time off

I love doing nothing, or doing all these small things that there's usually no time for. This holiday was way too short (11 days, 2 days left now). I didn't get much time to do all the big and important things that I had planned, but at least I got time to see and do some of the small things.

Remember these guys? I found one of them on the floor the other night. He was covered in dust. I hope it wasn't me who had stepped on him. I put him on my desk so that he wouldn't get crushed once more, and in the morning he was gone.

My hibiskus (love the Swedish/Latin word for it, don't know it in English...) is in full bloom, totally unaware of it being the darkest time of the year.

I'm working on an Amineko amigurumi cat (I've just one ear and the mouth left - and the finishing and assembling, which I'm not that eager to do...). This is supposed to be the body. I wonder what opinion Freud would would have on this?

I've lost another wristwarmer. I don't feel like making a new one, I've still to finish the pair for Anna-Maria. I guess I should stop bringing them. At least when my purse is small and my mind is elsewhere.

My new favourite top with Valerina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, on it. One of the best Christmas gifts, which I'll actually use (chose it myself...). It's handprinted with love, by Eva-Kajsa Design (she makes gorgeous feminist prints).

Another favourite gift, for being genuine and handmade. Love the mysteriously nostalgic collage! Merci, Mathias!

Tonight is New Year's Eve. I promised to stay home with lillasyster (I'm a good girl, and a nice older sister - hopefully a bit like the one I always wanted), I guess I had my share of party Friday night. My resolution is to write (by hand!) every day in my journal. I'm already practising, and already failing.

Gott nytt år!
Bonne Année!
Happy New Year!

SF: Proud artist of...

Last spring I took an acrylic painting course at Xist. It was good, only girls (that's what Xist is all about), inspiring and friendly. The theme was expectations and memories. We brought some images on that theme, made a collage of them and painted the collage (which was a really good way to get started on that big scary blank canvas)

This is the result: my first and probably last painting. I'm not completely happy with it. But I can still say that I'm proud of trying something new and managing to finish it. I'm not sure I liked painting as a way of expressing myself. It was so difficult to accomplish what I wanted, most of the time I couldn't even mix the exact colours I envisioned. I'll just stay with paper crafting and collages, and leave the artistic painting to lillasyster.

(Studio Friday)

red on the way home

Last night (my New Years Eve substitute) was fun. It ended like this, waiting for the night bus at Norrmalmstorg, half past two in the morning. Then I decided to walk home instead. Here's the whole story, and here are more red self-portraits.

god jul

My Christmas was ok, I guess. It's doesn't mean anything special to me, not anymore, but it could definitely have been worse. I hope yours was/will be however you want it to. Nice, magical, materialistic, white, gorging, happy, ideal... or just non-existent.

Half an apple before going to Vasastan to celebrate with a part of the family...

I love these burned ginger biscuits. They're beautiful and tell me lots of things about Christmas. Cause it's ok to burn your biscuits, or not to bake any at all (instead of burning yourself out)

And it is ok to wrap you gifts late in the last night, very unevenly and in the colours of princess cake (prinsesstårta: bright green and pink) instead of the colours of Christmas.

God Jul!
Merry Christmas!
Joyeux Noël! (surtout pour une personne spéciale un peu obsédé... :) )

dan före dan före dopparedan

Tomorrow is "dan före dopparedan" (the day before Christmas Eve). I'm not in the mood for Christmas, at all. But I could sure need some vacation. I've been working and studying like crazy the past two weeks, trying to squeeze in some sleep and no leisure time whatsoever.

Sorting Christmas cards can be kind of fun. Especially the beautiful handmade ones, the cute family photos - and when people are writing angry cards to politicians and kids writing to Santa. But I'm not supposed to tell any of that (confidentiality). Analysing the representation of class in Ugly Betty was kind of fun

Went out with some classmates yesterday to celebrate our 11 days off (which is nothing, especially not when you have 900 pages to read). And I woke up today feeling like crap (head banging, puking water). I don't know what's wrong with me. Am I getting old? Is 20 old? At least it's fully grown up, which might mean more hangover for me. Yay...

