Bits of wisdom

People say travel broadens the mind. Mainly because people like me insist on it in their books. But I have to say I doubt that it is true. On the contrary, I suspect travelling narrows the mind. One becomes so blasé about the wonders of the World...All that ever matters is the people. Not the places.

Dame Celia Westholme, Appointment with Death

NYC August 1998

I suppose I may come off as a a jaded, malcontent cynic for backing this quote on today's bits of wisdom. The thing is, I've grown so tired of people boasting to anyone who will give them five minutes of their time about where they've been and what they've seen.
I'm tired of the social platforms like Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, especially Facebook overrun with photos of every Tom, Dick and Harry:

1. In front of The Eiffel Tower
2. In Chinatown NYC
3. Or the latest it destination: Australia

If I ever have the means, I'll travel to these places for myself alone. And not so that I can have interesting anecdotes up my sleeve for the next cocktail party.

This post is dedicated to my dear friend M, who's finally realizing a lifelong dream to travel over the Atlantic. I wish you many new adventures and unforgettable memories :-)

Christmas 2011/ Handmade vs. store bought

In all the years I've been sewing, knitting, making jewellery... I've never taken the handmade pledge. And I'm a firm believer in handmade, locally bought meaningful gifts as oppose to cheap, mass produced throw away stuff.
The reason behind my decision has always been that we should encourage people to be conscientious about their spending habits, conscientious about the environment and that whole Think globally, act locally business. But we should never force this decision on anyone and by buying something handmade for someone who doesn't want it and will likely throw it away anyhow is going against the spirit of the handmade movement.

Stop and smell the roses...

Life's a bit hectic right now...I had such a great plan to show you some handmade gift ideas this week. Instead you'll have to settle for this fella who knows how to take a load off, relax and enjoy the holidays even if everything didn't get done.

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

The stubborn de-stash

About a month ago I posted my thoughts on creativity in relation to abundance and how I find the abundance of material things to inhibit creativity. As with everything, this isn't universally accurate but it proved to be spot on for me.
For years I have been buying jewellery and sewing related supplies, notions, tools, etc. My stash was expanding exponentially. It got to the point where I couldn't start any project without first buying something new. I've completely stopped buying fabric in August after realizing my supply was fast approaching 3 digit number in meters of fabric. Ouch!
But fabric is easy. I have a folder on my computer with pictures and dimensions of all the fabric in my stash. Beads are tricky. It's so easy to store them. They take very little space and somehow it always seems the amount of beads has doubled without really noticing it.
And then I had one of those moments of clarity when it hit me that I will always find some new fabric or unusual beads or whatever. So I made a decision not only to stop buying new supplies for a while but also to stop looking.
Working in a vacuum without outside sensory input was a bit weird at first but as it turned out it was essential for my creative process. Being constantly surrounded by images of other people's work as well as pining over new beads had completely numbed me.

The other problem I had was hoarding my "special" beads for a project worthy of their beauty. This tiger eye faceted pendant is a typical example. I've been holding on to this one for 5 years now.

I always knew I'd turn it into a necklace but could never find coordinating beads. Two days ago I paired it with the black beads and the helix crystals but didn't have nearly enough for a whole necklace. I was about to go back on my word not to buy new beads before I dug out the bronze seed beads. Turns out they were perfect for this project.

I made earrings using polymer clay beads I made in February. Completely and utterly weird but strangely lovable, I hadn't a clue what the heck to do with them.

And finally, a typical example of my bead tray: lots of blue, lots of ordinary round beads and some silver metal findings. I also have a great love of shell and mother of pearl beads. I was resolved to turn this tray of dull beads into something extraordinary.

It took me five hours and some re-shuffling but I came up with this completely out of the box necklace:

It's definitely eclectic but I don't think it looks awkward or forced.

After three days of intense beading I've learned that my beads are neither plain nor boring. The only thing obstructing my creativity was my perception of my supplies. As always I'm looking into different ways to combine colours and my designs are becoming bolder.

Christmas 2011/ Decorating some more

Continuing Monday's post on decorating the apartment. This is what our kitchen table looked like when I took out all the ornaments:

I completely forgot I bought these three boxes of ornaments last year.

Decorating a small apartment is a great opportunity to get creative. Find the surfaces, nooks and shelves that can hold various bowls, scented candles and festive decorations. I am a big proponent of less is more, so I always select just one area of the room.

Ikea mini tree

Bowls filled with ornaments or decorative plates have become popular in the past couple of years and are always a perfect solution for a small space. I still prefer to hang my ornaments though.
I bought the Ikea mini tree stand featured in the top photo. It's small and sturdy.
The one in the bottom photo is tempting too.

Ikea mini tree

This tree stand fits perfectly on the mini shelf in the kitchen. The lights are battery operated and I've hidden them inside the big Santa ornament.

This basically takes care of the kitchen/living area.

The bedroom chest of drawers is where I put my larger arrangement. Last year I took out our mini tree, this year I opted for something more DIY and pink ;-)
I picked some branches about a week in advance and let them dry in the basement for a couple of days.

