Happines comes in a box: A gift from Japan

A dear friend who recently returned from his travels from Japan brought me a very special gift from the Tokyo National Museum. A traditional Japanese hand towel also known as tenugui.

Tenugui has raw unhemmed edges and comes with a leaflet showing numerous wrapping and folding techniques to create book covers, bread baskets etc.

It can also be turned into a neat little handbag using the enclosed faux leather handle.

Needless to say, that was by far my favourite folding technique :-)

For now I'm enjoying trying out the various different folding and wrapping ideas but I'm thinking of using the tenugui and the handle to sew a permanent bag.

Happiness comes in a box: Artisan beads

We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.

The newest addition to my bead stash: two gorgeous pendants from Claire Maunsell from stillpointworks. I discovered Claire's work a couple of years ago while participating in my first Bead soup event and was drawn into the unique and incredibly complex and detailed beads she makes.

I saw the house pendant in her Etsy shop and had to have it. I rarely become so enamoured, so drawn to something that I've almost forgotten the accompanying compulsion of hitting that Buy! Buy! Buy! button and the frenzy of filling out the on - line shopping form.

I confess that at one point I had this paranoid thought that somewhere across the globe there was another person buying the pendant at that exact moment and trying to beat me at completing the purchase.

Claire was way too generous and sent along the extra tubular bead humbly suggesting I pass it forward if I didn't like it. Well... I don't see that happening any time soon ;-) Since I fell in love with the extra bead on the spot and I'm already plotting on how I'm going to use it.

 As for the pendant featuring the house, I already have a pretty clear idea: I'm going to make a long wire wrapped necklace incorporating faceted clear quartz. I'm also thinking of incorporating lampwork beads and maybe even some dyed fresh water pearls.

Happiness comes in a box: So I won't say he never buys me flowers

 We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.

Last week Mr. C bought me something that's been or household/decorations list for over a year: a paper towel holder by Vigar. I've got quite a few of their kitchen accessories already, among other a plastic dotted apron and extra long rubber gloves, which are incredibly practical. And something that for reasons of propriety I'll never feature on the blog: a toilet brush ;-)

Again, this is quite quirky and infantile, the flower is made of silicone (or rubber?) and has a tiny ladybug on one of the petals.  I love how it brightens up my kitchen counter and the fact that this is one plant Rufus won't nibble on.

The towel rack came in a cute cardboard box. We had a lot of fun watching Rufus trying to wiggle in and out of it. In all the years I still haven't figured out what's up with cats and their obsessions with cardboard boxes and paper bags.

Happiness comes in a box: Bag hooks

 We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.

Bag hooks. Plural.

I bought these several months ago at my favourite store after my original bag hook broke. The plan was to get one but at less than 4 € a piece it made sense to get at least three, one for each of the bags I use on a regular basis.

Do you use bag hooks?

Happiness comes in a box: Gift labels

We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.

My Christmas gift labels make me so happy it's beyond words. Each year I had the darnedest time coming up with ways to tag my gifts. Mind you this is before Etsy and similar places existed and bookstores sold gift card at astronomical prices.

I stumbled upon these boxes about 4 years ago in an obscure store somewhere "in the country". I think I bough their entire stock cca. 8 boxes. Each box has a 100 stickers. I think I solved my sticky problem for a long time to come ;-P

Happiness comes in many boxes

We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.

As a rule I tend to gravitate towards uniform posts featuring one item/subject at a time. However this has been one of those busy weeks when everything just collided.
First, my new helium balloon:

If you've read Tuesday's post then this comes as no surprise. The lovely teddy with the heart is an anniversary gift from Mr. C. No there was no little box or a gift certificate with it. It would seem the longer we're together, the less fuss we make in terms of grand gestures and lavish gifts.
The only people who are disappointed are the merchants really. They get no money from us ;-P

This tiny girl was a present from a friend who recently returned from China. She wears a traditional costume of one of the many Chinese minorities. She'll probably be used as a Christmas ornament this year.

