Hello friends! Busy times here. I am fixing — and fixing some more for my upcoming trip to Sweden. Next week I will be united with family and friends back home. What a fun & lively time that will be! But right now I am enjoying our summer to the fullest here in Seattle.

We have a hillside in our backyard with one section filled with gorgeous lavender that I never know what to do with — until I came across this stunning image! (Note: those are not my lavender fields – just so you don’t think I am trying to mislead you! But we have 44 large bushes, Frida just counted! And they grow fast!)

Lavender lemonade – well of course! How brilliant. Must try before I leave!

I am also obsessing over this Mary B. Blige song (Each Tear), this summer. (My husband is shaking his head to this upbeat pop tune). I love everything about it. The rythm, the lyrics, the message, the voices (including the unexpected raspy voice by the Italian pop singer Tiziano Ferro). I am even using the song to further teach my girls about the importance of learning, staying strong and the art of kindness (to others and yourself). Turn on the speakers and take a listen.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

(I will be back with a post or two before I leave!)

Images 1  via Flickr , 2 + 3 via Everything Fabulous, last image via Flickr

Oh no, the last thing you want on a Friday is another personal, sappy love confession. But how could I possibly resist? Today, 10 years ago, my husband and I  pronounced our love for another in the magnificent St. Jacob’s church in Stockholm. Surrounded by friends at family from all over the world I can honestly say that it was the loveliest day in my life.

Today, 10 years (and 3 happy kids + minus a lot hair!) later I feel wholeheartedly that we are the happiest couple I have ever met! My husband, Peter, is my best friend. My husband, my mentor, my lover, my energy and the best father on the planet. I think the world of him. But the absolutely best feeling is knowing that I don’t need him in my life – I want him in my life. (There is a big difference, friends!).

And what ultimately won me over (in parallel with all his lovely qualities and values) is when we just had started dating and he said. ” Monika, I will to be your  planet and just let you spin, spin, spin”. He got me! He was not going to change his lively and energetic wife – he was just going to let me be me. And that is how we walk in life together. With a deep admiration  and respect for each other and with lots of fun and love. I can not wait to grow really old with this man. If my next 50+ years will just be a fraction of what our life together has been so far, then I am in for a most wonderful ride of pure & real love!

Wishing you all a joyous weekend! (And and I apologize again for all the sappiness but I am just a happy, giddy girl!)

Please, check in next week when I am introducing you to a wonderful Swede (who all of you interested in Swedish design need to know). I am also having a fabulous giveaway courtesy of a very talented and generous Swedish jewelry designer. I absolutely love it myself and I don’t think you want to miss it!

The Edgewater Hotel is nestled on Seattle’s waterfront at Pier 67. (It is Seattle’s only waterfront hotel).  Built in 1962 as a temporary structure for the World’s Fair, The Edgewater has become a Seattle landmark and a beloved part of the city’s history. From here you have views of the  majestic Olympic Mountains and the waters of Elliott Bay and yet you are only within walking distance to all the downtown shops and the famous Pike’s Place Market.

Ingrid is one of my friend’s in Seattle that I babble design with all the time. And it has bonded us in a wonderful way. She has the most terrific eye for good design and I trust her taste immensely. As the big sister – to so many of my close friends (what is up with that anyway?!) – I have been pushing her hard to do something with her gift. And I purred like a content cat when she was offered the job as the buyer to The Edgewater’s swanky gift shop. Here she gets to use all her skills and her great taste and fill the shop with lovely things from all over the world.

How often do you find design items in a hotel gift shop? Knick-knacks yes, but things that you actually want to display in the heart of your own home? Well here you do! Bravo, Ingrid!

Here are The Edgewater’s famous foot stools (found in all the rooms). My little William and Ingrid’s little Molly had a blast re-organizing a whole corner of the shop!

See this necklace from the shop? It is made by a Swedish designer in Texas who makes the most fabulous jewelry. Her name is Åsa (Aasa). That is all you need to remember. A post on her is lined up as well as a very generous giveaway by her. Oh, I will remind you. You are not going to want to miss that!

