Friday, 24 March 2006
Andrea Zittel
Because I live in a mobile home (a BIG one, permanent so no trips away) and because I have stripped it back to the shell and am rebuilding it (myself) I have a keen interest in contemporary mobile structures and ecologically sound building practices. So someone directed me to the Zittel website which had a really wide variety of interesting units, furniture etc but best of all gorgeous felt dresses (called a-z fibre form uniforms). The photo's on the site were quite small but I found the bigger one below here with an article about a Tokyo exhibition of her work.
Joris Laarman
I haven't really blogged about it but until December last year I had a long and seemingly unending heating saga. On the day of my house-warming in my new place, 4 days before Christmas 2003, I was thrilled when it began to snow and my new surroundings became white and beautiful for my guests. I was less pleased when I realised the boiler had stopped and we were all getting very cold.
It never worked again.
I had spent more buying the house than I planned (local property had doubled in a year, MrP got his for half what I paid) so I absolutely did not have an extra £2000 for a new boiler. I'm very eco conscious so I began looking into various options... underfloor heating, rooftop wind turbine, solar panels etc. but everything was either unsuitable for my building, unavailable (the silent SWIFT turbine) or just too damned expensive.
In the end I opted for a pellet stove which began a new saga (international cancellations, price rises on the flue due to world steel price blah blah blah). I'm missing out lots of the horror but suffice to say I had NO HEATING or hot water for two and a half winters and this resulted in burst pipes ruining floors, fabrics etc. It was very disheartening and depressing though I did finally get a stove installed in mid December, though I can't afford to run it. It heats the house (kind of) but hot water is still a distant dream.
But what has this to do with art or design you ask?
Well, in my quest for the perfect heating I was understandably swayed when I saw Joris Laarman's radiator in Elle Decoration. Love at first site.
I put my name on the waiting list immediately, you know, so that if I somehow come into some money I won't have to wait forever to get one!
But the reason I thought of all this just now was because I just saw on Abigail Percy's blog that he has been designing some gorgeous jewellery too! And I'm not picturing it here, that way you'll simply HAVE to visit her blog to see it (in the January archive) then you can see her jewellery at the same time! You know me, like to promote UK designers to you all ;0)
It never worked again.
I had spent more buying the house than I planned (local property had doubled in a year, MrP got his for half what I paid) so I absolutely did not have an extra £2000 for a new boiler. I'm very eco conscious so I began looking into various options... underfloor heating, rooftop wind turbine, solar panels etc. but everything was either unsuitable for my building, unavailable (the silent SWIFT turbine) or just too damned expensive.
In the end I opted for a pellet stove which began a new saga (international cancellations, price rises on the flue due to world steel price blah blah blah). I'm missing out lots of the horror but suffice to say I had NO HEATING or hot water for two and a half winters and this resulted in burst pipes ruining floors, fabrics etc. It was very disheartening and depressing though I did finally get a stove installed in mid December, though I can't afford to run it. It heats the house (kind of) but hot water is still a distant dream.
But what has this to do with art or design you ask?
Well, in my quest for the perfect heating I was understandably swayed when I saw Joris Laarman's radiator in Elle Decoration. Love at first site.
I put my name on the waiting list immediately, you know, so that if I somehow come into some money I won't have to wait forever to get one!
But the reason I thought of all this just now was because I just saw on Abigail Percy's blog that he has been designing some gorgeous jewellery too! And I'm not picturing it here, that way you'll simply HAVE to visit her blog to see it (in the January archive) then you can see her jewellery at the same time! You know me, like to promote UK designers to you all ;0)
Thursday, 23 March 2006
Light images
My light obsession always goes a step further in winter when there are more dark opportunities to play. Once I have them I often use them as part of my illustrative work like this one which I want to print as textiles and use for lighting...
SO I was very interested in the work of Florence Durante which is apparently showing in Edinburgh at a NEW Gallery. I'm so off the scene with galleries that I never knew it was there till today so I've missed the chance to see her work, like this piece...
SO I was very interested in the work of Florence Durante which is apparently showing in Edinburgh at a NEW Gallery. I'm so off the scene with galleries that I never knew it was there till today so I've missed the chance to see her work, like this piece...
Israeli exhibition
Some interesting looking work from an exhibition called Foreplay shown here on the Iraeli Design Centre site.
Wednesday, 22 March 2006
Minimiam
I saw some of these on Lisa's Musings and had to investigate further. I do so love miniature things and when they involve watermelon and a turquoise backdrop, well, I am delighted. Find them all on the Minimiam site.
Carved wood and carved wax
I got these lovely flower candles from Habitat, not for me, but I will certainly be enjoying them until it's time to pass them on. They are so cheery.
Of course when I say I got them, I mean that MrP got them. I absolutely could not be trusted to go into Habitat and not spend money I don't have on things I don't need but which I could very easily convince myself I can't live without. I'm sure you know where I'm coming from.
