Smoke and Ochre

Good-bye.....

2008-09-23T15:08:00.002+02:00

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

2008-09-22T20:53:00.003+02:00

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)

2008-09-14T01:36:00.003+02:00

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

2008-09-07T16:35:00.004+02:00

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

2008-09-05T08:43:00.000+02:00

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....

2008-09-03T22:15:00.003+02:00

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

Dance with me.....

2008-09-01T22:15:00.003+02:00

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

2008-08-31T13:39:00.003+02:00

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.....

2008-08-30T21:00:00.003+02:00

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

2008-08-29T09:06:00.003+02:00

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

2008-08-28T15:33:00.002+02:00

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

2008-08-27T07:38:00.006+02:00

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

2008-08-25T14:37:00.002+02:00

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

2008-08-23T14:24:00.006+02:00

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

2008-08-22T20:51:00.000+02:00

have a happy weekend!

Corners of my home

2008-08-21T14:22:00.003+02:00

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...

2008-08-20T01:40:00.004+02:00

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

2008-08-19T11:45:00.015+02:00

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

2008-08-18T18:36:00.004+02:00

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

2008-08-18T17:48:00.007+02:00

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

2008-08-16T12:06:00.004+02:00

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.

Paris in April

2008-08-15T16:42:00.004+02:00

I decided it was high time to take a trip to Paris...in April...with the assistance of Jen at My Polaroid Blog. Simply beautiful....

And I also loved these style shots....not in Paris in April

If there's one thing I really would love to have, that is a polaroid camera! But even if I did have one, I wouldn't be able to afford the film....A friend of mine has a polaroid camera and we discovered that it is ridiculously hard to get polaroid film in South Africa, and when you do manage to find a shop that can order it for you, it's just ridiculously expensive. So for now that will remain a distant dream. At least I can enjoy all the amazing poloroid photography out there. Aaaah but it must be such fun to have a polaroid camera to play with!!!

Vintage photo love

2008-08-15T00:12:00.004+02:00

Right now I can't get enough of classic vintage fashion photography. These images are by photographer Tom Palumbo and were featured mainly in Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. You'll notice the same model in a few of the pictures, she is Anne St Marie, wife of Tom Palumbo, and one of the most famous models of the 1950's. She continued to model during the sixties but was not as popular. The link to Tom's Flickr page is here, you'll find many more great fashion images from the fifties and sixties.

To make your heart melt

2008-08-13T18:56:00.006+02:00

Today I discovered the most amazing dog photographer, Sharon Montrose via the lovely The House, Mandco blog. I have never seen such adorably cute photo's. Even if you don't like dogs, in fact even if you loathe and hate dogs, I defy you not to fall in love with her photo's and go all mushy inside.

And this is what I'd be wearing from the Fall 08 collections if I had to take some of Sharon's adorable mutts for a walk.

Naturally I then had to attempt some dog photography of my own. Bandit is not the most co-operative of photographic models that I've ever come across. He was more interested in trying to lick the camera and dance around my feet. And trying to click your camera button in time with cute poses before uncoperative dog moves is next to impossible.

Fashion credits: Style.com

I heart inspiration boards

2008-08-12T19:22:00.011+02:00

I love inspiration boards. I always have. I think it's interesting how they reflect a person's personality, and I think they add warmth and intimacy to the home. They can also make great points of visual interest in a room. That's why I love the Flickr Inspiration Board group. Here's a small selection from the group.

Girlhula at Flickr

Inky at Flickr

Lobster and Swan at Flickr

My English Garden NY's flickr page

And my inspirations:

This is the inspiration wall above my art desk

Inspiration wire in my art work space

The whiteboard in my art work space

A close up of a picture I drew that's on the whiteboard

The picture on my inspiration wall that I copied for the drawing

A spread in a previous moleskine journal called My pinboard romance.

PS: OMG! It is totally and utterly ridiculous how a person can disappear into Flickr and get sidetracked! I'm guessing a lot of you know the feeling......okay, okay.....dinner's coming;)

Creative interiors - NYC

2008-08-11T14:50:00.010+02:00

I stumbled across the most stunning website via the gorgeous little fashion blog Childhood Flames. Theselby.com provides an intimate and tantalising glimpse into the homes of creative people living in New York. Some of the people are well known like supermodel Erin Wasson and author Tom Wolfe, others are lesser known creatives. Their homes contain unusual, interesting and sometimes bizarre collections and bits and pieces. There are lots of photo's of each home, also the photography is excellent, and the pics on the site are big so you can see all the fascinating details.

Erin Wasson - top model

Matthew Eikelberger - boutique manager, artist & musician

Ryan Korban - interior designer

Chrissie Miller - designer

Jean Adamson and Sam Buffa - restauranteurs

Isabelle McNally - actress

Meryl Smith - artist

A quiete Sunday

2008-08-10T13:15:00.000+02:00

Drawing.....

2008-08-08T23:22:00.002+02:00

An attempt at digital illustration using photoshop.

Redecorating on a shoestring

2008-08-08T16:14:00.003+02:00

A while ago I posted about painting and getting ready to redecorate my spare room. It's finally just about done. The walls were a dingy pale blue, I decided to paint them white and use accents of bright colour. I also wanted to keep it very, very simple. I also didn't have a lot of money to spend so I used a lot of items that I have thrifted over time. The curtains, bed cover and pillow cases I got new from Mr Price Home, the closest thing we have to the Pottery Barn concept, so I managed to get them all at a very reasonable price. The room is cheerful, airy, sunny and bright - a lot more than I was able to capture in these pics.

Some details:

Thrifted teacups, except the middle one which is part of a set given to me by my late granny. This little wood coffee table was the first new piece of furniture I ever brought when I first moved out of home.

I got this little butterfly decoration when I was on holiday in Australia last year.

This vintage photograph in its old frame was thrifted. I love the photo, its adorably cute and is one of my favourite ever thrift finds.

This is the absolutely beautiful afghan that my step-mom crocheted for me. (I chose the colours with her help)

The vintage 1960's lounging gown was thrifted, and the little pink chinese purse was a gift.

Close up of the pillow cases and bedcover from Mr Price Home.

Inspiring objects

2008-08-07T20:53:00.004+02:00

I just love these photo's. Thy're so inspiring, they make me want to rush off to put together an inspiration board, and collect together piles of beautiful things. I'm not too sure what they are exactly since I don't speak French - they seem to be part of some sort of personal project. The link is here, together with lots more luxurious photo's of this collection of objects, letters and postcards.

