Julmys, kos or hygge are Scandinavian words we use a lot when talking about Christmas, meaning enjoyable time. Ikea is all decorated for Christmas, with everything from fairy lights to wrapping paper. And the Ikea toy department might be the place to pick up some Christmas gifts. Oh -and do not leave without having the Ikea Swedish meatballs in the restaurant!
Start by heading to Ikea online and be inspired for some julmys and hygge this Christmas.
© Ikea
The new 2013 IKEA Catalogue is finally here! Actually I haven’t received mine yet, but I borrowed a friends that got hers last week. And I’ve been eagerly flicking through, not only for inspiration but also for necessities. You might remember if you follow this blog, but the Little Scandinavian family have recently moved house. And with a new home comes the need for practical storage solutions, functional pieces of furniture that affordable still in a sleek Scandinavian style.
Love or hate Ikea but it’s hard to avoid the Swedish furniture giant when you want to make an home improvement.
So Ikea is emphasising this year to renew your home with textiles! In the current economical climate it’s important to keep a safe budget and what better way than buying a cushion instead of an entire new sofa?!
In the children’s Ikea there’s new educational and decorative toys, colourful and textiles in various forms and shapes -and as usual excellent storage systems to avoid chaos in the child’s bedroom and also functional furniture like desks, beds and wardrobes. They also have a great selection for the babies first room as well as a separate section dedicated the youth room.
If you have not received the new IKEA catalogue 2013 by 15th September you can pick up a copy from your local IKEA store.
Celebrate nature and bring the wildlife in to your home, with these cute creatures from IKEA. Soft toys from £3.99
© IKEA
We’ve previous years shared a small selection of a Scandinavian vintage Christmas Cards. These romantic and nostalgic greeting cards has proven to be very popular -so it was to our great pleasure we recently discovered that the Swedish Interior and Home giant Ikea this year has included a vintage Christmas card print in their affordable selection of gift wrapping for Christmas.
With the 1st of December less than a month away it’s about time to start planning the Advent Calendar of 2011. Especially if you are, like me, aiming for 24 gifts and treats! Gift guide to follow within the next couple of days…
I’ve in the past done 24×2, but when I grew up with 3 siblings we all shared one calendar. I’d get to open the surprise every 4th day. I never thought of it as an issue. We’ll might do the same for our girls this year. It will not only teach them to share but save me from getting an additional 24 items.
Another idea is to buy the Lego Advent Calendar, unpack and wrap in all the 24 small presents, perhaps together with a little sweet treat on the Saturdays, and hang it up as a decorative garland. In that way you’ve done it all in one go and you’ve ensured quality presents for only £17.99
Anyway, here’s Little Scandinavian Advent Calendar Guide for 2011 We do hope this guide will be of inspiration!
Ikea YRSNÖ Advent Calendar
Ikea is of course huge in Scandinavia and it’s for many the number one destination when purchasing not only Christmas decoration and Christmas essential gift wrapping but also for napkins, candles and other kitchen essentials for Christmas in addition to ready made Scandinavian Christmas cookies.
Check out the Ikea Christmas store.
The YRSNÖ Advent calendar featuring father Christmas designed by Gunilla Byström for Ikea. This Advent Calendar in cardboard has 24 numbered drawers that you can fill with small presents.
Height: 45 cm. Unfortunately this product is not available to buy online. Check availability at your local store.
£8.99 ikea.com
Petite Legarth Advent Calendar
To ensure the uniqueness of design, the Danish designer Sofie Legarth has only made a few pieces of each style. See the full range of Christmas decorations from Petite Legarth here.
This gorgeous handmade quilt advent calendar from Petite Legarth is made with Liberty fabrics.
Santa on his way during the night in a air balloon is such a lovely motif, an advent calendar you’ll be exited to put up on the wall every December. And if you manage to part with it, as the quality is so good, maybe some day you can pass it on to future generations.
The Advent Calendar measures 46x63cm with hooks for 24 advent calendar gifts or treats.
650DKK (£75) at LilleFigaro.eu
Maileg Garland Advent Calendar
This is actually a Advent Calendar that would be fairly easy to make yourself. In that way you’ll get the exact dimensions of the small cotton bags that you want and you’ll also get a true treasure that can be handed down to future generations when the time comes.
But if you are like me, useless with the sewing machine or you simply can’t find the time, this charming Scandinavian style Garland Advent Calendar from Maileg will be just perfect!
24 cotton Christmas socks and socks, all ready to be filled with 24 small gift and treats. When you start to receive Christmas cards, you can simply hang them up on this garland too.
649DKK (£75) designerleg.dk
Maileg Pixie Advent Calendar
Gorgeous Maileg pixie in red advent dress or grey dungarees, numbered for each day of advent with pockets big enough for small treats or gifts. The pixies have a row of buttons all the way down the front. Size: 150cm tall.
