lace curtains – keeping the bugs out of your home this summer

Even if it’s grey and rainy here in London, it’s quite warm and we have most of the windows open all the time. But that also makes our home full of bugs! Today I found this great idea in Elle Interior, the Swedish Elle Decor – put lace curtains up. Both beautiful and smart.

The idea and picture is originally from the blog designmadde

my bedroom

The bedroom is not finished yet but it’s almost there so I thought I’d put some pictures up.

I love that we have two windows with amazing green trees outside.

I wanted a calm and romantic vintage feel in the bedroom so I mixed lots of white with wooden vintage furniture. I found the wardrobe on ebay for £50 and I think you’ve seen some of the mid-century chairs before as we have four placed at different spots in the flat. The trunk is my grandfathers, it has real labels from actual Atlantic trips. The cute little bureau is my grandmothers and the other day I found old insurance letters from the 30s in it!

 

This was my inspiration for decorating the bedroom, a picture from Zara Home

 

 

No what’s left to do in the bedroom is white curtains and some pictures on the walls. I bought an old map of Paris when I was there earlier this year, same map that my parents have had in their home ever since I was little. I just have to frame it an put it up. But why do these things always take so much longer than they should?

the map to be framed

 

sydenham arts festival

This Friday is the first day of the two week long Sydenham Arts Festival. It’s a festival with more than 90 events – music, visual arts, theatre, dance, film and much more – in our local neighbourhood, Sydenham and Forest Hill in south London. For the past couple of months I’ve been helping out with the marketing, which has been lots of fun.

If you’re in London between 29 June – 14 July, check out the website: sydenhamartsfestival.co.uk for full programme and more information about the events. There’s something for everyone!

I love this area we live in, there’s so many things going on and interesting people who live here. The Sydenham Arts Festival is a community based initiative that was launched in 2009. It grew out of the large community of artists, musicians, actors, writers, singers and poets who live in the Sydenham and Forest Hill area. The aims of the festival are to celebrate the diversity and quality of artistic achievement in the area and beyond, and to bring the community together.

I’m going to buy tickets to La Boheme, which is on 10 July. And then I don’t want to miss Dick Gaughan’s Agit Folk (5 July), the street celebrations on 6 July. I’m helping out on the Sydenham Unsigned music event at the Hob on the 3 July and at the Colors of India event on 11 July which I think will be amazing. Oh and there’s also Irish music night, Balalaika, 21st century folk night, Arts trail where you get to visit artists’ studios or home, BAFTA short films screening, and much much more. Let me know if you’re coming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

swedish summer houses

Salunda, Ulricehamn (hemnet.se)

Today it’s the Swedish midsummer! If you’re Swedish and in London, you don’t get this day off though (!) so all London Swedes celebrate this big occasion tomorrow instead. We’ll have flowers in our hair, dance around the may pole as little frogs, eat pickled herring, sing silly songs and drink copious amounts of snaps in Southwark Park. Join us! (see pictures from last year’s midsummer further down)

Because of this typically Swedish summer pagan tradition, I thought I’d make a post on Swedish summer cottages!
Most of these pictures below are from a wonderful blog called ‘my scandinavian home‘. Check it out for more Scandi inspiration.

This house is from that blog, pictures originally from Stadshem.

 

 

This house is in Skåne, Österlen. Originally in Hus o Hem, photography: Karin Foberg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hus o Hem, photography: Karin Foberg

 

Check this page from Skona Hem out to see Swedish summer houses that are for sale, like these ones below.

Vevda, Sala (hemnet)

Vinala, Hallsberg (hemnet)

Last year’s midsummer:

last year’s midsummer

last year’s midsummer

me – last year’s midsummer

new curtains & how to make your own

I have recently put up new curtains in the kitchen and living room. I made them myself when I was back in Sweden a while ago (with some help from my mum – tack mamma!)

Here’s how they look like in the lounge:

sorry for the scaffolding outside, it has been there for ages now which is really annoying! Here’s how it looks like when they’re pulled out, for example when watching a film

I wanted something discrete and black & white and found this textile at IKEA.

For the kitchen windows, I also wanted something black and white but with slightly more pattern. The kitchen and lounge are in the same room but kind of separate, so they needed to go well together.

In the kicthen, it wasn’t possible to have the normal kind of curtains because of the windows. So I made these short ones instead.

But both the kitchen and lounge curtains are made in the same style, I think it’s called slot top, or they’re at least similar to slot top. And they’re pretty easy to make!

 

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CURTAINS:

1. Measure the windows and decide how long you want the curtains and how wide you want them. The wider, the more “waves”.

2. Add some inches for the hemline on all sides, especially a lot at the top (see further down why).

3. Cut the textile accordingly.

4. Fold the top hemline, approximately 10 cm, then make 3 seams (see picture below), this way you create some textile above the curtain pole and one hole for the pole. Make sure you make enough space for the pole.

5. Sew the other hemlines.

6. Iron the curtains (wrinkly curtains are ugly) and then put them up!

 

Picture for the 4th step above – the top hemline. The dotted lines are where you make seams.

 

 

This is my cute little sewing bag where I keep my sewing stuff!

 

hallway interior

I haven’t posted anything from my apartment in a very long time. Mostly because I wanted to wait until it was all done, at least in one room. But as all these things, it looks like it’s going to take a while before that happens. Here are some pictures from our hallway:

The one above is the view as you step into the flat. The chairs are from the 50s, I found them on ebay. The basket next to our wellies is a gift from my friend, we keep scarfs and umbrellas in it. Above is a painting I did a while ago. Further down the  hallway is an Ikea piece, Expedit, which I put on building blocks, like legs (as seen in another post: ikea bookcase fix up)

I’m going to put up more pictures above this sideboard, but haven’t got around to do it yet so these two have to lean against the wall until then. The fish one was me playing around with ink at a painting class last year.

I want a hippie volkswagen van

I would really want a volkswagen hippie van to decorate as my little home and go on a loong roadtrip with!

Someone down my street has this one

camping

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I’ve been away camping in Wales, which was absolutely wonderful! We had a couple of really sunny days at the Kaya festival in Bangor and then we went hiking in the rain.

This was our tent that we proudly put up. Maybe not as bohemian and beautiful as the ones below but probably more rain proof. They are very nice to look at though.

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