India

Tomorrow morning I'm going to India. I will send reports as often as I can.

Fancy skirt

If you are going to a wedding or a party that requires a long dress we have some beautiful options.
Every vintage silk wrap skirt is unique! Let me know if you are interested.

Light turqouise and pink with gold squares. Wrap widht 131 cm, lenght 95 cm.

Light light blue brocade with light gold patterns. Wrap widht 95 cm, lenght 87 cm. Pink for a princess with light gold patterns. Wrap width 141 cm, lenght 96 cmShimmering purple with silver patterns. Wrap widht 93, lenght 96.

Red with gold squares. Wrap widht 102 cm, lenght 96 cm.

Taking a swim

This is as much summer as it can be for us. A beautiful day swiming in the lake.

Leya and her first swimsuit. The lake is called Mälaren and it goes all the way to Stockholm and the sea.

To adopt a dog

Two yeras ago we adopted Micki from Spain. The family that owned him was going to put him sleep and Julie Rescue center saved him for us to give him a new life. We are greatful to have this beautiful dog as a family member.

I picked him up at the airport in Stockholm.

The first time he saw the garden he run and run and you could see a smile in his eyes.

Micki was published in a weekly magazine.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson ment a lot to me in the 80's when I was a teenager and those memories I will keep in my heart.

Homeparty

This evening I'm going to have an Indian Design Party at Marielles house. It's a fantastic day and the guest just received their salary. Couldn't be better!

Marielle at another homeparty.

Non vegetarian

Most Indians are vegetarian so when ordering food in India I always get the question "Vegetarian or non vegetarian?" Since it's opposite thinking for me it's difficult to give a quick answer.

This is probably not an issue for you who are english spoken, but it would have been easier if they asked if I am a meat eater, which I am.

But if I lived in India I could be an vegetarian because the food is fantastic!

Swedish lakes

Our lakes are beautiful and we love to swim in them after a few warm days. Otherwise it's freezing cold.

Stella Mary

We sponsor a child living in the SOS Village in Chennai, India. I've been there three times and I love to visit these fantastic children. It's a true joy to see the village mother and the family feeling amongs the siblings. Stella Mary is the tall girl standing next to me.

Cool!

Yesterday I joined Alopecia World and today one of the members from US told me that she had red this blog before she saw me on AW. The world is small after all!

Tip!

If your water makes the shower curtain yellow and mouldy, choose a shower curtain with any color but white.

Leya is cooling

It's been about 25 degrees in Sweden for two days and we both love it and hate it. We long for it all winter, but now we complain about the sun. Typical swedish people. No weather is good enough!

Leya is cooling off in her small pool full of water and soil.

Alopecia

Six years ago I started to lose my hair. At that time I worked as an Ombudsman in the hotel and restaurant union and was surrounded with conflicts and angry people.

The inner stress took my hair and my health and I had to value what was important in my life. I choose my family and a life with less money. I'm glad I was so sensible at that time, otherwise I'm sure I wouldn't be here today.

No pockets?

We've received more mobile bags from India. Do like Eva and buy one today!

Price: 13,50 + postage 4,50 Euro

Midsomer Murders

During the summer our oldest TV-channel, TV1, shows some television mysteries and my favourite is "Midsomer Murders". For me it's a true sign that the summer is here and I love it!

My mother in law finds Mr Barnaby very attractive.

The harbour in Askersund

The harbour in Askersund is very idyllic during the summer. Lots of boats, strolling tourists and ice cream. Yesterday my parents celebrated 36 years as married. Congratulations!

The best aunt in the world!

Today it's my best aunt Ankis birthday. Congratulations! And on monday it's my uncle Bills birthday. They acctually met the first time at the maternity ward in 1954.

Midsummer eve

We had a family day with sun, rain, storm, good food and sulky children. But over all a very nice day.

Emmi is happy and Leya is angry.

Melwin, Emmi and Leya are happy, but my sisters youngest son Alfwin was sulking.
Note the garland of flowers on their heads. It's a tradition to make them from the flowers growing in the wild.

