New Pappelina order

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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 

Shop closed 30th April

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Unfortunately the shop will be closed today Wednesday 30th April (Lovisa got chickenpox). We do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

But we will be open as usual tomorrow Thursday! Zuzanna is in from 10 am.

We hope you have a lovely day and we also like to wish the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustav Happy Birthday (and my brother Johannes too).

Charlotte x

Guess what?…Pappelina has arrived!!!

On By SpektakulärIn Inspiration, Latest deliveries, Shop imagesLeave a comment

Woo hoo! A new Pappelina delivery arrived this week with more doormats 50×70 cm (which are just flying out), new 70×90 cm designs, as well as 70×100 cm and 70×150 cm plastic rugs! Oh we love our Pappelina plastic rugs here at Spektakulär and we could not be happier to see how amazing the response is! They have been with us since we open the shop 3.5 years ago and the interest and general delight they have created is part of us. I don’t think we have ever had such a broad range as we do at the moment. Almost all the designs of the doormats are in stock. A few of the lovely new Spring/Summer 2014 designs as well! Pappelina Rugs

Plastic rugs, yes the idea have scared a few… taken them out of their comfort zone. My husband included! But he does not mind the one in our kitchen, he actually quite like it, and yes I think there will be a few more, he has been converted! I am eyeing up one of the large ones for under our dining table (perhaps after Lovisa stopped throwing EVERYTHING and I mean a lot of food…after every meal I wished we had dog) and a long runner for our very long hallway and perhaps one for the bathroom and if we had a garden the one for there too. Maybe one at the time!

I cannot stress how good they are: durable, easy to clean, non-slip (well unless you might have some really super wild children who will prove me wrong), good quality and just happy. Plus they seem to hide all the crumbs in the kitchen, I’m surprised every time I hoover.

Vera One 70x90 cm in Yellow, Orange, Lime, Purple and Blueberry
Vera One 70×90 cm in Yellow, Orange, Lime, Purple and Blueberry

So the best way to get an idea about them is to have a good feel so do pop in and explore, we also just had lots of catalogues delivered so if you are just like me and prefer to browse a catalogue in the sofa with a cup of coffee rather then looking at a screen then just let us know. But if you are just like Richard and just want to look at things online please do so. Check out their webshop for inspiration and more information. Please feel free to call us if you like to know the prices of a special rug or to see what we have in store please do on 0131 6290941. And yes we take orders regularly and since Pappelina have teamed up with a new UK distributor we will be able to get them in quicker from now on.

Charlotte x

Swedish Birthday Cream Cake

On By SpektakulärIn Bakes, InspirationLeave a comment

So here it is, as requested! This is the recipe I use when I bake our Swedish Birthday Cream Cakes. Of course there are lots and lots of other options but I normally stick to this recipe for the base since it is so easy and taste just like I remember my birthday cakes did when I grew up.

Delicious!
Delicious!

This base you can use for any kind of cake. Does not have to be for a round cake, can be any kind of shape or size. Basically more classic I guess with the round ones. I am not sure if Stina will have one of these for her birthday in the Autumn…maybe if I make it pink and shape it into a princess…hmmm I don’t think I shall put too much energy into that thought just yet!

To make a base you need:

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 dl caster sugar
  • 1 dl water (I use hot boiled water something my grandmother told me once that I should do)
  • 3 dl flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla sugar (something I buy at home but can easily just use a little vanilla extract or normal sugar mixed with a vanilla pod)

Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the water little by little while whisking to make sure you don’t get scrambled eggs. Then add the dry ingredients swiftly and pour into a cake base approx 24 cm.

Pop in the oven at 175°C for about 30 min.

Then let it cool down and prepare to cut in three layers.

First layer I normally make a vanilla custard, I have been lazy and bought special powder back home. But before I did that I used a light custard with a vanilla taste which was a little bit heavy but had the right flavor. It needs to be a vanilla cream but a bit heavier but honestly feel free to use whatever you like in the your cake.

First layer...vanilla custard
First layer…vanilla custard

Middle layer can be whatever you like, I normally use a nice jam. I am a raspberry jam kind of person but apricot or strawberry is lovely too. Mashed banana or just fresh berries is nice too. Oh lots of options!

Second layer...raspberry jam
Second layer…raspberry jam

Top layer is whipped cream which nicely hides all my mistakes. And then topping, whatever you like. I like the ones with berries since the cake is so sweet and heavy it is nice with fresh berries but the rest of my family likes sweeties. So smarties, chocolate buttons or what you have at home. I guess for midsummer it is all about strawberries so anything else than strawberries is illegal!

