I have not been home to Sweden for quite some time and of course it is always in the back of my mind that we need to go home for a little visit. Lovisa does not even have a passport yet so do feel a bit guilty about it! Sadly a few weeks back I got a dreaded phone call letting me know my grandmother had ended up in hospital and had an emergency operation. She survived and turned 90 the week after! But of course since I am not living around the corner it is not easy to visit her as much as I like! So a bit of guilt feelings got a bit stronger and I had quite an emotional weekend.

Lovisa has been a bit poorly since starting nursery and to be perfectly honest we are knackered! Sadly I thought I copped better with the lack of sleep but I don’t and poor Stina never gets the attention I feel that she needs. So I decided lets go home, just the two of us! So a Friday morning Stina and I got up at 4 am (glad Richard drove us to the airport) to catch the 6 am flight and we landed in Sweden just before 9 am local time.

Then collected by sister and Stina’s two cousins Erik and Emma. Oh the happiness! Headed north to Trollhättan, sister had to head out to the fields to make sure the peas are being sowed at the right place at the right time. She is very good at what she does but has a very weather based job so she headed off and me and the kids walked to the hospital (about 10 min walk) and visited my farmor (fathers mother). My dad came as well with one of my brothers and one of my sisters. I do have a few siblings which is so nice.  It was so lovely to give my grandmother a big hug and a kiss! Must admit I felt a bit relieved I got to do that, however a three year old is not that easy to entertain at a hospital where people wants you to be quiet so we did not stay too long. Back to my sisters and the others arrived later after they finished at the hospital for coffee and then my sister came home. So we made tacos and after the kids was in bed after a pretty amazing bubble bath, my lovely sister and I had a really nice evening, a lot of bubbly drinks and chat.

Saturday we did a quick visit to sisters summer house.

Then home to Alingsås and my mums house. All except one sibling arrived (he claimed he was too tiered, lazy when you are 19) we BBQ and had a lovely evening.

Then Sunday, shopping with my mum for my girls, met up with two of my dearest friends and their daughters.

Then took Stina to the main park in Alingsås for a good play. Home and Swedish pizza for dinner (yes it is something special about Swedish pizzas).

Monday, oh gosh so intense and yes I do get a bit stressed when things does not come together as well as I planned. But hey we all survived! Up early, headed to Göteborg and to a specialist dentist, my mum had an appointment, after finished there of to visit my mormor (mothers mother) for a super quick lunch. Picked up my auntie on the way and my little sister arrived as well. 45 min later off to the airport and then that was it.

Good to be back in Scotland, hard to be away from the little one, it was lovely to get big cuddles and snotty kisses (even though I got a few nights of sleep and feel a bit more rested this was a bit too intense).

But oh I miss Sweden, I miss my family, friends and my language. I have a pretty amazing life here, lovely Scottish family, amazing friends but my Swedish heart is calling, don’t know what it is…perhaps just my romantic image of how a life in Sweden would be. I have spent most of my adult life in the UK. I did have a wonderful childhood growing up in a small village in the country side with lots of siblings, then would it be the same living there now as then? Probably not! However there will always be the thought of a move to Sweden and I am a restless soul. So I doubt staying in Edinburgh forever is probably not happening! But now I also have to think of my children and Richard, what is best for us is the main question and yes then the romantic picture of Sweden appears! At least we should try to give our daughters get best of two worlds with two languages and two cultures.

Back at the shop I am now enjoying my favourite Swedish interior magazine “Lantliv” and a cup of the always essential coffee! I wrote this weeks ago, sadly forgot to post it so a bit out of date! Oh well, we have booked a long holiday home in August which I am looking forward to.

Charlotte x

It is time for a new Pappelina order! Yay!!!

The rugs are finding new homes very quickly and we have only three doormats left, so on Monday 2nd June the next order will be sent away! We sure do love our Pappelina plastic rugs and we are so pleased that more and more of our lovely customers are filing their homes with them! They are just perfect! Happy, fantastic quality, soft under foot, durable, easy to clean and I like to say non-slip, however I do have a friend with two wild boys who always try to prove me wrong…it moves a little when they come flying but no way near like a fabric rug! 

Pappelina is a Swedish brand, the rugs are made in Sweden in old weaving machines in a traditional style. Please read more on their website by clicking here to find out more about the founder Lina Rickardsson and the delicate procedure for each plastic rug. 

I am quite often asked how to clean them and it is super simple, just hoover them and mop if you like. The smaller ones goes in the washing machine but my long one ends up in the bath tube. I use a soft sponge and just some washing up detergent. Apparently ketchup is evil so really try not to rub it off but rinse it straight away. There is something in the ketchup that reacts with the plastic. After cleaned make sure you stretch it to keep the shape, they do dry fairly quickly depending on size. 

I love my Pappelina rugs and believe it or not all of us working at Spektakulär have a rug or two in our homes. Please notice that Pappelina does not only do plastic rugs but also stunning cushions, aprons, tea towels and runner. 

Please have a brows on their website for designs and sizes and then just give us a ring on 0131 629 0941, email me at hello@spektakular.co.uk or why not pop in to the shop and see us. We are happy to help and why not take the opportunity to have a feel for yourself. We hope you will love them just as much as us!

Charlotte x 

Easter time!

We are open as normal except Easter Sunday then we will be closed!

