Food | anordinarywoman

26/04/2013

Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor Gallery

Coffee culture

Coffee with something small, a snack, has for most of us, regardless of age, become a well trendy socializing-form, an almost sacred ritual. There’s a coffee shop in every corner nowadays. Still, it wasn’t until late 1600s that coffee had its breakthrough. It was regarded as something expensive & exclusive, where only the “elite” could afford the luxury. We have a swedish expression that’s used daily … to grab a fika, which is a coffee with something small & sweet to. It’s hard to believe that it’s the Swedes today who, together with the Finns, are the ones who’s drinking most coffee in the world. There’s a strong coffee culture in Australia too, surely one the best places where the coffee tastes wonderful no matter where you are.

Wikipedea: Coffee is a brewed beverage with a distinct aroma and flavor, prepared from the roasted seeds of the Coffeaplant. The seeds are found in coffee “cherries”, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. Coffee is slightly acidic (pH 5.0–5.1) and can have a stimulating effect on humans because of its caffeine content. It is one of the most consumed drinks in the world.

Always in the mood for coffee / tassike.ee

Beautiful vintage sign / fancy.com I love this image / Google.com

Simple but beautiful /dustjacketattic.blogspot

Inviting & exciting /atelierrueverte

One of the most popular drinks in the world /cafeapostrophe via tumblr

Swedish expression / ablogwithaview

Grab a fika / photobucket.com

Simply beautiful / devidsketchbook.tumblr.com

Good to know / designyoutrust.com

Lovely atmosphere / foopie via fancy

Yes, please /photobucket

Dedication /thediaryofaminimalist

Coffee beauty /thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com

Early morning & first coffee of the day / stadshem.se

Take care / Marie

Tagged Australia, barista, cafe, coffee, Coffee culture, coffee shops, decor, most popular drinks, popular drink, Swedes

01/03/2013

Layer upon layer

The other day on the beach … a lady arrived rather heavily dressed, covering herself from the sun. Well, it’s impossible to stay like that in the heat. So she started taking of her BIG scarf, then her blouse & her t-shirt. Then she took off her sun hat following with shoes & her socks. And for every layer she took off, she then smeared on a layer of sun cream. This took a long while for her to do. She was fully occupied, that by the time she was finished, she went on with the parasol to get it attached in the sand.

To do that, she started to put on her clothes, layer by layer until she completed the procedure with her sun hat. Again, just to keep away from the sun. Well, once she got that done, she sat down to finally enjoy the heat. But it only took her a short while to change her mind. So up again, on with each piece, socks, shoes, sun hat, sun glasses & her big scarf & she went off … just to walk, not more then 20 meters to the coffee shop in the corner. I stopped watching by that time so you will unfortunately not know how this story ended. I guess she went back with her – whatever she bought – to start all over again with all her garments. Just to find out that she needed to visit the bathroom. And here we go agin…

It got me thinking anyway. But not so much that I had to blog about people or behaviours but more so about layers.

Chocolate cake in four stories / bakersavenue.tumblr.com

Stylish kitchen utensils / annagillar.se

Urbanity / google.com

Nicely for dinner / sanna&sania

Nature’s gift / google.com

Colourful items for the bathroom / cushandnooks

Golden layers / pinterest.com

A bit of creativity / tantjohanna.se

Newly designed / feelinspired

Nice solution / glowingface.blogspot

Decorate the walls in height / familyliving

Always right / heartbeatoz

Once upon a time / plaisirsdemyope.tumblr

For cold times / crushculdesac.tumblr

Take care / Marie

Tagged beach, clothing, furniture, home decor, kitchen utensils, layer upon layer, layering, layers, pastries, piles, stacks

28/01/2013

4 Comments

Design, Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Pink shades

Occasionally, I get a craving for a certain colour – an influence from somewhere … AND I find my self searching or looking for that colour AND of course, I see it almost everywhere. That comes without saying. … as a letter in the mail ( swedish expression ). A soft, pleasant pink color that’s not too harsh or sharp in tone. That goes well with grey, white or brown, black. Just the right colour without getting too pastel pink, if you get what I mean. Simply soft for the eye, soothing, warming, inviting, promising & up to date.