But the truly beautiful things I want can't be bought in High Street shops, they are gems that you only find occasionally in life (unless you have the time and money to hunt them down for your self). Corey's site Tongue In Cheek fullfills my cravings for beautiful French things. Things with texture, history, detail and style. Old worn things that have a beauty you just don't get in newer pieces until they have lived a while. Things like this armoire!...
If you love things like this as much as me then visit her site because half the joy is in the reading and the story behind the armoire is lovely. As an American woman married to a Frenchman and living in France she has access to and knowledge of things that I could only dream of. And her recent post about a misunderstanding is a hoot!
I first saw her site a few weeks ago and fell in love with this hinge, these carved wooden roses, the ribbon work on this 18thC frame and much much more.
Of course when I say I got them, I mean that MrP got them. I absolutely could not be trusted to go into Habitat and not spend money I don't have on things I don't need but which I could very easily convince myself I can't live without. I'm sure you know where I'm coming from.
But the truly beautiful things I want can't be bought in High Street shops, they are gems that you only find occasionally in life (unless you have the time and money to hunt them down for your self). Corey's site Tongue In Cheek fullfills my cravings for beautiful French things. Things with texture, history, detail and style. Old worn things that have a beauty you just don't get in newer pieces until they have lived a while. Things like this armoire!...
If you love things like this as much as me then visit her site because half the joy is in the reading and the story behind the armoire is lovely. As an American woman married to a Frenchman and living in France she has access to and knowledge of things that I could only dream of. And her recent post about a misunderstanding is a hoot!
I first saw her site a few weeks ago and fell in love with this hinge, these carved wooden roses, the ribbon work on this 18thC frame and much much more.
Snowdrops
I like Sofie Refer's Ice Blue light when they show it in clusters like little arctic eggs.
It's this snow making me feel all icy lovin' again. I picked a couple of snowdrops just now and put them in my blue vase, a thrift shop find, all wonky and school-made but I love it, and I loved the price too, 30p I think.
When I popped it down on the trunk I thought that made quite a nice photo as well, once I cropped out all the PILES and PILES of rubbish around the edge of the photo.
Gives an amazing illusion of a semi crisp space, which believe me it is not. I'd show you the reality but I want my blog to be a happy place! The tree with flower fairy lights was my first Christmas tree for the place when I moved in 3 years ago, it is living proof of the fact that I have trouble letting things go, it's shoved in a corner now (that wall behind is not attached, it's just leaning against the timber outer frame!) but normally I have it near my bed.
It's this snow making me feel all icy lovin' again. I picked a couple of snowdrops just now and put them in my blue vase, a thrift shop find, all wonky and school-made but I love it, and I loved the price too, 30p I think.
When I popped it down on the trunk I thought that made quite a nice photo as well, once I cropped out all the PILES and PILES of rubbish around the edge of the photo.
Gives an amazing illusion of a semi crisp space, which believe me it is not. I'd show you the reality but I want my blog to be a happy place! The tree with flower fairy lights was my first Christmas tree for the place when I moved in 3 years ago, it is living proof of the fact that I have trouble letting things go, it's shoved in a corner now (that wall behind is not attached, it's just leaning against the timber outer frame!) but normally I have it near my bed.
My home
I was being good, so good. I logged off and put on my gardening things to go and do some much avoided garden maintenance for a few hours while the sun was peeking through. I made a quick cup of ginger tea (fresh ginger and honey, good for the circulation) and by the time I stepped out it was ... snowing!
Well, what's a girl to do, the gods clearly want me to keep blogging today. But what to blog about, my eyes are too strained to trawl through my folders or the net for inspirational images to share. And then the sun shone through the window. Suddenly my house, which is a source of great frustration just now, was filled with light and I saw that there were nice bits, even in the chaos. Here are a few.
This first one which I rather like is my attempt to hide the fact that there is no ceiling in one half of the room. I love these old indian block print fabrics which I rescued from the dog's bed at my mum's house! They really remind me of being little when my mum had them on her bed - a more fitting place. I popped them up at christmas so that I could screen off that side of the room. The near side, if you look closely, has white Ikea curtains STAPLED to the ceiling to hide the insulation that is hanging out until I get the ceiling replaced. It's actually quite a nice effect, like living in an exotic tent, but sadly wihout the exotic temperatures. The fabric does not diguise the old stools, piles of wood, pallet truck etc.
This is a bowl of flowers I made for my Christmas tree, button flowers, I love them and can never bear to pack them away with everything else so they live in a trifle bowl the rest of the year. I just love white on white.
