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An apple a day.



Haven't you always wondered what to do with the little sticker you find on your apple? 
Now you know. Seen on Felt & Wire. Get the poster here.

Just add water.



Soap vs water...


I was a bit of a sceptic when my sister told me she'd started using a micro fiber cloth and only water to clean her face. Plain water couldn't possibly remove make up and daily grime. Could it?

She has since sent me (from Canada) a selection of these miracle cloths. Norwex anti bacterial brand. And they do work. It's not so easy to wean me from my daily regime of lotion and foamy face wash but I've begun to use the cloth with surprising results. It really does clean with only water. 

There is a cloth for every cleaning function in your home. As they claim it's a great way to cut down on all the chemicals we use for cleaning. Anyone else happen to use these cloths?

Earth Hour - tonight 8:30 - 9:30pm



Here's a reminder to switch off your lights tonight - pledge your support on the site.
Thanks to Martha for the lovely lighting options. 

This is for you.

Ok, I didn't really. But if I had a therapist I would have. Buy the print here.

Smart.

Fashion Centre, 1993

The Guild of Food Writers, 2005

More clever logos here.

" "



Some one is actually documenting this phenomenon. The blog of unnecessary Quotation marks. 

Which are you?

Count me as a realist.

Miss Vu



Illustration by sheilavu.

Peep.


Plus gorgeous colours. From ffffound.

100 ideas.




A work in progress by Keri Smith.

Customise.




Great idea by The-breeding-ground. Play here.

Portfolio on Behance.


You must have checked out the Behance Network? A great online portfolio site. I've decided to upload some work to it. Beginning here. DH got me onto it. Some of his work here. Oh, and more of my stuff with my writer on her page. Only problem is what to do while it's uploading... takes ages on our bandwith. Btw, married surname if anyone is confused.

Real stories.



One in 8 million is a collection of moments in image and sound brought to us by nytimes. A quick glimpse into the inner world of some real characters. From the singing waitress to the Bus-Depot barber. 

Zach Gold



Check out some very cool photography by Zach Gold. Amazing motion. Via Dirty Mouse.

Walking on air.



'Precarious moments' Image by Jean-Louis Blondeau.

If you haven't yet you absolutely have to watch the documentary Man on wire. It's about the all consuming passion of a man to achieve something that the rest of us would consider quite mad. It's inspiring. 

Airstream cool.




Last night DH and I stayed in one of the Grand Daddy's rooftop Airstream trailers. It was a birthday surprise for him and was great to do something unusual and out of routine. DH had contributed an illustration to the decor of  'Goldilocks and the three bears' trailer and we know the designer of the very boudoir-like 'Love of lace' trailer so we already loved the concept. We were booked into 'Dorothy' and admired the slightly crazy polka dot extravaganza. Pretty much every surface and object in this trailer is covered in dots. So am I this morning - but I have the mosquitos to blame. Other than that mild irritation we had a great evening and dinner and especially enjoyed the sundowner on the rooftop. 

Baas in China.


A great commentary on an icon of our time. 
Plastic chair in wood by Maarten Baas.
Design Indaba 2009.

Snowflakes.


Drawing of snowflake and subsequent jewellrey design. 
The amusing and oh so talented Marian Bantjes. 
Design Indaba 2009.

Heartbreak


The heartbreak necklace by Frank Tjepkema.
Design Indaba 2009.

Studio Libertiny.



A vase of wax - built by bees - Studio Libertiny.
Design Indaba 2009

Design Indaba 09.



I'm not going to attempt to give a report back on the conference. I'm not sure I would know where to start. Visit here (Heather has it covered for ElleDeco) and here (videos) if you'd like to see a breakdown. 

It was a great few days and although I'm not going to post specifically I have decided to share some of the visual inspiration that particularly struck me over my next few posts. Enjoy.

How about a nice cuppa?

"Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one." Ancient Chinese Proverb



Illustration, and painted in real tea, by maxwellandmyrtle.

I've fallen into a comforting routine of making a special pot of tea each Sunday afternoon. I love the ritual of 'taking tea'. I've posted about it before. As a girl I couldn't understand the obsession with drinking a hot beverage on, heaven forbid, a hot day. Much happier with a tall glass of Oros while the grown-ups drank their brew. But I'm a convert. I can drink tea anytime. Or make an occasion of it. Not only is it comforting, and yes, refreshing - but it's the beautifully laid tray, the aroma of the leaves and the excuse to sip from a pretty cup. Coffee is just so robust. I feel genteel as a tea drinker. It also leaves me wonderfully nostalgic. Lapsang Souchong was a favourite of my Grandmother. A smoked tea with a distinctive flavor the black tea originates from the Fujian province of China and legend has it the smoking process was discovered by accident.

During the Qing dynasty, an army unit passing through Xingcun (Star Village) camped in a tea factory filled with fresh leaves awaiting processing. When the soldiers left and the workers could get back into the premises, they realized that to arrive at market in time, it was too late to dry the leaves in the usual way. So they lit open fires of pine wood to hasten the drying. Not only did the tea reach the market in time, but the smoked pine flavor created a sensation! Source - Englishteastore.

Another favourite, the French brand Mariage Fréres. A gift from DH after a visit to South of France I was glad to find you can buy it in Cape Town, although for an arm and a leg...


Perhaps it's the gorgeous packaging? Above packaging of a gift of Organic Earl Grey tea from China.

Green tea? Not a fan. And I've tried. It's extensive list of health benifits even meant that I took it like medicine for a while. It's quite telling really - that which is good for you never tastes like chocolate.

Of course, the fact that I'm extolling the virtues of tea doesn't mean I'm not a great fan of coffee. But that's another post. 

 

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