Midsummer celebrations

Today we celebrate midsummer! We meet our families, eat raw fish, early produced potatoes, drink snaps, sing drinking songs and dance around the flower pole, we make for this festivities, like small frogs.
This is absoloutely natural for us, even though it sounds crazy when I write about it. But all countries have there own special tradition and this is one of ours.

The workparty

The workparty this wednesday was fantastic! Many nice people came and shopped and commented our products. We'll be back for christmas!

Stockholm

Tomorrow we're having a "Workparty" in Stockholm. I've got to know some great people at a huge publishing company and we are going to sell our things in their lobby. Wish us luck!

Indian Design Homeparty

We have started a new kind of homeparty. Many homeparties are very boring and the products are shamefully expensive.

We present a lot of things like home textiles, interior design, garments, jewellerys etc. and we want people to make a bargain so we keep our prices low. Then we can renew our assortment more often.

It's like a small shop at home and the guests love it!

Trendy bag for your mobil phone

Lovely and smart bag for your mobile phone. Big enough for some money and a key and perfect when wearing summer clothes without pockets. Comes in many different colors and designs.

Vintage silk skirts

We've started to import beautiful vintage silk wrap skirts from India. Every skirt is unique and our customers love them.

Bindhi

The bindhi symbol on the forehead, worn by asian women of today, don't signify age or religious backgrounds any more.
I use the bindhi every day and for me it symbolize my wellbeeing and belonging to the India I love so much.

Salwar kameez

Salwar kameez is a beautiful indian garment many indian women prefer to wear instead of saree. Swedish people are a bit modest regarding bright colors, but for party it's the perfect dress.

Astrid Lindgren

Astrid Lindgren is our most famous children book writer and I often find inspiration from her books when naming our shower curtains.

Some of her books portraits a very naughty boy called Emil and he's family life at a farm in the south of Sweden.

Alma, named after Emils mother.

Anton, named after Emils father.

Lättmjölk = Light milk

In Sweden we love milk! Especially when we are children.
We have yellow, blue, green and red milk. Well, the milk is not colored, but the milk carton is. Depending on the amount of fat.
One of our shower curtains reminds me of my favourite milk from my childhood. The blue, that we also call light milk since it only contains 1,5 percentage of fat.

Pintuck Lättmjölk = Light milk

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head

Today it's raining and I love it!As long as I don't have to go outside.

Webcams

I love webcams! I can sit for hours and look at webcam photos with poor quality just knowing that the people I see are acctually doing what they are doing right at that moment. It feels exciting and narrows the world.

FIA/Annie

Why FIA or Annie? My nickname in Sweden is FIA. My birthname is Ann-Sofie so FIA is a natural swedish nickname. But about 15 years ago when I hitchhiked around New Zealand I had problems with the pronouncation of FIA so I decided to call myself Annie when I'm abroad.

So FIA and Annie is the same person!

Here is another FIA

Hindi radio

Listen to Radiokhushi and enjoy the feeling of India.

Leya is flying!

Leya has a story about a father building a plane to his son. Nikolas made one to her today and she was so proud!

Kalamkari

Kalamkari print is a medieval handicraft that came to India from the middle east. Somehow this fantastic craftmanship has survived and we can enjoy the sense of knowing that this fabric is truly made by hand.

First they put the fabric in a bucket with cow dung for three days to bleach.

They wash it carefuly.

Then they wash the fabric in swiftly-flowing water. The fabric dryes in the grass.
They print one colour at the time, wash the fabric in the water and dry it in the grass. Same procedure between every colour printing.

Printing moulds.

All colours are ecofriendly, gathered in the nature.

Finally they boil the fabric in a huge cannibal pot so the fabric will be shrink- and colorproof. Each pcs of 10 meter fabric takes about one month to make. As long as it's not rainy and windy.

Bed sets

Bed spreads

Picknick blanket

A mix of beautiful Kalamkari printsAround the 20:th of june an airlot will arrive from India with bed sets, a few bed spreads and some bags with Kalamkari print. Let me know if you are interested!

Regards Annie