Fröken Lila

kitchen

2012-01-17T15:06:00.001+01:00

that we have a new apartment in the new city in the new country seems like a wonder. to call the rental market in the greater stockholm area a disaster would be an understatement. if you want to rent an apartment in sweden you have to either queue for a couple of years (in stockholm and uppsala that would be 10-15 years for a decent place to live in) or rent "second hand". that means that you rent from somebody who rents, but doesn't need their apartment for a couple of months or a bit more.

we were unlucky and got to experience the worst part of the housing situation first hand: the stress on the rental market benefits frauds like nothing else. not only did we lose a lot of money, we also went through a couple of more than stressful weeks looking for a solution. knowing that i'll be homeless in a week's time was one of the worst feelings i have experienced so far. thankfully, vackra-kläder-joanna offered us her old apartment in the south of stockholm and let us live there during november. joanna, you are an angel!

now we rent a wonderful apartment (second hand for 1,5 years) with a huge kitchen (the pictures show some details) and lovely neighbours, and i have started looking for a job. i take one step at a time, and rather slowly as well. there are not that many positions out there at the moment. until the end of the month i get unemployment benefits from norway, but we'll manage well even if i don't find work immediately. things start to look brighter - and the sun shines a little longer each day.

green box

2012-01-16T16:41:00.008+01:00

not only do we have new apartment in a new city (uppsala) in a new country (sweden), we also started a new life concerning what we eat: we ordered a "green box". which means that every wednesday we get a large box with ecologically grown veggies and fruit delivered right to our door. it greatly reduces the schlep-factor in grocery shopping, is not much more expensive than buying regular vegetables at a supermarket, the quality is higher and we even get information about where our happy apples grew up.

so far we have only tested it for one week, but i'm really happy about it. we get three different sorts of fruit and six sorts of veggies (whereof usually at least one kind of sallad) and i try to come up with fun recipes to use them. i would say that each week there will probably be at least one fruit or vegetable that i usually wouldn't buy or have never bought until now. definitely challenging!

another good thing is that come summer we'll try out the completely swedish box - not only organically but even completely locally grown. i have to admit that with all the beets and roots during winter it is just not as attractive for us right now. we really don't like beets. at all.

for those of you living in sweden, we order lilla mixlådan from ekolådan. i'm sure there are similar offers in germany and lots of other countries. check it out!

edit: in germany you can google "grüne kiste" to find out if there is a service like this close to where you live. i also did a quick search for "vegetable subscription" and there seem to be a couple of programs in the states as well as in great britain.

new city, new apartment, new life

2012-01-16T16:21:00.007+01:00

everything is kind of new. even though we already moved in the beginning of last november, i feel like we only moved here just at new year.

a new country, new city, new apartment, new life.

the last half year has drained me completely, i lost all my energy and initiative, and the last thing i felt like was blogging. even though i formulated ideas for blogposts at least three or four times a week, i just couldn't sit down and write, much less for the world to read.

but now. i started a new blog (which i will link to in due time) but really want to blow life into this old one again. the new one will be more work and less life. this is more life and less work. at least that's the general idea.

oslo, 22.07.2011

2011-07-22T22:25:00.002+02:00

things like this only happen elsewhere.

suddenly everything seems unreal.

the silence after the blow is uncanny. eerie.

i'm ok, i think.

back from paris

2011-06-13T19:38:00.006+02:00

last saturday we came back from paris. we rented a wonderful tiny apartment (found here via nano) close to the gare du nord, and enjoyed our time there tremendously, despite the weather being mostly cloudy and rainy.

in no particular order or preference, we did indulge in the following:

we...
* ate (and bought) lots of good cheese
* drank lots of cheap wine (we found a fantastic wine bar in montmartre)
* took a trip up the eiffel tower and felt seasick 300m up in the air
* drank tea and bought macarons at ladurée
* took a tour on the canal (which was mostly nice, but rather longish due to dubble-locks and other obstacles such as unlifted bridges taking lots of time)
* ate lots of croissants for breakfast
* drank more wine
* bought perfume, a green beret and kusmi tea as souvenirs

* visited the louvre and stared at the masses staring at mona lisa (however, i was amazed by the raft of the medusa. it really was as awe-inspiring as i thought it would be.)
* visited notre dame and sacre coeur
* got engaged on our 5th anniversary in a little park on montmartre
* ate lots of fantastic french food (there were two amazing restaurants just around the corner from where we stayed, called Chez Michel and Chez Casimir - i heartily recommend both of them!)
* saw the kubrick exhibition at the cinematheque francaise (best exhibition i saw in a long time)

june afternoon

2011-06-08T14:40:00.002+02:00

on the first june weekend, my favourite person and i went on a walk to explore the neighbourhood. there are lots of lovely old buildings, with ornaments and greenery on the facade. since oslo consists of more than just a few mountains, quite a number of those houses are built into steep hillsides, with staircases in between. when walking up one of those flights of stairs, we found this hidden side-entrance:

we also came across a couple of really old lilac trees, and i couldn't resist climbing one of them.

skirt and socks: h&m
t-shirt: monki
bag: vintage
shoes: dinsko

off to paris

2011-06-06T13:18:00.003+02:00

when you read this we're off to paris, to celebrate our 5th anniversary.

in no particular order or preference, we thought we would indulge in the following:

eat lots of good cheese
drink lots of cheap wine
see the eiffel tower
eat lots of macarons
take a tour on the canal
eat lots of croissants
drink more wine
sniff some perfume
visit the louvre
sit in nice parks
eat lots of baguette
see the kubrick exhibition at the cinematheque francaise
buy kusmi tea

i'm sure it's going to be a splendid trip!

pina

2011-05-31T22:56:00.001+02:00

a movie i long to see.

PINA - Dance, dance, otherwise we are lost - International Trailer from neueroadmovies on Vimeo.

an evening at the theatre

2011-05-17T15:37:00.000+02:00

on saturday we went to the national theatre to see fanny and alexander, which had its last performance that night. the play was intense and engaging, it had humour and tension, depth and darkness. and wonderful costumes! we sat in the first row, so i was able to see all those detailed pieces of clothing almost in close-up - a great experience.

even though i have seen a lot of ingmar bergman's films, i am ashamed to admit that i still haven't seen fanny and alexander (we had planned to see it on dvd before we would see it at the theatre, but somehow that didn't happen). have you seen any films by ingmar bergman? maybe fanny and alexander? what did you think?

i used the opportunity of a long evening at the theatre to dress up, and chose to wear one of my best vintage dresses. it is a cotton maxidress by the finnish designer brand Kaisu Heikkilä, with a typical 70s flower pattern and fantastic cape-detail at the shoulders, instead of sleeves. i love it!

dress: vintage, kaisu heikkilä
shoes: dna
bag: daisy

easter outfit

2011-05-10T22:11:00.005+02:00

over easter we went to visit my boyfriend's family in sweden. the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the sun and company. on top of that, we took an outfit-shot and i got to enjoy some terrific thriftshopping =)

t-shirt, jacket: h&m
shorts: zara
boots: dr.martens
bag: daisy

details

2011-05-03T22:25:00.004+02:00

i thought i'd share a few details from the new living room - the rest of the apartment still looks like it came right out of a moving van, and we've had a minor dishwasher incident which needs to get fixed in the kitchen before i can start showing it to the world...

to get one of those ikea expedit shelves was one of the best ideas we've had - we can hide a.'s workstation behind it and it has lots of space for thrift-finds (for example, it fits our brother de luxe typewriter perfectly), books and dvds.

old picture frames waiting for pictures, and next to it a flower i gave to my favourite person in the world on our first day together. he framed it, which is such a wonderful thing to do.

i found this set in uppsala in march, when i visited a friend and went on a couple of thrifting trips. the creamer doesn't belong to the set but i think it fits perfectly into the family.

a souvenir from the norwegian opera and ballet!

i got myself those roses for my birthday, but alas, they wouldn't survive very long. i'm glad i took this picture before they died (and really, i don't know what i did wrong.. do such miniature roses need lots of water or only very little? much sunshine or not?). i bought both the flower pot and the vase at a fleamarket this spring, and the creamer was a thrift find as well. my mother gave the candle holder to me as a present when i was 16 or 17. i remember that she got it at an arts and crafts market in nürnberg - our family had gone there together and she had a hard time distracting me from the stand with those candle holders so that she could buy one for me. i don't know how she managed but it really was a total surprise when i unwrapped the small parcel a few weeks later.

three finds

2011-04-23T16:12:00.000+02:00

this spring has been really lucky for me when it comes to fleamarkets and thrifting opportunities. maybe it's because i became more interested in actually researching the when and where and what i'd like to spend on which kinds of items, which led to reading more blogs about vintage furniture and interior design and things like this. which in turn led to me being more informed and more specific about what i want and what i am willing to pay.

i found an old beat up trumpet perfect for decorating the living room - for 100kr it was mine and i think that was a fair price.

