Wearable art with Swedish designs!

Hej Swedish Scarf-lovers! I know you're out there, I am one too! I love to keep my neck nice and cosy! It's not an understatement to say that I probably have about 30 scarves of all shapes, materials and makes and I am soo excited because soon I will get one of my new Christina Rawson (chr) Collection scarves delivered from ShopVida.com! I uploaded my painting entitled "Swedish Bath House" to the site, and voila! A beautiful scarf was made from my work and it's on its way here now with hopefully a bunch of my other designs. It's very exciting to say the least! Please check out my new site here below and enjoy 10% off! And of course I love the name "Vida" 'cause here we live it lagom!

Hello, I’ve created a line of wearable art with VIDA - a sustainable, socially-conscious company - and would like to share my most recent designs with you! Be the first to shop my new designs on my personal collection page by clicking any of the products below. Christina Rawson Newburyport, United States TAKE 10% OFF WITH CODE: EXPLORE10 SHOP MY COLLECTION Swedish Bath House by CHR INFINITY ECO SCARF Swedish Bath House by CHR SLEEVELESS KNIT Marshes by CHR LEATHER ZIP-AROUND WALLET Tree at Maudslay by CHR FOLDAWAY TOTE Tree at Maudslay by CHR TOTE BAG Bird by CHR GREETING CARDS SET Bird by CHR OBLONG PILLOW

Knäckebröd recipe - crispbread the Swedish way!

I love knäckebröd, don't you? It lasts forever so perfect for a pandemic. Maybe making this recipe will help you feel just a little bit more productive and happy. It is so good, and flexible with the types of flours you chose which is helpful given the state of the supermarket shelves. I'm going to skip trying to find "Strong Bread Flour" (?) because I already have a nice white wheat flour, but instant yeast may be tricky. I don't know about you but in Massachusetts yeast is on the list of items that are hard to find during Covid-19. We have been trying for the past two weeks to buy it at Market Basket! Hopefully Amazon will come to the rescue so I can make my knäcke and kanelbullar! (Cinnamon buns). I will let you know! Please take care friends and stay safe. 🌷💐 The recipe is under this cute ad from Wasa that features the song "Strövtåg i Hembygden", enjoy!

From The Local --
Traditionally, Swedes wanted a bread that was easy to bake and would keep well - most therefore chose to bake crispbread. Nowadays it is easy to store in airtight containers, but originally they were made with a hole in the centre so that they could be hung over the oven to keep dry.

These delightfully wobbly crispbreads are irresistible and perfect for breaking and sharing. Serve them simply with good quality butter, cheese and fruit, or elegantly with salmon, cold meats, pâtés and dips.
Summary
Makes 6 large breads
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Ingredients
200 ml (1 cup) whipping cream
300 ml (1 1/4 cup) water
260 g (2 1/2 cups) dark wholemeal rye flour
320 g (2 1/2 cups) strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
14 g (4 1/2 tsp) instant dried yeast
Topping
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp cumin or caraway seeds
Method
1. Heat the cream and water together until warm to the touch.
2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast and stir.
3. Add the cream and water mixture and mix together to form a dough.
4. Using the rye flour for dusting, turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 2-3 minutes.
5. Cut the dough into six equal pieces, then knead them into round balls.
6. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet, cover with a cloth and leave somewhere warm for 20-30 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 250C (475F, gas 9, fan 200C)
8. Using the rye flour for dusting, knock back a dough ball and then roll it out using an ordinary rolling pin to about 15cm (6in) diameter. Then transfer to a sheet of baking parchment and continue rolling out with an ordinary rolling pin until it is as thin as possible or at least 30cm (12in) diameter. Don't worry too much if the dough does not end up circular. You can trim roughly if you want, but the shape is not critical.
9. Sprinkle with the salt, sesame seeds and cumin seeds. Roll again to help the topping stick.
10. Make a pattern on the surface using a fork or a patterned rolling pin.
11. Bake for five minutes and then turn over and bake for about three minutes or until dry and hard. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
12. Repeat with the other dough balls.
13. When the oven has cooled to about 50C (122 F) pop the crispbreads back in to dry out. This will help to make them nice and crisp.
14. Store the crispbreads in an airtight container.
Tips
- Use any flour you want. If you want to go rustic, use stoneground, and if you want to go healthy, use fine rye, spelt or barley flour.
- Other toppings to try include linseed, sunflower seeds, rosemary or just salt.
Recipe courtesy of John Duxbury, editor and founder of Swedish Food.

Eurovision 2020

Eurovision was cancelled, can't say I am surprised, but still it is a bummer but congrats to "The Mamas" who won Melodifestivalen with Move! They won on 3/7 right before everything got cancelled. I always look forward to Eurovision in May so I am sorry it won't go on.

