Creative Itch

I like to do and make stuff with my hands, but I put my 10-year-old jewelry business on hold when we moved to Sweden a year ago (today!).  I have complicated relationship with jewelrymaking.  My tools and metal and beads went into storage, and honestly I was ready for a break. It was what I thought about when falling asleep at night, what I was crazy about on Pinterest, and indeed my jewelry sold like hotcakes at a wonderful shop.  My business isn't like most of the home-business moms I knew who could simply order more products when stock was low.  I had to spend hours in the studio to restock, and I don't mass-produce designs so it was a lot of pressure.  I loved working in my studio but it competed with family time and I was worn out.  Moving overseas gave me a chance to shift gears and focus on something else.

Vanity painted & dark waxed by Darlene Deal

Shuttling the kids to and from preschool, cooking dinner from scratch every night, and getting settled in a new home/town/country kept me busy last spring.  Then we had an impossibly gorgeous summer with lots of sun and not-too-hot temps that made me actually want to be outside.  Photography served as my creative outlet, and I enjoyed having free time to write, bake, and read.  Fall brought the start of new schools for the kids and new friendships and opportunities for me, so I added the walking group and group tennis lessons to my schedule.  It was so great to have structure to my week with built-in time to see people.  Meanwhile I discovered chalk painting online and spent (ahem) hours learning about it from Facebook groups and pinning pictures of yard sale finds that people had transformed, dreaming about how I would love to do the same. I even developed a business name and logo, which was another type of creative outlet I apparently needed. Yes, I could go to second-hand stores here, but it's not like they're full of Gustavian settees and Mora clocks; think Ikea cast-offs.  And then there's the issue of getting pieces back to the apartment on transit, finding a place to paint (dining room?), and storing it until it sells. Or doesn't. I'm really glad I got to scratch that creative itch by trying chalk painting and waxing when we were home for Christmas.  I still want to do it, but I'm okay to shelve that hobby until we move back to the States.

Fall is usually my busy time to make jewelry with the inspiration of the change of seasons and stocking up for Christmas shoppers, but I didn't have my tools and supplies here.  I did manage to make this bracelet for a gift exchange, and friends asked if they could shop from the remains of my stock I brought with me from the States, but I was thrilled to not have the pressure of production during such a magical season here in Sweden.  However along with my jewelry tools I was also missing the other craftiness that comes with Christmastime... sewing felt ornaments, making cards, baking cutout cookies.  Yes, I could invest in another set of cookie cutters here, or hand-sewing supplies, but it's not the same as walking into my studio and already having what I needed (or being able to find things inexpensively at a single store like Michael's). And I did bring back some jewelry supplies from our trip to the States, but I haven't gotten back into it except for custom orders.  Spring is usually when I get inspired enough to break through my winter slump, and we're not quite there yet. And along with my complicated relationship with jewelrymaking comes my inability to separate the hobby from the business. I'm not that enthusiastic to build a business here, only to move back to the States in a couple of years and lose my customer base. Sure, the internet helps facilitate selling jewelry to those far away, but nothing beats being able to touch and feel and try on a piece before buying it.

January and February were spent framing out our travel for the first half of this year.  It takes me days and days of research and planning and pestering my fellow expats, and it's a relief to be past that stage, to have a break before diving into the details as each trip gets closer.  I'm really excited to see other parts of Europe while we're here, especially the different kinds of architecture. During that planning time I came across this ad for a sketch and paint tour, which introduced me to the concept of urban sketching where people draw buildings and other parts of city life on location.

I love the look of a pen sketch with a little watercolor and found several artists to follow for inspiration on Flickr.  I did a bunch of drawing and painting in high school, but that was ten twenty years ago, but lately I found myself in this mental struggle between wanting to try it again and fearing that I'd lost my ability.  Ultimately it gave me an excuse to buy drawing supplies, and today is the first sunny day we've had in a loooong time, so after the walking group I sat out on our stoop with a mug of coffee and a pencil and sketched the building across the street.  After 20 minutes my hands got cold but it was a good start. Photography is so much faster and easier, but there is something to be said for really studying something with your eyes and hands, for being able to omit tram wires and street signs.

