Valborg!

Today is Valborgsmässoafton, a Swedish holiday to welcome Spring (and to traditionally scare off crazy witch spirits or something of that matter with huge fires, and lots of fireworks and shenanigans.) Johan aren't much for going wild and crazy so we are spending the holiday and a few extra days all on our lonesome at the country house where we are enjoying the pretty spring weather, lots of yummy food, and extremely slow internet. I'm catching up on quite a few drawing that must just get done, and Johan is catching up with society by also reading the Hunger Games, hahaha.

This is what our weekend in food looked like...


Friday night's home made Vietnamese Spring rolls filled with veggies and chicken with a Thai peanut sauce... Asian fusion :)

soooo yummy!

homemade thai peanut sauce

radishes, spring onions, thai basil, carrots, cilantro, and avocado

romance...

cucumber salad, hoisin, and extra peanuts in the backgrond

all ready to roll up and enjoy!

Saturday was spent with my Aunt, unphotographed, unless you follow me on Instagram (@emmakisstina) hehe


Sunday we took the train, bus and then car out to the country where we had a delicious sill lunch in the sun and then enjoyed homemade burgers (even baked our own rolls), thinly roasted potatoes and an amazingly gorgeous tomato mozzarella salad. Yum!

matjes sill, sour cream, boiled new potatoes, red onion, browned butter, lemon thime and a snaps of  course ;)

happiness

Out in the country one encounters...

lots of wild game,

yeti's in strange clothing,

and lots of trees. hehe

Jim Beam bbq sauce, haha

freshly baked and chewy!

love this!

made a few loaves while we were at it.

Delicious! Mix of exotic organic tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, chili and a olive oil, red wine vinegar dressing.

It was just sooooo good!

Happy Valborg!!!!

Flattery will get you everywhere...

Yesterday just before I was about to shut down my computer for some quality Friday evening cuddle tv time with the boyfriend I got a wonderful mail from Katie Hommes, a blogger/journalism major who had interviewed me (and even Johan too) the week before. I was so pleased to hear that her article was now complete and had hit the virtual news stands. 

I think this is the most intimate, happy, flattering, funny interview/feature I've ever done. It just put a huge smile on my face! and I hope it will make you smile or at least giggle a bit. I'm so glad that Johan was willing to take part too, fun to hear his side of things. The article seems pretty sugar coated, but I really do kind of live in a land or rainbows and unicorns... I just allow myself to be happy.

Here is a little exert but I hope you'll read the entire thing...

Read the rest here....

Thanks so much Katie for a really wonderful article!

Instagram!

Because I don't have enough to do with the blog, Etsy, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, and Pinterest, I'm now on Instagram! You can follow me as, EmmaKisstina, of course. ;)

I guess my phone was getting a little jealous of all my computer time; I think I'll be addicted to my phone for awhile.

Happy Friday!

I think I just found Heaven...

Holy Sweet Lavish Pastry Design and better yet it's located in Stockholm! Only a few metro stops to girly cupcake/layer cake/macaron/cake pop heaven. Too bad I don't have a big girly birthday party to plan or a wedding or something like that... because everything they bake looks stunning and can only be delicious. Their shop looks just as sweet too (more girly giddy squeals!). I must just swing by and buy myself a little lavish cupcake in the nearest future. It's decided!

Shoe Lover

Oh my goodness! What is it about shoes that makes us girly-girls just sooo giddy we could pop?! I'm not sure... they're just so very very pretty. So when I found this shop on Etsy I totally squealed (thank goshness the boyfriend wasn't home to make fun of me, hehe.) Artist Laura Andrew makes gorgeous prints for shoe lovers.

I just adore the expressive curly-wurlies around the shoes; makes them come alive a bit.

my personal favorite!

but how could one possibly choose....

Visit Laura's shop on Etsy here!

Sleepy

Yellow Button Studio via Etsy

I sleep a lot... does this mean I move lots of Mountains?

Wine Lover

One of the perks of living/loving a wine expert is that I get to try some pretty amazing wines... and learn lots about them too. It's not always that I remember any of these details (the districts, countries, famous wine nerd's names, characteristics etc.) but I'm slowly learning the basics, one day I'll be a wine snob (I mean expert) too. It's certainly fun having wine tastings at home and at parties; wine can taste anything from fresh fruits, candy and minerals to liquorice, chocolate and leather... and more. The boyfriend even holds professional wine tasting classes, I've never been to one though (bad girlfriend!). So really there are only perks to living/loving wine experts, except for maybe the blue teeth/wine breath, haha.

Two very expensive Spanish wines

Last night Johan came home with a few drops left in these two bottles from the wine tasting he held last night with his University wine club. The stylish bottle with the gray label named after designer Aalto cost a mind blowing 799:-sek (approx. $120). Isn't that insane?! We would never personally pay that much for a bottle to enjoy ourselves, but it was really fun to try (if someone else is paying). It was delicious (tasted of chocolate and black cherries) but I wouldn't say it was worth the price. What is?

I've learned through tasting many types of wines that there is a much bigger difference between wine from a 30:-sek wine to a +100:-sek price range ($5-$15+) than 250:-sek ($40) and beyond. The expensive wines start being all about branding and exclusivity, as in the fashion world. I like value and taste over design and name brand.

I'm turning all wine geek on you. Any wine lovers out there?

Bamboo!

I got myself a new work buddy while in the States, a Bamboo Create Tablet... and I am just sooooo smitten!

See, he fits right in the mess that is my desk.

Oh my goshness this little guy helps we out with everything now, and makes my working life soooo much easier. Seriously, I'm not sure how I survived with out him before. My illustrations are much easier to correct and refine, plus it's so easy and comfortable to use. I just love working with the pen instead of my silly finger on my macbook's touch pad, which I've been doing for the past 5 years. It has touch abilities too, so I can use it to explore websites and blogs as well as work in Photoshop, Illustrator etc. It doesn't have a gagillion complicated functions and it's not overly sensitive or difficult to use, it's just perfect. I highly highly recommend it, plus it only cost a tiny $99. (Cheap! but doesn't work cheap!)

The shirt I'm wearing is so neon pink, it makes everything glow, neato

Hello Mr. Bamboo, I think we're going to be very happy together!

Monet's House

When I was in France, though mainly in Paris, I also visited Monet's house and gardens. It certainly was gorgeous, like walking into one of his paintings.

via pinterest

Though I don't remember it being this gorgeous.... it was of course raining the day we went. I'll have to revisit one sunny day.

Paris Dream

Via Divine Sweetness on Etsy

It's been 6 years since I was in Paris last.... when I took my final credits for my Art major at University, a gorgeous month in June 2006. It was such an amazing end to my 4 years in College and started my dreaming of moving to Europe, which I later did in 2008 as you know. Now I'm really craving back to Paris, because I'm already forgetting what all the main streets were called and how the air smelled (and all that other magical Parisian stuff we all adore.) Plus I am just dying to go with the boyfriend, who has never been. (Isn't this crazy?!) We even have friends in Paris who we can stay with. So what is keeping us from going really? No idea! Insane plane ticket prices perhaps? Possibly, but I think we may go soon, a last minute Spring trip or a late Summer get away. Either would be fine with me. Here's hoping!


Let's reminisce...