Felted Cat Caves

Stripes (#bestcat) is a cat who loves to cuddle and in winter if there is a blanket to burrow underneath she is there. Most of the time this is terribly sweet and yes, I am so blessed to have such a loving companion to keep me going while I work, but occasionally when I am trying to work on something very complicated her persistence is not so welcome.

You see, somehow Stripes knows when a deadline is eminent, that’s when she insists on pushing all the pens and pencils off my desk, she then tries to curl up on my mouse hand and if that doesn’t work (which it normally doesn’t) she then tries to squeeze herself onto me lap (under my desk) and then as a final distraction she always insists on using my keyboard as a thoroughfare – without fail managing to activate all sorts of weird Photoshop setting that I simply cannot turn off… yikes!

So in an attempt to maintain peace in our house I have been shopping about for cute cat hideaways. I found a few really gorgeous felted examples and may well have to place an order soon.

Cat Caves

Cat Cave

Cat Cave

Cat Cave

You can find the first 5 cat caves here.
The last three cat caves can be found here.

Berlin 2014

Berlin 2014

Planning for a trip overseas is not for the faint hearted – if you are booking airline tickets or trying to secure the perfect AirBnB spot then you have to be ready to pounce as soon as you see a price that suites you. It’s quite the experience and knowing where to search for the best prices can be very intimidating, there are a bunch of great online airline booking services and some are far more efficient than other. I landed up using a combo of Kayak, TravelStart and SkyScanner – they are all easy to use, give you the widest choices and offer the most competitive prices.

Then, once you have secured your flights, booked your train tickets and settled on your accommodation – you need to start planning stuff to do when you get there. This is the fun bit!

Our first stop is Berlin. Berlin is such an exciting city and we are meeting friends there and will spend the first six days of our trip with them exploring the city. Luckily Desmond and Toni are very familiar with the Berlin way of life as they spend most our winter months working in Germany (Toni’s homeland) so we will have the perfect guides while there. None the less I have done quite a bit of research into the best things to see and do while enjoying the German sunshine. My primary objective is to not be too touristy – don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the odd selfie in front of the Brandenburg Gates, but I want to see the real Berlin.

If you are also planning a trip to Berlin have serious FOMO – then are going to need to check out these websites:

Design Sponge Berlin City Guide
Unlike Berlin Guide
The Thrilllsit Berlin guide
Exberlinner
Petite Passport
Cee Cee
Stil in Berlin

Oh and if you are a Pinterest nut like me, then check out my travel plan pins here.

Next on the agenda is to plan what we do in Prague, Budapest and Vienna – so more tips and tricks to follow soon.
Hey – if you have been to any of these cities, then I would love to hear from you. What do you recommend? Where should we avoid? All hints are welcome.

Happy holiday planning!

Photo credits:
The Fernsehturm
Sun Loungers
Abandoned Amusement Park

Weird is Rad

Just a quick hello and an appology for the lack of posts on my blog recently – been very busy working on a cool website for an even cooler commercials director (soon to be launched) and planning our trip to Europe.

weird is rad

Found here

Smile more

Hey – it’s June already! TO spite the fact that the temperatures are dropping madly and getting up in the dark is the worst torture – I love June. It’s the middle of 2014 and on the 21st it’s the Winter Solstice (also the shortest day of the year) and after that the days start getting longer again – YEAH!.

This June is also extra special as it’s full of epic birthday celebrations – starting with my Mum’s 70th and ending on Alexis’s big 40th – with a couple of other birthdays sprinkled in between. All in all a fabulous month to be happy and grateful – to remember to smile more.

PP_smile1

Credit:
Photo from here
Smile More by Olga Vasik

Magical Mushrooms

Do yourself a favor and check out Steve Axford’s very impressive photographic collection of fungi photos. Wow – it’s hard to believe that any of these little specimens are actually from this planet. Most of these fantastical ‘shrooms are very seldom seen and some have never been photographed before. Oh, and yes, the colours are totally untouched (no Photoshop here).
Steve, you are a genius!

Originally spotted on This Is Colossal.
Check out more of Steve’s photos here.

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

Steve Axford

All photos are by Steve Axford (you MUST check out the rest of the collection – it’s magical!)

