Monday Love: A day in the garden


With a lovely sundress 
by Emerson made. She used to make and sell just gorgeous handmade flowers, and i always thought, wow, her style is so unique and special, i would like to buy almost every piece she's wearing. And it seems like i was not the only one thinking this way. The other day i looked at her page and - voilá - she has her own clothing line now. It's worth checking out!


With tea at 4.30 - served in pretty china
- one more thing on my  ever growing wish list!  Teatime is a custom i love, although we only practise it on special days - complete with scones and cream and berries .... hmm, why not today?
Foto: Country Living


With a self made bouquet of flowers
- let's see if i still have some roses left to pick in my garden. What i certainly do have is elderberries - they grow like a wildfire here!
Foto: Country Living


With a baby boxwood
- just got this cute little one - it needs a proper pot now! My dream garden is a combination of formal and wild, and nicely cropped boxwoods are perfect to add some stucture here and there.  Foto: Moi

And with enough time 
to get around doing all these things - and maybe some more. Heeeeelp, so many things on my desk! See you outside!

Friday Pretties: A rose, a shirt and a present


Some friday prettieness: a little rose adorned shirt as a present for a cute friend. The little rose was made by my crafty friend Anne Claire - so pretty! I love wrapping presents almost as much as getting them! I hope the weekend has nice things in store for all of us ;)





"Yesterday is HISTORY
Tomorrow is a MYSTERY
Today is a GIFT
That's why it's called the 'PRESENT'"

Unknown author

See more pretties at pretty little things

Fotos: MVS - moi!

A day in venice, a drink and a painting


My wednesday artbreak is a little trip to venice.
This time just a virtual one, but i've been to this beautiful place often, and recall the hapieness i've always felt, sitting ion a boat and approaching the laguna with all it's treasures.



A typical drink in venice, and at the moment practically everywhere in Europe is Spritz - a mixture of Aperol, Prosecco or white whine and a dash of sparkling mineral water, sometimes garnished with some orange peel and ice. It's very delicious and refreshing  - give it  a try tonight!    



This painting was done in a venetian spirit, reflecting blue skies and ocean, golden frames, marble floors and fruits, warm from the sun. Have a beautiful day everyone!

Monday Love: Cakepops and a pretty room






I'm having problems uploading pictures in my post today - don't know why, so i'm showing you something that was done a while ago. Does anyone else is having this problem? Would be interested to know - and how to deal with it.

Some time ago i spent sunday at my friend Andreas house making homemade pralinées for a production for KidsLife.

They came out different then we thought, but nevertheless beautiful and tasty. Instead of canvas and brushes we worked with sugar pearls and chocolates - nice for a change.

The house looked so good that i had to take some pictures of it as well. Andrea and i sometimes paint together - and have a project called "Malerei2". An old example of that cooperation is the lemon painting below.

Pictures: MVS - Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday Pretties: Roses


If live sometimes is no bed of roses, why not make it a little nicer by painting ... roses, for example!

This is a painting from last year. I have so many unfinished canvases in my studio right now and hope to find some time to get on with them this weekend. I mean TAKE some time to get on with them. Take some time for myself. Make it a priority. This summer has been so busy so far, and i crave to be more in touch with my art again, make it work, make it flow, feel the magic!

Monday Love: Organic Shapes


Shapes in movement: Matisse-style mobile from Pukapuka, available at Etsy.


Print in subtle colors by NY artist Michelle Oka Doner, via Marlborough


Waxes for Meijer gardens and sculpture park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were cast in bronze for a 2008 installation.

Michelle Oka Doners intense work amazes me, whenever i see it. It's focus are the fascinating forms of life within land and water The beauty of creatures, shapes and forms, gently moulded by the sea. Read an interview about her and her art here.


"Snow Flowers" by Henri Matisse, watercolor and gouache on cut and pasted papers, 1951, via habit of art.

Henri Matisse always was - and still is - my biggest Guru in painting. His work is so full of live and joyful elegance, and it keeps inspiring artists and designers worldwide.
When he was really old and sick and sitting in a wheelchair, he created what seems the most light and modern part of his work, the colorful papercuts. A wonderful reminder of how a creative mind can transform any given limitations.

Enjoy - and have a good start into the week!

Friday Pretties: Summer issue of KidsLife


Pretty on a friday: The summer issue of KidsLife!
It was delievered to us yesterday, and i was so happy to see it came out so well. This issue is especially dear to me, because it features some great friends i have met in blogland. AND because it was such a hard fight to get it published. We're a small publisher and it is so hard to stand our ground next to the big ones.


The cover, and pix for an article about sweet new family additions is by the fabulous Toni Elmer from Texas. I so love her style, pure sunshine and beauty.


Photos for an article about wild boys came from Elisa Voros, who captured these kids in such a lively and authentic manner.


For the creative section called "Handmade" we are so grateful to Maya Donefeld from "Maya made" for her gorgeous ideas and photos.


