Pillove

The Christmas spirit...

2011-12-19T08:05:00.000+01:00

...is here!

Christmas tree decorations...

I wonder if I will be the one who gets to put the star on the top of the Christmas tree this year?

The birds are getting their fair share of Christmas as well.

The tree is done and stands majestically in our living room spreading joy and light.

Making Christmas...

2011-11-28T21:34:00.000+01:00

...so lovely...are all the nice flower arrangements that I have scattered around the house. I could spend my days doing that...arranging flowers that is. It's so meditative and if you can have some nice background music playing all the better.

Ohhh, if only...

2011-11-20T19:34:00.000+01:00

...I lived in Australia and could be a regular customer at Black & Spiro! I still haven't found an interior designer that inspires me to the extent that Anna Spiro's design does. There's not a thing in her store that I wouldn't kill to get my hands on! Just take a look at the pics below. It's a total color explosion and not a single rule when it comes to style or patterns....it's just everything beautiful you can think of placed in on small space and it always A-L-W-A-Y-S looks incredible....Anna rocks!

New bedside tables for the kids' rooms

2011-11-19T20:29:00.002+01:00

So I have these bedside tables that I inherited from my mother that I have been keeping in the closet, not knowing where to place, and then I decided that what if I slap on some new paint and do some nice sponging.....and voilá - new bedside tables for the kids rooms!

A scotch sprite works well as a sponge :-)

Ta da!

Made some posters for the childrens room

2011-11-15T10:03:00.000+01:00

So, I thought it would be a great idea to make a poster that showed the childrens names, dates, time, weight etc in a decorative fashion. Will frame them and hang them on the wall in their respective rooms....ones they have one ;-)

PilLove back on etsy.com

2011-10-12T09:04:00.002+02:00

So I decided to put some of my products back on Etsy now that I have some time on my hands (with two kids and all ;-) Check out the products in my Etsy shop by clicking on the link below or visit the shop via PilLoves page on Facebook.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ebbsen?ref=si_shop

http://www.facebook.com/profile#!/pages/PilLove/119871701371159?sk=app_169505045786

All the best,

C.

Morning glory...

2011-10-01T10:48:00.000+02:00

Var ute och promenerade med Albert imorse och kunde inte låta bli att dokumentera den magiska morgonen, oj! vad vi bor fint!

Made a lamp...

2011-09-26T13:28:00.001+02:00

...to hang over our dinner table. I got some help from my wonderful dad with all the more technical stuff and whatever handy work that needed two hands ;-) I'm super delighted over the finished result! It has a much more modern look then our old one. My husband wasn't too delighted but as I am that much more invested in the interior decoration of our home (as he pointed out himself ;-) he said he could live with it....how very kind of him ;-)

A collage

2011-09-13T08:30:00.001+02:00

So I made this attempt of two collages in celebration of our 5th anniersary and the fact that we also have been together for 10 years (where did the time go?). I'm actually pretty happy with how they turned out and the printers did a fine job. The collages are ment to be hung next to eachother as I used loads and loads of photos to spell out the word LOVE...it's cute! Also included a few words in each frame....the last one inclueds a poem by E.E. Cummings:

I carry your heart with me
(I carry it in my heart)
I am never without it
(anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

I fear no fate
(for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world
(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart
(I carry it in my heart)

Feeling inspired...

2011-09-06T13:04:00.000+02:00

...by the beautiful colors - inside and outside my house! With autumn knocking on the door there are beautiful colors showing up in the garden. I'm especially fond of my hydrangeas that are absolutley gorgeous now.

Happy 5th anniversary dearest Dennis!

2011-09-02T12:11:00.002+02:00

The new kid on the block...

2011-08-17T19:21:00.003+02:00

...and some of my fave pics at the moment ;-) So this little creature and the rest of the family will take up most of my time in the year to come. However I will ALWAYS have time for my customers, so if you have a request or a question about a product, feel free to send me an email and I'll get back to you.

All the best,

PS. Oooh and we have decided on a name for "the kid" it's Albert

Bought a new mirror for our hallway/entrance

2011-08-13T15:33:00.002+02:00

So I've been wanting for a big impressive mirror for the house for a long time but I haven't stumbled across one that I fancied - or one that had a price that fitted my wallet ;-) - until the other day that is! So here it is! I haven't decided if I will keep it as is...leaning against the wall or if we are to hang it properly. Either way I'm very happy with it....it looks great in our hallway and now I can make sure I don't look too awful before stepping outside and greating the world ;-)

My latest DIY project finished...

2011-07-20T16:18:00.001+02:00

...and hung in our entrance above our newly purchased shoe cabinet from IKEA (had an assembly manual on 25 pages!!). I'm so happy with the clean and uncluttered look of our hallway. All it took was a little creative work like punching out approx. 100 paper circles, scrunching them up and gluing them on a a piece a paper, and 2 hours of assembling one single IKEA piece ;-) Oh, and the frames were also purchased at IKEA....

Happy crafting out there!

Love

C.

Our new Fermob garden furniture

2011-07-06T09:45:00.001+02:00

So they finally arrived! Our new garden furniture set of 10 chairs and an extendable table from Fermob and it looks great on the terrrace! It took us forever to agree on what colours to go for but I must say that I am very happy that we went all crazy and chose orange chairs as they just pop against natures own palatte of grays, greens and blues. Love it!

Some pics from the garden....I couldn't resist including them!

New project

2011-07-01T08:18:00.001+02:00

So I have this new project that I've started. Will see if it ends up looking the way I've imagined in my head...they rarely do ;-)

Closed but available....

2011-06-03T09:58:00.001+02:00

Last chance and reminder (I think :-)

2011-05-23T12:27:00.003+02:00

To take advantage of the great deals on the webshop before I close it down.
Go to www.pillove.se

In the words of Oprah...

2011-05-16T15:09:00.009+02:00

...here are some of my favorite things at the moment.

Have you forgotten?

2011-05-14T09:26:00.007+02:00

There's a sale at http://www.pillove.se/

Feeling inspired...

2011-05-10T08:13:00.001+02:00

Love

Charlotte

Blow out sale at PilLove

2011-04-25T20:20:00.005+02:00

So I'm having a grand sale at pillove.se at the moment. A lot or most of my products are half price so you wouldn't want to miss it! Check it out at http://www.pillove.se/

Love,

Charlotte

Featured in Swedish Magazine

2011-03-21T18:00:00.005+01:00

So, I'm happy to say that my business was featured in the latest issue of the Swedish interior decorating magazine - Allt i Hemmet. Feels great that my idea of sharing and injecting color into Scandinavian homes are shared and encouraged by other professionals within the business.
Buy the issue and take a look for yourself!

Now I love unique stuff...

2011-03-15T11:04:00.008+01:00

...for childrens room and I discovered these great elephants made by Fern & Feather and bought at http://www.reverie-daydream.com/. Hand made and just a work of art!

However, and this is a big however....they are simply too expensive for my wallet. Now there might be some of you that are much better off than me, so I still had to share these lovelies with you!

Why are so few Scandinavians...

2011-03-15T10:44:00.007+01:00

...catching on to ikat fabrics and the Suzani trend? Now I keep seeing all these inspirational pics in international magazines and on blogs showcasing homes decorated with the most stunning ikat fabrics and Suzanis but for some strange reason Sweden (at least) is not catching on to this trend. Are we simply afraid of too much color (which would not surprise me)?

Now if you don't like the batik effect then I guess you won't go for an ikat pillow for you sofa (I must admit there are versions of ikat weaving that I'm less fond of and I'm not a great fan of batiks). But I have come to love this craftmanship and most of the colors a absolutlety stunning as they are so vibrant but all naturally dyed. Check out these pics (all borrowed from Absolutley Beautiful Things) and be inspired!

And be sure to take a look at the ikat pillows available in the shop as well as my two stunning Suzanis www.pillove.se

Chair on left upholstered with a Suzani.

Chair upholstered in a vibrant ikat fabric.

A Suzani dressing up a crisp white loveseat making it all the more interesting to look at and sit in!

Business is slow....

2011-03-15T10:17:00.002+01:00

So lately business has been REALLY slow and I keep asking myself if it's worth the hassle with all the bills (...unfortunately they keep coming eventhough business isn't exactly booming...). So when I get an email from a lovely person like Frida Svahn (check out her website and blog addresses below!) telling me how lovely she finds my shop and products, the day suddenly seem just a tad brighter ;-) Take a look at her website, maybe she could offer you some help in turning your home a tad more fab!

Frida Svahn stylist and interior decorator http://www.fridasvahn.se/

Huggies from moi!

What's your favorite thing for spring?

2011-02-04T15:49:00.018+01:00

So I was sitting here in the library (our office/stockroom/playroom) where I have an excellent view of all the fab products that PilLove carries. It's a really inspiring place to be but at the same time it's daunting as you have a complete overview of all the things that you have yet to sell!

I had my accountant here the other day (closing the books for this year) and I was happy because I had a positive result this year....I had roughly around 1000 sek in profit this year and then I hadn't been able to withdraw any salary for myself for the last one and half year that the business have been running. So if you wanna get rich don't start this kind of business ;-)

I do love it though and I have learnt so many things in the last couple of years that I wouldn't trade the experience for any money in the world (...well maybe 10 million Swedish crowns could change my mind ;-). I have taken the position from day one that this is something that I will do as long as it is fun, and if I can bare the thought that it's not gonna make me stinking rich (I will have to make do with a pillow cover or two ) then that's fine.

Coming back to our library/office/stockroom....I was looking at all the pretty, colorful and just lovely items that we have adorning our walls, I decided that if I were to close down my business today I have an ocean of lovely items to decorate and make our home even prettier. That's when it hit me....what are my favorites at the moment and so here they are....here's my wishlist for Spring/Summer 2011:

Let me know what your favorites are and also if you'd love to see me stock a brand or product that you have a hard time finding on the Scandinavian market.

Lots of love,

So here below you will find a pic or the item that's on my list:

1. The most wonderful flower pillows, handsewn in designer fabric.

2. A beautiful Suzani at the end of our bed (first picture shows one of the two Suzanis that I have fore sale in the shop)

3. Pillow with a statement. Organic felt pillow covers with cool statements.

4. Now these owls will never get old, they are ful of personality and just says "fun". Handmade by a woman in Malasia.

5. Lovely pillows from Bonjour mon Coussin my favorite - Flower - second from top.

6. An explosion of colors are the covers in PilLove's own collection. Usually done in kimonofabric or batik fabric. Here's a selection of the range.

Me on being a stranger....

2011-02-01T18:20:00.018+01:00

I really feel bad about not being more active on the blog, and I know I keep saying that I will get better and I will....and I will tell you why....keep reading!

The thing is I'm desperately trying to juggle a full time job with being a mum and running the business on the side and the 16 hours ( I need to have my 8 hour of sleep! ) that I have available just aren't enough! Now I know it's important to update a blog, why else have one!? I just hope you can excuse me for being a stranger on the blog.

One thing I've learnt is that it's not easy to reach customers when your products are only available online. This goes especially for textile products like mine, where the customer tend to want to feel the fabric, look at the colors and maybe even borrow a cover or two to see how they would look like in their counch or together with a particular bedspread.

Ok, so for the good news that I wanted to share! I will be more available in the near future (starting this summer). You see I have a little one baking in the oven, and he or she is expected to arrive in the end of June or beginning of July. My hope is that I will have more free time on my hands (good luck to me with two small kids, right!) ...one can dream! ;-)

For this time I'll leave you with some inspirational pics that I found yesterday when browsing the world wide web.

Take care & lots of love!

Charlotte

Now I never get tired of the utter beauty and craftsmanship of Suzanis and the story that they tell (if you buy the real deal). Pic no. 1 show an alternative way of using a Suzani. Maybe if you have a Suzani that has lots of damage to it like tears and/or holes or spots, you might dare to put the scissors to it and cut out the pieces that are still intact and make a beautiful ottman like this. Second pic is stolen with pride from Nest Decorating and the last one showcases one of the two Suzanis that I have for sale. This one is a silk Suzani from Uzbekistan c:a 1976...STUNNING!

Beautiful cottages in Kent, pic borrowed from Steffan MacMillan on flickr. Now that's daring....imagine painting your house in any of those colors! I'd love to live on that street! I imagine you wake up with a smile every day or at least when you go outside to pick up your newspaper ;-)

All images above are taken from my decorating guru no. 1 Anna Spiro at Black & Spiro. It's from one of her many fab decorating assignments. I could just take it all and incorporate it into my house and be happy for the rest of my days. I JUST LOVE IT! She always use bold and daring colors...just the way I like it!

I just had to include this pic that I took with my iPhone this summer when visiting a garden exhibition held in a the gardens of Sofiero castle, just outside Helsingborg, Sweden (the castle used to be the Swedish king's parents summer estate ;-) Now that's a flower arrangement!

A very Happy New Year to you all!

2010-12-28T10:24:00.001+01:00

Paris...oh Paris...

2010-11-17T10:55:00.005+01:00

So one particular cover from Bmc has caught the eye of many -Paris no 4 - which I'm sorry to say is not available in the store at the moment as they are all sold out. Now Paris no 4 has been featured in Sköna Hem (Sweden's biggest magazine within interior design/decoration in terms of most reader's), the travel issue of Expressen (a supplemt to the national newspaper that gives all kinds of travel info...so why not include a map of Paris ;-) and now it's going to be featured in Dagens Nyheter a national newspaper that has a rather large audience. So in other words SUPER FUN and great sales for me, yeah! (=I'm still poor and barely able to pay my bills)

Now I have to confess, I don't really get the big fuss about this particular pillow cover. I mean it's nice, super nice in fact, but I will always prefer the more colorfull ones by BoC. Now I guess if you have a particular relationship with the beautiful city - say you lived in a particul part of Paris and that is shown on the map or a particular street - I get it. I would love to see maps of other cities as well, like Rome, New York, Tokyo and London but in more color :-)

Ahh well, anyhoot....I really just wanted you all to know that I've placed a new order for the Paris covers and that they will hopefully be in the shop within a few weeks (expect at least 3 weeks delivery). You are more than welcome to reserve a cover, making sure you get your hands on one. Just send me an email and I will fix with all the details.

