Hah, I have found something perfect for a friend who will soon be moving from New York to live in Sydney.  This will be a cool reminder under the fruit – or under the cables, cameras and mobile phones, or perhaps just on it’s own.

The bowls are designed by dutch designer Frederik Roije.  They are scaled city maps of Manhatten and Amsterdam, and cast in Aluminium. The Amsterdam bowl measures 48 x 35 x8cm costs about NZ$394 + shipping.  The Manhatten bowl measures 90 x 23 x 5cm and costs NZ$475 + shipping.  It looked so much cheaper in Euros blast it!

I love the story behind these wooden birds.  From Sanna’s site it reads ‘In Karelia there was an ancient belief in the Sielulintu or Soul bird. The Sielulintu was thought to deliver the soul to newborn babies and also to transport the soul to the afterlife at the moment of death. It was believed the Sielulintu protected a persons soul at it’s most vulnerable; when dreaming, and it was tradition to keep a carved wooden bird by the bedside to keep the soul safe during sleep.’

You can purchase the large (14 x 22cm) or small (14.5 x 12cm) and Sanna ships internationally. Only bummer is that they are quite costly – at NZ$162 for the small version or $206 for the large.  But there are only 100 of each, made from sustainable solid brown oak,  you could be one in 200 to own one special Soul bird.

via [Freshly Blended]

I bet you thought I had given up on my blog…..no….just busy with the kids.

When browsing home listings, something I notice are cool lights or lamps, and this is one I’ve fallen for.  The Nautilus Light by Rebecca Asquith, is such a reminder of the beach and holidays and the bach….well – perhaps the posh bach. Anyway, they come in two sizes and three colours and you can get them right here.  They start at NZ$460, which isn’t too bad considering some ‘light features’ cost thousands; plus they ship worldwide.

The large wheel clock is cool!  I love a great big clock in the house as it can be seen from a distance and we don’t have to run over to the oven and check the time. The images above show some other cool bike clocks over at Etsy.  The second and third clocks are from 1 By Liz, and the other two by Pixel This.  Both stores have a great range of clocks and they can be shipped worldwide.  Mr Bohaute; being a mountain biker, would probably like one of these in the ‘man cave’.

Once while in Manhattan I walked past a Sushi Restaurant and in the window there was a collection of people made from wire – I took photos but sadly cannot find them now.  Recently while over at Modish I found these and thought again how cool wire work is.  It makes me want to pop down to the hardware store for some and try my hand at it.  You can purchase them online right here for about NZ$15 each; they ship worldwide and take major credit cards and paypal.

Do you ever wonder who to go to for photographs that don’t look painfully posed?  After browsing through Sandii McDonald’s website I think I’ve found just the person.  Not only does she take fantastic photos for magazines, media and the like, but also does family portraits that don’t look like they should be put away in the bottom drawer – capturing spontaneous moments with your family and children that would look great on the wall.  And if you need some stock photography, she has a range of images over at Photo New Zealand.  Go take a look and give her a call for your next sitting.

image [Sandii McDonald]

After seeing this viking doll on a calendar I had to see more!  Sandra Monat from Herzensart is the lady behind these cool dolls and she has a vast selection of girl and boy versions plus many more fairytale characters.  To see the great range click here.  They cost about NZ$190 (ouch – but aren’t they so gorgeous) and are sold all over the world.  The gallery showcases even more fantastic designs and her blog shows you the time and energy that goes into making these 42cm beauties!  I would love a pair for Master Five and Miss 3mths old – textile art in all it’s colourful glory!

While trying to get Miss 3mths old to sleep in the stroller, I found this great selection of stationery and more in the bookstore at Sylvia Park Mall.  The Australian Cristina Re range includes DIY, gifts, books and software – over 300 products that sell to over 1000 stores around Australia and New Zealand.  Take a look here at all the goodies available (paper, notepads, invitations, wrapping etc), and to find a stockist, click here.  Yet another writing pad made it home for the grocery list!