Last week I did a pottery workshop offered through the PTA, so while it was raining slush outside we got to play with clay in Hanna's beautiful, warm studio.  I wanted to move in!  I slab-built a mug and threw a bowl on the wheel and it was so much fun.  My bowl didn't stay pretty like it was here, but I hadn't thrown a pot since I was at camp in 1990 so I'm not surprised.  The other students the workshop are talking about taking classes from the local art college, and I love that idea except the teaching is in Swedish.  It's a good option for when I get a creative itch.

Fall Pictures

I love taking pictures, and I have about a million and a half shots of our kids doing various things, but for the past couple of years I have made a point of having someone else take pictures of our family.  Good pictures.  Professional pictures with fall leaves, blurry backgrounds, coordinating outfits, and high-contrast awesome editing.  Unfortunately our beloved photographers were not available to fly over to Sweden this year, and I have neither the equipment nor the patience to do what they do.  But after church on Sunday as we were walking through the park by our apartment it dawned on me that I could take them myself, at least of the kids, and I really don't like getting my own picture taken anyway.  So later that afternoon I grabbed my camera and we kicked the ball around the park a little to get the kids running around.  None of those turned out, so then there was lots of me yelling, "Walk toward me. No, slow down.  Good, now do it again.  Please, sweetie, just do what I ask for five more minutes and then we'll do something fun." And literally in the span of seven minutes we got some keepers.

I was using my legs to zoom out (I just have a prime lens) and get a better angle, so Steve documented that on his phone.  LOL!

And then we took a walk...

...and had our traditional post-photography-session treat.  This year it was waffles from Cafe Kringlan.

They have a wonderful brunch spread, and I think this is where my dad would disappear to when my parents were visiting. 

Dark chocolate with dried fruit

Please taste!!  I actually wanted to see the plate's
maker's mark, but restrained myself.

On previous visits I've had one of these white things ^^^.  They're a chocolate mud cake topped with a crunchy meringue.  You knew I couldn't get through a whole post without making it about food.

Kanold Bakery

Celebrity food blogger Amanda from kevinandamanda.com recently visited Gothenburg and had an entertaining write-up.  (Disclaimer: She's sponsored by Volvo and the tourism board, so she's not paying for any of her expenses, they plan the trip for her, and she doesn't have kids.  Also, her photo editing style is supersaturated, so put your sunglasses on!  But I still find her endearing.)

One thing they must not have told Amanda about is Cafe Kanold, right around the corner from their chocolate shop Amanda visited in Victoriapassagen.  When my Tuesday morning walking/fika group did a city walk we ended up at this cafe for fika.  I've walked past it so many times, but never went in and I was immediately struck by its charm.

We were greeted by the lovely proprietor Jeanna Kanold and a huge selection of chocolates and baked goods.

I resisted the deliciousness and just ordered a house coffee (which was really good for the record).   My seasoned fika-mates knew what to order and then I wished I had a treat to eat, so later that night after dinner out with Steve I brought him back to Kanold. I ordered a scone, which may look like a healthy muffin when nestled among these other things, but not after you read the label.

Translation: 

Scone served with chocolate, berries, and whipped creammmmm.

Steve got a hot chocolate, which in the States would be considered sipping chocolate because of how rich it was.  Oh. my. word.  Another place to visit to ward off the winter chill!  Look at how pretty this chandelier looks in the dark.

I decided to savor the breadth of Kanold's offerings because this place is just a few blocks from home, so I look forward to trying some of the chocolates another time.  They feature things like chili flakes, liquer, gold leaf, sea salt, and pistachios.  The mocha chocolates contain the house coffee and are shaped like little mugs.

 Note to self: Figure out how to get sponsored to do this.  :)

Eat Street

Swedish-style, with heat lamps and blankets

Steve and I love to eat out, and one of my favorite places in my favorite city is Belden Place in San Francisco. (Read about two of our visits here and here.)  In the evening there are strands of lights adorning a block of restaurants with outdoor seating, each serving a different type of food.  Cafe Tiramisu is my favorite, the wonderful Italian place where I discovered puttanesca sauce.

In Gothenburg there is a block of restaurants like this on Magasingatan, and it's only right that we started at Magazzino, the Italian place.  The patio area is full of color; orange napkins, blue plates, bright blankets on the chairs, definitely a festive vibe.  I suspect a lot of the hotels send their clientele to Magasingatan because there are a lot of good choices in a small area, but it also means we overhear Americans whenever we're there.  I waffle between wanting to crash their tables and ask what they're doing here, or quietly flying under the radar like a local.

