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willowday

notes from our whimsical Swedish days between city + sea

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SWEDEN + TRAVEL

A “Mysig” Swedish Winter Morning

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DAY 13: LUCIA

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Ornament No. 3 | Lucia Nightlight Ornament

KITCHEN

24 DAYS of Scandinavian Christmas Creativity daily at willowday

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Day 1 | Plaster-dipped Pine bow Votives | Dag 1

KITCHEN

24 Days of Scandinavian Christmas Creativity returns

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70 + Scandinavian Holiday Projects

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Dala Horse Banks

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Easy Paper Swedish-inspired Projects for kids

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  • 🐤 Peep! 🐤 | Double Click for SPRING!. . Happy Spring. I’m welcoming it with: Chicks, flowers & butterflies: Made with flower petals: runcula, pearl hyacinths, tulip, dry ferns, grass. . #willowdayflowerproject ..................... . My dogs muddy paws are a great sign that the snow’s melting away along with the arm full of pussy willows (videgren) and Snowdrops that I came home with this morning. . . I found color instead this morning at illustrator, @ingelaparrhenius ‘s harmonious office that’s filled with her children’s books, art and toys in her distinctive color palette & playful characteristic graphics and illustrations(swoon) —- that all reflect Ingela’s warm, wonderful and engaging personality. I really admire her in many ways. . ( I would love to be your neighbor @ingelaparrhenius ! See more of @ingelaparrhenius in stories) @ingelaparrhenius thank for fueling my new trip around the sun. And you, friends. Thank you, truly, for the birthday wishes!
  • HI Friends. It’s been so long since I’ve said a personal hello. Today, there’s something about the blue skies, the fact that I’m wearing fancy pants; and celebrating another trip around the sun that made me want to say hello to you. Thank you so much for meeting me here. .. . As much as I absolutely love going waaaay overboard for birthdays for my family; I go to painstaking lengths in the opposite direction to underplay my own day that I was born. (Familiiar? Yes. I’m still the same and will want to delete that I wrote it’s my birthday as soon as I press post!) .x. . I don’t show my face here very often because I want you to stop by the feed and to see yourselves — to imagine you — or — for you to take away your own story that might been sparked by something I’ve shared here; however, I know, myself, that I love knowing who other people are behind their art, photos and feeds. So, hello, friends! I’m Gina and my last name in Swedish sounds like the word for willow which is how willowday was created.. . My artist-being makes it easy for me to retain a certain sense of a traveler’s wonder, daily storytelling + eyes about the Swedish (+ French) daily life that I share with my Swedish-French, diplomats son, husband who grew up in warm climates; moved to Sweden as a n adult — and learned about shovelling snow, layering clothes, and winter living from me since I was raised in Madison, Wisconsin ❄️ . .. . We have 3 teenage kids — born within 3 years and one month — who keep us very busy + captivated — and who have grown up getting creative with me whether it’s through paint or in the kitchen. . . I never know which of their 3 languages I’m going to hear in the mornings as I step down our staircase to my first cup of coffee daily with our dogs, Heidi and Henry at my feet. . . Since the very first children’s picture book I remember falling in love with as a little girl was “Madeline;” some days …. I feel like I married Pepito + could easily be living in a “white House with vines” where Madeline would feel very welcome to visit. . . PS: yes: Spring Cleaning! I’m getting this wreath down just before Spring and putting up Spring prints again!
  • Sunday somethings. .. Flower portrait of @hannawendelbo with pieces from my corner of the map: grass, Hydrangea, fern, roses. #willowdayflowerproject , . Returning home with my mind overflowing after an inspiring creative, girls, weekend. I remembered the fun I had with this botanical sketch that I made of @hannawendelbo and it felt like it was made for the day — who was one of the weekend-wonderfuls. . Check out Hanna’s new book (& Art) that will come out at @akademibokhandeln this week! It’s beautiful, fun and full of amazing practical help like Hanna’s special techniques for the pattern making that is part of what sets her wallpapers apart from others: her patterns are entirely hand drawn and painted which truly makes each a piece of art; not a computerize solution. I’m both a fan of Hanna’s work and completely charmed by her effervescent personality: so, of course, she should be “drawn in flowers”
  • Thank you Göteborg for a fantastic weekend. . Great to finally see the to newly re-opened @rohsska design museum; slip around the little cobble stone passages and travel on the tram. Returning home with beautiful storage containers that we made last night at the amazing @hannawendelbo ‘s studio (with her wall paper, too) and a tray made in the charming @kreativakarin ‘s who I was so happy to finally meet — plus create in her playhouse of a fantastic studio. Check out Insta to see behind the scenes. . . So much fun to see behind the scenes of @kreativakarin and @hannawendelbo and learn about their upcoming projects! (Like Book & new @lundbydollshouse furniture. . Thank you Karin @pysselbolaget for coordinating it all and friendship @hildas.se we look forward to following you on your Berlin adventures. @craft_and_creativity and @frokenskogsbar —- as always, thank you for all of the fantastic shared moments.
  • Good morning. Provençal-style
  • . Mirage . . . A walk, walked. . . A talk, talked. . I can smell this cedar trail that I walked, in Provence , just over a week ago when I look at this right now; even though we woke up in Stockholm to a covering of white snow. . . I know Spring is around the corner. A week ago, I fell into it here; in Provence . Sending out Spring wishes to my snowy local friends — and, to friends outside our white boarders, too! . . Has Spring arrived in your corner of the planet?
  • H is for Hydrangea Hedgehogs U is for Usina Upupa G is for Geranium Giraffe S is for Snowdrop Snails. . . 🌿💕 🌿Send a hug to a friend below! 🌿💕🌿 . . . Hugs accompany every book! #abcflowersafari in animal flower form. .(link for ABC Flower Safari & prints in bio above. Yes. I haven’t listed individual letters or his as a print but, if interested: I can print and deliver. 🌼❤️) .. . The Hydrangra, Snowdrops + Geraniums are all from my own lawn or window sill. Painted cardboard used to create the bodies was all recycled and … the yellow flower is made of crepe paper. . . I commissioned two hard-to-find flowers in the book from Susan of @apetalunfolds and have used crepe paper flowers when doing a book craft to accompany the book, when fresh flowers weren’t appropriate to work with. . . I you a hug for the week and along with each book that arrives to you. . #willowdayflowersafari #willowdayflowerproject
  • Hands in the air, it’s “Lilac llama Day.” . Love a llama today (and make one, too; link to template in stories) . I just love the magic you can find in your own backyard and would love to see what kind of Llamas or animals you’d kids might imagine after reading ABC Flower Safari and then creating their own backyard flower adventures. . . Llama TEMPLATE:. . I’ll put the link up in stories to this template. Of course, they would also make super cupcake topper friends with the Hydrangea Hedgehogs, too. . . BUY: ABC Flower Safari Book or posters available through link in bios. . . . #abcflowersafari .. . .#willowdayflowerproject . . . Have you ever tried making flower animals with kids yet? I can hardly wait to see these animal flower adventures in your kids hands, too. Whether you have my book or not, is there anything you’d like to know to start? . ABC Flower Safari play. #abcflowersafari . . As a challenge without a challenge every alphabet letters corresponds both with an animal of the same letter; and flower, too. It sent me on quite the treasure hunt because I thought it would be a fun for both adults and kids. However, yours kids can create them selves however they see fit —- and I love to see their ideas. .

gina @willowdaygram

ABC FLOWER SAFARI | COMING SOON
Children's Picture Book
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