I have always been a fan of the Bullet Planters, but these are even better.  Pad in Los Angeles are behind these Pods Planters which were only unveiled at the Dwell On Design show in Los Angeles last month.   You can buy them here for NZ$238 each(ouch) and they ship internationally – just email for prices.  They come in six colours, with stands in two heights and can be used indoors or out as they are aluminium with an exterior grade powder-coated finish.  I would love a colourful set of five for herbs but the cost would blow my mind….will have to stick to the packaged supermarket herbs for now.

via [Apartment Therapy]

Homage in Newmarket, Auckland has just had a new shipment of furniture arrive, so go take a look as soon as you can. They have a great range of iconic mid century reproduction furniture, plus a range for your little ones also.  You can download their catalogue here for a look at what’s available and better yet, they are super helpful at making sure you get just the right piece for your home – even if it means taking a couple of pieces home.

Something I had always meant to get for our son’s room was a mobile, and it just didn’t happen.  However I found the 8 Planets which would suit him more now…and even better, each planet glows in the dark.  Julie Firth is the lady who designed it and you can buy it through her website or her Etsy shop with paypal for US$120 (NZ$185).  She ships anywhere in the world – just email for a price.  Click here for more of her Calder inspired mobiles.  

These are like a hip modern version of Matryoshka Dolls – except they don’t stack.  You can paint them yourself with their starter kit, or buy them already done.  They start at about NZ$15 and ship anywhere so go check out the great selection at Michelle and Kelly’s etsy store Goose Grease.  I would love a family of four all painted up….perhaps for Mothers Day!

via [Bloesem Kids]

Orange Beautiful has this print for sale for US$10 in their etsy shop. I would love it on the wall where I practice my yoga, and I think it would make a great gift for a yogi or yogini.

Over at The Scoop I spied this collection of beautiful alphabet prints.  The mixture of pattern and colour makes me want to spread them all around my daughters room…already she is staring at anything bright so perhaps these would have her laying happily in her bed so I can get some chores done! Jennifer is the girl behind JHill Design and she also has a great range of calendars and cards worth taking a look at.

Above is a pic of my nieces 8th birthday party she had last week.  It looked so pretty that I had to share this great DIY from Martha Stewart  Weddings.  

How to Make the Pom-Poms:

You’ll need tissue paper and 24-gauge white cloth-covered floral wire.

Hanging Pom-Poms
1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.

Napkin Rings

With just a few changes, these follow the same steps as the hanging pom-poms.

1. Stack four sheets of tissue. Cut a 10-by-5-inch rectangle, going through all layers. Make 3/8-inch-wide accordion folds.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, slip over center of tissue, and twist to secure. Trim ends of tissue.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Bend wire into a loop to fit around napkin, and twist end around loop to secure.

If you are after something a little different for your wall, then how about Oar art.  The lady behind these great pieces is Leanne Culy, a New Zealand woman living in the beautiful Bay of Islands.  Take a look at her About page and scroll down to see more of her oar art.  There are several galleries here that may have her pieces for sale.

I posted a while back about the great little birds made from vintage wallpaper, (that you can now get at Allium Interiors here in Auckland) and still I love the other pieces in the range for children’s rooms.  The folks over at the online store Romp have a great selection of the Inke silhouettes, and down-under here and here stock a selection as well.  Quite expensive but if you own your home or know the rooms going to be the kid’s for a while then they are a great way to brighten a room without the standard one-wall-painted-different-colour-theme. 

After hunting around for a little side table for the nursery, I came across these cool stools/tables!  The Zaishu comes flat packed and takes only one minute to assemble, is hand printed with cool artwork by international artists and is made from sustainable Australian native plantation pine.  My favourite is the Antique Kimono which features rare patterns from the 16th century Edo period in Japan. Made in Australia you can buy them online and they ship worldwide or google them and you’ll find a few stores that sell them.  At AUD$350 I am finding it hard to justify right now – (with all the other baby stuff that’s far more a necessity than a pretty side table) – but I am just going to keep saving as it’s already got a spot waiting!