Monday, January 25, 2016

~ a word on curtains ~

Like all aspects of interiors design, curtains play their part in the overall aesthetics of a given room, and the underlying feel of your home in general.

Too often a poor choice of curtain can make a huge difference to the ambience and energy of your room. And too often, a technical decision like design detail and type of fabric, if executed poorly can undermine all other decor aspects in the space. Window treatments (blinds, shutters, curtains), when done well, have the amazing ability to complete and uplift a space, and make a home feel like a home.

Deciding on what type of window treatment to do can be a daunting task. There are technical considerations and measurements, the task the curtain needs to fill, and the specifications of the fabric, as well as how it marries with the other design aspects of the room. For example, is the curtain's task primarily utilitarian, or is it simply to adda decorative element to the room?

All of these considerations need to be included when deciding what to dress your window in. Equally important is knowing when a room should not have them.

In general, window treatments should be viewed as a lifetime investment, well worth the initial layout and as important to your home as the flooring.

          
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Tuesday's desirables

I am in love. With this ring. From Mujoyas. Again. Same designer as my other favourite ring.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Thursday, April 21, 2011

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

the darling buds of...april

We did end up going for a walk in the park to marvel at the new season's offerings. That is, Bo and me. And my camera bag. And her water bottle. And because she flat out refused to get into the back pack I usually carry her around in on these sorts of excursions, I had her to carry along with the rest of the paraphernalia. And the thing is she would not let me put her down for a minute, so taking photos proved to be quite a task with her hanging off my hip at the same time. None the less I got sucked into the details and the colours of this one tree. Nature never ceases to amaze me. You would think Bo would have been taken with it too. But no; just my hip would suffice. 





Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

do you read the manual?

I am determined to learn how to take a good portrait. You know the kind: the ones where the eye is in focus and the rest of the face isn't and the way the skin is lit is better than real life and seems to emanate from the picture itself.

I have discovered I have been hindered by two things: equipment and the fact that I READ THE MANUAL!

Let me explain.  I am the type of person who has to read the instructions. I mean I drool over them. When I have a piece of Ikea furniture to assemble, I do it step by step as it is set out in the instructions. I have a canon 500D (not bad for starting out on this quest of mine right?). A while ago I read something in the camera manual about AI Focus mode that has completely shut down my ability to use the camera to it's full potential. I mean I had it in my head that this was the only way to shoot, and of course all possibilities closed down to me. I am sure those manuals are not even written by photographers, or english speaking ones at least.
So today I discovered one shot mode and light metering, and can now achieve what I have been trying to achieve just by fiddling with the aperture settings. Relief!

I found THIS tutorial helpful for understanding light metering. And THIS blog lovely and informative.

In terms of being hindered by equipment, I only have the lenses that my camera came with and am mainly shooting on a 18-55mm. It seems I need a fast 85mm lens to take good portraiture. I think.

So I have spent the morning experimenting with spot metering and AF lock and now will wait for my daughter to wake up to see if I can apply what I have learned to a moving target.



PS. Don't read the camera's manual. I found google a much better way to go.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Monday, April 4, 2011

Click on here

Immediately. Your thoughts on life and photography and beauty will be forever changed:

http://www.dayswithmyfather.com/



Does it not just make you want to cry and smile? And admire the beauty with which it is done? This is inspiring; painful in it's perfection. And it makes me want to do something like that - an expose, a combination of writing and photography. Yes please.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Friday, October 1, 2010

my light shades are often included in wonderful treasuries on etsy. this one particularly stood out for me, and i would love to share it with you. it is by beevintageredux, and i love the way all the items go together in terms of their quirky style :


here is a light that never goes out




















































































































i especially love the 1970's petal lampshade, found in Folly and Glee's shop, updated and restored from genuine petal shades from that era :


and how special are the birdcage chandeliers found in Meggancolleen's shop :


i was also included on Touch-it , a blog about South African design and quality designer products that are affordable. The post can be found here.






Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...