Talent Of The Year

Last Friday, me and my sister Therese went to the "Tromsø Culture and Commerce Galla 2012" to represent our beloved Dreamcatcher. Personally, I love the opportunity to get dressed up and meet new interesting people, and for a long while, I'd been looking forward to a fun night of networking and chilling out. Adding to my excitement, two of my favourite local up-and-coming artists Peter Estdahl and Oh! were performing, something they did brilliantly!!

Peter Estdahl (foto: PR)

Oh! (foto: Marius Fiskum)

At the Galla, a few awards were to be... well.. awarded, and although we probably should have given more thought to the fact that Dreamcatcher was nominated for one, we were absolutely unprepared when Arne-Wilhem Theodorsen of INTRO started reading out the background/justification for the winner of "Talent of the Year 2011" and we realized it was us!!! In shock and absolutely jumping out of our seats, this picture from the award-ceremony really describes how we felt about being honoured with this title: Floating on clouds!

I know I should probably have written a blog about it sooner, but quite frankly, it's not until now (5 days later) that I'm able to gather my thoughts enough to put it down in blog-form. With the award comes a lot of publicity and opportunities for projects, as well as a check for 50.000,- NOK to spend on a specific project: Going to SXSW 2012 in Austin, Texas and work our Dreamcatcher magic to expand our business-opportunities and the opportunities for talented Dreamcatcher-artists. We're absolutely blown away by the faith Tromsø has in us, and are gonna utilize the resources in the best way possible. Already now, the planning is in full motion, and I can tell you this is going to be absolutely aaaawesome!!! 

We will keep you all updated through the Dreamcatcher fb-page and by revitalizing the Dreamcatcher blog. Make sure you like our page and follow our blog for the latest updates and news about the trip itself, talents you should look out for and loads more. 

The award, diploma, cheque and flowers <3

Cushion Makeover

I'm gonna tell you something that may come as a shock to a few of you: I did some sewing today! :D

One of the things about my redecorating project that has proved the most difficult has been to find textiles (sofa cushions, curtains, floor mats, table cloths, blankets etc) that are used and look perfect for the new home. So what I've had to do is resort to some creativity!

Today I've redone a purple cushion that used to have lovely diamond-shaped buttons on it. Obi Wan has eaten the buttons a while ago, so it was either time to throw it in the garbage or replace the buttons on it. Of course, diamond-shaped buttons are not gonna work designwise in the new living-room, and I don't know anywhere in Tromsø that sells used buttons, so what I did was look through my old sewing-kit, where I've occasionally thrown in extra buttons that have come with clothes.

After a bit of consideration, this is what I chose to work with:

And here's the finished result!! :D

Brilliant Buy!!

I have just made the most expensive purchase of my whole "Project Makeover"! But it's soooo worth it!!

Having sold my dining-table+chairs I had room to replace them with something that's gonna fit brilliantly in the new style, and I've just come back home from picking up my new thingies.

Peeps: Meet my new diningroomtable+chairs:

And although they're my most expensive buy at 2500,- NOK - they're actually a bargain (!!!) as they go for 16.000,- when new. So as you can tell - WELL worth it! Also this is a norwegian design set, made by Fora Form. They specialize in office-furniture, and are well known for their use of sustainable materials and durable furniture. Amongst other things, they've been awarded "Award for Design Excellence" by the Norwegian Design Council, and thanks to the awesome interior designers F&O (www.f-o.no) here in Tromsø, their old lunch-room furnitures are now my new precious gems.

 The flower-pot on the picture, btw, is also one of the purchases I've made for the project. It came from Fretex and is fitting nicely into my new design :)

Have a great weekend everyone! I know I am, now that I'm enjoying the rush of endorphines that comes with having new furniture. ;)  And thanks for following my "Project Makeover"!!

Project Makeover: The First Purchase!

I made my first new purchase today!! Woohoooo! This project is coming along splendidly :D

I am particularly happy with this one, as it is going to be a big focal point in the redecorated living-room.
Do you want a sneak peek? ;)

Ok, here it is:

(drumroll)

Isn't it a retro beauty?!! :D A couple of buttons need replacing, but that only means I get to replace them with odd-buttons (maybe a green one and a purple one?) - making it even more special than it is.

I can't wait to get it into my living-room, and to show you more as my "Project Makeover" progresses :)

Another Update

Today has been spent doing only interior-design'y stuff, and let me tell you: I've had so much fun!!

Apparently a bit inspired by my "Project Makeover", my sister Therese called me last night asking if I could come over today and help her redecorate their apartment. I believe my initial response went something like this: "Physical labour and interior design?! I'M SOOOOOO INNNNNN!!!! :D"

So this morning I showed up at her place and we been moving things around, vacuuming and washing, laughing and smiling all day, and in the end we made our deadline of finishing before her unsuspecting boyfriend got off work at 4pm. ;) Just call us the Interior Ninjas! lol

As the need for some additional candleholders proved necessary, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and head out for a bit to check out the second hand shops of Tromsø. I must say, I've fallen in love!! There are a few hidden gems in this city, and I'm excited that I finally know about them! :D At my new favourite charity shops, we found many cool things, and although I ended up not buying anything today, it was not because I didn't want to!! I basically had to be very strict with myself and decide that the big things like sofa and diningroom-table have to be sold off first and new ones purchased before I can start adding the final details....! Sometimes, I'm not a big fan of logic thinking ;) hehe

Anyways! Recon for my project has been done tonight; and here are some pictures of the end result of the redecoration of Therese and Eivinds apartment. Please excuse the poor lighting, but you get the jist. ;)

Update: Cluttered Chaos

Hey lovely people :)

This "Project Makeover"-thing is turning out to be quite exciting! The response to the stuff I put up for sale has been great, and already, people have started coming over to pick up their purchases :) I'm mega-excited about this all!!