The December Burda magazine is out and I nabbed it hot off the delivery truck. Pictured is the dress I wanted to make. I blogged about it here. Realistically this probably won't be before January. December is always crazy and lots of other DIY projects hold priority.
I was absolutely smitten with the shoes the model is wearing. They are actually ballet flats in red satin from Repetto.

And finally, the jewellery boxes I ordered about a month ago arrived in the post yesterday. Super happy about it, now all my jewellery will be packed, labeled with the Lili & Flor logo.
This is starting to look professional.

Happiness comes in a box: Mini dustpan set

We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.

Another whimsical Koziol household item :-) A teeny tiny dustpan & broom set, with the broom in the shape of a dog. This one was bought for a very specific reason: to clean up after Rufus.

The thing is, sometimes I'm convinced my cat is actually half cat, half pig. He makes a terrible mess every time he eats with food flying all over. He especially likes to put his paw in the dish and flick the kibbles around.

I clean up after him at least three times a day. And it got so annoying taking the broom out each time! Keeping this set handy saves me a lot of time and makes cleaning up a little bit more fun.

Happines comes in a box: Stylish grocery shopping

We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.

My foldable grocery bag. It's made of light and durable nylon. It folds into a small pouch that fits into most of my bags. It even has a hook making it perfect for a key chain pendant. A great way of making sure you always carry a bag with you.
The other item is a collapsible trolley. I've used it extensively while doing research for my thesis. A superb way of transporting all those heavy books to and fro the library.

Both the bag and the trolley were designed by Reisenthel, a German brand specializing in travelling products. They were so inexpensive yet have been with me for five to six years and have proved to be sturdy and durable.

Happiness comes in a box?

Warning: picturless post ahead!


Did you notice the question mark at the end of the title. I assure you it was quite deliberate. This title was always meant to be on the ever so slightly ironic side. I know full well that stuff cannot bring happiness, at least not the capital H lasting kind.
Just last week I blogged about my new glasses and the bitter sweet excitement they brought and I already had a post ready for today. It would have been all about our new cameras (yes, plural). But this is getting ridiculous.
Yesterday our PC broke down. Which would make this the third major thing to have broken down in the span of 5 days.
After replacing my glasses and our camera, which incidentally died on Friday, Mr. C and me came home yesterday to find the PC dead. This being the only computer in our household naturally left us in a state of total and utter panic.
I have just recently read a very profound post on the topic of stuff by the very ingenious and inimitable The Waves which really send my head spinning. Do we need stuff to make us happy, do we really identify who and what we are by owning certain things?
I won't pretend that I don't get a certain amount of pleasure from owning beautiful things, but I have always strived to maintain a firm grasp over my consuming habits. Things exist to make our lives more comfortable, they give us a certain amount of joy but they don't or shouldn't define who or what we are.
That said, I can assure you that I absolutely feel crippled without my PC. For one, I am writing this post at a public library, which is a source of great discomfort because I have people walking by, looking over my shoulder, etc.
I know full well that when it comes down to it, human beings need very little in terms of bare survival. In that aspect my need for sunglasses, cameras, computers,... can feel pretty ridiculous or even conceited. But I think bare survival has long ceased to be the primary goal of our existence.

Happiness comes in a box: Ceramic jars

We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.

This set of hand painted ceramic jars is a work of Slovene artisan Mateja Horvat. I'm not usually a fan of ceramics but there is something so adorable and fresh about her designs.

The jars are meant for storing coffee, sugar and cookies.

The knobs are my favourite part of the jars.

Happiness comes in a box: Lens container

We all know them: the little trinkets that cost next to nothing but they make us incredibly happy. Whether it's because they fulfill a certain purpose in our household or are there simply for their intrinsic beauty.



This little fella holds my contact lenses. If you look closely it appears that he is holding a pair of binoculars that expand into two dishes for storing the lenses. Every morning as I open my medicine cabinet, there he is and I can't help but smile.



For those interested, this design is made by a German company Koziol.