Floating Meadows

London based Rebecca Louise Law work is undeniably breathtaking. Her recent installation, commissioned by London’s Garden Museum to feature in their Flowers & Fashion exhibition “The Flower Garden Display’d 2014″ is quite literally a floating meadow of 4,600 blooms – so magical!

In Rebecca’s words: “Most of my installations are reflecting what’s happening in nature, by looking at plant patterns or observing the way something grows. Then I imagine these themes in real life and times that by a thousand so that it becomes fantasy,”

Visit Rebecca’s personal website for more of her floral loveliness.

Rebecca Louise Law

Rebecca Louise Law

Rebecca Louise Law

Rebecca Louise Law

Rebecca Louise Law

Rebecca Louise Law

Rebecca Louise Law

Rebecca Louise Law

All photos thanks to Rebecca Louise Law.
Found via Yellowtrace

Kitchen love

Tomorrow is an important day in South Africa – we all get to cast our vote, thus doing our part to move our special country forward.

What are you planning to do for the rest of the day? Hang out with family or friends? Relax at home? Eat something delicious?

Isn’t it wonderful how food always seems to be at the center of most celebrations and special occasions. Tomorrow is no exception. We are planning a braai with friends which will naturally involve lots of laughing, a healthy supply of bubbly (our mates are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary), lazy dogs, kids playing and general public holiday shenanigans – I can’t wait!

While looking for recipes for interesting salads to serve tomorrow I was reminded of Julie’s Kitchen – if you aren’t already following Julie Lee on Instagram, do so right away! Her photos are so delicious, and will have you totally inspired to whip up something amazing in the kitchen.

According to Julie Lee, Julie’s Kitchen is “where photography and food fall in love” – I couldn’t agree more. Her style is clean and fresh with every detail meticulously planned and executed.
Her delicate photos are edible works of art – each composition carefully assembled using produce sourced from local markets (or foraged) and never bought from a store. So beautiful!

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

Julie's Kitchen

All photos by Julie Lee

Words to end your week with

As much as I have loved this short week, trying to squeeze five days of work into three really has thrown my work routine out of whack – as a result my “to do” list for today is laughable. Never mind – I will survive, especially if aided by a strong espresso and a healthy chunk of chocolate.

So, to end your week on an enlightened note, here are the wise words of Ernest Hemingway (beautifully illustrated by Lisa Congdon).

Hope your Friday is super productive too.

Wise Words - Ernest Hemingway

See more of Lisa’s work here.

Magical Moments

I recently stumbled upon the work of Ukraine based art photographer Oleg Oprisco and I am in love. Oleg is a genius – not only does he source, style and shoot all the pics single handedly (what a legend!) but he does this all in film – amazing!

In his words ” I like the ability to stop time and create my version of reality” he goes on to say: “you press the shutter button but do not know what happens. This is real magic.” I have to agree – his whimsical photos are truly impressive.

Visit Oleg Oprisco’s portfolio of breath taking work here and check out the original interview with Oleg here.

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

Oleg Oprisco

All photos by Oleg Oprisco

Cat Marshmallows

Okay – I hate to admit it, but winter is around the corner and thoughts will soon be turning to delicious mugs of piping hot chocolate… and to take this comforting drink to the next level this girl is going to have to get her hands on some of these cute critters – Cat Marshmallows. Aren’t they just so adorable (almost too cute to eat!)?

Perhaps its a good thing that Japanese marshmallow company Nagano don’t deliver internationally – those skinny jeans would fast become a thing of the past.

cat marshmallow

cat marshmallow

cat marshmallow

Found via My Modern Met

Water Babes

As a kid, did you ever dive to the bottom of the pool and just lay there for a couple of seconds, quietly listening to the weird distorted world above you? I remember wishing I was a mermaid – imagining how cool it would be to be able to stay under the water for more than the 20 seconds my little lungs would allow – surely a magical kingdom existed down there?

Alix Martinez manages to beautifully capture this aquatic fairyland in her children’s photo series called Water. Alix’s work is so gorgeously intimate and fresh, effortlessly capturing the wide eyed enthusiasm of childhood. I love it all.

Be sure to check out her portfolio – it’s so inspiring.

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

Alix Martinez

All photos by Alix Martinez