The first thing to get picked up was the magazine-holder. Bon voyage to it :)

Earlier today I put up a question on facebook: Where can I find second-hand stores in Tromsø? Needless to say there seems to be more of them than I realized, and I'm planning to start visiting them tomorrow to look for new treasures for my apartment. It kinda feels like planning an expedition, and the thrill of not knowing what cool stuff awaits for me out there is getting my blood pumping.

At the moment, the apartment is a mess! hahaha I've rearranged some of the furniture I intend to keep (the chairs I inherited from my grandma, the old piano I used to play at my godparents house when I was growing up +++), and the place is a horrible mix of styles and clutter. Some of the stuff for sale is just bundled up in a corner, and let me tell you: I'll not be having friends over the way this place looks now!! LOL Here's a sneak peek:

But I can live with a cluttered place for a little while. By rearranging things I get to see what I'll need once the selling-frenzy is over - and start putting design alternatives together in my head.

And I can tell you I have some wicked cool ideas! Creativity Overload!!! Just hope I find the second hand bargains I'm hoping for ;)

I'll keep you posted!

xxx

Project Makeover

Right - so it is decided. My apartment is about to undergo a makeover - from girly, metallic minimalism to funky, colourful retro with a twist.

The rules are as follows:
- The new additions are to be second hand, and come from Fretex, charity-shops, finn.no, ebay.com, garage-sales and other second hand stores.
- My budget for the makeover is the sum of money I can raise from selling furniture and stuff that I already own.
- Free stuff like gifts etc is allowed
- Reuse of furniture and stuff I already have in the house is allowed

The first step is to put my stuff up for sale so that I can figure out what budget I have.
Here are the things that are looking for a new home:

Wish me luck! :D

Another Spark Of Insanity?

I've had a thought that I just can't shake. A plan, you might say... I've currently not decided a 100% on whether or not I'm going to put the plan into action, but I thought I'd tell you about it anyway.

As a few of you might know I'm a professional Interior Designer. And quite frankly, I've lately become very bored with how my apartment looks. Don't get me wrong - I think it's beautiful, but my style has changed and I want the apartment to reflect that change.

However, I don't have any money laying around for a makeover, and that's where my plan evolved from.

What if... I put up all the furniture (and other stuff that won't suit the new style) for sale on facebook/finn.no etc. and get rid of it. Then, I use only the cash I've raised from the sales to buy the new stuff I want - and it ALL has to be second-hand stuff that I find on f.ex. Fretex, charity-shops, finn.no, ebay.com etc, or get given by kind people...  

What do you think?! Do'able? :D

What was that? You asked about the new style? Let me tell you: 

Funky. Groovy graphic design. Colourful and modern with a touch of retro.

I'm thinking lime, orange, brown, mustard-yellow mixed with oak, white and dark brown. 

And as always: Unexpected solutions ;)

How does it sound? Should I do it?! :D

The Battle of Domination!

In chess you have two sides battling it out. The fight between good and evil - white and black. When growing up we're kinda bombarded with this black&white image that that's how life is. You have the good guys - and you have the bad guys. The good guys are always depicted as someone grown-ups want the kids to look up to... To aspire to be like... To identify with. Parents always want their kids to grow up to be good guys. In chess, I've always wanted to be the white pieces. I kinda imagined that they were on the good side (plus that they got to make the first move ;) ) and that was very much to my liking.

Then you have the piano.....

...and you realize that you can play all the notes. Black or white doesn't make a difference - you control them all! It's kinda a dictatorian feeling, controlling both sides of the battle. ;) Can you imagine then, my disappointment, when I suddenly realize that there is someone in my house plotting to take over world-domination?! And he's even in camouflage-gear!!!

Scars

I spent a few hours in Oslo this weekend. Or, rather.. I spent about 24 hours in Oslo this weekend. ("A few" sounds like just two or three...) I took the plane down there on Friday to meet up with some wicked cool music promoters, festival-managers and venue-bookers from all over Norway. I truly had a blast, and loved getting to know so many inspirational people!!

But in all the sunshiny fun I had during my Oslo-visit - there was one thing I couldn't leave the city without having done. I took a walk to the building where I used to work a few years ago, and where the Oslo-bombing last July still bear its mark. I took a picture that I wish to share with you. And I'll try to describe the way I felt standing there - thinking about what happened the day a part of my life was attacked...

The first thing I notice is the broken clock. So many times in the past did I look out the window at my office and check that clock to see what time of day it was. If it was lunchtime soon, or how long was left until an exciting meeting was going to begin. Now it's shattered. As if time was fatally injured the moment the bomb went off. My thoughts go to the ones who DID die. And my eyes rests on the clock that stopped ticking the moment their hearts stopped beating...


The Government Central in the background is still bandaged. Its situation is critical and it may never recover from the injuries. I remember when I used to go in and out of that building for meetings or assignments all the time. And I think of the fact that the bomber had started planning the attack years ago. Years before I even started going in and out of the building. Right around the time where Utøya was a second home to me... And the bandages around the building becomes the bandages that keeps my heart from shattering.   


It feels terribly sad to stand there on my beloved Youngstorget and take in the emotions that crashes over me like waves. Terribly sad. But at that moment, there's nowhere else I'd rather be. I see the sunlight bring warmth to the damaged buildings. Like the wonderful people have brought warmth into each others lives after that shocking day. And I breathe. I breathe the cold, fresh air and start walking. I keep moving. Moving on... I've seen the scars, and I know that they are like my own. They're a part of me. And I step into the sunlight.