My living room...

Hope you all had a great weekend. I've truly enjoyed my two days off university and work. I spent most of the weekend with mum. We went shopping, made dinner together and relaxed. Just what I needed! :-)

Tonight I've had a couple of friends over for wine and girltalk. That's the perfect way to end the week if you ask me...

I love all kinds of hooks and I would nail them all over my apartment if I could... my friend's mother has made the little bag which contains lavender - it smells lovely!

It has been my intention to post pictures of my apartment for quite some time now. You only get to see the bathroom pictures though. Blame it on my slow computer; it won't cooperate with me today. It wouldn't connect to internet earlier and now it takes forever to upload pictures. I'll try to post rest of the pictures tomorrow!


My favourite towels are from Macy's but I also like the Swedish brand Lexington... expensive but great quality!


Sand coloured floor...
 

...while the walls are white with a dark blue vertical border...


Make up I use on a daily basis...


Small necessairies from Sephora, Harrod's and Indiska (Swedish clothing and interior store with Indian influences)...


Rich lotions and scrubs are my life savers during the winter when the skin is dryyy...


Allright, I have to admit that I fell in love with the Yankee Candles in the US. The scents are so fresh and I love the fact that there are scents for basically every occasion! I keep "Sunwashed Linen" in my bathroom!


I couldn't get a good overview picture of the bathroom but the shower and toilet is to the right. It's big enough for me (about 43 sq. feet)...

The oldest university in Scandinavia... I'm actually having classes in this building today! 

The 4th semester of my nursing programme officially started this week. Can't believe I've made it halfway now! Next summer I will be working as a nurse. Such a wierd thought! I wonder if I'll ever feel confident enough to start working - probably not!

I'm soon off to the university for classes. My first courses are pediatrics and obstetrics (caring for women and their babies during pregnancy). I'm not sure whether or not this is my area, because I tend to lean toward medical diseases and intensive care. Either way, I'm sure it will be interesting!

For Christmas I got the new Mini Living Colors lamp from Philips and I absolutely LOVE it! I didn't even know that this kind of light excisted but I'm so happy I got one! Thanks bro! :-)

This light features 256 different color modes and it's designed exclusively for interior use. It makes such a statement in the room! I placed mine behind the tv in order to light up the corner - and it sure does! It's just the perfect thing to play with when you want to change the look in the room instantly!

I gave Johanna a two day long trip to London, England for Christmas. We both love to travel and I figured it would be a fun thing to do together. The weather might not be ideal this time of the year, but on the other hand I got great deals on flights and hotels! :-)



Going to London is very convenient, it's just a 2 hour long flight from Stockholm. We flew in late on Monday and took the coach from Stansted airport to central London (took about an hour). We stayed at a small bed & breakfast hotel at Marble Arch and the location was great. Oxford Street, which is said to be Europe's busiest shopping street, was literally around the corner.


New Bond Street is London's most fashionable shopping street...




Italian shoes by Salvatore Ferragamo...


Jimmy Choo sells amazingly beautiful but expensive shoes!


Prada's shopwindow...


Johanna might be the only person who loves jewellry more than I do... ;-) 


French macarons have become extremely popular here lately... these were exceptional expensive!


We ♥ Starbucks...


The telephone boxes can be seen everywhere in London... they're almost as common as the yellow cabs in New York City! ;-)


Piccadilly circus, the famous road junction in London...




Big Ben (it celebrated it's 150th anniversary last year)...




Johanna and me with river Thames and London Eye in the background...


The London Eye is the largest ferrish wheel in Europe... I bet the view is amazing but I would never go for a ride, I would be scared to death! :-/


My partner in crime... ;-)


We went to see Buckingham Palace...


The palace...


Spotted this gorgeous pink taxi... so cute! :-D


Harrod's is an exclusive department store with 330 departments... it's such an experience just walking around, there are for instance ancient egyptian interior theme at some places (to reflect the owner's heritage). I read somewhere that they brought in an egyptian cobra some years ago to protect the shoe counter. Crazy!


