luscious lettering

Love pillows by Lush Designs.










123456789 diptych by danske.

Fabrics of South Africa

Jezze hand printed fabric at etsy.
































Skinny laMinx screen printed fabric creations at etsy.
A recipe for a Sunday, Banana Chocolate Walnut Cake.

comfort

Brilliant colour to brighten dark days, from Swedish textilians Linum.

winter

Scandinavian inspiration continues. Scandinavian type inspiring Japanese design at CINQ. Discovered earlier this year via simply photo.

More Scandinavian and Japanese finds;



Discovered in Helsinki, Finnish artist Maarit Kontiainen.




















































LINNET Japanese textile emporium in Kyoto and on-line.























HauHauz Finnish fabric design from Turku, also on-line.






All of these finds evoke a sense of hygge the sadly no-more Islington shop. Greatly missed.
Logo by Sanna Annukka.

Yuletide special; honey glazed carrots & parsnips from Riverford.

honey glazed carrots & parsnips

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4

4 parsnips, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
250ml stock
1 tsp curry powder
salt & pepper

1. Peel parsnips and carrots. Cut into half lengthways, then slice diagonally into 1cm pieces.

2. In a large flat pan, combine carrots, butter, stock and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, covered for 4 minutes.

3. Add the parsnips and cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Transfer the vegetables to a shallow baking dish with a draining spoon, preserving liquid in pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Add more stock to the pan if necessary to make 250ml. Stir in
honey, lemon juice and curry powder. Bring to the boil over a
high heat and boil for 1 minute or until the liquid has thickened
slightly. Pour over mixture.

5. Cook uncovered in a 200ºC oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly glazed.

flying

Swallow necklace Tatty Devine.

Yesterday I saw the first swift this year, flying high over my street. A lovely sight. Natural patterns that are in a delicate balance. Roll on summer for swifts and swallows.


















Swallow & Horse Reversible Wooden Heart Necklace by Frozen Peas.

















Migration of geese - birds with royalty by little by jenny

Brown sugar & hazelnut meringues.

Green action: Ask your MP to support a strong Climate Bill, Care of our Environment and Human Footprint Calculator.

bounty

A bountiful parcel with body + soul magazine from Jen, many thanks.

Traded for June's Elle Decoration, cover featuring a piece by Karin Eriksson.






















Lovely, dark & deep opens at doe today, wish I could get to San Francisco. Yesterdays's 3191 post is wonderful, the travelling deer and mav's bread and jam reminds me of simply breakfast's new header.

Mav's new photo & print project features this beauty. Pure indulgence; dark, decadent and delicious!













More beauty in the work of Gentl & Hyers, photographers for the cover of body + soul this month. Their on-line portfolio is superb. Spot another piece by Karin Eriksson!






Steamed Artichokes in honour of Spring. Enjoy the weekend.

red :: friday

My colour week contributions.

Red Flickr finds house finch, red collar, gutter feet and japanese plate. Red Flickr artwork tomato coaster, love {detail} and red-faced warbler.

Summery red currants in Miroir Cassis.

---

Taking part in colour week on my blog has been interesting, the theme has led and each post has taken care of itself. This has made me think, especially how I loved returning home after my week's holiday to catch up with the creativity on my favoured blogs.

I have been finding posting time consuming from getting sucked into the vacuum that the web is when immersed. Feeling I am posting for the sake of it, over tired and straining my eyes. Wondering if I am typing into the ether.

So to rekindle that feeling of returning and get some interest back I am going to now post once a week. This should give me time to gather lots of inspiration and rest, which my mind needs. Busy minded is how I feel, in a negative way. I have a train journey to enjoy tomorrow, a chance to refocus and let my mind wander.

Treats & Treasures projects are an inspiration, and I love this Rose box. I will get back to my knitting and all my thoughts of projects, unfinished and not yet begun.

current thread

Material World from the Guardian's Saturday magazine. An inspiring read featuring these wonderful designers, each interpreting fibres in an individual style.




























Ruth Cross.




































Laura McCafferty. Graduate of Nottingham Trent University.

































Eleanor Pritchard. Beautiful blankets as seen gently folded over the arm of a Scandinavian chair at the sadly closed hygge Islington shop.


















Anne Kyyrö Quinn.

I felt the heat of the sun at lunch time today, stirring thoughts of summertime. Strawberry and rhubarb almond yoghurt ice lollies from Nordljus.

a needle & thread

Simple Sewing with a French Twist by Céline Dupuy arrived in a parcel today. A wonderful book of beautifully styled ideas and practical projects, I bought it from the look of the cover and I am so pleased.

Hazelnut Macaroon Sandwiches, a little more Parisian influence.

warbling

Louise Body Wallprint, here a wallpaper design and two of her luxurious cushions. I spotted this wallpaper adorning the counter at Oliver Bonas.

My lovely bloom print arrived in the post today, an exciting envelope to return home to. Reading more I have discovered this wonderful post by onegirl.

Tartiflette, inspiration for a grand potato dish from this recipe by Lucy's Kitchen Notebook.

expectation

Soon by notraces, holds such texture and beauty in the suggestion of spring.

Winter Flowers from You Grow Girl is about bringing spring inside.

A Book Cover project from Moonstitches, which I would like to make to transport my paperback read. Cherry blossom branches are beautifully captured by Moonstitches.

And a warming dish from simply photo yesterday, acorn love squash recipe, lovely images.

roasted acorn squash from the kitchen diaries via simply photo

set oven to 350 degrees.
cut acorn squash in half and scoop out pulp and seeds.
lay squash cut side up on baking sheet {i put it on top of aluminum foil too}. put a small slice of butter in the center of each squash, together with a little olive oil, a couple of thyme leaves, salt, and plenty of ground pepper. roast for an hour. check occasionally, you want them to be tender when you pierce it with a knife. if you like them sweet, you can add a little maple syrup and cinnamon.

finnish folktale

A small adventure to Finland lies ahead in the spring. I have always wanted to visit Finland to see Moomin artworks by the late Tove Jansson. I have loved the Moomin's all my life! We will go to Tampere first and then Helsinki.

I am now searching out more Finnish wonders to look for on my trip. I have found two sources of Finnish design fabric, other than the famous marimekko. Hau Hauz's, beautiful hand screen printed linen creations, featured by Design*Sponge earlier this month. Beautiful handbags.


















Silmu & Pioni


















Rosebud & Kalevala


I will be looking out for anything by Ivana Helsinki, I especially like the Campings collection.


















Dead Butterflies


















Campings

Finnish Coffee Bread, takes time to make but looks superb.

knit one

Spring cleaning has begun and I am finding many unfinished projects, fallen by the wayside. These photographs are from my neglected knitting. I love to knit but haven't made time for any this year. The balls of wool are from Norway and the chunky purple wool is from Iceland. I like to buy wool and needles on holiday, making fine souvenirs and great to see how craft shops vary in different places. I have a few scarves on the go, all needing attention.

Thinking about knitting today, I remembered an inspiring lecture day on knitting I went to with my Mum at the V&A Museum. From looking today I've found the website contains great knitting resources. Information on Regional Knitting in the British Isles & Ireland. Even 1940s Patterns to Knit and so many links.

This sounds good, I Knit London shop, not heard of this before. A visit to Loop is long over due. Last time I bought a ball of Be Sweet Boucle Mohair, so soft and made a gorgeous little cream scarf.

Lovely blogs suggested by the V&A are Vintage Knitting and My Fashionable Life. Last year I found Knitting Iris, full of textiles, along with these beauties.

Parisian Macaroons