Happy Holidays

A lot of people ask how we celebrate Christmas when in Thailand - and the answer is that we almost don´t. But on the 24th there´s always some kind of plastic tree under which we can put our small presents - from the local touristshop. And if we travel with other children like this year - we might dance around the Christmas tree and sing a song or 2 - while all the other guests look bewildered at us (it´s a Danish thing). After unwrapping the presents we eat a nice Christmas dinner - often western inspired - prepared by the resort. Last year we enjoyed this sunset - and wore funny little paper hats while dinning... It´s not the traditional way for sure - but it´s the perfect way for us.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas - just the way YOU want it to be...

Take care - see you in 2010.

Hi Santa - it´s me again

Dear Santa - if you are really busy and only want to pick up presents from one place - then please choose stuff from By Nord - because I love everything in their collection.
Here´s a recent interview in Danish with the women behind the brand.

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa - this cosy Lugo sofa by BoConcept is the answer to a lot of my wishes! I wish to lay there with books & magazines, warm blankets & tons of pillows plus my family - in front of a fireplace or a good movie...
If it´s to large to transport then these pillows will do - thank you.

Striped pouf from bynord.dk
Striped pillows by Lisbeth Friis.
Pillows with dots by Margrethe Odgaard from Stilleben Shop

Studio greetings

I´m busy at the Studio right now with lots of deadlines before we leave for Thailand - my brain is overheated and my to-do-list is long - but we still have time to light a candle, drink coffee and enjoy some Smooth Jazz. 

Hope you´ll have a great weekend too.

Cop15 - from a graphic point of view

Untill the 18th of December COP15 is taking place in Copenhagen - so let us hope The United Nations Climate Conference will result in a global agreement to protect the Earth.

Looking at it all through my graphic design eyes - I like the blue COP15 logo - eventhough the one to the right was my favorite when I first saw the other winners last year. But I have no idea why a professional jury selected the last 2.prize logo - since it´s everything a logo shouldn´t be - maybe they just wanted an icebear! Anyway I always like to see the runner ups in such logo competitions.

My small contribution to COP15 was to design this magazine about Danish and Greenlandic climate research for a client - I always end up reading the articles while I design because I like science and love Greenland - and if you wish to read about The Melting Ice you can do it here and in Danish here, Isen smelter.

And if you are confused and don´t know what to think about the whole climate debate here´s a wonderful Climate Change visualization from Informationisbeautiful.

Belli Bellucci!

These rings and broches made from coloured pencils, by Italian designer, Maria Christine Bellucci - are so belli belli! that they have been added to my wishlist immediately.

Seen via Designboom - who also has a great article about Poor Jewellery - a big trend with creative jewellery made with non-precious materials.

Angel by Nanna

The proud mother in me just wish to share this adorable drawing with my dear readers. Also because I really can´t fathom that my "little daughter" is so big now that she can draw angels - and will turn 6 years old soon...

Manos - perfect gifts

Some time ago I had to find the perfect gift - for a perfect friend with a really exquiste taste!  I decided to buy a yellow log bowl for her from Karin Eriksson´s  webshop Manos - which has such a wonderful collection of stuff. The service was great and when the things arrived I just had to take a photo of how delicate the packaging was. Truely a great shopping experience!

Fashion Note to myself

Just a note to myself! I´m  clearing the clutter in my closet - and here are some new looks I would like to add. Especially the knit vest with multi-colored sequin detalils by Vanessa Bruno Athé, via YouHeShe, which would be perfect to wear in my studio.

I´m wondering though what the outfits will look like with 2 normal sized legs sticking out instead!?

Short december

We actually started to decorate for Christmas 2 weeks ago - because Nanna couldn´t wait any longer... and since we are leaving for Thailand in 2 weeks time - I guess it´s ok with an early start. I´m not really in the mood for decorating a lot this year - so it´s mainly little things like these branches and birds you´ll find in our home.

lumimarja - finnish snowberries

I´m quite smitten with the Lumimarja pattern - since I saw it in a shop this weekend - and I thought it was a perfect match to my photo below. The patterne comes in various colours and is designed by finnish designer Erja Hirvi, for Marimekko.

Snow berrries

I just noticed that I haven´t posted any of my own photos for ages - only other peoples work - which is quite strange since I started this blog as a place to share both photos, ideas and inspiration. I think it´s due to the Borrelia infection which I blame for a lot of other things too - like why I haven´t written thank-you-cards to friends and family after our wedding, and why I haven´t done any exercise before our Bikini-holiday in 3 weeks time.... So next time I stop taking photos for a longer period of time - I just might as well go to the doctor a.s.a.p because it means I´m not well... But I´m fine now - eventhough this is an old photo.