In the evening we went out for drinks... we went to London Hilton's (pictured above) Galvin Window located on the 28th floor. Unfortunately it was snowing at that time so we couldn't enjoy the view, I bet it was amazing though!


I really liked this posh hotel bar called Red Bar. The service was top notch and we enjoyed tasty champagne drinks (Bellinis).


Our last day in London we shopped some more. The selection was great and the wallet friendly prizes were a nice surprise. I now realize how expensive Scandinavia really is compared to eg. UK and USA. Shopping at Primark (the UK's version of Forever21) felt as if I was shopping for free. The quality might not be superb but it's good enough to last as long as the trends are in.
 

I found a Victoria's Secret counter at Stansted airport, such a treat!!! I miss that store so badly and the beauty products in particular. This bag of products was pure happiness! :-D

A new year and a new decade is here! I'm excited and curious to see what the future will bring. Where will I/we be ten years from now? It's fun to play with the thought but the most important thing is to live right here and now. Let's enjoy these moments because these moments are our lives! :-)

I hope you all had a fun and festive new year's eve! I celebrated with old friends of mine and it was a wonderful night with delicious food, drinks, great company and a lot of laughter!


Popping the bottle at 00.00!


Me and my friend Emma...


Group picture!

Here are a few more pictures from yesterday. In Scandinavia, Christmas Eve is the day when we get together, eat dinner and open all the Christmas gifts. As I mentioned before I got so many nice, thoughtful and unexpected gifts. Thanks a lot everyone! :-)


Smile!


My mum preparing the Christmas dinner...


...getting ready to eat! 


Found this picture at my sister's camera... she's picky and only likes a few things on the Christmas table, but here you can see potatoes, beetroot salad, sausages, liver paste (this is probably gross to many of you but it's actually very common here and people eat it on a daily basis on sandwiches), peas, ham and a gratin made of rutabaga.

We also have meatballs, salmon (raw spiced salmon and smoked salmon), herring, thin flat unleavened bread, cheese, eggs, carrot and potato gratins etc. When I was younger I did not like the typical Christmas food but it has grown on me and now I love it!


At the end of the day I got a little tired of the camera but Johanna kept smiling! ;-)

Trying a new Christmas cider and relaxing...

I'm just swinging by to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! As usual we celebrated tonight (Christmas Eve) and I recieved tons of nice gifts. I feel so spoiled! Or maybe I've been unusually good this year! ;-) 


I also found Samuel Adams beer at the liquor store yesterday... I got all excited and had to buy a few bottles of the Bostonian beer! :-)

I recieved a beautiful bouquet of red tulips today. My favourite! Thanks! :-)

Fresh flowers instantly add that luxury feeling to the room and I try to buy a bouquet as often as I can. I'm especially fond of tulips during the winter and spring season. They come in various colours, they are affordable and are simply beautiful! :-)

My view from my apartment a couple of days ago... we've got a lot more snow now!

Seems like we're getting a white Christmas this year. It's been snowing non stop today. Even though I'm not a big fan of the winter season in general, I'll have to admit it's beyond beautiful!

I've been working all weekend long and I've got another two days left of my internship. I can't believe it's almost over! I've had such a great time and I've developed more than I ever could imagine. To my surprise the head of the devision has offered me to continue work for them as a stand-in assistant nurse. It was very unexpected but turned out my colleagues had recommended me. Very flattering to say the least!

Yesterday I found some random pictures taken in New York a year ago. I can't get over how much I miss the city and when I look at the pictures it makes perfect sense. There's no city like New York. The buildings, the atmosphere, the people and the endless opportunities. There's always something to see or do. I'm looking forward going back next year! :-)


Caught in the moment taking pictures at Rockefeller Center...


Rockefeller by night...


My brother Mattias enjoying a coffee at Trump Tower...


Macy's at Broadway and 34th St...

My new apartment has kept me busy lately. As I wrote earlier, the accent wall wasn't a favourite of mine and it's been bothering me every since I've moved in. I wanted to repaint it right away but work has kept me away from home a lot. 

