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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

{yellow deco: a dash of pink}


A dash of pink somewhere in a yellow-toned room. When I stumbled upon these pictures of Jennifer and Dick Lanne's farmhouse in the New York countryside on Country Living, all I wanted was picturing myself one lovely afternoon having a cup (or many) of tea, drawing graphics in this room. Yellow is a very happy color, and even the tiniest dash of deep pink will make it even happier. Don’t you agree?



{meeting kitiya}


Yesterday. Finally. After around 9 years emailing each other. Me in Jakarta and her in Bangkok. Kitiya of Country Hobby and I met in person. In Jakarta. She’s as lovely as she always sounds in her emails. As wonderful as her artwork. There I got a special gift from Kitiya: her latest book! It’s in Thai but just by looking at the pretty pictures in the book, you’d know it’s fun to create the projects. I’m already inspired to make country boxes. Oh, why did I forget to take the picture of the book. I will upload it later today. I just couldn’t wait to post this entry :o)

{me}{kitiya}


Sunday, February 22, 2009

{weekend polska}


This made me both nostalgic and happy this weekend. I watched, listened, over and over again. Frantically tried to play the tunes on my violin. Goodness. I long for [folk music in] Sweden again. Those summer evening where music was in every corner of Stockholm. The midsummer dance around a flowery maypole. Just to mention a few. I'm hooked. Yay! Happy Sunday everybody :o)


Lisa Rydberg and Gunnar Idenstam playing Grins Hans Jasspodspolska & Erik Isaks Polska.


Friday, February 20, 2009

{memories of style: a javanese life}


Have I ever told you I used to be a little javanese girl? Well, I'm still a javanese girl, it's in the blood. But I've left my hometown since 1992 to study in the capital city of Jakarta, and found a life there (oh, I mean "here") and I'm glad that from time to time, my current job gives me a project that allows me to travel and spend some days in my hometown, Yogyakarta.


And there I was, in the midst of work, glad to be home. Just like in the old days. It is nowadays a challenge to maintain a javanese house. 'Expensive' is the most common excuse that many owners of javanese houses preferred to rebuilt their once traditional to a more 'modern', simplified, minimalist houses. Somehow my parents managed to keep the javanese decor intact. The main room still has the wooden divider, painted in the same kind of green as one used to paint the decorative details at the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta. Ceilings from woven bamboo. But since I've been in Sweden several times and brought back some souvenirs, the house's now got some Swedish influence :o) Can you see it? On the table are swedish christmast goats made of straw, and hanging on the door is a Dala horse welcome sign.


Life's still more or less the same in our house, which means as interesting as those times when I was a kid. For breakfast mom bought "pecel", a mix of steamed vegetables with spicy peanut sauce. Anticipating impromptu visits by our neighbours or friends or relatives, this time I was there an array of snacks were served for tea time: banana wrapped in sweet crepes, traditional pancakes, and rice crackers. The tea is also normally sweet. I had to remind mom that I would have tea without sugar. She used to protest my 'new habit', but now it's quite okay with her :o)


It made me happy to see that the table was dressed in batik table cloth, my mom's own creation.

That day we had a visit by a 'street singer'. Mom told me the boy had been a street singer since he was a kid. My late father, during his last years until he passed away in 2004, loved the boy's performance and was very fond of him. Since then, he became a regular visitor of our house.


In the evening my little sister and I took a becak (three wheeled pedicab) ride to a traditional snack shop and we passed by the streets in the area around the royal palace. I saw again the legendary banyan trees located on the palace's south square. Went in and out the palace's area through the once upon a time 'city gates'.



Back at home. I found it interesting to spot a Swedish vintage print in a javanese setting.


Or a blanket with Swedish Dala horse prints over a set of batik bedding. A mix of two traditions :o)


That was a day in my javanese life. Now it's time to say good night...


Sunday, February 15, 2009

{rosy notes: rosy shop}


There are times I play with my own imagination. In that very personal space of mine, I have a shop, or a coffee shop, and regardless of what it is, how the store looks is quite certain: roses in the front, at the entrance. How wonderful, (always in my imagination) that my customers, before entering the shop, would take time to stop and smell the roses... :-)

{picture of au nom de la rose, courtesy of zenog}

{words}

“If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be picking roses for a lifetime.” - Swedish proverb


{rosy notes: roses at home}


While searching for inspiration for rosy notes, I stumbled upon the beautiful pictures of Raggedroses home on flickr. Always love finding beautiful roses everywhere in the house, especially in a real house in somebody's real life.

Ah, can you feel the real love... I'd love to stay in this kind of house. Serene, fresh, and happy.

{music sheets balls and painting}{vintage tins}{table cloth}

{rosy soaps}{cupboard cover}{cushion}{sitting pretty}{curtain}{wallpaper}{in lauundry room}

{summery fabric}{stool in the bathroom}

{reading nook}{bird house}{rosy corner}{rosy cards}

{lamp shade}{cheerful seating matching the curtain}

{rosy cushion}{monogram and a rose}

More rosy inspiration visit Raggedroses' photostream here.


