Second hand shopping

I try to visit charity and second hand shops whenever I see one. Recently I found one really good one near my home in Forest Hill. The stuff in the shop is pretty random, but you may end up finding something that you aren't even looking for! 

Normally my eye catches things for the kitchen; ramekins, containers, jars etc. This time it was all glass. I also picked up couple of books. One was illustrated pocket-size cooking book, titled: Scandinavian and German cooking. It was published in early 60's, Classic! I also grabbed gardening and house plant book, which is a bit 90's style, but gives good tips on how to sow and look after your green stuff.  

Two big jars about 30cm height, old pharmacy style brown glass - definitely for biscuits!
French clear bowl - heavy, thick walled, my ideal salad serving bowl
Two grey bowls - quite old, could tell from the quality of the press moulding; sharp edges and few air bubbles in the glass...love the defects!

Hanging paper decoration

I made these paper structure decorations for Christmas, but have ended up having them up still in February. I think they look lovely on our windows, as there's no curtains or anything decorative really (well the garden is there on the background, but this time of the year it isn't at its prime).

I may keep them up until I get bored off them. Green and red is so last year thou... Perhaps I could make new ones, different colours for different season. That's an idea!    

LOGO experiment

So, I was at work and doing some cold enamelling (resin) on one of them F1 trophies, and thought about my logo. So with help of work colleague, I machine engraved the logo on to a little copper coin, which I then filled with black coloured resin. I quite like it. Perhaps I could try another colour, something that would compliment the colour of copper better.

I guess the next step would be to start using these badges once again. Need to brainstorm... do some sketches and start making again! Yalla yalla Saana!

Rain Room

During the Christmas break Virginie and I went to Barbican Centre's Curve Hall to experience Random International's Rain Room. It has been very popular, and even we got there an hour before opening, we ended up queuing for two hours. 

Basically, you enter the space, and it rains. As soon as you are under the rain, it stops around you, how amazing is that!?! Rain is something so natural, yet, in this case, controlled and unnatural. You can hear and see the rain, even feel the humidity in the room, but the rain drops just won't get you! What made the experience more dramatic, was one huge spot light on the corner of the space, making everything very black, grey and white. People's silhouette's got projected on  walls, and all this created quite a peculiar ambiance. 

 

Trip to Windsor

Needed to get out of town, so we girls paid a visit to Windsor, where the Queen lives in her magnificent castle and where about three million aeroplanes every minute fly over to land in Heathrow!

The Long Walk 

Graduation Ceremony 2012

Here we are girls all dressed up and confidently looking ready for the future!

The ceremony took a place in Royal Festival Hall. I must say it was quite a memorable experience. Obviously after the ceremony we all gathered together outside and took some group pictures! 

FUN FUN!

  

Zoe, me, Virginie and Rosie

On background Dan and Henry

Regent Park, Queen Elisabeth's Garden, London

I visited in Queen Elisabeth's Garden in early spring with my auntie Anu. She was in London with her friends to see musicals and theatre. Unfortunately it was so early (March it was I think), that there were not that many plant and flowers yet blossoming. It was little disappointing.

So, I went back in there one rainy/sunny/rainy Sunday in June, to take some inspirational photographs that I could give to her. She is a garden lover, spending most of her free time digging in her big garden in Vaasa, in North Finland. Hope she will like the images and find them useful for new ideas! Here's few.