Marimekko Giveaway

I'm giving back!

Yeah!

I have a super-cute Marimekko cushion to give to one of my lovely readers. It is made from Mini-Unikko fabric designed by Maija Isola and Kristina Isola  - which is a charming take on the iconic 1964 Marimekko Unikko design.

My uber-talented friend Melissa (the silent daughter) from Seamstress and The Daughters made this beauty from fabric I had left over from a previous project. So, it is like eco-friendly too!

It is gorgeous and I know you want it.

This is what you have to do to be in the running:

1. You must leave a comment on this post between Sunday 28 February 2010 ending Sunday 7 March 2010 at 9 pm (AEST or Brisbane time).

2. If you are super-duper keen and want to advertise my giveaway on your own blog, you get a second entry (you need to tell me though, because my sixth sense is a bit dodgy).

3. The competition is also open to everyone and I'm happy to post overseas.

4. I will announce the winner on Monday 8 March 2010.

Your odds of winning this are extremely high and it would be madness not to enter (sorry for the hyperbole).

So, a big thank-you goes to Melissa for helping me with Fun and VJs first ever giveaway.

If you are a Brisbane dweller, Seamstress and the Daughters will be at the BrisStyle Indie Designers Markets on Saturday 6 March 2010 at St Augustine's Church, Racecourse Road, Hamilton. Well worth the effort of going if you like unique hand-crafted items.

Seamstress and the Daughters have really cool stuff such as, my favourite, the iGranny.

If I had an iPhone and was still working in PR (yep, my previous life), I would buy this. If you can't wait until Saturday, go here.

Kitchen Collage and Kitchenism

The Picasa collage thing is very enjoyable, so I did a quick collage of our still newish kitchen.

I didn't realise how opinionated people were about decor until I started reading design/home blogs. And when it comes to kitchens there seems to be some very passionate views being aired about the best type of benchtops, cabinet materials, appliances, colours etc. etc...

A new scourge in our troubled world - Kitchenism!

In Blogland there appears to be an anti-granite fraternity, a white kitchen insurgency group, anti-visible microwave lobby, "say No" to the island bench movement and countless other kitchen factions. It's enough to give a good-natured suburban renovator a complex!

I don't see why it would matter if you are not the person using the kitchen? Shouldn't we show more tolerance?

From my perspective a kitchen is only as good as the food that is produced in it. The best food I have eaten has usually come from a non-designer kitchen - my Mum's.

Good food produced in a gorgeous kitchen is just a pleasing aesthetic bonus. However, there is much disappointment if "friends" with a fab looking kitchen just re-heat party sausage rolls for a sit-down dinner party (we don't eat there anymore because we are Foodists - yet another scourge).

Anyway, I hope my kitchen doesn't annoy your kitchen decor sensibilities.

Contrary Arabia Finland plate

By far the grooviest thing I have in my collection of serving platters is a heavy stoneware Arabia plate.

Mum lent it to me when I was hosting a party because I was in dire need of serving platters. She said I could keep it.

Arabia Finland Fructus plate

Arabia is made in Finland. This 1960s hand glazed design is called Fructus by Gunvor Olin Gronquist. It is of an exceptional quality and for a nearly 50 year-old plate, it looks brand new.

The underside of the Arabia Finland plate

I don't really know that much about Arabia, but I have always adored the cute little jam pots that you see floating around on the internet. They are considered highly collectable.

I guess this plate is not to everyone's taste because it is brown and the fashion now dictates for plain white serving dishes. And true, food does look better on a crisp white plate (I'm partial to Villeroy & Boch).
 
But I like to run against the tide sometimes and whip this plate out just to be contrary. In doing so, it has become my most favourite. Finnish brown stoneware in a sea of white china certainly creates a point of difference.
 
I even like to shake things up a bit further and make delightfully retro food. My "devils on horseback" are a winner and you'd be surprised how quickly they disappear at a party!

Geckoes

Is it just me or are geckoes taking over the world?

I've lived in Brisbane all my life and I can't ever recall seeing geckoes gallivanting so blatantly when I was younger.

One of two geckoes playing in our front entry last night

They seem like they are colonising the house. Actually, when Jason removed the old outdoor lantern on Sunday, he disturbed a nest of gecko eggs inside the cavity. I would've taken a photo, but I was too busy dry retching at the sight.

Reptiles are not my cup of tea I'm afraid. Let me rephrase. I'm afraid of reptiles.

My nightly view while I'm tapping away on the laptop is of geckoes suctioned onto the outside window playing cat and mouse with the bugs. It is a very mesmerizing David Attenborough experience as I observe these little lizards gobble up their meal. And they don't even know that I'm watching.

I know they are a good to have around to eat up all the bugs and spiders but...they really love what we have done to the place and seem to be moving in!

Our gecko problem is exacerbated by the fact we have no fly screens on our windows and because we don't have air conditioning we need to have the windows opened during summer.

Another project: how to flyscreen a Queenslander house...

Outdoor lantern installed

Jason installed our freebie outdoor lantern this morning (thanks again to Maisie and more).

After checking that his life insurance was up-to-date, the green light was given to Jason for his first ever electrical job. Insisting that footwear be worn was another essential element to the job. I also double-checked that he did indeed turn the mains power off.

Despite Jason's generally poor adherence to occupational health and safety standards, I am happy to say I was not made a wealthy widow today.

The brand new shiny lantern looks good. Sadly, it also highlights that a serious external paint job (or, at the very least, a house wash) is required...

Brand new shiny light

Out with the old and in with the new