Would you try this?

Warming my feet, a cold December day in Pamukkale.

Fish therapy - where small fish eat dead skin cells off your feet! I got to try it in Turkey. I had seen it before and was curious but I don't think I would ever have done it if it wasn't because I won it as a prize. It was second prize in a music quiz one night at one of the hotels where we were staying. So of course I had to take advantage of my winning (even though I was scared at first!). It tickled like crazy in the beginning, when those tiny fish take little bites off your feet, but one gets use to it pretty fast. If I noticed any difference? I think I actually noticed more after a feet dip in Pamukkale. This thermal water is supposed to make you ten years younger. Since I only dipped my feet.. let's say I'm about five years younger now? :)

Simple (with a twist)

I found this pair of Calvin Klein stilettos in an old issue of ELLE, that I was flipping through yesterday. This is EXACTLY the kind of style I like in fahsion. So simple but with a little detail that adds something extra. Love them.

Mmm

A vitamin packed carrot, pineapple and orange juice drink at favorite Bloom Cafe should hopefully keep that winter cold away!

www.bloomcafe.com

Lazy Holiday

Today, I haven't been doing much at all. The fun, but hectic Christmas preparations and celebrations have taken out their toll. And I'm still jet lagged and have been waking up not later than 6 am every morning since I got back. So with good conscious, a Christmas gift book and a candy jar have been my best friends for the day.

My Christmas

I got the best Christmas gifts! A lovely Theory cardigan, a beautiful Michel Kors ring, books I can't wait to start reading, Mac makeup brushes, makeup from Face Stockholm, Stig Lindberg china and some handmade and personal items...and much more. Perhaps I'll show you some tomorrow! ;)

Swedish Christmas food. Sill, meatballs, Jansson's Temptation...

And of course some sweets afterwards..

I do live in Southern California after all. The palm trees and sun shining through. Even on Christmas Eve.

Since I'm Swedish the big celebration day for me is Christmas Eve and I had a really nice time. Christmas is by far not over yet though. I'm soon on my way to the valley for some more Holiday spirit - the American way. Hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas!

From Me to all of You: Merry Christmas!

A tired vagabond...

On my way home again.

...finally lands in Lala-land. After almost three weeks of traveling - to Turkey and then to different locations in Southern Sweden, I was pretty tired even before my trip home even took off. And I had one of the worsts ones ever - three long flights before I could see the palm trees again. With a delayed flight coming in to Toronto I had to spend the night in Canada and got home one day later. So very tired, jet lagged and stressed out about Christmas, only two days away now...

Swedish Christmas

Since I'm going back to LA on Tuesday, my sweet parents brought me to Kosta in Smaland, to give me a little dose of the Swedish Christmas. I have learned to appreciate an American one as well, but having grown up in Sweden and being used to all our traditions, it's just not the same. At the beautiful Art Hotel we enjoyed the most delicious Christmas buffee with all those traditional dishes I'm so fond of. And lucky me even got to experience quite a bit of snow. (Is the sun still shining in LA?)

Back home from Turkey...and soon on my way again

I had a wonderful week with my mom, met a lot of great people and enjoyed a very exciting country. Sharing a photo from the beautiful Pamukkale. Now I'm about to catch a train and go visit my sister and her family. Who said vacations would be lazy? :)

Oh December

Dear friends, the calendar has turned page to the very last month of the year, and I have traveled to Sweden, been to an old friend's wedding, enjoyed an early Christmas turkey dinner, spent time with friends and family and then tomorrow I'm leaving again. This time to Turkey - and I'm taking mom with me. One week filled of fun, just the two of us. So see you again in a week or so - probably a little bit more sun tanned, more cultivated from all the interesting ancient history we're about to explore and hopefully maybe a bit more relaxed too. December did get a busy start for me.

With the right to take a break

An old image of me from an Italian magazine. I look so young! I did a story about a cozy weekend I think and was dressed in all sort of comfy pj:s and got to do "cozy things" - fun!

I should be doing a lot of things right now, a lot of "have to dos" that all our lives are filled with. Instead I'm in bed watching web-TV on my Mac, drinking tea and eating saffron buns. And I feel pretty good about it. It's OK to pull the plug some time.

Marni for H&M

It's just been a couple of weeks since the Versace collection flew of the racks of H&M. Now the Swedish fashion chain has already announced it's next collaboration - Italian Marni. What I have seen of Marni I really like so I'm pretty excited about this one. Hits stores March of 2012.

Be safe

Yesterday I got news about one of my closest friends being in a car accident this weekend. It happened right after we had spent the entire evening together! When going back home with her boyfriend they got into an accident on the freeway, the car is totaled and she woke up the next morning in the hospital! I was beyond shocked when I heard this. Thank God, they got away with mostly some cuts and bruises but things could have ended really badly. Life is so fragile. Be safe everyone and take care of each other. xo

Happy 1:st Advent!

