Material Archive

A visit to Mjölk

 

Yesterday, after wrapping a TV shoot in the Junction, I luckily came across Mjölk – a store I've been keen to see since it opened. I arrived just as it closed for the day but the manager Lauren was kind enough to let me sneak in and take a quick look around and snag a great bag by Naoto Fuksawa.

With a laser precision curation style, Mjölk carries lovely furniture and craft products from Scandinavia and Japan. In their own words, owners, John Baker & Julie Daoust talk about their vision for the store:

"We specialize in Scandinavia because the north enthralls us. Soft, quiet snowy forests and streets in the winter. Glittery, blinding sunlight on colourful buildings during the summer. Fika (coffee break) at the Konditori, with a kaffe and Napoleon pastry in hand. Trolling the Helsinki open-air markets for treasures. Aalto building tours. S.O.S. (Smör Ost och Sill = butter, cheese and herring). Swedish style. Grass roofs. Hot dog streetside snacks. And of course, the Arctic. These are a few of our favourite things."

 

 

 

  

Collecting: French Steel Cut Beaded Purses

It's probably pretty obvious by now that I like "things" and that I collect many different types of them.

One that I have a particular fondness for are vintage French steel cut purses. Something about the combination of sparkle, pattern design, handmade craftsmanship and the sheer heaviness of them, make them irresistible to me.

The above are some recent new additions to my ever growing collection.

Vintage Postage

 

 

All found here.

Elephant Ceramics

 

 

If you read this blog with any regularity, you already know I am obsessed with ceramics. Design Sponge featured Elephant Ceramics this past week and I am smitten. The simple shapes, transparent washes and textured surfaces are so restrained and perfect.

Today I bought: A Kaj Franck Enamel Mixing Bowl from Arabia

I have always wanted one of these Arabia bowls – keeping my eyes peeled at antique markets. But they are highly collectable and not so easy to come by – luckily I found this one on Etsy. Also love the mushroom pattern below!

 

The Burning House

My friend JF recommended this site (what would you take if your house was on fire) last week and I finally combed through it today – love the Le Creuset priorities!

If my home was about to go up in flames, I would take my laptop and external drives (with all of my photos), wallet & passport, iphone, two paintings and my jewels... c'est tout! What about you?

Andrew Yang's Dolls of Anna Wintour & Grace Cottington

I have a Courtney Love doll that I just love – it's a bit rougher than these "couture" versions but the idea as a whole amuses me.
These dolls by Andrew Yang are so fun – but if he had wanted to be a bit more accurate with Grace, he would have left off the eyebrows! ;-) See the whole collection here.
 

The Beauty of Envelopes

 

Again by Andrew Bush.

The L.A. Times Lists Their Top 50 Bags

I didn't entirely agree with their order...

So above are my humble picks for favourite bags in order of preference and some cases already, purchase ;)

Scan via NotCot

Barbie, meet Don Draper

Oh, looks like Joan went on a diet...hmmm.

I realize that Mattel was working off of their stock molds when creating these dolls but perhaps they should have considered one important point before deciding to default to their standard sizes – the allure of Joan in particular to their audience. I'm willing to bet that her character is one of the most beloved on the show not only for her amazingly strong character but also for her beautiful and realistic hourglass shape. She represents me and most women I know the most faithfully and is without a doubt the Barbie I would have been most inclined to buy. But, because the doll so clearly doesn't do her justice – it sort of ruins the whole effort a bit. A shame really considering how fun they are. Slated for release in July. Read more here.