notebooks

I've been having problems with my printer and decided to test it out with various designs. I used them to make these personalized note books for my friends.
I need to work on my sewing skills a bit, but all in all was quite happy with the outcome!

lavender and lemons

Spring has definately arrived!
The lavender is in full bloom,buzzing with bees and ready for picking.

I love the lavender colours mixed with lemon yellow.

Cocktails to celebrate the beautiful sunshine, appreciated after all the rain!

Summer Salad

Sunday was a beautiful sunny day, most welcome after all the rain! We celebrated with a summer lunch of spinach filled filo pastry parcels, asparagus quiche and this gorgeous avo, feta and fresh basil salad. Yummy!

Rainy Days

Winter rain...... necessary, but not always welcome! It 's really a day to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book .Unfortunately I am going for a haircut, shudder at the thought of all that water around my ears! Seriously though, I love the rain, especially soft rain that falls for days so that everything can get a real good soak.

Zips

A couple of weeks ago I set out on a quest to find a professional way to insert zips and I think I may have found the answer!

This is from a tutorial I found here at house on hill road blog. It is very confusing and I must admit I still don't really understand how it all comes together but, believe me, it does!

The entire zip is concealed and looks very professional. I'm going to have to try it a few more time before I 'll be able to do it without the instructions, but it really is worth the effort!

All things orange

Orange is not one of my favourite colours, but as we're in the middle of winter, I find myself noticing all things citrus. From there it's an easy step to shades of peach, yellow and salmon.

From there another step to pure orange,


And finally to the intense, sun baked orange of a warm winters day!

maps

I love maps, atlases and vintage books. We have a secondhand bookshop in Hermanus with the most amazing books. I found this atlas and couldn't resist buying it, even though it is moth eaten and discolouredMost inspiring colour combinations.

Dedication in the front of the book. Although this was written over 50 years ago, it still rings true for today.

This map bag, inspired by the atlas purchase, has already been sold and is living happily in the U.S.A

This is a tea towel specifically designed for Hermanus, combining the map idea with the stylized whale shape.