You may remember this painting we bought awhile back by artist Melinda Josie. Well, we are pleased to tell you that we have a special little exhibition of new artworks in Melinda Josie’s C series (or what has become a series!).

Now hanging at mjölk are the following gorgeous intricately hand painted pieces. It took all our strength to not scoop them all up (just one for our “permanent collection”)!

Dalahäst Björk
8.5″ x 8.5″ framed

$300

Dalahäst Korsstygn
8.5″ x 8.5″ framed

SOLD

Dalahäst Marinblå
8.5″ x 8.5″ framed

SOLD

Dalahäst Matsson
8.5″ x 8.5″ framed

$300

Dalahäst Mörbakelse
8.5″ x 8.5″ framed

$300

Dalahäst Sticka
8.5″ x 8.5″ framed

SOLD

Well, we’ve been getting a little wedding crazy up in here lately. The initial plan has always been to keep it small, and to hire a chef to create a gourmet dining experience (a la Dill or Alberto K). But when we realized that our initial venue wasn’t going to work out, we looked for a restaurant in the city that could accommodate our wants and needs. At one point I mentioned that the store could be a cool option but Juli wasn’t on board…YET. The other day, our friend Lauren, who is also taking over our Tuesdays in the shop, brought the idea to the surface again and finally Juli got on board (after a last ditch effort of looking at restaurants online–you have to check out all the options before the most obvious can be truly appreciated). Ever since the venue decision has been made, all the pieces are falling into place.

So why are we telling you all this accompanied by photos of a vintage fireplace? Well, we’re picturing a cozy winter wedding, with a long communal table, furs, blankets, Timo Sarpaneva glass candle holders…and wouldn’t a Malm-style fireplace just top it all off?!? I went on Craigslist and lucked out finding a working electric version in great shape (you may be wondering what happened with the white Malm we had at the cottage–sadly we had to return it because it wasn’t up to code in Canada).

Believe it or not the logs are actually real wood with a plastic coal screen and it looks really cool when it’s on. There is also a fan in the flue that gives a good amount of heat without much noise at all.

We plan on spraying it white, and adding an extended flue with a cap to hide the exposed fan and wires. I wouldn’t mind replacing the brass handles on the fireguard, or at least painting them black to blend in.

Beside the wedding, we’re excited to use it in our drafty living room, and then later in the bedroom at the cottage for the cool spring nights.

Now that’s value!

Last week we went to the opening of “Constructions” a new exhibition at the Design Exchange highlighting contemporary Norwegian designers inspired by traditional folk crafts.

“This exhibition of contemporary Norwegian arts and crafts is based on the concept of “construction” – in the sense of the way something is put together. The term is used in many fields, including architecture, engineering and geometry, music and language. In the field of arts and crafts, “construction” is used to describe methods for both building three-dimensional forms and creating patterns in surfaces, or a fusion of these. There are many construction methods, ranging from work on a single object to the joining of different elements.”

Here is a small sampling of the show:

Crocheted jewlery made from mass produced ceramic figurines by Anne Lene Lovhaug.

Embroidered wooden boxes by Lars Sture

Burled birch bowl by Havard Larsen

Antler knife.

Bowl in Cherry wood with crushed eggshell lacquer interior by Lillian Dahle.

Contemporary Anorak bag inspired by traditional and ceremonial Anorak bags. By Marianne Moe.

A deconstructed quilt by Anne-Gry Loland.

Felt applique by Inger Johanne Rasmussen.

Embroidered wooden butterfly.

Antler Chain marked with plastic year markers used to mark reindeer, by Aslaug Juliussen.

The show is on from November 19th to January 23rd, check out the Design Exchange for directions and hours!