SparkyFizz

BAFTA Beauty...

Whilst watching the BAFTA  just now on TV, I was, of course, delighted to see Colin Firth and Carey Mulligan receive best actor and actress awards for their performances in 'A Single Man' and 'An Education'. 

The highlight for me, though, was the Fellowship Award given to Vanessa Redgrave for her 'outstanding and exceptional contribution to film' reported in today's Sunday Telegraph.

 

  

Such elegance and grace together with talent and beauty deserve this very fitting tribute.  She is a great force, both in her acting career and as a human rights activist. 

However, it is her incandescent beauty that I find most appealing.  Here is the greatest advert for Botox/cosmetic surgery  avoidance ever seen!  I do think she is still stunningly beautiful, despite the wrinkles.  

 

Although somewhat younger, I think Annie Lennox has a similar strong beauty, (and shares performance and humanitarian rights involvement - hmm...)

 

  

The Inimitable Wee Birdy is Flying Away...

Wee Birdy is leaving London...!  I'm so sad.  I have just loved her blog, her style, energy, innovation, tenacity.  What more can be said?  Who can possibly carry on from her?  She is going back to her home city, Sydney.  Of course, in our global world, she will continue to blog from Sydney, but it won't be the same for us Londoners... but I will continue to read her blog -  you never know, she might come back here.  Her last poetic London post  (February 19 - Goodbye London, hello Sydney) was such a tearjerker, please do read it and see what London's loss will be.  So thank you Top Bird for all your inspiration and I wish you a wonderful time back home. 

 

February Hearts...

I did say that I had some more hearts...  these are all taken from work I've made, albeit a little bit late for Valentine's Day!  It's a good job February has something going for it...  I made this mosaic with the help of Big Huge Labs via Flickr - it's free!

 

     

 

I love these pouffes from...

www.ferm-living.com

I'm a little worried about my obsession with pouffes...

I seem to feature quite a lot of them on here...

Ferm are a Danish company that I discovered recently.

Belated Valentines...

 

Just a few days late...  oh, well!  I've got lots more hearts somewhere...  maybe tomorrow?

Fashion Icons...

Alexander McQueen...

 

 

Whether you loved or disliked his work, it's sad to think we won't be seeing it again...

His influence on Lady Gaga at the Brits Awards Ceremony lives on...  (photos by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe)

 

I wasn't sure if the men helping her to walk by holding each of her hands, were trying to keep her on her heels or hold her hair in place...  bizarre indeed!  (Photo from the Guardian 17/02/10)

Jack Frost... still not here...

 
 

It's the middle of February and my boiler has broken down!  This is the second time that a boiler of mine has broken down in February.  Why not July or August??  So, it's freezing in my house, which is large, seriously unlagged and totally devoid of curtains or blinds.  This is an old house which we've been 'doing up' forever, and so many things are still unfinished.  It's also half-term, so all the children are at home too...! I'm not sure if I'm more distressed by the lack of heating or hot water. It was minus 3 last night, so I went to bed with socks on.

Now, I'm interested to know when I became such a wimp about a bit of cold?  As a child growing up in the north of the UK, the weather was often ferocious in the winter.  In the 1960's we had no central heating, just open fires, only two of them, no bathroom or constant hot water and an outside toilet!  I don't ever remember being unduly distressed by this, I don't even remember being particularly cold.  So how is that?  

What I remember is a wonderful roaring fire started by my Father very early in the morning, and Jack Frost!  I think it's quite sad that my children have never encountered Jack Frost and the incredible beauty of his mark making on our windows.  

 

As a child I was fascinated and intrigued by these wonderful patterns and the stories of the elf, Jack Frost.  Of course we don't have this any more because we have such warm houses.  The fact that Jack Frost appeared on the inside of the window panes was the most exciting thing. 

  

For those who don't know, these wonderful patterns appear when it is below freezing outside, but there is some moisture in the cold air inside, then the beautiful crystals appear.  Like snowflakes the myriad patterns are all unique.  

 

I think I secretly hoped that when I awoke this morning, I'd be greeted by a childhood memory.  Sadly, not - our houses are just too warm and dry, even when the boiler hasn't worked for 24 hours.  I wonder how long it would take, maybe just a few days?  

 

So, my children still haven't experienced the wonder of Jack Frost...

The Pouf that only a Mother could love...

