Can you spot a fake?

I love these bags from Mind what you wear. 

Much more fun than pretending that you're sporting the real thing.

1 September

Officially the beginning of Spring. There was a snowfall on the mountains of Greyton this weekend and huge storms in Cape Town so I think there is still a lot of thawing to do before we pack away those winter coats! 

But in the spirit of all things bright and beautiful I wanted to share with you the vibrancy of Heather Bailey. If you haven't come across this creative talent before she is a fabric and accessory designer. See more on her flickr. I needed to visually feast on some colour and her blog was perfect to counteract the grey day. 

All images copyright Heather Bailey.

Overgrown

I love this series by Chrissie MacDonald. Found via ffffound.

Out of the city

Heading to Greyton this weekend. They happen to have a wonderful chocolatier. Richard Von Geusau did a wonderful chocolate and wine tasting at our wedding. 

I'm sure it will be a weekend of scrabble, fireside red wine and a few senic walks. I'm hoping the weather behaves slightly better than at present.

Image by Dr Mike Kock

A happy day in 'Blogland'

Sometimes life feels like walking on hot coals without the proper mind-control training. 

That's why it's so lovely when 'Blogland' is extra friendly. Jesse kindly passed on the above, plus a challenge to reveal 6 quirks about myself... brace yourselves these are particularly unspectacular...

I'm a complete germ-a-phobe. Perhaps it's being the daughter of a doctor but I'm incredibly bacteria concious. Public restrooms are a nightmare for me and I notice when people don't wash their hands.

I know all the words to the My Fair Lady song "Wouldn't it be loverly?"

It freaks me out if someone stands too close to me in a queue.

Tomato sauce (Ketchup) has to be All Gold. Mayo has to be Crosse & Blackwell.

I'm obsessed with the weather. I used to have to either catch it on the news/radio or I didn't feel prepared for the day. (Yes, it would be easier to step outside in the morning and see for myself). I'm in recovery now although I still need to do an online check if I'm packing for a trip away.

I say "Bye" twice at the end of most phone calls. My mother does it too. Not as in a childish "Bye-Bye". More like repeating myself. "Bye." "Bye." A silly thing to share but people actually comment on it so I think it counts as a quirk!

Now that you all know exactly how strange I am... I am spreading the love to:

Please Sir

Abbey Goes Design Scouting

Chez Larson

Materialistic

Zesty Perspective

Champagne Wednesdays

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

Toy Watches

Toy Watches. But unfortunately I don't think they come at toy prices. Certainaly not with a following the likes of Madonna, Oprah, Robbie Williams, Leonardo Di Caprio....

I like the fluro ones. Spotted on Coolhunter.

Captions?

Not to worry, it's only a baby.

Sorbet after sunday school.

Thank God for Oliver Peoples.

That mercedes sure is beautiful.

Vintage slide from the 50's 60's and 70's by The Mangofalls Project. What's your caption?

An ode to the éclair

Ok, I'm not about to write poetry, but I had to show you what Fauchon is up to. They have an weekend in September devoted to éclairs. 34 different types to be exact. I think they look like mini artworks - in fact one of the varieties even sports an image of the Mona Lisa.

I visited Fauchon in Paris a few years ago and was impressed by this luxury food store. Wonderful attention to detail and beautiful packaging. I left with a couple of packages of brightly coloured pasta (hardly a wise idea considering we were travelling) a silicone heart shaped mould, an array of mustard for DH and a few of their beautifully packaged chocolates as gifts for friends. They had a great store front display of this pyramid of snails at the time.

They even have earl grey ice cream. Sounds like an interesting taste experience to me.

I also came across Paris breakfasts. This blogger has loads of photographs of Fauchon creations and has used various delectable items as inspiration for her watercolours. Very sweet. 

Paris appelle ! La ville de l'amour attend !

Spencer Higgins

I can't actually figure out what these images are... ink in water perhaps? They're beautiful though. Photography by Spencer Higgins.

Another pastiche

keepcalm, originally uploaded by KenzieKate.

Had to add this to the growing number of versions of this poster.

Let's talk.

Can't find the words? The bureau of communication is great. What could be easier - fill in online and email off your apology/grievance/congratulations/romantic intent....

Saturated

I'm all about vivid colour at the moment. I brought home a bunch of beads and some traditional printed cloth from Kenya. I could have filled my suitcase with fabric, there are so many gorgeous colour and print combinations. 

The traditional cloth is called 'The Kanga' (Khanga, Lesso) is a cloth that is in common use in practically every Kenyan home. It's is a piece of clothing about 1.5 m by 1 m, screen printed with beautiful sayings in Swahili (or English) and is largely worn by women around the waist and torso. Kangas are a flexible item, used in many ways such as aprons, child-carrying slings, picnic blankets, swimwear etc. 

I'm also enjoying this wonderfully strong and bold work by Kendra Smoot. She's a prop stylist and style editor. Spring is almost upon us and I want to paint everything white and add bright 'pops' of pattern and colour everywhere. Something like the below images of a Danish home seen on style-files.

Or how about these quirky cushions by Jonathan Adler? The ties and belts are humorous and colourful. 

Roll on 1st September so that we can officially celebrate Spring!

Welcome, Monsieur Dior

I can't seem to pass through 'duty free' without buying perfume. Fortunately I don't often travel across borders as I'd most likely be completely skint... 

The latest addition to my perfume wardrobe is a collection of Dior miniatures. I've decided miniatures are the perfect way to go as I like to experiment without the commitment of a large (expensive) bottle of scent. Unfortunately I've had buyers regret before.

I've written here about my passion for perfume. It hasn't abated, I'm just spending time researching what I can before I take the plunge and invest in an organ of scents. Basenotes is a perfume community to which I belong - a great place to glean information on scent. I was interested to discover that the gold bottle neck of J'adore is modelled on a Masai collar. 

I'm enjoying exploring the heady notes of bergamot, ylang ylang, jasmine, turkish rose ...

What's your favourite scent?

Serotonin

Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi is unlike the Africa that I live in. It's more authentic, more textural, more gritty. Smells and dust and noise are a sensory overload. It was a great experience. I'll be uploading some more images to my flickr later this week if you are interested.