European Beautiful

I love collecting quotes. My own thoughts, when they come in the shape of quips of other people's wisdom, seem more fully formed. I'm hoping to renew my old habit of collecting quotes in a series called Wisdom on: in which I pair quotes that resonate with me with pictures that are inspired by the words. In keeping with the spirit of the blog, I'm trying to feature European crafters and artists. Here's my quote for this week:   "I like living. I have sometimes been wildly despairing, acutely miserable, tacked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." Agatha Christie - An Autobiography Nursery art by CassiaBeck Another Wisdom on: the unfounded fear of being childish .

I love collecting quotes. My own thoughts, when they come in the shape of quips of other people's wisdom, seem more fully formed. When I was little, I used to fill notebooks with quotes and pictures that matched them. There was really nothing that I couldn't pair with a picture. For hours, I would sit at my desk and cut and paste (literally, using real scissors and glue) little bits of printed magic. I used magazines, newspapers, chocolate wrappers, packaging and pretty much anything with a cute picture printed on it. Everything that fitted beloved words. I would then get out my quote notebook and find one that matched the mood of the picture. Sometimes, it was the other way around, with the words of wisdom waiting patently at the bottom of a blank page for the colors, shapes and textures of a glossy piece of daydreaming.  When I first started this habit, I had never seen a computer. I didn't even know such things existed beyond computer labs. It was the mid-90s and the

I found out about two talented textile designers and I want to spread the news. Some of their work appeared on Kickan & Conkers , one of the blogs that I read faithfully.  The textile work of Swlvya and Dorota is bulky, daring and unapologetic. Almost magnetic, I would say. You can find something for both masculine and feminine interiors, and it would certainly match sophisticated, white spaces as well as darker, moodier rooms. Every piece is unique, hand-dyed and sewed by hand.  And I'm still dreaming about that braided headboard. This is their blog: Projekt-i . This is their Pinterest .   This is their website .  And their Etsy shop . Here's where I would see their work showcased: 1. In this warm, coastal-inspired living room in Spain. Photo by Manolo Yllera via Domaine Home 2. As headboard/backdrop against this grey wall on the Cosy Home blog. Source: Cosy Home 3. To break down and blend in with the palette in this deep blue and black

The holidays went by so fast, like happy free days tend to do. I was holding my breath in the beginning of December to make sure I take every occasion to celebrate and enjoy the month. Next thing you know, it was January 3rd. But I did have a great time on a wonderful trip to New York to spend time with my friends. I even managed to enjoy the city for a week, and was lucky enough to have beautiful warm winter weather.   Top to bottom: 1. Chandelier at New York Public Library 2. Light angel at Rockefeller Center 3. Statue of Liberty on a clear and sunny winter day 4. Textile booth in Bryant Park 5. Carousel in Bryant Park 6. Brooklyn Museum 7. Peeking in a New York office building, Rear Window -style 8. New York skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge.