Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan illustrated by Maira Kalman

The Gentlewoman issue no.4

The Cheesemonger’s Kitchen

Cutting Edges

Freunde von Freunden Berlin Book

Sarah Illenberger

It Chooses You by Miranda July

Ellen Rogers

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel

Gypset Style

images borrowed from where the lovely things are. you’ll have to go over there to see the sources! oh yes, i just did that.

This visually led book contains a global selection of the best graphic design studios’ work within the fashion industry – from packaging and lookbooks to swing tags and invitations – with exclusive insights from both clients and designers. The book features not simply the visual identities of big budgets and luxury brands, but showcases the creative processes of the world’s leading design studios.

all images via September Industry (an awesome design blog, by the way – follow it)

i would buy these books by the covers alone, which i love love love (the classics range).

i found this cup & saucer in a second hand shop in kleinmond. it was made by a finnish company called arabia (i assume it’s from the 50′s/60′s) and is, by far, my favourite thing to drink tea / coffee out of. if it ever had to break, my heart would break. best of all – it has no chips!

this mini umbrella stand holds my nick nacks. it was made in the mid-fifties by an english company called midwinter

i bought these bowls for R35 each, they were a steal. they are locally made by a company called inini glass.

you may have noticed the placemat those bowls were sitting on top of, it was a gift from a friend.

bought this alarm clock at a second hand shop in stellenbosch, it was one of about 20-30 clocks owned by a guy who had collected them all his life (all working condition) and he just decided to get rid of them one day. sad. not sad for me though! it’s really nice to look at, but i turned it off after about a day because the ticking was driving me insane.

some of my jewellery (yes, that is a giant solid fake gold peanut)

bangles made by a friend and worn to death by me

i bought these two from one of those dudes who are always standing at traffic lights peddling things. i couldn’t resist them. i think i called them dustin & sheila at first, but now a days just refer to them as dustin and hoffman.

a poster

my favourite cushion filled with goose feathers. gift from a friend.

perfumes, favourite ones nearing on empty :(

gift from a friend

my bag. i bought it back in 2006. i was still a student and it was over R1000 (a lot for me at the time). i was hesitant but she said, just get it – it’s going to last forever. you won’t regret it. and she was right, of course. i use it every single day and will until it literally falls apart. it’s by jo borkett.

my mom bought me this bag in italy, i don’t use it much as it’s more of a large book bag – but it’s beautiful.

books i like

my brother took this  photo – the alhambra, spain.

i stole this from my dad

probably the best pictures i own.

i’ve shown you this before, but i’m showing you again. look at that craft!

ah, sophia loren. sexy. also a gift from a friend (they have good taste)

i’m thinking about christmas already. sigh. my family has instituted a one gift per person R100 limit (to combat the “meltdown“). i told them R100 is almost impossible, so i’m shooting for under 200 bucks. anything handmade is great to me, and anything i can order online is even better. if i can walk to a shop – wonderful, but that kind of limits you geographically & since i’m out in “the sticks” (as some might say) i welcome e-commerce with open arms (i’m also lazy). PLUS i’d also like to inject some christmas cheer into the south african postal service (i have faith!) – herewith my south african friendly online shopping gift guide

local shops:

marisa girardi - take it from me, you’ll be hard pressed in finding a lovelier and more accommodating person to buy from! marisa made my couchie especially and popped him in the post the same day he was ordered. she also has a range of jewellery, brooches & art.

skinny la minx – well known local designer whose textiles have been featured many times on blogs like design sponge, decor8 and many more. her shop is on etsy, but if you’re south african you can get in touch with her directly about local orders

the wren – handmade bags & purses (also on etsy & flexible with south african customers)

beatnik bazaar – hells yes, a wide range of beautiful goodies from this stanford based shop (order by email) – if you’re in that area i reckon actually paying her shop a visit is a good plan, too (note: she also stocks skinny laminx & the wren goods)

jezze prints – another uber talented local designer (looooooove that cushion)

kim gray - i absolutely covet the springbok bags, but budget wise there are some nice necklaces & other treats for under R200 (she also stocks smith’s rosebud salve! nice!)

shine shine – i’m not 100% sure if you can order online but the fabrics are rad

franzart – my sister in law sells her wee oil paintings on bid or buy – they are cute & well-priced. (not much in the shop right now, but do contact her if you see something you like in her sold items or if you want something specific)

buycool – there is nothing handmade about this shop, but it stocks earphones under R200. i always lose or break mine, and my iPod deserves to be heard (can’t do without it on a treadmill, hence the sporty clip type). wait… am i buying gifts for myself? ok you can buy it for me.

take2.co.za - this is my go to online shop for books & dvds. their selection is great, their prices are good & they deliver quickly & without mishap (in my experience, anyway). the books, from left to right, are: over & over: a catalog of hand drawn patterns (R268) ; The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature (R192) andItalianissimo : The Quintessential Guide to What Italians Do Best (R154). the dvds are: 30 rock season 2 (R193); mad men season 2 (R183); paul simon graceland: the african concert (R220)

international, but they ship here:

threadless – they deliver to SA and their prices are so reasonable considering the quality of the t-shirts you get (american apparel – they are very soft, trust me) and also the choice of designs are immense. (a wee bit over R200 if you incl shipping, i’ll give you that. buy in bulk?) etsy - you’re probably thinking “obvious”, but you can’t beat it for one of a kind affordable products & great interaction between sellers and customers. i think just about everyone on etsy ships internationally – so go forth & have fun buying. i have my eye on the following:

caitlin quiet’s prints (pepperminte)

pomadour’s japanese sewing books

deebeale’s prints

janet hill’s prints

katie daisy’s prints

j davis studio jewellery

dores jewellery

engrave your book - double my budget, but still awesome. these are custom engraved leather covers for moleskines, perfect for writers, artists, scribblers and anyone else who loves a good journal.

victoria’s secret – i’m really only including this because they have some amazing swimwear (something i feel is difficult to find here – nice swimwear anyway) and it’s around $20 (R150) for each piece (they sell them seperately, so let’s say R300-400 for a swimsuit) and they ship here so… why not? maybe go in on one parcel w/a friend – the more items in one order the less the shipping works out (also eco footprint etc!) and lest you forget, it’s summer in the southern hemisphere (for all of you who might think i’m crazy to consider swimwear in the holiday season)

Russian criminal tattoos have a complex system of symbols which can give quite detailed information about the wearer. Not only do the symbols carry meaning but the area of the body on which they are placed may be meaningful too.

volumes I, II & III

a theory of feline aesthetics. now that’s something i want to read.

in the same series: dancing with cats

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