Colourful

2008-08-06T08:50:00.002+02:00

Some recent pages from the small altered photography book journal. (Click 4 bigger pix)

Lovely things

2008-08-05T19:52:00.002+02:00

I love all of these images, especially the top one - I want that exact look in my house, so rich and decadent! The photo's are by Debi Terloar via tinyk, a blog with loads of lovely decor inspiration.

Vintage ballet

2008-08-04T15:46:00.004+02:00

These are vintage ballet photo's from 1953/4 from an old ballet annual I found in my local thrift store. Love the vampire ballet in the top pic!

Just another Sunday

2008-08-03T15:36:00.003+02:00

Firstly, I just wanted to say a huge, big thank you to everyone who responded so amazingly to my previous post and commented on the Listen to My Voice blog. You guys are absolutely awesome!!! I know the kids will be so excited to read their comments.

Here are a couple of recent journal pages, if you like you can click on the pics for a bigger image.

And......a disgruntled somebody getting a bath. When Bandit goes walking in the park he insists on finding the smelliest, most disgustingly noxious piece of decomposing dead matter, like an expired duck, and then furiously rolling up and down and all around in it, until his whole body honks to high heaven of what he thinks is the most delectable perfume. Unfortunately his human companions don't feel the same way.....so, much to his disgust, he has to suffer through the indignity of being bathed.

Spring has arrived in Joburg with a happy vengance, and there is no-one happier about that than me!

African voices

2008-08-01T12:53:00.004+02:00

This post is something completely different to the usual topics I come up with, but I hope you will indulge me. A friend of mine is doing media training for a group of teenagers from various African countries. The teens belong to the Regional Interagency Task Team on Children and Aids (RIATT) and they will be taking part in a conference in Tanzania in September. I was asked if I could donate some time to putting together a blog for the kids and giving them a little talk about blogging. They are all hugely excited about the prospect of becoming bloggers. It might be difficult for them to all blog regularly because they don't all have easy internet access in their home countries, but they will definitely be doing their best to post, and will be blogging regularly during the conference.

Here are the teens taking part:
Teboho from Lesotho

Alix from Burundi

Kelvin from Tanzania

Keneuoe from Lesotho

Marta from Mozambique

The blog is here, and if you do happen to have a spare moment, please drop by and leave them a comment, I know it would really make their day.

Have a fab weekend!!!

Wednesday musings

2008-07-30T16:32:00.002+02:00

Journal pages over the last few days. Today was a good day, I got a lot done, starting off with early morning gym. I haven't been to gym since last week friday because I've had a bad stomache flu which started on Sunday morning. It was nice to back, gym really is a great mood booster!

A little highlight of my day today, I was at a work meeting at a small restaurant in our community, and sitting at the table next to us I noticed what must have been a grandmother and her grand daughter, or possibly her great grand daughter eating lunch together. The granny must have been well into her eighties, and the grand daughter was in her very early twenties. They looked to be so much enjoying eachother's company, and you could just see the love and respect between them. The winter sun was out and it seemed to bathe them in a special golden glow. And what was so sweet and amazing also, was that you could see the strong family resemblance that had been passed down through the generations from the granny to the young woman in the strong eyebrows and the shape of their eyes.

I almost wanted to go up to the young woman and tell her to treasure that moment, because one day she would look back on it as an amazing memory, and hold close to her heart all the things her granny had taught her. Important things like family history and cultural traditions, things that you only really tend to appreciate when you get older, and by then it's often too late. Of course I didn't say anything because one doesn't do that kind of thing, it's not appropriate or polite.

I want to notice more things like that around me as I go about the mad rush of my life. I took that little vignette away with me, and it made me feel good. Johannesburg can be a difficult city to be in with all the crime, and grime and corruption and negativity but there is lots of good too, it's up to us as individuals to focus on the good as well as the bad.

Vintage photo love

2008-07-29T21:53:00.008+02:00

Jackie Kennedy

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera

Greta Garbo

Elvis

catherine Deneuve

Shirley Temple

And a few of Marilyn Monroe

Today I'm indulging my love for vintage celebrity photo's. I hope you enjoy.

(Picture credits: Livejournal Vintage photo community)

It's beautifully kitsch

2008-07-28T16:56:00.005+02:00

I had a question from femminismo at One Day at a Time asking about the painting of the green turbaned lady in my sidebar. The painting is by Vladimir Tretchikoff a famous Russian born, South African artist. Ironically, although he was put down by the art critics of his time who described his work as kitsch, he was incredibly popular with ordinary people who flocked to buy his paintings and prints, and many of his works have become iconic. You'd recognise them even if you didn't know anything about them. His painting "Chinese Girl" (fourth from top) is said to be one of the best selling prints of all time. He died recently in 2006 at the age of 92. His New York Times obituary is here.

I agree that his work is chocolate box kitsch at its very best, yet there is something immensely appealing about it. I would certainly buy one his prints if the opportunity (and the right price) came around.

Spring is in the air

2008-07-28T16:10:00.006+02:00

Here are my latest journal pages. I need to figure out how to adapt blogger so that I can post bigger photo's. Even the largest option doesn't allow me to post images wider than 500 pixels. I also can't wait to get my newer digital camera camera back from the repair shop. It's been in for two weeks already and is costing R870 to fix!!! That roughly 87 dollars American - not sure if that's considered expensive in the US, but over here it surely is!

An early Spring is already in the air, the jasmine are out in full force, and as I drive around I can see big, fluffy pink blossoms exploding on the fruit trees. As much as I enjoy a good log fire, I can't wait for summer.

Inspiration

2008-07-25T19:14:00.004+02:00

I am feeling totally inspired by the magical world of Jasna Janekovic. The sweet simplicity, the cuteness, the gorgeous colour palette......absolutely fabulous. Her inspiring Flickr pages are right here. I discovered her via the links on the blog A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk, I'm spending some enjoyable moments exploring her other links.

Hmmmm....my house is sorely in need of flowers!

New journal

2008-07-18T23:06:00.003+02:00

This is a new journal I started. It's in a vintage photography DIY book with small, rectangular pages. It's quite nice working in this small format, and also being able to work around and incorporate some of the pictures in the book.

Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela

2008-07-18T08:31:00.006+02:00

Today Nelson Mandela celebrates his 90th birthday. Anything I could say about him will sound cliched, but he is dearly loved by all South African's and I hope he has a fantabulous, wonderful birthday and many more in good health and happiness.

Here he is celebrating his birthday in Qunu, the small rural village in the Eastern Cape which is his hometown.