Next time you visit Seattle, don’t forget to pay The Edgewater hotel a visit. And if you don’t want to sleep or shop then visit the swanky restaurant, Six Seven. It recently was recognized by Zagat in NY and received high marks for stunning views, excellent Pacific Northwest fare (by the Northwest’s wealth of organic and sustainable ingredients), and friendly service.

From beautiful Seattle to you (I love my city!) – enjoy the rest of the week, friends!

Hotel images via The Edgewater Hotel, gift shop images via Splendid Willow, Seattle skyline via Virtual Tourist, 2 last images via Flickr.

I am so going to try to make my own Pavlovas (discs of meringue layered with organic whipped cream and fresh strawberries) this weekend.

I found the recipe (and these images,  from an old magazine) in Oprah At Home. Does this look heavenly or what? Here is the recipe.

And a little bit of history, folks:

Pavlova is a named after the Russian ballet dancer Ánna Pávlova. Colloquially referred to as “pav“, it is a cake of meringue with a crispy crust and soft, light inner. The dessert is believed to have been created to honour the dancer during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. Where it was created and the nationality of its creator has been a source of argument between the two nations for many years, but research indicates New Zealand as the source.

I don’t blame them – I would fight hard for that dessert too!

Happy rest of the week, friends!

Did you know that in this world there are 75 million children without access to even the most basic education? Pencils of Promise seeks to end that statistic by partnering with local communities and organizations to build early education schools in developing nations for some of the world’s most impoverished and undereducated children.

Through collaborative efforts of sustainable development, Pencils of Promise works to place a pencil in the hands of every child with the hope that it will be the first step towards self empowerment and an elevated quality of life.

Last December, the Pencils of Promise team visited a small village in Laos and by July 2009, they had built a new school for the village children who started attending classes on September 1st. This month, Pencils of Promise will be opening their third school and they hope to open the doors to education for more children in 2010.

{The First Pencils of Promise Class Outside of their School}

The Blogger Collaborative Project will benefit the females students of Champet, a village in Laos that is home to the only high school in the area for surrounding villages. In order to attend this high school, the students must leave their families and homes to live in dormitories. These dormitories are worlds away from our Western boarding schools. These precious girls are living in unsafe dormitories which consists of make shift bamboo huts in order to get an education. 

The goal for Bloggers Taking Action today: To build safe, legitimate housing for the female children of Laos in order for them to have the opportunity to further their education. Currently, some parents are unwilling to send their kids to school because of how dangerous the bamboo dormitory huts are. This dormitory Pencils of Promise hopes to build will accommodate about 200 Laotian girls.   

What can you do to help?                                                                     

Many of us often forget the very important task of giving back to those less fortunate. In the spirit of this holiday giving season, I hope that you will consider giving back by donating to Pencils of Promise. The donations collected through our initiative will go towards building a dormitory & library for a high school in Laos, which is the only secondary school in the area.

The dormitory will house 200 high-potential girls currently living in bamboo huts in Champhet, Laos. We have the opportunity to make an enormous impact if each of us donated just $1. And if you’re able to give more it would be greatly appreciated. ($35 will buy bookshelves for a classroom, $50 provides pencils for on year, $100 will pay a teacher’s salary for three months and so on). 

You can donate via paypal here or via this link. Every little bit helps and together we can make a difference! If you would like to stay informed about the difference Pencils of Promise is making, be sure to become a fan on their Facebook page.

I made my donation today. And I hope you will do the same. Peace & love, Monika.

But I have a few moments so for a little personal downtime I’ll share some gift ideas with my wonderful & loyal readers. I mean, Christmas is literally around the corner! So, here are some gift ideas for younger ones. I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. (More gift ideas will be coming for  “Her” and “Him). Cyber hugs to you all!

1. Robeez Skating Penguin (Limited edition), 2. Labyrinth, 3. Recycling truck, 4. Animal Croquet, 5. National Geographic Globe, 6. Mini American Girl Doll, 7. Girl Mouse in a Matchbox, 8. Wooden Parking Garage, 9. Jelly Cat, 10. Book “The Gift Of Nothing“, 11. Maileg Brother & Sister, 12. “Animals of the world” Floor Puzzle

You have heard me babble about a good table for my plants and orchids in the past. This image has been making its rounds in blog land but I simply can’t let go of it. Sigh! Let’s all go on a hunt for a perfect metal, industrial looking garden table, to bring inside for a unique plant display. So simple. So lovely. And the weathered pots too.

