Another January week has passed. Here in Düsseldorf the weather has been pretty mild and frost free most nights. We have got into everyday routines again after the break. Mila and I bike to school everyday. It is still pretty dark when we leave at 07.45 but on my way back it is already getting light, if it is not grey and cloudy which it is most days in all honesty. When I get back from biking with Mila I either wake Filip up or he is already up watching TV. I drink my coffee and serve him his breakfast and get him dressed. We get in the boxbike for Kita at 8.53 and it is just across the park so we make it on time for morning circle at 9.00. I exercise at boot-camp two times per week in the morning directly after dropping Filip off. It is outside training and we have a great trainer with so many good exercises and it is a nice group of international ladies. I pick up early and drive Filip to his speech therapy centrum 3 times per week. The centrum is located closer to city so while Fil

 First week of January and the first steps in a new year. No big changes. Covid-19 has developed from Delta to Omicron to dominate and infect record many people in Europe. German has new restrictions coming along called 2G+ which means that no longer can the Covid-pass ( Vaccinated 2 times) open doors for you now you either have to add the third booster vaccin or show Covid-pass + test. This is for restaurants, bars, indoor fitness, pools and cinema etc. I don't know what to say I have no energy to think too much about new restrictions again more then I am not complaining as long as schools are open. In the schools the kids wear mask and are tested twice per week.  This illustration ( watercolor and black inc fine line) I finished this week well the inspiration is pretty clear right  I have not yet got around to do an illustrated summary of my 2021- but maybe it will come. Also the inspiration of doing a wish list for 2022 is low. But I did decide to have a white January (alcohol f

 Happy new year and welcome 2022 ! I am hoping this will be another good year. I am aware that being in the middle of a pandemic might not be classified as an amazing year, but on a personal level I think 2021 was a nice year. The scare for the virus was higher during 2020 when everything was new and restrictions felt more dramatic. 2021 we were already use to having this virus present although invisible and how to handle restrictions testing and masks.  For my creativity and productivity 2021 has been great. With part of the year being home-schooling I had less time to think what to draw or what to make and why. I just had to create what-ever came to my mind to have some time for me and a feeling that I am "doing" something. I constantly had my watercolors and drawing pad on the kitchen table - only cleaned it way a bit when we were eating. I have tested new techniques, spend a lot of time on the same drawing and from that I feel I have developed so much this year.  Here is

 I try to make a family portrait of me an my family every year for Christmas and new year With this year edition I want to wish  Happy new year 2022 !!  I also added this years edition of our family Christmas picture 

Christmas was very nice and relaxed for us. We decided already in October that we will stay in Düsseldorf over Christmas. Mila had school all the way until 23/12 so it felt too stressed to fly on Christmas Eve and also to avoid the stress with Corona rules, tests and quarantine. A good decision since as we excepted the infected covid numbers have gone up all of Europe again. Second Covid Christmas.  Lets hope this virus soon will loose this tight grip of the world and we can stop worry about new restrictions, limitations and infections. Having said that we have also adjusted and learned to live with it and are not even thinking it is strange that we wear masks in shops, showing vaccination app before entering a store or that kids wears masks in classrooms and gets tested every second day.  Of course it feels a little sad that we couldn't go home to Sweden now when the kids are having school-break but we focus on the good things we have here and make the most out of things and focus

I am a great fan of Advent and all the preparations before Christmas. In matter of fact I like Advent more then Christmas. The Advent candles, the advent kalenders, advent stars in all the windows and we decorate christmas already first of advent with Christmas tree and everything. And not to forget to mention living in Germany where they have Christmas markets everywhere all of December big and small which makes it an even more magical season.  This year I got asked if I could make 24 small bags for an advent kalender for one class in the local school. Fun project and it was the start of my new design for my gift bags with drawstrings on the sides with cute ribbons or strings. I also realized how much time it takes to make a simple bag and that made me think of the 24 advent kalender bags sold cheap in stores for around about 10 € - it is not possible to be profitable if you don't have cheap label (underpaid and maybe child labour) and cheap material. I told my client that I can&#

Hi from Düsseldorf,  I got new inspiration and energy for my blog the other morning when I met with a little group of creative international women here in Düsseldorf. Because of Covid it's been over a year ago since we last met up and it was nice to finally catch up again. We are women from many different countries and who all are into different artistic creative genre living in Düsseldorf. It is great to have this forum to share, inspire and push each other. Last time we met I was more confused what I wanted to do with my illustrations and my hats that I am sewing. How to take it to next level and actually find channels to sell. Since then I have really pushed myself and managed to participate in 3 markets during 2021 which feels like a big step forward. To be brave enough to bring my handmade stuff out to the world to be exposed and sold.  With this this is a new start with my blog with the ambition to update weekly  About whatever comes on my mind or whatever creative projects t

Vi flög till Stockholm och hängde några dagar hos mamma i deras nya lägenhet inne i stan. Barnen testade leka i Vasaparken rakt över gatan. Första vårsolen värmde äntligen lite. Det kändes härligt och konstigt att folk satt på uteserveringar och att restauranger och caféer var öppna. Prinsesstårta, semla och påskbakelse på en uteservering. Jag passade på att klippa mig eftersom frisörerna varit stängda sedan december och min man vuxit sig lång. Jag följde med Sofie ut till stallet och red hennes fina häst medan barnen hade movie night med mormor.  Nere i Vingåker fick vi äntligen träffa Bozze och morfar. Leka med bästis och grilla med farbror Christer. Min morfar var färdig vaccinerad och bjöd oss på våfflor. Barnen gick till frisören och blev kanonsnygga i håret. Lekt mycket med grannbarnen och njutit av att kunna spring och ut hur och när man vill.  En morgon vaknade vi till snö. Aprilväder. Filip och jag gick en före-frukost promenad i skogen för att njuta av snön. Eftersom det ändå

Kära bloggen det är nog en massa olika anledningar till varför jag inte har skrivit på ett tag. Kanske inte kan skylla det på den pandemi som vi forfarande är mitt inne i men jo jag får nog ändå göra det. Mest för att det jag har haft mindre tid till att ha tråkigt och fundera över vad jag vill skriva om eftersom det senaste året sedan Covid-19 tog över världen har jag hemskolat Mila och hemförskolat Filip en hel del. Det har varit lite tid till mig själv med andra ord.  Att skriva för mig är viktigt, men samtidigt svårt när man tappat farten och det är helt klart en muskel som man behöver träna regelbundet på. Jag blir frustrerad när det inte kommer ur mig lätt och det som kommer ut är platt och tråkigt. Då börjar jag tvivla och ifrågasätta varför ska jag skriva och för vilket syfte. Svaret på mitt eget tvivel är att jag vill skriva för mig själv för att jag vill att skrivmuskeln ska vara i hyfsad form. För att jag tror att intellektet behöver utmanas i skrivande form för att inte bli

Jag älskar påskpynt - det är färggrant och roligt och det är alltid lika spännande att plocka upp påsklådan för att se vad jag har samlat på mig under åren. Mina favoriter är de traditionellt målade trääggen vi köpte i Prag för några år sedan. Helst vill jag ha dom framme året runt. I år gjorde jag och Mila påskkärringar. Med en limpistol blir allt pyssel roligt och därför började jag massproducera kärringar. Mila tröttnade efter ett par kärringar men jag hade svårt att sluta.  På Lundsätter hittade jag min påsktupp som jag gjorde i slöjden på mellanstadiet. Några galna mjukdjur hönor och diverse ägg och porslinstuppar. Färggrant och omatchigt funkar fint för mig.