James Corden enjoys Eurovision too, or as he likes to call it a "techo version of the primaries". He was devastated to hear that Nanne Grönwall was kicked out of Melodifestivalen (can't say that I agree) which is the competition that runs up to Eurovision in Sweden. It's a really funny clip and if you aren't familiar with Carpool Karaoke, well that's a whole 'nother rabbit hole to dive into. Take a listen to Nanne singing Carpool Karaoke, it really is a hoot. :)

Nobel prizes given out today

The Nobel Prizes were awarded today! https://sweden.se/society/the-nobel-prize/

I am always interested in the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Nobel Prizes. It's a side of Sweden you don't often see but sometimes the fancy dresses and full tuxes are dusted off and jewels added to make a spectacular sight. The King and Queen clean up nicely, and everyone dresses the part. It is something that even average Swedes enjoy at times at special occasions such as parties at a "gille" (lodge) or getting your "doctorand" (PHD). This is a picture of the Swedish royal family is at the 2018 ball, soon we will see their fashion choices for 2019.



Here's a list of all the Nobel Prize winner. Congratulations to all! It's a huge honor and comes with a nice cash prize. Plus, little known fact, Lucia and her "tärnor" (helpers) wake them up with song and goodies to celebrate their winnings in the most Swedish way possible, St. Lucia. :)

And, breaking news, here's this years get-up

Thanks Bethany Communities!

The smell of Swedish meatballs and glögg wafted through the air as I entered the conference room at the Bethany Communities Care in Haverhill. The presenter was going to present a PowerPoint on Sweden, but would she get the technology to work?!! Luckily she (AKA me) had help and a cable was found in time to present "Swedish Impressions" to a room of about a dozen active seniors. Some had memories of growing up Swedish, or with Finnish relatives, others were just looking for something to do. It was a fun group and an hour later the slide show was done and we had enjoyed some treats thanks to the activities director. I presented some information on Sweden and my art that had been inspired by it, as well as a little about the customs, culture and history of Sweden.(Basically jumping from Vikings to social democracy by summarizing the period in-between as "lots of wars"). Tee, hee. Hopefully I didn't bore them too much. I tried to keep it light and festive. They were most interested in Lucia and asked many good questions. The poster they used is below.

BETHANY SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTS…

Swedish Impressions

...at Christmas time

"Badhytt" Swedish Bath House by Tina Rawson

Tina Rawson is an American Swede with her heart split between two countries and cultures. She is an artist and teacher who explores her multicultural identity through her beautiful artwork. Come explore Sweden, famous for its healthy lifestyle, nature and of course it’s cozy Christmas culture. Join Tina for a conversation about her culture, her art, Christmas in Sweden and some Swedish treats!

St. Lucia Procession and Yule Market on Saturday, 11/30!

Hej! I've been busy working with the VASA Order of America's Birka Lodge in Hamilton-Wenham, MA. Every year we put on a pretty awesome "Yule Market" (Christmas Market aka "julmarknad" in Sedish) the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year it will be held on 11/30 at The Community House of Hamilton-Wenham at 284 Bay Road, S. Hamilton MA from 9:00 - 2:30 .

We sell beautiful Swedish handcrafts and gifts, delicious "bullar" (buns) from Crown Bakery, the renowned Swedish bakery in Worcester, and other yummy food and drink. Most importantly we also host a Swedish Sankta Lucia procession with Swedish singing and the St Lucia "bride of light". The procession starts at 12 noon, and it's very popular so come early for good seats and treats!

See below for my shaky film from a good five years ago when my children were in the procession. Isn't it the sweetest St Lucia procession? Very pretty and unpretentious and the children are a delight. (Technically it is held on the wrong day, St. Lucia is on 12/13 in Sweden but who cares?) The procession ushers in the light and the beginning of the Christmas season. Look for me by the jul karamellor! I hope that you can make it on the 30th! And if you are interested in Scandinavian culture and heritage the lodge is looking for new members and would love to meet you. Välkommnen!

Swedish Midsummer!

Hej! As I write this post, I am missing Sweden. It is experiencing record breaking warmth this spring, and I can just imagine lying on the soft white beach near my mother's house while listening to the children play and the sounds of the surf. Ahhh! There's nothing like a good Swedish summer. This year, unfortunately, we won't be able to go as we're staying on American soil all summer, but I'm unfolding my Swedish flag and celebrating Midsommar nonetheless (on Friday June 22, 2018)!

Below are some photos from our last summer excursion to Sweden in 2017. It rained quite a lot, but that didn't dampen our spirits. It took me a while to post these because I was getting quick a lot of weird spam comments about all kind of strange things and frankly, it freaked me out.  I had to remove the ability to post comments. But please enjoy the pictures, I am thinking of you all in sunny Sweden as I write this and wish you all a "GLAD MIDSOMMAR"!  Love the place that you live, it's truly magical, especially this time of year.

Helsingborg, view from the docks

Play area at Tjolöholm Castle - castle is lovely

Göteborg, Castle on Kyrkåsberget

Archipelago of Goteborg

On the old trolley to Liseberg

The Volvo Museum

Nimis in Mölle, Sweden

on the way to Nimis - it's a hike and very steep to the structure

Skåne

Viking tour at Foteviken

Lilla Torg in Malmö

Little bath houses 

Beautiful sunset in Höllviken

Surf and sun!