I pulled together some images with one thing in common – this colour. Or should I say those colours, maybe … they differ slightly in shades. Just when I start to get used to the colour, I bet that something else comes in the way. Whether this is another colour or … only time will tell 🙂

Grey & light pink – refreshing combination / bestbuy

Soft colours with wood / petrabindel

Almost edible / skandinaviandeko

Appealing impression with simple means / helenaaro

Modern Scandinavian living / bobedre.dk

Colourful choices / desdemyventana

Nice framed photo gallery / atelieruverte

Warming colour / fancy

Homemade peppermint marshmallows / celiacteen.com

Cool / marymadethis

Robust but still soft / laredoute.fr

Romantic / prettyinpearls

Professional styling / lineklein

Simplicity / hannasroom

Nice mix of items / 79ideas

Take care / Marie

Tagged colour, colours, decor, furnishings, furniture, home decor, homes, Pink, pink shades, styling

29/12/2012

New year

So, here we are again – a new year with new opportunities. What do you think – will we do things differently, make better decisions, learn from the old, learn from mistakes. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the small steps we take, that actually changes & improves. Moreover, we live in the future more than the present. We are in such a hurry with everything that we miss the essential. To actually live in a slow trot & experience things up close. You may already live your life the way you want, at the pace & the lifestyle you aspire. Good on you then, congratulations & keep it up!

I for my part, want more peace & quiet around me. To be able to think & complete a thought without losing the thread. To have time for what’s important & the possibility to opt out things that takes time & energy, unnecessarily. It’s easier said than done. To continuously refine, modify & improve, is a big part of life. What is precious is up to each one, of course. It seems to me that time is that which is most sought after by many. It might be worth considering what we make of our time. Properly used, perhaps, we don’t need more time.

I hope you will achieve some of your dreams for the coming year. Above all, that you will stay healthy & strong with near & dear. I hope that you get to experience many happy moments & sees possibilities that pops up around you.

Thanks for taking the time to follow my blog during this first year. Also for all your nice comments & encouragement. Whatever you do, remember to live in the present. Here & now!

Here’s a mix of various images that might fit into the celebration of the new year.

Sparkling festivities / ulrikaekblom

Crackling & glittering activities / Flickr.com

Nice on the table / designcoholic

Festively dressed / nymag.com

Same with table accessories / inspireddesign

Simple pleasures / google.com

Suitable for two / livethemma

Suitable for some more / livethemma

New years eve in Sydney / aibob via WordPress

So true / thistooshallpass

Many thanks again for all sweet comments & support.

Take care / Marie

Tagged celebration, celebrations, festivities, happy new year, Holiday, home decor, new year

17/12/2012

WHITE

I thought I might inspire with something in white today – even though I’m fully aware of the fact that not everyone is over the moon when it comes to white. But alas, so it warms my old heart. Everyone has their favourite colours & I guess that some would not even think of white as colour, or black either, for that matter. I for one, think that white fits almost everywhere. White is the colour of pure snow or milk. It’s the color of light that contains all of the wavelengths of the visible spectrum without absorption. In Western culture, white is the color most often associated with innocence, perfection, the good, honesty, neutrality & lightness. It’s interesting how much of importance we associate to a colour.

It’s said that white colour affects us physically, such as aid in mental care. It encourages us to clear clutter or other obstacles. Even that the colour evokes purification of thoughts & actions. The ancient greeks wore white to bed to ensure pleasant dreams. According to Pantone inc., white is the best selling colour for the classic american t-shirt. I find it hard to find stuff in white, such as garment, bedding or furniture, to give a few examples. By that I mean in Australia or rather here in Sydney. Recent months, it has started to appear white pants in the stores, which have been almost impossible to find previously. I had to take the opportunity to shop several pair of white pants at home, when we were on a visit. Things are changing slowly.

Here’s, to those who don’t consider white being a colour:

“The first of all single colors is white … We shall set down white as the representative of light, without which no color can be seen; yellow for the earth; green for water; blue for air; red for fire; and black for total darkness.” — Leonardo Da Vinci

Snow white landscape / witanddelight