Showing posts with label Crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crafts. Show all posts

Tuesday, 25 August 2015

Mikaela Willers - a Formex favourite

I spent a whole day visiting Stockholm's Formex trade show last week, and among the many many fantastic exhibitors my favourite was one that my advance radar had somehow missed: Mikaela Willers' ceramics.
 Photo: mikaelawillers.se

Walking past the stand I was instantly drawn to the beautiful colours and shapes of Mikaela's range of urns, pots, candlesticks and tableware. Wow, I thought, I want everything here! Mikaela herself was glamorous and charming and very happy to chat about her craft.

 
My particular favourite in the range is a scented candle in a small bowl which can be used for keeping small pieces of jewellery, or table salt, or any number of things once the candle is finished.
 'Pistill' bowl with scented candle. Photo: mikaelawillers.se

'Pistill' bowl. Photo: via Pinterest

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Arvingerne - The Legacy

At the end of last month I was gearing up for a new fix of Scandinavian drama on BBC4, having found Saturday evenings a bit pointless in TV terms since the end of Puck Bure's escapades this autumn. Having absolutely loved Puck, Eje - and most of all Christer - Inspector Montalbano was never going to do it for me.
So, having glimpsed fleeting TV ads for a new Danish series about family secrets, I was ready to indulge last Saturday. BBC4 was swiched on just before 9pm, and then, nothing. No 'The Legacy' at all, just more Monty. It wasn't until I read a review of The Legacy in The Telegraph that I realised what had happened: Sky stole it. Yes, instead of allowing everyone access to Scandi Saturday night drama, Sky reserved it for the few. On a Wednesday night. Excuse me?
Now, we do happen to have Sky Arts on TV, so I watched the first episode on demand. And I thought it was very promising. (But why on earth did the translator think the Danish 'godt' is 'jolly good' in English. I mean, who says 'jolly' good anyway? Twice, it was used, and it felt clunky and false)

'Arvingerne', as it is called in Danish, is on Sky Arts at 10pm on Wednesdays. I can't stay up and watch TV late mid-week, so I'm going to save it and watch it as a treat on demand on Saturday evening.



 Photo: DR
If, like me, you noticed the grey woolly sweater worn by the eldest daughter, and thought - 'I like the poncho-sweater look' - then a knitting pattern can be found on BetteKunGarn, a Danish on-line shop which ingeniously sells a pattern and wool kit (one would have to buy knitting needles, size 7, separately if one doesn't have them already).  The wool is chunky merino and comes in many colours, though I suspect the grey will become much sought after...


Photo: BetteKun