in norway, traditionally most fleamarkets take place in schools and are organized by the school band. everyone can donate old stuff and on one weekend in spring and one in autumn you can come back and buy everything for random prices (at least they seem random and depend largely on when you buy and with whom you pay - some parents really don't have a clue and others know very well the worth of the items they are selling). the trumpet above was reasonably priced, but the man selling it to me could have just as well said 50 or 500kr - you just never know before asking.

fee was very happy about finding her pretty yellow olympia typewriter for 4eur at the fleamarket - i think my dove blue brother de luxe for 50kr is just as perfect. i guess it comes from the 1950s, and since it is norwegian it has all the fancy strange letters, but no exclamation mark!

last but not least, i found a really cool lamp to use as a reading light in the evening. those fleamarkets are very well organized, so i could try it out to see how it works before i bought it. isn't the colour brilliant?

these were three of my of my larger finds this spring, and i think they fit just fine into our new apartment...

a sunday outfit

2011-04-22T14:16:00.000+02:00

i finally got around taking an outfit picture in the new apartment last sunday. it took me a while to find a spot that has ok lighting and is not too crowded by boxes and stuff. in the background you can see our wonderful new-to-us ikea expedit. it showcases our books and dvds and some of my fleamarket finds, while at the same time hiding the computer/workspace my favourite person in the world wanted to have for himself. which is really ok with me - i prefer to sit at the table on the other side of the room.

skirt: only
white top and blazer: h&m
tights: lindex
boots: don't remember (i bought them in a fancy shoestore in lüneburg a couple of years ago)

breakfastparty

2011-04-21T19:10:00.000+02:00

it was my birthday last saturday, and i invited some friends over for breakfast. having a breakfastparty is something i really love doing - no trouble with neighbours, it's easy to prepare and always appreciated by the guests who get a fancy meal before heading for work or whatever else they have planned for the day...

i got lots of flowers and other nice presents - a pressure cooker from my parents (practical!), some kusmi tea (anastasia, delicious!) and best of all, a boat trip to copenhagen in the beginning of may!!!

by the way, this is not the breakfast from saturday, but the leftovers on sunday morning =) we had carrot cake, rhubarb muffins and fruitsallad (one kiwi was all that was left from that..). and tea and orange juice.

fjällräven - a green mountain fox

2011-04-12T18:31:00.014+02:00

i'm not usually a person wearing a backpack. i have a large one for travelling, but other than that i'm quite happy with my regular handbags. however, i make one exception, and i've talked about getting one of those particular pieces of swedish design-history for more than a year now. the fjällräven kånken.

shotgun-jenna asked, on behalf of online-shop weare, if anyone was interested in reviewing the fjällräven kånken and i jumped at this chance to get one for free. so i gladly say thank you very much, and tell you all that, if you live in austria or my homecountry germany, you can order your very own kånken backpack here (if you live anywhere else, you can do a quick search on the internets to find any alternative sellers for your country). i'll do a wild guess and say that weare probably has the most diverse collection of colours available, at least it seems like it.

i was allowed to pick one of six colours, which wasn't an easy task (especially since my absolute favourites, ox red and brick, were not amongst them) - bright yellow or traditional military green? in the end i picked moss, a light apple green which is probably one of the few colours i don't have in my wardrobe. it will make for interesting outfits, and it surely is another case of instant spring!

the fjällräven kånken really is perfect for such everyday activities as picknicks and thrifting tours - which i have already tested meticulously on an extensive thrifting weekend. you can easily fit a bottle of something, some sandwiches, two glasses and some fruit and a camera in the main compartment. alternatively a couple of books, vintage skirts and a flower pot. the design is classic outdoorsy, with it's boxy form and the round red fox logo on the front. also, very smart, the back padding doubles as a small mat to sit on when you're out and about in the woods and need a little spontanious rest. actually, the only thing i'm missing with this backpack is shoulder padding. i have seen other kånkens with padded shoulder straps, so i'm not sure why this model doesn't feature them.

anyhow. i'm very happy with my kånken and will use it extensively this coming summer. and who knows, i might just go along and get a second one. in some shade of red and with shoulder padding.

new home

2011-04-11T18:10:00.004+02:00

we moved. now we have a larger apartment with a real kitchen (as opposed to mini-kitchenette) in a more quiet part of the city. we also have this on the ceiling:

isn't it wonderful? now we'll need to find a lamp worthy of hanging there.

i also got the news today that i will start as an intern at "Film fra Sør", a filmfestival for films from africa, south america and asia. fine things are happening!

paris

2011-03-22T23:58:00.005+01:00

we are going to paris this june!

picture from here

since i've never been there, i'm naturally very excited - both to see the city and to see if my rusty french will stand the test of reality...

do you have any suggestions of what to do and what to see and where to eat and what to avoid? please share! the internet offers such an overwhelming amount of possibilities and tips and whatnot that i have become positively confused and would prefer to hear some personal best of paris tips..

märta

2011-03-21T22:07:00.008+01:00

ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce: my thrift find of the year! can you guess what this is? i can tell you that she is called "märta", and she is swiss made.

the story behind märta is as follows. i visited a friend in sweden last week, and on the first evening of my visit she showed me this thing and asked me to guess what it was. of course i didn't have a clue and after some unsuccessful guessing she told me. it's such a smart thing to have! she also told me she had found it at a thriftstore and had never seen another one like it since.

a few days later i went thrifting on my own and guess what i found! but, the inner part was missing. so i searched around for at least ten minutes when i suddenly saw the inner part on one of the shelves - guess how happy i was (jumping up and down trying not to show too much excitement for fear of the shopowner raising the humble price of 25 kronor...)! and of course the first thing i did was sending an sms to my friend, asking her to guess what i just then had found =)

edit: cara came quite close. it's a juice press for lemons and oranges and lime! you know how lime can be a little difficult to squeeze and you never get all the juice out of it? well, märta takes care of that now...

spring on a brooch

2011-03-17T17:03:00.002+01:00

svenja held a give-away with selfmade bow-brooches, and i won one of them. i was allowed to pick the pattern myself and chose this one with pink flowers and light brown stripes:

it fits perfectly with my bright yellow cardigan.. another case of instant spring, this time on a brooch! thank you so much svenja!

sunshine in small doses

2011-03-15T15:43:00.000+01:00

when i think about spring i get really homesick.. i hear it is 15°C in germany, with sunshine and snowdrops and crocuses and ice-cream!

so, until the sun finally decides to come out and melt all the snow away we have to make do with sunshine in the form of colourful sunny tulips...

instant spring for little money!

new old things

2011-03-14T21:49:00.002+01:00

this last year i've tried not to buy too many new things for the kitchen/apartment/livingroom, because we were supposedly to move away soon enough and i wouldn't want to pack it all into boxes to haul it to the other end of the world. also, norway is really expensive, even when you go thrifting and buy secondhand. however, here are a few things i bought a couple of weeks ago:

matching sugar bowl and creamer, to be used as candle holders (the costa boda "snowball" was a guest present form my swedish exchange partner back in 1998). i also got the table cloth quite recently at a thrift store - i love the print!

salt shaker and toothpick holder, in a wonderful art deco inspired stand. the pepper caster is missing, but that's nothing to be worried about since i prefer fresh ground pepper. now i'm looking for a nice vintage pepper mill...

slow sunday

2011-03-13T16:42:00.003+01:00

i have a little cold, so i take a slow sunday and don't do that much. apart from reading blogs, getting lots of ideas for our new apartment (we'll be moving in two weeks), drinking tea and packing my bags for a short trip to sweden. i'll visit friends and since we'll invade the local thrift stores and fleamarkets i pack very lightly - my luggage will probably be a lot heavier on my way back.. this is todays outfit:

a comfortable dress with pockets, warm tights and a nice belt.

dress: zara
belt: vintage

rabbit ring

2011-03-10T22:09:00.004+01:00

as you might know, i kind of started to collect rings. it wasn't really intentional, but i love wearing them, at least two or three at a time, and i love variety. so, i thought i'd give it a try and show my little collection here on the blog. not necessarily on a weekly basis, but a piece every now and then.

i have admired bjørg jewellery for a long time, and at one point last year i decided to buy one of the pieces that struck me the most: the rabbit ring. it has tiny ears and small crystal eyes, but looks really like grown up rabbit who might just start talking to you, telling you stories of all his wild adventures...

i ordered it online but was a bit unsure about the sizing, so the ring turned out to be a tiny bit too small. that means, i can only wear it on cooler days when my fingers don't swell up - nothing for a hot summer day. well, we don't get too many of those here in norway.. however, it is also a piece that one could easily wear with a chain, as a necklace. do you have any rings that you keep even though they don't really fit?

dirndl

2011-03-09T09:57:00.005+01:00

just as svenja and dotti, i love a pretty vintage dirndl.

