Monday Love: Be a VIP!


"Treating myself like a precious object makes me strong!"

A page from an old diary of mine i found while cleaning up. The sentence above comes from the book "The artists way" by Julia Cameron. I once worked my way through the whole course and it was an interesting experience. Hope you're heading of into the week like the woman in this picture - happy adventures, here i come!  Know that you are all precious objects to me!

Collage: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Pots and flowers


"Painting is just another way of keeping a diary."
Pablo Picasso

Well, if one paints daily ... which is something i would like to do.  I strive to get a rythm in my creative work and make a fixed date for it and keep it, but so far, i'm not really good at it because job offers so many demands and distractions. This is a small canvas i was working on in a gentle kind of mood, a little study of something nice and simple. 
Love for a happy weekend!
Painting and photo: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Add some sweetness ...

How far that little candle throws his beams! 
William Shakespeare

Add some sweetness to your day with these lovely Birthday cake Coockies. And even if it is not your birthday, they might help to add a little sparkle to your coffeebreak or bring a smile to a friends face. Have a lovely day sugarpearls. See how to make them here.

Photo: Brooke McLay

Monday Love: Light(en) up your day




Come on baby light my fire!
With this gorgeous DIY twig candle holder. I know this may looks a wee bit fallish for July, but hey, that's what summer feels like these days in my little rainy part of the world. Warm socks, hot tea, candle light and california dreaming ...

Photos and DIY instructions: blog.fossil.com

Friday Pretties: A colorful summer


The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.
Marcus Aurelius 

Too hot, too cold - it seems, this summer likes to play in extremes. While some of you are almost melting away and want to sit and sleep in the freezer, others can't get out of their raincoats and wellies - like me! The lady in this painting shows, how to still celebrate life and balance hardship with equanimity and pride.  Am looking forward to a colorful weekend, no matter what the weather - did you hear that, rain? Nothing against you, personally, but - time to take a break! Have you planned anything nice yet?

Painting: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Monday Love: tea party in the garden



"Stressed" spelled backwards is "desserts".  Coincidence?  I think not! 
How was your weekend lovelies? Mine was wonderful, yet the moon was and still is round and full and i feel it's influence by ways of tiredness. Would love to spend this monday in a dreamy and tender mood, decorating the garden with pretty flowers and china and have you around for tea and something good!

Photos: dujourmag






Dreams are not without meaning wherever thay may come from - from fantasy, from the elements, or from other inspiration.
Paracelsus 

Is there something like poetry in interior design? If so, you may find it in these special arrangements by Mathilde Hardy for her E-shop "Les Petits Bohèmes". You can find handmade toys, home accessoires, vintage furniture and more. Her style reminds me of the film "Amelie", and it gets me dreaming. How lovely for a child (and for big ones too!), to be surrounded by so much inspiration!

Photos and styling: Mathilde Hardy

Monday Love: Sweetness

Put 'eat chocolate' at the top of your list of things to do today.  That way, at least you'll get one thing done!

Just a little extra sweetness for the start of your week sugars! Just chosse your favorite color. Welcome to all new followers, you may choose two;) Have been one lazy blogger this weekend due to friends visiting, but will stop by your place very soon. Are you up to something special this week?

Photo: Martina Voigt-Schmid

A colorful home






A home is... where you feel comfortable. It's not a precious show home but a place where dogs can jump on the sofa and you can put your feet up.
 Lisa Whatmough

I love this easy and colorful style mix in the home of Lisa Whatmough, a member of the mydeco design boutique,  who makes exquisite  furniture with a modern twist. 

She says: "Take my advice... don't base your furniture on a paint colour. If you're unsure about choosing colours, start by collecting objects that you love colour–wise. My friend chose her new shop colour on a pair of pink marigolds

How cute is that?  If you love flea markets and garage sales, you'll adore Squint's pretty patchwork furniture in East London. Each piece is lovingly created using swatches of modern and vintage fabrics, very individual and artsy. 

Awww, sometimes i dream of having my own fabric collection - hope i'll get around to it one day! Is there some creative project you are dreaming about?

Monday Love: Beatrix Ost






Absolutely fabulous!

Meet the artist Beatrix Ost, who, at age 71 is inspiring in every way. Not only in the way she dresses and looks in these pictures, but also in her fearless confrontation with life and the way it's expressed in her art. A project of hers that especially appeals to me is "Intimacy - 15 minutes of drawing" - something i'll take on a a challenge for the week to come. The drawings shown above are from a series shown on her website - really worth exploring.

She says: "What is intimacy, after all? Is it the sharing of the same thoughts and feelings? Is it being told an unmentionable secret? Is it the act of sex? No, it is stillness: silent, motionless meditation on the sitter's part, accompanied only by the singing of graphite on paper. A kind of Platonic camera, tracing the most essential outlines of a life. One person said: it is not stolen time, it is time agreed upon. Taken deliberately out of the bustle of the ordinary. Entering a time capsule willingly, cutting everything off, just to be still. A luxury we hardly grant ourselves. In these fifteen minutes we simply are.15 meditative minutes of intimate drawing can be seen as a correlative to Andy Warhol's loud and public 15 minutes of fame. They ebb and flow in inverse proportion."

What would 15 minutes of intimacy mean to you - what would you choose to do?

Drawings: Beatrix Ost, Photos: Advanced style