I GIVE IT A DAY OR TWO

Ah, the joy of a clean surface.



Especially since it looked like this moments before:

To be honest, half of this is on the floor now but the mind rests so much better with at least one level done.

THAT ONE ANNUAL POST ABOUT SPRING

I guess we are at that point of the year again when small whispers and hints about a possible arriving spring start showing up in blogs on the northern hemisphere.  That, and the time when I start mentioning that I probably should wash my windows... But it's a big thing here, always, when the long winter ends and the light starts coming back (and it easily sounds all Game of Thrones when you talk about that..). We're at the yo-yo season where snow melts and returns again and those lighter shoes in the closet start getting restless but will have to wait. But at least we do have more light; longer days.

Like many others, I often get an urge to decorate and fix things up at home with the arrival of spring. Not really happening this year, as everything looks like shit still; we live in a labyrinth of ikea-bags and boxes after the move away from the city flat last November. The only decent looking and thus bearable (plus photographable) room is the kitchen, which of course means it is doomed to look like shit as well, because that's where everyone hangs out and leaves their stuff.

But it's the thought that counts (sort of, sometimes) and I tried my best and brought home a new pretty orchid, cherry tree branches and lots and lots of fruit for those more fresh springy vibes.

It worked.

THE PERSISTENT ORCHID

I have an orchid in my soon-to-be-former home, that keeps in growing and making new branches and new flowers. As soon as the flowers fall off new ones appear. And I don't know how this little fella does it, considering most orchids just come to wither and die under my tl-and-c, as I've pondered upon before.

Not sure what I've done differently this time, perhaps watered it with a more constant routine, or then it's the fact that I only sleep in the apartment a couple of night per week and it grows better that way because it's just not fond of humans.

Either way, I hope this one will survive the move out to the countryside and can keep making me happy with it's amazing prettiness!

HOME(S)

Everything is so clean and tidy at home now! I've been organising and cleaning (late at night, after work) for several days! 

It hasn't been this little stuff around for years.

But that is of course, because everything is now in bags and boxes in the farm house livingroom. And the place seriously looks like crap.

So after days of cleaning in the countryside I am actually dreaming about getting to organise and clean some more! But that would require the opportunity to some days off, so alas, lets see when the universe grants me a few. That, plus some renovation, and things will eventually be tip-top! (Uh.)

The reason to all of this is of course that you can now buy our lovely city home.

All though I've renovated it myself it has been on rent all along from my grandmother, who has now decided to sell it. It's sad but was of course inevitable at some point. Although I hadn't thought I'd move out to the countryside permanently before my kids were grown up so that will take some time to adapt, even though I've been living out in the peryphery most of the time by now already...

THE LITTLE GARDENER

We planted Dag's cherry tree. He's very eager to take care of it and to go and check if it has grown.
(And, as you can see, still wearing his "ninja uniform"...)

He'll have to wait a few years for cherries though.

DAG'S LITTLE CHERRY TREE

 Dag got a tree for his 4th birthday by Eddi's aunt, who left it next to the door to surprise him. It's his very own cherry tree, as he loved to pick cherries from her trees.  He already has his own litte appletree that he got as a baby, but the lambs kindof munched on it a couple of years ago so it is still tinier than this one.

We haven't decided a spot to plant it in yet, and now I am already growing fond of the little tree looking pretty on our front porch...

Maybe I have to get an olive tree or so in a pot as replacement!

VINTAGE FINDS AND AUCTIONED TREASURES FROM BUKOWSKIS MARKET

I had the opportunity to take part of a campaign by Bukowskis in collaboration with Indedays, to write a post about my experiences of bidding and buying from Bukowskis Market - you may recall that I have bought quite many items from the auction site during the years, and rather suitably I just bought home a big wardrobe from the early 1900's via Bukowskis Market!

Out on the farmhouse, where we stay most of the time nowadays, I hadn't had a proper wardrobe for my clothes; some I kept on a rack and the rest in a drawer, which basically meant they all hanged on a chairdrobe in the corner of the bedroom... So I needed a proper space to put them in, and as most furniture in the house is old I wanted to find and old one for this purpose as well.

Every time when I’ve wanted a specific piece of vintage furniture I've usually started with Bukowskis Market.  I do check in on any other auction and second-hand goods sites as well, but  in most cases Bukowskis will have what I’m looking for. It's rather fascinating actually - if they do not have such an item for sale the one day I usually check back in a week and there will most likely be something that suits what I've had in mind - but not that strange as the site does feature about 3,000 items of art and design. So there is a lot to browse and find. Bukowskis was the first of the large quality auction houses to launch their online bidding site Bukowskis Market (in 2010). Even though I've mainly scouted vintage furniture from there, which there is a lot of in different styles and eras,  they also sell a lot of art, as well as jewellery and the occasional designer fashion item (like bags or shoes). 