I know it's not big over here in the US, I don't think it's even celebrated at all, but in Sweden the 1:st of Advent is a great celebration. It's the day when you greet Christmas and welcome the holiday into your home. You light the first candle, drink the typical glogg and eat saffron buns and ginger snaps. (Luckily IKEA did have some glogg at least!) This year I decided to be a bit experimental and made a different version of the classic saffron bun. Instead, I baked them more like a roll and filled them with marzipan and sprinkled pearl sugar on top. I like them but I think the old school ones are better!

Beauty culture

Cardigan - Element, Top&Scarf - Forever 21, Jeans - Ralph Lauren, Flats - Marc by Marc Jacobs

The museum complex with surroundings was so stylish itself and just walking around there was worth the drive out as well.

I finally went to see "Beauty Culture" at Annenberg Space Photography. An exhibition about how photography has captured and defined beauty through out the years. One whole section was about the modeling industry. Very interesting for me of course, being in the industry. I'm glad I got a chance to see it before it was too late but it It was just packed with people, probably because this was the very last day and more than one shared my idea of coming last minute.

My look

Hat&Skirt - Forever 21
Top - H&M
Leather jacket - BB Dakota
Bag - Moschino
Boots - DKNY

Hollywood Night

Last night I spent in the heart of Hollywood. On Cahuenga we started with dinner at fun and casual  Kitchen 24 and then continued on to the classic Beauty Bar. I haven't been there for years and it was a fun little reminder of the past when we used to bar hop on the streets of Hollywood almost every weekend.

A sip of Lagerfeld?

This is one of the most unnecessary but fun items I've seen in a long time. A Karl Lagerfeld teabag! How does Karl Lagerfeld "taste"? Would this instantly dress up my ordinary cup of tea? It's the German brand Donkey Products who is behind these "Prêt-à-por Tea" bags. Or if Jean-Paul Gaultier, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Donatella Versace is more your cup of tea try one of those. Or why not Elvis Presley, John Lennon or James Dean or perhaps Charlie Chaplin?

Bad IKEA

Yesterday was Black Friday and I deliberately stayed away from a lot of the craziness even though I had some errands on my list - including a stop at IKEA to pick up some familiar treats for Advent this coming Sunday. But apparently IKEA has stopped selling all the Swedish brands and almost didn't have anything I was looking for. Not the classical round big gingerbread jars, no juleskum (the strawberry flavored marshmallows), no Ahlgrens bilar (the small car shaped marshmallows) and no nothing.... They will only sell IKEA:s own brand of food from now on and until they have received the new items the shelves were almost empty :( As a Swede, of course I don't like this one bit. A trip to IKEA:s food store was always something I was looking forward to and the salvation when cravings after something sweet from home got too big. But at least a stop at the food court to have some meatballs and a princess cake cheered me up a little bit.

Magnolia Bakery goes LA

Ps. It's not so pale but a lot more purple in real life!

We skipped the Sprinkles line and decided to try another cupcake institution. You know the bakery in NYC where the Sex&the City girls always enjoy their baked treats - we got one in LA about a year ago but I never tried it until now. Hmm, so who wins, Sprinkles or Magnolia? This one had a very homemade feel which I guess has its charm but I would say I prefer the more "luxury" taste of a Sprinkles cupcake.

90210 Happy lunch

From my window seat at Le Pain Quotidien. Beverly Hills turning into evening while a long line of people outside of Sprinkles beating the cold for a Thanksgiving treat.

The BEST sandwich - a tartine with chicken, smoked mozzarella, arugula and basil pesto on a sourdough bread.

A late lunch at the always yummy Le Pan Quotidien in Beverly Hills with fun company got to start the holidays for me. I also found out I got put on hold for a big cigarette campaign and received some other really great news so I'm feeling happy and thankful, looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!

My favorite campaign

I'm in love with the David Yurman jewelry campaigns. They are so pure and just incredibly beautiful. But no wonder, since they often feature two of my absolute favorite models: Kate Moss and Nadia Vodianova and are captured by the master Peter Lindbergh.

Old Housewives

Old episodes of Desperate Housewives and a big cup of Earl Grey. Simple quiet Tuesday evening.

Some love for Target

A handsome man in the company of sweets and snowman clad socks - only at Target!

Yes, I was pretty upset with Target a couple of months ago when they cancelled that Missoni order...but otherwise I have to say Target is really great. It's probably the most versatile store there is. And now they even have groceries too, so with one visit you're pretty much set. I went there today to get Ken dolls for my nieces and came back with a $1(!) body lotion, cute snowman socks for my sister for Christmas (just for fun, she likes snowmen), strawberry sweets that I thought would be the exact same ones I used to be obsessed with when I first moved here but haven't found since (but unfortunately these were not the right ones either) and some Italian cookies that made the ride home a bit more fun..