Mags this month

Everyone has their weaknesses. Some can't say no to cheese, others find gadgets irresistible. As some of you might know, my Achilles heel is magazines (amongst other things like desserts, books and earrings). This month the I managed quite a selection already.




Ofcourse I couldn't leave the second edition of Jamie behind on the shelves. It's packed with recipes and food related stories, but then what do you expect from Jamie Oliver. It is quite a blokey magazine, with robust recipes and chunky styling. As an import Brit (I'm Dutch/Italian) the recipe I really want to make is: Kick-arse chicken & leek pie. In short a great mag to buy your boyfriend if he's into cooking. BTW I still think that his best series EVER was Jamie at Home. It's just the honesty of food, growing your own veg, cooking with spirit.

I got Easy Living Magazine, mainly because of the gorgeous free Graham and Green bag. It's not big, but it's so pretty.The mag is quick cool actually, it's not as silly as most woman magazines where fashion and sex tips are the be all and end all. I'm glad there are some magazines for woman that have a bit more to them. It's not in depth but it's a good all rounder: home decor, food, health, beauty, etc. I liked the 'Look great in Jeans' idea's page (especially the bright yellow cardy with belt on a dark blue bootcut). The article about mums waiting and waiting for their grown up busy bee daughters to include them in their lives. It was send in by a reader and I think it was well cool of Easy Living to print it.



As a knitter I'm always on the outlook for knitting magazines. I have quite a few now and more patterns I want to make than time to make them. Still the second edition of Debbie Bliss magazine was a no brainer after such lovely yarniness in the first. Again there are plenty of patterns I would love to make, a beautiful orange pleated top is high on the list. White chunky pillows are also very lovely. I got it from Yarnbox where they also have a Zakka crochet book called Kyuuto! translated into English, which I also promptly bought.

Next I got Web Designer a mag that is full with tutorials. I've not been writing on my blog of late as I'm busy building a website for a company. It's a lot of work, cool work, but a lot of it. They want their news section working on WordPress which is the main theme of this months Web Designer. Pretty cool stuff. Who knows, I might switch :O



Then, yes we are not finished yet, I couldn't resist my first ever purchase of Food and Travel. This I flipped through in a supermarket check out line and didn't buy straight away, but I was well impressed and was incapable of not buying it later. Oh I'm so weak. Anyway it has great recipes and reports. Top notch: Lebanese cuisine, use of new herbs (well new to me, example: hot grilled avocado with brown shrimp and chervil butter), a great report of Parma (the place from the ham) and food foraging.

And last, but not least my monthly staple: Martha Stewart's Living. I can only get it at a few places here in the UK, nearby shopping centre Bluewater being the closest. This mag always delivers: recipies, gardening, tips, tricks, flowers, crafts... all the things I like. Martha is still the godess of homemaking. This month there is an article about a wine tasting evening, something I would love to try with a few friends. Great idea!

I'm well happy buying magazines. It's my little treat. Others buy their double mokka chokka bladibla from Starbucks... I buy mags. So many topics and idea's it's like a creative bomb in a few pages. Feel free to comment and let us know your favourite mags.

Chocolate dessert..

Oke oke and as it's Friday the 13th (what a great day!) and to go with the previous article: 3 video happiness recipe a superb chocolate dessert:

View the newest Cadbury and just remember: when you where a child weird things didn't freak you out and you just had fun!!!


Soooo cool! Go Cadbury's


and if you want more we also have the runway video (who wouldn't dream of working on an airport after seeing that!?) and the Gorilla drummer (a classic!).




Such fun at work these guy have...




Classic!!!

3 video happiness recipe

So my Christmas job at the bookstore came to an end at the beginning of January and just as I caught my breath I got employed by my local council to design a Community Safety website. Now I've done some website building, but not that much and not recently at all. So I've been working all day and learning CSS all night via Lynda.com. They saved my behind so far. Today I presented the first set up of the site and people where happy. Lets hope I can keep up with demand eh!

