The Top 10 Things Sweden is Missing Out On

April 24, 2013December 31, 2013 Kadi1 Comment

Oh ‘Merica the Great! How I miss thee. One month down in Sweden and it’s only now that I realize what I miss most about the Mother Land.

Let me break it down for you in a little post I like to call: “The Top 10 Things Sweden is Missing Out On (Seriously Sweden, Get Your Act Together Because This is a Little Ridiculous)”

1. Let’s just get right down to the nitty gritty here. Taco Bell. TACO BELL. Need I say more? No. No I needn’t.

2. Applebee’s. Or as my friends and I back home like to refer to it as Crapplebee’s. What I would give for an Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Rollup right now…

3. While we’re on the topic of crappy and unhealthy yet wonderfully delicious American restaurants, let me throw in a TGI Fridays. Technically they have three TGIF’s in the country of Sweden, but none are close enough for me to get to in a reasonable amount of time. More importantly, the only real reason anyone goes to a Fridays, the Jack Daniels BBQ. I would eat my own hand right now if it was smothered and covered in that delicious amber sauce.

4. While we continue on with food, let me introduce you to number 5. Loaded baked potatoes. Swedes love their potatoes I tell ya, but they prefer them mashed and smothered in gravy. Most potatoes in the store are small and made for boilin’ and mashin’. None worthy to be baked for an hour, drowned in butter, sour cream, chives, and bacon. Ohhh the bacon!

5. Cereal. And when I say cereal I mean junk cereal. Sweden is a land rich with cereal; fiber enriched, granola packed, sugarless, tasteless, oat bran, cereal. Where are my Golden Grams? My Lucky Charms? My Life? My Cinnamon Toast Crunch? Oh God the Cinnamon Toast Crunch!

6. Vitamin Water, the number one way I got my water intake back in good ol’ ‘Merica. Yes, they have Vitamin Water here in Sweden, but get ready for this….it doesn’t taste the same at all. I guess when you remove most of the sugar and other things deemed “unhealthy” the taste is bound to change. But damnit, that’s what makes water worth drinking!

7. My hair will never smell the same again…or at least for the duration of my stay here. Herbal Essences. No orgasm inducing hair products here Ladies and Gentlemen, just standard (and unfragrant). *Siiigh*

8. This one was a shocker. Apparently people in Sweden let their cuts, burns, scrapes, and general owies heal “on their own.” I’m sorry? Come again? What about Neosporin?? No. No such thing. In fact, when I tried to explain this magical ointment to them, I was met with blank stares and confused faces. Tragic.

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9. This one may seem a bit odd to put on my list. But let me tell you, if you were in a dire decorating dilemma and needed poster board to complete your DIY home decorating emergency, you’d be a bit flabbergasted at the lack of poster board in the country of Sweden. After an hour on Google with two Swedes, hand gestures, and shadow puppets we came to the conclusion that poster board does not exist here. DIY decorating emergency still on hold until further notice…

10. Last, but very certainly not least, Whipped Vodka. The one thing I need most to get me through the lack of items 1-9 in my life.

Lessons in Layering

April 17, 2013 KadiLeave a comment

I’m not talking about cake Ladies and Gentlemen! Although, now that you mention it….

But seriously, one of the best and most cost-effective ways to enhance an outfit is to layer with items already in your closet. And I don’t just mean adding layers upon layers of clothing, although that is one way to get the effect.

Layering can be done in the most simplified ways through jewelry and, more subtly, through mixing different styles in one ensemble.

What exactly do I mean by this? Let’s look at some examples brought to you by two of my favorite fashionistas out there; Blair Eadie, fashion buyer and blogger (atlantic-pacific.com), and Karla Deras, blogger (karlascloset.com).

Blair has an exceptional talent for layering. She mixes patterns and textures to create a fashion feast for the eyes! Each outfit has a very unique look and feel. Notice that even when she integrates the same pieces into different outfits they have a completely new effect.

Karla is a great example of layering multiple styles into one outfit. She has an eye for the perfect balance of masculine and feminine.

Some things to keep in mind when layering:

1. Stick with one show stopping item and keep the other pieces relatively simple.

2. Clean lines and like colors will keep your outfit from becoming too overwhelming.

3. It helps to have at least one figure-hugging item, whether it be a tight skirt like Karla or a belted waist like Blair. You don’t want to be drowning in your layers!

4. Be confident! Confidence can take an outfit from “What was she thinking?” to “She must know something I don’t.”

As Swedish As Apple Pie

April 4, 2013April 4, 2013 KadiLeave a comment

Highlight of the day? Apple Pie!

Being the all American southern gal that I am, I take my apple pies very seriously. So I was quite pleasantly surprised to discover the wondrous delights that befell me when I tasted the first spoon full of Swedish apple pie with vanilla cream sauce, or as they say in Sweden, äppelpaj och vaniljsås.

Delightful!