{the art of the acrostic}

Perhaps you didn't have your magnifying glass handy the other day, and wondered what you were supposed to be looking at in this picture from Mad og Bolig magazine.

Well, here's a shot from inside ARoS museum in Aarhus, where we happened to spot the original of one of the framed prints. (Note to ARoS museum police: I'm very sorry, but I didn't spot your white-on-glass 'no camera' signs until too late. If it makes you feel better, we got a parking ticket while inside the museum. Possibly at the very second I took this photo)

Oiseau, by Poul Pedersen, as you can see, is an acrostic. As far as I can tell, it reads: Where, Here, Paris, Stranger, France, Poul. And then downwards, the letters spell Bird. Perhaps not my choice of words, but I love the restrained use of red letters, and the way the words are arranged. With a set of alphabet stencils and a few tubes of acrylic, this would be quite simple to recreate -- either with your own acrostic poetry (ooh la la), or with a meaningful word, place or name in the centre.

After much searching, it seems that Poul Pedersen has kept himself rather quiet. A Danish artist, his paintings all seem to be collected around the Aarhus area, and very few are visible online. How lucky that we did venture into this corner of the Contemporary Art floor of ARoS (most of the art on which inspired rude comments like "I could do that with my eyes closed" and "Tilly made something just like that yesterday with squashed blackberries).

(source)

I did find another of his works, La Toile, that I also love. Unfortunately, my French isn't quite up to deciphering it all: You, Beneath the stars, The stars, Beneath the _______, The _______, Beneath You, The ______. I know, it's turning into a language test over here, but any help on what a toit is would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully it's not too rude to say in the comments.

I've been sketching away already, trying out different words for my own version, ready to paint once we're home again. Any ideas? Do you have any words on your walls?

{flea market: danish style}

My sister and I have been playing a lot of "Would You Rather" recently. One of our favourite head-scratchers: would you rather have a human body and a dog's head, or a human head and a dog's body? (We're both going with the dog's head, in case you're wondering)

But now, one for you. Would you rather go to the world's best flea market, and be able to take almost nothing home with you, or go to the world's worst flea market, and take home whatever you want?

Without a doubt, the flea market we visited in Viby (near Aarhus) was the best I've ever been to. Rather than feeling like you're rummaging through rubbish and clutter, it was like having your pick of props used in a Scandinavian style magazine. White ceramic teapots aplenty, Royal Copenhagen dishes stacked to the ceiling, a little red typewriter that even had keys for the three extra Danish vowels... ah, our suitcases had never seemed so small.

This ceramic butcher's pig made our shortlist, mostly because his sweetly named Picnic Shoulder made us dream of wicker baskets full of sandwiches. Okay, also because his Butt was right behind his ear. Hehe. But unfortunately, his weight and breakability ultimately left him there, staring wistfully at us from his shelf.

Also high on our list of maybes was Alfi, and his metallic brother, Robo-Alfi. Just a few days earlier in the trip, we'd been out for the day with our cousins and had packed ourselves some lunch, cake, and tea. The tea had come along in their Alfi pot, whose lid screwed down tightly so nothing spilt, even after bumping around a safari park in a pushchair. That night, as I unscrewed the lid to clean Alfi, a cloud of steam rose up. After ten hours, the leftover tea was still piping hot. Amazing! So, story short, we're big Alfi fans. In fact, we've raved about Alfi so much to friends and family since, I think they're wondering if we've got shares in the company. 

Not really our cup of tea, but interesting nonetheless, were these pots. Labelled gamle danske honningkrukker, I'm assuming they are honey pots from the days of Viking Winnie the Pooh. 

Justin and Tilly, who were less impressed with all the pots I was oohing over, finally found something they'd like: a two tonne helmet, with horse's tail headdress. When I pointed out that it would never ever fit into the suitcase, Justin offered to wear it home on the plane. (No, I made that up. But I would love to hear airport security ask him to remove his belt, watch, and helmet)

A rainbow of pots -- couldn't you imagine a picnic of pasta salads packed into them? Yes, clearly I'm picnic-crazy at the moment.  Hopefully, by the time we're back in Texas, it'll be cool enough to venture outside during the day.

