{project thursday: fabric and floral}

Fabric covered boxes

Country Living is unarguably one of my favorite places to hunt for crafty ideas. Just like today, and I am very very happy to find some fresh, bright, and doable projects - exactly what I had been thinking for today's Project Thursday: I have a stack of boxes, pinboard, journals with tattered covers, and guess what, a collection of vintage fabric I haven't used! Sounds perfect. The instructions are clear and simple, too. All these pictures in this entry are from Country Living and each linked to its original page (some are with intructions). I selected those who are doable for me today, with the exception of the peony wreath...I just love it very much, so even if I won't make one today, I label it as 'bright idea', I keep it in mind :-)


Colored pencil vase


Fabric covered journals


Bandana table runner


Message board


Peony wreath

{envie: Carolyn Quartermaine}

British artist and designer Carolyn Quartermaine is my idol... well, one of my idols in the design world. Her style, her choice of colours, all. And I love it how she uses her own home as "an inspiring three dimensional sketchbook" - as quoted by Elle Decor.

Her book "Revealed" (Conran Octopus, 2001) is one of my main inspirators and I have special folder for all Carolyn Quartermaine related files I could find: magazine articles, pdfs, images, that I can take a look often, training my eyes and visualizing I could live the CQ-style :-)

Such an envy, really. And now looking at those files in the folder again, I dream of transforming my room into my own 3D sketchbook, just like Carolyn Quartemaine...

For the moments, here are the looks I'm dying to covet, from Carolyn Quartermaine's home:


Here's how I really really want my drawing room to look like. Clean, fresh details, but somehow there's a kind of artistic mess here and there.


The details are exquisite...


This is beyond sitting pretty. Here you sit gorgeous


That's how I would have my storage to look: unconventional, magical


Perfect setting to embark on a fairytale dream land, a beautiful rest

{envie: Cordelia de Castellane}

This article about Cordelia de Castellane 's Paris appartment in April '09 edition of Elle Decor really stole my heart. There's no way of denying how i love de Castellane's style...and her home. I think, there's something about colorful details against neutral background. Oh yes, just what Elle Decor's written on the title of the article: "delightful" and "eye catching". No wonder it's the cheeriest spot in town.

{envie: kim parker's home}

Honestly. I have some kind of serious obsession and envie about living in a home like Kim Parker's: tastefully colourful and where every corner is decorated with her own artwork. As quoted from her website: "a designer with an exuberant style, Parker combines her own fantastic floral prints with unconventional flea market finds, fashionable antiques, and unique modern pieces to create a vibrant, colorful look."

Now, that's what I call "personal style" :-)





Pictures courtesy of Kim Parker HOME

{discovering my personal style}

How interesting! I took the quizz “to discover your personal style” on sproost today, and the result is…


100% FRENCH ECLECTIC!!

Hmm...I could also say it is one hundred percent accurate :o)

{yellow deco: happy home}

I love colors, everywhere, yes, but today while looking at the rain, suddenly flashed in my head that some sparks of yellow in the house might turn the mood from grey to cheery. Oh, would you imagine how nice a yellow wall would be. Yellow furniture would look...just cute! And those yellow details? Flowers, napkins, frock, table lamp...what a happy home!












All inspiring pictures above from Country Living.

{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?

{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...