extract

i didn't expect it to sell so quickly, but today the shopper (with the skull, cf post september 20th) was snatched-up by a young lady. so there you are, it's gone...

a new space invader

talking about mobiles... you know i can't resist them and in paris i gave in to temptation again and ordered two very graphic mobiles in a striking colour palette, with, yes you guessed it! some touch of neon. (i have become so predictable, haven't i... must do something unpredictable soon again!)

this will be my first shipment from LA ever. hello california! fortunately the paper mobiles come flat packed, but YOU will have to fold them. or the person you will give it too, hi,hi. i'm told it's very easy though.

la joie de vivre

this little boy looks so concentrated and happy on the changing table i'm sure there must be a huge smile on the photographer's face too! Sinan was born just 4 days after his mother bought this mobile for him...

and this too

i have long been looking for leather wallets and now i finally found some made of soft, grainy leather in several colours and a lovely little silkscreen print inside. these wallets will come in two sizes with several compartments and a zipper pocket for change. the larger one (pictured) can also hold an iphone. i'll let you know as soon as i get them.

today i just ordered these...

in several colours. if all goes well, you won't be able to resist!

fall fairy

i tear out magazine sheets and download many pictures for inspiration and then i can't remember where i got them from. this picture i saved under Paulo Roversi because i knew i would post it some day... now i just came across this luminous picture again and thought today, on a fine autumn saturday, was just the day. beautifully unreal and enchanting, don't you think?

believe it or not, the colour/print mix and the texture reminds me of pictures i've seen with carpets, i'll make sure to post them soon. happy week-end everyone!

nuts

really, what happens to the lay-out when i just copy and paste things into the blog for 21 q+a is beyond me. then when i try to change things in the blogger interface directly it doesn't save the changes on formats etc. makes me go mental!

and don't say it's my fault! i'd better give up for now...

btw: it's usually something i drag my feet on but beginning of next year i'll make it a project to overhaul my website and fuse it with the blog. if you're into graphic design and a programmer in disguise please get back to me!

21 questions + answers - Eva

Eva, born 1966 in Bern, physiotherapist

starsign: pisces

likes: cappuccino, swimming in the Aare, singing, music, poetry, reading, good movies, ice cream, flea market, baking cookies

dislikes: crowded and noisy places, to freeze, disrespect, cruelty to people and animals, staying inside all day, pain

1. which are the 3 words that describe you best?

sensitive, interested, tall

2. the natural talent you would like to be gifted with?

to be able to sleep wherever I want to

3. what is your principal defect?

Thinking too much

4. which is your morning routine?

heading to the kitchen for a cup of tea, then waking up slowly

5. do you exercise?

twice a week I do an hour of bike in the fitness centre, stretching and a couple of exercises while listening to audio books

6. which is the trait of character that really attracts you in another person?

warm-heartedness, natural charm and wit.

7. which is the bad habit you would like to shed?

to sleep late in the morning

8. where is your favorite place to be?

at my godmothers house in Iseltwald. in Rosenlaui. at the sea.

9. what’s your favorite occupation?

to drink a coffee in a nice spot while reading and observing people. singing with others.

10. what drives you in life?

curiosity and the search for existence.

11. which is/was your happiest decade so far in life?

joker

12. your thoughts on having children/not having children?

it’s great to have children for those who want to, but not at all cost

13. you would never have guessed that life would turn out to be so…

different from what I expected

14. what do you aspire to?

to live my true nature

15. which is your most valued possession?

my jewellery from the boudoir!

16. whom do you dress for?

most important of all is how I feel in my clothes. inside the house it’s just for me, outside it can be a protection, have a message or a certain intention.

17. what puts you in a good mood?

‘Paper music’ a cd by Bobby Mc Ferrin. an unexpected smile or talk with a stranger. seeing a close friend. being at my favorite places.

18. getting older is…

sometimes difficult to let go of youth and its opportunities but at the same time relaxing

19. your present state of mind?

somewhere between sanity and insanity

20. a motto you would care to live by?

Take your pleasure seriously (Charles Eames)

21. do you believe in luck?