Have a great weekend!

Bamboo craze

2010-11-06T18:28:00.006+01:00

So I know I've said it before but I'm absolutlely in love with bamboo and would love to have more chairs and tables in all sorts of crazy colors. The thing is, it's almost impossible to find ones of great designs...like the ones included in the pics below. I guess the choice of bold colors is what catches my eye....and I'm sure the daring colors can be credited to the climate, which is quite different in Australia than it is here in Scandinavia....but still....I wish we weren't as afraid of using colors...

This pic is from Decor Pad

...and this as well...
...but the rest are all from Absolutely Beutiful things

So I was actually out...

2010-11-02T19:38:00.018+01:00

..."shopping" the internet for inspiration for my two new project - an art/photo wall and a new headboard for our bed. I came across so many inspirational pics I thought I'd be generous and share them with you :-)

Love the mix of just about everything...a memorabilia wall with all your favorite things, makes it personal and homey. Image from the blog Absolutely Beautiful things.

From my all time favorite blog in the whole wide world - Absolutely Beautiful things. And YES! absolutely everything she posts on her blog is fabulous and I'd buy a ticket to Brisbane to visit her shop Black & Spiro and I'd probably never leave unless I can bring everything in the shop with me! This bedroom was done by Anna herself (blogger and owner) and I LOVE it! It's right up my alley with all the wonderful colors and the many decorative pillows on the bed (of course....you can NEVER have enough pillows!) and to top it off she has a wonderful Suzani at the end of the bed...ahhh...Love it or die! Check out the two vintage Suzani's that I have in the shop (under "Selected by pilLove"). Enough said about this picture, lets move on....

A hotel suite anyone? Now I really like this room but it would never work for me as has too much of a hotel vibe and let's be honest who in their right mind has a bed where the sheets don't have one single wrinkles on them and where every little thing is in its place? Who doesn't have any clothes lying around or anything else that migh show that there are actual people living in the house/apartment, and not Barbi and Kent. But like I said, I like the room, it's just not realistic! So it's not an option...moving along....

Now this is neither a wall or a headbord but it was just so cool I had to include it! This sofa is super nice with it's clean lines, and it's a perfect mix of the black and white striped cushions and the decorative pillows with graphic prints...it's fab...really....buuut I don't do graphic prints it's just not me...

Super cute! Love the vintage patchwork quilt (wish I had one!) and the headboard with Love is just adorable!
To sweet for our bedroom though...

Love a noteboard/mood board that is jam packed like this. It's great (cheap) art for your walls and really expresses you as a person.

Another great room from Anna at Black & Spiro! Great mix of decorative pillows, love the paintings!

Super cool alternative headboard, would be über nice in a teenage boy room, well I'd love it in our bedroom as well buut not this time. By the way, where would I ever find all the letters? It would take forever and days spent roaming flee markets, and for the record, we don't even have cool ones where you would find anything remotely as cool as these letters! So nope won't happen...

Another great pic stolen from Black & Spiro, love everything in this picture. The green color on the walls (why paint white when you can stare into this green wall everynight?!) The poster...me want!...the chair, expecially the cushions, the über chic lamp in turquoise, the orange trash bin (love the wild combo of colors!! L-O-V-E IT! and to to finish the perfect setting - two beautiful bouquets, ahhh I'm in heaven!

So as you can see there has been no decision made on the headboard and as for the art/photo/memorabilia wall...I'm slowely getting there. I'm doing some photo editing in PS at the moment and I have to buy some new frames and well the headboard will have to wait a couple of days....or weeks ;-)

Love,

Oh dearest I have...

2010-10-14T21:02:00.017+02:00

... fallen in love AGAIN! How is this possible??

Now the greatest thing about my job is getting my hands on products that I like, love or crave and of course being able to offer them to you - my lovely customers - at a fairly reasonable price. The worst part is that it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to choose, as there are SO MANY fab products out there and even though they might not be the most expensive products for me to buy, my wallet is fairly thin, which is forcing me to be very picky when deciding on what to buy(hmmm....which in a way is also a good thing....ahh....well...anywaaay...). Now the products below are excellent examples. I would love to buy this suppliers' whole collection as I just LOVE IT! But unfortunately I can't, as I simply can't afford it. And also, I don't want to risk sitting on a large stock of items that you - my customers - for some strange reason have decided that you don't want (I admit...sometimes I just don't get you...I'm sorry....but I mean how can you not want to buy all my stuff???) Take a look at these pillows and quilts aren't they just wonderful?

Now am I crazy, or is this the coolest bed spread ever?? Me want a lot!

... and yes I agree these kind of frilly unnecessary things - like Lavender bags - aren't...well...necessary but they are still lovely ;-)

Me L-O-V-E a L-O-T!

Just lovely...makes me smile...

Again...what's not to like???

Sweet butterflies for your darling...

The Fair Traded Travel bag...

2010-10-14T20:43:00.014+02:00

...will soon arrive in the shop. Now as usual I've only ordered a few, 8 in total. However, there is new addition - the Eco Jumbo Bag (I only ordered 2). Now this wonderful bag should be great for keeping all your dirty clothes a little less dirty ;-)

When it comes to the travel bags I've ordered the large ones as well as the medium sized bags & I think they are P-E-R-F-E-C-T!

The medium size bag

Now here is the new addition - the Jumbo Eco bag

A close up of what used to be a very nice looking cement bag

Want one yet?? Better hurry!

What's wrong with this picture?

2010-10-05T18:13:00.013+02:00

There's something special about the sunlight in the late afternoon. It has that soft warm glow that just makes averything look that more appealing, it makes me long for summer AGAIN. And even though we've had a beautiful autumn so far, I keep wondering why one choose to stick around when the climate is not that appealing most of the year.

Here are some pictures that I took this afternoon, I think they show off the products beautifully, what do you think?

A decoupage stool, perhaps?

2010-10-04T17:33:00.006+02:00

So feeling creative yesterday I decided to make my daughters rather boring stool a little more attractive. It's amazing what transforming power a little glue and a few pieces a paper can have!

I know...

2010-09-29T14:55:00.013+02:00

...you're thinking what happend! It's like a got publishing diarrea...three blog posts within a few hours! It's crazy ;-)

I just remembered that I have been meaning to share my latest "work of art" (well you'll be the judge of that). I'm really happy with how it came out, though I haven't decided if I'm done with it yet. I just might do some tweeking. I have this love for the color aqua or turquoise (well and pink...I've always been crazy about pink! Makes me all happy and warm inside...) and the dreamy texture when everything in the painting is a bit blurry. This painting is called "Dare to be remarkable" which is such a great quote...

Now the original idea was to include all these paper flowers

in the tree (that I've made out of pretty paper) but now

I'm not so sure...will have to think about that...