Here he is revisiting his prison cell in Robben Island a few years after his release from prison

Finally, after 27 years released from prison

"Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another... The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement. Let freedom reign. God bless Africa!" ~Nelson Mandela~

Picture credits: BBC, National Geographic, Africa Within.

At last...

2008-07-17T16:56:00.002+02:00

Here are some of my journal pages over the past weeks. As you can see from the first page, I am excited because I finally started gym, something I have been meaning to do for ever. I donnot, I repeat donnot enjoy physical exertion of any kind, but I realise that exercise is important and I really need to make the effort. So far so good, this is my third week and I've been going 3-4 times a week. It helps that the gym is so close to my house, I can practically roll out of bed and into the gym. Also I go with a friend, and that helps a lot in terms of keeping eachother motivated.

I will leave you with this thought that a friend emailed to me the other day.
"Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says. "Oh Shit! She 's Awake!"
Gotta love it!

A mixed post

2008-07-03T10:14:00.004+02:00

This post is a bit all over the place...some of this....and some of that.

I've been pickling chilli's, and I'm really pleased with how they turned out. The chilli's are fresh, but store bought - in spring (It's winter now in South Africa) I want to grow my own chilli's. This batch I made is all different types of chilli's from mild to mouth numbing hot. I am crazy about chilli's and often eat too many and pay the price with a sore tummy after.

Some more journal pages. Even though it's not spring here, jasmine are my absolute favourite flowers. They bloom here in spring and their magical, enchanting smell lets me know that summer is on the way. We have had a very mild winter this year, very sunny with clear blue skies, which is typical, but usually there's some wind and although it's clear and sunny it gets really, really cold. This year has been great, from 10.00 in the morning till about 3.oo in the afternoon you can sit out in the sun and bake in a T-shirt. What I do find disturbing though, is that it's only the beginning of July and already my jasmine are coming into full bloom! By the time spring arrives they'll have probably have died out.....not good!

The old man of our household. Ben is going on for 12 and has arthritis in his back hips. He is a little slow to get up these days, but he still loves going for walks. Here he is carrying out his favourite activity - soaking up the winter sun and having a good sun bathe.

And some inspiration from others
*****************************

I love this evocative, moody photography based art by Tricia Scott.

I'm also loving these encaustics by Marybeth Rothman.

Me and my journal

2008-07-01T11:32:00.006+02:00

These are pages from my current visual journal which I'm doing in altered book form. Unfortunately my digital cam went on the fritz and I need to take it in for repairs, so I've used my old cam and the quality isn't so great. I'd forgotten just how much digital camera technology has improved. Anyhow, a main theme running through this journal has to do with trying to reconnect to my inner self and finding my spirituality. Just like a little kid, I've enjoyed playing around with that simple old kindergarten wax crayon and water based paint resist technique.

Give me vintage anytime

2008-06-22T08:50:00.004+02:00

I'm mad about vintage pictures, give me vintage anything really, and I'm as happy as a clam. Where on earth did that saying come from....why are clams so happy? I collected these photo's over time on my computer, and unfortunately I don't remember where I found them all. I suspect that most, if not all came from this wonderful place over here. I especially love the shots of famous icons like James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren etc because they're not the usual cliched and tired images that we always see.

Anyway, I'm off on a family day out to a craft market in Irene, Pretoria about 45 minutes away from where I live. Unfortunately my digital camera has decided to die on me.....aaarrggghhh....so I won't be able to take any pics. Hope you all have a great, relaxing Sunday.

James Dean

Salvador Dali and Man Ray

Mick & Bianca Jagger 's wedding day

Twiggy

Frieda Kahlo

Marilyn Monroe

Sophia Loren

Anna May Wong
Johnny Cash

Hello again....

2008-06-21T18:52:00.005+02:00

I am officially awarding myself the world's worst blogger prize...from being one of the most prolific bloggers out there, I have now sadly become an infrequent updater....I don't want to make empty promises, but I am going to TRY update more often!!!

I want to thank everyone who commented on my last post. Your heartfelt and compassionate words helped to uplift my mood during a difficult time and I am grateful for your kindness. Thankfully the situation has improved and the government here is doing a lot to help all those who were affected. The South African media and public came out in full force to condemn the xenophobic violence and I just hope that nothing like this ever happens again.

And even in troubled times I am reminded that life goes on. These gorgeous roses are from my parents-in-law's garden. I took the photo's last Sunday when we visited them on Father's Day. Today is Winter Solstice, from now on the days will get longer as we move towards summer. Luckily, we've actually had quite a mild winter this year.The weird thing is that we had lots of rain over night, and it never rains in the middle of winter, we are a summer rainfall region here in Johannesburg....and my jasmine which flower in spring are already starting to bloom....global warming?

I took these pics last Sunday during a family breakfast out. These little angels are my nephews and niece Micheal, Aiden and Kayla. When I'm with them I often feel like a child myself and find myself colouring in alongside them.

Sad

2008-05-19T17:57:00.003+02:00

I've been enjoying these beautiful images from Karen's Flickr pages. Today has been such a sad day for me, and looking at photo's like this reminds me not to give up hope and become too cynical. Over the last week, in shanty towns in and around Johannesburg, 22 people have been killed, 18 of them in the past two days, in an outbreak of shocking xenophobic violence.

I don't like to write about serious things on this blog, in fact this is the first serious post I've done, but this is all so horrible and distressing, it's the only thing on my mind right now. Nobody leaves the country of their birth unless they have to, immigrants from other African countries come to South Africa to escape from war, brutality and poverty. How can we treat them this way? Powerful countries like America were built from the hard work and ingenuity of immigrants. Why can't we be the same?

Simple pleasures & ordinary things

2008-05-18T07:00:00.000+02:00

I've been enjoying images from the home of Dutch blogger Something White. Simple beauty, simple pleasures, and the appreciation of ordinary things. Ordinary things seen in a new light. I look around the room I'm in, at all the objects that I just don't see anymore because I'm too busy stressing and rushing around to notice. I see three pieces of black volcanic stone that my husband brought me from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro which he climbed last year. I see a wood and silver Greek religious icon that a good friend got me when she was on holiday there. I see a collection of poetry books that I haven't read in years. Ordinary things that are meaningful to me. As I get older, I'm starting to realise that it's the simple pleasures, and small unhurried moments that make life worth living. I'm trying to be more conscious of the present moment and to appreciate the ordinary things in my life. Why do we insist on making life so complicated?