Yes, sure!

new season ahoy!

september 21, folks... there's no two ways about it: autumn is really here. yesterday when i left work around 8pm it was already pitch dark. but autumn can be glorious in zurich, if only there wasn't the prospect of winter!

pictured above is my second favorite of the new little vases/tealights and i think this little boat guided by a star in a billowing sea catches the mood of the day.

shopper

a little bit of neon goes a long way! skull & neon is a combination that is not everybody's cup of tea, i know, i know... mind you, i like it (maybe it's because i'm an aquarius - a good excuse for anything!)

if you're tired to store countless migros/coop paper bags at home and haven't one yet: buy a shopper. this one is big and strong enough to hold all your grocery shopping and your laptop too. if you're a bubbly mind this handprinted shopper is made for you.

streetlife

you know it's the end of summer when university starts again... i was a little surprised when arriving for work, it had been so quiet for the last months i had forgotten how crowded it gets around here at midday.

pops of colour, bang! bang!

i don't know about you but a dark and rainy sunday like yesterday makes me yearn for colour (maybe the fact that i had to work on my tax declaration made me feel even more gloomy). every autumn i tell myself to buy coloured jumpers for the cold days but i usually end up with greys, black and other dark colours all the same... so boring! an easy way to perk up is with accessories like shawls or at least a colourful bracelet like the ones pictured above. also available with silver pendants.

new

as you might have guessed by now i have a soft spot for jewellery, mobiles and of course ceramics. so i'm pleased to show you these new vases and candleholders that have just arrived. all are individually handdecorated with ceramic decalls so each piece is a one off.

a little cry of dismay escaped me when a customer picked the piece with the icebear, i just managed to snatch a picture before it went out the door the same day it arrived... i wish she had chosen another one!

picture below shows one of the larger vases, picture by Kristine Meyer.

back from paris

hello, i'm back in the shop again after a week in paris. all a lot of fun you will think but i can tell you that scouring the fairs is a back-breaking job. even more so if you're wearing a pair of killer heels as these unafraid ladies did... au!

i don't know if it is the hormones of tap-water but seems young men in paris like to wear a plunging decolleté now, not sure it's a good trend... i was too afraid to take pictures...

please note that the shop will be closed from 6th to 13th of september!

already friday again! next week i'm off to fairs in paris, so i leave you with this week's 21 q+a.

(i had strange problems with the template so it will come in two parts instead of one, sorry).

good week-end everyone!

21 questions + answers - Andrea

Andrea, born 1975 in Lugano, mathematician
starsign: sagittarius
likes: micro and my family. children, friendship and friends. courage, respect and generosity. passion and enthusiasm. summer, sun and heat. Ticino, Italy, London, Berlin. the mountains and the forests. cooking and good food. tango and football. holidays, weekends and summer evenings. stopping at an autogrill on the way to Tuscany. a good cappuccino while reading the FT Weekend. walk and hike. beauty and delicacy. Bach, Kylian, Rafael, Peter Doig Maradona, Chicho Frumboli. Neil Robertson scoring century breaks. i actually quite like my life.
dislikes: egoism, indifference, nihilism, carlessness. arrogance, violence, abuse, destruction, war. extremes, inequalities. famine and poverty. noise and loudness. cold temperatures. hard rock, comedies, musicals, motor sports. beer, bad coffee, convenience food.

21 questions + answers - Andrea

1. which are the 3 words that describe you best?
"emotional, analytical fatalist" or "an unmarried husband" or "father without children"

2. the natural talent you would like to be gifted with?
the talent to play an instrument

3. what is your principal defect?
i can get stuck in own isolation and introversion

4. which is your morning routine?
get up at 6am, exercise, shower, half a banana, some almonds, hot water and off I go

5. do you exercise?
every day in the morning, a couple of times a week in the evening. i try to play football once a week.

6. which is the trait of character that really attracts you in another person?
i really could not say, must be something metaphysical.

7. which is the bad habit you would like to shed?
joker

8. what’s your favorite place to be?
Pienza in summer, Lefkada in autumn, Zipolite in winter. Amalfi in spring

9. what’s your favorite occupation?
in fact it is interacting with people

10. what drives you in life?
happiness

11.which is/was your happiest decade so far in life?
this last one, with no doubts. i probably will say this decade after decade…

12. your thoughts on having children/not having children?
i always wanted, still want, but do not have, and i think i am fine with this.

13. you would never have guessed that life would turn out to be so…
easy, as i have really been lucky so far. do i have to start worrying for the future?

14. what do you aspire to?
to be open. to the other, the world, to myself.

15. which is your most valued possession?
genuinely none, at least so far.

16. whom do you dress for?
mainly function of mood and weather.

17. what puts you in a good mood?
all I like (see above)

18. getting older is…
i like to believe that it is getting wiser

19. your present state of mind?
i am in the mood for new input, new ideas, new energies

20. a motto you would care to live by?
i do not have a perfect one, but a few good ones: "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone", "Live and let live", "Better late than never", "Forgive and forget", "It is better to give, than to receive", "No pain, no gain", "You are never too old to learn"

21. do you believe in luck?
i think that people cannot control much of their lives, and that fortune and misfortune are nuances of the same.

autumn flowers

the begin of september folks... need we say more?