Time flies (when your having fun!)

2012 has already started out to be a busy year and blogging has been put aside. Again :-(. 

So far this year I have visited and photographed a couple of beautiful homes, photographed new wallpaper arrivals (LOVE Andrew Martin´s "lumberjack"), delicious cakes, and a cover for Elle Decoration, Norway. I have even judged the "global chic" challenge that NIB (Norske Interiørblogger) put out earlier this month.

My job is so varied and exciting and I am SO lucky being able to work with something that makes my heart beats faster. My job takes me to many new and great places both in Norway and abroad, and I meet so many wonderful people everywhere I go.

My collegues, all the great and talented stylists, make my job fun and inspiring.Together we try and create new and inspiring images for all you readers of this blog, other blogs and magazines around the world. Hope we are able to inspire you in 2012 too. I will definately try my best! :-)

Here are a few bedrooms I have photographed in the last couple of years which inspires me :-)

The home of Line Dammen, stylist and journalist for Kamille magazine.

Styling: Line Dammen

 

 The home of Oliver Gustav in Copenhagen.

Styling: Christine Hærra

 The home of artist Maria Øverbye

Styling: Maria Øverbye

 

My guestroom that Kirsten styled so lovely for our "lovely linen" shoot.

Styling: Kirsten Visdal/Kvist

Photography: Trine Thorsen

and a Happy New Year...

 

A week sure goes fast and so does a year! Remember posting the happy new year 2011 post like it was yesterday. Scary! Well, it is time again. To wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope 2012 will be filled with lots of fun, great challenges, happiness and joy!

Thank you for stopping by this blog this year. Hope you´ll pop in next year too ;-)

XO,

Trine

Image by Kokkai Ng found on Flickr.

Edible gifts

Nothing is more thoughtful that giving away a homemade gift, and nothing greater than receving one. Especially when it´s edible! The "hours" you have spent making that special treat for that special person has to warm everyone´s hearts. Getting this edible gift will not only warm your heart, but the whole you.

Imagine a cold winter night, curled up under a blanket, reading a good book,  your favourite magazine (or blog?) AND a home made sweet and spicy Chai tea.

If you want to warm someone´s heart (and body) this Christmas you should give away this home- made Chai tea. Leave behind the recipe for a Chai Latte and you´ll be friends forever...

You need: 

1/2 orange

1/2 dl cardamom seeds

6 cinnamon sticks, crushed

1 tbsp cloves

1tbsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp star anise

1/2 dl Darjeeling tea

You do:

Preheat the oven to 95 degrees Celsius. Cover a cooking tray with greaseproof paper. Slice the orange in 3 mm thin slices and put them on the tray. Dry them in the oven for approximately 2-3 hours, turning them once in a while. When finished, mix all the ingredients, except from the Darjeeling tea and store in an airtight container.

Chai Latte:

6 dl milk

2 tbsp Chai mix

1,8 dl water

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp Darjeeling tea.

Warm the Chai mixture with milk, water and sugar on medium heat for 20 minutes.

Add the Darjeeling tea and let it stand for 3 minutes.

F:Y.I.

This recipe and more we did for an edible gift feature for Bo Bedre´s Christmas issue which is out in Norwegian stores now.

Photography: Trine Thorsen

Styling: Tara Ballantyne

New doors?

I have scraped and removed paint from three doors in the house, and I´ve already had enough of it. There´s about seven left, and even though I am not going to continue the project until next summer 

( it´s easier to do it outside in nice weather), I have already started to dread all the work.

I like old doors better than new ones so I either have to stick with the job and the hours it is going to take, or come up with a better solution. In the 70´s and 80´s people used to put a piece of plywood on the doors to cover the flaking paint, and to get a new look, and that is what the owners did in this house too. Underneath the plywood are some beautiful, old doors that just needs a little bit (or actually quite a lot!) of renovating.

Maybe I can do the same, and instead of having a boring plywood door, glue one of these wallstickers from Bolia outside? At least they have a little bit more paint on them than my doors. Don´t think they come in the exact door size though, so I might have to photograph one of the doors I have already renovated, print them out and glue them on top of the plywood.