Being near the coast there seems to be seafood in almost every restaurant here, and at Magazzino I was happy to find a seafood ravioli, complete with a crayfish on top. 

I love having olives in the bread basket

I even like the font pairing on the menu

Just over the railing at the next restaurant I could see a couple enjoying margaritas and guacamole, so our next visit to Magasingatan was to Puta Madre.  Not only was I thrilled to have Mexican food again (a rarity here), my taco trio included corn tortillas!  This is the first place I have seen these in Gothenburg.  Everything was delicious.

Again, it's Gothenburg so the tacos were scallops, salmon, and white fish, but the sauces were definitely south-of-the-border.  Not sure if plaintain chips are Mex, but they were good.

Another rarity in Gothenburg is Chinese food.  There's plenty of sushi and Thai food, but I'm a sucker for potstickers so our next stop on Magasingatan was Beijing8.  Duck tends to be a trump card for me, so my imperative duck and ginger dumplings got paired with plum and ginger sauce and their house mango citrus iced tea.  Yum!  I also appreciated that Beijing8 was not super expensive, and the orders are small so you can try several kinds.

After dinner we like to walk around town a bit without worrying about the kids, especially while it's still light at this time of day.  Magasingatan is close to the inner canal, and on this particular evening there was a group kayaking lesson.

Christinae Kyrka and Stadsmuseet

Kungsportavenyn Number 1 

I think this was the event unveiling Volvo's all-new XC90.  Our invitation must have been lost in the mail.

Cheerio

The I have a backlog of posts to write, but the most interesting subject tends to be the most current.  It's a crisp fall day so this morning our family walked through Haga, bustling with the brunch crowd, to check out the English Shop in Linné, the neighborhood surrounding Linnégatan, named after the great Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné).  He's the guy who came up with binomial nomenclature, or the Latin name for plants and animals, comprised of genus and species.  Quercus alba is white oak, for example. Plant Taxonomy was one of my favorite classes in college. #nerdalert

I digress.  The English Shop caters to expats who can't find certain items from their home countries, and it does specialize in British foodstuffs.

I'm afraid to know what cockles and kippers are.

So glad they still carry this. 

What's better than Marmite?  Marmite in a squeeze bottle.

If there's any doubt about whether there's a big enough market for overpriced imports, I'll have you know that the tower of cases of Cadbury Creme Eggs that was as tall as me has long been sold out.  Now there is a tower of canned pumpkin puree that is not quite as tall.  Do Brits even make pumpkin things?  I have two precious cans of it that I got for a pretty penny.  American readers, do not take for granted the ability to buy canned pumpkin in stores.  Or pumpkin spice things.  Or any flavored coffee.  Happy Fall, y'all.

We also stopped for treats around the corner at Cupcake Time. The only flavor we didn't get was licorice.

Fika at Elvis Presley's

There's a cafe on the Avenyn called Eva's Paley, but in cursive it looks like Elvis Presley so that's what I call it.  We've walked by countless times, but today I actually went inside to meet my friend Lorah for fika.  It's amazing!

I love the curly iron railings, the painted "tile" counter, even the designs etched onto the mirrors.  I judge a cafe by the coziness factor first, and this one has plenty of places to curl up with a latte.

It has tables and chairs and outdoor seating as well, but I can definitely see myself coming here in the winter.

The next thing I look for in a cafe is the food selection, specifically sweet things that go with coffee.  Every place has great coffee, so that's not a determining factor.  Lorah and I decided to split what was labeled drottningpaj and resembled a bar cookie served with vanilla sauce.

At first glance it looked like blueberry (blabar), but the barista described it as a combination of raspberry (hallon) and blueberry, so I figured it was blackberry.  Later google told me drottning means "queen" and the "queen's mix" is a mixture of raspberries and blueberries.  Ah!  Swedish pie seems to be either really flat, like this drottningpaj, or made in a springform pan and very tall, like the apple pie on the vanilla sauce box. (Swoon!) Both have a crumb top, and both are really good, especially when served drowned in vanilla sauce.