Archives for the month of: December, 2012

Thonet Mid Century Modern chairs turquoise
Does anyone else get sooo annoyed by the Eames Era phrase?
A sneaky ploy used in online auctions that should be reported any time you see it. Some people may do it without thinking much but it’s as bad as Chanel style, Gucci lover and so on. It’s not right.
Kinda fraud in my mind.

Mid Century modern Thonet Chair moulded ply arms
These gorgeous chairs are originals made by Thonet New York, bought on Ebay [freight was ridic but I love love love them] and certainly Eames inspired but mid-century modern is the more accurate description.

Jonathan Adler hanging & thonet chair
Speaking of Eames-inspired…
I’m copying my New Year’s Resolutions straight from the philosophy of Ray & Charles Eames.
It’s a great list for design and life in general.

1. Keep good company
2. Notice the ordinary
3. Preserve the ephemeral
4. Design not for the elite but for the masses
5. Explain it to a child
6. Get lost in the content
7. Get to the heart of the matter
8. Never tolerate “O.K. anything.”
9. Remember your responsibility as a storyteller
10. Zoom out
11. Switch
12. Prototype it
13. Pun
14. Make design your life… and life, your design.
15. Leave something behind.

Happy New Year and thxxx to all you lovely followers. UR awesome!
I’m excited. It’s gonna be great.

♥ Sandy

So I hope you are all feeling better after all the Christmas craziness. Food, wine, love, relaxation, some sunshine? Oui?

We are urchin free for a couple of days thanks to lovely Nanny and Poppy, a Wii U, a homemade billycart and let’s not forget le swimming pool.

Time to see a movie without paying $60 for a sitter, and no cooking, if hungry we go out or I slice off a chunk of the 8 kilo [!] ham.

Observe the spoils of our boxing day sales. C. [Master Of  The ‘Ouse] picked up a metal Esky circa 1960s [ a real one with a drainage hole, very handy apparently and no longer a feature] It could do with a wash…

Vintage Malley esky cooler

and I found the bread bin of my dreams not that I do dream about bread. A baguette in Paris maybe.

urban rustic blue plastic retro bread bin closed

A steal from Garden Street Bazaar Pittwater Road North Narrabeen.

Other lovely novelties include 2 swims at the beach in one day [because we can, easily, simply] much brunch, a trip to the nursery, [and not the baby kind] finally finishing our circle stepping stones to the garage…

urban rustic circle stepping stones

Sleeping in. Yoga. Dinners cooked by someone else. etcetera etcetera etcetera.

And yes, we did see that movie. I cried. In a good way. Anne Hathaway, you take my breath away.
And you do too, Hugh.

Joy joy. Happy times ahead.
So looking forward to being reunited with les enfants.

: ]

How was your holiday?

Thai hugging salt and pepper shakers group

Hugs to you all.

Read the rest of this entry »

urban rustic old school dymo labeller business cardSome time ago in a space not far away…

I decided that my supercool vintage label maker was just too inefficient as a business card/ tagging device.

urban rustic stamped bus cards tags wood bg

Ok, ok, it was a long time ago [last  September]

witness yesterdays post on snails and doing it slowly…

urban rustic stamped bus cards spread

My stamps have arrived [also some time ago, it’s the getting around to this that has taken a while…]

 urban rustic stamped bus cards cu 2

One of the best pieces of advice I can apply truly to my own flawed procrastinating self comes from my husband’s hard core depression era [the first one] Boxing coach:

“Thinking about it aint gonna get it done”

So very true and so bleeding obvious. But like a fish slap in the face it’s what you might need occasionally. Why you ask? Meh.

I digress. As I do. No wonder nothing gets done. Except the boring bits. Like washing and folding. The eternal round of wiping counter tops, treading on lego and making food. etcetera etcetera.

urban rustic stamped bus cards cuSo yes, where was I? Stamps. Afraid of commitment. Sick of computing. [Yet here I am bashing away on a keyboard] Rebelling against my own profession as a Designer, I am going back to old school techniques…

urban rustic stamped bus cards

It’s been done before, I know, but you know, like whatever. As I said. I’m being rebellious. So observe if you will, dear readers, my business cards à la mode.