Images found on Bolia.com

Fall

Even though I was only gone for a few days there´s was a lot of changes when we returned back home. The colors on the trees had gone from green to orange, and most of the apples in the orchard outside the house had fallen off. If I want homemade applejuice from Eplegården this winter, I better hurry and pick what´s left. Guess my weekend plans are already set...

Photography: Trine Thorsen

Those were the days...

While growing up, I spent a few years in the back seat of a black Beetle. 

Don´t remember much else than the color, the "stiffness" of the car, and the rides being really cold during the winters.

Found this great images while Googling images from Norway the other day. Makes me think back of the sore rides in the back seat, on our way to the mountains. A real kidney killer!

Photographer unknown

It´s me again!

This summer took a huge turn on July 22 nd when79 people, most of them kids, were brutally killed, and many more wounded for life. Norway was-and still is- in shock, sad, angry and devastated on what happened that Friday in July. Myself included. 

Blogging suddenly seemed so wrong and meaningless in the days and weeks to come, and writing about renovating, things on my wishlist and new things to buy had no meaning at all. So, I had to stop for a while. Now, 1 1/2  months later life is starting to get back "normal" (for some people it will never be the same again...), being caught up in work and daily routines, making "to do" lists  and wishlists and what not, and having blogging not seeming so negligible anymore.

Food thoughts...

Poster by 3 lamb studio, found on flickr!

My creative workspace

Det første rommet som ble pusset opp i huset var det som skulle bli mitt hjemmekontor. Med masse utklipp og bilder til inspirasjon hadde jeg sett for meg at det skulle bli et rom på høyde med disse. Jeg drømte om en kreativ og visuelt vakkert arbeidsrom der veggene skulle være fylt av lekre og inspirerende utklipp, en gamle kontorstol til å sitte på, og industrilamper på skrivebordet og i taket. For ikke å snakke om alt det gamle kontorutstyret jeg har kjøpt og samlet på de siste årene, som møysommelig skulle danderes og styles på skrivepulten. Det jeg glemte i farten var at jeg som fotograf er avhengig av en 30 tommers dataskjerm når jeg redigerer bilder, en god stol når jeg sitter timer foran skjermen, og mye plass på skrivebordet til alt papiret, huskelappene, "to do" mappene etc. Følelser hadde tatt overhånd for fornuften- igjen! Etter et par uker på en gammel, knirkete (men gud så fiin!) rusten kontorstol som hverken kunne justeres opp eller ned, en overfylt arbeidspult med altfor mye "stæsh", måtte jeg bare innse at slaget var tapt. Misfornøyd byttet jeg ut stolen til en mer komfortabel (og billigere) variant fra Ikea og ryddet overflødig stæsh vekk. Det eneste som fikk lov til å være igjen var industrilampene og utklippene på veggen.

:-(

The first room we redecorated in the house was the room that was to become my homeoffice. With tons of of lovely images in front of me, cut out from miscellaneous magazines, I had pictured my room to be just like one of these...I dreamt of a room with a desktop overfilled with the old office utensils I had collected over the past years, inspirational tearsheets on the walls, and old industrial chairs and lamps. What I forgot was that as a photographer I am depended on a large LCD screen to work on my images, a good, comfortable chair to sit in the hours I spend in front of the computer, and a desk with room for all my papers, Post It notes and "to do" lists to remind me of what has to be done (getting old here...). I guess feelings came before my senses- again! After a few weeks on an old, schreeching (but oh sooo beautiful!) office chair, an overfilled with way to much stuff, I had to admit that my "battle" was lost. I sadly exchanged the chair for a more comfortable (and cheaper!) kind, and cleaned the crowded desk for beautifully styled stuff. The only thing that I kept behind was the industrial lamps and and the tearsheets on the wall... :-(

All images found on Rum.dk

Life is beautiful!

