Winter coats

A great winter coat is worth its weight in gold! It pulls an outfit together and offers protection from the elements. My coat is bright red (wallflower?!? I think not) and nips in at the waist with a large collar that can be worn open or buttoned up into a roll collar. I always feel damn awesome in it. Here are a few that make me happy for winter.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/563301865865899482/

I have a thing for hoods apparently :)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/446982331742209005/

The next three images are from: http://www.womenfashion.tips/15-fabulous-winter-street-style-outfits-copy-now/

 

 

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=winter%20coats%20women%27s%20street%20style

Grown up goals

Sign that a person is maturing...dreaming about your own home. And also probably freaking out about whether you have enough pension someday but sticking to the fun stuff here.

I have to say that I'm a huge supporter of the Tiny House movement that seems to be all over Europe and the USA. Who needs a huge house? It just means more rooms to fill with stuff that we don't use or need and it means more cleaning needs to be done. I'm not a fan of cleaning.

Here are some delightfully cosy tiny homes that inspire me.

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=tiny%20homes

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/tim-and-hannahs-diy-tiny-tahoe-cabin-house-tour-199722

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/four-people-and-a-dog-living-i-123518#_

http://tinyhousetalk.com/the-miter-box-modern-tiny-house-on-wheels-by-shelter-wise-llc/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TinyHouseTalk+(Tiny+House+Talk)

http://blog.papress.com/post/70194835907/images-of-heidi-and-peter-wengers-1955-trigon

The two images above are from: http://diycozyhome.com/15-amazing-tiny-homes/

And finally, in celebration of this chilly Cape Town day...

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171910910752105099/

Life Long commitment

Tattoos are the ultimate sign of independence and rebellion, at least in my mind. I've played with the idea of a tattoo for ages and although I don't have any yet, I think I will in the future. Here are some stunning images of delicate and feminine tattoos.

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/delicate-tattoo/

The three images above are from:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/ideas-for-wrist-tattoos?utm_term=efvmhh&sub=3450030_3839072#.tnEX0BBVMg

http://blog.tattoodo.com/2014/06/20-feminine-tattoos/

http://www.tattoou.net/pictures/feather

https://www.pinterest.com/mgastreich/tattoos/

http://favim.com/deathly+hallows/page/6/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/408842472398950513/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/328481366543098044/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/299137600226054233/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/120823202479139279/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/151785449916615490/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/268175352787097337/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/22447698118289703/

Now to decide on one and a place to put it :)

Exposed Cupboards

Something that I've been seeing in decor magazines and blogs are kitchens that have open shelving. At first when I saw these images, all I could think of was the many kitchens that I worked in as a teen and young adult before I started my degree. Slowly though, they have grown on me. Now I think it is a lovely way to display those delicate heirlooms that you got from your Great Aunt Martha or that pretty collection of Turkish glassware. If you have lovely things, then they should be displayed otherwise it is a complete waste of some fine china.  As I rent I can't really put these ideas into action but I can dream about my future home ;) Enjoy the images I've found that best show off this trend.

http://decor8blog.com/2010/09/10/more-kitchens-to-love/

Dark shelves with contrasting crockery is quite striking.

https://www.yahoo.com/makers/open-shelves-in-the-kitchen-is-this-trend-right-113903015620.html

Such a calm and serene kitchen with a muted palette and limited color range. Screams sophisticated and elegant. 

http://www.decohubs.com/open-kitchen-cabinet-ideas/15193

I love this one, all the different colors and patterns are neatly placed next to each other and instead of clashing, they complement each other. Its probably more likely that people have mismatched crockery and glasses than all one color...

http://www.jennaburger.com/2013/08/5-reasons-to-choose-open-shelves-in-the-kitchen/

http://www.jennaburger.com/2013/08/5-reasons-to-choose-open-shelves-in-the-kitchen/0c157412b4defbe9d131ccf0854e4ff4/

I really love this idea to make your kitchen an extension of your style. I'm not super keen on the wallpapers used above but I like the idea of using a print that peaks out from behind whatever you have in your cupboards. For those creative individuals, it's also possible to paint an image behind and make it truly unique.

http://www.homekitchendesigns.com/open-kitchen-cabinets-ideas/creative-open-kitchen-cabinets-with-open-box-kitchen-cabinets/

Although I'd love to embrace a minimalist look, it's not something I'm able to maintain. The last three images above are simple and beautiful in their simplicity. They are a minimalist look that I could possibly achieve :)

And last stunning image:

https://www.yahoo.com/makers/open-shelves-in-the-kitchen-is-this-trend-right-113903015620.html

Perfection!

Feel free to comment and follow my on bloglovin so you always see my new posts :)

Design Indaba

At the beginning of the month, some friends and I went to the Design Indaba Expo. Held every year at the CTICC, it highlights some of Africa's creativity in different areas. Last year I was a bit disappointed as it seemed a lot of the wares on display had already been seen, a bit of a rehash of 2013 (to me at least but those in the know would probably disagree).

This year was GREAT! There was so much to see and I had to say I was tempted to buy buy buy. As always the jewellery aisles caught my imagination. The following designers were my favorites.

Simone Toerien and her brand, Folkloriikka

The pictures above are from : http://www.designindaba.com/profiles/simone-toerien

How beautiful are these rings? 

If you know someone who would love these, then pop by her website: http://folkloriikka.co.za/

Amy Sinovich and her brand, Resonatebyamy

This cityscape ring above is my favorite! Very unique

The pictures above are from: http://www.designindaba.com/profiles/resonatebyamy

To see more of Amy's work, go to: https://resonatebyamy.wordpress.com/

Famke Koene and her brand, Famke 

Anyone who knows me, is aware of my skeleton obsession. So the necklace above is perfection to me.

The pictures above are from: http://famke.co.za/ this is the same place that you can see more of her work and order for someone special...or yourself ;)

Below are some images taken by me of some of the beautiful things I saw. I wish I'd taken more pictures but I'm still a bit shy about whipping out the camera

Print of a piece by Shaun Swainland

 I was pretty good about not spending stacks of money, being a bit broke this month  helps with 

that ;) However last year I spotted some bags by Five Past Five Design under the label of Navarre & Marchand. I bought the Baguette, which is a small bag with just enough room for my phone, some cash, cards, lipbalm and my keys. They come in fours colors and each color has their own icon in the front. The red has the rhino, blue is the dachshund (this is the one I bought),  yellow is a heart and green is Africa.

Above are two pictures of my bag, taken by a friend Anne McLaren :) 

The images below are from their website and you can also place orders through here:

http://fivepastfivedesign.co.za/ The images on here are beautiful and I'm drooling over a few bags.

Looking forward to next year's Design Indaba.