And then there is Elsita, a fantastic artist who's work i've shown here some time ago. In KidsLife we show her book "Blossom Buddies" and an interview about the amazing work she does with her autistic son Diego. See how open he looks on that photo here, with his sister Natalie on a wedding - no one would even guess he is autistic. But it is not rejecting, but accepting the special condition of her youngest, that has made all this progress possible.

Our magazine is so far only available in german, but who knows, maybe i can get a smaller version going - as an E-mag in english language. Am thinking about this.
Big thanks to all these wonderful ladies and a fun and relaxed weekend to all of you!
And if you like, join the party of Friday Pretties at !I love pretty things"

Photos: 1st: MVS - Martina Voigt Schmid, 2nd: Toni Elmer, 3rd: Elisa Voros, 4th: Maya Donefeld, 5th: Elsita

Easy stillifes for inspiration





Tout simplement pretty, these pure and simple stillifes from Elephant Props! They caught my eye, so inspiring and meant to inspire.
Michelle Michael and Patrick Moore, former prop-stylists ands set-designers have created a well stocked prop-house for creative people who look for rental items to use in shootings, set-designs for magazines, films, etc.
But looking at them here or at their website is free of charge. Enjoy - and have a lovely middle of the week!

Photos: elephant props

Monday Love: ice cream!






Photos: MVS - Martina Voigt Schmid, Styling: Sophie Sutton
Ice cream Photos: Andrew McCaul (2nd) and Debra McClinton(4th), both via Country Living


Delicious homemade ice cream is what i'm dreaming of on a day as hot as this one! Last year, on my visit to New-York City i've been to a gorgeous place in the East village called "Sundaes and Cones".
It was a tip from my friend Sophie Sutton and we went there with her gorgeous daughter Olivia and her friend Francesca to take some pictures for a story about NY with kids in KidsLife.
We dressed the girls in vintage, icecream-colored dresses and had so much fun. The girls looked adorable, the ice cream was delicious and the place had this laid back, relaxed atmosphere - really cool!

As much as i love ice cream, i often find it too sweet - so, making some at home seems like a good idea. If you feel inspired, you'll find an easy tutorial here.

Cherries & Mint




We'll take the cake with the red cherry on top. Navjot Singh Sidhu

Red cherries are irresistible if you see one of them on something good. A bowl of them, freshly picked, looks delicious.
But a HUGE tree of them can be overwhelming. Like the tree we have in our garden. So many cherries up there, we could feed all the birds of the village!
Sometimes, like now, i wish i had more time to revel in making things from what the garden offers, but mostly, we just eat it as it comes.




An exeption was the Mint-Cashew Pesto i made the other day from the abundance of fresh mint growing in our herb-patch. You just blend it with Cashew nuts, extra vergine olive oil and a bit of lemon peel and orange juice. If you're a mint-lover, it tastes great over pasta or in a salad-dressing.

You need:
75 g Cashewnuts
40 g fresh mint leaves
15 g fresh basil leaves
170 ml olive oil extra vergine
grated peel of one lemon or lime
Dash of orange juice
salt & pepper

Mix Cashews, mint and basil leaves, olive-oil and a dash of orange-juice in a blender. Stir in the lemon-peel and salt and pepper to taste. In a tight jar, the pesto keeps in the refrigerator up to 2 months.

Photos 1-4 MVS, last photo and recipe: Living at home

Monday Love: Black is beautiful!






It isn't a matter of black is beautiful as much as it is white is not all that's beautiful. Bill Cosby

Chalkboard walls are not exactly a novelty, but i just liked these pictures so much and found them so inspiring. I'm thinking of "blackening" one wall in our office that way, for it's not only practical, but also allows some creative fun and doodeling in between.

I wish i'd known about this when my kids were small - they loved painting and drawing on the walls - once, they used my favourit lipstick for an abstract mural all along the hallway ...

Photos: First 3: Anthropologie via Poppytalk
4 th photo: Roland Bello for Shana Faust
Last Photo: Starsky Ranch



By the way – do you need a nice present for a friend or a sweet adition to your private art-collection?

At Poppytalk handmade you’ll have the opportunity to buy affordable art AND help the vulnerable communities threatened by the oil spill. Black is definetely not beautiful in the ocean - we want the blue back!. Poppytalk Handmade is organizing an online virtual fundraiser called the "Oil Spill Response Market" from July 5th - July 30th, 2010! Drop by and have a look!


Scuba Man limited edition print by Matte Stephens

Let your art guide you - weekly challenge





I work in whatever medium likes me at the moment.
Marc Chagall

Some "art of heart" cards i did from the design i posted the other week. They were meant as a B-day present for a friend, but if i find time to add some more variations, i might put them in an Etsy-shop. I found beautiful matching envelopes in different shades of pink - such fun to play with these things!
The rose and wildflower bouquet is a present i got from a dear friend who came to tea last sunday - pure luxury



I've started on three new paintings too, but they need some more time to ripen and be presentable. Now, that the days are longer i enjoy having some artist time in the evenings. Sometimes that means, just looking at things and offering elderflower-champagne to the muses :)