 

This is the most adorable pouf ever, don't you think?   Shame then, that the talented owner, Amy, from  Sweet, Sweet Life is not so impressed.  She's not happy with the shape or the apparent lumpiness.  For my part I would be inclined to forgive any defects and embrace the obvious charm this lovely pouf exudes!  Okay, I can see it might not be easy to sit on... or balance on...  but as a piece of textural sculpture, it could be a masterpiece.  The colours are also wonderful.  Amy says she's now going to lock it away in her closet, what do you think about this sort of cruelty...?  

 

I love this room, also  featured on Sweet, Sweet Life for many reasons.  The lovely wooden floor and rug, the cushion and stool, the very inviting sofa with eclectic jewel coloured cushions.  I think it's the wall arrangement  that pulls everything together, with its theme of 'birds', but it still looks just a little haphazard, which I like.  It belongs to Samantha Martin-Evans, a photographer.

 

Amy designed and made the wall hanging, one of many on her blog. Sadly, she has decided to take a break from blogging in order to concentrate on something new.  I will miss her lovely work, so thank you Amy for your inspiration over the last year, and best wishes with your new projects. 

 

Another circular cushion to lust after, love the slightly sludgy colours, these are the colours I find easy to live with.  Emma Lamb has an Etsy shop selling these and similar delightful things.

 

Everything is finished beautifully with great care including vintage buttons and a daisy tag.

 

Maybe you would prefer her unusual and lovely wallhangings?  Love the colours again, nothing too bright, easy on the eye.

All from Bella Dia  - fine crochet on stones, delicious colours! 

 

This is my bright crochet for the day, with its fabulous random sized squares from Artmind.  Imagine the work that went into that, how did she ever manage to sew it together?  Lots of bright ideas and tutorials on this blog. 

London - Winter Shopping...

Oh, twas a dreary, drizzly, chilly day in London...

 
 
 We girls decided to go 'posh' window shopping after sending the boys to Avatar.  We only spent money on eating though!  Fortnum and Mason was the first call for the necessary afternoon tea to give us energy for the journey!

 

Our good friend from Sweden, Erica, came with us.

 

Of course I was unprepared as usual, didn't have my lovely camera, just my iPhone, so poor quality photos...  love the colour of those cups and saucers though.  

Oh yes, we had real afternoon tea leaves and a 1930's tea strainer.

 

Kate's jewellery added to the elegance...

 

The scones and tea were good, but I've had better elsewhere.  It was soooo expensive - we won't be doing that again for quite some time...!

 

The entire shop is beautiful, especially the windows...

 

Even the apologies are lovely...

  

I love the reflections in this window...

        

I felt dizzy looking up to the other floors...

 
 
 The elegance of the area was also a pleasure...

 

Up Regent St with its curvy regency listed facade...

 

...to Anthropologie!  A fabulous shop - fairly new in London - I could have stayed all day...!

 

Birdhouses made from recycled tin and waxed packaging, a mobile made from rubbish, bottle lids etc...

 

An amazing interior wall of live foliage which covered three floors...

 

And many beautiful fabrics...

   

...and ceramics...

     

lots of fashionware, I wish I'd bought this for Kate...

 

and quirkiness galore!

   

I was desperate for some of  those drippy candles, (and maybe the Mateus Rose wine bottles circa 1970's to put them in...) but I couldn't see them for sale.

 

Lots of these animal hooks, squirrels, mice, owls etc...

 

I loved the eclectic, slightly bohemian look...

  
 
 

 

vintage collections...

 

Rosa's adopted the owl as her avatar...  I like how it blended into her hair.

 

This bear was so imposing...

 

This was a mirror masquerading as a door... with Kate, Rosa and Erica reflected in it

 

I was lusting after these little notebooks full of handmade paper - one of the few things I could probably afford!  There was also a 'coffee table' art book by John Rombola 'Eclectic Eccentric' which I may have to go back for.

 

This sumptuous rug had a slightly raised octupus on the surface...

 

and there were lots of variations of this little koala bear - elephants, rabbits, turtles etc - also affordable for most.

 

 Oh my, I think we spent more than a couple of hours in this shop!  I felt as though we'd visited a museum, art  gallery, theatre, garden centre, junk shop, fashion emporium... all rolled into one!   

They could do with a cafe and some toilets! 

Just enough energy left for a quick whirl around Liberty further up the street ( and a visit to the Ladies Powder Room, complete with hand towels and hand lotion - you have to pay, mind you...)  But then the attendant cleans the toilet after every single use, running in with spray and cloth... could be embarrassing don't you think?

  

I'm sure these William Morris style blouses are due for a fashion renaissance circa 1970's!

   

Phew!  Time to go home, it was dark and all the shops were closing.  Didn't do half of what we intented. We were so exhausted by the time we got home.  No energy to cook, so we had a wonderful Indian take away!