Hug a Porcupine

Look at these adorable brooches from Singapore based shop Hug a Porcupine. They’re cute animals made from enamel, and are obviously meant to mimic origami; what a faboulous combination! I want them all.

There are also triangles! Very pretty colourful triangles, and I also want all of these, please.

And little tiny enamel dresses to wear around your neck!

But if I had to choose just the one piece, it would have to be this little ginger cat. Thanks to Pikaland for their post that made me find this jewel of a store.

in the prettiest paper garden

Of course I couldn't visit the East Asian Museum without visiting their gift shop. That's like giving me a piece of cake and not expecting me to eat it. I did however do my best not to buy everything my heart desired, and did quite well I must say. Screaming kids that ran around without any parents that told them off also helped, or rather prevented any kind of relaxed browsing of the little store. But I came home with a few lovely things. First 2 postcards of some Shanghai ladies. I can't get enough of them it seems.



How I wish I knew what the text says! If you know, please share with my curious mind.



A little washi paper box with a bunch of small square washi paper and washi paper stickers. Too cute! And I must must must take up origami. I read something promising today, that the lady that runs my favorite paper store here in Stockholm is going for a class in how to make origami jewellery, and that she might give her own class about it later. That would be great!



Look at all the lovely colours and patterns, it's like the prettiest paper garden you can imagine.



This is a bonus for having great friends, not from the gift shop, but from one of my friends who went there with me. It's a little peacock belt for kids, that I'm thinking will be perfect as a hair band. Among a lot of things, we share an obsession with peacocks.



They had some nice looking big kokeshi dolls, but they were a bit pricey and not that special in my eyes. But at the counter, just as I was about to leave, I found these tiny ones and couldn't leave without one.



Look how well it fits into my little kokeshi collection! I think it shouldn't grow that much bigger now though. (The collection, not the tiny doll.) Unless I actually go to Japan one day, and happen to walk into a kokeshi doll store ... It's impossible to tell what would happen if I did, my head might explode? I wonder if there's washi wallpaper out there by the way ...? That would be something!

fly dragon fly

When I was little I was quite scared of dragonflies, mainly cos of the sound they made and that they never seemed to be able to fly straight. To this day I have problems with animals who don't walk or fly straight, generally, like crabs and spiders. Their problem would of course be that they have far too many feet and legs to control properly. Songololos, or millipedes, however have a lot more feet and seem to control them fine. I used to call the dragonflies helicopters, cos I thought they sounded like them. If one would sit still I liked looking at them though, and think they were really pretty. Cos they are very pretty, and jewellery-like, so it's no wonder they're a popular model for all sorts of things.

This beautiful necklace was custom made for me by a good friend for a wedding about 4 years ago. She makes very nice jewellery and I told her I wanted a set with earrings and a necklace, and if possible I'd very much like a dragonfly. Of course I was more than happy with the result and I have used it quite a lot for plenty of other occassions.



Visiting family in Ystad last December I discovered one of the most amazing antique shops I've ever been to. It's called Hemlängtan Antikt (Homesickness Antiques) and you'll find it at Stora Norregatan 15, just around the corner from the big church by the town square. I actually got dizzy in that store, cos everything looked so lovely and pretty and I just wanted to move in! But the greatest thing was the counter with jewellery, mostly brooches, my latest obsession. They were sorted by colour, and I think there was one tray for each colour. Even though I had to go back the next day, I didn't have time to check it all out, so I'm very much looking forward to more visits. In the end I bought 5 brooches for myself, and this little adorable dragonfly was the last that caught my eye, before we had to run cos the train was about to leave in 5 minutes. Luckily Ystad is a tiny town, so we made it. I think I paid 85 kronor for it, a bargain.



For christmas I was happily surprised by these cuties, and now they must be the most travelled earrings I've got. Originally they come from Australia, at least that's where they were bought, then flew back to Sweden, and has now followed me all the way back to the southern hemisphere to South Africa. I just love them, and the green gemstones are perfect. My sister-in-law who gave them to me said I would have loved the market they came from, I'm sure I would. Maybe one day I'll get to chance to go there, I wouldn't mind that at all. I also want to see live wallabys, like they did.



