(Pretty, vintage LV luggage as a nightstand).

The bags are close to packed. My daughter Frida (10) and I are off to Sweden to spend quality time with family and close friends (leaving Tuesday). I can’t wait to be back to Stockholm and to watch Frida take it all in! (She has not been back in 3 years). I will be stepping away from my computer for ten days and doing nothing but living in the moment. I promise to bring back a couple of treats and lots of design inspiration for all of you.

Though I won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving in Sweden I will be thinking of each and everyone of you and will be sending you warm thoughts and lots of good energy.

I might be gone but the store will still be open. Ewa and team will be plowing through these busy times so don’t worry about making them work harder! (Smiles!)

We are adding Holiday items all the time.

We have stocked up on Nordic style fabric ornaments.

Brand new are these fabulous, naturally shed reindeer antlers bottle openers from Finland. Functional and decorative. The perfect hostess gift and stocking stuffer.

Upon request, the happy cotton pig and the cuddly reindeer are back in stock! (Kids and adults love these Danish Toys).

The beautiful linen napkins (100% organic Belgian linen) are finally coming in (next week).

I am bringing back more beautiful “Gotland” pelts from Sweden. If you want one, you might want to have one reserved. They go quickly.

The preserved boxwood wreaths are literally flying off the shelves. They are so easy and fun to decorate with.

And lots and lots more. Take a stroll down the Avenue if you have a moment! Visit our store here.

Ok, that’s it. I will miss you all. Please, save some fun stories for me when I get back!

Warm hugs to you all.

Image no. 1 via The Inspired Room.

Ha ha!!

Ok, ready for some fun & useful cyber hopping/shopping?

First jump is to my amazing friend Tina over at The Enchanted Home. She has invited a group of great and creative bloggers & entrepreneurs to her blog today and is having each of them share a couple of great gifts for the holidays. Now, we are talking Gifts Galore, folks! Personal and inspirational. Perhaps this will be the only gift inspiration you need. I am honored to be part of this fun group and be asked to highlight a couple of favorite items from my own store, Splendid Avenue. Hop over to Tina’s blog — here  - and enjoy all the ideas!

I plan to do a little shopping myself over at Tina’s store. I think an old, pretty dough tray will be coming home to MOI soon! I will place large pine cones and glass bulbs in mine as a holiday display but the tray is so versatile and can be used for many things. (If you decide to buy after seeing this, please remember to say hi to beautiful Tina from me!)

My dear friend Marianne called me yesterday to tell me that the Ilse Jacobsen boots we carry are featured in TradHome with a link to our store.

What a nice surprise! It made me extra happy since I am already a fan of the magazine. A must read for sure!

Another MUST read is House Of Fifty. I have plugged Janell’s magazine many times and I am very impressed with where she is taking her passion and talent and how she leads a wonderful design community. I have had a chance to hang out with this brilliant lady, blogger, designer and Founding Editor and I love her! What you see is what you get with Janell.

New for the House Of Fifty is that it now costs a tiny amount to read it (a lot goes into publishing a nice magazine). $1.50 is the cost to read the magazine on your computer/MAC (and .99 cents at ITunes). It is worth every cent. (You pay per issue). The magazine is packed with great ideas, tips and great sources for the the holiday season.

And if you buy the magazine you will see our store ad with a discount code which gives you 15% off any merchandise in our store, Splendid Avenue. Take advantage of it because we have lots of great new things, with holiday spirit in mind!

Happy hopping & Happy Weekend!

P.S One more blog post and then I am off to Sweeeeeden! Wihoo to family and friends back home — I can’t wait to see and hug you all again!!!!!

Since I will be in Stockholm, Sweden during Thanksgiving, my mind has traveled straight to Christmas and all the fun decor for the winter Holidays (great ideas whether you celebrate Christmas or not).

While out cold last week (Thank you for all your well wishes. You are a dear bunch.) I comforted myself with several great magazines and page after was was ripped out.

Here are some of my favorite and most inspirational decor ideas:

1. Advent calendar with ornaments

What a nice idea! Make your own calendar and place small, personal ornaments in a large bowl. Let the kids hang one ornament on the home made calendar per day. Beats candy! (The calendar is made from a gray painted board attached to a vintage window frame. White cup hooks hold manila shipping tags, numbered with stickers).

2. One pretty, over-sized wreath on a mirror

= Immediate holiday impact

3. Cocoa Hot Spot

I have never tried but I might just need to for the kiddos and their friends.

4. Vintage sheet music wreath

Make a personal wreath with vintage sheet music. (Roll sheet music into cones. Hot glue the cones to a wreath form that you make from sturdy cardboard).

5. Black + Silver

Silver looks amazing with candles, greenery, simple pine cones and a plate of satsumas!

6. Guest room decor

Our own guests will be able to admire a pretty Rosemary plant (or  small pine tree) in a burlap sack on their bedside tables.

