{ Mu'Mu }

Eye Candy

To give you some idea of the scale of my illness recently I will tell you that I had within two feet from me the books Living Retro by Andrew Weaving and Mid-Century Modern by Bradley Quinn constantly for four days, and I did not look at them once. *waits for the audience to understand the  enormity of said feat*. Not one time did I think 'ooh I know, I'll flick through this to cheer me up'. Because I was so ill I couldn't. *shakes head* tragic.

THAT'S how ill I was.

Now, however, I am sufficiently recovered for plumped up pillows and eye candy on the knee with tchai steaming seductively beside me, which, I can confirm, knocks whimpering in the foetal position for four days into a cocked hat, that's for damn sure. So if I am to be knobbled by sickness, and am lucky enough for it to be pain-free, I can think of no better way to endure it than to cuddle up to books like these for a few days.

Lickable, isn't it? You may have seen the Sofa of My Dreams in there somewhere...

Hearting

Some images that are doing it for me right now. And if you haven't yet discovered it, I'm back on We Heart It with avengence again.

I love this tool - it's so useful if you are trying to keep images together - if you are designing something or being inspired by a trend - they have a handy bookmark tool which you just drag and drop onto your menu bar which allows you to save almost any image on the net to your Heart It page. Brilliant. Do check it out, and if you sign up add me as a friend so I can see what interests you too!

Simple PLeasures :: An Example of Good Design

It's probably rather sad that I'm actually blogging about a cup, but I really do love my new cup by Isak and marvel at it's good design. I really wish more designers would put extra thought into the end use of an item and incorporate simple things like: beautiful lotus leaf in beautiful colours. No handle on the mug so mug can also be used as a cannister/jar/caddy.

A wooden lid - keeps tea hot and covered when out of the room.

Lid also doubles as a coaster.

Such a simple, yet elegant design. I marvel at it a lot.

What about you - anything you've seen which struck you as an excellent idea? Or perhaps something you'd like to find that hasn't been made yet? Anything that made you utter - why hasn't someone thought of it before??

Do share.

My Happy Place

Everybody has their 'happy place', that place in the Mind Palace that they can retreat into when real life is a bit too frantic, or ugly, or both.

The happy place is usually perfect; it might be what we strive for and where we consider contentment truly lies, or simply somewhere beautiful to daydream in before we are pulled back to reality, back from our holiday within ourselves. It might be our past, or perhaps what we want in our future.

Here is my happy place: tread carefully, please.

I needed that. Now. Back to real life...

Mustard & Teal

You might recall me posting recently that I am still being inspired by the mustard colourway. It doesn't seem to be abating in the slightest. I think it has been a solid year now and I haven't lost my love for this colour one little bit.

But as well as loving it up with greys and marigolds, I have discovered a new colour combo that's doing it for me :: Mustard and Teal. Just crazy, dizzy loving this combo. So much so, that I have been including it in my work.

This latest addition to the store reflects the sucky weather thing going on over here, and hinting towards the coming autumn - ooh berry picking in woolens, walks with scarves and mittens. Summer may have been a complete wash-out, but here's really hoping that Autumn is going to rock insha'allah (pleeeeeeeeeease!!). And who could have an Autumn walk with the babes in the woods without something to keep the neck warm? It would be a veritable sin not to accessorize in Autumn colours in Fall!

I have made a really extra long one for myself, because I like to wind scarves around and around; and I love the way these colours dance together masha'allah. The eye is drawn from one patch to the next, and it adds such an extra dash of vibrancy to my usual dowdy attire.

Mustard and teal; I don't think I can get enough right now...

Simple Pleasures :: Colour in my Life

What I Love :: Vintage Pyrex

I think I should stop now...

It's an illness, I tell you!

Simple Pleasures :: The thrill of the chase

Whether or not you score, the thrill of the thrift chase can be so invigorating - better than a day at the spa...

Chasing the sun

You know how it is - you've been under the weather for several days, doing nothing except wallow in illness and having the occasional glass of water, and when you finally feel perky enough to leave the bed you are met with? Well, in our case it would be scenes of aggravated burglary - oh the mess! The piles! Where - where did they come from?? And how?? I mean, everyone has been curled up in the same bed for over 36 hours so just how did all this devastation happen??

So, you sigh and shrug your shoulders; put the first load in the washer and tackle the dishes which seem in imminent danger of cascading over the edge of the worktop. And it's your favourite pyrex so you *have* to do something....

You make mental notes of which piles need your immediate attention first, then in which order you will attempt to conquer the rest.

But there's that quiet nagging in the back of your mind: the babes need fresh air; the babes need OUT.

You try to be Grown Up and tell yourself you have responsibilities, that housework won't do itself you know. But then the sun comes out, and as it has been such a rare sight these last few weeks you know the battle is lost. You've been out-manœuvred. You quieten the Grown Up inside your mind and you listen to what your body and soul is telling you. Instincts take you farthter than To Do lists. You down tools, size up your new mission and get to work.

Basket. Drinks. Snacks. Paper. Paints. Brains. Eyes. Willing disposition.

Off we go.

And you know what? The piles are still there -  they'll get sorted eventually insha'allah, but life? Well, that has to be grabbed with both hands, doesn't it?