This is a very pretty Japanese origami paper I bought in a set with other black and red designs. I've also got a gorgeous tea jar with the same pattern, that I bought at the lovely museum store at Östasiatiska museet in Stockholm (East Asian Museum). I see now that they've finally finished their rebuilding and opened a new bigger store, can't wait to visit when I get back. It's a fantastic little place, and I've bought so many nice things there. The museum in itself is also well worth a visit of course, and don't miss the library upstairs. Just looking at the book spines is exhilirating for someone like me.



I've got lots more dragonflies in Stockholm, but since I didn't take pictures of everything I have before I left, I guess I'll just have to post those things at a later time when I have. Found this picture somewhere else though, and I've got a red dragonfly like this at home. It was also a christmas gift, maybe 7-8 years ago, and it's moved around in my apartment ever since, flying around if you will. Maybe I should get some more, they look very nice in a colourful bunch like this. They're Chinese toys that were first produced 400 years ago, it won't get more vintage than that, even if the one I've got probably is produced more recently.



Finally a stunning Chinese silk brocade, available in a lot of colours. One day I'll decide on one, and order a dress in it, I've dreamt about it for so long now. The problem with trying to decide on a Chinese silk brocade though is that I love all the designs too much: dragonflies, butterflies, dragons, peones, cranes, roses, calligraphy. How to choose? Maybe I'll just get one dress with each design.

pretty things on the wall pt. 2

I've got a sort of phobia of white walls, that is empty walls. Minimalism is not my cup of tea, at all. Ever. And I like combining all sorts of things I find pretty enough to want to look at on a regular basis, be it posters, post cards, origami paper, wrapping paper, album covers. This wall's arrangements is one of the bigger in my Stockholm apartment, cos it's the only wall without a door or any furniture, so what else could I do with it? With a few re-arrangements, it's looked pretty much the same for maybe 4-5 years now. In the upper left corner in the black frame is a Arcade Fire vinyl single cover. Below that is the reason why I first got into The Decemberists, their cover for 5 songs that I saw at a friend's place many years ago and immediately fell in love with. I did like the music as well, but as superficial as it may sound I love their aesthetics just a little bit more than the music, even though I think in the end it's all part of a great package. Just take a quick look at their website! And all their covers! Carson Ellis is the one responsible for most of it, and I love her work oh so much. But they use so many brilliant graphic designers for their tour posters, one day I would like to buy all of them. Underneath The Decemerists are two framed italian handmade papers, very different in style and equally beautiful. Sorry I forgot to take close-ups of these things. When I get back I'll take care of that.



Here is a close-up of another amazing Arcade Fire cd cover, and an adorable butterfly origami paper in a vintage frame. The origami paper is from one of my absolute favorite stores in Stockholm, Ljunggrens Pappershandel in Gamla Stan (Old Town). I found the shop I think back in 1996, when I still wrote a lot of letters by hand on paper, and I think I must have went there once a month or so. Just browsing all the different kinds of paper, and envelopes, and stamps, and note books, and pens, and ink ... Usually not buying that much, but enough to keep writing letters on pretty paper. I'm happy to say it's still there, still as good as ever, and still makes me as happy as the first time I went there.



Bell Orchestre I went to see cos I was a bit obsessed with Arcade Fire in the beginning, and they shared band members. It was a very good show indeed, but most of all I love buying this gorgeous poster afterwards. I've been into band's cos of their graphic design of album covers and such for a long time actually, mainly since I got into 4AD bands back in 1990 or around that time. Sometimes I would even just buy an ep cos I liked the cover and knowing that 4AD would never put anything out that I didn't like. Mostly I knew what I was buying though, and I bought a lot of records and still do. Nowadays I have for economic and convenient reasons started to buy digital music, but I still feel a bit bad about it. The Decemberists is an exception though, I always buy the real thing when it comes to them simply cos of what I explained just now: Carson Ellis in print.



I'll conclude this with one of the most precious gifts I've ever been given, this completely wonderful Decemberists poster that my brother bought in the States and carried all the way back to me. It's so so so so so pretty in every sense of the word, just a completely perfect piece of art. So there you have it: a wall of personal interests as art.