Jeanne d'Arc Living English Edition

Today, I’d like to tell you a short fairy tale…Once upon a time, a woman called Vivian lived in a small and cozy town in the countryside. She was a traditional housewife who enjoyed the little things in life such as baking and cooking for the family, making beautiful flower arrangements and turning her home into a warm and cozy oasis. As the money was always scarce, Vivian was very creative, and she loved finding nice things at the flea markets and changing them so that they’d fit to her home. Her heart was very much in love with the Nordic country style with a hint of French interior design, and this passion would later take her on an extraordinary journey. On a sunny morning 20 years ago, Vivian had been…

This is just so idyllic – like something from an old movie. Cobblestones in the driveway, a thatched roof, and doors and windows with small muntins. This wonderful house with the thatched roof is from 1870. Nete has been renovating it herself for the past 15 years. She has furnished her home using her unerring eye for the French/Nordic style, adding lots of recycled furniture and funny items from markets and second-hand stores. The house has just been sold but Nete invited us over for a visit to show us her interior design before she moved out. Although the house has been renovated, many of the original details have been preserved, including the old ceiling beams and the chip stones in the corridor between the kitchen and the living room. These…

Stirred tuna My absolute favorite. This is what you need for 4 servings: 2 tins of tuna½ tin of natural cream cheese½ onion3-4 pickles1 tbsp small capersA bit of lemon juice1 tsp oyster sauceSalt and pepper When serving:ArugulaToasted breadA few caper berries2 red onions0.4 cup (1 dl) vinegar0.4 cup (1 dl) sugar Drain the oil from the tuna. Chop pickles, onion and capers, and mix all the ingredients using a fork. Serve the topping on a piece of toasted bread along with arugula, caper berries, a slice of lemon and some pickled red onions. Prepare your pickled red onions by boiling a brine made up of equal parts water and sugar which is poured on top of the thinly sliced red onions. Allow the onions to infuse for a couple of hours before using them. Avocado…

One of the first items that you’ll find at the florist’s just after Christmas are small pots full of pansies. They’ll cope well with a bit of night frost and you can easily bring them into your home and use them to make small decorations. When you cut them, new, small blossoms will grow, and if you take good care of them, they’ll last in your pots outside during the entire summer and even into the autumn season. In addition, they are quite cheap. Ramona has combined them with a selection of other flowers in small glass bottles and vases. The stems aren’t that long so you’ll need very small vases. You might want to place several vases and bottles next to each other.…

Ramona makes these dainty "snowflakes" and hangs them in the windows after Christmas when the house seems a bit empty. They are made of old bobbin lace insertions or crocheted insertions. In the good old days, people made them and placed them in between the plates in the cupboards. Ramona has wrapped metal wire all the way along the edge. Continue by decorating the circle using a thin thread and some glass beads (old ones from the flea market). Hang the snowflakes at various heights using sewing thread or fishing line. Combine them with white hyacinths and ranunculus, which are available at the florist’s right now, to create a beautiful winter still life that’ll make you smile. These fine snowflakes also make nice hostess gifts.…

HOBBY ROOMS Many of us love being creative, and throughout the years, we end up with a big collection of materials. Having a small room or just a corner of a room where you can keep all these items and perhaps work on your DIY projects is just so wonderful. If you don’t have to tidy up the area once you’re done, it’s so much easier to get started again later. We’ve visited several creative people who have furnished such creative spaces, and we hope that we can inspire you to create your very own creative room.…