Lunch Nicoise!

J W Anderson @ Topshop today, London.

Today's outfit@ Established & Sons, London.

This morning @ Moooi, Portobello Docks.

Moooi cake for breakfast this morning. @ Portobello Docks @ London Design Festival

THIRD DAY AT LONDON FASHION SHOW AND ROCK TEA WITH SISTER OF SIBLING AND YVETTE

Third day at London Fashion Week (with pink jacket and print leggings from HM (www.hm.com) and blouse and sandals from Topshop (www.topshop.com)and bag from www.tedbaker.com,  with press reception at Fashion Scout and a more relaxing afternoon with Rock Tea and the W Hotel (Wardour Street, Leicester Square)with my very good friend Yvette.

The Rock Tea was turned into Fashion Tea by "punk designers" Sister of Sibling with their so signified animal pattern in shocking pink. Fun. It would have been an even better experience if W would have let the designers style the whole tea are with their cushions etc. Next time?

I spent this lovely afternoon with my lovely friend Yvette before some more fashion shows. Watch this space!

GIRLY NORWEGIAN FASHION AT LFW

Norwegian fashion designer Fam Irvoll upped her game and showed girly flimsy lovely dresses and sweet looking shoes. Well done!

Ankan in shocking pink & yellow @ London Fashion Week!

Yesterday outside Freemasons Hall in Covent Garden. I am for once in colour! This summer has been my yellow summer. Just added a new jacket (www.hm.com) to the outfit. Got photographed for The Guardian and by lots of other bloggers! Today I will be black and neon yellow I think!

On my way to London for a week full of London Fashion Week and London Design Festival. Watch this space!

London Fashion Week here I come!

NEW GOTH @ TOPSHOP

CHRISTMAS TRENDS FROM SWEDEN

It is just weeks before all the department stores and shops will start displaying and selling Christmas decorations etc. This is a little preview from Åhléns (Sweden's biggest department store chain) and some other agents I visited during the preview week in august. Ikea I will report from a bit later etc. Above a white and black theme with lots of grey. Birch bark as a decoration is not new but still going strong. White, pearls and glitter and sculls here we come!

Just look at these woolly reindeer's, lovely little creatures!

Knitted mugs and jugs etc, just an illusion, all in ceramic. Saw similar things in London more than a year ago. I wonder if the buyer went their for a look?

 More traditional and romantic Christmas with lingonberry and roses. Look at these lovely little one person pots, a trend for small portions we see in a lot of table ware stores today.

Old fashion fonts that takes you back to the Vikings, a theme we see around at the moment. BBC in England are showing a historic and archaeological program just now, very good and interesting. Linen and reindeer skin finishes the look off.

Red and black, dramatic Christmas with big stars and black sheepskin on the floor. I love the chandelier, makes me think of the Adams Family somehow.

Skeletons and sculls are in! Not only as jewellery and Halloween. Now they are our new guests for the Christmas tree. I bought some small ones in white last year for my sons tree at Paperchase in London.

NaNatural materials like birch bark and wood mixed with silver, glass and white shimmer, like frost on a cold winters day! Nice and fresh.

At Studio St Paul in Stockholm the Christmas was vibrant and happy. Look at these traditional candle holders in trendy pastel colours and the Swedish Clogs in Christmas tree green!

Stripy stars with a saffron yellow accent. warm and spicy colours for Christmas. Studio St Paul with Watt&Vekes Stars.

I will be back shortly with more Christmas from Ikea etc and a small autumn guide from my hometown of Stockholm. Now I am off to London to watch Anna dello Russos collection for HM and London Fashion Week followed by London Design Festival, oaaohh...

CHRISTMAS FROM ALESSI

Full of humour and imagination. Look at this bulbs from Alessi. More Christmas later today and tomorrow!

WOOLY HORSES FOR CHRISTMAS

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Yes, you are seeing Christmas decorations already. A couple of weeks ago in Stockholm I saw these wonderful wooly horses and mushrooms for your tree. The Swedish department store chain Åhléns showed their best Christmas in a long time. More of this in a bigger report tomorrow!

