FINDING THE RHYTHM

How do you really know if you are passionate about something enough to call it your passion, your calling? How do you find it? It's with this question I start the last semester of my studies at the art academy. 

What I'm working on these days is putting together my portfolio. It sounds easy enough - summarise my projects, write description, take pictures, throw it in a nice template and publish. Not really. What is more important: to show how I work or the work I've done? How do I communicate and project myself to society? What kind of a designer do I set out to be? Over the next two weeks I'll be moulding the answers to these questions and translate them into a website.

VISITING DDW

I visited Holland with a good people from my class and other departments from school for Dutch Design Week held in Eindhoven. The whole trip was so good, but so cold! I definitely did not pack right for this trip as I was freezing cold all the time. 

The days were spent wondering the streets of Eindhoven and a little bit of Amsterdam, visiting many, many exhibitions, having good food, coffee and drinks. There was not much time spent relaxing so on our last day in Amsterdam a couple of us bailed on a museum day to relax, shop, eat and drink. Perfect ending to a wonderful trip. 

Now I keep on dreaming of warm places while the cold winds wander the streets of Reykjavík.

BACK AT IT

School is in session and tomorrow is the first crit of the semester. We are turning a part of our studio into a big mind map and material library on the topic of icelandic horse. 

MOMENTS

We are about to boarder the second half of august. It feels like the air is getting crispier by every day that passes. The nights are becoming darker and I find myself surrounded by candlelight under a blanket on quiet evenings. I'm looking forward to the changing seasons but I will definitely miss these long and bright summer nights. This summer has been one of the best I have experienced yet, filled with travels, natural hot pools, climbing on glaciers, hikes, laughs, meeting new people, dancing and drinking in the city. The summer is not over yet and there are a few things I want to cross of the list before the leaves on the trees turn yellow. Plans intertwining with dreams and visions. 

— walk barefoot in the sand 

— bathe in a natural hot pool at midnight

— dinner at the pier

— pick fresh berries 

— camp right next to the ocean 

What will you do?

SUNKISSED NOSE

Went for a hike in the woods with my french earlier in the week. Fell asleep on a bed of rocks in the summer sun whilst listening to the sound of the wind and flies buzzing around us. A moment of perfect serenity was exactly what my mind was seeking. 

MIDNIGHT SWIM

I took a trip with colleagues to Laugarmýri for an overnight stay in june to take some footage for an upcoming project. close to the farm is this natural hot spring, located besides a waterfall. We went for a swim there in the midnight sun. Nothing compares to these kind of summer nights. Looking forward to even more traveling in the second half of july. 

LEAVES OF EUCALYPTUS

I like to decorate with eucalyptus branches for various occasions. Placing them in a clear vase with a little bit of water. This time it was for a visit from Fréttablaðið for an interview about my favorite things in my apartment. It's a collection of those little things that I love at the moment. Material sketches from school, the books and magazines, corals and rocks. 

WALK TO THE PIER

Last Saturday my friend Anna came over to my house for dinner. We made cauliflower soup with Parmesan and truffle oil - what a treat! Afterwards we went for a walk down to the pier and had ice cream for desert. 

LIGHT THINGS UP

It has become far too long since the last time I wrote. Let's start things up again with a clean slate for summer. The last few months have been really busy with Design March, school, a trip to Berlin + Milan, moving and starting a new job. Just to name a few. I've started to miss writing and sharing inspiration on this little corner of mine. 

DRIFTING CYCLES

Only a few more days until the opening of Drifting Cycles, an off-venue exhibition held during Design March in a remote lighthouse showcasing selected works from product design students from Iceland Academy of the Arts. The projects exhibited are connected by their intention to make a change in an existing system and seeks to find new ways of thinking.

Event information here. 

FROM AROUND

My parents gave me my birthday present a little bit early this year. I got a camera, Canon 450 d. It's old but it's good. I bought a 50mm lens to go with it and I have been testing it around the house. I recently changed one wall in the living room. It was grey and had hansa-shelving system on it. I soon got tired of it and have now painted the wall back in white and made a little shelf from plywood to store books and other bits. I have plenty of fresh flowers at the moment and a couple of new cacti that I have in little ceramic cups. 

A WEEK IN SNAPSHOTS

An honest view of what the past week in school has looked like through my phone. Let's embrace the grainy photo quality while glazing through a week of visiting companies and classes in mold making. 

DEAR COFFEE

I didn't even fancy you that much at first. I didn't even like very much the first time we met. But gradually I started to see how beautiful you are. Through friends we would hang out more frequently and suddenly our relationship evolved and everything felt so much better with you. I didn't want to go a single day without you. You provided me with the kind of energy I had never felt before in my life. You had me feel all grown up and poetic. Until suddenly it got too much and I felt everything went so fast, too fast. I wasn't certain if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with someone like you, someone so addictive. I thought about leaving you, but I don't want to. You make me warm and things feel right with you. You're a part of my life. So let's just do this. Let's slow down a little bit and rather savour our time together. Making our relationship that more special. 

Yours truly.

SOMETHING SWEET

Being the sweet tooth that I am these are frequently made for indulgence. It's rather simple to make and open to any kind of ingredients.