So, onto the things that we did come home with. Number one: Children's Scrabble, in Danish. I couldn't get over the tiles with those Danish vowels. There's a chance we'll play it, but I hope to hang it somehow in Tilly's room.

Numbers two, three, and four: a lovely sturdy mixing bowl (ours at home melted slightly in the dishwasher and is now a Dali-esque deformed shape), a polka-dotted cake plate, and an aebleskiver pan. Anyone notice a favourite colour?

Aebleskiver, in case you're wondering, are little fried apple pancake balls that the Danes have around Christmastime. The fact that ours is painted red means that it's probably no good for actually making aebleskiver (that would be too useful) but we did enjoy putting the blackberries we'd picked in it. Good portion control. Or a way of keeping greedy piggies from eating your share.

We also found some perfect gifts for our Mums: a glass lemon juicer for mine, and a silver spoon marked Kobenhavn for Justin's. I'd never have thought of flea markets for gifts before, but I love that these souvenirs are so authentically Danish -- owned by actual Danes first! 

What do you think -- could you have left that lovely butcher's pig on a shelf? Do you have any great flea markets or thrift shops near you that are full of things you can't resist? 

{farewell, denmark}

Our two weeks in Denmark have come to an end, but what a lovely time it was. Sand, sea, and rain. Had I really forgotten the Danish weather so completely -- we had packed entirely too many pairs of shorts, and not one umbrella! 

When the sun was out, we went to the beach, which was just up the road. Tilly loved examining the sea shells, turning them over in her hands, and having a little nibble on one occasionally. She could run up and down the shoreline for hours, following other children and trying to take their buckets, or simply enjoying her freedom!

Before you start to think we were in a tropical resort, let me show you our feet. Wrapped up in hand-knitted Danish socks whenever possible. What a lovely feeling to slip into these after having your toes in the rather chilly North Sea.

We stayed out in our cousins' lovely summerhouse, which was so special. Beautifully Scandinavian, all white and wood, with a garden full of flowers and fruit. Fresh blackberries for breakfast, apples for dessert. Tilly didn't even bother picking the fruit, but ate it straight off the bushes!

And before I forget, here's a flodeboller. Chocolate shells, wafer bottoms, creamy marshmallow centres. Still just as delicious as I remember.

Of course, I've still got so much more to tell you about. We went to the most amazing flea market, attended a wicker festival, walked above Aarhus in a giant rainbow, took a trip to Legoland, and made note of all the Danish designer things that we plan to make ourselves at home. Is there a more inspiring place than Denmark for design? 

I'll have all that for you once I've come to terms with the 1036 photos I took in the space of twelve days. Yikes! Hope you've had a lovely August, and thanks so much for all the comments. I loved having our guests, and am so glad you enjoyed their posts too.

{bon voyage}

Goodbye, Texas. Hello, Denmark! This week, we're off -- flying to Copenhagen, and then driving across to Jutland for a little holiday by the sea in our Danish cousins' summerhouse. 

Beder, the little town we'll stay in, is a little off the beaten trail, it seems -- when searching for ideas for day trips in the area, Trip Advisor came up blank, and kindly informed us to go somewhere else! But that just adds to the adventure, right? We'll have sand, sea, and access to flødeboller. What more could we want? (Never heard of a flødeboller? I'll eat one and take a picture for you...)

Justin and Tilly, of course, have never been to Denmark, (I, on the other hand, lived there for four years, while in high-school) and so we'll be spending a few nights in Copenhagen, too, to see the sights. We'll stroll along Nyhavn,

...browse around the amazing Marimekko Concept Store, swing by my old school, eat some more flødeboller, and spend an afternoon at Tivoli Gardens. And, of course, there'll be the chance to practice my very rusty Danish. Justin, who, for seven years has been telling people I'm fluent in the language, is in for a nasty shock!

While we're away, I have a little treat for you. Over the next two weeks, special guests will be popping in to share their own little bit of red with you. I've seen some of their ideas already -- wonderful stuff, don't miss it!

Danish Inspiration

I've been going through my photos from Denmark this summer, and found some shots that really inspired me. It's funny what stood out to me: rusty metal, peeling paint, and of course, anything red!

Roof tiles on an old house

The side of an old boat

Little red house with flowers

Little cottage window

I'm feeling a painting phase coming... with plenty of browns, oranges and reds. Watch this space!