Fab new things in the shop

2010-09-29T12:54:00.014+02:00

Brand new and absolutley gorgeous stuff have arrived in the shop. And since Swedish autumn showed itself from its absolut best side today, I decided to have myself one of my many "photo shoots" in our garden. Now, I make it a big thing to always showcase my products in natural light, after all that is the light that will be offered you - my customer - when you present them in your sofa, on your bed or floor And also it just depict the colors in a more correct way contrary to studio light which is rather harsh and revealing. Anyhoot, here are some nice pics of some of the latest arrivals in the shop, enjoy!

The simple joys of motherhood...

2010-09-28T20:44:00.010+02:00

Go get yourself the prettiest fake flower at the shop!

Now it seems time is just passing and the blog is not getting the TLC that I would like to give it and more importantly neither are my readers (the few but very cherished ones). The thing is I'm trying to work out this pussle called life and sometimes the pieces just don't fit together and well....things don't turn out exactly the way I want them to. Sounds familiar?(please say yes!)

The thing is, working full time, being a mother, picking up the sh%t spread all over the house by my darling daughter and hubbie, making up the bed, doing the dishes, the laundry, making dinner, washing that unpleasent odour from my body (where did that come from yiaks!), making all the phone calls that I've been putting off for far too long, running my business...bla bla bla....the 24 hrs of the day simply isn't enough.

It seems all creativity ends as soon as I walk through the door, with a tired and cranky 2-year old under my arm, who gets and absolute fit when she's not allowed to watch teletubbies (and no she's not allowed because then she falls asleep and mummy doesn't get her alone time in the evening), while I'm trying to get food on the table before all things take a turn for the worst (mummy starts sobbing, daughter starts screaming, food is burnt, pasta is overcooked...well you get the picture). So please forgive me for neglecting you all, I promise to be better!

The coolest thing

2010-08-31T21:39:00.004+02:00

So browsing the www for inspiration I found the coolest thing. Check out this program that turnes a collection of photos into the sweetest collage shaped as a heart or a circle or any other custom shape that you'd prefer http://www.shapecollage.com/ This is how my little family collage turned out.

These bags

2010-08-29T09:01:00.007+02:00

So I have been tempted to buy these weekender bags for ages but can't seem to build up the courage to buy them. You see I think people in general will find them too pricey and now I'm thinking of just treating myself to one. I'm leaning towards bag no 3...what do you think?

The bags are Fair traded made out of Ralli or Kantha quilts. Kantha is the name of the method that these lovely quilts from West Bengal, India are done in. Women in Bengal typically use old saris and cloth and layer them with Kantha stitch to make a light blanket or throw or beadspread. The women who make the quilts - that are turned into these lovely bags - work in a Fair Trade cooperative through which the members earn an income to support their families. A great initiative and buying a bag not only lets you own the most beautiful bag but help support a good cause. Just take a look aren't they beautiful!

If I ever win the lottery

2010-08-26T15:40:00.009+02:00

...this is what I'll buy! I saw these module sofa cushions when we where strolling along the streets of Palma (I hadn't a clue what brand they were). Then by chance I saw them in Living etc once we got back home, and voilá, now I know the name of the maker and that they are NOT - I repeat (and silently cry) - available in Sweden. Not that it makes that big a difference since i would have to buy another house first, preferably in Asia, since our house simply wouldn't do them justice. I could see one or two in our daughters room...a nice reading corner perhaps. But then again they would be far too expensive to waste on her room ;-) No, these are for mummy. I can just imagine myself in say Thailand...evening...nice summers dress on and a Mai thai...yupp....that's me when I'm like 60+....ahhh a girl can dream, can't she?

New owls arriving soon

2010-08-22T21:22:00.011+02:00

So I've just ordered a new batch of my lovely owls and everytime I look at the pics of the latest ones, they make me smile. They are just the coolest creatures ever and the fabrics and the craftsmanship is superb. Every child should have one and every sofa and bed for that matter. They simply have that je nais sais quoi that we all need to sprouce up our dull furniture with. I only ordered a maximum of 2 owls per design and in some cases only one. I want you to feel that you are pretty much unique in owning a particular design, so if you fancy one in particular you should be quick on your keyboard ;-)

Miss Pond Lilly

Miss Summer Bird

Miss Pink Peggy

Little Hermine Hoot

Cheeky Harry

New pillow design soon to arrive

2010-08-16T20:47:00.011+02:00

New ABSOLUTELY gorgeous pillow covers by Bonjour mon Coussin soon arriving at the web shop. As usual I only bought a few of each (a maximum of 4 but in most cases only 2) so if you have your eyes set on one, you better hurry! :-) Take a look at these beauties!

Back and rested?...

2010-08-14T13:22:00.010+02:00

...hmmm....I'm not sure...I think I could have done a week or two more in Mallorca. We had the most wonderful time and although we had time to relax (as much as is humanly possible with a 2 year old!) and had loads of great wine and food, I could easily have done a couple of more weeks. If we could dream a nice little dream we'd actually buy ourselves a nice litte finca and stay forever ;-)

Up...up and away!

2010-08-01T12:54:00.003+02:00

So I will take a little trip for a few days and re-charge my batteries, YEAH! So being a lonely camper i.e. running the business all by myself, I will need to close the shop for this period. You are all more than welcome to place an order, but it will be shipped earliest by the 13th of August. Thank you for understanding! You're the best!

Lots of Love,

Made a blanket...

2010-07-24T18:21:00.011+02:00

...this afternoon and I'm stoked about how it turned out. Now the fabric is really what makes the blanket and I am as always totally in love with the fabric! My daughter seems to be a fan as well ;-) Take a look isn't it just fab!

The fabric is to die for...
...right?

My PilLove tags has found it's rightful place ;-)

Patchwork love...

Where do I begin...

2010-07-15T20:26:00.006+02:00

...to tell you how abolutely gorgeous these flowers are. Handmade by a very talentad lady from Texas, USA. Now I have seriously contemplated keeping them ALL for myself and order new ones for my customers but I guess I'll do it the other way around : ) They are just so original and the craftmanship is beautiful. Get one before they're all gone. I only have four and they are all unique....one of each, so snatch your fave fast!

Nothing Else Matters - METALLICA - solo acoustic guitar - Igor Presnyakov

2010-07-13T19:53:00.000+02:00

Oh how I wish I could play the guitar...especially like this...beautiful!

Charity auction at lauritz.com

2010-07-12T19:12:00.003+02:00

So i was asked to participate in a charity auction where all money goes to Save the Children Sweden. How was I supposed to say no when it's for such a good cause. I hope to get you all to join in on the bidding! I'm sure you will find something that catches your eye, what about a luxury weekend at Yves Rocher Spa in La Gacilly, France? A trip to London for two? Concert tickets to Melody gardot in Båstad Sweden (me want a lot!) Check out all of the listings at http://www.lauritz.com/

Have a great day in the sun...

Love,

C

Got a request to do a guest blog...

2010-07-02T21:40:00.009+02:00

...and I was like....hmmm, let me think about it....Da'h! Of course I'll do a guest blog for you! I was contacted by http://www.shopoholic.become.co.uk/ and asked if I would consider writing a guest blog for them about pillows and I thought, hey! what the heck...if someone would like to "hear" what I'd have to "say" then that's great! So I wrote a little text about pillows - well actually it was more about my love for fabric then anything else. Space was restricted (if you ask me ;-) so I was limited in what I could fit into my "little" blog space, but I'm happy about how it turned out. Take a look for youself! www.shopoholic.become.co.uk/2010/07/pillow-talk

Who's a sucker for weddings?

