This Uff Da note pad is a 4"x9", 50 sheet notepad, printed on smooth 28# paper. The backing is a durable 2-ply chipboard. Add a magnet for only $2 extra for the perfect fridge note pad!
Uff da! can be used to express surprise, relief, exhaustion, astonishment, and dismay. It can mean “drat!,” “shoot!,” “oops!,” “oh my!,” “oh no!,” or “ok!” It has become a mark of Scandinavian roots.
“Uff da” is probably the best, if not the only, Norwegian expression used by Norwegian Americans. It is the linguistic sibling of “ay carumba” and “oy vey.”
Our Uff da! design was created by Lisa Hovis in honor of her Norwegian grandmother Esmer, and is available to print on all of the things we make in our downtown shop in Ames, Iowa.
Aunt Lisa’s design features different rosemaling patterns. Rosemaling is a Scandinavian decorative folk painting that flourished from the 1700s to the mid-19th century, particularly in Norway. It was first used to decorate church walls and ceilings. It then spread to wooden items commonly used in daily life, such as ale bowls, stools, chairs, cupboards, boxes, and trunks.
The rosemaling pattern in the exclamation point (and at the top of this pad) and is from a wood bowl Lisa’s grandmother brought back from Norway after researching family history.