Etsy Wedding Registries

Etsy offers such a unique opportunity for brides and grooms - to create a registry that spans any of their handmade or vintage shops and allows them to register for a million different items, all in one place.

Creating an Etsy registry is incredibly easy, and the real brilliance of it is that items can be pulled from any of the thousands of different sellers, to curate a really unique, well-suited registry that speaks volumes about them and the home they are creating.  And of course, registering this way supports independent artists and small businesses galore.

Swedish Country Interiors has been a part of a few different registries, and each time we've found it such an honor to be a part of the process of helping a couple start their life together, and assisting them in furnishing their home. And it's pretty cool to think about them using our dishes for dinner parties, holidays, and everyday meals for years to come.

This article leads you through the process of building a registry step by step, and this is where you get started, if you're interested in doing so.  It's also easy to access from the Etsy homepage--look for the link in the top, left-hand corner.

For ideas on what other couples are registering for, or to get some creative tips for decor, party favors, themes or how-to's, check out the Etsy wedding blog for a wealth of information.

Art Prints

Did you know we have art prints in our Swedish Country shop?

Printed on slightly textured, white, 210g cardstock with high-quality ink.  Prints are sold in 8x10 size, but can be custom ordered in any additional size you need.  We can also do a custom color for you, if you would prefer something other than black or red, our commonly stocked options.  Let us know if we can help you with a special order.

Currently, we are offering our Rosemaling and Dala Horse designs--both are a great way to add a little Swedish vibe to your home!

These prints also make great gifts.  Think spring weddings, birthdays...and don't forget Mother's Day!

Midsommar, Midsummer, Midsommardaggen, and even St. John's Day

Scandinavian Heritage Midsommar Festival in Portland, OR

Have you ever considered attending a Midsommar party?  They're a big deal, (a real big deal) if you live in Sweden, and celebrate the summer solstice and generally just the arrival of warm days, lots of sunshine, and time off from school and work.

Midsommar, (or Midsummer, obviously, if you prefer the American spelling) is rooted in Nordic and Germanic pagan tradition, with rituals of fertility and youthfulness.  It also coincides with St. John's Day on the Christian calendar. These days, however, it's all about enjoying the spring-turned-summer, and some really good food.  

In Sweden, this holiday kicks off the summer vacation season, and is often spent with family and close friends.  Stateside, we don't often see too many neighborhood bbq's with kids dancing around a maypole, (by the way, you can find an awesome tutorial for making one here) and often, Midsommar celebrations are held at Scandinavian cultural centers, and rightly so.  (Here is a fairly conclusive list of American Midsommar events compiled by Nordstjernan.)  By the way, this year it is celebrated on June 21st.

Even Ikea does it up with a celebratory Smorgasbord, as as they always seem to do, they sell many of the components you might need to make your own version in their marketplace.

If you would like to read more about the history of Midsommar, here and here are some good resources with some background information, and even some traditional recipes that you might like to try out.

Speaking of food, I love that Midsommar celebrations aren't barbecues.  As an American, barbecuing is what we do in the summer.  But it is so fun, from a culinary perspective, to have an outdoor celebration that doesn't incorporate meat on a grill.  I'm actually not even sure Americans are capable of it.  But it is worth a try, because the food is fabulous, and it is well worth venturing out onto a Northern European limb for such fare.

Here, here, and here, are some other fantastic places to find a variety of Midsommar recipes.

Scandinavian Folk Festival, Jamestown, NY

 

Swedish Country on Food52

Swedish Counry on Food52

Starting today, our Rosemaling dessert plates are available as part of a Spring/Summer wedding collection for Food52.com!

If you aren't familiar with Food52, it is an all-inclusive foodie website with everything from recipes, to advice, to products that help you in the kitchen.  Seriously, their recipes are out of this world--and they really strive to equip cooks with the best resources available.

Provisions, their curated shop, has a lovely assortment of items that are both practical and beautiful. That's where we come in.  Our plates make a fantastic wedding gift, or a great addition to any dining collection--they're unique, durable and super useful.

Visit us at swedishcountry.com for our whole Rosemaling collection!

Inspiration from around the web

Scandinavian style doesn't have to be stark white and modern.

And to be fair, these spaces below aren't necessarily Scandinavian.  They really are a complete hodgepodge of styles.

But they all have a common thread, and that is that they embody the ideas of light, bright and comfortable. And that is, in essence, Scandinavian.  Rooms that are livable, and realistic, with lots of natural light, and lots of white-meets-bright.

Just a little inspiration from around the web!

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Fika.

Time for a fika.  Coffee and a pastry (or two) as an afternoon pick-me-up.

This is an essential part of a Swede's day.  To take a break, re-collect, and meet with friends for conversation.

You can do fika in your home as well--it is just as normal as going out to a cafe or something--the where is less important than the what.

It traditionally would be coffee served, but these days it doesn't have to be.  In recent years the concept has morphed and changed somewhat, as many traditions do, to include everything from tea, to small sandwiches, to whatever else you might want--as long as you are taking a break.

Purists would disagree, and still claim it's coffee that should be consumed at this coffee hour.

But regardless of what you're drinking, the point of fika is taking time out of your day to replenish, revive, and (in most cases) recaffeinate.  Swedes believe that not only is this not slacking off or wasting time, but is actually helpful in recharging you for the remainder of your day.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Sources:

White Espresso Set

Blue Teacup Set (discontinued)

Friends and Family Plate

Rosemaling Coffee Mug

Colbalt Cookie Plate (unknown)

Welcome back.

Hi there!

It's been a loooong time since I've posted!  We've been busy around here--between working on a number of projects and our new baby (well, he's not that 'new', he just turned one), this past year has gone by, fast.

We have some fun things happening at SCI, with some new products, new collaborations, and lots of making, testing, packaging and shipping.

Check back soon, as I'll be posting updates along the way!