Good-bye.....

For various reasons I have decided not to carry on with this blog. I would like to thank everybody who has been reading it up to now especially Anairam from fra(a)iing, Kendalee from Dance of a Painted Lady, Linda Sue from All I Ever Wanted, Lynne from love dream live at home, Denise from Mormar, Corinne fom Hidden in France and Mila from Loveology. You guys always gave me special encouragement with your fabulous comments and I enjoy catching up with you on your blogs, and reading your blogs. I'll still be reading your blogs and hopefully keeping in touch.

I have started a fashion blog in the meantime (not the reason I'm giving up this blog), I'm not sure that fashion is everyone's cup of tea, but if you'd like to check it out it's called FashionAbility, and the link is here.

I might start another creative/inspiration type of blog in the not too distant future focusing on journal art, with my photography and other photography I enjoy.....something along those lines. If you'd like me to keep you informed, please do drop me me a mail, I'll keep this blog's mail address open and will check in also incase anyone wants to keep in touch with me.

Thanks again to everyone who has followed my ramblings, and also to all the wonderful blogs on my blogroll for all the amazing inspiration you so generously share.

I'll leave you with one last fabulous link, for anyone who enjoys classic vintage fashion photography, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, and prepare to disppear for a few hours into the world of Agent Lee which I have loved doing in some of my spare moments since I discovered it a couple of months ago. The link is here.

Vintage photo love

I'm loving these beautiful, old daguerreotypes, I think the scratches and smudges add to their beauty. The link is here.

Saturday night....ordinary but loving (at home)

Sorry about the lack of posting this week, and thanks so much for all your lovely comments on my previous post. This week, both hubby and I have been overwhelmed with work....and to confess, in my spare moments, I have been checking out NY Fashion week....give or take here and there, overall the collections were bland and disappointing...maybe London will be better. Anyway, Saturday night saw the hubby (Gareth) and I watching DVD's, on his computer screen in our combined study/art space. As you can tell from the pics below, my life is pretty much run of the mill at present....but as my dad likes to say, at least ordinary is better than disaster.

Corners of my home

It's Sunday evening here as I write this, and while I don't quite have the Sunday night blues, I wouldn't mind the weekend lasting for a bit longer. This afternoon I sat out in the garden reading my book, and it was so lovely I wanted the afternoon to last forever.....

Friday inspirations

Magical bokeh photography by ianton. Emma Cassi via Hidden in France

Roses in vase polaroid by Cath Muscat via All Things Bright & Beautiful, Artist Jonathan Viner via Creature Comforts, polaroids of lavendar and beach by Porter Hovey, Couch from Atlanta USA company City Living, and pillows from Swedish decor company Himla via Keltainen talo rannalla.

Dreaming of....

I want to go to Palermo. More beautiful photo's at The Cherry Blossom Girl.

Dance with me.....

I don't usually post music on my blog, and it's not something I plan to make a habit out of, but I wanted to share this. I am totally in love with this song and with this video at the moment. It makes me happy and I hope it'll make you happy too. Also, I think it's just such a stylish little video, it reminds me of the French cinema of the sixties, and I think that if you enjoy my vintage photo posts you'll probably like the video. The song is "Dance with me" (it's a remix) by the band Nouvelle Vague.

Sunday is peaceful

These are some journal pages I did about a month ago. The Sunday was the day my step-sister and her family left to live in Australia. I haven't been doing much journalling over the past few weeks. I'm getting bored with my journalling style, I'm feeling like I need to be doing something different, I'm just not sure what yet. Step one will be to buy a new blank spiral journal, once I've got around to that I can start experimenting.

This is what I planted in my garden today. It was another gorgeous Spring day, if a little windy. I planted basil, oreganum, white viola's, white geraniums and pink carnations. I've never tried growing carnations before, but I saw these beautiful fabulously bright pink ones when I was at the nursery and they jumped out and said "Buy me! Buy me!" So of course I did. I spoke to the plants nicely as I planted them, and welcomed them to their new homes, all the while saying a silent prayer that the dogs wouldn't get to them. I adore my dogs, but when it comes to the garden, it's an ongoing battle......and one that I intend to win!

Happy.....

I am so excited, my spring posies made it on to Apartment Therapy. The link is here. Thanks so much to Apartment Therapy. I really am delighted.

Happy Friday

Some of the images and things I'm liking at the moment. Just happy that it's Friday....although kind of scary that the days fly past so quickly. Before I know it I'll be sitting on a rocking chair with my knitting....best I improve my knitting skills:) I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Picture credits: Fffound, Fashion Victims, Vaporiss, Superbomba, Net-a-porter, Style.com

Thank you so much to Eilandkind for giving me this award. Eilandkind means island child in South African Afrikaans, and she is lucky enough to live in what looks like heaven to me, the US Virgin Islands. Here are some pictures from her lovely blog below.

