"Mid West African"

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. "

Romantic

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.

Anna O

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.

Pretty things

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.

Colour & Pattern

Some more bed linen in great patterns and colours from the Sleeping Buddha, designed by Martha Bone.

Some funky tables by Jessica Gonacha. She uses an interesting combination of materials including oil paint, acrylic paint, glitter, fabric, thread, sequins on wood, and a resin coating base on hand-crafted steel

Delightful porcelain work including a gorgeous range of wall tiles by Katie Parker.

Todays finds via Trunkt.

Kenzo love

I have a burning need to be let loose inside Kenzo Maison with a very expensive giftvoucher. If I have a fairy godmother out there I hope she's listening.

Art and umbrellas

Firstly, my huge, big apologies for the lack of posts last week, this year has been a lot busier for me than last year. Thanks also to everyone who has commented lately, I'm sorry I haven't been been able to answer them all personally, I will do my best to catch up. Well, without further ado, here are some of the things that have been catching my eye.

Beautiful evocative paintings by Iranian artist Iman Maleki.

Some cute umbrellas from Fredflare.

Some more adorable food themed jewelry - this time from Robins Jewelry Box at Etsy.

And, I love these hanging people bowls by ceramist Alice Mara.

Round and about

Bhavna of the exotic and colourful blog An Indian Summer has opened an online Indian Summer Bazaar full of tempting, gorgeous items with a strong Indian flavour - all those bold and sumptuous Bollywood colours.

Denise of the wonderful vintage style crafty blog Freshly Found has opened an Etsy store where you will find fabulous vintage treats and handcrafted items she has repurposed from found things.

And, there's a new blog in town. Lynne is a transplanted South African living in New Mexico, and her blog is brimming with elegant, soulfull decor inspiration. You'll find her at Love, Dream, Live at Home.

It's Swedish

I very much like the range of products available from Swedish design house Svenkst Tenn. Svenkst Tenn has been around for 80 years and their textile pattern designers have included such greats as Josef Frank and Estrid Ericson. They provide fabrics as well as wallpapers and other furnishings and home accessories. They also do interior design. A full product range is also available from Liberty in the UK.

When art is decor

I'm loving the wallpaper and cushions designed by Catherine Hammerton. She uses modern silkscreening techniques together with traditional hand finishing like embroidery. In her wallpaper she uses a combination of textiles and paper. I think it's very beautiful.

Uncommonly nice

I found these items at Uncommon Goods. I love them all because they're all sort of quirky and unusual in some way.

PS. I know the heading is corny but I couldn't come up with anything else:)

Amy Butler

I am totally in love with "Mid West Modern" by Amy Butler. Before reading her book, I had always liked what I had seen on her website and other people's blogs, but I had no idea she had this much incredible inspiration to offer. Firstly I really like her fabric design, I also love the decor combination of vintage and new, in a fresh, uncluttered way, but what I really enjoyed about the book is the way she incorporates elements from nature in her decorating in a very special way that adds another dimension of warmth and beauty to the home. And I have to say, I adore her clothes too - fabulous patterns and vintage inspiration. The book includes chapters providing ideas for the different areas of the home, as well a section on accessories like throws, slipcovers etc and a section on clothes. Also interesting is to learn more about Amy Butler and how she works. Right now, I'm off to curl up in a cozy corner (since its dark and rainy outside) with a cup of coffee, and my copy of Mid West Modern, I have lots more inspiration and ideas to soak up:)