But enough about myself. Lets me give you a precious gift: a happy weekend. Starting tonight!!! And all you have to do is watch three video's. Oke here we go.

To start off I want you to realise that we live in a SUPER AMAZING world. Really we do. And Louis CK told Conan O'brien so. Have a look at his "Everything is Amazing, nobody's happy" video. He says: "We live in an amazing, amazing world, and it's wasted on the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots". And when you stop and really think about it, he's absolutly right.

So now you know that it's time for the next fase: Letting go and having fun in a normally boring enviroment. And all you need is a boring office, lots of post-its and some fun! This video just makes me happy!!!


EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

And as a bonus. The classic to close the week and chime in the weekend. The coca-cola and mentos experiment:


Yay! The best way to use 101 bottles of coke.

And don't forget: HAVE FUN!

iKnit day

On Saturday September 6th I went to my first ever iKnit day in London. It was great. Unfortunately I went alone as my knitting buddy Louisa moved back to Australia (Gosh I miss you girl!!). After arriving on time I joined an enormous queue at the Royal Horticultural Halls. It was snakeing around the building. It seems that most knitters will not be late when a day off knitting goodness is on the menu. All where exactly on time, which can't be said of the doors opening. We only had to wait about 10 minutes which was fine as it didn't really rain much.


So much to see and do

After entering the building I went to listen to Jane Sowerby who had a presentation called "Victorian Knitters vs Today’s Knitters". It seemed very interesting, but I couldn't hear a word. After about 20 minutes I could not guess by her lips what she was talking about anymore and I left. They really should have given her a mic. Such a shame as it seemed very interesting and I'm working on my first lace shawl. I then walked around the market a bit and payed for the first edition of a new sewing magazine to be send home later this month. After inspecting the market (which was extremely busy) I sat down on the stairs and enjoyed my duck wrap I had bought earlier at M&S (yum!). Then I knitted a bit on the shawl and watched a very good fashion show. It was old fashion knits (from the early war era). I took several pics with my mobile but for really good quality shots go to the Iknit Flickr page! I think I fell in love with at least half a dozen of the models (not the girls, the patterns!!)


a fantastic knitty day!

After the fashion show I spotted this girl spinning. She was part of a booth that sold handspun and fibre. I fell for one of the beautifull fibres and although I had promised myself not to get involved in spinning (don't need another hobby) I couldn't help it I was hooked. The girl was Moonspinning and the fibre was made by her booth partner Rockpool Candy (Inga). Both their fibre was for sale but the one I choose was made by Inga. Anyway Moonspinning was showing this girl how to spin and I was hooked. She didn't sell any spindles so off I went to look for one. In the end I bought a very beautifull spindle at the iKnit booth. They had quite a number and all where made out of different types of wood. I felt a bit like Harry Potter choosing his wand. The spindles where all much lighter than the one Moonspinning was using. This made it a bit harder to learn (I went back to her and she taught me! Yay!), but it was fab. So in the end I bought 200g of merino and 200g of alpaca fibre (undyed) and I am now practising.

I also bought fantastic yarn called Manos del Uruguay, Manos Silk Blend. It was £18 ($32) for two skeins and I hope to make a small Clapotis after I finish my shawl. And a Clover yo-yo maker. This funny little gadget is for leftover bits of fabric. You can sew them into decorative disks which you can use for decorative projects. I also watch a catwalk presentation by Maggie Jackson from Maggiknits. And although her work is very high standard and funky it was not my cup of tea. A bit too much going on in her creations. I like more classic knits I guess.

There was so much more: Yarn Harlot gave a talk (I missed out as the tickets had sold out), I had a chat with the Dutch Knitters over from Holland and it was great to speak to my fellow Dutchies. I made new friends, saw enormous knitting needles and saw gorgeous knitted projects. Can't wait till next year!



One of the Clover Yo-yo projects

Links:
Shaped yo-yo Clover projects
Normal yo-yo Clover projects
Ravelry links:
Manos Silk Blend yarn
Adamas Shawl I'm working on...