Yesterday I saw a sad documentary on VG TV about a young girl´s struggle with cancer. She died last Sunday, 28 years old. Later, when I turned on the tv, they showed the movie "the Bucket list" with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, a film about two older men who are terminally ill and has six more months to live. They decide to make the most out of it and starts to write a list of places to go and things to do before they "hit the bucket". 

 When I turned on my computer this morning there was an email saying a fellow photographer had passed away, 41 years of age. 

What is a little backache compared to this?

Life can take turns you never expect...

So live your life like there´s no tomorrow

Stop complaining about little things

Be positive

and be nice!

I definately will!

R.I.P Ida and Astrid 

Image by mimagirl on Flickr.

Time to learn!

Jeg tilbringer fortsatt mye av tiden min i sengen pga ryggen, men selv med en Mac i fanget har det desverre gått en uke siden siste innlegg. Smerter, ubehagelige stillinger og mentalt stress har tatt fokus fra  skriving og kreativ tenkning. Hodet mitt stresser over alt som skulle og burde ha vært gjort og hvor dårlig det passer med en ødelagt rygg akkurat nå (vel, det passer vel egentlig aldri...). Jeg har en jobb som venter og en hus som skal pusses opp! Etter 1 1/2 mnd klør jeg etter å rydde, vaske, bære, male, jobbe, trene og alt som har med fysisk aktivitet å gjøre. Jeg har nok vært litt slapp og sneket meg til et par av de over, og har fått betale for det. I dag er planen klar. Jeg har "lenket" meg fast til sengen, lagt bort mentalt stress og latt meg akseptere at det er her jeg må bli. Jeg har til og med gitt meg selv forbud mot å stå opp før jeg har minst tre nye innlegg på bloggen. På tide å få hodet og kroppen på plass igjen... :-)

I am still spending a whole lot of time in bed because of my back, but even with a Mac in my lap, there has been a week since last post. Pain, uncomfortable positions and mental stress has taken the focus away from writing and creative thinking. My head is stressing over everything that should  have been done and what a bad timing it is to be sick (it´s never a good time I guess...). I have a job waiting and a house to be fixed. After 1 1/2 month, I am dying to clean, tidy up, move things around, paint, work and workout, everything that has to do with some physical activity. I guess I have fooled myself and done some of the above, and have of course been paid back big time by having more pain! Today, my plan is clear. I have "chained" myself to the bed, put away the mental stress and accepted that this is were I am staying. I have even banned myself from getting up before I have at least three new posts on my blog. Time to get my head and body back to its normal self... :-)

Image by iamlordvaldemort on flickr!

Abandoned houses

Jeg har alltid drømt om å få boltre meg med kameraet i slike hus, men desverre finnes svært få av dem her. I hvertfall noen som er trygge å gå inn i... Hus eller bygninger, hvor noen bare har vridd om nøkkelen (eller bedre, latt døren stått åpen for meg!), gått og aldri sett seg tilbake. De har mange historier å fortelle og gjør seg yndige som fotoobjekter. For ikke å snakke om fantastiske kulisser til alle typer fotografering. Så vakkert at det gjør vondt!

I have always dreamed of finding a place like this, where I can go berserk with my camera. Unfortunately there are not too many of them where I live. Houses or buildings, where people has turned the key (or better, left the door open for me!), walked away and never looked back. These houses tell so many stories and make great photo objects. Not to talk about fantastic backdrops for all kinds of photoshoots. So beautiful it hurts!

Mosaic by honeypieliving on flickr!

Great start!

Den beste starten på dagen jeg kan få er frokost på sengen etterfulgt av et par timer med blogging. Det gir meg masse energi og arbeidslyst til oppgavene som følger senere på dagen. På

vei til jobb en morgen (veeeldig trøtt og uten særlig motivasjon), hørte jeg et intervju med en norsk politiker som sa at hun satt på vekkerklokken til 05.00 hver morgen og brukte to-tre timer til frokost på sengen og aviser før hun gikk på jobb. Tror det kan være tingen for meg, men problemet er at jeg er ganske så glad i å sove også, så her kan jeg få et problem med å skulle velge...