A pot in progress

2008-05-17T17:02:00.003+02:00

I had a really nice day today. A friend came over, and we spent the day doing mosaics. We did a mosaic workshop about three years ago, and every couple of months (not often enough) we get together and spend a day making things. I have been working on a number and address sign to put on the outside wall of our house for about two years now, the project turned out to take a lot longer than I thought it would. It's been one of those things lying by the wayside, gathering dust - but today I FINALLY finished it! I still have to attach it to the wall and grout it, so I'll show you what it looks like when it's up.

I also worked on a little flower pot, which you can see in the photo. It still has to be grouted, so it doesn't doesn't look all that great at the moment. The grout is the magic ingredient that turns even the most dodgy looking project into something that you end up feeling quite good about.

I felt good afterwards, like I had achieved something, just something small...and I even managed to sort out my mosaic supplies and store them together all in one place. Now it's just the rest of my craft supplies I have to worry about :) I am a great collector of things that I plan to make something with one day. Chaos rules supreme, I don't even know what I've got lurking around, piled up in corners and hibernating in dark cupboards. All in good time, but sooner rather than later!!!

The power of journaling

2008-05-16T17:06:00.002+02:00

A couple of weeks ago I found an empty 1970's gardening notebook in a second hand book shop. It's divided up into sections for each season with gardening information, photographs, advertising, and blank lined pages. I loved the look and feel of it, and it immedietely "spoke" to me and said journal. Just a plain simple journal for writing in, and expressing feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideas and any old triviality that I feel like writing down.

There was a time in my life, through adolescence and university that journalling helped keep me sane in an unhappy home environment. Putting pen to paper forced me to put my jumbled and confused thoughts into some sort of logical semblence, and helped me to make sense of my world. I have about 10 journals from that period, written in hard covered lined exercise books. While I was writing them, I always thought it would be kind of fun one day when I was older to be able to read them and look back, and remember. The truth was that until the beginning of this year, I'm 39 now, I never really went back and read them thoroughly. It was simply too painful to dredge up the past. Now, I'm in a different head space, and I've been doing "work" on releasing and letting go of all the useless baggage of the past - one suitcase at a time :) I've found my old journals have been so valuable in helping me, in some ways to remember how things were and to clear up the mental fog so I can forgive, release and let go.

During my adult life, after university, I only journalled intermittently. About two years ago I started a few visual journals, and although these have been a form of self-expression, they haven't been particularly deep and meaningful, they've been more of a way of having fun with different art techniques, doing collages and playing. In my new gardening notebook, I've been compelled to start writing again, sometimes about emotions etc, sometimes trivialities, some pages I just write on, some pages I do simple art work on as well. I must say though, my hands have become lazier to write after so many years of computers and keyboards.

Finally.....

2008-05-03T21:14:00.004+02:00

Yippy!!! I'm finally getting to do some real decorating. I'm busy fixing up my spare room. It's my favourite room because it's particularly bright and airy, with big windows and it get's wonderful afternoon sun.

Ever since we moved in three years ago, it's been a shabby, insipid, way past it's sell by date, shade of pale blue. It's now becoming a bright, sparkling, clean, pure white. Here is the ladder that I'm too scared to climb - I hate ladders, climbing a ladder is almost as scary as climbing a mountain, except when you climb a mountain you get a helmet, a harness, and ropes, and little metal things to plug in and keep you safe.

These are my supplies. Right about now, I'm taking a big, deep breathe and getting ready to go.

And here I am, dressed for business in old jeans and even older sneakers. In South Africa we call sneakers "takkies" - go figure?

I started painting at around 10.00 Saturday morning, and finished the whole room, two coats of paint, by 3.00 this afternoon. Well.... at least the hubby was impressed and said I did a wonderful job. I felt really good. This is one of those projects that has been falling by the wayside. It's been hanging over my head for ages, and now it's almost done. The yucky slog work is over, and now I can have fun with the room, arranging furniture, pictures and accessories. All against a background of pure, clean white. And I think that anybody who has got to know my taste through reading this blog will know what to expect......some very bright colour accents, perhaps a dash of shocking pink, a squirt of lime green, a dab of fabulous purple, and maybe even a touch of sky blue turquoise.

Tomorrow I'm going shopping for curtains. I want to find something ready made, that will be simple, the right colour and relatively cheap. When we bought this house three years ago, we thought that we would be here for quite a while. Now things have changed, and we want to sell in the next 12-18 months, so I don't want to spend a lot of money, but at the same time, I still want something that I will enjoy while I am here. This room is going to be my little sanctuary, a place to read, and think, and dream....so I want it to be nice.

New bracelet

2008-04-30T00:38:00.007+02:00

The height of elegance

2008-04-28T05:02:00.007+02:00

I love fashion photography through the decades. These pictures by photographer Henry Clarke are quite exquisite. I love their elegance and simplicity, and that 1950's classic ideal of feminine beauty. I found these photo's on Flickr. Luckily I saved them on my computer because the page unfortunately no longer exists.

Hazy, lazy Sunday

2008-04-27T21:31:00.005+02:00

The late afternoon view of the Joburg city skyline, and my neighbour's roof :) from my front veranda. I absolutely love this view and the feeling of the atmosphere and essence of the city that it invokes in me.

Today was one of those perfect, relaxing Sundays. We're having great Autumn weather at the moment in Joburg. It's getting colder, but during the day time it's warm and sunny with clear blue skies. I went around the garden towards the end of the afternoon looking at how the plants are doing and enjoying the seasonal changes starting to appear.

I'm so excited that my basil is doing well, especially since insects got to all the dill and coriander. We just sprinkled a packet of seeds on top of the soil and turned over the top layer, and hey presto, a few weeks later they started to pop up. I want to start growing lots of herbs, and maybe even a few veggies. I was in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape recently visiting my sister and brother-in-law. They were such an inspiration to me. They are really green conscious, and they grow lots of herbs as well as their own fruit and vegetables.

I've always wanted to have a vegetable patch, but somehow it's always seemed a bit daunting. Maybe if I start with one or two things and see how that goes, I'll get the confidence to grow more.

Little House

2008-04-24T18:02:00.008+02:00

When I was a child I enjoyed reading the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. For some unknown reason, I recently had the urge to re-read Little House on the Prairie, and once again I thoroughly enjoyed it, but from a very different perspective as an adult. It's generally acknowledged that rather than being purely autobiographical, the books are autobiographial fiction, and that she changed certain elements to tell a good story. Nevertheless, the books are based on real experiences, and they provide a wonderful, if romanticised insight into the lives of American pioneers.

Those were the days when men were men :) Pa could almost singlehandedly build an entire log cabin from scratch by chopping down trees for logs and hauling stones from the creek to build the chimney. He could dig a well, hunt animals for food, keep livestock, plant and grow produce, make all of his own furniture - and sing and play the fiddle. It's hard to believe that nowadays a lot of men can't even change a plug or a light bulb.