Beautifull Iran

Kelar Dasht by Ali Madjfar

We all hear about that evil country Iran on the news every so often. And I'm not saying that the news channels are at at fault. I'm sure that what they are reporting is news. However I would like to point out that in Iran there are countless of people like you and me just living their lives. That besides the political view there is another that of our fellow human beings.


Isfahan by Ali Mudjfar

No one shows this better than Ali Madjfar. This extremely good photographer tells the story of his country in pictures. His beautifull landscapes makes me fall in love with his country even though I've never set one foot in it. If the pictures take your breath away, how magnificent must the real thing be? Ali also has the knack of capturing beautifull arab architecture. The colours and shapes are stagering and speak of a sparkling culture. And that is only his Throughout Iran gallery!! There are others on Persia: the ancient Iran, Caves, People, Nature, Insects, Birds, Skies and temples... and more!



Handicraft by Ali Madjfar


So for a new perspective visit Ali's site and get inspired!

Los! Floating lamps...

The announcement on LOS!

In January I wrote about the very remarkable Levatating lamps designed by Angela Jansen. She used the technology from Crealev for a lamp called LOS! On Los! Concepts it is announced that something will happen in July. One can only hope they will go on sale!

Halo

I love Dutch Design. It's so hip and happening. A while back I spotted this great blog called Minirobot. It has all sorts of great, crazy items. Like the very funny and thankfully only visualy offending (your nose is safe) 'fart pants'. Yes! I know and I'm not joking either...


Odor free!! (thankfully)

But what I really liked was a lamp made by a Dutch designer named Wieland Vogel. I wrote him to ask the price, but he wouldn't say. The lamp is called Halo (Aureool in Dutch) and it's a fantastic concept. When you hang it in a room you can concentrate the light by leaving it small (great for dining) or pull it out which makes the light spread wide (great for lounging/parties). If you are interested you might like to inquire, although I'm not sure you would get an answers. I believe they might plan actual production or something of the lamp, however so far (and I've waited a few months for this post) I've not seen any evidence. However it's great for inspiration! I wouldn't mind a less industrial (more elegant) looking lamp that works in a similar manner.



Images from Minirobot

Alan Titchmarsh & Chelsea

I've always been a fan of Alan Titchmarsh. When he speaks the world slows down and without effort I'm in a relaxed state of mind. Everything is as it should be when Alan directs your attention. The world flows and it feels natural. If you do know know who Alan Titchmarsh is you might be wondering who this influential character is. Well, the answer to that is rather humbling I guess: he's a tv-presenter and gardener. Nothing more, nothing less. For years he presented Gardeners’ World on the BBC and I still find it a great loss that he no longer presents that program. Thank god he is still available to present the Chelsea Flower Show every year.


Chelsea is ON!!

The Chelsea Flower Show is named the greatest in the world and for good reason. The sheer scale, involement, knowledge, passion, vision and expertese that goes into this show are staggering. Not to mention money. Out of nothing a whole series of show gardens, small gardens and exhibition stands appear in a mere three weeks. Ofcourse I can talk on and on about new idea’s etc etc. But there is only one way to experience the Chelsea Flower show and that is to see it. The “>preview to the weeks broadcasts was shown on Sunday, but you can still view it via the BBC iPlayer! And I highly recommend watching any episodes that become available on the iPlayer this week. The preview show is nice, but the main show has all the jewels that form the crown that makes Chelsea the Queen of Garden Shows. Just type in ‘Chelsea’ in the search field at the top right of the page and hey presto!.


The Daily Telegraph Garden designed by Arabella Lennox-Boyd
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Links:
All the Chelsea Flower Show info on the BBC Website
“>Chelsea in pictures on the Guardian website
BBC TV coverage scedual
Chelsea in pictures on the Telegraph website

YNZzzzzzzz

Spotted on the net! This funny gadget you can use in your bedroom to communicate silently. After a short explaination I'm sure you can guess the use (don't scroll down, just read on, unless you don't want to guess).