Vidunderlivet T-shirt

I designed this t-shirt some months ago for The Danish Cancer Society as part of their campaign, Vidunderlivet, which aims to inform young girls about the HPN vaccine against cervial cancer.
And now that the t-shirts have been printed - I hope to see a lot of young girls and mothers wearing it!

Here´s some of my thoughts about the design in danish.
"Motivet til den nye kampagne-T-shirt er en collage, hvor det blå logo-hjerte 'invaderes' af symboler og motiver fra de unge pigers univers. Collage-stilen understreger, at der er mange ting, der spirer og vokser i pigernes liv i netop den periode. Og symbolerne i collagen antyder nogle af de emner og den udvikling, som er på banen.

Det kribler og krabler, der drømmes, tænkes og tales. Der kigges ud i verden og ind i sig selv. En skitse på fremtiden tegnes - og det feminine blandes med rå power i tidens (rock-chick) stil. Motivet signalerer til omverden, at der foregår meget både udenpå og indeni."

Kampagne-T-shirten koster 129 kr. og kan købes her i Vidunderlivets webshop.
Med dit køb støtter du kampen mod livmoderhalskræft.

BlogLoving

I´m slowly catching up on all the recent post around the Blogs - and here are 3 of my favorites.
(By the way - have you tried Bloglovin - It´s a great way to keep track of the blogs you follow)

1. Lovely ABCcards to download here and personalize for friends and family - by Brooke Reynolds of Inchmark, for DesignSponge. I´ll start doing 3 sets now for Nanna and her 2 cousins who will celebrate Christmas in Thailand with us this year - the cards will fit perfectly in my backpack.
2. Issue 2 of the childrens magazine Papier-mache - a great overview of the latest trends for childrens stuff - It´s like an Australian online version of the French magazine MILK.
3. Christmas Creatures by Mibo - so cute - and we/I really loved making the owls last month - if you want to make your own sets with a child I recommend you print the files on A3 paper instead to make them easier to cut for little hands. Enjoy!

All Is Well

Hello again and thanks for all your sweet comments - I´m happy to tell you that I´m now slowly getting back to normal - I´ve finished my treatment, I can type, I can spend time in front of my screen, I even went to a Magazine Design Conference - and the fatigue and headache has gone. I´m still tired and have given myself one more week to recover completely before I start working again - knowing that when I start working my clients will keep me busy right untill our Christmas Holidays (I´m already dreaming of beach-life and Thai-food).

The All Is Well design above can be downloaded here - it´s based on my wedding-pattern and one of my favorite affirmations from Louise Hay´s book You can Heal your Life.

Take care and have a healing and cozy weekend!

Small update

It´s time for a small update - just to let you know that my Blogbreak will be a little longer than I first expected. It turned out last weekend that my Borrelia infection had spred to the central nervous system -so I´m now in treatment for Neuro borrelia which means that for the last week and the week to come - I´m a patient at the local hospital.

I check in every morning for a big dose of antibiotics - some coffee and lunch - and then I go home and relax on the sofa or in bed. I have a venous cannula inserted into my hand so theres not much else I can do - even typing is tricky. So no working or blogging these days. I´m doing fine and will get over this without problems - and I consider myself "lucky" that I´m in treatment already now - since it´s such a tricky dissease that can be hard to diagnose - but I´m not sure what to think of deer and bambiés after this experience.

take care.

Bambi>Borrelia>Blogbreak

It´s been quiet on my blog lately - due to a paralysing headache for the last 2 weeks. My doctor have now finally found the cause - which is a Borrelia infection.

The Borrelia comes from a tick-bite, and ticks live on mouse and deer - and since we are surrounded by deer and cute bambies in the summerhouse - I now know who´s to blame!

I´ll be back again when I get better. Take care - and remember to support Sabines Breast Cancer fundraising-project.

dusty pink pastels

Just had to share these magical dusty pastel tulle dresses from Viktor & Rolf RTW Spring 2010. Love the fun play with lines and the colours.

Little pink touches

Back to some pink posting. Here´s a few items I would love to add to my wardrobe to cheer up all the grey and black items that slowly take over when winter moves in. Everything is from Youheshe.com. as always  - because they are still one of the only Danish webshops that put a real effort into their styling and photography.

Photographer Line Klein

Talking about Berlin yesterday made me want to go back again soon - and then finding these photos at Line Kleins blog - really made me want to go now! The photos are from a café she went to on a  recent trip to Berlin - it blows my mind that they are just snap-shots - and only prove what an amazing photograper she is. And why I hope to get the chance to work with her someday soon.

Make sure to visit Line Kleins portfolio and check out her delicious food-photography and clever way of styling!