i bought this one last summer during our trip to helsinki. i had to take it in a little and shortened it, and since then it has been well worth the 4 euro i spent on it.

it has a lovely print with small austrian ladies and gentlemen (mark the gun!).

yesterday, i wore it quite traditionally, with a white cotton blouse with ruffles and lace trim, and with a necklace i won a while back at vintage, a love story.

dirndl: vintage
blouse: mango
necklace: carnosa
tights: c&a
boots: goertz via ebay

the melody festival

2011-03-08T15:07:00.001+01:00

every year, my favourite person in the world and i sit down and watch at least one of the many episodes of the swedish songcompetition "melodifestivalen", when sweden votes for their contribution to the grand prix d'eurovision. also, it has become a tradition for us to find fault with each and every song and band and of course to make fun of them. after all, most of what is on offer might as well be classified as to trigger acute ear cancer.

however, every now and then we face the problem of - fasten your seatbelts - a nice or even great song! something we actually could imagine to put onto our spotify-playlist!

this year it was a song that might not be the best in the world, but it really makes me happy. so happy that every time i hear it i start loughing because it is so hilarious and funny. and sweet:

i mean, really - those dancers with their trumpets and pretty mod dresses! and the video in the background, the clapping hands and dancing mushrooms! and the perfect timing of those smoke clouds! and no wind-machine! and he can actually sing! but what i probably like best of all is that the whole thing doesn't take itself so serious.

flowered tights

2011-03-07T14:55:00.004+01:00

i'm really heartily sick of the snow and the cold weather here in oslo. even though we've had a couple of milder days now it's not warm enough to stow away the warm pullovers and thick winter boots. i long to be wearing outfits like this one again:

this picture was taken on our trip to bergen last august, at a mountain stop where the train waited for another one to arrive. the train ride from oslo to bergen takes around 9 hours, so we were glad to strech our legs and enjoy the magnificent landscape..

tights, skirt and t-shirt: h&m
boots and bag: zara
scarf: monki
cardigan: gina tricot
belt: vintage

by:larm 2011

2011-02-20T18:49:00.002+01:00

this weekend it was time for by:larm again. i worked a few hours as a volunteer, just like i had done the last two years, and in turn had a good time with friends, made new friends and got to see lots of concerts and great bands. these were my highlights:

most danceable: pow pow

most charming: pascal pinon
i even went to see them twice. and bought their cd. these teenage girls simply made me so happy with their unaffected performance and pretty lyrics. plain wonderful.

most interesting: forza
i'm usually not interested in hip hop. however, i do like musical influences from the balkan. this was a perfect mixture. definitely the most energetic concert ofthe weekend and best surprise.

most listened to since the concert: me and my army
kleerup plus her majesty, this just couldn't go wrong.

curtain skirt pillow

2011-02-13T16:17:00.003+01:00

this friday i finally got my sewing machine out again. it's not like i don't have any ideas of what to sew, but i just never seem to get myself together and take the time to actually sew something. even my mountain of clothes that need to be fixed has grown higher and higher this past year (however, i took care of a larger part of it yesterday. now it feels like i have a whole new wardrobe!). however, on friday i found this nice little store with sewing supplies (buttons!! trim!! more buttons!!), bought some elastic band and, once home, took out a curtain i had bought during christmas sales. the curtain then became this:

and this:

now i have a skirt to match my pillowcase. or the other way around. whichever you like best.

blouse: h&m
cardigan: thrifted
bloomers: thrifted gudrun sjöden
tights: rossmann
boots: goertz via ebay

frøken else

2011-02-12T19:44:00.010+01:00

i've just come back from an evening at the theatre. i saw, and heard, and felt, a monologue, a stream of consciousness.

frøken else, originally a novella by arthur schnitzler, is an innocent young lady of 19 when she is invited to stay at a hotel with her rich aunt. she receives a letter from her mother, telling her that her father is bankrupt and asking her to see with an old friend of the family, who also stays at the hotel, if he couldn't help out with the much needed money. else, who is disgusted by the man, fights with herself if she should do what her family asks her to. the man offers to give the money, but only if she will undress for him and let him look at her for a quarter of an hour. being forced to decide between her family's ruin and her own integrity as a woman, she panics, creates a scandal and then takes her own life.

the way all this is transported by only one person during the course of little more than an hour on an almost empty stage is fascinating. the one dominant thing on the stage is an overdimensional birdcage, which becomes almost something like a dancing partner for else. it encloses her, like her life until that point has been something of a golden cage. it is a prison, and one that she realises she can never escape from, whatever she does, however she reacts. she may escape for a short while, but is always drawn back, and even though it sometimes casts her out it is also a protection from whatever lies outside waiting.

elses story is not only put into words. the play is a monologue gone physical, and it was this physical intensity that struck, that almost shattered me. shyness, anxiety, panic, disgust, every possible feeling was displayed through short, intense movements, like ticks that your mind cannot controll. as if your soul seeks your muscles to express a deeper truth, and cuts off your brain before it starts showing. it was eerie, frightening, and stunningly beautiful. true art.

pictures from detnorsketeatret.no

imagining emanuel

2011-01-26T18:03:00.011+01:00

on monday evening i had the chance to view the premiere of a brand new norwegian documentary at the oslo cinematek. it will be screened on tv tonight, wednesday 26.01.2011, on nrk 2. the topic of the film stands at the center of norwegian attention right now, so the production team worked day and night for a week to finish it as early as they possibly could. focal point of the film is emanuel, an illegal immigrant living without papers in norway, just like my friend maria amelie who got deported to russia on monday. his fate is just as unclear as hers. while their personal lives and histories are as different as could possibly be, they both stand up, with friends and helpers, to shine a light upon an injustice and wrongdoing by norwegian authorities and government against some of the weakest members of norwegian society.

emanuel comes from liberia, says he. he is a young man, who fled from war in his home country to ghana as a child. after his mother died he somehow managed to get onboard a ship and ended up in norway, without passport, birth certificate or anything else. authorities decide that he does not come from liberia but from ghana, imprison him in the refugee camp in trandum and attempt twice to send him there. authorities there don't agree and since then he has lived his life in norway without a chance to earn his own money or even visit a school to learn how to read or write. he would like to return to his country of origin, but since authorities are apparently unwilling to contact liberian authorities to check if what he says is correct, there is no chance that his wish will come true anytime soon. he, like maria, falls between every possible available chair.

one could say that "imagining emanuel" has two focal points. emanuel is clearly the core subject of the film, but at the same time director thomas østbye is occupied with the process of imagining, the making of a picture, the process of how a persons identity and a persons story is built by what we know, what we see and hear. does the lack of identification mean that emanuel does not have an identity? what do we know about him when we see him standing in the studio, when the camera traces his head in a close up? this documentary reflects about its own genre, it doesn't take any point of view for a universal truth and at the same time fights for the human right to nationality and identity that its subject is being denied. it gives the audience time to reflect. it celebrates the close-up as a possibility to connect and to disturb.

maria amelie

2011-01-15T00:01:00.004+01:00

two days ago, one of my best friends here in norway was arrested, to be deported to russia as soon as possible. she came to norway 9 years ago with her parents, has not been to russia for 13 years and doesn't know a soul there. they went underground when their plea for asylum was declined, and ever since she has tried to live a more or less normal life - despite the more than difficult situation she found herself in.

for me, as i wrote before, she is more norwegian than some norwegians i know, and i would gladly offer her my residence permit for this country. she is one of the bravest people i know. by writing a book about her life's story, she dared to give the group of illegal immigrants a face, she dared to speak up and point out what's wrong in how this group of people is handled here. norway prides itself for their high rate of deportations, and their politics when it comes to refugees seems to be more to protect the authorities and laws than to act humanely and protect people in need.

maria amelie has done nothing wrong other than coming to a strange country as a child, and adapting to the situation. she learned the language, got herself an education, made friends. is that wrong? she was honest and is now being punished for wanting to live a good, normal life with work, paying taxes, eating out and meeting friends.

if you have a heart for a young women standing up for herself and her situation, please sign this amnesty international petition on her behalf. it takes you only a minute and will make a difference for her and other refugees. it will mean a lot to me. thank you all.

pictures from here and here

winter walk

2011-01-09T15:07:00.004+01:00

last weekend we had wonderful cold weather. we went to a small lake just outside oslo to take a good walk and get some air and sunshine in our faces. i recently bought myself a typical norwegian sweater, called "lusekofte". they cost a small fortune since they are handmade of really thick wool and reqire a lot of needlework. i couldn't find one with a pattern, colour and price i liked in our local secondhand and vintage stores, so i got this one from etsy - you could say it returned home after several years abroad...

of course i had to match the lusekofta with my beakboots and norwegian handmade mittens!

jeans: voice of europe
beakboots: lapikas by topman
lusekofte: vintage, via etsy
mittens: handmade, bought on a market
hat: h&m
scarf: thrifted h&m
belt: diesel

happy new year

2011-01-02T17:40:00.003+01:00

a happy new year to all who read this! i hope your year 2011 will be just as fantastic and wonderful as you wish it to be!