2010-06-20T20:05:00.009+02:00

I had the most wonderful day yesterday. A friend and I had planned to go all out for the Swedish Royal wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel (now Prince Daniel ,-). My motto is; "If you haven't got a great excuse to wine and dine, than you quickly find one". And a Royal wedding is a GREAT excuse, as it only comes around every half century or so (if you're lucky ,-), so it needs to be celebrated! Below you will find some great pics of the food that were washed down with a bottle of nice wine or two.

The couple to celebrate - Victoria & Daniel - I just LOVED Victorias dress, stunning!

Ok, so here are some pics of the foods that we happily digested...mmm....who doesn't love a great buffet!

Cheese anyone?....Yes, please, and throw in some figs marmalade and I'm a happy woman!

Lovely are the year of pitter patter on the floor...

2010-06-18T12:10:00.005+02:00

My daughter - and my husband's ; ) - is now 2 and then some....and I just marvel at how lovely she has turned out (I'm very modest I know ; ). She is this darling little person with the most contagious smile and I keep thinking -like most parents probably do - how can we ever have another little being that is as perfect as this one. I keep thinking that she will always have a special place in my heart as she is my first born, but I know from friends and siblings that it's possible. The heart - amazingly - have plenty of space to love lots and large. And I do feel assured that there will be plenty of love left for a little brother or sister, if we are lucky to be able to have another beautiful baby some day. These are lovely days and the years to come will probably be equally great and I'm sure we will be graced with pitter patter on the floor in many years to come. There is something so special about these early years where they are so unspoiled and unaware of the world. I found this lovely quote that I just had to share...

"There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer and the morning more fragrant than ever again"

Oh how one wishes that they could just stay small...well except when mummy wants to go out for dinner with her husband or when I've had enough of the pulling of my clothes by a screaming 2-year old or when it would be nice to just sit down and have a cup of coffee for say 15 minutes and read the magazine that I just got in the mail : ) Ah like I said, these are lovely years! ; )

Custom order for customer

2010-06-16T11:42:00.006+02:00

...turned out GREAT! Lovely mild and summerish colors. My customer - who couldn't stand the color red, which is why she opted for pink - wanted a a matching bedding sets for her girls and this is what they look like when finished and ready to be shipped. As the mild spring green matched the soft pink we went with green instead of turquoise. The pictures are all summerish and lovely....I'm thinking sand between my toes...sunburnt and salty skin touching cool sheets...mmmm....

Flower Power makes a room stick out

2010-06-14T11:29:00.005+02:00

Soon there will be new soft additions in the shop. The most wonderful hand made flower pillows that you could ever imagine for your bed, sofa or kids room will soon appear on my door step. Ahh! They are gorgeous. And even though they don't have the lovely smell that real ones have, they will still help you have a touch of summer around the house once the darker and more gloomy days arrive. Check them out, aren't they just lovely!

A celebration of many good things...

2010-06-09T20:42:00.007+02:00

I took a little trip with my dad the other day and walking along the streets of Helsingör (Denmark) - minding my own business - this chair started to talk to me! It's crazy I know! It kept whispering "buy me, love me, you know you want me", and before I knew it, this other chair (they must have been related) started pleading as well (well there wasn't much begging goin' on as I'm pretty easy) "pleeease buy us both"...."we'll make your house look pretty"..."I know there's a bump or two, even some tears but we're not that expensive and...". Before I could tell them both to "shut up....I'm poor, let's talk after payday", there I was in the store talking to the sweet man owning the shop, asking for a good price if I buy them both and voilá! here they are in our dining room all pretty and happy and beautiful....

So in the evening we celebrated...well not that I bought the chairs (if we celebrated with Champagne every time I bought a chair I'd by one at least every week!) No we had some other stuff to celebrate. And when I saw the bouquet (that my hubbie bought for me...he does have impeccable taste in flowers...knows all of their names too?? what's that all about??) the Champagne and my exquisite chairs I was inspired to share them all with you. So here they are...

Garden pretty...

2010-06-06T22:06:00.006+02:00

The summer is so wonderful with all it's beautiful flowers and colors! I had to share some pics that I took in the garden today. Makes me long for long days in the garden, sitting in a loungy chair, sipping some lemonade having a freshly baked cinnemon bun...reading a good book, feeling the sun on my face, having to wear sun glasses...ahhh....the season of just being....what wonderful days these are. Hmmm just looked at the weather report and it shows...rain, rain and rain all week!

So I had a little Marrakech inspired party

2010-06-03T10:33:00.012+02:00

...in the garden yesterday. Well not really, but it does look like it from the pictures I took. I felt inspired to inspire and thought I'd make an installation with some of my favorites from the store. They all contribute to make the outdoors so much more inspirational and extend your livingspace as you suddenly - with summer arriving - have that extra room...hmmm...well that is if you have a garden, terrace or balcony, otherwise you're screwed ;-) You simply have to carry your lovelys to a park or the beach...that works as well! Anyway here are the pics....enjoy your day in the sun!

Lots of Love

So what you see is my batik floor pillows; the green one in the bambo chair that I actually spray painted black the other day, and the pink one on the floor. The Uzbek Suzani as the table cloth, STUNNING! The zebra patterned pillows in green and pink, the Hmong shawl draped over the chair and the Bonjour mon coussin pillows in the bambo chair as well. All the way in the back is one of my paintings "You are exactly where you ought to be".

Batik pillow for the floor 70x70 cm and painting...ah! what gorgeous colors!

More batik pillows sold in a set of three...this pic shows two out of the three...

Funky Bonjour mon Coussin pillows in my newly painted chair with a lovely batik pillow (70x70 cm)

Hmong shawl in the back, hand printed zebra pillows, the third batik pillow (from the set of three) and my painting.

Another one of my paintings "Lonely is not the only company"

YEAH! They have arrived...

2010-05-31T11:27:00.004+02:00

...and they are every bit as wonderful as I had imagined. Will show up in the shop in the next couple of days...

The lovliest of lovely...

2010-05-28T14:18:00.015+02:00

...pillows have arrived! Oh dearest I have a new crush...my new batik pillows are SUMMER in fabric, GT in a pilllow, the tropics and the beach wrapped up in a square! They are simply put - to die for. They will look absolutley gorgeous on the porch or the terrace....on your lawn or trown casually in a pile on the floor...they are so diverse in their use and will just bring that je nais sais quoi to any summer day and be an exclamation mark when the short dark and gray autumn afternoons come creeping. They simply put a smile on anyone's face!

Mother's Day sale at PilLove

2010-05-26T12:19:00.004+02:00

In honour of the hardest working women in the world - OUR MOTHER'S - PilLove will host a huge sale at the shop - http://www.pillove.se/. Get a colorful gift for your equally colorful mother, wife or stepmother.

Lot's of hugs to all you mother's out there!