The best way for me to start the day is breakfast in bed and a few hours to blog. It gives me great energy and eagerness to fullfill the tasks following later in the day. On my way to work one morning (veeery tired and with lack of motivation), I heard an interview with a Norwegian politician saying she set her alarm to 05.00 every morning and spent two-three hours in bed reading newspapers and eating breakfast before she went to work. I think that could be the thing for me, but the problem is that I love sleeping too, so I might have a problem choosing...

Image found on flickr

Debi!!!

Dette bildet så jeg i et magasin for jeg husker ikke hvor lenge siden. Helt uvitende (og uten interesse?) for hvem som hadde tatt bildet, klippet jeg det ut (eller rettere sagt rev!), og hang det opp blant andre utklipp på veggen. Elsket alt ved det bildet. Lyset, fargene, stylingen og ikke minst møblene. Slik ville jeg ha det hjemme hos meg! Jeg har i ettertid angret min grådighet og savnet en opphavsmann (kvinne?) til det som for meg er et nydelig bilde.

Etter å ha blitt tipset av en venn om en fantastisk fotograf ved navn Debi Treloar ble jeg så glad! Ikke bare hadde hun tatt maaange fine bilder, men det var hun som hadde fotografert bildet jeg hadde på veggen!

Som fotograf burde jeg ha visst bedre (ingen er perfekte!). Aldri å "stjele" eller å låne noe uten å kredittere opphavsmannen (kvinnen).

Pass på bloggere!

I found this image in a magazine for I don´t know how many years ago. Totally ignorant about who had taken the picture, I cut (or I guess tore!) it out and hung it up amongst other tearsheets on my wall. Loved all about it! The light, the colours, the styling and the furniture. This is how I wanted my home to look like!

Since then I have regretted my greediness and really missed an owner for this lovely image.

So when a friend tipped me about a great photographer by the name Debi Treloar I was delighted!Not only did she have loads of great images, but it was she that had taken the picture on my wall!

As a photographer I should have know better (no one is perfect!). Never to "steal" or borrow without crediting the owner.

Be careful bloggers!

Image taken by Debi Treloar :-)

Skulls anyone?

Hodeskaller har vært meget populært en stund, du finner dem overalt! På t-skjorte, lommebøker, som pyntegjenstander, på trykk, smykker m.m. Jeg synes hodeskaller kan være kuult og det var en stund jeg ønsket meg en til å "pynte opp" hjemme. MEN, når ting blir masseprodusert og tilgjengelig overalt mister jeg fort interessen. Da appelllerer alternativer og nytenkinger til trenden mer, som denne skallen her. Pen er den ikke, men det kan man vel ikke si at hodeskallen er heller?

Skulls has been popular for a while, you find them everywhere! On t-shirts, wallets, as decorations, on prints, as jewelry etc. I think skulls can be cool and for a while I wanted one in my own home. BUT, when things are being mass- produced and everywhere, I tend to loose interest very quick. What appeals more is alternatives and new thinking of the same trend, like this skull. Can´t say it is beautiful, but the man skull isn´t either, is it?

Flying Fox Skull found on the otherist

Stairway to heaven?

Da jeg i en samtale med min mor for noen år siden snakket om hus vs. leiligheter sa jeg at jeg ihvertfall ALDRI skulle ha rekkehus pga av alle trappene det førte med seg.

Man glemmer fort...

Trappen var nemlig det første jeg falt for da jeg var på visning i det som skulle bli huset vårt. I gangen var det en stor peis og trappen var stor, bred og litt herskapelig. Brått var all fornuft borte og samtalen glemt.

Ble minnet på den her om dagen da jeg ble tatt på fersken i å banne høøøyt, da jeg for n´te gang hadde gått de 32 trappetrinnene fra kjeller til annen etasje og meterene i mellom (og omvendt) fordi jeg hadde glemt noe. Det skjer ca. 15 ganger pr. dag. Vi har allerede spøkt med å sette inn en trappeheis, men pga farten de kommer med ville dagen vært over innen vi hadde nådd toppen. Ikke en god idé m.a.o. I morgen er det atter en oppussingsdag og da skal jeg sette på meg skrittelleren. Blir spennende å se hvor mange mil jeg kommer til å tilbakelegge...

