Are you still here?

If you are still here that makes me very glad that you would visit this blog again. But the question was directed at winter. Are you still here Winter? How long were you planning to stay?

February is one of my favourite months even though I usually feel like I want spring to just come already. And it is definitely not spring in February.

However, there are other great things about February. Mainly edible things.
February is my birthday month, which means birthday cake. It is also the month of Valentine's Day, which I celebrate by eating some type of cake or pastry.

Shrove Tuesday (or Mardi Gras as you Americans call it) also usually falls within the month of February. In Sweden we have a special pastry for Shrove Tuesday called Semla (I'll tell you all about it in another post). And to top it all off, within the first week of February, the 5th to be exact, is Nutella Day.

Could this month get any more delicious!

So Happy February to you all! I hope this month will treat you well. Expect lots of recipes on the blog this month. But to start it all off here's an outfit post.

This is the perfect winter dress. It's a cosy material, almost sweatshirt-like, that's warm and toasty. It's got the cutest fit and the little wings are just adorable. There are wee elf houses embroidered on it which makes me smile. I paired it with knee-high socks and it really did become the comfiest outfit I've ever worn. At the same time it's really a cute look because of the minidress fit.
Psst... this dress is currently on sale right here. So if you like it, make haste.

Dress: Book of Deer (here)

Knee-high socks: Lindex (old)

Shoes: ModCloth (here)

Much love,

Ravenclaw pride!

I'm really only posting this because I wanted to show you all my new scarf. If you follow me on Instagram (@curlsncakes) you will have already seen it.

The Harry Potter fan in me could not resist getting this Ravenclaw scarf from The Mad Girl Shop on Etsy. I've talked about this scarf previously, and I told you then how much I wanted this scarf and finally I got it. I suppose you could say it was another Christmas present from me, to me.

Anyway, the lovely and sweet Madison Steward (@madisonsteward) of The Mad Girl Shop makes these incredible Hogwarts scarves. It is knitted with a warm and soft yarn so it is super comfortable and perfect for cold winters (something that we used to have here in Sweden, but global warming happened). They are so accurate to how they look in the films. They look more like the scarves in the movies than the official Hogwarts scarves that you can buy at places that sell official Harry Potter merch. I know this because I also have one of those scarves. Of course...

If you're ever planning on getting a Hogwarts scarf I would probably say that the best one you can get is from The Mad Girl Shop. And besides, you'd be supporting a small business of handmade items! What's better than that!

Much love!

Smart Wizard

Here she is, the Ravenclaw in her natural habitat.

Lately I've been having Harry Potter on my mind. A lot.
I think it's to do with Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling being in the news a lot recently. If you haven't heard (which I'm sure you have) the next instalment of the Harry Potter series is coming, as a play instead of a book. It's called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and you can read all about it here. Yesterday they announced that the tickets will soon be going on sale, and I am so excited about this that I had trouble falling asleep last night. I have been waiting for another piece of the world I love so very much for years, and to finally get it in the form of theatre is incredible!

Since I've gone so far into the world of Harry Potter lately I thought I'd tell you about these amazing scented candles I've found on etsy. They're from a shop called Frostbeard Studio which make all their own unique candles by hand. They've got what they call the Book Lovers' Soy Candles, with scents like Old Books, Oxford Library, and Gatsby's Mansion. They've also got a range of Harry Potter inspired candles, including my favourites: Smart Wizards, in Ravenclaw's distinct blue colour, and Wizardy Buttery Drink, that smells just as Butterbeer tastes.

I hope you all have a splendid Saturday!
Much love

Understanding Cancer - The Cancer Series part 2

In the latest part that also happened to be the first part of the Cancer Series we answered the question "What is cancer?".
We know that it is when a cell's normal division is out of control and it grows uncontrollably in size and number and spreads in the body. You can read part 1 here.

But cells are supposed to divide and grow, so what are the differences between a normal cell and a cancer cell? I'll try and answer that today.

There are quite a few traits or "hallmarks" if you will, that are connected to cancer. These traits are all that is needed for a normal healthy cell to become a malignant cancer cell. These are the underlying principles that are needed to create a cancer:

1. They are self-sufficient and can stimulate their own growth
Usually cells need signals that tell them to grow. A cancer cell does not need this signal, but can grow even without it.

2. They can resist signals that would normally stop their growth
Cells are not supposed to grow unless there is a signal telling it to do so. A cancer cell can ignore the signals that say "Stop growing!" and continue to grow when a normal cell would not.

3. They can resist what is called apoptosis
Apoptosis is a programmed and normal cell death that happens when cells get older. A cancer cell however can refuse apoptosis i.e. death, by ignoring the signals.

4. They can multiply without an end
Normal cells can only multiply a set number of times. Cancer cells do not have this limit and become "immortal".

5. They can stimulate the growth of blood vessels
The process by which new blood vessels are formed is called angiogenesis and is not something that all cells can do. Cancer cells can kickstart the process and by doing so can supply themselves with nutrients through the newly formed blood vessels.

6. They can invade surrounding tissue, spread and become metastases
Normal cells can only grow until they reach another cell, but cancer cells grow beyond that and can break and invade surrounding tissue, spreading either on the site or moving through blood vessels or the lymphatic system to reach new sites where they grow.


In a simplified way: A cancer cell can grow on it's own (1) and forever (4), it can ignore signals that tells it to stop growing (2) or that tells it to die (3). At the same time cancer cells can create new blood vessels (5) and by doing so can spread to the rest of the body (6).

As always if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment down below! I hope you liked this part of the Cancer Series. I would love your feedback on it! Is it too complicated or too easy? Let me know!