7.  Restraint is key!

Your eye can’t focus on anything if you decorate too much!

8. Tree loveliness

I so wish this tree was mine. (A mix of old, new and handmade ornaments). So very pretty, pretty. And the settee too!

9. Wool blanket and Pomegranates

Ok, this idea I will copy one day. Layer an old wool blanket under the cross stitched linen table cloth (I have that very same one at home! Bought it 6 years ago).

And again, how pretty is this simple decor idea with red, handsome pomegranates, and a tad of greenery in a glass cookie stand. Will copy this idea too!

10. HGTV Magazine – December 2012

For more terrific Holiday decor, hurry out and buy HGTV Magazine’s December issue (out now) and turn to page 130. My dear friend Marianne welcomes readers into her Christmas decorated home. I know her lovely home well and I run over there frequently! So proud of her!!! 7 P.A.G.E.S of  Holiday Decor Inspiration from this designer maven!!! Go, Marianne, go!!

Hugs to you all!

Images scanned via BHG Christmas Idesa (2012) and Country Home Holiday 2012. Last image via HGTV Magazine Dec. 2012.

The flu entered our home and boy did it hit us hard. Kids have been taking turns being home from school for days at a time (I don’t know when I got some fresh air last) and now I’ve got it too. I have not been t h i s  sick for 15 years. But that is of course peanuts compared to what so many of my my friends and partners are going through on the East Coast. (And now I understand another storm is on its way.) My heart goes out to all of you. Thinking of you and sending you all good energy. They need all the help they can get over there. The Red Cross is a good venue for offering some financial support. That is the least I could do. (See this as a friendly reminder).

Well, being stuck under the covers allowed me some minimal shopping time.

First I shopped for air tickets to Sweden. My 10 year old Frida and I are hopping over to spend some quality time with my Mom and close family and friends. We are leaving in a couple of weeks. Can’t wait! Hoping to show Frida a Holiday decorated (and hopefully snowy) Stockholm! So genuine and pretty. (Let me know if I can get any of you anything from the old Homeland).

I have been looking EVERYWHERE for some handsome Christmas stockings. I found these burlap ones today and placed my order (before you discovered them!). Understated and pretty, I hope. (I will let you know when I receive them). Lined too. And affordable. I found them here.

I ordered all different ones.

I have been shivering like crazy and I told Hubby yesterday — “I only want one thing for Christmas. A stylish water bottle/warmer!” Yep! I like it warm and I have a feeling all family members will be fighting over this handsome Canadian Hudson’s Cashmere Hot Water Bottle (based on the iconic Canadian blanket) during the cold winter months.

That is all you will be getting from me today. Stay away from the Flu. It is a bad one this year.

Hugs to you all.

 Image no. 1 Comic Strip.

For those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you have heard me talk several times about the iconic Danish porcelain company Royal Copenhagen. Royal Copenhagen, a purveyor to Her Majesty The Queen Of Denmark, was established in 1775 and is considered one of the most luxurious porcelain brands in the world.

I started to pick up my first Royal Copenhagen pieces at antique auctions in Sweden when I was just a young cat, and over the years I have built a nice, little collection that I never grow tired off.

All of Royal Copenhagen’s products are handmade in Denmark and my personal opinion is that is is hard to beat the quality and the esthetics — timeless understated elegance. Always right. No surprise that my husband and I picked Royal Copenhagen’s ”Princess” as our wedding china (I was old enough to know what works for me! No mainstream nor mass produced here!).

Some 10 years ago a very brilliant young Danish design student, Karen Kjældgård-Larsen, had a vision (and a lot of courage & nerve, I must say!) to put a modern twist to the iconic Blue Fluted pattern which has been in production in Denmark since 1775. Karen Kjældgård-Larsen beautifully modified & enlarged elements of the original pattern and gave it a modern look. Since its introduction, Blue Fluted MEGA has become a major success with its fresh, updated look while still honoring the Blue Fluted 18th century.

For those of you who know my style well — marrying old style with new, and doing it well, always impresses me.

Produced in the same shapes and sizes as the original and using the same techniques, Blue Fluted Mega can be mixed in to supplement the original service. By mixing and matching the patterns and eras you get a personal, unique and historical collection that will be appreciated for generations to come.

Now, to the news.

It is my great honor to announce that as of today Splendid Avenue is carrying many of Royal Copenhagen’s pieces. We offer their porcelain goods that have been in production since 1775, as well as many from Karen Kjældgård-Larsen’s “new-classic” MEGA Flute series (comes in both blue and black).

You will find them under our store category Fine Dining.

More products will be added, including my own wedding china – Royal Copenhagen Princess (here below).

Do I even have to tell you how excited I am to be working with such an iconic and beautiful brand?

A brand I am already so crazy passionate about. And Scandinavian too! I am very proud of that too.

Thank you for stopping by. Hugs to you all.