My daughter really loves...

2010-05-20T08:54:00.006+02:00

...the toddler bedding set that her mom has made for her (which lucky for you ; ) is also for sale at the shop ; ) I just had to share some pics when she's relaxing (=looking at videos of herself on mummy's cell ; ) Today's kids...I swore Í wouldn't let her watch telly too soon, play with the computor, eat suger, stay up too late etc etc. Some rules have definitely gone lost along the way...

I just can't get enough of these bright green colors..

You are exactly where you ought to be

2010-05-15T23:42:00.007+02:00

So it's amazing how you can just swim in your own pool of selfcenteredness (for lack of a less negative word!) when you have your own blog. And I do not intend to be modest (it might be a nice quality but it doesn't sell your work and let me tell you I ain't rich yet sooo...in true Jerry Maguire spirit "Show me the money!" :-)

Anyhoot, here's my latest attempt at being creative...a painting. This one has the following note to self...or word of wisedom; "You are exactly where you ought to be" - a lesson a very wise lady tought me...well actually I'm still trying to learn that lesson ; )

So sit down, reflect and enjoy where you're at. Why is it that we're always wanting for something else?

...a nice comfy chair to sit and reflect in

...with cute butterflies to keep you company

I have a new found love

2010-05-12T19:35:00.008+02:00

I'd love to have these hand made belts included at the shop. I can just see myself in a pair of jeans, white T-shirt, one of these belts and ballerina shoes - et voilá! How fresh is that! If you're interested in a belt, please let me know - charlotte@pillove.se

Gotta love...

2010-05-03T22:33:00.006+02:00

...these chairs! Now I've tried to make it a rule not to be a blogger that just spits out "I love this", "Gotto have", "Crave this", "Look at that", "Buy this", "Get that"....as there are probably millions of bloggers that offer this kind of stressful service : ) But hey! Thank God that rules are ment to be broken because...I WANT, CRAVE, LOVE GOTTA HAVE, GOTTA BUY these chairs : ) Now all I have to do first is win the lottery! As always I'm not leaning towards buying the white, black or gray chairs...no mousy grays for me...I want color...lots of color that says HEY! Look at me, sit on me, smile at me, love me, I will make you happy....and oh yes dear you do...YOU MAKE ME HAPPY!

And zee chairs are from zee wonderful French Tolix

A parent of the world...FINALLY!

2010-05-02T22:38:00.006+02:00

Ok so I have a confession to make. I've said for years that I had to donate to Unicef and become a "World parent" or Världsförälder as it's called in Swedish and I'm ashamed to say that it has taken this long. I guess a great contributor to me joining this year is that I have a child of my own and every picture of a child or scene shown from Haiti, Cambodja, Zimbabwe or wherever.... has this tendency to crawl under my skin and all I can think is "that could be my daugher". I found these pics via Unicef website and I just thought the contrast between the first four pics and the photo of my daughter says a lot. Haven't made a difference yet? It's never too late...

The nail is painted to show that this particular child has received it's vacination. With millions of children getting vacinated per week it's hard to keep track.

Finally...I'm on etsy.com

2010-04-27T11:40:00.003+02:00

So I finally took the time to register my stuff on etsy.

Wanna buy my designs at a favourable price check it out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ebbsen

Spring vibes on the blog...

2010-04-22T18:55:00.009+02:00

So I decided I had to get a more spring-ish feel on the blog, so for now I will dress everything up in this beautiful flower dress. It does work well with the overall them of the "COLOR me happy theme" here at PilLove ; ) Hope you like it too!

Ohh....talking about spring I just had to include this pic taken in our garden a couple of years ago. This green oasis has been a distant memory the past year after I managed to "kill off" our lawn last year : ( If you'd like to know how I did that, give me a call ; ) I don't make it a habit of sharing my most embarrassing moments with just anyone ; ) Anyhoot, we are rolling out new grass tomorrow and I can't wait to actually have the garden dressed in green again. Just look at the picture and the colors, it's all natural no color enhancement here...."grönt är skönt" as you say in Swedish!

Fabulous fabric

2010-04-22T18:30:00.006+02:00

Got some new fabric yesterday. As always it's something new to fall in love with. It's called Beach balls as the fabric is - as one might guess - covered with beach balls. The colors are so fresh and vibrant and I just love the way the work together. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it. I'm thinking pillow covers 50x50 cm, floor pillows 65x65 cm or maybe toddler bedding....hmmm....it's tough to decide.

Baskets from Bali

2010-04-19T10:37:00.009+02:00

Ok, so I have fallen completely in love with these hand made, hand painted baskets from Bali. I would love to offer them to my customers but I'm not sure they would pay the price that I have to charge : ( Take a look aren't they just beautiful!

This is how they cary them when they go to the temple with blessed offerings.

They come in all kind of shapes and sizes...

...I am of course especially fond of the baskets with vibrant colors like these...

I also made this...

2010-04-19T09:31:00.017+02:00

...to die for duvet cover for toddler. I think the print is oh-so-cool and the colors will make any room pop! It has that lovely retro feeling but is still super fresh! I have decided to take orders for this, i.e. you can place an order for your darling or darlings if you happen to have severals ; )and choose what matching fabric you'd like. You can choose from seersucker in red and white or turqouise and white. Send me an email specifying what you'd like or place an order online via the shop - http://www.pillove.se/ or my shop at etsy. Expected delivery time is 1-2 weeks depending on my work load. Thanks!

Price SEK500 (incl. one duvet cover and matching pillow cover)

How I spent my weekend

2010-04-19T09:19:00.005+02:00

So here's how I spent my weekend...saving shirts! : ) My husband wears a shirt to work everyday and I have finally found why that is a good thing...I can make super soft and beautiful pillow covers out of the used and discarded shirts (i.e. those with e.g. a hole on the elbow or a spot on the sleeve). It's a great way to make a second life product; the fabric is of good quality and since the shirts have been worn they are soft to the touch. Take a look at these, I think they turned out great!

They will probably end up here, i.e. in the bedroom. Makes great decor pillows matching the existing duvet cover and pillows. Throw a couple of these into the mix and you have a very chic boutique hotel feeling to your bed ; ) Hmmmm....now if I could only charge my guests.... ; )

How to decide...

2010-04-18T22:40:00.011+02:00

...I don't know?! So once again I'm trying to decide on what fabrics to choose for my new childrens line. This time I'm thinking of making duvet and pillow covers for toddlers with matching decor pillows. The fabrics below are some of the prints that I have just fallen in love with, however and this is a BIG one I will only go for two or maaaaybeee three designs/prints and I find it impossible to choose!

So the theme of this collection is "around the world" and this particular print makes me wanna travel the world and experience all kind of exotic places. The print will just trigger my kids imagination and take her all kind of far away places in her dreams....Russia, Tokyo, China her we come! Sleep tight honey bunny!

My kind of retro....just L O V E it!

The cutest print ever!

Let's go visit the jungle, shall we? A great print! Lot's of crazy colors and prints of animals like lions, monkey's and exotic birds.

My work...

