Sitting Pretty by Alison Day
Autumn has arrived—green leaves turn to red, yellow and brown as they wither and conkers fall to the ground—
#PaintingSeptember #Paintseptember
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Friday 26 September 2014
Tuesday 23 September 2014
Aromatic Green
Aromatic Green by Alison Day
I love growing herbs—the ease with which they transform from seed to a flourishing plant—pungent, spicy Basil is my favourite (along with coriander). #PaintingSeptember #Paintseptember
Wednesday 2 July 2014
Midweek Eco chic
Absolutely love the way Ecochic has used reclaimed wood and up-cycled it to give it a new life as an easy chair and foot stool.
Source: One Green Planet
Webshop
Posted with BlogsyMonday 11 March 2013
Pyramid Hacienda
Continuing with the Vertical Gardens theme I champion, I found this rather ingenious design for one that not only maximizes space, but is quite attractive too. Featured by Green Renaissance, its construction looks a relatively easy design to replicate if you are handy (and so inclined).
A wall brightening and more organically shaped solution is the pot tree, where pots can be interchanged, as well as reorganized to get the desired effect.
The lettuce wall, however, I think is ingeniously simple. It is a good use of vertical space in order to grow ecologically friendly and pesticide free crops, hands stay clean, and it serves as a decorative divider in the planning of a landscaped garden.
If you want a bit of inspiration when it comes to construction, take a look at the Florafelt growers from Plants on Walls - they are created using recycled plastic bottles and an indestructible nylon non-toxic fibre. Once the plants have 'settled in', the effect is amazing!
Tuesday 3 July 2012
Bosco Verticale
Continuing in the interests of the environment, health and sanity of people, and a favourite topic of mine - vertical agriculture.
Architects in Milan are tackling the concrete jungle by replenishing the greenery to our increasingly grey cities and modern lifestyles. The project is known as 'Bosco Verticale' (Vertical Forest) and involves incorporating 900 trees, 5,000 bushes and 11,000 plants across the balconies of two towers in the centre of Milan and includes a built-in watering system. The hope is that this will boost Oxygen levels, reduce CO2 and noise pollution.
Saturday 16 June 2012
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Monday 23 April 2012
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Invisible Body
Recent artwork of Peruvian artist Cecilia Paredes’ has her disappearing into the backgrounds of her artwork like a chameleon to his habitat - not through magic but with paint. Via Design Taxi
Monday 26 December 2011
Gingerbread from Hell
Looking for presents that will fit
into Santa's Christmas stocking, for Christmas Eve, can sometimes be a trial.
They must be not only be inexpensive, but of course the aim is to fill up as
much space as possible in the stocking, thereby reducing the remaining xmas
shopping trips necessary. The other ulterior motive here is that originality of
ideas aren't too taxing for the brain, as that stress level has already been
achieved, by the all important main present,
waiting beautifully wrapped under the Christmas tree.
Although my son is actually no longer a 'believer' in Santa, he
is still young enough, where, if he pulls the baby-eyed 'pleazzzz, can I have a
stocking?' I will still oblige (In a couple more years, I'll be able to
extricate myself from that obligation totally).
With this in mind, I was delighted by one stocking present I
came across, which happened to be a DIY Gingerbread House Kit, complete with,
yes you guessed it, gingerbread, icing and little kitsch and brightly-coloured
icing-sugar decorations, in the forms of a gingerbread man, a gift, a Christmas
tree, a festive wreath and coloured dots. Assembly seemed fairly straight
forward, 'Fun to Make' was emblazoned on the front, and the end result looked picturesque.
Christmas morning duly arrived as is its wont, and
the stocking was enthusiastically unpacked, wrapping paper tossed
aside on the floor, treasures revealed. Of course once opened the DIY
gingerbread house was top of the agenda, and, had to be made. What could I
say...'sure, go for it, don't expect me to join in, and let me finish my tea in
peace, please... '
In the first instance everything went
fine, the pieces of gingerbread and coloured sugar icing deco's were taken out
of their packaging and laid out carefully, in anticipation.
The minuscule text of the instructions on the back of the box was read, and the images viewed, whilst the packet of icing (for the glue and snow decor)
was softened in a bowl of hot water.
Simple procedure - no chance - the
aforementioned icing softened but instantly solidified again before ever reaching the
gingerbread pieces! This meant my tea and I parted company, as I was roped into
holding various walls and roof bits, whilst the sugary 'glue' supposedly set.
No joy. So, we decided to make our own (from icing sugar and water, what
else?). This was certainly a more appetizing mixture to look at, but would it stick... Hell
No! Was I covered in icing by the end? Yup.
As if the above trials and
tribulations weren't enough, downside no. 2 was taste. If asked to rate this
culinary ruin as to its edibility, I can say without a doubt that is the most disgusting 'gingerbread' I have ever tasted! Not only was it
rock hard but scented with what can only be described
as lavender toilet freshener. The icing sugar deco's were
the same too, equally inedible and tooth-breakers.
As a result, the demolition team was
called for, and, amid peals of laughter, the walls were well and truly
brought down, and the ruins relegated to the bin!
So, be warned, not every gingerbread house is going to end
up looking like the picture on the box it came in, and, as for
tasty, unless, you are a witch, or named Hansel or Gretel, there's no
guarantee there either!
Saturday 3 December 2011
Own the Present
The Present from - m ss ng p eces more on @FastCodeDesign
Want to learn more about The Present? Join their mailing list: waitingforthepresent@mssngpeces.com.
Saturday 13 November 2010
What's Hot, What's Not - Rainbows
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high.
There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby
There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby
Rainbows are an occurrence of optical beauty and a
meteorological masterpiece, caused when the sun shines on droplets of moisture
in the atmosphere. It is no wonder then, that this natural colourful phenomenon
creates pleasant and positive mental associations in all who view them.
Aside from the natural world, it was the English
physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, who developed the theory of colour, when he found
out that if white light was shone through a prism, its refraction produced the
colours of a rainbow, particularly those of the colour spectrum visible to the
human eye. Clever chap for sure and that discovery was but one string in his
masterful bow.
As far as mythology is concerned, the world over,
the rainbow is seen as connecting heaven and earth and in the Dreamtime of
Australian Aboriginal mythology, the rainbow snake is the deity who governs
water.
In the film of The Wizard of Oz (based on the tale
written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum), the rainbow becomes a central theme when
Judy Garland sings the unforgettable song ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, during
which we are led along a road of fantasy and colour as the characters each
search for their heart’s desire and ultimately their destiny, ending at the
Wizard's castle.
Finally, if you look around you, these days rainbows
can be found on a multitude of things. Rainbow flags for example, have been
around for quite a while. Many cultures around the world use a rainbow flag as:
‘a sign of diversity, inclusiveness and of hope and of yearning.’ Rainbow flags
of past and present include South American (Inca origins), Buddhist,
Co-Operative and Peace movements as well as Gay Pride. In the case of the Gay community
(LGBT), it is also known as the ‘Freedom Flag.’ Established as a symbol by
artist Gilbert Baker in San Francisco in 1978, the different colours symbolize
the diversity present in the Gay community itself.
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