Blue Stove

Saw this utterly perfect stove by Annica Svensson over on Karin's blog, she's got a great post on her adventure's at the Stockholm Furniture Fair.

Not that I don't love my pellet stove, it's great in lots of ways. But it's not beautiful, and I SO much wanted beautiful. It's past it's warranty period now so I can paint it ivory now, I just don't have the cash to splash at this moment on expensive heat resisitant paint. It will be so much nicer when it's whiter.

winter windows

The neighbours windows. It has just started to snow again. Tired day after much busyness yesterday and lots of official form filling today. I'm good with other people's forms but not with my own.

boat fence shed

I love this, someone up the road has a little boat! Doesn't it look great in this mornings snow.

Wish they lived next to me then it would help give the right feeling when my mobile home finally gets it's beach hut transformation... or will it be more of a tree house look. Depends what I find in the skip to make with!

fab fruit

More of the 'fruits' of my early morning. Breakfast of quinoa with banana and physalis. Not just physalis, FREE physalis- the girl at the checkout couldn't get all the reduction stickers off the pack!

I popped one down on a page of my book (photo by Martyn Thompson - see previous post) and loved the way it looked. I often take photo's of my 'things' on books but never thought to show them before. Took another on a different page because you know how I love those colours together... one day that will be my kitchen.

Last photo is snow on the bramble branches in front of the abandoned shed next door, you've no idea how much I want to just help myself to that shed.

a little snow, a little sunshine

Oh what a beautiful morning. Although I'd only had 3 hours sleep I had to get up early and take some photo's before the sun melted our thin dusting of snow. More of these to follow but I need to run and walk Marley before visiting a friend I've not seen in ages.

Till then here's another bit of a draft post that I forgot to actually publish...
I'm a sucker for beautifully styled Interiors books, especially the square ones by Ryland Peters & Small, I just love them and have a nice selection I got dirt cheap in Costco over the years. TKMaxx sometimes has pretty great prices on interiors books too, like the red satiny covered 'home is where the heart is?' by Ilse Crawford that I got for £6 last year cause the cover had been messed up.

I was looking through it yesterday when I needed a visual escape from the horrors of my house (it looks like the storm got in there, though it didn't). My eyes fell on the white funeral feast on pages 62-63. The accompanying text is so true...'The love we put into making a meal becomes a part of it and changes it's nature.'

...

And beside that white feast are some cupcakes from page 66 that would brighten any day. The lovely photography in this book is by Martyn Thompson, d'you think it was him that nibbled that cupcake? Nah, that's bite is too tiny. Martyn also did the photography in another of my coveted books 'The Sensual Home'.

Beautiful photography

photos by felix baumsteiger.


photos by caroline allison.

My love of certain blues is so deep it sometimes makes my heart ache with pleasure to see them. I think they speak to the part of me that wanted to be a mermaid, all those water tones, it feels like home to me.

I found these two via Simply Photo the beautiful blog of photographer Jennifer Causey which I can see becoming a favourite for me with so much beautiful work like this to see. And the sweetly illustrated book she bought shown in this post. I'd love to own that book, especailly bearing in mind how I feel about water and blues (and cute but thoughtful illustrations).

Forgotten post - tree card

Oops, I just found some draft posts that I forgot to blog last month, this is one of them...

Of the non-handmade Christmas cards I got this was my favourite as I'd been hankering after it in the shops. It came from Carla, my friend who's French Wedding I was at in September.

I like Tord Boontje but sometimes the edges on his images are a little 'male' and computer generated looking, not as soft as I'd like to see. I want his pieces to still look like his sketches even after they have been computerised.

So that's why I like this card so much, it looks more organic, even though I'm sure it was finished on a computer for the laser cutting. And I always love things with layers and 3D effects like this cause they look so good with a tea light SAFELY popped between to create light and shadows.

Nearly a year

...
gate and doorway in Italy last September

Wow, in 2 weeks it'll be a year since I started my blog. How should I mark the occasion? I'd like to do something since my blog has really been a life saver for me, giving me the clean space I needed which is lacking in my ground-to-a-halt-renovation at home. It'd be nice to do something which I associate with the blogging world.

Maybe I should start a meme, I've always wanted to know very specific things about people like what kind of nuts they love and hate. I know, it sounds a silly thing, but you can really ruin a homemade gift by putting the wrong kind of nut inside it! And flowers. It's only when people are getting married, or are sick, or grieving that you realise you're not entirely sure if they would like flowers, and if so, which kind, which colours?

Then again, maybe I should do something visual, since that's what my blog has been about for me. Maybe invite people to post an image on a theme or a colour that day, I've always liked colour themed images. Orange and turquoise would be good, or red and turquoise. I feel the need for colour while the weather is so chilly.

Or I could do what many people did at New Year and post something from each month of my year, maybe my 12 favourite images I blogged. I can't decide, but I definitely want to mark it. And I want to thank everyone who's commented, visited and supported me to keep at this, especially over winter when things were tough. You people are fantastic.

So, what do you think? Any opinions, any suggestions?

Angela Palmer

This is the etched and layered glass work of Angela Palmer based on MRI scans of her own body. I'd love to see this in real life as apparently the layering gives a 3D effect.

These pieces are on show in London at an exhibition called "Inside Out" at the Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons. It's on until the 19th May. You can see more images here. Best of all, it's a free exhibition (open tue-sat, 10-5pm).

When it's cold outside it's a god idea to curl up on a nice old quilt.
This is little Mo who finally got the ok from the vet to go outside. He was so cute, he always tried to get through the cat flap, but when the door was opened wide for him it was all a bit overwhelming and he decided to stay in.

Eventually C and Bali persuaded him outdoors in the sun could be FUN, epsecially climbing the BIG tree (it really is a big tree). He got up ok, but took a more, ahem, direct route down ie. 14ft drop from the trunk! Unharmed though, they are amazing creatures. But when it got cold he knew where to go and curl up inside.