{rosy notes: rosy details}


Love is in the details, they say. I couldn't help but marvel at all these prettiest rosy details, in the home of a lifelong lover of roses, Anna Florio.

{rosy slippers}{rosy wallpaper}{rosy vase}{bouquet of pink roses}{painting of roses}

{rose-themed tabletops}{sitting pretty on rosy seats}

{rose fabric cupboard cover}{rosy china}{rosy tablecloth}{rose print book cover}

Happy Sunday!


{rosy notes: someday}


...someday, I want to be seen wearing a stylish rain jacket, cute knee-length boots, carrying a tin bucket full of fresh cut fragrant big petaled pink roses. It would certainly be in a pretty day...


{words}

"Fragrance is the rightful heritage of the Rose, and it is what we consciously or unconsciously expect of it" - Louise Beebe Wilder in The Fragrant Path.


Wallpaper: love bears all things


1280 x 1024 pixels
Click on the image to open it in the original size, then save it to your own hard disk.



1280 x 800 pixels
Click on the image to open it in the original size, then save it to your own hard disk.



1028 x 768 pixels
Click on the image to open it in the original size, then save it to your own hard disk.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

{rosy notes: rosy wallpapers}


Love bears all things. How true. And they say red roses are the truest. Here they are on 4 sizes wallpapers to embellish your desktop in this rose-filled day o'love.

To download, click on the picture and wait 'til it's fully displayed. Right click and 'save as' the wallpaper to your own hard disk.

1280 x 800 pixels




1280 x 1024 pixels




1024 x 768 pixels




800 x 600 pixels




Wednesday, February 11, 2009

{rosy notes: rosy welcome}


Isn't this happiness, the moment you come home, a fragrant, extravagant bunch of rosy beauties greets you at the entrance?

chicken house bloom of roses and Frits the cat

Let me tell you a tale. Once upon a time there was a girl who had a weakness for pink roses. Any kind of roses, any kind of pink. One lovely summer she made a long trip and stayed at a lovely cottage in a lovely little village in the middle of Sweden. Next to the cottage there was a chicken house, not an ordinary chicken house, because a beautiful bush of pink roses adorned its wall. The girl found herself in love with the cottage, but she also loved going to the chicken house, she felt a delicate happiness just by walking pass the bloom of roses.

Then the girl continued her trip in Sweden. She arrived in a cute little town by the Baltic Sea and her wandering led her to a streetful of cute houses and, 'oh my god' the girl sighed 'pink roses everywhere!' Strange might it seem, but the girl took her time to stop at every door of houses with pink roses on the wall, and those moments she felt warmly, cheerfully welcome. 'Oh boy' the girl looked around her. It was far prettier than her years of dreams. The girl was overwhelmed. By the beauty. And the happiness. Love. The girl didn't mind to be overwhelmed like that!

That day, the girl learned one of many ways that made her oh so happy when coming home: pink roses at the entrance. A rosy welcome.

Gävle

Gävle

Gävle

Gävle


Sunday, February 8, 2009

{rosy notes: anne sophie mutter, mendelssohn's birthday}


Counting down to happy heart's day, I want everything rosy in my home and blog. Even the music. I start with this. One rosy note a day.



Violinist.com sent me a message on facebook: "Interview with Anne-Sophie Mutter: She has returned to the Mendelssohn Concerto, with a new recording and performances with the NY Phil this week in honor of Mendelssohn's 200th birthday."

Ow, one of my favorite violin concertos, on the hands of one of my favorite violinists, isn't that a fabulous combination! I jumped on the link. Landed on the page where Laurie Niles had the interview with the first lady of the violin. There she is, in turquoise gown with her ultra famous Stradivarius violin, surrounded by oh-so romantic pink petals, ready for a birthday party. A special one, Felix Mendelssohn's, the very one who composed the violin concerto Ms Mutter is playing.

Reading the interview, and looking at the pictures of the CD cover, it's just perfect for my must-listen list for the happy heart's day. Can't wait. I can already hear the concerto playing, the brilliant notes dancing in my head and suddenly a rain of pink petals surrounds me, so fragrant I'm transported to a rosy world full of loving hearts. It's only a start...


Friday, February 6, 2009

{weekend love}


Finally weekend, love love it. No extra work no rehearsal with the orchestra this time, a rare occasion somehow, so I will...


<1> Continue redecorating my room
<2> Read new books that I bought this week
<3> Upload new graphics
<4> Organize my idea books
<5> Label my files and CDs
<6> Write handwritten notes to a great friend
<7> Have a walk and get inspired
<8> Have a quiet time for myself :-)


Images from Martha Stewart


Monday, February 2, 2009

{d day: the concert}




Finally! The concert! One exciting musical hour of Vivaldi, Telemann, JS Bach, Pachelbel and Corelli. Now tired but happy, and it's time to take a little bit of rest :o)


















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