One made by the 3.5 year old and one by me.
One made by the 3.5 year old and one by me.

Before I moved to the UK I used to bake a lot and I thought I was pretty good at it too, I guess I was more experimental and really enjoyed it. However now these days, time and oh my goodness just looking at the cakes makes me put on weight so sadly I am not baking as much. But when I do Stina helps me and I think it is more about a little us time than how perfect my bakes are.

I used to do one alternative to this cake which was soooooo tasty but made you feel a little bit sick! Vanilla custard layer and a chocolate mousse layer and then on top instead of cream I melted chocolate and topped it with raspberries! My younger sister Cecilia is known for making amazing cakes and she is always asked to bake for some other family members special days. Hopefully I can get her to bake me something this summer when we are home or for my special day!

Charlotte x

Happy 1st Birthday Lovisa!

On By SpektakulärIn TripsLeave a comment

Wow our baby is a year!!! Amazing! So not a little baby any more! This stage is lovely but yes pretty hard work…she is high and low at the same time! Crawling and standing up and is ready for an adventure every minute of the day so home is baby proof once again.

Lovisa
Lovisa

Lovisa is such a happy little one, a lovely little character full of life and it sure makes me happy to have two lovely girls who makes me smile everyday:) She is so happy just to tag along everywhere and is with me at the shop or out at meetings. She has also started nursery two days a week and she seem to enjoy it. However I must admit I do not enjoy the new colds she brings home every week which means, oh hello mamma new cold ready for the weekend…cheers love!

Our girls
Our girls
Family photo...difficult to get everyone to look at the camera
Family photo…difficult to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time.

She is at the stage when she is finding her own little personality and yes my daughters are their mother’s daughters…what a temper! Anyway since Lovisa’s birthday timed quite nicely with Easter this year, all members in Richard’s family have time off work and managed to get together at the grandparents’ home in Aberdeen. Stina and I have baked a lot, sorry about the direct swenglish translation: mini semlor, chocolate balls, raspberry caves, love mums/mocha squares and Swedish cream cakes!

Stina is decorating the cakes
Stina is decorating the cakes

Birthday bakes

 

Birthday bakes

And with all the extra sweets with Easter, I think I might need to control myself or I will explode! At least I am actually not a fan of the UK chocolate egg bit. Yeah I will tell a lie if I said I don’ eat it, because I will but I prefer the food and bakes and a little paper egg Påskägg filled with pick and mix preferably salty liquorice than a too sweet egg.

 

Easter Eggs
Easter Eggs

I do hope you all have a lovely Easter and enjoy your holidays and not over eating just like me, I have brought my walking shoes, not so much walking yet, but the weekend is not over yet!

Charlotte x

Easter Opening Hours 2014

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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

Happy Easter Hens by Nääsgränsgården

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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

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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

Happy tealight and candle holders

On By SpektakulärIn Shop imagesLeave a comment

So Alix was in the shop yesterday and she takes a few photos every week and send them to me, guess a habit when you are a professional photographer. Always a joy to receive!!!

Yesterday she got her eye on the lovely Rob tealight and candle holders by Broste Copenhagen, Fasett Silicone tealight holders by KG Design and happy Candy by Sea Glasbruk.

Rob Tealight/Candle holders by Broste Copenhagen
KG Design’s lovely silicone tealight holders
SEA’s happy Candy votives/bowls

We can not get enough of candle and tealight holders, it is a lovely gift or treat. Candles does makes us happy!

Charlotte x

A few small shop changes…

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I am really enjoying this, my first weekday back at the shop! Lovisa is settling in very nicely at nursery. Of course I miss her (and her big sister), but it is rather nice to be back at the shop and to be Charlotte as well as mamma. Be surrounded by lovely, colourful and stunning designs, having a chat with a customer, and Spring is in the air…

There has been a few changes at the shop, unfortunately Emma and Åsa has now left us for new adventures. However I am sure they will cover now and then just like Joanne who is also working full-time else where but just can’t let go of us (makes me very happy though).

Zuzanna who have been with us for a year now has taken on Emma’s Saturdays and a couple of weekdays, and when she is not at the shop she is busy illustrating her own designs. Check out her amazing designs at her Etsy shop.

Alix, our very busy photographer is covering one day a week. Brows through her website, she is so talented and I really love her photos. We are very grateful for her fun and creative photos with shop designs.

And then it is me, I am in the shop Sunday’s and two days a week. And when I am not here I am just running around after two wild but happy girls and trying to get our webshop up and running! Hopefully Spring will give me a little more energy and inspiration, but for now I am just very happy to be back at the shop because I love it:)

Charlotte x