),

offering coffees, cakes and lighter bites, which you can enjoy at one of the old wooden tables, 

whilst you listen to the shelves whispering tempting tunes of pretty tins and yummy foods...

(Love the coasters Lucy has made from old grain (?) sacks! - Not for sale.-)

***

Again, I bow humbly at your incredibly kind words on my last blog post. I am very frustrated I have not got the time to visit you all and tell you in person how happy and "lifted" I feel when I read your amazing comments, but thank you, THANK YOU! Every comment is like being given a hug and an approving pat on the back, and I soar. I think I might just have the loveliest readers in the blog universe!

Helena

... and violets are blue...

A few years ago, I stumbled across this meat grinder in a junk shop here in the UK. The man in the house had been wanting one for some time, and you can imagine my delight when not only did I find one for him, but the next minute saw the familiar "Made in Sweden" on its shiny torso! For a couple of pounds, this chunky Swede (yes, still referring to meat grinder!) was released from its junk orphanage and offered a new home with the Swenglish humans.

No later had the meat grinder clanked across the threshold of its new foster home, when we realised we had found ourselves a rather romantic new family member. More than once have I arrived home to find it frolicking with flower petals or stray pieces of lace. It must be something about the contrast of the hard and the soft, the chunky and the delicate... To some it may seem a little like David meets Goliath, or like a mouse stroking the ears of an elephant.

To me, there could not be a more perfectly matched couple...

Some like kitchen gadgets...

Others jump up and down with joy when they walk past the local second hand shop and a scruffy mini-cabinet with a chicken-wire door calls out from the window display.

For under 50 Swedish kronor, I thought it was a bargain, and a bargain that might just be happy moving into a Swenglish house.

Despite my desire for light or bright spring colours, the cabinet now hosts a few rusty and brown friends, but I have got a feeling this will be a display that may change quite frequently...

Again, thank you all who take the time to visit my blog, thank you those of you who write lovely comments, but also those of you who tiptoe around anonymously. And welcome all of you who are new readers, new followers or fly-by visitors. It is a pleasure to see you here. Enchanté.

Scandinavia calling...

You have seen it all before, and it is likely you will see it all again. Our kitchen, born out of a dusty renovation and extension last year. In it, some whispers of Scandinavia: the basket on the floor from IKEA, the flat cushions on top from JYSK, the linen cushion on top from H&M, the tea towel from ICA Maxi, and of course my half-price find, the zinc lantern from Danish Walter & Co.
Homesick - who, me? I don't know what you are talking about....

An inspired moment...

The world of interior blogs is a deep and bubbling ocean of inspiration and ideas. As much as I like soaking up page after page in my favourite magazines, peering into some of the tasteful and creatively composed bloggers' homes can be equally stimulating. Or perhaps even more inspiring, as it is more personal, feels real and very often something I feel I can relate to more than some of the incredibly flash and fancy homes that appear in the magazines.

So what can one do with a piece of wood, a band-saw, some white paint and a bit of blogged inspiration? Well, after having for a long time admired a wooden box with a handle in the kitchen of the gorgeous http://www.lillablanka.blogspot.com/, I decided to have a go at making one. Not entirely straight perhaps, but a few flaws can be covered up with a sprawling basil, maybe? Kitchen roll holder, heart and small stars on string were soon conceived in the same saw dust frenzy, inspired by products by Elisabeth Berg, ebcountrydesign in Västerås, Sweden.

The ivy rests in a tall glass vase covered in twigs from the garden, an idea actually born without my having sought enlightenment elsewhere. Yes, I think I may simply have had an uninspired inspired moment...

Peek-a-boo...

Just outside the glazed doors in the dining area, some of the newly planted pensees and violets form a nice little circle of potted friends, and we spend the days playing peek-a-boo with each other through the different panes of the door.

Some cousins, rather untamed and with a penchant for living a little on the wild side, peer at us from underneath a garden bench, and there are moments where I am quite convinced they arch their backs just a little bit extra to show off their natural beauty and rub their freedom in the noses of the manicured but restricted potted lot.

Oh, the colour of this little beauty, the perfectly rounded petals, the little face in the middle, giving it that shy and innocent look... Ah, Mummy Nature, you did well on this one!

And now to something completely different. Try as I might, I could not find a catchy - or in fact any link at all that did not seem grotesquely contrived -from the violet to this, my latest second-hand shop find. It is probably not as old as I would like to imagine it is, and I am not sure how I feel about the painted design, but with considerable contemplation, perhaps I could find a place or purpose for it. Any suggestions for a small still life featuring black kitchen scales, anyone?

Mmm....Muscari!


'

I know, I know, I have shown these glorious grape hyacinths before, but now that they have come out just a little bit more, they are even more irresistably scrumptious...

I hope your day is filled with light and the scent of spring!

Something old... and something really old...

This old baking tray is another treasure from the local second-hand shop. Look at those swirly-whirly shapes! She is old, she has got curves, she is a little rough around the edges, but boy doesn't she look good!? Yes ladies, I think we should hang on to this vintage-boosting trend for as long as we can, it bodes well for any budding midlife crisis...

Another spectacular oldie was our destination for yesterday's family excursion. Now that is old.

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, built between ca 3100 and 1500 B.C.

Northern lights...

For those of you who may already be getting fed up with images from our dining room... this is not your lucky day, I'm afraid. See, I personally can't get enough of the light, the light and - did I mention - the light? The magic of it lies also in how the light changes during the day, from the bright and crisp to the cosy and warm.

My partner shakes his head and rolls his eyes at me for various reasons on a very regular basis. One of my quirky habits which seems very foreign to him and seems to set off the eye-rolling more than usual, is my insistence on lighting candles at any given moment. Night-time, absolutely. Day-time, why on earth not? Nothing can like candles bring calm and tranquility to a room. Even children seem to calm down in the presence of lit candles. Or am I projecting my desired reality on my little noise machines, when in fact they remain completely oblivious to my efforts and carry on charging around like Energizer bunnies.

Light, in whatever form it may come, is precious. It gives life, health and hope. I like. I like a lot.

It is all in the detail...

As much as I like to think of myself as someone with a holistic outlook on life, I do confess to a slight obsession with details. Particularly when it comes to the desire to create a harmonious home, where my strive for balance at times has been known to drive the man in the house to tear his hair out. But you know what I mean, a visual song to all the senses, a well-proportioned piece of mind...

Our kitchen-diner is still a little bit of a blank canvas. Some might even find it bordering on barren. But against the modest white backdrop, a few details stand out with deserved pride. Orchid - the most sensual of flowers. Rusty star - rough and yummy! Vintage cup handles - does life get any better than that?!

I hope your weekend is equally fabulous on the whole as in every little gorgeous detail!