Ikea 'How To' Manual

Some Monday morning funnies.  It's been a few years since I assembled a piece of Ikea furniture but the memory of the frustration is still fresh.  When I saw these mock 'how to' manual on how to assemble a Dinosaur, Lightsaber and Time Machines- A spoof on such classic films such as Back To The Future, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and Dr Who, I couldn't help but laugh.  

(source)

Are you good at following 'how to' manuals 

or do you outsource like me?!

String Bookshelves

I am passionate about books therefore appreciate bookshelves.  I really like this unique and easily adjustable design by Italian based artist Viktor Matic. 

To get an idea of how easily the shelves adjust take a look at this short video:

Check out the website here

To see other book shelves I love click here, books as furniture  here and my personal home library here.

Do you have bookshelves in your home? 

The Food We Eat

I have been trying to eat a large breakfast to stop myself from getting hungry and snacking before noon- It is also nice to sit down and eat together for not only dinner but breakfast too.

Here are some of the meals we've been eating lately:

 The Heat Attack- Two eggs, bacon, cheddar on a bagel- For the record this was Dr. J's- I ate one egg

 The only thing better than a cream cheese bagel is a goat cheese bagel- 

 Mushrooms, spinach and ham with an egg over toast. 

 This is my new favorite-  Oatmeal, dried organic wild blueberries (which plump up quite nicely if you add them in at the end and let them sit for a couple minutes) and honey.  

I make my oatmeal with almond milk. 

 We brought this to a friends house for Shabbat dinner- Blackberries, strawberries, kiwi and mint.

 This is a fun place to eat as you have to use your hands-  

That is  a shrimp etoufee in the foreground, Cajun fries and a pound of crawfish in a bag! 

Hot and Juicy! 

 Flank steak marinated with Indian spices, honey glazed carrots, beet/chard/sprout and goat cheese salad and steamed broccoli 

Love this dish- Dr. J makes an amazing Lamb Korma that we all love and usually last for a few nights- 

In this one he used whole almonds lightly ground which gave it a nice texture. 

What have been your favorite dishes lately? 

Photography: James Mollison, Where Children Sleep

I love this concept.  Over the course of two years British photographer James Mollison captured the images of children from around the world and the intimate space which they call their own.  Where Children Sleep is a project sponsored by the Save The Children Fund and can be purchased in a beautiful photo-essay format geared towards an adult audience.  

 Kaya, 4, Tokyo, Japan

 Douha, 10, Hebron, The West Bank

 Joey, 11, Kentucky, USA

 Jaime, 9, New York, USA

 Alex, 9, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 Dong, 9, Yunnan, China

 Tzvika, 9, Beitar Illit, The West Bank

 Anonymous, 9, Ivory Coast

 Ahkohxet, 8, Amazonia, Brazil

 Nantio, 15, Lisamis, Northern Kenya

Artist Statement:
Where Children Sleep- stories of diverse children around the world, told through portraits and pictures of their bedrooms. When Fabrica asked me to come up with an idea for engaging with children's rights, I found myself thinking about my bedroom: how significant it was during my childhood, and how it reflected what I had and who I was. It occurred to me that a way to address some of the complex situations and social issues affecting children would be to look at the bedrooms of children in all kinds of different circumstances. From the start, I didn't want it just to be about 'needy children' in the developing world, but rather something more inclusive, about children from all types of situations. 
Check out more photographs from this series and his other work

Click to purchase a copy through Amazon

Natural Dyes In Guatemala

Many of the villages and towns we visited while traveling in Guatemala had Co-ops where woman gathered to make colorful yarns and weave them into may beautiful tapestries.
San Juan, La Laguna was a town that particularly specialized in the coloring of yarns using natural dyes.  This made for beautiful muted colors and an interesting lesson in the various natural plants native to Central America which were used in the process.

I have used natural dyes to make Egg Shell Art as well as Flower Petal Fabric Dye .

Do you use natural dyes? 

What are your favorite or most unusual?  

Cool Design: By La Firme

I am smitten with this Canadian, Montreal based design company, La Firm.

We keep chairs around for extra seating but I would love to take these cute tag chairs out to accommodate our guest and no doubt elicit admiration.

 Love this clever mobile creative cart, great for children and adults alike.

 Now if only I had the tools and expertise of handling said tools to pull this genius off!!

Another clever re-purposed project- a BBQ gas tank made into a lamp.

I covet this, how adorable is the pull string match!? And I love the colors.

 This bike is just beautiful, made out of wood and chrome it is a work of art.

I know it is hard to chose but which design is your favorite? 

Visit La Firme's website here