We also recommend checking out the various of festive and fun Advent Calendars on NotOnTheHighStreet.co.uk
And if you are into the Pixies for Christmas, check out maileg.dk
Price per Pixie Advent Calendar £66 at notonthehighstreet.com
Maileg Chocolate Advent Calendar
Divine Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar from Danish design company Maileg for 2011, filled with delicious Swiss quality chocolate from Lindt.
Scandinavian style advent calendar with fun and festive illustrations, Santa on his sledge with reindeer, Santa skiing, sledging, dancing and decorating the big Christmas Tree wonderfully illustrated by Dorthe Mailils.
60DKK (£7) at designerleg.dk
For even more ideas, see the Scandinavian Advent Calendars 2010
Foldable, stackable, affordable -beautiful -It’s out! The NEW Ikea catalogue 2012 is out! For fans of the Swedish furniture design house every new catalog is like a proper treat as Ikea’s designs are functional, stylish and most importantly reasonable.
This year the emphasis is on maximising small homes, get more into it and more out of it. It’s all about clever use of space and furniture that multitasks. No need to throw anything away as Ikea has storage systems for the tiniest and most hidden part of your home. It’s 374 pages of sustainable living.
We love visiting our local London store to admire the tastefully put-together set-ups, to visit all the pretend homes and most importantly indulge in the yummy Swedish meatballs. By the way, did you know that in Scandinavia we eat them with steamed potatoes, not french fries? Try it next time! Anyway, we had a look through the catalogue, and this is what caught our eye… The best of Ikea 2012 for the children.
For the nursery we think the handmade Byholma armchair would make the perfect nursing chair with it’s rounded and soft shapes and reasonable price. The adjustable Hensvik cot shows us that you don’t have to rob the bank to get your hands on a Scandinavian Designer cot.
BYHOLMA armchair £79
HENSVIK cot £59.99
GOSIG mus soft toy -perfect for role play! In brown/white/grey £0.99 each
DUKTIG Mini-kitchen £89.99
MÅLA easel £15.99
New ISALA laptop table £149
EMELINA knopp bedlinen 3 pcs £10.99
Beat the price: Shelf, desk, chair and lamp £116.47 (page 254)
The bright green first-aid kit compromises of 1 burn dressing, 1 wound compress, 3 sterile wound dressings, 2 elastic bandages, 1 disposal gloves, 1 adhesive tape, 1 respiratory sheet, 13 plasters, 1 scissor, 5 wash swabs, 3 plaster stripes, 4 adhesive plasters. Available at www.ikea.co.uk £12.99 -We think a kit like this is perfect both at home but also when you travel by car with children.
The components of a first aid kit are largely a matter of personal choice but the kit should contain items sufficient for the size of the party and appropriate to the activity. We would have included strip thermometer, antiseptic solution and a first aid booklet.
Ikea has Safety department with lots of useful safety products for both the home and travel, worth checking out.
I found this kids bedroom picture over at the Swedish magazine Skøna Hem
Get the look by mixing and matching budget pieces with design items
The rug that pics up all the colours in the room and that are a true centerpiece in the room is a rug called Strib by Ikea. Sadly not to be found, wonder if they are not making it any longer? Anyway, it’s important to add a multicoloured rug, as this is essential to create the look. Most items can be found at Ikea, but do add a few true design items for a classy look and your vintage wooden toys for a personal touch.
The 7 series look a likes are available from lots of shops -but there is nothing like the real deal.
Fritz Hansen Series 7 children’s chairs Skandium £353
HENSVIK Bed Ikea £80.68
FABLER Bed canopy Ikea £10.20
Nightlamp at Barnvanligt £9
EXPEDIT Bookcase Ikea £71.39
Oskar & Ellen colourful bunting Best Kids £22
Cloudberries is a slow-growing alpine or sub-Arctic fruit. They turn golden yellow in late summer or early autumn. That’s when the Scandinavian people will go hiking in the mountains searching for these golden natures treasure. The ripe fruit is soft and juicy and rich in vitamin C. When eaten fresh, cloudberries have a distinctive tart taste. In Norway it’s a tradition to have cloudberries with whipped cream for Christmas dessert.
Today’s recipe is a Scandinavian twist to a classic Italian dessert, Panna cotta. Fresh cloudberry is a rarity in UK shops, but it is possible to get a jar of cloudberry jam that will do. IKEA stocks it in the food section.
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Norwegian newspaper Finansavisen is revealing that IKEA have bought the Norwegian baby equipment and children clothing company Reflex.
The IKEA product range focuses on good design and function at a low price. The Reflex company will be a good supplement to the IKEA group as they focuses on the same target.
Reflex have some well made snowsuits and rain sets. Both Amélie and Beatrice have had rain sets from Reflex. And they have been great.
Photo: Reflex
It will be exciting to see whether we could buy a snowsuit together with a new kitchen solution while having Swedish meatballs for lunch at IKEA in the near future!