:-)

When I talking to my mother a few years back about living in houses versus apartments, I told her I never would want to live in a townhouse because of all the stairs that came with it.

How easily can one forget...

The stairs was the first thing I fell for when I visited was what to be my future house for the first time. There was a big fireplace in the hallway and the stairs were big, wide and elegant. All of a sudden my senses was gone and the talk forgotten.

The other day she reminded me of it again while she caught me swearing, loud and clear, because I for I don´t know how many times I had walked up and down the 32 steps from the basement and to the second floor (and the meters in between) beacuse I had forgotten something. This happens app. 15 times a day. We have already joked about putting in a chairlift, but with the speed they come with it would be dark outside by the time we got to the top. Not the greatest idea I guess! Tomorrow is yet another day of working at the house and I shall put on my step counter. I am looking forward to seeing how many miles I will put behind...

:-)

Image by Sophie G 1 on flickr

The great summerlight

Et deilig bilde som oser sommer laaang vei... Ikke noe er så fint som kveldssolen om sommeren.

A lovely image which smells of summer... Nothing is more lovely than the late evening sun.

Image found on flickr

Garden therapy

Jeg har alltid synes at min mor har vært passe gal når hun etter en lang dag med jobb, husarbeid e.l tar "hvilepausene" lukende i blomsterbeddet (ikke tid til å slappe av her nei...). Det var før jeg fikk min egen hage. Jeg har nå oppdaget at luking både er oppfriskende (deilig med frisk luft etter en lang dag inne), avslappende (du sitter jo bare der), og meditativt (du slipper å tenke noe særlig!). Og absolutt en nødvendighet da, om man liker å ha det fint rundt seg.

Hagearbeidet mitt har blitt litt forsømt i det siste så det passer veldig godt at hun kommer i morgen. Da skal hun få så mange pauser hun bare vil!

I have always thought that my mother was a little crazy when she after a long day of working, cleaning the house etc. removed weeds from the flowerbeds in her "breaks" (no time to relax here...). That was before I got my own garden. I have now discovered that weeding is both refreshing (after a long day inside), relaxing (you´re just sitting there), and meditative (you

don´t need to think!). And an absolute must if you like your surroundings to look nice.

My gardening has been put aside lately, so it is good she´s coming tomorrow. Then she´ll be granted as many breaks as she likes!

A few days off!

Ting har vært ganske hektisk i det siste, noe som sikkert merkes på en kraftig reduksjon i antall blogginnlegg. Man kan vel kalle det høysesong. Produksjonen for neste års sommerutgaver er allerede i gang, det er snart ferietid og de neste måneders utgaver må produseres allerede nå.

På toppen av det hele krangler datamaskinen min med meg og nekter å sende og ta imot mail på en normal måte. TYPISK!

Nå skal jeg endelig ha noen dager fri (ja, det blir ikke så mange, jeg har et hus som skal pusses opp). Da skal jeg prøve å sove litt lenger om morgenen, sitte med beina høyt og få pulsen ned på et normalt nivå. I helgen skal jeg teste ut stranden der jeg bor (for første gang!) Der skal det leses, bades, soles og batteriene lades.

En absolutt høyst nødvendighet!

Things have been quite hectic lately ( I guess you have noticed in the lack of posts on my blog).

I guess I can call it high season. Next years summer features are being shot now, it´s soon vacation time and the next couple of issues has to be produced before they all go on vacation.

On top of that my computer has taken an early break and refuse to send and receive mails the way it should. How typical is that!

Now, I´lm finally having a few days off ( but only a few, I have a house to fix!). I shall sleep in, put my feet up and get my pulse to slow down. This weekend I wil try out the beach where I live (for the first time!). I shall read, swim, sunbathe and re-charge.

An absolute must!

Photography by Shelby Nycole found on flickr

Believe!