brightening monday gloom

seems everyone is on the pinterest bandwagon these days.  so i thought i would share some of my “makes me smile” collection…some winsome images that brighten my day.

{all image via pinterest}

ninjas can’t catch you if…

i just love the “ninjas can’t catch you if…” meme that has done the internet rounds.  this is a small collection of my favourite ones:

console jars & christmas cookies

more handmade gifts that i sweated over this festive season – this time of the delicious variety…

cinnamon christmas cookies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
cinnamon sugar

– preheat oven at 180°C whilst, in a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter; beat in egg & vanilla
– combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder & salt
– add to butter mixture & blend well
– cover & refrigerate 2 hours or till firm enough to roll into balls
– shape dough into small balls about 3/4-inch in diameter
– roll in cinnamon sugar to coat
– set cookies 1-inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets
– bake for 10 minutes or till the edges are lightly browned
– cool slightly on pans, then remove to racks to cool completely

(makes roughly 42 cookies – i doubled the recipe)

brown paper packages tied up with string…

another christmas-y post on a few of my favourite packaging ideas…

{etsy.com}

{wedfully.com}

{tokketok.com}

{katherinemarie photography}

{martha stewart}

{deebeecampos.com}

{urban comfort}

{blissful inspiration}

triple word score!

yet another must-have for a letter-hungry wordsmith! i could play scrabble for hours and what better way to indugle in clever wordplay than on restoration hardware‘s vintage scrabble board!

hot air balloons, equators, north by north-west, muddy boots & compasses

i have decided that this year is adventure year! i am determined to have as many day daliances, long weekend wanderings, autumnal adventures, balmy bike rides, rollicking roadtrips & public holiday picnics as possible!

{image: my own}

{image: my own}

click on images for their sources

outdoor pals…

i am not an overly sentimental person and thus am making an exception in the case of this fantastic image of an adventurer and his/her cat….because every weekend-explorer needs someone to share the afternoon with….

{via pinterest}

ahoy, sailor!

this past weekend saw me organising a surprise 30th birthday party with a nautical theme: the boating party.  picture everyone kitted out in their finest ‘whites’, lazing under parasol umbrellas on the lawn, sipping lemonade and watching handmade wooden boats (made by yours truly) bobbing about on the pool surrounded by cheerful red & white bunting…

to set the nautical mood & let everyone take a little bit of the party home with them, i designed these jolly anchor brooches for each guest to wear upon arrival…

i still have a handful of them left and they will be on sale at the next i heart market if you’d like to set an “ahoy, sailor!” tone to your outfit!

yellowjacks & phantom flutterers

i have recently taken up the exciting pursuit of dragonfly identification!  they are wonderfully photogenic creatures and these recent photographs i took during the summer holiday, skirting the edges of dams and forests…

red-veined dropwing (female)

red-veined dropwing (female)

jaunty dropwing (female)

black-tailed skimmer

phantom flutterer

yellowjack

twas the night before…

a small collection of card & tag christmas cheer…

{shanna murray christmas cards)

{typographic gift tags from eatdrinkchic}

{my own cookie jar tags}

{from make do}

one jar of cinnamon stars please…

i’ll admit i had never baked a batch of “roll-out-and-cut” cookies until i found this ridiculously-easy, wheat-, butter- & oil-free biscuit recipe … but then went a little bit crazy as i proceeded to bake a wheelbarrow-full of them!  but this barrow o’ biscuits has a destiny: see my little jars that i packaged up for friends…

{recipe taken from the wonderful book 500 biscuits}

bella bicycle brigade

okay, this might be seen as a shameless plug but wow, is it worth it!

my wonderful friends, casey & richard, are the dynamic force behind street scene and have just launched an exciting bicycle project in durban: girls bike out!  i was lucky enough to be invited on the maiden voyage (er…picnic!).  the idea behind it is to offer a bicycle-picnic-afternoon for hen’s parties, birthday parties or just a good excuse to get some friends together & enjoy the balmy summer afternoons!

keen cruisers meeting up at the elangeni hotel on the beach front

richard

casey (of sibling mine)

ready to go on the gorgeously-retro urban-cruiser bikes…

our picnic spot of choice…

…the manicured lawns of moses mabhida stadium

the stunning packed picnic lunch provided by ciao bella & casey

the perfect end to our picnic: bubble-blowing

…the street scene “spoke” of bicycles (or is it a fleet, pelaton, land-squadron?)

seriously – what a wonderful idea! contact street scene & book your picnic parade.  you can see more images of this super-fun afternoon on sarah dawson’s blog.

picnic time

wish we had this in durbs – the sydney picnic company.  their packaging, presentation and wholesome outdoors-summer-green-grass-sun-through-the-leaves-watching aesthetic is right on cue with my summer plans!

where the magic happens…

every artist needs a wonderful workspace, a few metres of clutter (or uclutter) to call their own.  these are some of my favourites…

{click on images for sources}

chuckle

{image found on pinterest}

storm in a teacup

turn the handle & the golden boat rides the mechanical waves, above the stormy clouds periodically reveal a shining bolt of lightning.  this storm in a delft teacup is from culture label

cuppa to go…

loving these reusable, vintage cup-cosies by laura bucci

more tea, vicar?

dear friends + savoury delights + sweet nibbles + the fabulously grand Oyster Box Hotel = 1 Amazing High Tea

walnuts of whimsy

i could set a hundred of these little fellows afloat in a pond, then just sit back and watch them for hours of idle whimsical delight!

the great esCape

well, i am back in tropical durban after a fantastic trip to cape town and thought i would share some of the delights discovered in my old city…

this fanciful sculptural installation along the Seapoint Promenade turned my afternoon stroll into a stop-start photoshoot as i had ended up photographing each of the 17 sculptures (grinning all the while)!  the installation is the work of wits masters student, marieke prinsloo-rowe, and you can read up more about it here…

coraline cookies!

every once in a while i am swept away with the undeniable desire to bake heaps of biscuits, cupcakes, muffins, cakes & scones.  so when i am next beseiged by the urge to bake up a storm, these whimsical (and a little creepy if you’ve seen coraline) button cookies will definitely be making their debut.

get the recipe here…

knit one, purl one

love these crocheted jellyfish!

yeti is lonely

a small sketch i did today, just because i felt like drawing a yeti

2nd yeti scribble…

poppy-happy

although durban doesn’t truly experience winter, i can say with certainty that spring & impending summer are unpacking their bags and settling in.  in honourof the new arrivals, i bought a bunch of poppies yesterday…they make me grin each time i notice them, cheering up my room.

{images: my own}

succulent delight!

open on the last weekend of each month neville trickett’s St Verde is well worth the visit.  nestled in the dargle area of the midlands, st verde has a most fascinating succulent garden and nursery to browse through for botanical buys or pure visual pleasure.  there is also a little cafe that boasts the best cheese, herb & corn muffin (i am not alone in this bias)!

{images: my own from various monthly meanderings}