2010-04-14T21:19:00.009+02:00

...in a tree : )

More inspirational pics

2010-04-14T21:08:00.006+02:00

...of the "gotta have" pillows...as always I wonder why anyone would choose a pillow that is grey, white, blue or brown (or any other dull color for that matter), when these exclamaition marks could be yours. If your one of "those" these pics should make you reconsider : )

How can one NOT want these pillows?

2010-04-14T20:58:00.005+02:00

So you may or may not have noticed that I represent Bonjour mon Coussin pillows at the shop and I have been meaning to take some inspirational pics of them so that my customers can see that they are to DIE for! They come in with the coolest of prints and some are just bursting with colors. Look at these...whats not to love? Took this pic this morning in the garden in my Japanese cherry tree that are bursting with pink flowers. I think the pillows appear to float...

Oh my lovely kitchen table

2010-04-13T20:33:00.006+02:00

...you look so nice all raw and natural, I wish I could keep you this way! My kind and hard working father helped me sandpaper down the table top (took him a whole afternoon, thank...thank you...thank you dad!) so that the beautiful wood would come through. Gone are the awful wet spots and the varnish that used to cover the table top. Now the finish is all natural and soft as a baby's butt. I wish I could just keep it this way but this is not utopia (meaning we have a kid, we drink wine and eat dinner at the table) so the table will haft to be treated. Ah well at least I now have pictures to document it when it was all blond and natural and lovely.

oh, I bought this beautiful ceramic bowl today...I have longed for it and now it's mine!

You can see the before color on the legs, they are a bit darker but works really well with the top.

I forgot to say...

2010-04-10T15:43:00.006+02:00

...that if you live in the nearby area PLEASE feel free to drop by and take a look tomorrow. Have yourself a nice glass of wine, browse, enjoy the nice weather, meet some new exciting people...have a cracker or two or maybe a cup cake (my husband is all keen on making them and who am I to say no!??) Check these out, he made these for our daughters b-day. Hidden talent...I tell you, he should change direction and work with something more creative ; )

Hugs & kisses

C.

Spread the Love...

2010-04-10T09:33:00.022+02:00

So I'm having an open house for anyone interested in getting their hands on some color splash for their home. I spent the whole day yesterday arranging (with the help of my lovely mother) all the goodies...let me tell you, it is truly time consuming! Phuu! We took a short but very needed break for lunch which luckily gave us our inspiration back. I am very happy with the result, what do you think?

The goodie table...
Yum!

All warm and cozy in color...classic touch with helkat pillows...

Here's the culture corner showcasing, batik fabric, hand embroidered Suzanies, hand woven ikat pillows from Uzbekistan, hand embroidered Hmong shoulder bags from China, Hmong hilltribe batik, hand embroidered pillow case and shawls from Hmong hilltribes.

A close up...

The red corner....all warm and lovely colors...pillows with lots of humor in textiles by Japanese textile designer Etsuko Furuya.

It's spring but somehow this is autumn for me....still gorgeous though...for those looking for a warmer palette.

Oh yes! All bright and bold...this is so crisp and just makes me Happy with a capital H.

More of summer! Where's my 30 degrees celsius, bright blue sky, chilled white wine and sandy toes?

Gone a little night creature crazy? Get your dose of owls...

How can one not LOVE turquoise....it makes me long for summer days on the beach...or a deserted blue laguna in a distant exotic part of the world...

More "Turk" love : ) with sprinkles of bright pink...

Childrens corner...

More goodies for the little ones...

Bedding for baby/toddler....owl friend to keep your darling safe at night : )

Close up...a fish anyone?

New Batik fabrics in bright summer colors...this picture does not bring them enough justice, they have to be experienced...touched...

If I had twins...

2010-03-26T15:28:00.009+01:00

...I'd buy this set of baby bedding! Oh the colors, the pattern....I'm in love! It's summer in fabric....spring in bedding...it's LOVELY!

New duvet cover and pillow

2010-03-25T15:01:00.010+01:00

So I have fallen completely in LOVE with this new batik fabric and I decided that it would be absolutely beautiful as a duvet and pillow cover for a baby/toddler. Is it just me or is the bedding available in stores made in fabrics with the most awful or predictable pattern...like Mumin trollen or Tummelisa (aka Moomin or Thumbelina). One can actually make a set that will be appreciated by the child as well as the adults...just look at this!

Pimped IKEA stool

2010-03-22T11:21:00.010+01:00

So Ebba needed a stool in the kitchen and friends of our had bought these stools at IKEA and they were super popular with their kids. I wanted to spice it up a little as it comes "au naturel". An hour later and some wallpaper and decoupaging et voilá the stool looks really snazzy....and yes I'm aware of the fact that the top piece is upside down...arrrgh!

New Owls Hand Made by PilLove

2010-03-21T12:03:00.011+01:00

New owls are now available on the webshop. These are a hand made by moi and are a little bigger (approx. 10 cm) than the smaller ones I buy from Malasia and softer. More plush and big enough to rest a little tired head on. They all have names and a specific personality, which one will you choose?

Ella Bella (sister to Ellie Elephant tummy)

Beautiful Bird

Bobbie Brown (brother with Geen the Green)

Geen the Green

Petronella Pants

Ellie Elephant Tummy (sister to Ella Bella)

Crazy Car(l)

Garden Pretty

New Lamp shades for the Living room

2010-03-18T21:19:00.003+01:00

So I have been wanting to buy a pair of velvet shades for our lamps in the living room and I finally found a pair that works really well (although I would prefer if the inside had been lined with another color besides white...I could see them lined in musterd/gold which gives that soft warm light mmm....I like. Anyway...they still bring a whole new vibe to the room ...I say welcome to our elegant boudoir ; ) Although it is still a little too bright to be a boudoir with white walls and white sofa ; ) We'll need to work on that...hmmm or I will have to dream about it as it will never happen if my husband has anything to say about it! (To be honest most of the time he doesn't.....buuuut I try my outmost not to TOTALLY run him over when it comes to decorating. I try to remind myself that he lives here too...even though decorating wise you wouldn't be able to tell : )

Bedding for Baby by PilLove

2010-03-18T14:58:00.005+01:00

This duvet cover and matching pillow case in the softest of cotton with a retro print will make your baby's bed super cute. Check out the matching owls that are yet to be filled ; ) I just had to show how great they look with the bedding. The owls have a beautiful corduroy fabric on the belly from Liberty fabrics.

The bedding is SEK500
Measures: duvet cover 70x100 cm, pillow case 38x50 cm
Owls SEK500/owl

But them at the shop http://www.pillove.se/

Arriving in April

2010-03-15T22:25:00.004+01:00

So in April there will be a new addition to all the fabulous kiddie stuff at Pillove.se. Based in Luangwa Valley in Zambia this Fair Trade project employs between 150-220 rural Zambians. Their wonderful vibrant handpainted textiles are as likely to turn up in a New York loft as it is in a boutique hotel in Spain! Make your kids room spectacular and support a good cause

at the same time! The best way to shop...

The dolls have arrived!

2010-03-15T22:13:00.003+01:00

So the dolls have arrived and they are super cute! Will put a smile on anyones face...especially a sweet little girl. For SEK250 you can have one of these handmade Babushkas for your sweetheart. Visit the shop to check them out - www.pillove.se

Sleep tight...don't let the bugs bite!

