ReStyle Sunday: Sister Winter Chair

I hope this lives up to the expectations I have built up, haha.

Before: This chair was ugly, and I dont understand how I let it stay in my living room for so long... I had good intentions, but all I did was to hang a blanket over it for some of the time, and that sure didnt hide the small (big) imperfections.

After covering a stool with some thrifted wool fabric I looked over at this chair and wondered if I could manage to give that one a makeover too. I thought about it for a couple of days, measured the fabric and thought I would have just about enough of it, and one day I jumped into it, head first.

I think I was a little surprised by how complicated it was, and I had to dig in drawers for various tools to tackle screws and nails.

Armed with staples, nails and a needle and thread it started to come together - piece for piece, corner by corner. And many hours and some blisters later, this was the result.

After: Wintery, white and pretty, she looks a whole lot prettier, dont you think?

Soundtrack: Sufjan Stevens "Sister Winter"

The loot

Last weekend we went thrifting, 

and the result combined with the price qualifies this as booty (the pirate kind)

A shirt, hat, amazing alarm clock, table cloth, basket  - everything in a pretty suitcase :)

Dutch (!) Boggle and Rummy. Im excited to play

Lots of fabric and yarn = many projects

A couple of these things have already played the main part of some restyle projects, but I will have to share those another day, as well as my advent decorations. Christmas is getting closer, and I think I will enjoy the waiting time a lot!

ReStyle: House edition no. 2 - The Loft

The loft before: Beware or you will fall into the closet downstairs! 

There was certainly room for improvement in the attic room when I moved in.

After: Well, you dont really see all the work thats been done by my wonderful dad, 

but I assure you, there are no more holes, no loose wires and... 

 ...lots of new storage behind vintage curtains. 

And it is messy back there, so I wont let you see it either.

I found some old curtains that I hemmed 

(my little part in this restyle project) 

and hung with curtain wire. 

This is a very easy solution for some extra closet space if you have a free corner in your home. 

The only thing this my bedroom is missing is light, 

so the picture quality isn´t the best, 

but I hope you will bear with me. 

The lovely lamp was found at a flea market here in Skien, 

and though it isn´t connected to any power source quite yet, 

I think it deserves to be hung for its decorative value. 

The blanket is also from a flea market, 

and the dress from a vintage store in Oklahoma.

Vintage angel picture and pretty wooden structures. 

This dresser came with me from a previous apartment, a hand me down from a friend.

Pillows from Kremmerhuset and Ane Havnegjerde Design.

The entrance has proved to be a little scary for some visitors, 

but I like it, and the bird perspective on the apartment.

I also have a new roommate! Welcome Kristin!! 

On her blog you can see pictures from our trip to Ål a couple of weeks ago :)

Royalty?

Since I live in Princess street now, it was only fitting to read a biography of a member of royalty. The reason my choice fell upon the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf can only be attributed to my dear book club. A scandalous book indeed, revealing secrets (?) about family ties to German Nazis and a never ending list of parties and women on the King´s side. Not a book I would personally choose, but it was interesting to read about his childhood and background. I am glad I was born in a normal family! And I have a feeling there will be an interesting debate about royalty, privacy and culture tonight as we gather with the book club for the last time before the summer starts.

Another observation: Reading in Swedish was a little challenging, and I may or may not have skipped some parts about Swedish laws.

And here is my very own balcony, a great place to read a book or two, and drink my morning coffee.

Chair and stool, flea markets

Side table, found

Flowers and jar vase, gifted

Book, tanum.no

String of pearls and bells, souvenir from Israel

Matryoshka shoes!

Today is the day for the long-awaited Gimsøy flea market. I need stuff for my new apartment, and technically speaking, shoes aren´t on the must-have list, but these were just to good to pass up. 

Fun booties! 

Oh, wait, it looks like something is hiding in there.

Another shoe?

Who would have thought high heeled galoshes existed?

Voila! Summer shoes, granny style.
And from now, my feet will be dry in all kinds of weather.

I came home with a few other treasures as well, and they were much more relevant for the house, 

but they will have to wait. 

 

A weekend in the city

One of the many cups of coffee I enjoyed

A garage jammed packed with lots of old stuff!

Raiding my sisters closet

Many overpriced vintage shops with pretty things

Typewriters. Sigh.

Three sisters and a pretty lamp

Also included was a great concert, theater, coffee dates with wonderful girls, a lot of food, a vintage market, Mary & Max and soaking in impressions from the streets of lovely Oslo.

What we wore:

Mari:

Coat, thrifted

Scarf, vintage (from our mom)

Gold belt, thrifted (mine)

Andrea:

Hat, DIY

Coat

Jeans

Shoes, Converse

Me:

Shoes, i dont know (Mari)

Socks, a hand me down...

Tights, H&M

Skirt, thrifted and hemmed

Coat, H&M (Mari)

Scarf, thrifted (Mari)

Leather gloves

Hat, Forever 21

Some apartment therapy

Well, hello there! Where do you come from?

A flea market?
With that classy fabric and those pretty details,
its almost too good to be true.

Oohh, elegant legs... 

You brought your family?  

Well, she´s pretty too.
Of course you can stay,
Stay as long as you want! 

Of shoes

This fall I went to the cobbler to get my shoes fixed, and it was such a delight to get those vintage leather boots back with brand new (and even better than the original ones!) soles. To support local business and reuse something that was already 2nd hand when it came in my possession seems very resourceful to me.

But these ones...

We have had a long relationship, and my first converse have been really faithful to me, traveling several continents and walking the streets of numerous cities. But nothing lasts forever (at least not shoes) and with holes beyond repair, I had to let them go. It was a hard decision, but it had to be done.

Lucky me, a few days after parting with my Chucks, I went to a flea market and found some great lined vintage black leather boots in my size. That sounds like something I can wear when winter comes along. New Converse will have to wait till spring.

As you might understand, I have a tendency to keep things for a little too long, so perhaps I should take these closet space tips from Katie to heart. Check them out for a tidier wardrobe, and a generally inspiring blog.

Fill in the blank Friday

1.   The first thing I do in the morning to start my day is  drink a glass of water and take my vitamins before the very essential cup of coffee!

2.  Today I wish I was able to sleep in and be crafty all day. 

3.  If I had an extra $100 in my bank account today I'd take it out and spend it on flea markets this weekend. 

4.  Tomorrow   my sister is coming to town! Hooray for sister time and planning our parents birthday party. Maybe we will squeeze in some flea markets in there too.

5.  Two things that don't go together are   NO cash in my wallet when and a total at the store of 1 kr (15 cents). Good thing Im not charged to use my debit card... 

6.  Something I can never pass up at the grocery store is  nothing really. I have pretty good self-control, though I do love grocery shopping and tend to buy more lemons and limes than I really need... 

7.  The last time I tried something new was   yesterday when I (accidentally) made an attempt of making bread without yeast. I tried adding it after it had been "rising" for some time, but I will not do that again, nor recommend it to anyone else. 

Thanks to Lauren for this little challenge!