LOUISE GRAY @ TOPSHOP

IKEA CATALOGUE REVIEW 2013

I was invited to the launch of the new Ikea Catalogue two weeks ago. I went with big expectations. We were met by rugs on the pavement, furniture on the street, and fabrik arranged over scaffolding and hanging like washing between the houses of the narrow street of Snickarbacken in central Stockholm. The theme this year is the life at home, tips and ideas with textile and how to add personality to your home. Ikea had even done a survey about Swedish peoples relationships with curtains. I am not so sure they spent their money right here even though the result was that in spite of many Swedish homes are missing curtains most of the people wanted curtains at home and a lot of them do change them according to season. 

A working desk for making things in textile in the middle of the street to symbolise Ikeas new give about making things yourself. But not quite sure what to make except curtains, cushions and bedspreads? According to the catalogue why not make strange little flags and hang over your desk or mix different fabrics (do not bother to iron) on your curtain. It may look like you did not buy enough fabric and had to mix and match, but what the heck, its fun to make things yourself. Or why not tare ribbons out your fabric and cover the legs and back of your chair or the legs on the table. Gives you something to do on a rainy day? Or? Or why not hang some embroidery frames in you window, why not? Not so pretty but different.

Unfortunately the whole "exhibition" looked like it was put together in a hurry. And instead of having well known and experienced stylists or interior designers do the job Ikea had invited some bloggers to show some curtain work they have done. This guy had made curtains out of old Ikea Catalogues. Clever, but what has that got to do with textiles?

The whole display and styling was unfortunately a bit like the whole catalogue, not with any red thread and sometimes brilliant and sometimes hasty and strange. I do understand the will to move away from the big interior magazines very stylish and perfect homes but that does not mean that one has to make it fuzzy, busy and a bit too artistic. Like who would put an old used painting brush in the living room in a vase. And put big glass jars full of flour (or white paint powder or perhaps something more dangerous?) on a pile of books? I am a big fan of Ikea and have worked with them both as an interior designer for the catalogues, and as a stylist/journalist using their products in stories and homes for over 20 years. They are experts especially when it comes to storage and kitchens,  you go there because you want to have some order at home and not to look at chaos and unattractive dressings rooms. When it comes to the directory it looks a bit like a bad copy of a catalogue from the early 70-ies. But not arranged in any stylish way but like they have been put together randomly. Ikea can definitely do better. There are so many talented people already working with or for Ikea, some with a lot o experience and understanding of the products and the consumer. Use them! And I am already looking forward to next years catalogue, it can only be better!

CRAYFISH PARTY IN THE SWEDISH ARCHIPELAGO WITH HM AND IKEA!

Crayfish Party at Gåsö last Saturday. All you need is crayfish (if you are not in Sweden you can buy it frozen at Ikea), crips bread, homemade bread, cheese and butter. I also make a cheese pie, this time it was covered with fried Chantarelles! Lovely. Some beer and aquavit and some nice singing with the drinking and the party is going! Tablecloth from HM, table ware and glasses from Ikea!

We started the party with some bubbly wine, Crémant de Bourgogne, and some light nibbles made with melon and prosciutto ham and chorizo. That got the party started!

CUPCAKES FOR LITTLE GIRLS

I had some nice young visitors at Gåsö. And little girls get easily bored so I decided to make cupcakes. Here are the final results with (from left) Hannah, Moa and Celina.

We made small ones, big ones, with icing and with butter cream. The raspberries and blueberries are wild ones all picked by the girls themselves for this occasion.

This is some of the ingredients we used. The cases are from www.kalasform.se.

 We made some with lemon rind and some with chocolate.