Good Friday         10.00 – 17.00

Easter Saturday   10.00 – 17.30

Easter Sunday      CLOSED

Easter Monday     10.00 – 17.00

Yay love Easter and all the food. Not so much the sweets, more the food! And in Sweden we do a smörgårdsbord filled with herring, eggs, Jansson’s temptation and lots more. Basically the same as our Christmas food but with more fish and less ham.

This year we will head north to Aberdeen and celebrate not just Easter but also our baby Lovisa’s first birthday! Stina and I have baked so much and the freezer is full with goodies that we will bring with us up on Thursday. This does mean that we will be closed Easter Sunday but Zuzanna is kindly covering Monday and will be open as usual all the other days:) So please do pop in if you are in the area and say hi.

Charlotte x

Love love love Swedish Nääsgränsgården! Every Christmas we stock up on the little Santas and every single one find a new home and they are so beautiful! So this Easter we are happy to introduce a few happy and colourful Hens.

Happy Hens in a row

Colourful Hens

Hens in thee sizes

The Happy Easter Hens comes in three sizes and in lots of happy colours. These might also be nice for the kitchen all year around:)

Happy Hens

Colouful Hens in three sizes

Alix was in and played with her new camera (am happy every time she does, check out her website here). And she sent me some photos which made me very happy. I have now unpacked the hens and they sure brighten up the shop.

Gullan the Hen on the Egg

Three Hens on Eggs in Metallic

Happy Hens with Easter Eggs

Think I need to get my girls one each! Shame I do not have pink since it is the ONLY colour Stina likes…how that happen I do not know!!!

Have a great week

Charlotte x

Happy Mother’s Day to all you lovely mums out there! 

I do hope you all get spoiled rotten! Myself well I get a day by myself in the shop which is quite nice. Lovisa has been ill for a couple of weeks and it sure drains you with lack of sleep so a little bit of me time is great! Plus Stina made me a super sweet card at nursery and I also got a little plant too. 

Have a lovely day!!!

Charlotte x

What a lovely day, the sun is shining and people are smiling! It has been an amazing day at the shop and it is so true: there is nothing more rewarding than fantastic customers that are so positive towards you. It sure makes me feel like what we are doing is right! And it gives me tons of energy and the urge to get back to the shop sooner. Well Lovisa will start nursery next week (yes of course I have very mixed feelings) which should give me more time to focus on the shop and of course the very longed for webshop.

The shop is starting to fill up with Spring designs and Spring flowers such as Daffodils, oh flowers sure makes me happy. I think I need to keep going with the flowers, it does make people smile!

Am looking forward to my walk home this afternoon, fresh air and sun, but first a little coffee and cake that Zuzanna left for me in the fridge:) The girls spoil me:)

Charlotte x

This time a year I really enjoy reading! It is dark early in the evening, and I just love getting cozy under a blanket, a cup of tea and a good book! Unfortunately it has not been as many cozy moments this winter (well it is not over yet). My girls even though they sleep alright the little one just wont settle in the evening and when she does I am out! So tired and I just have to sit in the sofa and stare at the TV. Which is I must admit rather sad! Why watch TV when you can read a good book?!

Anyway enough about me not reading as much as I liked! Before Christmas we introduced new blankets by Swedish Klippan. Klippan is a family run company based in Skåne, South Sweden. This is a well known brand in Sweden with truly amazing quality designs. And we love them. Think all of us in the shop have eyed up a blanket or two and my personal favorite is the Moose blanket (which we sold pretty fast, more will be ordered).

Funky and comfortable Moose

Scandinavian style Vilda

Warm Polka

Beautiful Diamond

Retro in the softest cotton

And I love Vilda… It sure does remind me of a “Pippi” Jumper. Have a few of those!

We can easily order Klippan blankets and they are pretty popular (especially this time a year), so do pop in and have a feel! The softest cotton and eco lambswool mixed with beautiful colours and designs….true happiness!

Charlotte x

Hooray…no more alarms for us. Richard has taken time off work, Stina’s nursery is closed for two weeks and our lovely girls are looking after the shop for us. However the little human alarm is wide awake. Was happily scratching me in the face until I woke up.
But to be honest I enjoy this. She sits on the floor playing with her toys, I have my essential coffee and the news are on. The Christmas tree is lit and my Advent stars are making me feel cozy and happy, amazing what a few lights can do.

You might think that as a Swede owning a shop like Spektakulär my Christmas tree should be super stylish…you could not be more wrong. We got such a tacky tree but we love it. I bought it for nothing three years ago. Stina was a tiny baby, shop was brand new, our first Christmas which was a new experience and that snow…oh nightmare! Edinburgh council can not handle snow!!! Anyway I bought this tree and it was fine then and during the years we grown to love it. Did think that maybe this year we would invest in a real tree, Stina is big enough and Lovisa is young enough but Richard said: No I enjoy this tree…

Stina helped me hang the decorations and I try to spread them out but they magically goes back. 

Today Stina and I will spend a little quality time together. Think we will go into town and visit the Christmas market. Do a little Christmas shopping and hopefully enjoy a cup of hot chocolate somewhere. Have a lovely Friday!!!

Charlotte x

Hooray longer hours this December!

Monday – Friday    09.30 – 17.30

Saturday                  09.30 – 18.00

Sunday                     11.00 – 17.00

Please do remember that we do mail order so feel free to give us a call on 0131 629 0941 or send me an email at hello@spektakular.co.uk for more information.

Charlotte x