Marné and I had a late Christmas swap because we were both so busy last month. I always LOVE swapping with Marné because she always knows exactly what I want without knowing it. I was having the Lightning Bugs fabric and the carving blocks on my wish list - do you spot the letter Y? And look at that mini knitted jumper :o)

Last October in New York I bought a big fabric pink letter B at Anthropologie for the Bo. The girls made fun of me because I bought my husband a big fabric pink letter B. one doesn't always have to buy something ugly looking just because it's for a man. Some men do like big fabric pink letters B or T or S. Ha ha - it's on his nightstand now and it looks really sweet.



The cool thing about the metal letter Y Marné sent me is that I now have my own "masculine" letter on my nightstand. Yay!!



Thank you Marné it was a fun swap!!

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I'm also really excited about Leslie's Gifty. It's been such a long time and I always really enjoyed it. I hope I'm on the list!! And Whip up, I can't wait to see that site in action.

Because I dwell in books and because I keep buying them - I can't go to the library, I get attached to a book, don't want to take it back, I get enormous bills - I'm starting my own "Book Club". These are the books I bought in January.


1. Where Women Create - Jo Packham

If you like large, frilly and pompous rooms than this is your book. I much prefer simplicity and not every square inch of my "work place" to be packed and stuffed to the rim. It's not my book and I was rather disappointed. I think the cover tempted me to buy the book but I was fooled!! I much more enjoy Art Studio over at Flickr.




2. The Relaxed Home - Atlanta Bartlett

Yay! Totally my book!! I never really read books like this because I don't think these books were invented to be read but more to look at the pretty pictures. And pretty and inspiring they are indeed. Beware: don't let yourself be tricked by the cover and the name. I bought my copy in the UK and the cover is the same as The Comforts of Home but the contents is exactly the same. So you can buy either book but don't buy them both!! Really a good resource if you like the modern country style.




3. A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

I first heard about this book on Oprah. This book kept her up for three nights and so did it to a bunch of her producers and Nate!! So I thought to myself "this book must be good". I ordered my copy from Amazon because I always prefer to read a book in it's original language. Well now, hmmmm ... hard to say: I already read all this stuff when I was 11. I know all about the bugs, the user dreams etc. It's like the other day when Oprah said "EAT WHOLE GRAIN" like if it was a revelation!! I've been eating whole grain since I was able to chew!! I'm not going to trust Oprah anymore. I've been reading the book's reviews and all the things people liked about the book I dislike and all the things they hate, I love. For example the poor writing. I think the poor writing is actually genius!! I do recommend this book to those who aren't familiar and who never read a book containing the words Fuck and Fucking more than one time.




4. Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

Bought it on iTunes and it is absolutely worth the $69.95 I'm going to buy the next book on iTunes too because I so much better understand all the details this way. I'm not going to say anything about the book for those who haven't read it yet but it made me cry all at the end and I'm also really confused by something that happened all at the end, something to do with Snape.

Click here for a larger image

Easy peasy this noodle soup

To put in the soup:

• egg noodles
• chinese cabbage (paksoi)
• celery
• 1 egg for 2 people, 2 for 4 people etc.
• chicken filet
• vegetable stock

• soy sauce
• nutmeg
• black pepper

For a long time now I've been in love with Lucinda Chambers Jubilee wall hanging, I'd actually love to own it but the Bo finds it appalling. Recently, browsing a back issue of Homes & Gardens, I saw the wall hanging in cushion size and immediately thought of a fair solution ... not a big, enormous, appalling wall hanging but a nice small cushion for on the living room sofa instead. So when we were in London last December we went out to The Rug Company on Holland Park Avenue to score me a Jubilee cushion. But ... it was closed!! So I went browsing the internet. I didn't find a shop where I actually could buy the cushion but I found a lot of other good stuff.

First I found the website The Brocante Home and I love it!! Look at this entry - seems I'm not the only one with the Jubilee obsession ;o) Earlier I came across this cushion over at Laura Ashley and it made me think just to create my own. And, while browsing The Brocante Home again, I came across this entry and it reminded me of New York, last October, when we were in The Cath Kidston shop ... that same flag hangs in the shop!!



So yesterday I started to make my own Union Jack cushion, but along the way I realized that I didn't like it. "It's too loud!! Maybe I should just make a cross instead". To cut a long story short, I've made a Welsh flag instead LOL! And I really dislike it. So today I made something a little less bold and I like it.

In spite of all this, I now want that wall hanging and the cushion to match!!