Here are the chocolate ones. This is what you need

 125 g flour (2 dl), 1,5 tsp baking powder, 125 g sugar (1,5 dl, 125 g butter (softened), 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla sugar, 2 tlbs milk. If you have a food processor just mix all the ingredients together till you get a fluffy dough. If not. Start by mixing the sugar and butter and whisk it until white and fluffy. Add one egg at the time and whisk them in in between. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Add some lemon rind or cocoa powder (4 tbls) if you wish. Put into cases and bake for 15-20 min at 200 degrees C.

The girls busy decorating the cupcakes.

Celina busy sampling the cakes!

Cupcake with butter cream. Mix 125 g soft butter with 240 g icing sugar (4 dl) and 2 tbls milk until it is white and fluffy. Twirl onto thw cakes and add some decorations. If you prefer icing,  mix icing sugar with water, add a tiny bit at the time and whisk until you have the right consistency. Colour and spoon onto to cakes and decorate with berries etc

Fwd: Studs @ Kurt Geiger, if I was 17 I would have these right away. Fantastic disco shoes. Love them. £120 @ Heathrow .

Ann-Katrin Berggren
Freelance Journalist and Interior Designer
Member of the Swedish Union of Journalists,
http://www.stylistgruppen.se, http://www.creativecampden.co.uk
http://www.livingwithankan.blogspot.com
chairman of CCTC,
www.chippingcampdentennis.co.uk
The Castle
Castle Gardens
CHIPPING CAMPDEN
GL55 6JR
Glos
England
tel 0044 1386 841 017
mobile 0044 7957 351 894
Sweden
tel 0046 73 088 18 03
Gåsö
tel 0046 8 641 04 29


-----Original Message-----
From: Ankanberggren <ankanberggren@aol.com>
To: ankanberggren.gasosodra <ankanberggren.gasosodra@blogger.com>
Sent: Tue, Jul 17, 2012 1:06 pm
Subject: Studs @ Kurt Geiger, if I was 17 I would have these right
away. Fantastic disco shoes. Love them. £120 @ Heathrow .






Sent from my iPhone

Studs @ Kurt Geiger, if I was 17 I would have these right away. Fantastic disco shoes. Love them. £120 @ Heathrow .

TWO WAYS OF CONSUMING STRAWBERRIES

Two different ways of consuming the lovely summer berries. Yesterday I did this salad for lunch. Fried Halloumi, sliced mushrooms,sliced strawberries,  chopped cherry tomatoes on a bed of salad and topped with fresh coriander and a garlic vinaigrette! Fresh and full of spicy notes.

Soon time for the traditional crayfish parties in Sweden, and with it the traditional snaps. Try this fruity variation. Or just enjoy it with a herring lunch or with some tonic as a drink. In a glass bottle mix sliced strawberries with lemon rind and a sprig of rosemary! Top up with vodka. Let it rest for at least a couple of hours. Freeze or chill before consuming! Refreshing and uplifting!

NEON AND MELLOW YELLOW FROM H/M AND TOPSHOT ETC

My colour this summer, is as you already know, neon yellow. Here the best nail varnish. Nail polish from H/M, "I am not a kiwi", Neon Yellow form BarryM/Topshop and "Sunshine" from Rimmel. Animal print scarf in black&yellow and pink and plastic bracelet from H/M. 
Get mellow yellow now!

http://skynetplus.it/dofpla.html?rak=jwposw

SALADS AND SIMPLE SUMMER LUNCHES

I often have a simple salad for lunch. Depending of what i have in the fridge it will dictate my lunch. Here, boiled eggs, broccoli, green beans and feta cheese on a bed of salad.

Green beans again, my favourite green, cucumber, celery, leak on a bed of rucola. Topped with a mint sprig and a dressing made from sunflower oil, french mustard, light brown moscovado sugar, salt and pepper. Fresh!

This has become a summer favourite. Cooked chicken, strawberries, tomatoes, rucola and basil. Serve with a garlic based vinaigrette.

Tomatoes, rocket, cauliflower and ham. Simples!

And finally. My personal Swedish lunch special. Crisp bread with boiled new potatoes and mustard herring. You can get the bread and the herring at Ikea and Waitrose!