What is this mystery object used for...

Clue:

Y stands for Yes!
N stands for No!
Z stands for Zzzzz (I'm sleeping/need sleep)

There is a forth side (an upsidedown Y) which you could use to represent indecision. An unspoken 'Maybe' if you like... so you guessed it yet?

One more guess?

Alright I'll tell you. It's to indicate ones willing to make love. You can display this item in the bedroom and based on it's facing communicate silently what your mood is. Other than that it just looks like an oranament. Funny eh!



The YNZ is a design made by Tomohiko Sato.

Magical Wallpaper

There are people inventing all sort of strange and wonderfull things. I'm not sure how usefull some are, but I must admit I like the idea behind them. Two examples are to do with wallpaper.


Flowers appear out of nowhere...

First there is this heat sensitive wallpaper designed by Shiyuan that I spotted on The Style Files blog. This normal looking leafy wallpaper starts 'growing' flowers when you turn on the radiator. Not at all functional, but very magical. Especially in childrens bedrooms or so.


Wallpaper that lights up a room...

Also very remarkable and rather more usefull is Wallpaper that emits light. Yes it's a lamp! I spotted it in a video about new design, it's in Dutch but the effect doens't need explaining. The wallpaper part start at 2:23 min and is quite short. It's designed by Jonas Samson.

Levatating Lamp

I spotted this picture of a floating buddha somewhere and liked it a lot, but thought it a photoshop trick. I was wrong it's actually floating like the lamp made with the same technique next to it. After some investigation I found out that both make use of a technology that is developed by Crealev.


The floating buddha and lamp

The lamp was first seen during the Dutch Design Week in 2007. The levatating technology has been used in lamps by Angela Jansen. These lamps are known under the name LOS (loose). And it is rumored that they might go for sale in 2008.


See how it works...

I like the lamps but am not wild about them. I think the base just doesn't appeal to me. The Buddha has my vote. I think it looks great floating somewhere in the livingroom. hehe. :) I couldn't find any info on the Buddha unfortunately. If I ever do, I'll post it on my blog.


Another film about the floating lamp & disc..

For luck

Santa has been very good to me this year. On my wishlist I had this necklace from my favorite jewelry store of the moment Pilgrim. Yes the one with Liv Tyler. My sweet sweet boyfriend was good enough to go out and get me this necklace (below) with pretty purple stones. It looks so nice! And what is more it's so meeeee. My nickname is Vier (which means four in Dutch) and vier is associated (by me) with a four leaf clover. Which in turn stands for luck. Soooo this is my new good luck necklace. It will remind me of taking oportunities and living life to the max. To luck!


My lucky necklace

See my older post on Pilgrim Jewelry...

Knitted landscapes

Knitting is art! It really is. The masses don't get this, but then the masses didn't get Van Gogh for got sake. To prove that it is an art, have a look at this website called Knitted Landscape. Anyone can participate, what you need to do is knit something nature and place it in a landscape, then take a picture. And those I tell you are very arty.


One of the contributions to Knitted Landscapes...

If you look at this picture you can see a landscape, formed over millenia by the elements of nature: vulcano's, plate tectonics and less invasive ones like rain, snow and temperature changes. And there in the midst of all this empty landscape is a mountain rocks. Made by man.
Someone picked up a stone and placed it on top of another and then other people did the same.
And then the free thinkers came in the form of knitters. They knitted colourful rocks and placed them in the landscape. Joining human creativity with the forces of nature in a single project. They connect the human touch with the powers of the earth.

Perhaps this post is a tat bit over the top on my part, but I love this type of art. And it's open for anyone to join in. You can upload your own knitted landscape pic to the site. Talk about a happening!

Lines

Friday Saffy and I where talking about rhymes. Sinterklaas (Dutch Santa Claus) has arrived in The Netherlands and so the whole bloody country is rhyming like mad. Talking absolute nonsense we found ourselves inventing one line poetry we are now calling LINES. So if I come up with one or two I shall post them on my blog from now on. My first was in Dutch so I'll put a translation underneath, although it won't carry the same feeling.