Berlin Berlin

One of my oldest and dearest friends is having her first book published today. Berlin Berlin - a different guide book about Berlin, where she has been living for the last 5 years with her husband and 2 daughters. It´s written in Danish -and is the perfect gift for any Berlin lover or Berlin traveller! And last night I was busy making this temporary website for them- while I wait for the hosting to work out!

Berlin Berlin
En anderledes guide til en forlænget weekend eller storbyferie i Berlin. Henriette Harris, skriver om Berlin og dens begivenhedsrige og dramatiske historie i seks tematiske kapitler. Læseren kommer rundt i byen til både kendte og ukendte adresser og steder. En guide, der fører læseren helt ind på livet af Berlin, dens indbyggere – og dens historier gennem et turbulent århundrede. Mere info her.

Apple shaped stickers

These fruit shaped sticky notes are so delicious. Yummy paperdesign at it´s best - you can find them here at Etsy.

Pink Houses

I normally never post anything here without credits - but in this case I´m lost - just think I saw these amazing photo collages of houses last year at Oh Joy. Please help me out if you can.

Just found out that they are by photographer and artists Laura Kicey.

Pink for October

I had fun last year doing my "Pink for October" - so get ready once again for lots of pink posts here during October - and feel free to grab my buttom to the right if you want to join the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please leave a message if you plan to go "Pink for October" too.

And if you are new to my blog - you can read this post to learn why Breastcancer is an issue close to my heart.

Welcome & bear hug

My studiomate Line invited me to take part in one of her workshops - and here is what I made - a little cute bear saying welcome - don´t we all need that!? Actually the text is not on the painting yet - only via Photoshop - but don´t you think I should add it?
Have a great weekend!

An apple a day...

I´ve just spent 3 days in bed with the flu so my body needs some care now - and this cool letterpress poster might do the trick! It´s called An apple a Day - Just peel the little variety sticker from every apple you eat and affix it to a square on the poster. By Etsy seller Vik design.

I love clever graphic design like this - the only downpoint is that the organic apples I buy don´t have variety stickers - but right now I wish they had.

Trendy trees

I spotting a trend here - with big branches used as interior decorations - I guess it´s not a new thing - but in these photos from Sandbox Studio - and Tine K - they have got it just right!

Yesterday a huge man on a bike crashed into Nanna and I on our way to kindergarden - my bike now needs a new backwheel and my bruised and shocked body really needs the long and luxurious treament at this Spa , which was booked weeks ago - I guess that´s what you call perfect timing!

Nye baggrunde

Inspireret af Pernille Melsteds tankevækkende video - om ikke at lade sig nøje - designede jeg fluks disse 2 baggrunde til skærmen forleden. Du kan downloade den øverste her - og den nederste her.

Jeg er færdig med at nøjes med Nescafé og en out-dated hjemmeside for mit design|studio.

This is a post for my Danish readers - have a great weekend!
And please answer my little survey to the right about my new feature from LinkWithin.

more paper love

Here´s another lovely idea on how to make your books or paper look better - these invitations created by Studio Lin  - were air brushed by hand around the edges of each invitation with gradient colors. Amazing!
via Oh Joy!

pretty book covers

I saw these amazing bookcovers by design student Michael Kosmicki at Poppytalk yesterday. And I immediately wanted to make something similar for all our books at home. Well maybe not all of them - but for those we keep around like our huge collection of Lonely Planet guidebooks.

I´m always in doubt when it comes to storing books - I´m both drawn to having a big library wall at home - but also to the Feng-shui concept of letting go of books that you´ve already read and won´t read again - so that they don´t take up "space" for new books and new knowledge.

Well here´s a blog dedicated to bookshelves, bookcases and things that look like them.

Pimp my Time - workshop

I recently made this illustration with a confused and stressed out little bird for a clients secret project about time management. My client is an expert on this subject - and Line and I felt we could learn a lot from her. So we have invited her to come and teach a workshop at our studio here in Århus in October - you can read all about the Pimp My Time workshop on our studio blog. We hope to see you -there´s 4 places left!

colour theraphy

The last 2 days here have been so rainy and grey - and a true reminder that autumn is coming up. So here´s a little colour theraphy with some lovely and muted feminime colours. Everything is from Youheshe - except the purple purse which you can find here.

weekend project

Making my own set of these paper owls by Mibo will be my weekend project if it rains - and if the weather is nice I´ll paint windows and pick Boysen berries outside the summerhouse instead.

Wishing you a lovely weekend too.

pop-up book

I´m a sucker for great Pop-Up books and just came across this little wonder by illustrator Owen Gatley via the Tiny Showcase. Enjoy!