3 days in sweden

We took a train from Copenhagen to Stockholm.  The ride was beautiful and just as I expected.  Rolling hills and farm houses. Horses and cows and lakes.  Fields of flowers.  It was definitely a ride to clear the mind.  

Sweden was more of a work trip for me, but work in Sweden doesn't ever feel like work.  We had a large conference down in a beautiful seaside town where we barbecued and danced on a dock till around midnight. The sun of course barely went down.  We stayed at the Miss Clara Hotel in Stockholm.  It was so beautiful.  The rooms each had tall windows with a comfy little window seat.  

I was also very excited to see my friend Katinka's store for the very first time in person. It is called.... Katinka's Store haha.  There is a mix of second hand and local designer clothing.  Her dog Zoe is the cutest pup.  She just follows you around and when you go to try on shoes she'll hop in your lap.  She is hysterical.  I ended up purchasing these little wooden butterfly coasters that Katinka found at a local flea and these shoes that are made from recycled plastic and hemp.  They are THE most comfortable shoes I have ever worn.  Katinka is the sole distributer in Sweden and Denmark I believe.  She has an online shop which is katinkasstore.com.  

I of course had to visit the GANT Rugger store!  They now have pour overs!!  The coffee was delish but it unfortunately did not cure my hangover from the night before.  The store was beautiful, as they always are.

We definitely partied hard in Stockholm and still managed to get a lot accomplished.  My favorite night was when we got out of this club early early in the morning and saw the most beautiful crescent moon over the water.  It was jaw dropping.  As was the whole trip.

copenhagen day 2

It is day 2 and I am exhausted! We managed to fit in everything in!  We saw the smallest hotel in the world, The Central Hotel + Cafe.  With only 1 room above an adorable cafe it is definitely the cutest hotel I've ever seen.

We then ate breakfast at Granola (thank you AGAIN Hannah!) and the food was of course... so so good.  YUM!  We then walked over to Nørrebro and found this little cafe owned by the nicest man called Arabica.  He was so friendly and hospitable and the furniture in the space was really cool.   After some lemon ginger tea we went shopping for home decor!  I found some great additions for my studio.

After some light shopping we went over to the Assistens Cemetery where Hans Christian Anderson is buried.  It sounds morbid but the cemetery was jaw-droppingly beautiful and the Danes have picnics and treat it as a park.  It's actually a nice idea to bring life and happiness to a normally sad place.  Sadah and I laid in a patch of daisies for about an hour.  It was lovely.

Next on the list was "Paper Island" or Papirøen.  We took a little ferry over to this spot and it reminded us a lot of Williamsburg.  It was a warehouse on a dock that had food trucks and food stands from all over the world inside.  The food, per usual, was fantastic.  Sadah got this gin drink that was the most beautiful thing we've seen all trip.  And it tasted as good as it looked (that matters to some people I guess).  

After finishing our drinks with our legs hanging over the dock we marched on to Christiania.  Christiania is a magical place filled with graffiti, overgrown plant life, and little stoners and photography is NOT allowed (which was obviously kiiiilling me). The large scale paintings of cameras with lines through them got the point across.  Christiania is a self-governed society that has its own flag and currency!  It was pretty cool to see.  This little fairy park was my favorite.  There was a tree with a red heart painted on it... and I couldn't take a picture.. and it shall live in my dreams forever.  

After Christiania we went over to the Dome of Visions which is by far one of my favorite spaces.. in life.  The dome is in existence to create awareness and more importantly initiate action and solutions when it comes to sustainable design.  The space is basically a lounge within a greenhouse with a bar to top it off!  Right on the water.  In Copenhagen.  So.. heaven.  Loved it!

Now it is time for bed once again, for tomorrow I am off to Stockholm!! 

inspiration trip: brimfield

The first Brimfield of 2015 was perfect.  The air smelled of lilacs and the sun was shining.  I was there for 3 days and met so many talented vendors and designers.  

For those of you who are not familiar, the Brimfield Antique Show is this massive flea market filled with acres of antique vendors and collectors, as well as furniture designers, from all over. It happens 3 times a year in western Massachusetts and you get a little taste of small town countryside.  It is so nice!

3 days is definitely the way to do it.  Day 1 was about taking it all in and seeing what was out there.  I didn't pressure myself to buy anything.... and so I bought a couch.  Day 2 my dad joined me and it was adorable.  He loved seeing all of the antiques and loved spending time with me and experiencing a little piece of my world.  Day 3 I knew exactly what I wanted, did my final purchasing, and explored the vendors on the other side of the street that I had missed the other 2 days.  3 days and I think I made it through 75% of vendors.  And that guessing on the high side. 

I walked away with some brass ship sconces, a pair of 1930's industrial floor lamps, a stunning royal blue and cream wool rug, hemp pillows, over sized hand-carved wooden kitchen accessories, and a danish modern leather couch.  That was all for a project I'm working on.  For me, I scored a handmade barn wood frame and this really cool vegetable scientific print.   My favorite vendors by far were Nomadic Trading Company and eneby antik

I was very selective in my picture taking this time around.  I'm getting better at editing my eye, if that makes any sense.   For more photos check out my Instagram on @thecrabandthemoon!

a happy mind: day 1

The theme of this past month, as I headed into the new year, was a happy mind.  A happy mind for me means finding time for myself to clear my head of all the stresses of my everyday.  It helps me and allows me to be more productive, more creative, and most importantly a pleasant person.  Yoga gets me there every time.

Since I can't afford to take classes at a yoga studio right now I have been doing yoga in my own little studio apartment!  Tonight I came across Yoga With Adriene and her 30 Days of Yoga.  I figured I would try it out and I wanted to share what I'm currently practicing with you! She is adorable and I love her teaching style, but what really caught my eye was the quality of her videos and the background decor.  It's nothing crazy or fabulous, it's just relatable, simple, clean, and aesthetically pleasing (which is hard to find in "homemade" yoga videos).  As a creative person I appreciate that. 

If you would like to join me on my 30 Days of Yoga journey please do! I do have to warn you though, my 30 days may be scattered (I take days off here and there).  

My new years resolution is to feel good all over and so why not start at the top!  A happy mind is a healthy mind.