In turn I'm passing the award to:
fra(a)ing
Dance of a painted lady
All I ever wanted
A girl & her journal
Red velvet

Vintage photo love

David Bowie

Jack Kerouac

Sophia Loren

Audrey Hepburn

Paul Newman

Marilyn Monroe

Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall

Brigitte Bardot

Twiggy

Picture credits: Foto Decadent, We Heart It, Vintage Photo's at Livejournal

Spring posies

It's so lovely in Johnnesburg at the moment. We are having gorgeous, sunny Spring weather, and flowers and blossoms are bursting into bloom all around. In my garden, things are flowering really well, with some plants that have never bothered to flower before finally deciding to show off exactly how splendid they can be.

I love Saturdays

Citronella scented geraniums in my garden

Photographers Gentl & Hyers at Edge Reps.

These Plaster Dolls from Etsy are just the cutest ever. The top doll is wearing Luella Spring Summer 2008 and the bottom doll is in Prada Fall 2008.

Sarap's beautiful collages at Etsy. From her page, "This collage features magazine clippings, old photos, text, and bits of patterned paper. Part of the beauty of these pieces is the bumps and crannies that add to the overall texture."

Journal page

Some photo's

have a happy weekend!

Corners of my home

Some art I did the other day because I'm happy that Spring is here

The side of my fridge - that's a tried and tested and loved Jamie Oliver recipe for Chilli Con Carne that my husband makes to absolute perfection

The front of my fridge.

One of three painted wooden statuettes from Thailand

A painted metal wall ornament I got down in Kynsna

Flowers in my garden

The cutest pair of puppy paws.

A lot of the walls in my house are this awful yellowy beige colour. When we moved in about three years ago I had planned to slowly redo and repaint. But now our plans have changed and we will be selling and moving on within the next year or so. So, seeing that the paint is in good condition I don't want to go to the expense of repainting the whole house if we're going to be moving. I will have to do the passage at some point because when the geyser burst a couple of months ago it ruined the paint there. Also I might do my bedroom which is the most disgusting shade of light blue, the rest I can live with.

Feeling red...

Today I'm feeling red and pink and bright and colourful!


Girl with bear: Icachan Design, lady in red: photographer Wendy Bevan, flowers: i.antons Flickr page, ferris wheel: Mar.cos Flickr page, sign via Fffound


Natalia Vodianova via Lolita's blog, flowers via The Ghost factory blog, lips by photographer Katherina Fosel at Flickr, sign: ErokCom's Flickr page

The Cherry Blossom Girl, bird:Miichan's Flickr page, flowers:Danske's Flickr page, love sign: Fffound

Victorian dreams

I love these old photographs by Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. She was a pioneering portrait photographer, one of the first to start applying the principles of fine art to photography. I found the photo's here. These dreamy, romantic images make me long for white rooms with pale pink accents and possibly a hint of black or grey. They make me want to wear soft pink dresses like this, or drape myself from top to toe in Rodarte.

From Shootspaces (via Purple Area Dekoration)

From Marie Claire Maison

From the blog Something White

From Marie Claire Maison

The home of Norweigan photographer Trine Thorsen (via This is Glamorous)

La Cristal Room Baccarat in Paris (via Alkemie)

Rodarte Fall 08 Ready to Wear collection

Some corners of my home

Ask....and the universe will provide. No kidding....really! You won't believe it but a few days ago I posted about how much I wanted a polaroid camera. Now I have not one, but two! I mentioned to a friend of mine that you can buy polaroid film off eBay which I discovered thanks to Mila, owner of my new favourite blog Loveology. My friend then says to me, " Take my poloroid camera's, and keep them for as long as you like". The older one on the left might not work but the little one definitely does. Now I just have to save up for the film....that's the harder part:)

Alters, shrines and sacred spaces

I found an interesting book in my local thrift shop some time ago. It's called "Alters and Icons, Sacred Spaces in Everyday Life" by Jean McMann. It's basically a collection of photographs of the sacred spaces people create in their homes. It could be a proper relious alter or shrine, or a simple collection of treasured objects and photo's on a table or shelf. Here are some images from the book.

Step-ladder shrine

Table top sacred space

Kitchen shelf collection

A simple arrangement of objects along a window sill

A car shrine

A garden shrine

Well, I got so inspired after going through the book that I had to rush off and start working on something of my own. I found the ideal space in a little alcove off my bedroom. It's a work in constant progress, and gets changed around and added to whenever the mood takes me.

This is a little jewellery box, a bit water stained now and worse for wear. It was a gift from my uncle who lives in Canada when I was about eleven years old. I loved it immedietely and it became one of my most prized possessions - I had always wanted one of those jewellery boxes with the ballerinas that rotate to music, and to me at the time, this was perfection in every way. Straight away I used it to store keepsakes - and I have to admit that there are a couple of things inside it that I have no idea why I kept, or why they were special to me at the time. Here are some of the things in the box:

These objects I do remember, most notably the Cinderella watch. It came with a white strap, it was my first watch when I learned to tell the time at about six years old and it was my pride and joy.

Some seashells from a family holiday in Umhlanga rocks, I was about thirteen at the time.

A collection of bangles from various times of childhood and adolescence, now very much worn and faded.

By hand

I'm loving this hand lettering by Chris Piascik. I like to do hand lettering on my journal pages. It's nice to get inspiration from what other people are doing. Some people might call it copying, but for those of us who are self taught with the internet and books as our only teachers, it's a great way to learn new things - and eventually your own style does start to emerge.