Feeling like an extremely grubby fourteen-year-old...

I got a package today (containing Christmas gift books). Apparently I have a secret twin brother, named Linus. I'd really like to meet him. I imagine that he's tiny, and that he lives in my wardrobe, or maybe in a drawer under my desk. And now he's learning to read. Good luck, Linus!

This is on my fridge:

Micaela's poetry (there are only children's words, so I say she did a pretty good job, and so did Molly reciting it).

need to climb
we will shine some day
ask us to slow down
or we creep
always flower
do sing
go where all dreams run purple and red

red shoes

Brand new red shoes (four years ago).

I still wear them, even though they've always been a bit too big.

(more red self-portraits)

lillasyster self-portrait

Ellen (my youngest sister, 14) made this at her art course. It's acrylic, and some collage (in the bottom right corner, which she doesn't like - but I adore the effect that is created).

Right now it's hanging temporarily on her dash board. Of course this masterpiece deserves a real frame (in pure gold I say!), but first Ellen is lending it to an art store that wants to display her self-portrait in the window (go and see if you live in Stockholm, it's a nice little store called Jordi, on Hornsgatan, close to my favourite bookstore Bokmagasinet).

I found the final exhibition of Ellen's art course really interesting, there were lots of talented girls' work there. It was also interesting how the young women (there are no boys, unfortunately) chose to depict themselves. Especially right now as (the performance of) gender is constantly on my mind. I liked a simple, not very skillfully performed, painting of a pair of legs with colourful stockings, up in a clearblue sky with a plane in the background.

But most of all I loved Ellen's self-portrait. Not just cause she's my lillasyster, or cause she's a fabulous painter. But rather because she stands confidently. I get the feeling she's looking at me, the observer, instead of being observed (while lots of the other girls had chosen to depict themselves as if they were being looked at, which is quite normal for a teenage girl, but also sad).

Ellen, jag är jättestolt över dig. Du är så duktig, smart och kreativ! (I'm proud of you, Ellen. You're smart, talented and creative!) You go girl! :)

discovering

I discovered a kind of secluded block of Södermalm (my district of Stockholm and the best district of Stockholm) with wonderful houses from the 20's (next to Allhellgonakyrkan, an old wooden church). It was new to me (at least I haven't seen it since I was a kid). Very calm and nice, lots of trees and birds, yet very central. If I'll ever get rich I'd like to live there (when I'm older that is).

I should do this more often. Just wander about all randomly (there was no reason to go there whatsoever). New impressions are always inspiring to me. And when I was about to go home I walked through a small tunnel/arch with lots of street art in it. Quite unexpected...

Lacoste, to whatever cost

This was on a parking meter nearby.

(be your own reality)




as an artist you're chased by dogs
as a rapist you're chased with...
---
colour on a wall
prison/fine

ruining a girl's life
priceless

(I just wish the artist had checked his/her spelling...)

red

This is two summers ago. I feel like I've changed a lot since then.

But I still don't dare to wear lipstick this red other than alone in my room in the middle of the night.

(self-portrait challenge)

paint, stamps and stitches

Yesterday I felt like creating some mail art instead of watching TV (I should do that more often!).

This is just my working surface. But I think I'll turn it into one or two ATC's, I really like the effect.

It was an evening of creative accidents resulting in new pieces :) I was just going to try out my idea of stitching stamped faces together, but I liked the result and turned it into an ATC.

I know it's kind of uneven (afterall it's just a coincidence), but I like it.

This is what I was planning to create when I started.

It's my page in Merel's Sewn Deco, via EuropeArtDecos. Now I'll just have to sign my page and pass this deco on.

advent star + lussekatter

I love Advent, people put up their Advent stars and candles, it brings some light in dark times. Here is mine:

(it's blue and made out of glass, sorry about the dark photo)

And next week it's time for Lucia. If I just get my Advent lights and Lucia I'm happy (no need for Christmas here). My sisters made lussekatter (Lucia buns with saffron - lussekatter means Lucia cats) today. Yum...

november mosaic

a late afternoon walk