On to the outfit...

Beret: Larmoni (here)

Top: KappAhl

Skirt: Larmoni (here) 

I've worn this skirt before, but I predicted then that it would become a staple in my autumn wardrobe and it really has. I already have a handful more outfits in mind with this skirt. It's a weird fawn colour but it goes with everything! It was such a surprise to me, but I definitely enjoy coming up with new ways to wear it.

The top is from the Swedish clothing store KappAhl, so my Scandinavian readers can find it easily. Just a breton top will do though. I was surprised with how well fawn and navy goes together. I'm also soon starting an entire collection of berets. I just love them! I want one in every colour, and Larmoni basically has me covered.

Understanding Cancer - The Cancer Series part 1

If you follow my blog you know that recently I've had a bit of trouble with what I wanted to say on my blog. It's a style blog, and will continue to be so, but I felt like I have too little to say and to offer. I scrutinised my interest and my knowledge and I came to the conclusion that if anything I can write about science. Medical science is my field of research, more particularly pathology, and even more particular than that - cancer of the large intestine. I work in a research group that focuses solely on cancer of the large intestine, that is cancer in the colon and the rectum (which is the bit between the colon and the anus). We have people working on all the different aspects of this particular cancer, but my work is mostly to do with the genes and mutations that cause cancer in the large intestine.

So I thought I'd describe a bit of what I work on and break it down for you all so that it's not just some medical mumbo-jumbo but actually understandable. To start we need to ask the basic question: What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease that is caused by cells that divide abnormally and more than they should. This can often lead to a growth - a tumour. A tumour is not always cancer, you can have a tumour that is benign, which means that it is "nice", grows slowly and is usually safe to have. A tumour is basically just a mass of cells. For example, a wart is a tumour. Warts are not usually dangerous, they're a bit gross, but they are definitely not cancer. Cancer evolves when the cells normal division is disrupted and goes out of control. It's a cancer when the cancer cells grow in size and number and grow into surrounding tissue or spread to other parts of the body (via the blood or lymphatic system) and become cancers at the new location (what you have then is a metastasis which is basically a "daughter" tumour). The tumour (the mass of, in this case, cancer cells) is now called a malignant tumour which behaves more aggressively.

Hopefully now, you understand what cancer is on a basic level. So my question to you is: Are you interested in me continuing this and writing more about science and specifically cancer (which is my area of interest and knowledge)? Or is it too much?
If you have any questions about the actual information in this blog post pop down to the comments and ask me, I will do my best to answer!

I promised that I would continue as a style blogger as well, so I wore this lovely deer dress from Larmoni. Again.

But this time I paired it with a long sleeved blouse because it is getting colder here. I am very excited about the weather getting chillier and the air getting crisper. I've mentioned many time that I love autumn, and slowly the leaves are transforming into the golden colours that we associate with this wonderful season.

Blouse: Miss Patina (here)

Dress: Larmoni (here)

Shoes: New Look via Asos (here)

Socks: Primark (old)

Much love

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good

Today is the birthday of my one and only queen Joanne Rowling, and my all-time favourite guy, the boy who lived, aka Harry Potter. The aim of this post is to express with words how much Harry Potter means to me, and I found that extremely difficult to do, but I'll give it a try.

I first read Harry Potter when it was translated to Swedish, in 1999. I was eight, and over night my world changed. The books, the incredible Rowling and Harry himself all mean the utmost to me. The magical world that Rowling created was an escape for me. I was bullied as a child, and the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter became my safe haven. My biggest wish was (possibly still is) that one day a letter would arrive for me by owl, and I would be invited into this magnificent place of magic and adventure.

As I grew older into my teenage years, I felt like my peers didn't understand me, the bullying continued (and got worse actually), but I had my sanctuary. Harry Potter became the one place where I could be me without a worry. Like so many other kids I became obsessed with everything to do with Harry Potter. I read and reread the books, watched the films over and over, and depleted the internet of HP-stuff. It went so far that I learned the spells, and I was convinced that I had to improve my English in order to get my letter to Hogwarts. When Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published in 2000 I read it in English. It was the first "real" book I read in English.

Top: Mademoiselle R by La Redoute

Skirt: Miss Patina

Scarf: 9 3/4 in London

Wand: 9 3/4 in London

Necklace: Asos

Tattoo: Tattify

Harry Potter has been such a massive part of my life for the majority of my life (two thirds to be exact). As the films came to an end part of my childhood died. I remember watching the live stream of the premier of Deathly Hallows part 2 with tears streaming down my face, because it was "the end". Pottermore has filled that void that I feared so much. And I still reckon that the owl must have gotten lost on it's way to Sweden, it got confused by all the snow. Obviously.

In 2013 I had the opportunity to do something I had been dying to do for years. I finally went to The Making of Harry Potter at the WB Studios in London, and as the doors to the Great Hall opened I cried my eyes out. I couldn't even photograph because I was crying so much, but a woman working there assured me that they do have "cryers".  I've added a photo of me standing in front of the Ravenclaw (GO RAVENCLAW!) table once my crying seized.

And that, my friends, was the one time I have felt most at home. In the Great Hall I felt like I was finally where I should be. I felt like it clicked, suddenly everything made sense. And on that note I'll end. Harry Potter makes sense to me. Without Harry Potter I'm not who I am.

I wish Joanne Rowling a very Happy Birthday. Thank you for everything you've created, thank you for giving me refuge in a world that is purely magical. And to Harry Potter, my first love (even though he's 11 years older than me), you will always live.