De dag die lacht vrolijk aan het eind van de nacht!

The day who laughs happily at the end of the night!

Pilgrim Jewelry

Have you heard of Pilgrim yet? It’s a fantasic brand that makes jewelry. And nice it is too. It has the typical clean look of scandinavian design and Liv Tyler as their model (Arwen from Lord of the Rings). She makes a good job of it I think, presenting a sophisticated look, serene beauty, timeless. No frilly bit here.


The ever gorgeous Liv

The inspiration for their latest collection comes from Modern buildings and ancient forests. A great combo if you ask me. There are many pieces I like, some I’m not so keen on, but that is only from a ‘it wouldn’t look good on me’ point of view.

Imagine my surpise when on my birthday in September my boyfriend gave me this necklace and earrings as a gift. I had pointed them out weeks before and completely forgot them, but he remembered. And every time I wear it I feel special. Sigh.


It's even nicer in reality

The design I liked because of the leaves and the colours of the stones. It reminds me of a forrest on a misty spring morning. The leaves are fresh and new, but you can’t see the bright colours because of the mist. Perhaps a bit far fetched, but I can’t help it. I’m like that. Hihi.


Beautiful earrings

One last note of this great brand. Pilgrim also makes special edition jewelry. If you buy these pieces they donate money to charity. They have info on the Pilgrim website about this globe, but I’ve also seen a pair of sunglasses and a keychain that was a special charity edition. So keep your eye out for them. They make great gifts too!!!

The London Sites, part 3: the Center of Town

This is the third part about the London Sites, don't forget to check out Part 1: City Walk and Part 2: A Bit of Culture. Ofcourse my parents wanted to see some of London's most famous landmarks. And so today our trip takes up to the center of London.

-----------------------------------------------

The Center of Town
Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery and Covent Garden

For this trip we took the train to Charing Cross station in Central London. Central being te correct word here as the station lies very close to the Offical Centre Of London. Just outside the station you will find a small tower. It's very ornate and gotic looking. This is one of Eleanor's Crosses, or rather it's a Victorian Replica. After her death in 1290 King Edward mourned his wife, Queen Eleanor by placing a Cross at every location her funeral procession stopped. They paused twelf times at: Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Hardingstone, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St. Albans, Waltham, Cheapside (West Cheap) and Charing Cross. The original was placed on what now is called Trafalgar Square, but the Victorians replaced the cross and moved it to the entrance of Charing Cross station. All the measurements to other locations are done from this Center Of London point.

When you turn left you will find yourself on Trafalgar Square. Named after the famous Battle of Trafalgar in which Nelson lost his life but gained eternal fame. You can see him looking over London from the top of his column. Also not to be missed are the fountains sparkling in the sun. They are fantastic and every grand city should have some in my opinion. Click here for a Panoramic view of Trafalgar Square!

London highlights

My parents and I then went to the National Gallery. Here we had time only for a brief visit, but saw many masterpieces. From Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrandt, Da Vinci... the list is endless. however there is so much too see, and we just wandered in. Not a good plan as we missed so much. So do yourself a favour. Before you go there look at the NG website and decide in advance what you want to see. It is soooo big that you will have to make choices. But hey look at the bright side: enough to come back for!

Finally a short walk along the Strand until you see signs telling you to go left, will get you to Covent Garden. If you have seen the film My Fair Lady you will know that this used to be a Market. A proper market, at one point the most important in England, where fruit and vegetables where sold. The market was moved to a more convenient location in modern times where lorries could get to it and Covent Garden became a shopping area. It's a very nice place to visit. There is the Jubilee Market to one side with great finds, the transport musem and the shops in the center. There are street entertainers and market stalls with handmade gift items. Great to get presents for the folks back home.

From here you may continue your walk to other famous sites like Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus and Oxford street. In the fourth and last part of The London Sites we will visit Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and we'll taste some wine at Vinopolis.

