Copenhagen Sakura Festival

We went to an absolutely charming event today; the annual, local 'Hanami' or 'cherry-blossom-viewing-picnic' at the waterfront park Langelinie. You really must go tomorrow, if you missed it today, read all about it right here in the festival program.

It has been the perfect day for a Hanami, I must say - the weather was unbelievable for an April day: just like a perfect, breezy summer day. And every local Japanese (and Japanese wannabe) must have been there, and so was every manga- anime- and cosplay-nut in their craziest outfits. It was great. We had matcha tea milkshakes and chilled to Japanese folk songs and live Kendo fighting and just general spring delirium.

Easter came and went

painting eggs  /  eating an awful lot of lunches  /  growing chilies and tomatoes  /  visiting Malmö and getting off the train at the beautiful Triangeln train station  /  those easter feathers everywhere  /  my sister in seasonal yellow  /  'fika' in the sun  /  lots of fudge  /  back in the garden with a vengeance  /  fritillaria are the cutest, weirdest flowers and tulips are always okay

Origami Easter Bunnies

In Denmark the official Easter holiday starts tomorrow, the Thursday before Good Friday, and they are both public holidays. Some people go to church, some dig in their garden and clear out the winter clutter, and lots of people - most people - take the opportunity to get together and eat enormous lunches. Most kids get Easter eggs and loads of candy. 

Lets make a little something that might decorate the table at your Easter lunch party. How about some sweet little origami bunnies? Very simple and a little bit addictive to make - and they are inflatable!

I have made you a tutorial and some Easter-like pastel colored origami sheets, get the PDF here!

2021: I have a new location for my downloads, go here for tutorial, and here for origami squares:
Yellow  /  Pink  /  Blue  /  Green  

Volker Kraft from Saalfeld, Germany has a serious hobby

I sat on the train this morning and saw a little story in the free newspaper, about this man in Germany. Every spring he and his wife, Christa, decorate their apple tree with handmade easter eggs (all made the old fashioned way, from real chicken eggs), starting back in 1965 with 18 eggs. They must have enjoyed it, and the tree grew fast, from year to year. The rest is history. These days Volker and Christa hang about 10.000 eggs on the tree, with the help of several ladders, family and friends. It takes them about nine days.

The tree is now world famous and even has its own website!

Top: Travellingtotally.com / Middle: from the blog 'Adore Your Place' / 

Last: Volker and Christas easter egg storage system: NBC News

The thing is: I'm going to Miami....

I am stepping out of my comfort zone and writing this post straight to my readers with the hope of a few comments. They will be greatly appreciated (as always)! 

The thing is: In a few weeks time I am going to Miami on vacation, or actually on a longer road trip to the US East Coast, with several stops en route northwards (we end up in New York). I am going with my husband, our son and my in-laws, and we start our trip in South Florida, that is in Miami (for a couple of days) and Key West (for a few more days). 

This part of the USA is fresh territory to most of us, so I am just going to ask you, who might have been there: any tips, anything you think we just have to do, taste or see...? Something we might not find in the guide book? Or simply something that actually is all it is cracked up to be...?!!

We are quite down-to-earth. We like things laid back, not too dressy or formal. We are quite crazy about nature, architecture, fun shopping and local food. My boy is (almost) five, he loves pancakes, dogs and disco music, and is working on his english conversation skills, as we speak. 

Right now, I mostly look forward to the sun. And the palm trees, because to a Scandinavian as myself, they just epitomize adventure and being far, far away from home. Oooh, I can't wait!!

Cherry Blossom Flowerballs

One of the most stunning signs of spring in these parts of the world, are fruit trees in bloom. Well, not only in these parts, I guess, but on these latitudes, because just think of the sakura ('Hanami') celebrations in Japan, on the opposite side of the planet! In our garden we have two large old cherry trees, with snow white blossoms, and we have an apple tree with the most spectacular girly pink and red ones. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have an easter, where they are in bloom and where the weather is nice enough for you to actually eat outside and not freeze your butt off. Lets see how it works out this year. Both easter and blossoms are very close!

These super easy paper flower balls, are a celebration of all these trees going crazy at the moment, be it here or there. They consist of twelve flower shapes that you assemble in about a minute, via the marked slits. Very, very easy. Make as many as you like, and have your own hanami party this weekend, if you don't happen to have a pink flower show + sunshine outside, where you live!

Get the PDF's right here - they come in three slightly different shades and designs:  

 

2021: I have a new location for my downloads, please go here:

Design 1: front and back  /  Design 2: front and back  /  Design 3: front and back

Easter Eggs

My four year old son made this one the other day. To me, of course, it rivals the splendour of any diamond encrusted Fabergé egg, and has star billing on the easter tree. Which is not much to show off, yet, by the way. I hope to post a nice, little easter-themed paper project to make, one of these days. Stay tuned...

If you enjoy decorating eggs, I have to show you some images, for inspiration! These photos have been in some corner of my 'beautiful things to keep' folder for years, and I am sad to say that I have absolutely no memory of where I found them - but I know that they are from the Ukraine, and they are from some old book of templates or ideas, for easter egg decoration. If you have more information, please leave a comment!

I think they are fantastic, and should you wish to see more easter eggs from eastern Europe, try this google search: 'pisanki' or even 'pysanki'. Also, I found this little article on different decorating techniques from the blog of the super cool New York-based design studio Kiss Me I'm Polish.

Will Work For Chocolate

Time to get busy if you live in Denmark, and hope to get any easter eggs. We actually have to do something to get them, and the common thing is to send 'gækkebreve' or easter fools letters - anonymous greetings in which you sign your name with dots, stars, ants, hearts etc. - and write little silly verses about it. They are usually made as pretty paper cuts, and you often put a spring flower in the envelope as well. A very sweet tradition. Now, if the recipient guesses who the sender is, he or she gets an egg. If your greeting remains 'un-guessed' you have the right to claim an egg. 

I made a couple of them for some young ones, not old enough to read blogs, so I can only hope.

I love to get them from children, and this is something Danish children will do (candy is a great motivation), from before they actually learn to write, and the results are sometimes very endearing. 

I borrowed these next two from The Puk Project (top) and MagLinus (number two)