No two are alike, and yes, I can use child labor. Sweet. If I don’t get too bossy and art directy.

urban rustic free gift tag

So the point being, my stuff make great gifts. As they have tags. Ooooohh. Yes. And there’s some stickers somewhere too. Not happy with those, though. Too big and unfindable. Later. [Possibly much]

.

Vintage blue glass snail ornament urban rustic

new order. Snail mail.

And as a bonus, because I love to add something extra:
not your garden variety cover version…


Ironic and kinda typical/ symbolic that by the time I am ready to post it is no longer Monday. Yes, I set a cracking pace. Not. And then my laptop battery dies…

Tell me now how do I feel…

iitala finnish tea lights blue kivi set And to Finnish iitala tea light candle holders.

2 pairs of  [1 set Kivi]  in light blue. $20 for each pair [+post] .
Email me if interested. I can’t sell them in my Esty shop as they are non vintage. And my own urban rustic shop is coming along, slowly but not at speed of snail. I’ll keep you posted…

vintage clay porcelain bottles beige yellow grey
It’s Friday. It’s nearly Christmas. You know the rest, don’t you?
Cheers

Ever wondered what is it with Christmas and mushrooms?
Probably not, there are more pressing issues…

According to Cosmic Jimmy  the reason why red and white presents are put under a green pine tree is a symbolic tribute to the wonderful religious-vision-inducing mushrooms to be found beneath.

red spots cup mushrooms mario

Amanita muscaria  [the cute spotty red and white mushrooms we love to draw as kids] are hallucinogenic.
Donald Pfister, a Harvard biologist suggests these mushrooms are actually the source of jolly  St. Nick.

Basically the ancient shamans in the Far East and the reindeer — were known to eat these mushrooms. Man and beast alike were off their face, perhaps flying?

Well it is quite a trip, Santa speeding around the world in one night.
His productivity is unbelievable. I’ll have what he’s having…
You can listen/ or read the NPR radio story here

red enamel plate maileg mushroom spots mario

Anyway whatevs, they are cute, they are spotty, and I do love a spot anywhere clear of the facial area.

The mushrooms worshipped in our house however, are more the Mario variety.

blue felt & red pencil sharpener mushrooms copy copy
And these cute felty ones from Mark Tuckey Home.
Also a special hellooo to Jocelyn @  Home Tome.
Hey, you’re just too fungi for me….

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Framed Oil painting of a guinea pigThis was my 7th Birthday present from my mum and as I recall The Best Gift Ever! And a total surprise. I remember coming home from school one day and finding Albert on the kitchen table and not thinking much of it. Obviously he had just had a sitting. He was my best friend and the reason I am not a cat lover. [Tragically, devastatingly killed some years later by our neighbour’s semi-feral feline.]  I haven’t had this on display for years as I a] grew up  and b] became unhappy with the mock ornate frame but now I love the irony of it’s fancy-ness.

I wish I was seven again.

vintage wooden cotton reels knitting nancy
Reely.

Stack of small vintage cotton reels
Stacks.

Vintage antique wooden cotton reels
Old spool style

Fred earphones wooden style cotton reel spool winder

or new spool.

Still wound up?
Fred Spooler: buy here

.

Christmas Sydney, Australia:
the only appropriate sweater/ jumper for this fair isle.

Red Fair isle Christmas jumper for a wine bottle, gift
Sadly not wool [big fan of wool, having grown up on a sheep farm] or handmade for that matter, and Naff?  Yes, but this had me at pom pom…

 knitted reds wine bottle cover pom poms

More original than paper because, let’s face it, there’s no disguising this shape even in a box.

And of course recyclable / regiftable. Found these at Charity shops so already they are getting a second life.
[But let’s hope the contents don’t come round again…]

Speaking of re-using…

A priest is driving home. A police officer behind the priest notices that he is swerving a little bit, so he pulls him over. “Sir”, the officer asks “Have you been drinking a little bit tonight”? “Only water,” the priest replies. The officer suspicious, shines his flashlight into the priest’s car. He notices an empty bottle of wine in the passenger seat. The priest follows his eyes and cries “Good Lord”, he’s done it again! 

Joke found @ www.ebaumsworld.com.
But do I need to credit a joke?  The ultimate in recycled material…

Wrapping it up now. Cheers
: ]

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