As for Ma, well, she quilted, and sewed all their clothes and soft furnishings from scratch by hand, often by lamp and candlelight, she did all the heavy laundry in a tub, and could even use a manually heated iron on the back of a wagon. She plucked prairie hens, did the cooking and baking, most of the cleaning, saw to the family's health, comfort and well-being, all this while minding and educating two little girls and a baby.

For entertaiment Pa played the fiddle and sang. Just about about every night he'd sing the children to sleep inside the log cabin. They told stories, Ma read to them, mainly from the bible, the girls strung beads on thread, sewed quilt squares, cut out paper dolls from scrap paper, used string to play cat in the cradle, sang songs together, played with their rag dolls, played hopscotch, tried to catch prairie dogs and rabbits, and helped with the smaller chores like minding their baby sister, setting the table and washing dishes. The nearest neighbours were far enough away to make visiting inconvenient. They lived solitary lives and learned to make their own simple entertaiments.

For Christmas Laura and Mary each got their own new, shiny tin cup (previously they had to share a cup), a stick of red & white striped candy cane, a little cake made from white flour and sprinkled with white sugar, and a penny. The girls were practically blown away with excitement at the luxury and splendour of these few simple gifts.

It absolutely intrigues an an amazes me how people managed to live contented lives at such a simple and basic level. No television, radio, internet, movies, electricity, shopping malls, and none of the abundance of material products and accessories that we live with today and never seem to feel satisfied that we have enough of. We always want more, more, more. Can you imagine children being happy with a new tin cup and a couple of sweets for Christmas - no playstations, iPods, cellphones, CD's or branded clothing.

I suppose that after a day of hard, physical labour, you wouldn't need a lot of entertainment and mental stimulation. Although I could pass out at the mere thought of having to do all the things that Ma did, on another level I yearn for that kind of simplicity, and a life lived without getting caught up in over consumption. I'm thinking I really need to go through my house from top to bottom, to throw away what I don't use, like or need anymore. To organise and sort out....and try introduce more simplicity and sanity.

New vintage finds

2008-04-24T15:21:00.008+02:00

I recently got back from a short holiday in Port Alfred, a small seaside holiday town in the Eastern Cape. Although the winter cold has started to set in, I was hoping it would be at least warm enough to picnic on the beach. Unfortunately it was cold and rainy the whole time we were there. I still enjoyed it though, it's always nice just to get a change of scenery. It was fabulous to be by the sea, and to rest and relax, go for walks, explore the town, and eat great food.

On our last day there, we stopped in town quickly on the way to the airport to go to the chemist, and I stumbled upon the most amazing little vintage & antique shop. I barely had time to look around because we were in a hurry. The shop was crammed full, and lined from top to bottom with a wonderful array of treasures, and it was the kind of place I could have happily spent an hour in, slowly exploring everything. And, I couldn't believe how cheap everything was, about a fifth less than what similar vintage items cost in Joburg. I was truly in vintage heaven. I only had about fifteen minutes to rush around but I managed to pick up a few cute finds. Nothing comes between me and my thrifting :)

This is my husband walking along the pier in Port Alfred. He soon beat a hasty retreat after getting drenched by the waves.

This is a collection of vintage perfume bottles I found in the shop. I'll be giving them to a friend as a birthday present.

I also found this cute little ceramic deer penholder.

And this ceramic vintage Cango Caves souvenier. It's incredibly kitch, but it belongs to a particular era of South African "Africana" from the fiftiess and sixties, and I like to pick up a few pieces in this style here and there, although it's not something I'd ever go overboard with.

Time for a change

2008-04-23T03:59:00.006+02:00

My apologies for going AWOL. I am now back properly. As you will notice, I have made some changes to the blog. To be totally honest, I have to confess that I sort of began to lose interest in Smoke & Ochre. It was starting to feel stale and boring to me, and I just didn't have the same level of enthusiasm that I did before in scouring the web for that perfect chair or cushion. Also, there are so many wonderful blogs out there showing the latest, great new items, I feel it's pointless for me to just post things that I've already seen on other blogs, if I don't have anything more to add. Original content has always been important to me, I've tried my best to find my own content as much as possible. But now I'm tired of posting the same themes I've been focusing on, and I feel I need to broaden and make some changes to the scope of the blog.

I'll still be concentrating on home style posts, and will keep looking for eclectic interiors, but I want to do a little more art (and photography) including older classics and wander away from the new "cute" kind of art, to explore what else is out there. I also plan to do a few historical posts. I love history, especially the way that people have lived in the past, what they wore, what they ate, what they thought. I've read some great books that I think bring out some fascinating aspects of the past that I'd love to start sharing. Some other topics I want to start blogging about are interesting and unusual places, food and cultures. More about lifestyle as opposed to home style, and a bit more of my life, art and photo's. All in all I want to try and add a little more spice, a little more of what's exotic and enchanting.

I really appreciate everyone who reads my blog, and I hope you will continue to follow my journey and explorations, and hopefully I will be able to put together something more interesting than what I've been doing over the past while.

Furo.....what?

2008-04-03T14:11:00.004+02:00

The talented and creative Denise from Freshly Found demonstrates the Japanese art of Furoshiki....don't worry I hadn't heard of it either...okay, maybe you have heard of it, anyway...isn't it just lovely! And something that the sewingly challenged among us can realistically attempt. Just scoot on over here to see how Denise did it.

Flowers make my heart sing

2008-04-03T13:35:00.003+02:00

I hope everyone is well, and that you're enjoying the change of season, whether you're going into Spring, or Autumn like myself. I love the change over of seasons, it's always a nice time of year, when you kind of have new expectations, and become more aware of the changes taking place in the natural world. In Joburg, the leaves are starting to turn yellow and gold and fiery red, the temperature is getting crisper in the mornings and evenings, and the air is starting to get that still, echoey, more silent Winter feel.

My husband came home with a huge armful of flowers for me on Saturday, which after eight years of marriage, not an enormous amount of years, but not to be sneezed at either:) just made my heart sing. They're now in vases all around the house, adding splashes of colour and happiness to the rooms.

You can see some of them in these photo's. Also included is one of my pashmina's draped over a chair in our bedroom, a vintage evening bag from my granny, and a thrifted vintage hat. The purply blue flowers are in a gold etched Indian glass, part of a set that was a gift from my wonderful friend Angie, the Chinese beaded bracelet I got at a market on holiday in Sydney, and the mother of pearl shell and crystal necklace in the background was made for me by my mom-in-law.

