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.

Early in our relationship, my partner and I decided to get a Christmas ornament each year. We don't like buying the Christmas ornaments that you find in stores. It seems to me that all the collections available are cheaply made in China. The glitter is more in the box than on the baubles, Santa's eyes are drawn on his forehead and angels have dubious things hanging from their backs, that definitely don't look like wings. We like to buy from small businesses or independent vendors at craft shows or online, but we're also learning how to make Christmas ornaments from scratch. Making a paper snowflake was a simple and fun project done while we were watching TV. I remember doing this paper project when I was in kindergarten, so it really is easy. The most difficult part might be picking the right book to butcher, if you choose to use book pages instead of regular paper. I did, so I picked Jerry Seinfeld's Seinlanguage . Jerry wouldn't mind, and all

Anna from Door Sixteen is crowdsourcing a list of independent crafters, artists and designers that offer an excellent alternative to shopping in big box stores for your holiday gift. Supporting a small business means supporting a talented artist make a living. I strongly believe that making a living through your art and work should be a viable alternative in this day and age.  So I combed through the links of talented designers and makers, and picked a few gift options that are made in Europe: 1. Inge of Windward Made offers sustainable fashion accessories and home goods made of fine hemp fabrics. A couple of her creations that I really like: Hemp and organic cotton tea pot cozy and tea towel. Hand-printed, non-toxic ink and organic fabrics.  2. Ella Moe makes mesmerizing kaleidoscopic cards that you can buy in a set of 4. 3. Boxwood pendants stamped with handmade stamps are a really unique gift made by Judith of  Kiriku Artesania .  4. Yvonn

I always loved putting up a Christmas Tree. The glitz, the anticipation, taking the ornaments out of the boxes, reminiscing about each and every one of them. But there are times when a tree may prove too big or too complicated an idea. I remember that before I moved countries, I wanted to keep the Christmas tree decorations as hassle-free as possible. So if you're getting ready to move, or your apartment is too small for a Christmas tree, or you're traveling for the holidays and can't justify decorating an empty house ... these 4 ideas are for you. From top, clockwise, we have inspiration from : 1. Live tree in a pot with polka dot hearts and stripped hearts found on Trendenser . 2. Wooden tree with white stars made by Ann Elin from Idyll and him . 3. Advent calendar in the shape of a tree from Home by Linn . 4. Twig Christmas tree with black stars and lanterns from Lekker Fris .

  This adorable house with a Christmas tree next to it is made out of stoneware clay and high fire glazes by Elukka .   Kimara Crafts sells a few variations of this Finnish Christmas stocking upcycled from vintage curtain, medium weight white cotton fabric with red gingham pattern.  These cross-shaped felt bowl by Aika Felt Works are made using an innovative technique for bending felt into shape while maintaining consistent thickness.     A soft cotton heart garland would make the tree look even more festive and lovely. Sold by Poppy's Home.  

Christmas markets are one of my favorite places to be in December. I love going to markets because there's no knowing what you're going to find, but you can be sure there will be a feast for the senses. Christmas markets embody all that is right about shopping (beautiful craftmanship and artistry) without the consumerism of malls and chain stores. It really gives a warm and fuzzy feeling to know that you can buy homemade gingerbread, mulled wine and wood carved figurines and, at the same time, help a small business sustain itself. The first Christmas markets originated in Germany, and dates back to the 1300s. So it's only appropriate that we start our list with a German Christmas market. 1. Munich, Germany Source: EuropeanBeautiful The market at Marienplatz, facing the city's charming Gothic City Hall, is the place that becomes a winter wonderland in the heart of Munich. The origins of this market are though to date back to the 14th century, thus making it on

What is Mod Podge? Where can I get Washi tape? What is a Sharpie? Where is the nearest West Elm? Why is everybody into chevron? These were but a few questions I had when I started reading about design and DIY. That feels as if it was a million blogs ago. You see, in my European corner of the universe, a Sharpie was called a permanent marker and Anthropologie was just a field of study. Probably 90% of the blogs I was reading originated in the United States. Their writers were sharing tips about Dollar Store crafts, giveaways open to U.S. Residents only and an obsession with Target that I could neither understand nor relate to. It seemed that my blog reads were all coming from a magical kingdom at the intersection of New York and San Francisco, with a few streets of Toronto and Chicago thrown in for good measure. The writers in this kingdom were all amazingly talented people, but I wanted something closer to my own heart. Sure, there was some Paris and London in there,