I've bought home items that I've specifically been looking for, like this three-arned lamp, one that I had been coveting for years and then found on my first try. Some years ago I set out to finda sofa, not sure what I was looking for, but found lots of options and ended up bidding on and winning this classic piece by Carl Malmsten.

(Sometimes I've worried if the items I bring home arent' really child friendly, but even though most people always seems to be in a horizontal position on this sofa it is still doing rather well.)

I've also stumbled on items I did not know I needed -that can be dangerous, but good for us that we have a big house to fill.... - for example, the 1930's lamp here in the corner.

Or the lounge chaise I also happened to buy. But it ended up being very useful (especially for the occasional random daytime nap)!

Buying from and bidding on Bukowskis Market is as easy, you give your max bid for an item and the site will automatically raise your bid if needed placing the smallest necessary bid at every time, up to your maximum bid amount. Because Bukowsis is a quality auction house, they will have evaluated each item before puttiing it up on sale, meaning you know with certainty what you are bidding on, which for me is a huge plus, obviously. Some designers and eras you can look up in their Bukipedia (kudos for the name); to find out more on the style of the piece or the art you are bidding on. There's also a wish list to save items on if you are not sure you want to bid on them right away. Bukowskis Market also features and estimated price to which the item is valued, which is a good guideline to check before/when bidding. The final price may end up way over the estimate if several persons start coveting and bidding on the item, but may as well sell for a lot less, if you happen to be lucky and scout an item others weren't that interested in. Bare in mind that there will be a commission on your winning bid which, depending on what country you are in, will raise the final price with about 20%. That, and the transportation of your item will make the final sum considerably larger than the winning bid so it is just worth keeping in mind all trough the process. Regardless of that I have managed to get a few items very affordably from the site.


I was the only bidder on this lamp for example- I am often on the look out for nice vintage lamps; you (almost) can not have too many armatures at home!-and got it for a very nice price. I am however rather competitive, and if somebody starts outbidding me I will raise my max bid several times if needed when I truly want something. For me it's not always just to be able to scout everything for a low price, if there is a piece of classic design furniture it is definitely worth paying for. Bukowskis Market has a mobile app which is easy to use that I recommend you download to your phone for easier bidding, bid raising and browsing.

Bukowskis will ship items between their houses in Finland and Sweden; shipping is between 60 and 80 euros and takes up to three weeks, after which you can pick the item up yourself. You can also arrange and order transportation to your home door yourself. Earlier the items I ordered to Helsinki had to be picked up from their downtown location but this year when picking up the wardrobe we got it from a warehouse in Vantaa, which was definitaly easier to reach with a van than a pedestrian street in the city centre. Bukowskis will give you eight days to pick the item up before they start collecting warehouse rent, so when you win an auction that is not in your location it is best to pay right away so you can order transport, for during which the eight days counting will freeze, and then start again when the item arrives.

So back to my wardrobe. After not winning the first wardrobe I bid on I found this Jugend style (Scandinavian art nouveau) piece on the site and the last moments of the auction did indeed get a little shaky as someone else had been eyeing the same wardrobe as well. But oh the relief when you win it!

The wardrobe could be transported in pieces (phew!) and then put back together at home again.

Like luxury ikea from a hundred years back.

Dag enjoyed his new hideout as long as he could, before the dresses took over.

And now my clothes have an actual place to lay in. Yey!

Disclaimer: even though this post is made as a campaign for Bukowskis all items featured have been bought and paid for by me and all thoughts here are my own.

TUBE FLOWERS

(Yes I'm still away on a trip but I've scheduled a post here -  apparently I nowadays post more when I'm not present, ehrm.)

My test-tube collection have been ugly and dusty and left with some dried flowers  over the winter but just before I left I put in the first flowers of the spring. An instant cheer-me-up thing!

FOUR THINGS RIGHT NOW: THE LIGHT IS BACK

 Lulu enjoying the sunshine by the window.

(I drove in to work to town and saw Pekka -that's the other cat- on the field by the road a bit from home. I stopped the car and opened the window and said "Hi there!".  I'm such a cat-dork, I know.
He did answer with a long Meooow though. But that thing when you knock on the window and wave to your cats when you see them outside that means you're even more dorky does work because if they see wacing they come back in. Hah!)

I've -slowy, with baby steps - started my plant projects for the coming seasons. Re-potting and planting. Read about this "plant a tomato slice" way of growing tomatoes; let's see how it goes!

 Plant plate symmetry.

And I've bought us a small lemon tree that smells heavenly. Now we can watch it wither and die.*

*) Because that is eventually how this will go -  every fancier, expensive plant, especially the mediterranean ones,  I've ever had has died sooner or later. I am trying though, so let's cross our fingers and hope this one will make it...