Sage Moon McKee Competition

2008-04-02T19:03:00.004+02:00

I have some exciting news to share, the lovely Lynne from the blog Love dream live at home, is having a competion where you can win a beautiful painting by Taos artist Sage Moon Mckee. Pop right over here for the details. From Lynne's blog, "I think Sage is one of the finest young artists to have come out of Taos for quite some time....Her work is modern, edgy and original, while paying homage to those who inspire her."

Mainly white

2008-04-01T22:52:00.007+02:00

There's somthing special about Scandinavian blogs, and the decor combination of lots of white, with lace, and silver, and religious icons, and a very feminine , elegant take on vintage style. Here's a little round-up of images I've been enjoying.....and sorry about the lack of posts lately.

En Doft en Danmark

A Home from the Heart

Katter och Pasta

Lilla Blanka

Lantlif

Autumn days are creeping in...

2008-03-18T21:19:00.006+02:00

We are having the most miserable, cold and wet weather in Joburg at the moment. I hope this doesn't mean an early winter for us this year, even though I know that all my northern hemisphere friends are more than ready for an early spring:) Last night we had a power failure, no electricity from 6.00pm until after midnight. That meant takeouts for supper. Also our local supplier had already run out of gas by the time I got there, so my hubby made a fire in the fireplace in the lounge and we spent the evening reading our books by candlelight. Luckily no power problems tonight and I managed to get gas for the gas heaters, so we're nice and cozy....and I'm on the computer.

Ben and Bandit snoozing away, enjoying the gas heater.

This is my dining room cabinet which I love. My step-mom gave it to me when she and my dad moved into a smaller place a couple of years ago. In our old family home it used to be a bookcase, but I use it for an assortment of odds and sods like ornaments and crockery.

In this picture, you can see my clay tajine. This is a Moroccan, North African kind of casserole dish. I got it for my birthday about two years ago, and I'm embarressed to admit that I still haven't used it. I am determined to use it this winter, a nice North African dish with couscous will be perfect on a cold winter day. From Wikepedia, "Tajine dishes are slow-cooked at low temperatures, resulting in tender, falling-off-the-bone meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce." Mmmm...that does sound tempting.

My pet giraffes, far better behaved than the dogs...but not nearly as much fun.

Above and below you can see some of my scarf and pashmina collection. I love scarves and that is one positive thing that I can say about winter, I am looking forward to wearing lots of scarves.

Love at first sight

2008-03-13T18:18:00.003+02:00

OMG! Did you ever see anything more cute and adorable than these beautiful bears and soft toys by Whendi's Bears? I am totally and utterly smitten. The mohair bears are made by Wendy Meagher, and she's been chosen four times in the Top 100 Traditional American Craftsman by Early American Life. i can certainly see why. She also has a blog right over here.

Tea with butterflies

2008-03-13T10:59:00.002+02:00

Welcome to the wonderful, magical world of Jo who lives at Fairy Cake Pond somewhere in Australia. Oh how I would love to fly over and spend afternoon tea with her, talking to butterflies and eating brightly coloured cupcakes.

"Mid West African"

2008-03-12T23:22:00.005+02:00

I love the catalogue styling, clothes and home accessories available from Side Attraction 3. It's a South African shop selling local products but I think their Kalahari collection in the top two images has a kind of mid west modern feel to it. This makes sense beause the Kalahari is a dry, desert like region in the Northern Cape in SA extending into the bottom of neighbouring Botswana. I also like their brand philosphy, "SideAttraction3 is a lifestyle brand based on a philosophy of consciousness, creativity, identity, freedom and being African.
The brand is inspirational in its language and aligns itself with integrity, tolerance, art and culture.The images that we create are in themselves a strong statement, in their unity of cultures and their acceptance of individuality- a lifestyle space that is truly South African.Our roots are African, but our interest is global progressive and non-sectarian. "

Pink is the mood

2008-03-12T22:59:00.004+02:00

Simply pretty and romantic pictures from Natasha Burn's Flickr photostream.

These images are from the Florida home of Franciose O'Neill also known as Fifi. For the past 20 years Fifi has worked as a freelance writer and photos stylist for top magazines including Coastal Living, Romantic Country, Cottage Style and Country Living. The bottom image is a photo she styled for the latest issue of Romantic Country. She's always looking for charming homes for feature stories, so if you've always wanted to see your home in a magazine feel free to email her some photos at fifiin(at)comcast.net.

Romantic

2008-03-12T22:34:00.003+02:00

Some French style romantic inspiration from Pretty Petals at Flickr. Heather has a boutique called Pretty Petals where she sells vintage finds, pretty papers, dolls, handmade creations like embellished vintage hats, antique linens and lace. She also has a Pretty Petals blog where you can see her latest creations.

Wren

2008-03-10T08:47:00.009+02:00

You all know how excited I get when I discover new South African design blogs. There are just a handful or two of us as far as I know. So I'm pleased to introduce a new SA blogger I've just become aware of "Wren" a Cape Town based blog by a textile designer and graphic artist - who also makes pretty, stylish fabric bags. What's special about her bags is that in many of her designs she uses a South African fabric called Shweshwe. You can find out more about the interesting history of Shweshwe on her blog here, and she has an Etsy shop where you can see more of her designs.

Inside and outside

2008-03-06T23:24:00.004+02:00

I love this gorgeous garden in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It belongs to artist James Havard. (Via Natural Home magazine).

Some room inspiration from Skona Hem.

Two collages

2008-03-06T23:20:00.001+02:00

These are the two collages I worked on today.

Today's collage

2008-03-05T23:02:00.000+02:00

Eccentricity

2008-03-05T18:56:00.005+02:00

I haven't done a fashion post for a while, so I decided to take a look at someone who dresses in a most unusual, colourful, way, and that's Italian Vogue fashion writer Anna Piaggi. Whether you like her style or not, you have to admire her courage to be her own person and stand out as an individual. As for me, I love her style, I think it's fun and exciting....but no, I wouldn't dream of following suite, not in a million years. The pictures below are of Anna attending various runway shows. The black and white photo's were taken during the seventies, in the second one she is with Karl Lagerfeld. She was one of his muses and he's produced many fashion sketches of her over the years. Her clothing collection is said to include around 2865 dresses and 265 pairs of shoes, and she never appears in public wearing exactly the same outfit. She is considered to be one of the world's foremost fashion experts, and was the subject of a Victoria & Albert Museum exhibition in 2006. I would so love to see what her house looks like.

