sneak peek: bright idea

Need a little pop of colour in your day? Head over to Freeworld Design Centre for my weekly guest post with some fun lighting ideas…

sneak peek: press play

join me for some fun & whimsy over at Freeworld Design Centre with my latest guest post… you’ll want to jump straight in & play.

delightful

in case you missed last weeks guest post for Freeworld Design Centre, it was delightful…

The simplest of materials can sometimes create the most beautiful objects. Take this ball of string... such a useful yet somewhat mundane household item, but look at what you could shape from the humble ball of string. Beautiful string light balls...

Or wrap some twine around a glass jar for an interesting votive holder...

A happy row of twinkling glass lights, strung together with twine, would make such pretty outdoor party decorations...

Perhaps give those crochet doilies a granny-chic update by wrapping them around a glass jar?

And the unassertive piece of paper? Imagine the delightful DIY cube string lights one could create with a simple sheet of white paper? Here’s how...

How about wrapping perforated paper with a delicate pattern around a glass vase for a sophisticated candle holder?

I love these DIY paper cup garlands covered in different wrapping paper prints...they look really easy and inexpensive to make.

This is a showstopper of the paper variety... a stunning origami-style paper pendant fashioned into a spherical prickly ball. Gorgeous!

So let your imaginations take flight and create beauty and charm with the humblest of materials. They’re truly delightful.

(Origami birds & circle garlands)

Elle Decoration SA

hello friends! I’ve been a bit busy lately with this lovely course and it’s also school holidays, so not too much time to read my favourite magazines. When I did have a few spare minutes to catch up on my dearest mags, the June/July issue from Elle Decoration SA really grabbed my attention. The art of slow living and the back to basics concept truly resonated with me. Life can at times go at such a frenetic pace that we lose the ability to slow down and take in the beauty around us. I photographed several features from the issue and gave them some instagram love…

This Shinda Chair, made of recycled car tyres by Jeanette Gibson, is a beauty… so delicate but with purpose. And Isabella of Natural Applications uses macramé, crochet and knitting to revive the art of fibre craft and tell a story…

The inimitable Jackie Burger, one of South Africa’s style icons and the fabulous editor of Elle SA, has a healing hideaway in the Karoo to where she can retreat for some quiet time. The catharsis of this pleasantly slow & rustically rustig part of our beautiful country is as incomparable as Jackie herself..

Elle Decoration finds inspiration from the colours of the earth and the quiet beauty of the Karoo…

The hot pink accents from this home in Amsterdam made me smile…

and this authentic Flemish farmhouse in Belgium is marvellously refreshing…

A favourite home in the issue is one in Sweden with its soothing palette of bare white, natural accents of wood and a variety of greens…

a really lovely home!

So if you haven’t yet read this copy of Elle Decoration SA, don’t delay that restful inspiration which lies within its covers…

all images my own.

you make me blush!

did you catch my post for Freeworld Design Centre last week?

Such a pretty shade of pink... blush. This magazine tear out of a rosy pink-cheeked model with sweetly braided hair was the inspiration behind this post. Blush is still feminine, but more neutral and natural than your typical girly shade of pink. Isn’t this rose-gold "M" mirrored light gorgeous? I think it would suit me just fine!

A great pair of brocade shorts teamed with a neutral blush palette seem like the perfect match for these sweet brogues. And I’ve always loved the idea of displaying vintage frocks on bamboo ladders since they’re far too pretty to be stuck in the closet.

This peter pan collared blouse strikes the perfect balance between feminine charm and classic simplicity, while the uncomplicated white crockery in this painted display cabinet makes a vintage statement in a delicate shade of pink.

A perfect polka dot knit is toughed up with a leather biker jacket and this softly sorbet pink shade on the walls is making me melt!

A gorgeous backless dress makes a ladylike expression of confidence and this softly serene room is the ideal match for this stylish lady…

One of my favourite bloggers, Jeanette Lunde, has the prettiest lounge...

and I’m smitten with this blush leather bag...so chic. It’s hard to resist a work space as neutral as this...

And this adorable red-head knows how to rock this dusty pink frock. *blush*

sneak peek: delightful

join me over at Freeworld Design Centre for my delightful guest post showing you some DIY lighting creations, made from just string & paper… it’s all very illuminating.

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anthropologie july

ooh, such a lovely July Anthropologie catalogue…

 

Anthro heads down south to live it up in New Orleans. I love this bold tangerine used in combination with the soft grey for bedding…

and these snakeskin shoes make a wild statement…

 

I would normally go for plain and simple bedding, but these floral & geometric mixed-prints caught my eye…

   

have a great day!

sneak peek: you make me blush!

hello everyone… please pop across to Freeworld Design Centre today for my latest guest post. It might make you blush too… *smile*

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check mate

I find it difficult to resist a black & white checkerboard floor… all that symmetry and my favourite black/white combination gets me every time. But it can be quite a dominant feature in a room and I found this article on Apartment Therapy particularly helpful if you find the checkerboard too much. It highlights various ways which can soften the hard edges of a traditional checkerboard floor, especially in a contemporary style setting.

The checkerboard pattern dates back thousands of years, where it was often used as a decorative pattern on pottery, and black and white checkerboard floors first appear in European paintings in the 15th century. Often associated with kitchens from the 1920s and ‘30s, checkerboard patterned linoleum tiles were a popular decorative feature in a home.

Do you notice the difference it makes if the squares run diagonally across a room, or if they’re parallel to the walls? Which do you prefer? Are you a fan of the checkerboard?

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