from iceland

2010-12-12T16:06:00.009+01:00

i've done a lot of travelling lately, first to germany to visit some friends, then to sofia in bulgaria, and last week we went on a trip to iceland for five days, to celebrate the birthday of my favourite person in the world. iceland was wonderful. cold, stylish and kind of unreal. magic.

if anybody would ask me now which city i would prefer for a short shopping trip, the answer would definitely be reykjavik. with so many small interesting boutiques, vintage shops and designers, it was really hard for me to limit my souvenir-shopping. this is what i bought:

a pair of vintage frames by yves saint laurent. i'm not sure yet whether i will put in clear glasses or toned ones for sunny days...

just across the street from our hostel in the middle of the city, a young designer called rakel hafberg sold wonderful accesories made from chicken leather in all sorts of colours. her wristbands and chokers are really something special, and on her homepage you can even design your own ones! she custom made a choker in my choice of colour and delivered it to the hostel before we left for the airport, so her service is fantastic.

i had read a lot about kronkron before i left, so of course i had to have a look at their store. i would have loved to buy a pair of their colourful shoes, but my budget said no, so i only got myself one of their brand new designed patterned tights. i love them! now i just wait for warmer weather to wear them...

style experiments, part I

2010-11-30T12:57:00.004+01:00

ida skovmand was looking for bloggers and others to take part in some style experiments, and since i felt like i needed a kick to get blogging again i thought i'd take part. to present ourselves, she now asked us to chose one outfit from the past which we felt was meaningful to us in one or another way, and to take a picture of it lying on the ground. meaningful could be that it was what we wore on a day that means much to us, or also that it makes us feel special, or whatever else we would interpret as meaningful.

i chose the outfit from the day when i got together with my boyfriend. or rather, the day after. i was newly in love and went on single vacation to the norwegian fjords, and i felt such joy and happiness even though i was leaving him behind for some days. we hadn't slept that night and i almost missed my train to bergen at half past six in the morning.

i had bought the dress a week or too before, at myrorna on tomtebogatan in vasastan, stockholm. i remember that i only could afford one dress, and had a hard time deciding between this one in terrycloth and a longarmed number with a tartan pattern. it was june and warm so i took the white summery one. my converse are not the same ones as i had 4,5 years ago - they were green-pink-white-striped and died a year later. the t-shirt was almost brand new, it is by h&m and must be one of the best t-shirts i bought ever. i love it a lot, though i don't use it so much anymore. i had the t-shirt on top of the dress so my backpack would cut so hard into my shoulders. together, we went on the same journey to the fjords for our 3 year anniversary - although with other clothes, but equally happy.

imogen heap

2010-11-19T13:14:00.003+01:00

we went to see imogen heap on tuesday. earlier in the day she had visited at the opera. of course the lucky devil to show her around the house was my collegue who didn't even know who she was, while i was having lunch at the cafeteria. i could bite my butt for not being there when she turned up!

the show was wonderful. i have never experienced a person on stage who is, at the same time, so playful and elegant, but also extremely professional, kind and entertaining. in swedish there is an expression "att bjuda på sig själv". it means literally to make yourself a present to others. imogen heap really did this, she was herself on stage and let us all take part in her life at that moment. there was not a single moment that felt rehearsed, just plain musical magic.

crystal

2010-11-07T23:38:00.009+01:00

i wrote that i like big rings. this is not totally true. i love big rings. this summer, i bought the biggest ring on earth. also, it surely must be the heaviest ring on earth.

it all started when i saw this ring on etsy quite a while ago. of course i couldn't decide to buy it right away and it was gone in a second. so i started searching and looking and was never quite happy with what i found. so. i decided to take steps and ask the perfect seller for a custom order.

the ring was made by laura, the most wonderful metalsmith, who runs her shop specimental on etsy. she loves crystal-specimens and odd jewellery and is such a pearl! the order proved to be a long and complex process of decision making: which size, which colour, which form, which finish to chose? laura is, honestly, the most patient seller i have ever met, and she went to great lengths to find the perfect crystal for me. she provided lots of pictures and ideas and also cut the stone herself. it was great working with her on a piece of jewellery which is truly unique and which i hope to wear throughout my life. thank you!

autumn

2010-10-24T01:19:00.006+02:00

autumn has come, and after some really cold days they finally turned on the heat in the house. so i'm not freezing so much anymore. however, i still don't want to wear my winter gear, so i stick with cardigans and autumn-jackets for the time being, at least until november. however, i think i might need a new hat and mittens.

also, i have fallen in love - again - with all sorts of folkloristic clothing, like my bavarian cardigan, dirndl-dresses and norwegian sweaters. preferably vintage.

dress: indiska
scarf: selfmade
cardigan and bag: vintage
jacket: thrifted
boots: zara

mad about mad men

2010-10-06T22:33:00.011+02:00

lovely dotti invited, together with maikitten, once again to a virtual party: aren't we all mad about mad men? it seems, we are. of course i showed up in my best vintage dress, and took my best drink with me.

my absolutely best drink right now is the kir royal:

1 champagne glass
2 cl creme de cassis
12,5 cl champagne (or any dry bubbly wine you have at hand)
pour champagne into glass, carefully add creme de cassis, enjoy.

what an evening, and such a great crowd! tomorrow there'll be a voting for best drink, best look-a-like and the-guest-i-like-best. exciting!

an afternoon at the park

2010-09-27T00:13:00.009+02:00

working 7 days in a row is not good. if i say that, believe me. it is no good idea. i've been there. twice within 6 weeks. today was my free day after such a 7 workdays week. i would need another one of those free days tomorrow, but that's not possible. so, today i slept forever, had a good brunch and then we headed out for a walk in the park. the sun shone brightly and we enjoyed the brisk autumn air. it was almost like vacation, with waffles and everything!

also, i started breaking in my purple mint vintage justin boots. the leather is hard as hell, so the breaking in will take a while...

there are so many nice spots in the park, it's always hard to decide where to take pictures. the stairs seemed like a good place today. and the bushes. they're still green. i might just be able to convince myself that autumn hasn't arrived yet...

skirt, scarf, bag: vintage, thrifted
boots: justin, vintage via etsy
jacket: thelin
rings: vintage and etsy

pictures by pixelpark

winter vintage

2010-09-20T23:13:00.008+02:00

at last weekend's fleamarket, i did not only score three very pretty african inspired vintage dresses, i also found a perfect vintage dress for the upcoming fall/winter season. it is woollen (well, i guess there is some acrylic stuff involved as well), very comfortable and has this wonderful dark red colour.

also, you can make a pretty bow with the collar, and what more would a girl want?

apropos winter - a couple of weeks back i also found a wonderful vintage winter dirndl at a thrift store:

it has this fantastic victorian feel to it, with these huge puffy shoulders and wide skirt. and of course it reminds me of the alps, the mountains, things i long for sometimes.

i also love the silver coloured buttons (they are a good sign for it dating back to the 80s) and the red and black trim at the seams. the dress is a little long though, so i'll shorten it quite a bit (to knee length), and i might need to add some snaps if i don't want to wear an apron with it. anyhow, now i am really looking forward to wearing more dresses this winter!!

early autumn details

2010-09-19T14:13:00.007+02:00

for the fleamarket yesterday, i thought i'd wear something easy and comfortable. it was a warm early autumn day, so i took out my pretty patterned zara pants and a white t-shirt with puffy arms:

i won this beautiful necklace earlier this summer on vintage (a love story). thank you so much, tuva minna linn!! it is a beautiful, art nuveau inspired piece of silver art by carnosa, which i have been wearing a lot since it arrived. i'm still looking for the perfect sterling silver chain to complement it, though.

the ring is another recent fleamarket find. i love how it looks like fish scales, or some kind of mushroom fixated in silver. it has a nice weight as well, so sometimes i feel like i have to balance it with this rather heavy piece on my other hand...

africa vintage

2010-09-18T18:08:00.014+02:00

today there was a huge fleamarket at the school right across the street from where we live. i got myself out of bed early for this and was quite lucky - although norwegian prices even at fleamarkets still make me stand with my mouth open because i just can't figure why stuff should be so expensive (yes, 12€ for a vintage dress with stains and smell is considered cheap here.. i still don't get it).

there were loads of people there, especially in the room with the ladies' clothes, so i just grabbed whatever nice fabric i saw and tried to fight my way to a corner with some room to see what i had in my hands. there was no way of trying things on, so guess how glad i was when all the four dresses i bought turned out to fit like a glove! i left with one woollen vintage winterdress and three vintage cotton dresses - the one above included a pretty matching bolero with fabric covered buttons as well!