(Source: Style.com, The Blitz Kids and Wikipedia)

A little bit of my stuff

2008-03-04T23:20:00.003+02:00

I've been experimenting with some of my own art. I've been totally inspired by the art by Harmonie Interieure featured two posts down. Well, I know my stuff is not exactly the most original, at the moment I'm just practising techniques and enjoying myself doing it. Anyway, everyon's got to start somewhere, and I'm sort of pleased with my results so far.

Anna O

2008-03-04T19:51:00.003+02:00

I'm feeling the need to go shopping at Anna O Interior & Fashion in Sweden for gorgeous vintage throws and block printed table cloths. If I ever a) Inherit a fortune from a maiden aunt that I never previously knew existed b) Win the lottery....must remember to buy tickets c) Make contact with my fairy godmother d) Figure out a nefarious scheme that leads to immense self-enrichment, the first thing I will do is book my ticket to Stockholm. I shall travel there with an empty suitcase.

Glam trash

2008-03-04T18:40:00.001+02:00

A little bit of chair love from Atelier Philippe Coudray Paris.

Beauty

2008-03-03T23:12:00.002+02:00

I'm crazy about this illustrated photography from Harmonie Interieure. They also have a fabulous range of wall transfers. (via Fazai38)

The pink palazzo in NY

2008-03-01T23:26:00.005+02:00

Artist/director Julian Schnabel of the recent film "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" has built his own venetian style pink palazzo on top of an old factory building on the edge of Greenwich Village. While the outside might be regarded by some as being kitch, over the top, or out of place, the inside looks stunning. I love the art work, and I think I could find true happiness in the bedroom.

"Plunked smack on top of the early-20th-century factory building where the artist has long lived and worked on far West 11th Street is a Pompeii-red palazzo, stuccoed on the outside, with five huge residences, plus a studio for Schnabel, some serious exhibition space, and a swimming pool fit for Citizen Kane. The place looks as if it began life in Venice on the Grand Canal, somehow floated up the Hudson River, moored on the West Side Highway, then hoisted itself atop its three-story “pedestal.” The building even has a fanciful name, announced on its front: Palazzo Chupi, after the nickname of Schnabel’s Spanish wife, Olatz." The rest of the article is here at Vanity Fair.

More flowers

2008-03-01T22:31:00.003+02:00

Here are some more heavenly flowers. Co-incidentally, I was hopping from blog to inspiring blog when I stumbled upon Housemartin, the blog behind these beautiful creations. So, I thought I had to share these as well.

Flowers are from heaven

2008-03-01T12:55:00.002+02:00

Every time I visit Ashley's amazing blog, Decor Amor, I know I'll leave feeling inspired. If you love beautiful flowers, and gorgeous floral arrangements you'll thoroughly enjoy this post. It will have you wanting to leap into your car to find the nearest florist so that you can fill your house with pretty blooms.

Visual journals

2008-03-01T01:52:00.001+02:00

These are some pages from my current visual journal. I'm working over the pages in last year's moleskine notebook that I used to take notes for work.

Retro Saturday

2008-03-01T01:26:00.003+02:00

I didn't manage to post yesterday, so Retro Friday has moved to Retro Saturday. These interiors are from my collection of Golden Homes magazines. I'm not sure of the exact dates, but I think they would be from some time around 1974.

Modern bright

2008-03-01T00:44:00.002+02:00

A more modern, streamlined bright house. As much as I enjoy looking at this, it's a bit much for me to have a whole house top to toe like this. Maybe a nice chair, or corner somewhere. Found at Bolig Magazine (Denmark).

Eclectic style

2008-03-01T00:08:00.003+02:00

The eclectic and colourful home of Lorimarsha, another Flickr find. Lorimarsha designs and sells an ecentric range of clothing that she makes by recycling and repurposing existing items.

Happiness is....

2008-02-25T23:15:00.006+02:00

I'm in heaven over these amazing, pretty, colourful, happy photographs by Pixel Blossom. Not only is she a talented photographer, she also sells gorgeous bags, pincushions and other handcrafted items at her Etsy store. And she has a blog too, it's an absolute treat for the senses and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Cool vintage

2008-02-25T22:15:00.004+02:00

I love these pillows and cushions by lutterlagkage.dk which I found on her Flickr pages. She says "I make things because I have the itch. I make all sorts of stuff but primarily focus on children's clothing and accessories for home and interior. I love to work with a unique mix of new and vintage materials in my designs. I love thrift store finds, roaming people's attics and basements and re-thinking every day objects and using them for another purpose"

Better than an Oscar.....

2008-02-25T20:10:00.005+02:00

Thank you, thank you, so much to Hidden in France and Freshly Found for passing on to me the You Make My Day award. These are two of my favourite blogs, the first a delightful mix of visual images to tickle the senses, the second full of crafty goodness, elegant decor tidbits and tantalising fragments of life in South Africa.

In turn, I'm passing the award to

Eye Candy, because...well, it's brimful of glorious eye candy, and eclectic interesting finds

Mormar, because it's sensitive, insightful, and caring, and has introduced me to interesting bloggers, artists and crafters.

LoveDreamLiveatHome, because it's earthy, spiritual, womanly, rustically elegant and soulful

The Cherry Blossom Girl, because its feminine, playful, creative and very, very French

Dispatch from LA, because it's funky, original, edgy and creative, and often deliciously funny.

Pretty things

2008-02-23T10:10:00.000+02:00

Pink Bouquet Clock by Nadia Sheltawy, Black printed silk satin cushion by All DREAMSwoRK, Moths to a Flame Vase by Georgina Griffiths Glass, Velvet and silk butterfly scarf by Maddie & Flo, Padded laptop tote bag by Janine King Designs.

Yellow glass vases, Pottery Barn, Metal urns, Annabelles Denmark, Blue ceramic "tupperware" butterdish, Yoyo Ceramics, Crochet giraffe toys, Annabelles Denmark.

I met a little gnome one day

2008-02-20T13:37:00.003+02:00

It's nice when you get happy over the small things in life, and I am delieriously over the moon with this adorable little vintage plastic gnome I found yesterday. He is adorably kitch don't you think? I haven't found a final resting place for him yet, decisions, decisions, decisions....

There's only one way to end this post, and that's with a tiny poem. This was one my favourites when I was little....that and the story about the polar bear cub in the zoo who wouldn't listen to his mother and take a bath. I think my poor mom must have heaved a huge sigh of relief when I finally outgrew hearing them

I met a little gnome one day down where the river flows
I asked him why he was so small and why he did not grow
He slightly smiled and with one eye he looked me through and through and said
I’m just as big for me said he as you are big for you

For some unaccountable reason, I still get a teeny weeny thrill running through me when I read this poem - you have to realise that I seriously believed that this particular gnome lived at the bottom of my garden.

