Stuff

My places

my favourite spots in the house are pretty simple. bedroom, desk, giant tv / reading / napping couch, the plants in the courtyard… it’s nice here. i hung all those pictures in one frenzied afternoon (you know when you have a moment of MAN i can’t go on with these stupid bare walls any longer!) i might have overdone it, in hindsight. but i like being surrounded by pictures so it’s a-ok for now.

(more house snapshots maybe at some stage if we ever manage to get ourselves organised)


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seven facts

hila tagged me in her seven facts post. i kind of love these things and have never done one… so decided to play along. i’m not going to tag anyone – but if you like this and end up doing one yourself, please leave the link in the comments!

1. the movie i have seen the most times in my life is the three amigos. over 100 times would not be an exaggeration.

every single time i watch it i try to hold my “three aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-migos” as long as they do..

2. my favourite food in the world is classic macaroni and cheese. here’s a good recipe.

3. the only heels i actually own are black ones, something i realised when trying to figure out what to wear to a wedding this weekend. this is not a good thing. i prefer wearing heeled boots to actual heels (perhaps because my legs are “sturdy” ? heh) – consequently i own a variety of beloved boots. can you wear boots to a wedding?

the coveteur

4. i grew up speaking afrikaans but now only speak english. my parents speak afrikaans to each other. my three brothers all speak afrikaans to eachother, my dad speaks afrikaans to them & vice versa, my youngest brother speaks english to my mom and vice versa, and i speak english to everyone. on top of that two of my brothers are married to lovely german ladies – so they and the four grandchildren sprechen ze deutsch. conversations when the family comes together can switch between english, afrikaans and german all in one sitting. this confuses outsiders… which is awesome.

ps: perhaps it seems ridiculous that i linked to a wikipedia article on what afrikaans is – but i have seen foreigners refer to it as “african” so many times it absolutely does my head in. south africa has 11 official languages, which is only the tip of the language iceberg … just so you know. nobody speaks ‘african’ – such a thing doesn’t exist.

my brother and i – one of my favourite photos ever.

5. i do not possess any apple products besides my circa 2007 classic ipod. no iphone, no mac, no ipad. the uncoolest designer / blogger award would go to me. that said, i grew up with PCs. they do not confuse or irritate me. everything i know about computers is PC based. so i ask myself…will i ever be able to make the switch? the best of both worlds would be nice… (are there any apple dudes reading? care to sponsor? i’m not desperate or anything.)

- christopher c. hayes

6. i know all the words to dead prez – hip-hop and cannot stop myself from rapping along every single time it shuffles into my playlist. yes, me rapping along IS as ridiculous as it sounds.

7. i have never broken any bones. hopefully this fact holds true forever.

- powerhouse museum collection

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Alison: things i like right now

i’m so excited to share the list of alison aka teenangster, who i have been blog stalking for ages – in a totally creepy way. her blog has a completely unique & beautiful aesthetic that i can’t seem to get enough of (and she’s also one of those smart & funny gals who i wish i knew in real life.) she blogs at etsy too – so go ahead & stalk her there as well.

things i like right now by alison of teenangster


  1. I’ve recently been revisiting the campy awesomeness of Death Becomes Her. Death humor, an undead Meryl Streep and Isabella Rossellini: yes, please! The scene where Goldie Hawn is in giant sweatpants (with forty cats) and eating a steady diet of frosting out of the can — well, it haunts me.
  2. I love me a good interiors blog, and The Brick House is my new favorite. Her recent reupholstery of a monstrous velvet couch (ew) is the stuff dreams are made of. That red!
  3. David Neale of the Golden Smith creates jewelry like no one else out there. I love anything with eyes, so this cuff was an obvious choice, but his rye bread badge also has my heart.
  4. What I wouldn’t do for some fancy latkes. Smoked trout mousse!
  5. I’ve been seriously digging on Neil Diamond lately. “Solitary Man,” I could never tire of you! And you’ve got to check out Neil Diamond Parking Lot, a remake of Heavy Metal Parking Lot with all the big-haired, sweater wearing ladies that kneel at the altar of the Diamond. A must-see.
  6. Furry jackets are my Achilles heel. Can’t resist ‘em! Modeled here by the lovely Jeana Sohn.
  7. …And the same goes for big ol’ beads. This Mociun necklace is on my wish list.
  8. Design Observer’s intrepid Accidental Mysteries series surfaces all kinds of provocative images and artwork, including a collection of masks from around the world.
  9. I love ambling over to Folk Streams and watching a short or three. This national preserve of hard-to-find documentary films highlights the wonder of American folk and roots cultures, free and streaming for the public. After taking in a lovely piece about cowgirls I stumbled upon a documentary about “Grandma’s Bottle Village.” The grandma in question, Tressa Prisbrey, created her first house (composed of bottles found at the dump) to hold her 17,00 pencils. From there her empire grew and grew, and at 84 she was still spritely and creating. Read more about Tressa’s life and work here.
  10. Butch Anthony’s cabin — full of recycled bits, white cotton and beautiful bone chandeliers — is simplicity and art and goodness. Get the video tour of all this, and his Museum of Wonder, here.
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welcome beyond

welcome beyond is a website “showcasing the most beautiful and unique vacation homes & boutique hotels around the world” or “hand-picked paradise” – as they put it. well, that’s handy.

these are the kind of places i’d fancy a holiday in… i remember staying in a similarly rustic & charming farmhouse in prince albert once. we opened the fridge to find complementary homemade cheese. i won’t ever forget that. do you want to win people over and make sure they return again and again? give them free cheese.

click on an image to go to their respective properties.

 

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NORTH / SOUTH

thought i’d highlight the best of both worlds – since you notherners are slowly skipping into spring, and us southerners are steadily creeping into autumn. i’m sure we are both eager for a change … i know i am.

NORTH: spring flowers / beating the heat / the beach / swimming / watermelon / bare legs / lazing outdoors / shorts / ice-cream conesSOUTH: autumn colours / falling leaves / warm boots / scarves / comfort food / rainy walks / fireplaces / layering / snuggly beds

 

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