Afro-dizzy!

Thanks to a recent post on Carolyn's blog, I discovered the fun, fantastic world of AfroCafe! The colours! The patterns! I wish I was in Cape Town or Salzburg.



I get all mesmerised just looking at their website :) I wonder if their tea and coffee is as much fun?

Inspiration

A shot from Wizards Gallery showroom in Westcliff, Johannesburg. As seen in Elle Decoration, Autumn Issue 2006.

Spoons

It seems I wasn't alone in being inspired by Skinny's spoon post, it seems everyone has been bitten by the bug. Visit her site, it is spoon mania!

Here is the latest victim, Freshly Found... although I don't know if she has seen Skinny's posts.

Hooo-ray! Hoo...ray! Hoorayhoorayhooooray!

Guess what arrived today? My long, long awaited Elle Deco magazine from SA... remember, my American friends, that the seasons are opposite down in the southern hemisphere, so this is the Spring issue.



The first thing that grabbed my eye was an ad, attached inside, to the spine.





I really liked the fresh approach to advertising... the objects on one side, and the map to the shops on the other... like little postcards. (Please excuse my scanning... I had my digital camera stolen recently, so making do with the scanner. Just tell yourself I'm being artsy, and then it'll look cool).

I've been through the mag briefly (also trying to get some school work done here) and here are a few things that caught my eye straight away. I love succulents and the ways you can display them... did you know that the proper name for these lovely little plants is actually Haworthia? And that they are virtually unique to SA? Gotta love 'em!



And then this gorgeous kitchen also caught my eye. LOVE the backsplash.



Okay, I'm outta here.. off to read my magazine, drink a cuppa tea and watch the Red Sox. To the South Africans out there... its a DISEASE!

Inspiration

More feelings of snuggling in for some hibernation...

Inspiration

As the days get cooler and the shadows longer, I find myself drawn to cosier interiors...

Kitchen Inspiration

This kitchen in someone's house in Johannesburg reminds me what decorating should be: good pieces, but pieces with soul.



(my apologies if you feel seasick looking at the image... let's just say scanning images from magazines you are not willing to destroy is not easy. Thank you Elle Decor SA.)

Inspiration

Cape Town Asian.

An Invitation

One of my favourite things about reading blogs is that I can get to see inside some pretty cool homes. I would like to now return the favour (though my place doesn't quite reach the standards of some of the stuff I've seen), and share a little of my New England-meets-Africa home...



Above (left) is my bookshelf in my "office", with that lovely "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster. Next to that a poster of an old travel advert that my hubby and I found at Target (if you look, there are some treasures!), and bottom right is the corner of floor cushions we use for spare seating, and they're on the wonderful rug we got from Flor. Lastly is the door stop my mom-in-law got us, there is a gecko on it. Uh, yes, I do like stripes :)

I'm quite lucky because I live in a beautiful old home with a lot of period detail.



Here is a shot of a candle (one at the back), also a gift from South Africa, next to an semi-transparent lamp that I love, from Pier1. Another great place for finding treasures... and then a pic of the odd kink in the wall in my bathroom. My husband is a huge Edward Hopper fan, so I used the small spot to hang a print of "Ground Swell". Along with some shells next to the mirror, they bring the beach into the bathroom.

Inspiration

Overlooking Cape Town from the apartment of Kamran Khavari, as seen in Elle Decoration Autumn Issue 2006.

Tagged!

Ah, seems I have been tagged... thanks Carolyn! So, I get to share some things about me you may not know...



I love to swim. I would swim all day, if I could...
this may not be too much of a surprise if you've seen the picture on my profile, but I'm a bit of a doggie person (ha! understatement!)...
I'm slightly obsessed with pattern, rhythm, shape in visuals (see my lovely fence, above)...
My signature baking "dish" is orange pound cake, a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. It's seriously loads of work, but OH so worth it...
Chocolate is my downfall...
After growing up 5 hours away from the ocean and now having lived next to it for a few years, I don't think I could ever live far away from it again...
I recently got my first job as a graphic designer after making a career u-turn 2 years ago. Yipppeee! Still one more year of night-classes but this stuff is just too much fun!...
Tea is my favourite drink. Good ol' British breakfast and rooibos...
One of the most inspiring designers around, in my opinion, is Marian Bantjes.