these vintage cotton dresses (including one more which i had to leave behind for lack of funding) must have been donated by a lady with great taste. i would say that they probably were made in the 1960s, but i am not quite sure, one seems home-made and two are done by a professional tailor, as the label says. all of them are made of patterned fabric which seems to be inspired by african batique patterns - maybe the fabric was even printed there?

just a couple of weeks ago i stumbled over some nice dresses and jumpsuits at asos, by their asos africa brand, and was quite tempted to order one, and i have also seen several items at zara with small patterns in brown tones, batiqued patterns and other native inspiration. these three dresses really fit my bill for this autumn - i'm happy i found them!

ulovlig norsk

2010-09-12T13:10:00.005+02:00

two days ago, my friend maria amelie published her first book. and it's not just any book, but her autobiography. the story of her life. the story of how she and her parents ended up in norway as refugees, got refused and then went underground. the story of how she, against all odds, took a bachelor's and a master's degree at trondheim university. how she lived a full student life and at the same time didn't even exist on paper.

it is not a book about the general situation of refugees, or about norwegian politics, or about a system that obviously does not care about individuals. however, it is about the consequences of these things for her as an individual. it is a personal story, and it was written because she didn't want to lie anymore. maria also wrote it with the wish to give the reader a new perspective on their own lives.

these last days, from when i first heard about her background until reading through the book, i have been amazed. i feel deeply honoured that i may call this extraordinary person my friend. she is more norwegian than some norwegians i know. she is always full of energy and so positive, looking for new challenges and making her friends happy. she is one of the most generous people i know, and has - even before i knew the truth about her - been a great source of inspiration for me and how i want to live my life.

i wish her all the best for the future. i wouldn't know anybody else who deserves good fortune and luck and a fantastic life more than she and her parents.

music on the roof

2010-09-05T21:42:00.004+02:00

one of the most amazing venues for open air concerts this summer must have been the roof of the norwegian opera where i work. the stage was floating on the fjord while the public was sitting on the roof. we had a couple of wonderful shows there, amongst others with the norwegian band big bang (who gave the expression stage diving a whole new meaning... the fjord was really cold at that point!) and a charming al green.

for me, however, the absolute highlights were two evenings in a row, with the goodbye show of the folk rock act gåte and the swedish singer/songwriter lars winnerbäck. while i have admired the latter for a long time (and what i loved best with his show were all the old songs and classics he played. wonderful.), i had never heard gåte before, and was very pleasantly surprised - two hours of waiting in the rain was surely worth the bombastic light show and explosive music that followed:

i really don't think i've ever seen a light show better adjusted to the music than here. i'm still amazed.

silver bomb

2010-09-04T22:31:00.006+02:00

i like big rings. cocktail rings. statement pieces. this is one of my best. i sometimes wear it to work and then i need to remember not to wear anything on the neighbouring finger. last week i forgot about that and made little plings whenever i handed over a ticket to a customer or typed anything on the computer. basically whenever i moved my hand. i don't know if my collegues appreciate this kind of music.

it was made by discomedusa on etsy, and as far as i know she may have materials left for one more of these little silver cytomorphic bombs...

surprise rainshower

2010-08-29T23:20:00.005+02:00

today we went for a long walk through the neighbourhood, admiring all the beautiful houses around here. we ended up at the university campus, and when we finally had found a pretty spot for taking an outift shot, it started pouring down. however, a. still snapped a few pictures of me (though rather unsharp..):

dress, scarf and bag: vintage
cardigan: h&m
necklace: etsy
shoes: dinsko

another opera house

2010-08-29T00:42:00.007+02:00

the probably best question i got at work this summer was this: do you have a swimmingpool here? at first i just opened my mouth and shut it again and then asked - what? when confronted with the same question once more i couldn't help but say: this is an opera house - but you're welcome to try out the restrooms...

however, when we went to helsinki just a few days later, i of course had to take a look at the opera house there, and couldn't help but think: public bath! with all the white glaced tiles and small square windows it really looks like a swimming pool turned inside out.

some people i met said they didn't like the house, that it was positively ugly. surely it is not as elegant as the opera here in oslo, but i quite liked it, anyways. it has something of an industrial bauhaus feeling, but i also like that it evokes thoughts of greenhouses, these huge ones that were built around 1900 or even earlier, for exhibition of expensive palmtrees and exotic butterflies and birds.

a delicious summer

2010-08-27T23:56:00.006+02:00

the most simple things can be the most delicious.

fresh sweat peas from the market in helsinki.

chanterelles directly in front of the summer cottage.

picking your own berries just behind the cottage is so rewarding. i think i picked for half an hour per day. it was like meditation, only better.

also, breakfast is twice as good with fresh blueberries..

lemon summer chicken

2010-08-07T14:33:00.002+02:00

on a really hot day i found this fabulously fresh recipe for a warm chicken sallad in a swedish newspaper. however, i tweaked it a bit to match the contents of my refridgerator and it turned out to be just as delicious as i thought it would:

you need:
olive oil, a little butter, 2 cloves of garlic, two chicken breasts, a handful of sugar snaps. pasta. one red onion, the juice and peel of one lemon, a bunch of parsley. salt, black peppar, thyme.

how to:
cook pasta.
cut the chicken breasts into smaller pieces, press the garlic through a garlic press or chop very fine. fry the chicken with the garlic in a little butter and olive oil, add salt, peppar and thyme (as much as you like). when it's almost done, add the sugar snaps for a minute.
cut the onion into rings, chop the parsley. mix a dressing of lemon peels, lemon juice and some olive oil.
put everything in a large bowl, add dressing, enjoy!

opera

2010-08-04T12:27:00.006+02:00

now i'm finally on vacation! when you are reading this, i'll be at my favourite person's family's summerhouse on a small island in sweden, without internet, tv or telephone, but with a huge amount of books, a sauna and hopefully lots of sunshine.

on my last workday at the opera, we took some pictures there in the evening. i wore a new dress (from indiska) and my favourite summer shoes, the swedish hasbeens. later, we went to eat fantastic palestinian food at a really run-down, shabby looking restaurant called habibi.

fir cone ring

2010-07-29T17:45:00.004+02:00

this spring and summer i really got into rings as accessoires - having to wear a uniform almost every day led to the necessity of finding different ways to express my personal style at work without the free choice of which garments to wear. so i started a little collection, and one of the latest additions is this vintage ring which i got through little things vintage on etsy.

it seems to be inspired by a fir cone, which is wonderful in combination with my acorn-necklace. also, there is lots of information to be found in the hallmarks of the ring:

the ring was designed by erik granit, a finish designer who was working mainly during the 1950s-70s. this particular ring was made in 1967 (hallmarked O7) and was made in helsinki (as confirmed the little boat) in finland (a crown in a heart). now i just wonder who owned the ring before me and how it made its journey to a seller in the usa...

ice-cream dress

2010-07-25T23:46:00.009+02:00

it was raining today, so i finally got around to shortening my newest vintage dress which i bought at the fleamarket a few weeks back. the dress with the white lace and red stripes really screams "ice-cream!" at me, so it brought the summer back into the apartment...

dress and belt: vintage
shoes: swedish hasbeens

kent

2010-07-21T23:28:00.004+02:00

me and my favourite person in the world, we went to see and hear kent at the oslo live festival last friday evening. we decided to go quite spontaneously and had a great, but wet evening - there was heavy rain from the second song they played until about five minutes after the show...

kent, together with lars winnerbäck (whom i will see later this summer on the opera roof here in oslo), really represent the core of sweden to me. there is something deeply swedish in their music, their lyrics.

my mother's dress

2010-07-18T22:30:00.003+02:00

today i chose my mother's old dress from the 80s to accompany me and my boyfriend to the lake. it was quite windy, so i never jumped into the water, but i thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine for a few hours there...

cross-stich alphabet

2010-07-15T21:38:00.006+02:00

this is what i wore today, in detail.

cross-stich shirt with alphabet: mango

acorn necklace: esdesigns on etsy

vintage leather belt: my mother's old one
jeans skirt: h&m via ebay

a perfect sunday summer evening

2010-07-02T12:31:00.007+02:00

last sunday we headed out for a nice sunny evening at a small lake close to oslo. we found a spot for ourselves, set up the barbecue, had a beer and enjoyed the sunset...

i had prepared some yummy shashlik with squash, chicken, shrimps, onion and bell peppers

summer calls for shorts, converse and pretty t-shirts

next time i'll pack my bathing suit and take a swim!

a ship, a book, a tomato

2010-06-30T23:46:00.004+02:00

three fantastically amazing and outrageous pieces on etsy i would buy immediately if i had the money:

tomata tomato! this looks just so delicious... cherry tomato necklace by EleanorJaneJewelry

your own personal library, always available.... miniature book necklace by The Black Spot Books

a ship to sail the seven seas - ahoi!!! the so very decadent sea pearl ship hat by Chatham Girl

all pictures from the different etsy-stores

kaffeekränzchen

2010-06-21T23:14:00.005+02:00

dotti invited and everyone came: the first virtual coffee party! of course i went, and one could say that i brought the cream for the whole party, considering the amount of creamy lace i wore...