Thank you Lucy...

2010-03-07T21:37:00.003+01:00

Thank you Lucy for your kind words...I had to steal this video from you. I cried when I listened to the music and saw the stunning video! Now it's stuck on repeat...simply beautiful...

Anyone out there?

2010-03-06T14:39:00.003+01:00

Can't believe that 2 years have past already...

Sometimes I feel like I'm having this monolog with myself since I seldom get any comments on my posts (I'n not complaining...just feeling lonely in my small blogger bubble). So this post is for all of you who takes the time to say...well anything really *smiles * (I'm not picky - believe me!) Big hugs to all of you!

But honestly one does feel kind of stupied or self-absorbed publishing all this information that I have no idea if anyone is reading or even interested in knowing anything about. It's silly really. I feel like Julie in the movie Julie & Julia when she writes on the blog; "is anyone out there?", "is anyone reading this?" *smiles*

Ahh well it does give me the opportunity to make my little mark in the world - a very very teeny tiny one - but hey it's still a mark!

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. We had the most wonderful weather today...feels like spring is in the air even though the temperature is just below freezing. Our daughter is turning two towards the end of March and we're planning of having a picnic in the garden even if we have to wear our winter gear; coats, hats, gloves and all *smiles*

Lots of love,

More night creatures...

2010-03-05T14:49:00.011+01:00

A new set of owls are done and for sale on the shop. Check them out! The last pic shows all of my owls that are fore sale in the shop at the moment. More coming up shortly! tHANks FOR stOPPinG By!

Presenting Miss Paisley Dream

She loves her cup of tea and biscuit preferably in the garden in the spring sun - needless to say she is eagerly waiting for spring when her colors match!

Here's Lila Lilly

She's a sweet little thing with a more careful personality. She doesn't like to get dirty. She's more into combing hair and painting nails.

Et voilá! The new collection!

New owl in retro 70s fabric

2010-03-03T09:13:00.006+01:00

Made new owl yesterday. This one has a piece of vintage 70s fabric on the belly of the owl. Super cute! and soft as a baby's butt ;-) Goes great together with the other owl. Both are for sale on the shop http://www.pillove.se/.

A new coat hanger please...

2010-02-28T18:43:00.006+01:00

I've had this thing that I'd like to do but I can't seem to get around to doing it. I'd like to spray paint a couple of mounted deer antlers in say bright red and use them as a coat hangers. I think it would look super cool and in a way it's a form of re use or second life product thinking. However, I have to get my hands on some antlers and preferably at a price that doesn't ruin me! Until then I'm inspired by these hangers however they would not work at our place...you know me...I always crave color ;-)

Ho ho hooot!

2010-02-28T10:54:00.009+01:00

Made an owl this weekend and it's now for sale in the shop at SEK 500. Front on owl in designer fabric by Alexander Henry. Super cute! Measures 34 x 33 cm.

I have a new love....

2010-02-25T18:41:00.007+01:00

If you're like me...i.e. you LOVE color you'll adore the new addition to the web shop! These handmade/handpainted dolls are made by a lovely woman in UK. Lova who was born in Madagascar but raised in Paris, France makes the most vibrant Russian dolls that will be the prefered choice for my daughter, WOW! I JUST LOVE THEM!

A new DIY project

2010-02-24T09:42:00.007+01:00

So I've been missing my own note board/Inspiration board. Something to look at when inspiration fails or when I need a reminder of what's important or where that certain business card is or my favorite pen ;-) So here you have it. It's ok...it's not great. I used what was available at home. Used a piece of my indonesian batik fabrics and some ribbon I had lying around. For storage I used old tin cans that I dressed up in some nice patterned paper and some trimming and ribbons. Some stapling later and after a few frustrating screams...(mainly at my 2-year old for going nuts with all the tools and tearing apart just about everything I did)...voilá! it's done.

Summer Lovin'

2010-02-19T10:06:00.010+01:00

Here's 50x50 cm that's bursting with summer colors. It's my "still-drying-so-fresh" painting ;-) I just put the finishing touches this morning :-)

In need of inspiration

2010-02-18T12:52:00.010+01:00

So I was roaming the internet this morning desperate for some inspiration. If you've read the recent post I've been feeling kinda shitty ;-) Trying to keep my inspiration and creativity flowing I needed an injection and where better to search for that then the world wide web. Thank god for internet and google ;-) So here's todays catch...

I am absolutely in LOVE with that chair...

Do you see a pattern? Bamboo...I just love it! I should be living somewhere else...

Not the usual way the "Egg chair" is pictured but I must say I prefer this...so personal...one of a kind...

Love the shade...and the unexpected dark wallpaper behind the light, pastel colors in the textiles..

The coolest kitchen....so boho chic...so cosy and inviting...nothing sterile here....

Same goes for this living room...(from the same featured article)...personal, homey, inviting...I can see myself all snuggly in the sofa in front of the fire with a cup of tea...mmmm...

Who say's you need a bookcase ;-) Kind a tricky when you need a book on say "shelf" no 3 though...also not so good with children goin' crazy around the house ;-)

Some inspiration for the little ones....this shelf is too cute...

Last shade...I promise!

2010-02-16T09:17:00.009+01:00

I had one last shade I hade to remake in my daughters room and here is the result. Pretty cute, don't you think? I wish I had a whole army of shades I could pimp. Visited some flea markets yesterday, didn't find a thing...and let me tell you I was DESPERATE, which shows just how bad Swedsh flea marets are. Well around here where I live anyway. Theres just a lot of crap that nobody wants in their own home so they leave it to the flea market. Like a dumpster of bad taste. I'm so disappointed! Maks me wanna move abroad all the more. An while I'm in this miserable state I might as well complain about the weather ;-) Where's spring? Where are my snowdrops and crocus? I'm getting tired of this looong and cold winter.

I'll listen to "The book of love" by Peter Gabriel and "A womans work" by Maxwell and all is well...

Love my stuff...

2010-02-15T13:25:00.003+01:00

I know you're not supposed to say that you love your own stuff but I DO! I included a collage of some of my products and I do LOVE them all!

Inspired by ikat & Suzani

2010-02-15T09:27:00.010+01:00

Ok, so as you may or may not know that I have inluded some ikat pillows in my pillow cover collection at http://www.pillove.se/. I think these hand woven silk fabrics are simply stunning and like many of the pieces for sale on the shop they have a wonderful history.

The images below just show a few different ways how ikat fabric POP UP just about everywhere. On the catwalk, on the wall, on your clutch or on a chair....I LOVE IT! The pillows that I have for sale are from Uzbekistan, hand woven by the most talented local artists from Tashkent.

I also have two beautiful vintage suzanis for sale on the web shop. These are also from Uzbekistan. These are a real treat for the eye. I included some inspiring images below on less traditional use of Suzanis.

Perfect to drape over a chair or a stool

Or drape it over the end of a bed

Abolutely fabulous as a table cloth on a round table.

One of the two Suzani's that I for sale on PilLove (circa 1971)