ECO FRIENDLY SPEAKERS

Found these eco-friendly speakers on Fashionation via GroovyGreen. Made from recycled materials and universally compatible, these speakers also fold flat for easy storage. All 9 colours variations retailing at $14.95 have now sold out.

SIT AND BREATHE

It's good to be back online. Really need to get hooked up at home. So the year begins and we all have our goals, hopes and dreams. Travel more, stress less, make more time for those we care about but rarely see. Well one of mine is too spend more time sitting and just taking it all in. My life, my blessings and the things that are calling me but I've felt incapable of stepping in to.

So it's only fitting to post something relevant as the first post of the new year. I discovered these fibreglass ( fully stable ) chairs in a magazine, but have since forgotten which one mag it was. Pop on by b9furniture when you get a mo.





On another note I found something new at the local dump the weekend before last. Yes, the local dump. It's proved more thriftworthy ( cheaper and more original finds) then most shops, even if the pieces need a little TLC. So in light of this I plan to do a bit of research and compile a list of thrift/junk and second hand shops in Durban. The list will detail what they stock, value for money, and contact details and addresses, so check back now and again. I hope to have it done by the end of this month.

WAGAMAMA

I love this restaurant. I first found out about it in 1999 when I was in the UK for 5 months. My first night in London my cousins treated me dinner there. Wagamama is an awesome noodle bar that serves freshly prepared Asian dishes.




I think the way they've approached the seating is such a fresh change from isolated "booths" found in most restaurants. They had these long trestle tables in rows ( not unlike camp mess halls ), so you often end up eating next to complete strangers. Which is not as bad as some might think. There's very much a community vibe to the whole spot, and all the food and fruit juices are prepared fresh for each meal. None of this pre-cooked nonsense. If anyone reading this has a chance to visit one of the stores, go for it.

ZELEN HOME

I'd love to be able to browse through this store Zelen Home based in LA. The store occupies an old 1920's building and aims to, in the owners words bring "together the mix of old and new......odd and unusual objects".





Thought I'd include my favourites from the three sections that they use to categorise their wares on their website.

LEE SCOTT HEMPSON

I popped into Artspace Durban this weekend as I was in the area. Found these interesting masonite and paint cut-outs by Lee Scott Hempson.

KITCHEN DETECTIVES

Today has been manic! But being the dedicated blogger I am I thought I had to post at least once.

I got given the first of these 3 books, ( I think there's about 6 in the series ) by a good mate as a housewarming gift. I then bought a second and my flatmate got a third as a present. Full of recipes from top chefs and page upon page of sublime recipes, this is a great Christmas buy. For those who have the "Cooking with Zest" one, you have to try the Pea and Fennel Soup and the Spiced pear muffins. Available from Mr Price and Mr Price Home for about R65 I think.

BLOG LOVE 1

I seem to be posting a wackload of kid-related posts lately and don't know why. Maye it's due to the fact that there's just such a range of amazing stuff out there. For those of you with young un's you have to pop on by Mama Said Shop.

STORAGE FOR THE SHOWER

Found this clever little contraption for keeping those bottles of shampoo, conditioner, two-in-one, veet, shower gel and who knows what else clogs up the completely useless shelf you have stuck or hung from you shower door. Come with adjustable loops and a choice of black and white. Available from uptoyoutoronto but found through wists on this really hot blog Urban Kinetics.

HANDLED WITH CARE

Found this really interesting event on Design Boom that was held in September this year featuring 163 ceramic artists, including CJ O'Neill who I featured a while back and Maxim Velkovsky who I posted about just the other day. So much amazing work in one place. I would have loved to have been there. Had to post a few snapshots.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL

Found this simple yet effective British ad encouraging parents to be aware of how there actions affect their kids, and emphasising the importance of teaching kids healthy driving habits from a young age. There are also some hard hitting TV ads on this site. In a season known for being jolly and festive please be responsible on the roads, and don't think speaking on your cell is acceptable. It takes less than a second to erase more than a few years. I pray you all have a safe one.

MADE BY MELD

Check out these earrings and other products from Meld and visit their eshop here. Their brooches were also worn by models during the Cape Town Fashion Week show. I'm thinking these would make nifty little gifts for a lady this Christmas.

NIGHT SWIMMING

Point 1. In my opinion, and these are no hard and fast rules, a great photo has to have great composition, moody lighting and has to be beautifully simple. If two of the three aren't present then the other has to be strikingly effective. Point 2. I love the heady and humid nights during Durban's summer and with it night swimming. In fact when I was still staying with my folks I used to have a swim almost every night in our pool. So when I saw these photos by German Londoner Esther Teichmann I was an instant fan. This series "Viscosity" was inspired by memories of childhood night swims in Germany in a lake surrounded by forests. I don't really know what it is about these evenings that hangs so heavily in my memory, tugging at my nostalgia but I know that she's caught it somewhere between the cold water and warm air . Found in the November 2005 Issue of Creative Review.

Read and see more of her work on the photodebut and creative review websites.

BEST FOR BABY

Two great products from Coochicoos, a fantastic furniture and design site for the modern parent. The Ovum Bassinet from Offi was initially designed as a rocker but was then adapted so that the base could be switcherooed to work on its side and add a little height and stability to the product. Then there's the award -winning Cula Belly crib from Italians Manuela Busetti and Andrea Garuti. Once again I love that they're both such simple yet functional pieces.

GNR-GREAT

Gnr8 has to be my site of the month. This site has made me go ooh more times than a overly verbose owl on the longest night of the year. Some of my favourites are the slightly weird Little Joseph porcelain candle holder by Czech Maxim Velkovsky, the very Scandi Scando Table, and the simple with great clean lines Alba alarm clock.

SEE SEE SAWS

I was inspired after seeing an installation by Future Farmers on their website featuring a see saw. The see saw, in their own words:

"is a reaction towards "interactive installations". It is a sketch of the simplest interface for interaction between two people (or more). When I asked myself: What is the simplest sculpture that could create: community, connection, exchange, play, human powered, physical, motion and interactivity between people or groups of people"

Now the see saw as an item is pretty simple but much loved. So I thought I'd spend some time scouring the web seeing what else was out and I'm not only impressed but amazed. The images from top to bottom are 1. See saw installation by Future Farmers. 2. The Log Rocker by Paul Frank as seen on 10grain. 3. Didi Dunphy's office see saw on Mocoloco which is part of a range of "interior play furnishings". 4. A rocking chair on Design Boom. 5. and lastly a see saw bookshelf by BCXSY as featured on gnr8 and Rag & Bone.