sparks joy

i got these two cup shelves via work. we have a new category called kvik living. i am a little bit suprised myself how happy it makes me to have my mug and cup collections out where i can see them instead of tucked away in a cupboard. this morning, i stood and looked at the shelf to determine which of the starbucks mugs i wanted for my morning tea. i selected arizona, since i'll be headed there next week. it was nice to have a moment to think about it and admire the collection, rather than just grabbing the first one from the cupboard.

and the handmade cups are kept above the espresso machine. i always look and see which one i'm in the mood for. it's actually a different one every time. i don't always go for the same one. and i legit consciously think about how happy it makes me to see them all there on the shelf. 

in these dark times, it's even more important to find the small things that spark joy. the world has become quite uncertain. there's an enormous shift going on and it's not for the better. i don't know where it's taking us and i could let myself become consumed with worry about it. in the wee hours of the morning, those worries often surface. but if we look for small moments of happiness, maybe they will multiply. i want to hold onto some shred of optimism in the face of it all. it seems a small form of bravery, when i otherwise feel helpless and like i'm not doing a damn thing. maybe it starts with your morning tea in a favorite mug. or a little beautiful corner of your home. maybe it's from there that one gathers the strength for the storm that's surely on the horizon. 

flea market finds

i was thinking about how dependent on the location the items in a second hand store are. this bowl, which i saw at one of those flea market places, where individuals rent a shelf and put whatever they want there. it was in herning, which is arguably the middle of denmark. the tag on the bowl claimed it was french and it's true that it didn't look danish. if it hadn't had a big crack in it (not visible in this photo), i would have bought it, as i definitely felt it sparked joy.

i spotted this clarinet in the wonderful antique trove in scottsdale, az. i feel like i see a lot more instruments at antique places in the us. other than old pianos and organs, i just don't see that many musical instruments in the shops in denmark. i don't know if this is because less people play an instrument or because they keep them.

this red tray could easily have been denmark, but it was actually also at the antique trove in scottsdale. i'm kicking myself for not having bought it. it would have been awesome in my red kitchen.

this was definitely in the us. not that people didn't quilt in denmark, but patchwork quilts are also quite rare at the antique places here. you often see knitted and crocheted afghans, but very seldom do you run across any patchwork quilts. and especially not a yoyo quilt like this. that seems like it was very much an american style. i didn't buy this one, but i have one very similar that my great grandmother made. i hope it stays in the family and never finds its way into an antique place.

obviously, that lunchbox was spotted in the us. i ended up taking that tin toy bug home with me, so someday someone will probably find it in an antique place here in denmark and wonder how the heck that happened.

that yellow bowl is at an antique place in my hometown in south dakota. i love it so much, i've actually photographed it a couple of times. but it's $49, which isn't really so bad, but i always think it will take up too much space in my luggage or get broken along the journey, so i leave it behind, even if it definitely sparks joy in me.

this one is obviously very mid-mod danish. it was in the flea market in kolding. i am drawn to these designs, but i didn't buy this one. but it got me thinking about the whole question of the selection of goods available in a particular location. i'm definitely going to see what's in the second hand and antique shops of barcelona next week. i'll bet it's something completely different!

i wonder who made this tiny bicycle

i think about the person who bent and twisted this wire to make this tiny little bicycle. it's just one piece, so it's like one of those line sketches, where you draw the whole thing without the pencil leaving the page. it's slightly wonky, but it's also utterly wonderful in its tinyness and level of detail - the kickstand, the handlebars, the wheels and the chain, just a little wire doodle, but somehow perfect. i wonder if they made other things? i found this in a bowl of tiny things for 10kr. in a strange secondhand shop where we bought a little yellow boat. when i saw it, i knew i had to have it. it's very tiny, about 3cm is all. i keep it up on a high shelf, because i'm afraid the cats will play with it and then it will be lost underneath something or get vacuumed up because i don't see it on the floor. but it makes me smile whenever i see it. and i think about that person who made it, wondering how many attempts they made before making this perfect specimen. dozens? or perhaps they just got very lucky on the first try.