Okay, who to tag? Because I'm kind of new to this, I'm afraid all my favourites are tagged already, but I'll send it along anyway.

skinny laminx
sprayglue
She wears shwe shwe
pallazzo to do
sfgirlbybay
angry chicken
oh joy!
feffakookan
Sakura Snow

A Gift

From my Dad, from Malawi... years and years ago. I still love it.



Happy birthday for yesterday, Dad!

You're Dismissed!

Hooray, I am back! Vacations are lovely things, it is always good to hang out with your family and peeps, but then you miss your blog, no? My wonderful friend Ros sent me a lovely package in the mail this past weekend with gorgeous goodies to share with y'all, but before I get all that in order, here is a little something else.

In 2005, South African TV had its own version of the US-franchised TV show, The Apprentice. The boss was a mining magnate, Tokyo Sexwale, and his line for firing a competitor was, "You're dismissed!" Apparently there was some uproar after the finale, as Tokyo decided to hire both runners-up.

Anyway, the TV drama aside, the real drama for me is the apartment the show was shot in. It was designed by Maira Koutsoudakis (see my previous post about her wallpaper design) and just rocks luxury, SA-style.





(Photos as seen in House and Leisure magazine, House of the Year Competition, 2005.)

Wish List

If only I could get my grubby paws on...



Wild Animals of Africa, one of the six copies made by Lyndi Sales; woven plastic mat (found everywhere in SA, but this one is from Art Africa), and Zen Zulu baskets (from the BAT Centre, in Durban).

(All products as seen in various issues of Elle Decoration).

Collecting

While recently browsing through Country Home magazine, I came across their "Collect It" page. This is always filled with inspiring stuff. Personally, I am never at an end as to what to collect, or what useless stuff to buy. I am just a plain ol' sucker for anything lovely, or just down right interesting.

Anyway, Country Home featured antique beaded flowers and fruits as a great thing to collect (June 2007). They had some gorgeous watermelons, and tactile pears. They, and the other featured fruit, dated from the 40s through 50s.



This reminded me of a gift someone sent me via my mom. A little sparkly something from home. The friend sent a protea, which is South Africa's national flower, and just a really handsome bloom. They also sent along an aloe, which is one of my favourites thanks to the huge variety of birdlife that are attracted to them.

Recycle, Re-Use, Reduce

In honour of Environment Day, which is June 5 (yesterday), I'm going to share a delightful little car with you. It's a jeep!



The little jeep is made from an old insecticide can. Hmm, not that glamorous! But it works in its new incarnation... and funnily enough the can-car has a recycle symbol on its side.



So! Don't only recycle... re-use! Make something beautiful. And what about reduce? Well, cut down on paper. Read blogs. Like mine!

Cape Town Letterpress

Those who know me know that I am a huge letterpress fan. In days when email rules, the tactile beauty of great paper and gorgeous design is something very special. I've been lured in by the likes of port2port press, Satsuma Press, and Pancake & Frank's thanks to Etsy. (That's pancake's design, followed by Satsuma's, and then port2port.)





Locally I love the work of Albertine Press after enjoying some time with Shelley during the Somerville Open Studios here in Boston, and also Goosefish Press, who I discovered during the Fort Point Open Studios last year. (Goosefish first, below.)





The other letterpress company that I am very excited about (although I haven't seen their work in the flesh yet) is The Letterpress Company, which is based in Cape Town.



Their work runs the gamut from business cards and stationery to what I've seen called broadsides (poetry, and other wonderful stuff). I love their work!

South African Design in the News

A short while ago I was breezing through one of my favorite reads, when I saw this. Let me introduce you to Phoebe Munro and her shop in Melbourne, Australia. If you look on her shelf you'll see homewares from South Africa! The red bowls on the bottom left are paper mache', made with the labels from anchovy packaging. Just one example of the ingenuity of using the everday to create something special.



Here is a similar bowl at home in South Africa, in a beach house in St. Francis Bay.



(As seen in Vogue Living, Australia, and Elle Decoration, South Africa.)