Pacific NW Holidays: Splendid Willow

Today for the Pacific NW Holidays series, I bring you the lovely & stylish Monika from Splendid Willow!  I am so happy to report that Mon is a new friend since I have moved to Seattle and she couldn't have made me feel more welcome!  Without further delay, let's hear what she has to say about she brings her Swedish style to Seattle:

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Barbara, thank you for having me here today. I will happily share some of my Northwest-Swedish holiday traditions with you. (And you Ms. Barbara will be invited to one of them - guess which one?!!).

Coming December this household gets crazy busy as many others this season. Except for mandatory Holiday decorating, treat making and Nutcracker events, there are three special things that are part of our family traditions and that we always make time for:

  

Mid December we officially open the doors to our "Holiday Candy Store". The kids and I fill our old Swedish secretaire with lots of homemade treats and goodies. Friends and family members tend to gravitate more to that part of the house that many other! It is a fun tradition that I hope my children will continue.

Pssst... Brugge Chocolates makes the best chocolates in Seattle. Very high-end European style.

No. 2 - Gloegg Party(ies)!

Our gloegg party is growing every year and what a fun way to see friends and family, happy and relaxed during this busy season. Being from Sweden, "Gloegg" is a Swedish must have have during the winter season. Gloegg is basically hot, sweet, mulled wine with added spices, almonds and raisins. And of course we serve lots of good dishes and treats to go with this cheerful holiday drink.

No. 3 -- Bellevue Botanical Garden d'Lights Festival

We have been visiting for a few years and the kids love it! We tend to go late, after dinner, and together we walk the paths in the Bellevue Gardens and admire all the creative & colorful lighting displays on the trees and plants. It is really a wonderful & dazzling treat for the eye and it gets us all in the Holiday Spirit!

Extra Bonus (sans kids!)

When my husband and I need a little special time to ourselves, we enjoy visiting Cafe Juanita in Kirkland. The award winning chef & owner, Holly Smith, always gets rave reviews from magazines, critics and a loyal clientele. And rightfully so. Her food is top notch Northern Italian cuisine without the contrived factor. The restaurant is located in a retro styled converted home. I would describe it as understated elegant with a very good vibe. We always leave happy -- and full!

So, there. Some of my personal traditions and must-visit-spots around beautiful Seattle.

Wishing all of your readers a beautiful Holiday season. And a warm holiday hug to you Ms. Barbara. You are a gem. Seattle is very fortunate to have you right here in in our lovely city.

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What a sweetie!  Isn't that candy store idea such a great one?

I haven't tried Brugge chocolatees (except in Brugge!) so that's a must for me sometime soon....

Mon, I can't wait to share some Gloegg with you!  Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with my readers.  :)

Scandinavian-Inspired Christmas

You may remember the posts I did over the Summer about Scandinavian design as part of our trip to Denmark and Norway.  In the process I discovered some beautiful inspirations for Christmas, and I have added to my collection of images of Scandinavian-inspired* designs for the holidays ever since. 

(*BTW, as with other posts inspired by various countries, I realize these all may not actually be in Scandinavia, but are nevertheless inspired by this clean, organic approach to design...  I have gotten some comments along those lines and didn't mean to mislead you wonderful readers!  The same is true for my French, Spanish, etc. posts - ie, in some cases these images are actually from the US or elsewhere!  Isn't that the great thing about blogland?  That we can be inspired by the decor of one place but realize it in our own homes in another?  :)) 

Anyway, here are a few of my favorites! 

via Bright Bazaar

Notice the writing on each drawer - love that!



via emmeline's blog





Slettvoll



 

via emmeline's blog

via Color Outside the Lines Blog



stockholm vitt



The White Company

Miss Mustard Seed Creations

IKEA

blomverkistad

Stockholm Vitt

splendidwillow.com

 tidningenlantliv.se



What do you think of this look?

We're Headed To Scandinavia!

Tomorrow we fly out to Denmark and then on to Norway.  Here is a taste of what we are looking forward to:

I have lined up a few wonderful bloggers to guest post for me, so I am sure you all
will be impressed and inspired by them while I am away! 

Also, thank you for all of the good wishes during our visit with my parents here. 
We are having a great time and my husband and I can run off on our trip knowing our kids are in good hands.  :)

I'll be back next week with some inspiration from our travels!

SIA

I have admired SIA products for a while, both for their fresh designs but also their accessible pricing.  Today I read a bit more about the company and thought I would highlight a few of their beautiful products.  The company was started by a woman named Sonja Ingeger Andersson (hence, SIA), a woman who began her business by making batik in her kitchen in Sweden in the 1950's.  The company grew from there and her creations are now available in many countries worldwide.  This should be great inspiration to any/all of us who aspire to take a creative interest and expand it into something more!  Enjoy these beautiful shots...

The first SIA logo.

These would make such a great hostess gift for a summer party!

Such a soothing space.

A great European-looking tablescape.

I can really see the Swedish influence coming through here.

That hanging lamp really makes the space.

Fresh, spicy and a tiny bit exotic.  Nice!

Very cool chair and love the pile of books.

Shiny vases and orchids - always a winning combination.

How killer is that lamp??!!

I wouldn't think to put that combination together but I love it!

These lamps remind me of Zenza...

My friend and I almost bought some of these cute little things in Holland last month.

Now I'm wishing I had!