This is embarrassing, it's the cup and plate (Torde Boontje plate) that are still lying on the floor, unwashed, since the man came to adjust my pellet stove 2 weeks ago. In my defense I have no running water, and it looks so nice on the flokati rug. I adore my rug, it's totally mangy and worn out but it is filled with happy memories. I belonged to my Granny and was always in front of her fire, wherever she lived, and covered in various generations of dogs. I used to listen to an old yodelling record on that rug and spin around on it until I fell over in hysterical giggles. That never ceased to thrill me from age 3 to 7. Then I think she got rabbits and my attentions were diverted.
Well, what's a girl to do, the gods clearly want me to keep blogging today. But what to blog about, my eyes are too strained to trawl through my folders or the net for inspirational images to share. And then the sun shone through the window. Suddenly my house, which is a source of great frustration just now, was filled with light and I saw that there were nice bits, even in the chaos. Here are a few.
This first one which I rather like is my attempt to hide the fact that there is no ceiling in one half of the room. I love these old indian block print fabrics which I rescued from the dog's bed at my mum's house! They really remind me of being little when my mum had them on her bed - a more fitting place. I popped them up at christmas so that I could screen off that side of the room. The near side, if you look closely, has white Ikea curtains STAPLED to the ceiling to hide the insulation that is hanging out until I get the ceiling replaced. It's actually quite a nice effect, like living in an exotic tent, but sadly wihout the exotic temperatures. The fabric does not diguise the old stools, piles of wood, pallet truck etc.
This is a bowl of flowers I made for my Christmas tree, button flowers, I love them and can never bear to pack them away with everything else so they live in a trifle bowl the rest of the year. I just love white on white.
This is embarrassing, it's the cup and plate (Torde Boontje plate) that are still lying on the floor, unwashed, since the man came to adjust my pellet stove 2 weeks ago. In my defense I have no running water, and it looks so nice on the flokati rug. I adore my rug, it's totally mangy and worn out but it is filled with happy memories. I belonged to my Granny and was always in front of her fire, wherever she lived, and covered in various generations of dogs. I used to listen to an old yodelling record on that rug and spin around on it until I fell over in hysterical giggles. That never ceased to thrill me from age 3 to 7. Then I think she got rabbits and my attentions were diverted.
Much loved blog Links
I just read my own blog, it's not as shoddy as I thought, rambling perhaps, but I like the look of it, far more coherent than I was expecting given my wide ranging tastes. But I saw that there was one huge gaping hole ... my links and appreciation of the wonderful bloggers who inspired me to blog too, and continue to inspire me daily.
I realised after reading the post about Ulla's site that I hadn't posted about others which had equally thrilled, enthralled and excited me because when I discovered them I hadn't started blogging yet (though I think most of you received an embarassingly gushy email from me).
I remembered that the day I posted the links was one of the days that Blogger was not working and I lost all my posts from that day, so the links never went on. That error is now corrected as you can see on the sidebar. They are all wonderful in their own way and are the links that I visit pretty much daily. There are so, so many more that I visit weekly but I don't want to have a huge list otherwise I'll feel cluttered which is something I have trouble with everywhere else in life, so I want to keep the blog slimline. I'm trying to keep links there that are regularly updated, so if you disappear it's not that I don't visit you anymore.
And now a photo, I love reflections, I love circles, I love water and I love blue things so I love my photo of the Falkirk Wheel 'the world's first and only rotating boat lift'. You really need to this this photo huge to appreciate the details but hey, bandwith, what can I say. At this rate I'll be reaching my 300mb limit in no time, then what.. Cally Creates 2 I suppose.
It takes the boats from the canal above and gives them the fairground treatment to get them down the the water below. Great fun to watch if you are there on a sunny day, which we were. But be warned, the tea drinkers among us (not me) were gasping because the queues in the cafe were way too long. Take a flask for emergencies.
I realised after reading the post about Ulla's site that I hadn't posted about others which had equally thrilled, enthralled and excited me because when I discovered them I hadn't started blogging yet (though I think most of you received an embarassingly gushy email from me).
I remembered that the day I posted the links was one of the days that Blogger was not working and I lost all my posts from that day, so the links never went on. That error is now corrected as you can see on the sidebar. They are all wonderful in their own way and are the links that I visit pretty much daily. There are so, so many more that I visit weekly but I don't want to have a huge list otherwise I'll feel cluttered which is something I have trouble with everywhere else in life, so I want to keep the blog slimline. I'm trying to keep links there that are regularly updated, so if you disappear it's not that I don't visit you anymore.
And now a photo, I love reflections, I love circles, I love water and I love blue things so I love my photo of the Falkirk Wheel 'the world's first and only rotating boat lift'. You really need to this this photo huge to appreciate the details but hey, bandwith, what can I say. At this rate I'll be reaching my 300mb limit in no time, then what.. Cally Creates 2 I suppose.
It takes the boats from the canal above and gives them the fairground treatment to get them down the the water below. Great fun to watch if you are there on a sunny day, which we were. But be warned, the tea drinkers among us (not me) were gasping because the queues in the cafe were way too long. Take a flask for emergencies.
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