also, to celebrate the event i bought a new colourful flowerful tablecloth (which had become quite necessary since we didn't own any tablecloth before..) - isn't it pretty?

despair

2010-06-16T22:32:00.003+02:00

a beautiful hitchcockian short.

falling stars

2010-06-15T23:28:00.005+02:00

last week, one of our customers at the opera complimented me on one of my rings which i wear most often, it is one of my every-day-rings. she said something wonderful, and now everytime i look at the ring i smile and think of what she said: it looked like falling stars, "stjerneskudd".

people say that when you see a falling star you should make a wish, so i guess that makes a lot of wishes for me...

i bought this ring at sancta sanctorum on etsy a few months back, and it became an immediate favourite. usually i wear it like on the second picture, next to the yellow spiral ring which i got four years ago from my favourite person in the world during his first visit in germany..

sailor in detail

2010-06-14T22:44:00.006+02:00

i thought i'd test my sailor-attire today in anticipation of the cruise to copenhagen that we have booked for the upcoming weekend. while the boat-part is more for my favourite person in the world, the copenhagen-part ot the trip is more for me. something for everybody so we are both happy =)

sailor-appropriate neckscarf: vintage

enamel albatross-necklace: gypsy rabbit on etsy

crab-claw necklace: redsofa on etsy (birthday present from my favourite person in the world)

bright red shoes to match stripey shirt: vagabond (via ebay)
red striped shirt: gina tricot

by the way: do you have any tips on what to do during a 7h stay on a hopefully sunny sunday in copenhagen?

park sunday

2010-06-12T13:46:00.002+02:00

last sunday, we spent the afternoon in the park. it was sunny, we fed the birds, had a picknick, read in our books and i even got a little colour...

t-shirt: h&m
skirt and belt: monki
scarf: vintage

the coronation of poppea

2010-06-05T23:41:00.007+02:00

blood. love. sex. power. violence. death.

i consider an opera, just as a film or theatre-play, to be really great art when it succeeds in engaging me, my thoughts, my feelings. two out of four operas here in oslo belong to this category, the first one being wagners tannhäuser (review is still to come, it's lurking halfdone somewhere on my laptop..) and the second one being the coronation of poppea by monteverdi, which i went to see about three weeks ago, and again last friday.

the story is as simple as it is complex. at the core, there is nero, married to a woman he's not interested in anymore and in love (or rather, infatuated) with poppea who in turn is not interested anymore in her husband ottone and fantasizes about marrying nero. obviously, nero wants to get rid of his wife who wants to get rid of poppea, and therefore commands poppeas brokenhearted lover to kill her. things don't go as planned and in the end everybody is dead except nero and poppea who live happily ever after in a sea of blod. or at least until they lose interest in each other, but that's another story.

the nero we meet is a yucky guy, slick and disgusting and still, in all his power, also very intriguing. he is not really interested in politics. not in women per se either. above all, he is interested in his own pleasure. if that includes killing the one or other opponent, that's fine with him. if marriage is the way to keep the woman who gives him most pleasure, well than that's the way to go. love, sex, power, they all get easily mixed up - and what does nero care as long as nero get's what he wants?

this is definitely not an opera for the faint of heart. it is tragic and beautiful, it breaks your heart and makes you feel sick, it makes you laugh out loud, just to let the laughter get stuck in your throat a minute later.

there was fabulous music, following the sentiments of the characters, adding contrast and humour, as well as widening the spectrum of what baroque music can be and can do by adding some jazz influences. the meldodies were not only well built and played, but the direction of the whole opera interacted extremely well with text and music. a truly amazing experience, tragic, comic, brutal and above all, just as contemporary as it was almost 400 years ago.

pictures from dno&b

woven hand

2010-06-02T22:50:00.004+02:00

we went to see woven hand play at john dee here in oslo last week. it was amazing. like a desert storm blowing our minds. like a thunderstorm cleansing out everything bothersome.

i remember seeing 16 horsepower back in 2000 play at the bardentreffen in nürnberg. what i remember best is david eugene edwards sitting on his stool in the middle of the stage with his white trainers. the rain was pouring down and the music was mesmerizing. it still is.

corset belt

2010-05-12T00:32:00.007+02:00

today a belated birthday present from myself came with the post and of course i had to try it out immediately:

i really love this corset belt/harness, it is beautiful and much more comfortable than i thought it would be. i saw it first here on audi's blog (it's her partner mike who produces them), then here, and now finally i ordered one for myself from audi's and mike's etsy-store. they provided great service and fast shipping (which i am really impressed by since they are in the middle of moving house!), so here comes a big THANK YOU!

corset belt: audrajean on etsy
shirtdress: vila
necklace: red sofa on etsy
watch: from my grandmother

three dresses

2010-04-15T13:03:00.007+02:00

lately three pretty vintage dresses found their way into my wardrobe:

a longarmed turtleneck dress with orange strawberries and teal/mint-coloured leaves - thank you maria for selling it to me!

a 70s cotton maxidress which fits like a glove (at least when i wear heels), with a pretty flower and dots print and small puffy arms. found at uff-underground secondhand. this dress will be so nice for a summer-evening at the opera.. (last saturday i spotted an old lady at the opera, wearing a knee-length woollen dress with a bright yellow-orange flower pattern from the late 60s. i guess she has worn this dress many times since she bought it way back when! and she was such a refreshing sight!)

a light-blue 50s cotton-print dress which came with a belt in the same fabric. the print features tiny hearts, flowers and little men and women. it is just amazing! one or two seams need to be fixed as well as a small hole, and i need to shorten it (as well as the other two dresses). i found it at the birkelunden fleamarket last weekend.

we won't run

2010-04-09T20:50:00.003+02:00

yesterday, my friend maria amelie asked me to join her and some friends for a free concert at internasjonalen. i didn't know anything about who was going to play, but she has good taste in music and it was a while since i was out for beer and music (and i am missing it a bit), so i said yes and went and was very pleasantly surprised. sarah blasko (from australia) offered some highly imaginative texts and a beautifully simple show. i loved how her movements looked like she was running in slow motion, and how she seemed totally absorbed in her music.

Portemonnaie

2010-04-09T10:33:00.005+02:00

i've been using my old purse basically ever since i started this blog, and during the last half year or so it fell more and more apart. time for a new one:

with lots of small compartments and pockets

and pretty detailing at the zippers:

i don't know the brand, but i found it in a small store in grünerløkka. the first one i bought had a broken zipper after just two days of usage, so i went back and returned it. however, the model is both practical, feels good in the hand and it suits my style, so i exchanged it for the exact same model and have been happy with it for a month now. i love it!

birthday wishlist

2010-04-02T13:48:00.012+02:00

getting older is a weird thing. during the last half year or so i have successfully made myself a year older already whenever anybody asked my age - however during these last few weeks i have rather felt a year younger than i am right now, meaning two years younger than i'll be in two weeks time. getting older is a very strange concept indeed.

nevertheless, i thought i'd be smart and post my birthday wishlist a bit sooner than last year.

kusmi-tea. i love black tea and have been wanting to try some of their sorts for quite some time. how about some st.petersburg or prince wladimir, or some classic earl grey?

crab-claw necklace from red sofa

poppy pod necklace from elizabeth scott designs

large claw necklace from fashionology

black underbust corset from audra jean

a little helper in the kitchen: steak thermometer

lush bathbombs. apart from the massage-bars my absolute favourite lush-product.

thelma

2010-04-01T18:05:00.004+02:00

meet thelma, the newest addition to my shoe collection:

i found her quite lonely in the sales and thought i'd give her a new home. we get along really well, she is very comfy while adding a few centimeters to my rather short body-length. let's hope it will be a long lasting friendship!

a peak into my wardrobe

2010-03-24T23:45:00.000+01:00

dotti wanted a peak into my wardrobe. most of it is still packed away in those boxes, but some of my clothes have already shown up again.

warm and cozy pullovers

some summer dresses

tights tights tights

woollen underwear. vintage from my grandmother's sports-boutique in the 60s.

ariadne auf naxos

2010-03-21T16:26:00.008+01:00

last wednesday we went to the opera, to see "ariadne auf naxos" by richard strauss. it was a mixed experience, since one of the two female leads was amazing while the other one was bland, and at times downright horrible in her performance (i really don't think that looking like you're about to throw up while singing was part of that role. not funny, even though it was supposed to be a comedy). sadly, the latter lady is part of the regular ensemble while the former only had a guest performance...

i wore this lace-dress for the first time:

the golden cocktailring is from a silversmith in lüneburg who closed a few years ago, the watch i inherited from my grandmother. i feel almost naked without it.

jeans and a white shirt

2010-03-16T22:29:00.008+01:00

yesterday morning before work. probably one of the simplest outfits in the world.

a white shirt (h&m trend)

a pair of slim, patchy jeans (h&m)

a pair of brown boots (vagabond)

oslo to my heart

2010-03-07T23:49:00.005+01:00

i usually don't take part in these give-aways where you're supposed to write a post on your blog about it and link to the original post. however, this one is so lovely and pretty and just plain desirable that i make an exception.

jenna from i say shotgun hosts a give-away courtesy by musmus with two necklaces made out of old maps from scandinavian cities, one with kopenhagen and one with oslo. having recently moved to oslo of course i would be extremely glad and happy to win the correspondent necklace - especially since it shows the place where i work, namely björvika bay where the new opera house was built! now, me winning this necklace would only be appropriate, don't you think?

glitter and dance

2010-03-01T00:02:00.006+01:00

a week ago, a. and i celebrated. not only had i just finished off my first week at work, we also thought we'd take the opportunity and have something of a belated valentine's day. i was taken out to a lovely and very delicious early dinner, before we went to see a fantastic ballet show at the opera. which i thought was just the right occasion to finally wear the most glittery sequined dress i own:

(the picture was taken by my favourite person in the world after we came home.)

