It's cool....

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.

The corners of my home

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.

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.

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.

Interesting

I love this teacup and saucer from Undergrowth Design. Clever design idea, but I'd imagine that you'd look pretty comical taking a sip of tea from it :)

Mugs life

I love these ceramic coffee mugs from The Z Coffee. The shapes are so unusual and the colours and patterns are fab. Love the retro vibe.

Ceramics

I really like these ceramic vessels by ceramicist and watercolour artist Helen Beard.

And....Blog discovery

I've been enjoying the elegant and classy inspiration of Cassandra at Coco + Kelley. I also like the fabulously stylish vintage items available from her Etsy shop.

Wonki Ware

I like these Baroque style ceramics by Wonki Ware which is situated in the seaside town of George in the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. I think the patterns and colours (except for the peach) are wonderful. I love the lacey, textured look of the patterns. Each item is made from hand, so no two pieces are exactly the same. Only eco friendly materials are used, and because the handmade process maximises the use of manpower, the company is able to provide employment to many economically disadvantaged local people that would otherwise not have jobs.

Dreamy

Dreamy ceramics with a fairytale feel by Anna Wrigstad Ostberg.