The base is dates, fresh or dried, although I recommend if dried to soak them in water for 10 minutes prior, cocoa powder, coconut oil and vanilla. On top of that almonds, cia seeds, goji berries or anything, really, can be added to the mix. All ingredients are then combined in a food processing. Let it rest in the fridge for a few minutes before getting your hands dirty while rolling them into bite size balls and coat with coconut flakes. Best to keep cold.

AUTUMNAL

A single leaf on the car window on the way home after exploring caves in Heiðmörk today.

WARDROBE CLEANSE

Hello and welcome to the first fashion related blog post here on Monday. 

As part of my twenty-fifteen resolution to simplify and declutter my living space the wardrobe was absolutely a place that needed to be deconstructed. Although my closet was not big there were still surprisingly many bits that were not used much so remarkably many bags of clothes went to the red cross bin. I felt it was time to update the uniform and make it a little more streamlined. So a lot of pieces were replaced and a lot of things were returned to my sister from whom I have borrowed half of my (her) closet.

This has been an ongoing process for the past couple of months or so but the last cleanse was made after watching this whose tips can be applied to any circumstance regarding decluttering ones home. Let's trace my steps. 

step one: cleanse 

If the piece has not be worn for the past year, let it go. Give it to charity or give away to friends and family. Be totally brutal about it. We all have that one (or seven) dress that we have some bond with but have only worn it once and that was two years ago. 

step two: analyze

Sort out what you already have and analyse what you need. Need being the key word for this step. What do you spend the majority of your time doing and work from that when figuring out whats missing. For example: I am a mother of a very active child and a student therefore I need rather comfortable pieces that are good for attending long lectures as well as running around with the little one. Bare in mind that it's not about having a lot of clothes, it's about having the right ones. 

step three: shop

Before you hit the shops, make a list of what your wardrobe is missing. For example: my wardrobe 'to shop' list included a knitted sweater, a turtleneck, the basic tee, a slightly dressy shirt, winter shoes and smart flats. Think of it like going to the grocery store without a shopping list, chances are you'll walk away with unnecessary junk and forget that one key ingredient for tonight's dinner (no? just me?). Keep in mind what colors you like to wear, what kind of fits suit you well and so on and imagine to what you can wear it and if it can be worn in different ways.

Image by Love Aesthetics

THE HIKING

One of the things I enjoy most is being outdoors with nothing but my thoughts in the silence from the city buzz. With nothing but the echo of my sons laughter, the sound of our footsteps and the breeze running through the leaves. Nature has the magnetic effect of putting everything back in its right perspective. 

Our favorite spot is in Heiðmörk where we frequently go and breath in the fresh air as we turn over stones, explore nature and get a little lost. I feel it's important to teach my child about the wonders of nature and to teach him to respect and appreciate what it has to offer. We pack refreshments and a blanket and sit down when we find a good spot. Those are our best moments. 

PICKLED RED ONION

Excuse my absence but I have been enjoying my summer with a lot of outdoor activity, trips to the west, cooking and general relaxation. Speaking of cooking this is one of the things I have been trying out - pickling. Thought I'd give it a go and I am very pleased with the results. Good on burgers, in salads and anything you fancy. 

What you need to pickle red onions:

A jar that is large enough to hold the amount you're making, red onions - I used small red onions as they taste a little sweeter, red wine vinegar, pepper corns, bay leaf, pinch of sugar. 

What one must to do pickle red onions:

In a sauce pan heat the red wine vinegar, pepper corns, one bay leaf and a pinch of sugar until the sugar has dissolved. While that is coming to a boil cut down the red onions in thin slices and place into a jar in whatever size that fits the amount you're making. Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar, keeping the pepper corns and bay leaf in, and let it cool down. Once cooled close the jar and keep in the refrigerator. It can be stored for quite a while but I somewhere read that the onion is best after two days in storage. 

WILD FLOWER

A home without plants is no home to me. I feel plants give that extra oomph of life to any space. During summertime you have the perfect opportunity to recharge your home with all sorts of wild plants as they can be found right outside the door. After they have been picked place them in a vase or as I did, a jar, with water and they can stay in your home for about a week.  

This little thing me and my son Máni picked together while we went on a bike ride in the valley. So nice.

ALL STORAGE GOOD STORAGE?

Insofar this year has been a year of detoxing and de-cluttering my home. Suddenly I got the urge to get rid of things that I had kept safe over the years. I felt overwhelmed by the amount of things in my own home.

The apartment we – I, the boyfriend and our four year old gemstone – live in is really not that big and we like to collect things. We have a decent storage system as I think most homes do but up to what point is good storage doing its purpose?

With no mercy I’ve slowly gone through the little places and spaces where we keep things stored away – the TV cabinet, the kitchen cabinets, the little boxes here and there and I have slowly started to work my way into the storage room, or the black hole as I like to call it. The rule of thumb is if the object has not been used for over a year it has to go. Why do I need two pizza knifes when we never use more than one at a time and why do we (I) have fifty coffee cups? Seriously.

Because here’s the thing: our apartment is technically a two bedroom flat but the second room we use for storage which is insane given that our four year old shares a tiny bedroom with us where toys are not allowed in, so all of his toys are in the living room.

As we are both great handymen we both have a lot of tools but those tools so that is perhaps the biggest hurtle to get over when emptying the storage room but it’s not impossible at all.

Photo by Jennifer from AMM. I adore this green wall color.