Vaxholm love

If you are ever in Stockholm and have a spare day - Vaxholm is a must. Surprisingly I can't find any proper site which would introduce the island more officially in English, so now it's only my babble about the place ;). It is pure fantastic!

The island is located north of Stockholm, and can be easily reached by car, by bus or by ferry (check http://www.waxholmsbolaget.se/) leaving from Stockholm city center. The ferries are only extremely full, so be sure to be there on time!

This house pictured above, and in the very first photo, is my favorite. I see myself living there so easily :)! It's like - there's nothing wrong with the house, admiring it from the outside every time I have a chance to visit the island.

Other than wandering around in the town and admiring the scenery, Vaxholm truly offers everything needed for a visitor. There is a nice hotel. There's number of good restaurants and cafes. Small shops, some of them my favorites. Like Magasinet i Waxholm (with a nice restaurant).

But usually - nice lunch, and a walk on the narrow roads does it for me. Enjoy :)!

Some red:

And some pink, of course :):

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Mummonmökki, puutalo, syreeni

Spring love

Pink blossom

Does it happen to you that during spring, when the nature wakes up, you have a desperate need to be part of it somehow? Happens to me  - every year. I start running. During the winter it is more the gym, or some treadmill action indoors, but when the first sunny mornings hit in March - I am OUT!

Pink blossom by the library

Right now it must be prettiest time of all here in our neighborhood. There is a variety of trees with absolutely gorgeous pink blossoms! Now I have no idea what they are, but they are pretty. Need to stop at least 3 times during each jog and just ADMIRE the scene above me. Fab.

The above beauty is on our neighbors yard, just by our driveway. It is a nice entrance and exit way, isn't it?

Apple blossom

Running under this apple tree every morning makes my day :). Have a beautiful Saturday!

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vaaleanpunaiset kukinnot, omenapuu, omenapuun kukka

Le Creuset in Sweden!

Le Creuset

Running through the Barkarby outlet today I run into Le Creuset shop!! In Sweden!! Just yesterday I was visiting one home decor store and discussing with the owner that very few shops in Sweden have a good selection of Le Creuset products. But now - <3.

Le Creuset was established in France in 1925, producing porcelain enameled cast iron pots. Going through tough times during World War II, they kicked off again after the war. Le Creuset has continued to use the hand-crafted techniques and the original process of forging and casting in the manufacturing of its cookware until today. And the products are just gorgeous.

Le Creuset

Le Creuset

Le Creuset

Here some green:

Le Creuset

Le Creuset

And the funniest little pots in all bright colors :):

Le Creuset

Le Creuset

Don't they just make you smile ;)?

Summer dining

I love those small tags by On Interiör <3. If you have candles at a dinner table decorated with these, I bet even the food tastes perfect ;). Spiced up with happiness. Who wouldn't like statements like 'life is beautiful' and 'dreams are free'. Or 'follow your dreams'.

We found some new use for an antique pastry board - in the old times in Finland, when the kitchens weren't so functional like nowadays, the bread was raised with leaven on top of these boards. We thought it made a really nice base for any kind of a low-level centerpiece!

Having matching blankets for those who get cold easily (yes, I raise my hand ;)) as the evening gets cooler, adds nicely to the atmosphere.

I wish you all beautiful outdoor dining this summer!

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kesäjuhlat, kattaus, kesäjuhlien kattaus, syöminen ulkona

Shopping love

Keep calm and go shopping

Riikka went shopping. Yes, in my own warehouse. I wouldn't dare to show you the pictures of the pile delivered to me. A bit embarrassing, even.

But what can I do, seriously, if I haven't bought ANYTHING for my own home for almost a year, as I've been able to satisfy my shopping needs by shopping to Weranna's Warehouse? I mean, it needs to come out EVENTUALLY, right?

And - furthermore - when I shop to the store, or design products, there isn't too many strategies behind it. A couple of simple facts rule - if it meets Weranna's standards, and if I would love to have this in my house, or at our summer house, it may very well be sold in the shop. So it is not very surprising that when I go shopping, it is quite a few items that I just HAVE TO have?

Well, when doing my order, I met with ridiculous dysfunctionalities (does such a word exist? Blogger don't think so) in the shop. I mean - really!! If it weren't mine, I would've not gone through with the process. Like the 'continue shopping' button in the shopping basket - it didn't work!!! Imagine that. And the search field - nothing existed in the store. Some 1 Kenana product, that's it.

Please accept my apologies - I thee promise I will be shopping there more often (:))). Well - everything is now fixed, and you may very well go shopping and I promise, it works now.  And please please please - if you see strangeties (perhaps that word doesn't exist either?), please inform me at info(at)werannas.com - you will receive something nice as a thank you :)!!

Inspired by Linen

Balmuir linen love

Don't need to look too far to understand, that my current material obsession is linen! Kitchen carpet. Curtains. Cushions (with a cute bow, OF COURSE). A Throw. Table linen (and the runner on top of it, I might add). Kitchen towels. Napkins. I've been even drooling over the Balmuir linen sheets (pictured above) for a while, perhaps time to get those, as well. Then I have basically surrounded me with linen <3.

Balmuir bedlinen

As traditionally the home textiles were made of linen, the name itself 'linens' still remains, even if the products themselves are made of cotton or other material. Linen fiber itself is exceptionally durable, some of the oldest textiles from ancient times found in the world are made of linen.  The characteristics of linen, durability, short drying time and heat endurance, even slightly antibacterial qualities, provide simply the most delicious home textile you can dream of. Perhaps not the best fabric for upholstery, as it stretches, but for anything else - yes. 

Our large linen carpet in kitchen really made me smile the other day - our youngest had hidden something underneath, and when taken out, the carpet was slightly stretched. So I figured - I will just make it a little damp with water, as linen is supposed to shrink, and literally as you watch. And it did :)! And I thought - yes, finally a product which does EXACTLY what it should :).

I wouldn't be me, if I wasn't all interested in the production of linen yarn, but perhaps I won't go there this time. The process has steps like winnowing, retting, scutching and heckling - sounds fascinating, doesn't it ;)? The equipment used in the old days are pictured in the below photos. Read more for example in Wikipedia.

Linen production in the old days

We have a bunch of linen products in the shop (obviously) - click here. 

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pellava, pellavanvalmistus, pellavatekstiilit, kodintekstiilit

Wonderful Rice

Funky Rice

Do I need to say more :)? 'Everyday magic', like ELLE decoration puts it. 'We want you to be happy when washing, cleaning, baking and relaxing in your home', like Rice puts it.

Rice was established in 1998 in Denmark, and supports UN Global Compact, the 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption:

Human Rights

• Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
• Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.  

Labour

• Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
• Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
• Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
• Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
   

Environment

• Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
• Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
• Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.   

Anti-Corruption

• Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. 

Rice was the first Scandinavian company certified with the SA8000 standard based on their projects with the suppliers around the world. SA8000 is one of the world's first auditable social certification standards for decent workplaces, across all industrial sectors. It is based on conventions of the ILO, UN and national laws. If you wish, you can read more HERE.

As part of their production, Rice has projects helping local communities for example in Madagascar. They have a project for street children in New Delhi, and their colorful melamine products are made in Rice Thailand in Chiang Mai, ensuring even better working conditions than stipulated in the national labour law.

Funky AND Fabulous. Please visit http://www.werannas.com/en/kitchen-and-storage.html to see the timeless Rice products we currently have in our selection.

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säilytyskori, säilytys, keittiötarvikkeet, keittiö