"Shoot the Moon" consists of four different modern choreographies by some great choreographers, and they are accompanied by enchanting music. the dance was quite abstract, but somehow came around to transfer an extreme amount of feeling and meaning at the same time. the first choreography felt clean, and maybe most abstract. the dancers seemed to build up relations with each other in different constellations which were not fixed but in constant flux, changing abruptly and coming back slightly differently.

the second one threw you right into the deep mysteries of the world. death. grief. blood. the production felt archaic, and deep with texture. i'm still quite shaken when thinking about it. costumes made of paper. just think. to add sound to your dancing in that way. amazing.

the third dance was a pas de deux which didn't impress me quite as much, even though technically seen it must have been great (i hope to gain more knowledge about these things during the upcoming months.. i feel kind of stupid, working for the opera and knowing so little about opera and ballet). however, the last choreography (called "Shoot the Moon", thus naming the whole show) made it all up to us. it dealt with couples, relationsships, emotions, everyday life, fights that you have, curiosity for other people's lives, how people express themselves. it felt important. it was different to anything i have ever seen before. i wish everyone could see it. i wish i could see it again.

(pictures from here)

defined shoulders

2010-02-24T11:21:00.007+01:00

these pictures were taken when i was just about to head out for by:larm on saturday. thanks to my favourite person in the world for being my photographer!

i really like this dress with its geometrical shoulderpart and comfy light-grey sweater fabric.

turtleneck: primark
dress: zara
necklace: fröken söt
bangle/cuff: indiska

what if gravity is just another trick of the mind

2010-02-20T22:41:00.003+01:00

it's by:larm again. i worked again as a volunteer and got to see the concerts for free. however, after waiting for the metro for ten minutes with no sign whatsoever for it ever appearing, i decided to stay at home tonight (it's freezing cold and very snowstormy outside!). which feels a bit sad since i had wanted to go and see a wonderful band - actually, to see them once more, as i had already seen them yesterday. instead, i listen to their music on the sofa. and am very happy about having discovered them. lovely.

the tiny is magical and enchanting and strange and weird. you can download their albums on their online-shop for very little money, which is what i am just about to do.

the perfect keepsake

2010-02-16T12:25:00.006+01:00

last week i took a very spontanious trip back to lüneburg. the not so fun part included a visit at my dentists, the more fun part was meeting up with my friends. since i don't think i'll be coming back in the near future, i treated myself to what i consider the perfect lüneburg souvenir:

a silver ring made by a local artist, picturing the most significant and beautiful buildings of the town

picture one: St. Johannis, Altes Rathaus
picture two: St. Michaelis
picture three: Alter Kran, Wasserturm

about small apartments and space

2010-02-15T21:35:00.002+01:00

well. something must have gone terribly wrong with the physics in my boyfriend's apartment when i moved in. suddenly all my stuff seems to double both in weight and in space. and the apartment seems to have shrunk to about half its size. i don't know. and the boxes just won't disappear.

first day

2010-02-15T21:14:00.006+01:00

... at work.

yes, i found a job quite quickly here in oslo, and this is where it is:

the norwegian opera. a beautiful building, isn't it? i feel quite enchanted by it and very privileged to be working in it.

oh, and no. i have not suddenly become an opera singer. i just became a simple ticket seller. but, better than nothing and the job will serve me perfectly for the time being. it's not only a first step into the norwegian culture field, it is also well paid - and oslo is quite expensive. and then of course i'll get to see loads and loads of opera, concerts and ballet!

my favourite...

2010-02-02T23:18:00.006+01:00

i was tagged (original tag by weareyouneak) by nice and lovely svenja to tell you some of my favourite things - and since i never can decide on just one favourite, i'll give you three each (of course those count only for today, because, who knows, i might decide differently tomorrow):

Favourite Band/Artist: Bertine Zetlitz, Detektivbyrån, Johnny Cash

Favourite Movie: Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch), The Third Man (Carol Reed), Pride and Prejudice (BBC 1995)

Favourite Book: Truman Capote - Breakfast at Tiffany's, Astrid Lindgren - Ronja Rövardotter, Jane Austen - Persuasion

Favourite Designer/Label: Minimarket, Vagabond, second hand/vintage

 Favourite Festival: By:larm, Bardentreffen, Berlinale

 Favourite TV-Show: The Big Bang Theory, The Nanny, Gilmore Girls

Favourite Person/Icon: boyfriend, Astrid Lindgren, Mr.Darcy (the wet shirt!!!! sorry, i'm still a bit damaged from writing that thesis)

 Favourite City/Country: Stockholm, Ireland, wherever the favourite person in the world (see firstnamed above) is located

 Favourite Moment Ever: standing on the top of a mountain in norway after climbing it and looking over the fjord, sitting all alone in the cinema watching whichever film it was, everytime i meet my parents after not having seen them in a long time (favourite repeatable moment ever, one could say)

Favourite Video:

and i'll tag... oh, i don't know. how about mariamelie, marie (flohtruhe), and linnea (reggie and friends)?

the capital

2010-01-28T23:43:00.003+01:00

i'll be off to stockholm for the weekend. it is my combined birthday- and christmas present for a., and we have been looking forward to it for quite a while. we don't have any big plans, apart from seeing "tomorrow, in a year" at dansens hus on saturday night.

it seems ages ago since i last was in sweden's capital, so i'm mostly looking forward to exploring the city, especially södermalm, eating nice swedish food such as kladdkaka and semlor and enjoying the atmosphere. i have always loved stockholm and could really imagine living there one day.

we think about going out for a really nice meal on saturday evening before the opera, so if any of you know any nice and affordable place with good food somewhere more or less close to dansens hus (i think it's very central, so something between östermalm and vasastan would be around the place i guess), please let me know.

job search

2010-01-18T13:01:00.004+01:00

so, being arrived in oslo (with most of my stuff still waiting at the customs - i never thought moving would be so difficult, couldn't norway just join the eu and that's it?) i have started to look for a job and recently (well, i handed it in personally today) applied for one at the german embassy here in oslo.

however, since everything happens so sudden (*hand in thesis - merry christmas - happy new year - pack - move - here i am*) i had neither a professional picture to add, nor any recent references from previous jobs. the former i fixed somewhat halfprofessionally (advice: do not copy this procedure since i cannot guarantee success) with the help of a holiday picture and photoshop, while the latter i fix today by writing my own references and mailing it to my previous bosses. let's hope they are nice and sign those without further ado. and let's hope they don't think me unprofessional at the embassy.

moving to oslo, selling things

2010-01-04T01:42:00.014+01:00

yes, it's finally happening and faster than i expected. i'm moving to oslo, in with my boyfriend. after 3 1/2 years of travelling back and forth it really is time. my parents arrived today and i'm sorting things and throwing things away and packing. it's like hell broke loose.

this means that this little blog-break will last a little longer, until everything is packed into boxes and moved to oslo.

however, until the end of this week (saturday 9th) you get the chance to buy a few of my treasures which i sadly enough have to leave behind - i can't take everything with me and need some money, oslo is expensive! i don't have the time to put things up on ebay so i'll try and just use the blog for once. paying via paypal since this is easiest and fastest. send me an email at froeken_lila [at] web.de if you are interested in anything. and of course the prices named are only suggestions. i ship to europe, but don't know exact fares so please ask if interested. i also apologize for the mostly unphotoshopped and therefore large pictures - so much to do, so little time...

green and red 70s carpet bag, 10€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)

70s suede and fur bag (they sold a similar one a zara, i think), 8€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)

70s leather clutch, 4€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)

friies & company black art-deco style bag, 10€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)

vintage red 80s laura ashley sundress with a flower print, size 34/small 36, 15€ (shipping Germany: 2,50€)

light blue 50s retro pin-up/rockabilly blouse, divided by h&m some years back, size 38 (taken in a bit so it might fit a 36 as well), 5€ (shipping Germany: 2,50€)

vintage orange-red longsleeved wool-dress (really warm, perfect for winter now!), mod-style from the 60s, fits size 36. sadly enough i found a few holes, but they might be fixed easily. the belt also has suffered a little, even if you don't see it on the picture. 15€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)

vintage 70s black and silver sleeveless sweater, size 36 (shipping Germany: 2,50)

moreover, i also sell this white mini-skirt from h&m young (i did't have time to take a picture myself, hence the link to i say shotgun who wears it beautifully and features some other bloggers wearing it), fits a small 36 i'd say. it has a brown spot on one of the lower layers which is invisible when you wear it and it should go out with the next wash. i never wore the skirt. 5€ (shipping Germany: 2,50€)

today's words of wisdom

2009-12-08T17:43:00.003+01:00

"We se(ns)e what we need to se(ns)e in a given context. We are not all confused, even if we are wrong."