Bright house

2008-02-20T00:10:00.004+02:00

Some bright cheerful colour, the combination of different patterns, lots of retro, a little dash of kitsch, and a clean white backdrop, not to mention plastic toys and a kewpie doll. I guess by now you know that is my idea of decor love. These photo's are of the home of Miss Kittycat on Flickr.

And...one of the blogs I love to visit is Denise at Mormar, so I felt honoured that she wanted to do an interview with me, so if you'd like to find out a bit more about me and Smoke & Ochre, I hope you'll go here to read more.

Retro Friday

2008-02-15T11:24:00.002+02:00

Today's retro Friday images are from my collection of Golden Homes, a series of home improvement magazines put out during the seventies. These pictures are from around 1974. I haven't done one of these posts for a while, but judging from comments and emails received, retro Friday seems to be something that my blog friends and readers enjoy, so I'll try make it a regular weekly post again.

Nothing better than a rainbow

2008-02-13T21:53:00.007+02:00

Yesterday we had a huge downpour of rain, the heavens opened up and the rain and hail came thudding down. I was starting to wonder if my garden was going to float away when it came to a sudden halt. We have had more rain than sun this summer in Johannesburg. Anyway, I walked outside after the storm had passed over and there was this truly magnificent, bright rainbow stretched accross the sky. I thought how cool it would be to find the pot of gold. I could buy Gucci shoes.

The insane thing is that I probably wouldn't be able to walk in these high heels anyway, but I could take them out of the cupboard every now and then and admire them. (Gucci)

A little taste of South Africa. I'll do more collages like this as I go along showing different arty/crafty/design aspects of the country.

Two illustrations I've done recently.

It's cool....

2008-02-13T21:18:00.007+02:00

I think these Fashion Victims tableware designs are a really funky, clever concept. They're by Israeli designer Yael Kristal who was one of the runner's up in the Designboom dining in 2015 competiton. There are lots of runner's up, and lots of interesting and innovative designs were put forward, if you're a fan of new and contemporary design I recommend checking it out.

I think these Sleepyhead cushions are the coolest, and there's a sweet story about how they came about. From their website "Sleepyheads are the creation of graphic artist Christopher David Ryan. No stranger to daydreaming himself, Christopher began to find inspiration in the very act of doing so. He began to take notice of the daydreamers that surrounded him on a daily basis... on the train, in cafes and on the sidewalks. The result, a book; "Sleepyheads, Portraits of Daydreamers", a 64 page book of simple drawings depicting daydreamers encountered on NYC's "L" train, between the Bedford and Union Square stops, during the early months of 2006. Simple in their delivery, the images leave room for the viewers participation... to share in the daydreaming. Now, several Sleepyheads have been selected to be more than just mere printed lines on paper. They are now printed lines on cotton twill... stuffed and ready to dream their dreams with you."

Both these finds are via the Polish blog I Like Design. And it doesn't matter if you can't understand the language. Like Andy Warhol, I often just like to look at pictures, and the blog is full of fabulous and interesting content - and for further reading you can always follow the links.

Eye Candy lights

2008-02-11T22:25:00.000+02:00

I like....very much. From Inspiring Rooms.

Celeb style

2008-02-11T21:53:00.000+02:00

Not my taste at all, but interesting to see Aerin Lauder's (granddaughter of Estee and currently senior vice president and creative director of Estée Lauder cosmetics) holiday house in the Hamptons. (House & Leisure SA mag)

Some South African style

2008-02-11T21:13:00.000+02:00

Some colourful South African inspiration from Elle Decoration SA above and From House and Leisure SA below.

November Moon

2008-02-08T01:57:00.000+02:00

I've posted about the art of November Moon before, and I can't resist posting again, she regularly updates her blog with new art and craft projects. I also really love her moleskin journal pages. I'm not sure why, but I have a strong emotional reaction to her work. It seems to be imbued with a sense of honesty and beauty, and is also somehow very poignant.

The corners of my home

2008-02-07T21:07:00.000+02:00

Inspired by Ashley's gorgeous blog Decor Amor, I've been inspired to do a post on some of the items I've collected around my house. Seeing that I haven't done a post like this for a while, this one is looooong:)

These are some African Violets that I planted in old tin mugs

A favourite painting in a pretty frame and a pink glass antique style perfume bottle that was a gift from my mom

My latest vintage teacup, I found it in my local thrift shop earlier this week

This is a photo of me when I was about three. I turned it into a little collage. It was taken at a cottage my parents used to rent together with another couple at the Vaal River. I have such happy memories of those days - the smell of citronella oil to ward off mosquitoes, looking for fourleaf clovers in the grass, a friend of my mom's with long dark hair embroidering flowers on a pair of jeans, a small thatched cottage with whitewashed walls, a poster of Bob Dylan that I thought was my granny because they had similar hairstyles, a poster of a naked lady covered in psychedelic body paint, the scary excitement of trying to catch crabs with my dad along the river bank....

A thrifted 70's plastic milk jug

A bronze statuette from an African country that I fail to remember. My husband immedietely fell in love with it and we bought it even though it was quite expensive for us at the time. It sits on his desk in our shared study.

Two little vintage plastic toy men

These painted dolls are from a west African country that I fail to remember...hmmm....they're a modern take on traditional carved fertility dolls, it's a family with a mom, dad and a little kid.

I found this book at the same time that I found the vintage teacup. I couldn't resist buying it because it has the most delightful illustrations

A ceramic penholder - this is my little kitch corner. On the one side you can 1950's vintage African curios of scenes painted on wood. They're from Swaziland and are very kitch but I love them.

An ornament in the kitch corner, and looking at this photo I can see that she needs a good wipe down. She must be feeling very neglected.

A corner of one of my bookshelves - these are some of the books that inspire me when I'm doing arty crafty stuff.

A traditional African wooden bowl full of seeds from a coral tree that I collected during a visit to Grahamstown last year. In South Africa we call them lucky beans and as their name suggests they are thought to bring good luck.

And finally, a mobile that hangs in my study/studio. I found it at the big African market at Hartebeespoort dam, about an hour north of Johannesburg.

Happy House

2008-02-06T20:01:00.000+02:00

This is another home I found on Flickr - Arthur's Circus. I adore the bright cheerful colours against the clean white walls. This house is perhaps a litle over cluttered for me, but I would like to have similar colourful vintage funky things in my dream house.