Via Apartment Therapy

Don’t forget this week’s giveaway! You can end up as a winner!

I want to share one of my favorite music CD’s with you. It was given to me by a friend many years ago, and it is still one of my favorite CDs. It is called Gling Glo and features a very young Bjork (yes the iconic rock artist) singing jazz tunes in Icelandic! I love it when I clean the house and I love it as party background music! It has all the ingredients: It is happy, upbeat, unpredictable (with Bjork’s special voice) and it is filled with just good music. In my humble opinion, this CD is truly fantastic!

(Funny, this is how I like to decorate too. Warm, inviting, classic with an unexpected modern twist!).

Take a listen! (Here’s one of the tunes from the album performed live)

Bjork – 1990

This CD was recorded in 1990, but you can still buy it on Amazon, among other places.

Photos: Flickr – “Wanderlust”

… and I am drooling over all the lovely things that I have come across that will keep me warm & very content while the air is getting crisper and the days much shorter. Imagine me whistling when I am putting together the list of some of my fall FAVES!

Fall = boots! ! A lady needs a nice pair of boots! How about these lovelies from Coclico.

Image via the lovely blog Bliss

I also like these from Cole Haan.

I have a real crush on these boots from Italian Fiorentini & Baker. I can’t obtain a good image, so go to Barney’s if you want to take a real good look. (Check out the image with the cool zipper!)

It won’t keep me warm – but very happy! – this lovely leather and silver bracelet called Jumbo from Hermes. Simple. elegant equestrian.  Not cheap. But I am a hard worker – so, yes, please!

This sweater from Nordstrom would keep me both warm & purring!

And of course anything from Swedish Odd Molly will do. I was a lucky owner of this cardigan below (in a different color) but it magically disappeared from the back of my chair at a fancy bistro… I am still mourning it and am determined to  get a new one. ( I know that Mint Julep, among others, sells them).

This gray dress from Odd Molly together with boots. It would make me pretty happy!

I bought this scarf from the Etsy store Karlita last year. People went nuts over it. It is still one of my favorite scarves.  It looks so good with jeans and a simple shirt or sweater.

I am eyeing this one in rust for fall.

My husband can’t stand strong artificial scents. (What is wrong with him anyway?!!) So, when he is on business trips it is my chance to indulge! I love the elegant Mandarin Tea collection from Aquiesse. Their soy based candles are handmade in the US.

Fall = curled up in a cozy chair right next to the fire place reading a really good book. A nice throw is then a must! I love this one from Swedish Inredning Etc. It is a high quality wool throw made on Gotland, my favorite Swedish island. (The store ships internationally). Let me know if you need any help with the Swedish language.

Also from Inredning Etc are these adorable baby slippers! What a cute gift! (And they are not too expensive).

With my good book and throw I also need a great cup for my green tea. This one from Dean & DeLuca in NY can move in with me anytime.

I recently ran across this tea infuser from the MOMA store in NY. Very slick!

Sheep skins have been on my mind a lot lately. They are warm, cozy, and make so many of the minimalistic chairs so much more comfortable and inviting. (How lovely during cold winter months).  I am saving up for a whole bunch. And I will only get them from my lovely Gotland where sheep farming is a key industry.

Photo: Stellan Herner for Elle Interiör. Stylist: Tina Hellberg.

Photo: Flickr – Scott Dungan

Now I am ready for fall! Are you?

On our way home I had plenty of time to browse through the new Ikea catalog. Here are a few things that caught my eye: (I am most definitely getting the gray Orchid pots this week!)

1. Alvine Flora Pillow. (Check out the latest design with yellow, black and gray flowers – not shown here). $24.99.

2. Drömmar. Horse-shaped (Swedish national symbol. A must for true Swedes!) baking tins. $6.99/set of 2.

3. Mandel plant pot. $4.99/set (pot + saucer).

4. Spraka. Spice mill. $19.99.

5. Engan chest with 2 drawers. $99.99.

6. Gunilla fabric. (Hello girlfriend Gunilla!).  How lovely this fabric would be together with white! $7.99/yards.