Music: First Aid Kit

Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite singing duos-- the sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg from Sweden, known as First Aid Kit. Their close melodies and folk style are just beautiful and mesmerizing and they've been compared to another one of my favorite bands-- Fleet Foxes. In fact, it was a cover of a Fleet Foxes song posted on the internet that first gave the sisters international attention:



  And while this is an amazing cover, their original music is just as beautiful and lovely-- and it's also in English. First Aid Kit's latest album, The Lion's Roar, is a folky feast of bittersweet songs, that are shockingly mature for such a young pair, but their voices make it feel true and honest.

This is my favorite song from the album, called "Emmylou" it is remarkably 'Americana' and country sounding-- even featuring mentions of American legends 'Emmylou', 'June', 'Johnny' and 'Graham.'

I highly suggest giving them a listen and I look forward to many more future albums from these girls~
~H

My Art: Norwegian Bride

   I thought I'd share with you all one of my latest Scandinavian paintings--- this piece is called "Norwegian Bride" and shows the traditional Norwegian wedding costume and crown in an old fashioned folk style. I'm pleased with now it turned out and went a bit crazy with the flowers, haha!

  You can read more about the piece and the tradition of Norwegian wedding crowns HERE at my art blog.

Hope you have a great weekend!
Heather

Vintage Norway

    I've been looking through the flickr commons at copyright free images of Norway and came upon these vintage beauties. What a majestic country! I'd love to see the fjords some day. Take a look at these amazing photos. You should be taken to the flickr source with more info by clicking on them:

 Which scene do you wish you could step into? I can almost hear all that rushing water. And aren't the sod roofs amazing? I've read that many scandinavian homes insulated their roofs with layers of sod and turf to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They would plant gardens and even small trees on them. Now that's a great use of space!

Thanks for your visit!~
Heather

My own Dala....

I've started working on a series of Dala Horse designs-- come check it out on my art blog-- Audrey Eclectic!

A Swedish Epiphany

  Happy Epiphany, dear readers! Hope you're having a wonderful Sunday. I thought I'd share with you this beautiful Swedish tapestry depicting the nativity with the three wise men by Anders Eriksson, 1802. Thanks to Aputsiaq at Nordic Thoughts for the source!

Also--- we have a winner for our book giveaway! Congrats to Nancy, for your win! And thanks so much to our author, Linda K. Hubalek for being so generous!

Til next time,
~Heather

Obsession: Scandinavian Box Beds

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There is something just so interesting and a bit romantic about box beds, and Scandinavia has some of the most beautiful varieties. Built into the wall, sometimes with a curtained off entrance or even an entrance with doors, I have loved these unique style of beds since I was a kid.
    The concept behind the box bed is to preserve heat and add privacy. They often times also included storage of some sort either beneath the bed or along the wooden sides.
   In the years when most people shared sleeping space with the whole family, having a private box bed was probably very ideal. Especially in the frigid winters of northern landscapes-- I can just imagine how warm and cozy these beds must be all piled up with blankets and furs, the curtains drawn and a good book in hand.
   I've been gathering some images of some particularly beautiful box beds for that 'some day' house of my dreams. I thought I'd share them with you here-- what do you think? Are you a fan? Or would you feel claustrophobic? I just love how beautifully and ornately some of the beds are decorated. They are many times a work of art in of themselves!

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Gott Nytt År!

Young folk dancers from Lindsborg, Kansas at their annual Lucia Fest

Happy 2013! So glad to have you here at Scandinavian Folk. This blog is pretty new, but I hope to have it packed full of fun Scandinavian tidbits as the months go on. You can look forward to lots more book reviews, recipes, design, art and other things inspired by Sweden, Norway, Finland, and even Denmark and Iceland.
    Since I'd like for this to be a very interactive site, I also welcome guest posts if you have something you'd like to share! I'm also very interested in the immigrant aspect of Scandinavian culture-- you don't see too terribly much about that online. But America also has a very rich and vibrant Scandinavian culture and heritage, and I'd love to celebrate that as well.

   And speaking of great immigrant stories--- don't forget that a free eBook of Linda K. Hubalek's "Butter in the Well" is up for grabs in our latest giveaway! See THIS POST for more info! Contest only lasts until Jan. 5!
   Thanks again for joining me here--- we'll have a marvelous time!~
Happy New Year-
Heather