Last weekend I finally had time to take care of it. With a little help from my mum (and my stepbrother who picked out all the things I needed, thanks!) I finally managed to get rid of the non-flattering colour. I repainted it with a light colour with purple/greyish tones. It looks really elegant and I'm honestly surprised that it came out so great. I'm more than happy with the final result as it gave the room a completely different look! Now I can start decorating my apartment as I want to and as soon as I've got things in order I'll post pictures. Promise! :-)


My wedges were my best friend while painting... they made me tall enough to reach all the way up to the roof! ;-)

It's been one busy weekend and the pictures above explain why. My old room is more or less empty now and I've finally moved into my very own apartment. It feels SO good. My only problem right now is that I need to repaint my walls. They're not in good condition (in my opinion) and I do not like the terracotta coloured accent wall. I'm crossing my fingers that my landlord will take care of it but I'll know for sure tomorrow. Otherwize I'll have to do it myself as soon as possible. 

Me and my mum have spent the day interior shopping. I have tons of things already but I needed a desk, a mirror and storage for the bathroom. However many other things passed the check out too (oops) but my apartment will look good in a few weeks, that's for sure! ;-)

Allright, time for me to shut down the computer and go grocery shopping. A couple of friends are swinging by later and I guess it could be nice to set the table with something eatable! :-)

My new Advent star is up and it's shining so bright...

My favourite season of the year has officially started. I just love the Christmas atmosphere and I'm looking forward to the coming December days! :-)

I just finished my baking project and voilà: here is the result! 25 Rudolphs. They are for tomorrow's event so fingers crossed that they taste as good as they look.

I just found a bunch of pictures from the summer. I got back home from the states in the middle of June and went to Finland right after. I was working there for a couple of months and just enjoyed the beautiful summer days. Thought I would share some random pictures.


In Turku visiting my brother (and I obviously did some shopping at Stockmann too)...


The cathedral in Helsinki... it's white and so pretty!


My favourite bar next to my dad's house... they have great coffee too!


Pictures from Porvoo (the city I lived in for 12 years)...




I love taking the car and drive to a quiet place close to the sea...


Breakfast, magazines and outdoor cafés... such a great combination!


Pargas is a small city in the archipelago...


I miss how bright it is in the evening... this picture was taken at 11 pm! Can you believe it?!


Delicious coffée at Paahtimo!


The old city part of Porvoo...


A refreshingly cold pear cider... did I say I miss summmer? ;-)

I started this Monday with an early morning class that was loaded with information regarding the coming weeks. Tomorrow is the introduction at the hospital and for that reason we had to sign some confidentiality papers, set dates for evaluation meetings with the teachers etc. Other than that I've been working on a report that needed to be revised. It's more or less standard that the reports go back and forth between students and teachers a couple of times before they are passed.

Well, now it's time for lunch and then I'll head downtown. I need to run some errands. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I'll be able to find a pair of comfortable shoes for work. Too bad high heels aren't appropriate! ;-)

Even though I'll be moving out soon, I still couldn't resist buying some new things for my bedroom today. I'm slightly obsessed with re-decorating and changing small details on a regular basis. Today was no exception. I added golden string lights to my mirror and I really like the result. It gives the room a cozy and warm feeling!

I also bought a beautiful Advent star in golden paper that I'll hang in my window later on. I promise to post pictures once it's up!

Danish pastries, saffron buns (eaten during Christmas season in Sweden), Marabou milk chocolate with orange crisps, wine gums and chips.  

This Saturday started with a visit to the dentist. Just a normal check up and luckily everything was just fine. However I felt a little bad when I was grocery shopping with Johanna. Lots of unhealthy things ended up in the shopping basket, oops. But hey, it's Saturday! Life's too short not to eat good things! ;-)



Johanna and I have been entertaining ourselves with some Christmas crafts this afternoon. Perhaps a little early but I know I won't have time to do these kind of things later. December will be one busy month! I've got to collect some addresses later so everyone gets a card in their mailbox around Christmas time! :-)