Flax Caskets

I don't even know how I got to this website but if you are in New Zealand and want "a beautifully crafted woven casket of pure quality" for your dearly departed then "Know the Flax" is the place to get one. It's definitely a unique way to bury someone. I'm thinking it will be a more eco friendly way too as there is no paint or varnish involved and no metal parts. And it would be totally biodegradable.

xx

Etsy Hat Wishlist

I love hats, and have ever since I was a child. As it is winter here in Germany, I've been dreaming of warm felt hats with a bit more style than my humble beanie. Here are a few of my favourite from Etsy.

1. Behida Dolić

 2. Behida Dolić

3. Tissage

4. Katarina Couture

xx

Soapy Soap Dish Present

I received an awesome parcel in the post the other day from my lovely sister. It was full of late Christmas presents including this awesome handmade soap dish. My sister is into pottery and has recently got her first kiln which is super exciting! It means she has started to fire (cook and finish off) all the clay creations she has been making for a quite a while now. She knows I like to make soap and so a soap dish is quite appropriate for me. I actually made a heap of little heart shaped soaps for gifts at her wedding.

Isn't it gorgeous? Its in one of my favourite colours too!
xx

Handmade Ryan Gosling

I just came across this site and couldn't help giggling out loud.
Love it.
Here are some of my faves...

xx

Happy New Years!

You can buy fireworks in Germany.  I hadn’t realised this until I was idly flipping through some junk mail last week. “Really?” my husband asked, his ears almost pricking up. “Where, when?” were his next questions. There is a three day period after Christmas and before New Years (Silverster in Deutsche) where fireworks suddenly appear in almost any shop you care to walk past.  Having just last month moved to the beautiful city of Bonn, I’d never been anywhere where fireworks are legal so I was pretty excited and my husband incredibly so!  We stocked up on some rockets and crackers as soon as they hit the shops. The next day we decided we needed more and bought basically double what we had the first day thus tripling our stock. I thought we had a lot. But after seeing the fireworks frenzy on NYE we hardly had any!

We started to hear crackers being set off the first night after they were available, the next night we heard even more and had bets as to how many we would hear on our walk into town for dinner (I won!).  Then, on New Years Eve as soon as it was dark, it started for real. You could hear loud cracks, echoes and wizzing noises coming from every direction, see faint lights sparking in the distance and smell the sharp smokey scent of sulphur in the air. We let our stash off in a park near our house, as we weren’t sure where we were allowed to, and my husband is nothing but cautious. It turns out we were the only people there and we had a ball! It was a lot of fun as well as being eerily beautiful in the dark park, seeing the bursts of colour and the light from streetlamps shining hazily through the smoke.  After we had exhausted our stash we caught the last train into Bonn Zentrum before midnight. Walking along we saw where everyone else seemed to have let their fireworks off, right in the streets and even in the underground! It all culminated in a frenzy of fireworks around midnight. It was truly amazing. We had a view over the river Rheine with fireworks going on all around us. Some let off literally metres away from us. I had never seen so many fireworks in one place before. What a fabulous way to bring in a new year!

xx

Hoarder

I'm a bit of a hoarder. I have a lot of stuff. It runs in my family (well my Dad's side anyway) but I'm starting to appreciate my Mother's view on stuff (the less the better kind of view) so when I came across these tips on buying new items, they really struck some chords in me.


When you think about your things or want to purchase something new, consider these parameters:

• It brings beauty into your life and stirs your soul.

• It supports a passion or hobby.

• It helps bring family and friends together in a creative and meaningful way.

• It educates and enlightens.

• It makes life profoundly simpler so that you can pursue more meaningful things.

• It helps someone who is sick or incapacitated.

• It is useful and necessary for day-to-day life.

• It’s part of a meaningful tradition or a reminder of a special event.

You know you are buying mindlessly if you:

• Buy on a whim.

• Buy to impress others.

• Buy because you feel you deserve it.

• Buy when you can’t afford it.

• Buy just to update something that still works or looks fine.

• Buy because someone else has it and you want it too.

• Buy because the advertisement seduced you.

• Buy because you are bored.

• It’s purchased because buying soothes you.

I found it via The Marion House blog

Originally from Zen Habits

I think this should also apply to what you keep.
And for the things you have, keep in mind these questions
Do you use it or appreciate it often?
Do you have a place to keep it?
If not then you should consider giving it away!

xx

Which Goose

I thought I'd share some of the beautiful things from Etsy shop WhichGoose with you. Spoil yourself and buy something or use them as inspiration to make your own!

xx