The Dream Collector Workbook

Drawing Swedish furniture - The Dream Collector Workbook - Dala Muses

When I woke up this morning I snapped pictures from the birds and bees in our front yard. I put a picture on Instagram and decided it was going to be a take-it-easy and slower day. One to enjoy the sunshine, draw a little and develop a few coaching exercises.

But … sometimes the urge to work hard, finish projects and forget about everything else shows up unexpectedly. It’s a wonderful feeling and it happened this afternoon. It’s that zone I wrote about a few weeks ago, where I have a challenge, a clear goal and I can use my skills. If you missed that post about creative flow, you can read it here. I would have never guessed that by the end of this wonderful, so-called slower day, my Dream Collector Workbook would have been finished. Read more →

My favorite flea market finds on a Swedish loppis

Swedish antique linen - favorite finds on flea markets - Dala Muses

Loppis, pronounced lop-pis, Swedish for flea market, has become  an important part of my life. I can’t imagine how I lived for almost 37 years without this amount of flea markets or thrift stores in my area. They are everywhere and I love it! I haven’t missed a week of thrift shopping since we moved here. I don’t know all the restaurants or clothing shops in the area, but I do know where the flea markets are.

There is a pattern in my flea market finds. Five themes or types of objects always catch my attention and end up in my home. Read more →

The bright yellow Mora clock

Drawing a Mora clock - Dala Muses

I shared a while ago that I have been drawing and doodling lately. If you missed that post, you can read it here. Swedish furniture and interior design is a huge source of inspiration for those drawings.  A real Mora clock is high up on my bucket list.  I bump into one occasionally but I haven’t found ‘the one Mora clock for my home’ yet. I will keep looking and meanwhile I have one of my own drawings to hang on the wall where the real thing is supposed to stand. No, I’m not really going to do that, that would look ridiculous :). Read more →

How to apply Swedish ‘lagom’ to your marketing

How to apply Swedish lagom to marketing - Dala Muses

We have been living in Sweden now for more than 6 months. A milestone! A few years ago I was convinced we would end up in New England, and now we live in Sweden. Life definitely has its own way. Those 6 months were overwhelming to say the least, but slowly we’re adjusting. I noticed that I’m starting to appreciate Swedish ‘lagom’ in certain parts of my life. Read more →

An insight into Vibeke’s creative journey

Insight into Vibeke's Creative Journey - Dala Muses

I thought it was time to introduce you to one of my muses: Vibeke Svenningsen from Vibeke Design. Not that she needs an introduction, she’s a well-known photographer and stylist after all. Such a beautiful Scandinavian farmhouse style with pops of colour, a wink to all four Nordic seasons and some influences from English and French cottage and country style. Did you know that one of Vibeke’s images made it onto the cover of Country Living’s new book ‘Salvage Style, decorate with vintage finds’?

So… we see her amazing images and style shared all over social media. But who is Vibeke? Where does she get her inspiration from? What has her creative journey been like until now … I had many questions, we started chatting and voilà: Read more →