Porcelina

My friend Louisa got a card for her birthday that was soooo nice. She has it on a ledge behind her computer so she can see it all day. What a smart girl! To surround yourself with beautiful things is one of life's greatest pleasures. Anyway I drift of topic. This card, I can describe it for you, but it was so nice that I looked up the artist. And so I found the actual picture.


The card Louisa got for her birthday

It is a print from the Porcelina series and it is made by Stephen Mackey. When you visit his site you can get linked through to his Buy Stephen Mackey site where you will find plenty of other goreous prints like the ones below.


Another one of the cards I liked

They also do prints in different sizes. Many of them have fairies on them and are fantastic for childrens rooms, etc. I am seriously thinking of buying the one with the deer on it. It is 12 x 16 inch (approx. 30 x 40 cm). So nice!


Deer, moon and Stars. What more could you wish for?

And finally I'd like to point out the original Christmas cards that are for sale. I love the whole eskimo girl idea. It's all very understated, but that is the beauty of it. There's a calm and tranquil sort of beauty in these pictures.


Example of the nice christmas cards they sell

Colours: fashion and yarn

The new season is here. Hooray!!! It's autumn (almost)! The leaves will turn all sorts of gorgeous colours, we'll ate nice cosy food and the sunlight gets that nice golden glow.



But what about me (and you)? We want that golden glow too. For both face and soul. So I set out and looked around for some inspiration.

To get a good idea of the fashions I take a peek at what's on the catwalks. The best place on the web for this is still Elle.com. You can see the fashion shows with no comment or nonsense. Most sites pick a few things and then go on and on. But nine out of ten times it only looks good on 14 year old girls. So I go directly to the source and take a peek at the Fall Ready to Wear collections and the Fall Haute Couture (more for fun as most is unwearable, but hey it's theatre or Art and Design!!).

My top choice designers for inspiration this season are
- Bluemarine: for it's feminine clothes,
- Marc Jacobs: for the 1920’s style
- Alexander McQueen: for the fantasy influence


Blumarine, Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen

- Lacoste: for it’s sporty vibe
- Valentino: for it’s great classic styles
- Celine: for it’s modern look and classic lines


Lacoste, Valentino and Celine

After all that it’s time to shop, or sew. If you are a sewer and are thinking of sewing your autumn wardrobe then take a look and a listen to Episode 10 of the Sew Forth Now podcast. The title of the episode says it all: Your wardrobe: plan and sew.

Another hit on the catwalk is the Slouchy Beret and wooly hats. So as a knitter I’ve gone out and bought some gorgeous yarn for a new project. The yarn is a petrol colour from Mirasol Yarn and it’s called Miski. It’s soooo soft!!! I cuddle the skein I’ve not used all the time. After I bought this yarn at John Lewis I read the little card. It said that part of my money would be used for charity. It’s that great. So please buy this yarn and support the good cause and get cuddly goodness to knit with. Read more about this on Mirasol Peru. Thank you!
I’m making Le Slouch, a free pattern by Wendy Bernard. If you are on Ravelry check out my progress. My Rav name is Suhail.


New yarn: Mirasol from Peru

I chose the colour because I think I’m a Autumn type. Now there are tons of websites that talk about What Colour you are. And Nicole and Jenny from Stash and Burn mention it on Episode 27. From what I read I think that it is divided as follows:

Spring: Light pastels: apple green, light yellow, light pinks, etc.
Summer: Bright colours: pink, orange, bright blue’s, etc.
Autumn: Earthy colours: browns, dark blues, forest greens, etc.
Winter: Cold colours: black, grey, white, pale pinks, etc

I will try not to buy anything outside the Autumn colours no more. And I think this petrol I bought fits right in. It’s the colour of a stormy autumn sky at dusk. Like when you walk home to a warm cup of tea and burning candles. And on that note: goodbye and have a good day.

iPod therefore I am

I love my iPod. No, really I mean it I LOVE my iPod. I use it from 8.30 in the morning to 7.15 at night on weekdays almost non stop. And I have a mini, not even a proper one (it’s on the wish list, no worries). Anyway I was reading the Times and saw this article. It really made me laugh
(^_^)



My good old iPod mini


iPod therefore I am

from The Times Online

Steve Jobs’s Apple took over from Sony, creator of the Walkman, in conjuring up indispensable products we hadn’t realised we even needed until he presented them to us all in an iconically cute white plastic shell.