"Our sensate bodies [...] do not operate in the transcendent realm of truth, but in the immanent kingdom of the real."

Peter Corrigan in "The Dressed Society"

in other words: i do not need to question every single word i wrote in my thesis, but must trust that my senses did not betray me.

where books come to life

2009-12-02T12:00:00.001+01:00

enchanting. amazing. beautiful.

blog break

2009-11-30T22:17:00.004+01:00

until i have handed in my thesis in two weeks i take a little break from blogging (as you probably have noticed).

here is a brilliant electro version with a brilliant video of one of my favourite swedish songs, "jag ger dig min morgon" - kite with "i give you the morning"

jeans

2009-11-15T14:14:00.005+01:00

i do wear jeans sometimes. not often, but every now and then. this was the end of october.

jeans: voice of europe
longarmed t-shirt: new yorker
white top: h&m
belt: diesel
bangle: accessorize
scarf: vintage
boots: vagabond

lila boots

2009-11-13T20:27:00.005+01:00

i'm selling a pair of lila vintage winter boots on ebay, the auction ends on sunday:

they are extremely comfortable, very pretty and really warm. real, very soft leather with lovely details. size 38, fits a 37 as well. and i do ship to all of europe.

vestoj

2009-11-11T21:10:00.005+01:00

at the moment i'm not good for anything. i'm deep inside my master's thesis and even though i read my daily blogroll more or less regularly i can't really find the time to write anything myself.

however. there is something i found today. it all started when evis posted about a second, collective, blog she contributes to now. modearkivet. it's a swedish blog about fashion, and it's definitely not your usual fashionblog. it's about fashion in terms of research, in terms of fashion studies, in terms of reviews on books about fashion. since my thesis has a lot to do with exactly this, guess who got excited!

anyways, modearkivet just offered a preview about this brandnew bi-annual fashion magazin. vestoj. and no, this is not your usual fashion magazine. this is serious stuff for us who are interested in fashion as an academic subject, not fashion as in shopping. it plans to be a bridge between academia and the fashion industries. it's not about the latest fashion shows in i-dont-know-where, but why are fashion shows important and how have they changed during time and what does that say about the fashion industry. (this is an example made up by me and has nothing to do with the exact contents of the magazine.) they have a manifesto and an article by elizabeth wilson, who is something like the bill gates of fashion studies.

and you can buy it on the net. here at papercutshop. klick on "tidningar" and then you'll see it already. they ship internationally for 25 swedish kronor. i already ordered it.

picture from here.

weekend

2009-10-30T17:46:00.004+01:00

last weekend i was at the fleamarket. this weekend, my parents will come to visit. even under big pressure it's really important to do something nice every now and then. and i am so looking forward to meeting them again. i don't see them so often, and when i'm done studying (soon!!) and move away i'll see them even less. which is a sad thing. but, this weekend they'll be here. which means i have to work very hard for another two hours to get my text done..

last sunday's outfit:

suede skirt and grey cardigan: fleamarket
t-shirt: new yorker
tights and belt: h&m
necklace: accessorize
shoes: vagabond

me and my room

2009-10-27T23:10:00.006+01:00

i took a little break yesterday and changed the look of my kitchen/livingroom. what i did was that i turned my sofa by 90 degrees, so that instead of facing the entrance it is facing the kitchenpart of the room. the room looks a little larger now, which is nice.

this also gave me the chance to try out a new place for outfit-pictures today. the light comes quite sharply from the side, so i'm not sure if i like it:

dress: fleamarket, shortened by me
cardigan: h&m
belt: orsay
tights: gina tricot
boots: vagabond

desert flower

2009-10-27T09:58:00.005+01:00

on saturday i've been to see the movie "desert flower", an adaptation of ex-topmodel waris dirie's autobiographical book with the same name.

i think this is an important film, with an important social and political purpose and message. it is well done. it is very well performed. and it was so generic and predictable that if it hadn't been for the importance of the content i would have been bored to death. so, as a cineast, i would not have wanted to spend 9euro on the regular saturnight ticket. thanks to yogurette and kinderschokolade we had two coupons enabling us to pay cinema-day prize (5,00€) on every day of the week, which was acceptable.

this is a german production. trying to look like hollywood, and almost getting there. it also is a german film about afrika, and the producer was the guy who produced "nowhere in africa", and some of the pictures could have been taken out of "the white massai". and it's a biopic. starting at one turning point in the person's life, following the person's rise to importance, plus a few flashbacks and a romance which does just get enough space to indulge those of us who need romance. both liya kebede (whom you can see on h&m's latest fall knit-campain - she is beautiful!) and especially sally hawkins do an amazing job in their roles and they really lift the film. as i said, this is not a bad movie. it is very solid, it is entertaining, and if you love africa and/or the world of high fashion you'll love the film.

friday's outfit

2009-10-25T22:56:00.006+01:00

i finally got round to shortening these dresses which i got at the fleamarket. the blue one also got new buttons, and i'm thinking about getting some lace for the hem as well..

this is how i wore it last friday:

dress and bag: fleamarket
scarf: thrifted
cardigan: h&m
tights: c&a
shoes: dinsko

lüneburg, fall

2009-10-24T13:23:00.000+02:00

on sunday i went for a long walk with a good friend. we went through the old town, which is beautiful with small, really old houses, none of which stands straight. behind the old town lies one of my favourite places, the kalkberg. its a smallish, very steep hill in the middle of the town, a nature reserve and you feel so far away from the city, even though it's only a few meters away...

all work and no play

2009-10-23T23:30:00.007+02:00

this is how my workplace in the library looks like:

books, paper, pen, computer, water and some stuff we're not allowed to take inside but do anyway (hidden behind the computer =). i keep the mobile on quiet-mode, as well as the computer. i also have a book-wagon for myself, at least until the end of the month. it's nice not having to schlep all your books back and forth all the time. i try to keep it nice from the outside - how about some coffee-table book on vanity fair with reese witherspoon??

and this is how i looked like on wednesday - the lighting in the library is rather bad, so the picture was very yellow and i did my best with photoshop but there is only so much one can do. it almost got too blue instead...

pullover: h&m
skirt: h&m, thrifted
cardigan: thrifted
tights: ?
flower-brooch: gina tricot
boots: topshop

the duchess

2009-10-23T23:10:00.005+02:00

i won! hübsch dich auf had a give-away where you could win a dvd with the movie "the dutchess", a costume drama with keira knightley, and i won one of the three dvds coco gave away... thank you, coco!!

the package arrived some days ago at my place, and i guess i'll try and see it this weekend - though i should be viewing all those austens once more...

sunday

2009-10-18T21:44:00.006+02:00

today was a good day, i feel like i got some necessary stuff done. such as laundry, dishes, a long walk with a friend in the sunny town... and my favourite person in the world booked a ticket to come here in november!!!

i also put some stuff up on ebay:

retro dotted blouse by h&m divided (36)

asian inspired paisley-blouse by only (s)

vintage 80s cocktaildress and matching bolero jacket with very big shoulders(m-l)

shopping ban, weeks five, six and seven

2009-10-18T15:08:00.007+02:00

i'm so behind with the blog, it's impossible. but i kept track with my spending even though i didn't post two weeks in a row about the shopping ban.
i went into week five with 15,10 € on my budget. then i sold some stuff on ebay, and made 60€ that way which go into the budget, plus my 7 euro allowance per week, times three, makes alltogether 96,10€. wow.

and here is what i spent some of this money on:

a purple cardigan on sale in oslo, 10euro (i actually owned this one in white already, but i loved the purple one so much i had to have it when it was on sale..)

a black shirt on sale in oslo, 5euro

a fluffy warm hat for winter, 9euro (say good morning to the very sleepy person peeping out from under it!)

and two pairs of tights, one (picture) for 8, the other for 5euro.

so, i spent 37 euro in week five, six and seven. out of a budget of 96,10, which leaves 59,10€ on the budget.. maybe a new pair of shoes next week??