Then I bought some acrylic paint and some glitter. The paint wasn't all that expensive and proved to be easy to apply and very saturated. One coat was enough.

Though in a pinch an old bottle of nail polish would do the job too. DIY is all about being creative and thinking outside the box.

If you've ever used glitter spray you know how messy that can get. The following option does take more time, but the glitter doesn't come off afterwards. Take some glitter and mix it with varnish. Mine was some sort of DIY acrylic varnish. Again, clear nail polish is an excellent replacement and I've used it in the past.

Make sure you use a substantial amount of glitter for a good coverage. I used an old ice-cream lid as my mixing palette:

And here are my branches after they've been painted. The one in the 4th one from the left is painted in glitter only.

The finished result. I used sellotape to secure the ornaments.

This takes care of decorations. Next up: gifts and all about gift wrapping.

Christmas 2011/ December plan and the basics of decorating

By now we're well into December, the most festive season of the year. Most people, if they haven't put up Christmas decorations are at least starting to think about what to put up this season. The same goes for the list of presents, people to visit, treats to bake...

I like to wait until we're well into the first week of December before decorating. On the other hand I like to make my gift list early. Really, really early. As far as baking goes, each year is different. I like to avoid baking cookies, probably because all of my apartments have had small kitchens and trying to bake cookies in a small kitchen is a big nightmare. Wanna seem my kitchen/living area? I did a post about renovating ages ago here.

Yesterday Mr. C brought out our big Christmas box from the basement. I got up early today and after the first morning coffee I started the daunting task of pulling all the ornaments out. I generally have a very good memory of the things I own, the things I bought etc. But this year it really hit me: I've got a lot of Christmas ornaments. Too many really. I'm imposing a ban on new ornaments, effective immediately.

Not really the best time to surf Ikea's homepage though:

Ikea textile Christmas decorations

My wreath is about 7 years old. I made it one year after getting tired of running to the market each year at the last notice to buy some greenery (my mum unlike me, likes to put things off till last minute).

This wreath is made of dry nuts or some exotic fruit shells. I died some of them with gold paint and used glitter on some pine cones. All that was left is to buy a wreath base made out of birch branches and hot glue gun the dry shells on to it. It felt like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Very fun and relaxing actually.
Each year I pack it away in January and bring it out the following December. It's practically indestructible and still very interesting after all these years.

Here we go! I've put the wreath on our front door. Come back Wednesday to see the rest of the Christmas decorations :-)

Ljubljana in the fog

Contrary to appearance, this isn't snow but a thick, heavy fog. Last week I had to go to Ljubljana and I thought I'd make some pictures of the Christmas decorations.
I gave up after realizing my camera was determined to capture the fog rather than anything else.

The two miserable pictures I did take are of the Cobblers' bridge. You can even see some red ribbon and green wreaths on top of the light posts in the second picture.

Friday night film selection: Easy virtue

Friday night film selection posts in a new format:  a monthly feature posted on the first Friday of the month. Even though I retired this post series, I realized I really miss doing film reviews. And this particular film proved too good to pass. It features Colin Firth after all and the man can do no wrong in my book ;-)


Easy virtue really isn't a grand film. It's a quiet little work based on the play of Noel Coward. The story has been told and re-told countless times. The stuffy English aristocracy with all the eccentricities that come with land and title (by default it would seem) and a young American bride that sets the wheels in motion. Literally this time.

The story begins with a prelude of a female car racer meeting, falling in love and subsequently marrying a slightly younger man. After a brief sojourn on The Riviera they leave for England and his ancestral home in the country. A grand old manor desperately holding on to the glory of the old days.

And the residents? A sharp tongued butler with a drinking problem, an emotionally absent father, ignorant and superficial daughters. Holding this menagerie of characters together is the matriarch of the family, a tour the force brilliantly portrayed by non other than Kristin Scott Tomas. And though her character is very reminiscent of Lady McCordle from Gosford park, the latter has retained at least a spark of her former youthful ideals  while the former is completely disillusioned and emotionally dead.

The delicate balance is thrown for a loop and ultimately destroyed by the arrival of the newlyweds. While the son (all too quickly) settles back into the old routine, his new bride is adamant they should leave for London and start a new life.

Among all this emotional turbulence is the brilliant backdrop of the seemingly idyllic English countryside lifestyle with tea parties, village fairs and shooting parties. The more senior Mrs. Whittaker insists things have not changed the more determined younger Mrs. Whittaker  becomes in proving her mother-in-law wrong. The whole thing comes crashing down spectacularly at the annual Christmas ball.

In case you decide to watch it, I won't ruin it for you. You deserve the pleasure of seeing this for the first time without expectations or me giving away the best part. But so you know, this is excruciatingly difficult!



I will say this Jessica Biel is spectacular, she plays her role to perfection and after seeing this film I've seriously reconsidered her acting abilities. Ben Barnes is perfect as a type cast portrait of a young aristocrat who appears independent but it fast becomes obvious he has no resolve or courage to really stand for himself or for his wife obviously. Colin Firth doesn't get much screen time, but I enjoyed immensely seeing him in a role that actually demands a passive and out of the spot light approach.

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.