Apple spawned stylish computers that didn’t require a degree in applied mathematics just to open up a new document; portable music players that could store every great song ever recorded, and also some Simply Red; video iPods; and mobile phones that add spice to keeping in touch.

Given that it has been a year since Apple up-dated its iPods (in technological terms, the equivalent of the Palaeozoic era), a new generation of iPods has long been feverishly mooted; particularly by the sort of Apple devotees who yearn to live in a white iHouse (to be followed six months later by the launch of a bigger, better equipped, classier, black iHouse), equipped with an iBath you could fill remotely on your way home from work; an iOven that would download iRecipes from your iMac and then iCook them; iRadiators that would glow discreetly when in sleep mode; and (why not?) maybe even a cute little iSpouse.

But while we look forward to owning the latest iPod – wi-fi enabled, with video, toaster function, espresso spout and microwave snack-heat-er – many loyal iPod owners will also be hoping that in its rush always to be first with the new new thing, Apple will deliver a product which, if it does occasionally struggle with battery life, or frozen screens, can be fixed simply.

It’s not that we don’t covet the newest iPod as much as the next Apple tart, just that we wouldn’t mind also being able easily to iRepair our current model.

Yarn, Tea and Design

Recently I’ve moved home and I’ve been quite busy working on it. Soon I hope to get it ready enough to start entertaining again. In the old house we had no space to ask anyone around so It’s long over due. Because I still like the idea of having people around I follow a very cool blog named The Hostess With the Mostess. It’s great if you are into anything to do with entertaining or if you are a kitchen gadgets/tools fan. They show such beautifull things like glasses and funny innovations. These caught my eye:

Tea Flowers
I first saw this about two years ago. My best friend Rig had gone to China with her family on a fantastic trip. When she came back she gave me a beautiful little tea cup and some tea. But she also gave me two small balls made from crumpled up leaves. We used one together and it was great. You pour hot water over the ball and wait. Then slowly the leaves unfold and a little while later you have this beautiful display in your tea cup (or pot). It’s great.

Picture from The Hostess Blog

And because it’s great someone finally thought of importing it. Not seen them in the UK yet, but the US now has these nice tea flowers too. They are from Teaposy. See the video!!



Froggy & the star coaster
I love gadget like these. The Froggy is absolutly great. Funny and usefull. If I had a bit more money (still thight at the moment, but getting there. Just a little longer), I would have bought them by now.

Picture from The Hostess Blog

The star coasters look classy and funny even though they are from modern materials. 

Picture from The Hostess Blog


I also subscribe to a Designblog called (funny enough) Design Spotter. And this is what I spotted:

Aeroplane lights
Aren’t these great!! My friend is pregnant and so I’m on the look out for boy or girl specific things as it’s still a mystery what she will have. I think it will be a girl, but we shall see in two months time. Anyway back to the lights. I spotted these on the Design Spotter blog and fell in love. They are from Skjelvik.


Picture from Design Spotter

Can you imagine having a little boy with lights like that in his room. Or an office they would look great in there as well. It reminds me a bit of Harry Potter where notes in the ministry are send by magicly folding them into little paper planes that fly themselves to their destination. Fantastic!!!

Flower lights
And what do you think about these Flower lights from Design Ship Tora? Also spotted on the Design Spotter blog.


Picture from Design Spotter

I think these would look fab on a nice floor in a bathroom or bedroom. Anywhere where you can light them up as the only romantic light in the room. Sigh makes me wish for a designer house though.