Happy new year 2012

Dear Friends !

I want to wish you all a very happy new year 2012.
My best and sincere wishes that the new year is going to be a good one.

I want to share with you this beautiful video that I found on Facebook.
 Aurora in the sky with diamonds.  Take a little time to enjoy this amazing video.


http://vimehttp://vimeo.com/21419634

Lots of love from Birgit

My christmas

Dear Friends,

I did say I was going to share some pictures from my christmas.
We have had a really nice christmas the traditional way. 

The house is ready, we clean and decorate all over.

This red Nisse sits on the mantlepiece every christmas since the children were small.

Our Christmastree is great !  Franz goes out to cut it himself.  He searches for the best one !

Julenissen comes to Norwegian homes on Christmas eve.  This one in particular speaks german, and his reindeers are always making trouble outside.  And Franz is never there !

Christmas morning we have a nice long breakfast with traditional food.

And on boxing day the whole extended family gets together for a big christmas party.  We even dance around the christmastree singing christmas songs.

So all in all nothing new has happened.  Everything has been like its been for many many years.  And thats really great.  Thats exactly what we wanted for christmas.  Just to be together and enjoy.

Warm christmas greetings from Birgit


 

Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas everyone !

Up here in the north, Christmas is the nicest and most important tradition of all.
The light is turning on December 22.nd.  The daylight is returning, its going to be lighter every day until mid summer.  

The blue hour. Photo: Finn Jørgensen

 

The daylight starts late, and stops early around christmastime.  We have the "Blue hour" every afternoon, when the light is disappearing, and everything looks blue.   I just want to share with you some picuteres from this time.  Some pictures I have borrowed from some friends.

The low winter sun.  Photo: Miriam Sørsvang

 I look foreward to celebrate our christmas with Franz, our children, our parents and relatives.

Iceroses on an old window.  Photo: Eli Kaldahl

I hope the weather will stay cold.  So we can enjoy the winter.  I might share some pictures with you too, if I find inspiration to turn on the computer.  And with this I want to wish you a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

Love from Birgit

Christmas snow

Our office in white christmas snow.

After some days with really nasty weather, we were so happy to get some nice snow.  This is the view from my office.

In the office the right Christmas atmosphere is there !

The christmastree in the reception is nice

The daylight is scarce, and its kind of bluish in December.  Its actually very romantic.

This is Julia in her office.

This is Franz in his office.

Only one week left until Christmas !!

St. Lucia på Engø gård

Hello dear friends,
Last week I went to a great place called Engø Gård.  A totally charming little hotel.  I went there on a seminar for female leaders.  Its a traing program, where I was a mentor for a younger woman. 
Its been great !  I got to meet some really lovely people, and I also got to learn and develop a lot.
I love learning, and I love to get better.  I think I did...

This is the courtyard.  If you can call it that ?  It used t be a farm.

 

 

Christmas is approaching, and every door is decorated.

This is the old barn and stable, which has become lounges and restaurant.

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In the evening a great dinner with wonderful food and wine !

And as we were finished eating, all the younger women suddenly entered the room as traditional St. Lucia girls, singing for their mentors.  Touching !!  This is a Scandinavian tradition, celebrating the longest night of the year.  December 13th

Before they brok out into a fierce african dance !

Clever bloggers would have photographed the wonderful food.  But this is me.  I forget to take any pictures until im finished.  Im to busy eating !!

The evening ends with a great meeting between beautiful and strong women.  Im lucky to do this !

Office Christmasparty or Julebord

Dear Friends !
Its almost Christmas.  Or at least, its almost December.
And this is the time for julebord, or the annual office party.

This is an event which is really important in all Norwegian workplaces.  And so also at A&C.

We dress up the best we can.  Jewellery is ofcourse very important, as this is a day to be glamourous and sparkling.

We need that, as outside its very dark and cold. But we Norwegians really love christmas.  We celebrate at least one month.  And the ritual of the Julebord marks the start for us.

This is Tove, our buying manager.

And this is Lars Tore, our managing director, in a party mood !

And this is Julenissen.  As you know, the real Father Christmas is from Norway, and he looks like this.

This fantastic couple is our new franchisee in CC Vest.  A shoppingmall in Oslo.

And this beautful girl is our new franchisee in Bogstadveien, our oldest shop.

And this great girl has bought the shop in Sandvika.  One of our biggest concept shops.

 

And these poor people used to be our staff, and they are really sorry not to work for A&C anymore.
We will miss them a lot !!

Winter is coming

Hi dear friends !  
Its November, and winter is coming.  Its frost every morning now.  Its kind of nice !  I dont mind at all.
We Norwegians are used to it.  The dark time (mørketiden) is over us.  The days are getting shorter and shorter.  The night is long and black.  But we know how to deal with it.  Let me show you how !

Our fireplace, its nice to have now in November.

And lots of good firewood, that smells nice. 

We have frost every morning now.  It is also beautiful !

Frozen landscapes.

Birchleaves in fall.  Thanks to my cousin Anne Siri for this beatiful shot.

Winter is coming !  Welcome !

Bli med en tur til landsbyen hvor vi lager sølvsmykkene våre

A&C has been making our silver jewellery in Indonesia for a long time.  We were never happy with the quality of silver jewellery on the market, so we decided to try to make our own.  Now, after 15 years of development we are very proud to have our special silver workshop in Indonesia.  We make the designs in Norway, but the craftsmen are in Indonesia.  Indonesian silversmiths have a centuries long tradition in arts and crafts.   A&C, or Arts & Crafts which is our original name. really has a meaning.  We have this love for the handmade, we prefer authentic quality.  And we want our jewellery to be made well.
Her you can see how we do it.

Vil du være med til landsbyen hvor vi lager sølvsmykkene våre ?

 

Vi har jobbet i 15 år med å bygge opp en skikkelig håndverksproduksjon av sølv, med design, kvalitetskontroll og flinke sølvsmeder som kan sitt fag.

Alt gjøres for hånd på gamlemåten.  Ikke noe støpt eller halvfabrikata takk !

Det er godt og bærekraftig å jobbe hjemme i landsbyen, med familien rundt seg.

Smil og latter og trivsel på jobben er viktig !

Livet her er ikke i hurtigfila, og det er vel en kvalitet.

Det ligger masse arbeid bak hvert eneste lille sølvsmykke.

Et lite marked fullt av frukt og grønnsaker.

Transport med rismotor.

Og veldig mange søte små barn.

Bananer i lange baner

Poleringsmaskinen er enkel

En liten gassflamme er alt som skal til.  I tillegg til kunnskap da.

Gullsmedfaget er en tradisjonell kunst som læres fra far til sønn.  Og de har vært eksperter i hundrevis av år !!

Sølvet loddes.  Det er mange arbeidsoperasjoner i et eneste smykke.

Det er deilig å sykle mellom banantrærne.

Kjøkkendamene.

N