December | 2012 | anordinarywoman

29/12/2012

New year

So, here we are again – a new year with new opportunities. What do you think – will we do things differently, make better decisions, learn from the old, learn from mistakes. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the small steps we take, that actually changes & improves. Moreover, we live in the future more than the present. We are in such a hurry with everything that we miss the essential. To actually live in a slow trot & experience things up close. You may already live your life the way you want, at the pace & the lifestyle you aspire. Good on you then, congratulations & keep it up!

I for my part, want more peace & quiet around me. To be able to think & complete a thought without losing the thread. To have time for what’s important & the possibility to opt out things that takes time & energy, unnecessarily. It’s easier said than done. To continuously refine, modify & improve, is a big part of life. What is precious is up to each one, of course. It seems to me that time is that which is most sought after by many. It might be worth considering what we make of our time. Properly used, perhaps, we don’t need more time.

I hope you will achieve some of your dreams for the coming year. Above all, that you will stay healthy & strong with near & dear. I hope that you get to experience many happy moments & sees possibilities that pops up around you.

Thanks for taking the time to follow my blog during this first year. Also for all your nice comments & encouragement. Whatever you do, remember to live in the present. Here & now!

Here’s a mix of various images that might fit into the celebration of the new year.

Sparkling festivities / ulrikaekblom

Crackling & glittering activities / Flickr.com

Nice on the table / designcoholic

Festively dressed / nymag.com

Same with table accessories / inspireddesign

Simple pleasures / google.com

Suitable for two / livethemma

Suitable for some more / livethemma

New years eve in Sydney / aibob via WordPress

So true / thistooshallpass

Many thanks again for all sweet comments & support.

Take care / Marie

Tagged celebration, celebrations, festivities, happy new year, Holiday, home decor, new year

25/12/2012

Leave a comment

Homes / Interiors

Benches

Benches in various forms are invaluable. They fill up in a nice way, are functional & simple to use. I’m pretty fond of the bench as a furniture – both as a seating place as well as to store things on – very practical. We have had benches in different rooms from time to time. Perfect in the hallway, kitchen, bedroom, basement … or outdoor. Nowadays, I use more upholstered stools in smaller sizes. Right now we have two in front of the couch, both for tired legs but also to use as extra space for the tea-tray or anything else that’s needed. A bench that has been around for quite a few years now, has had to move from the hall into the living room & have now ended up in the dining room. That’s what happens when you move a lot. What once functioned in a room work better in another – hopefully, that is.

I’m a bit nostalgic, I can’t throw away things, especially furniture that our children have grown up with & which they see as part of their childhood. With everything new, you get a home that looks like an exhibition. We ended up in that situation when we had our furniture in containers. We lived in a ready furnished place, for a longer period while we were looking for a house. Things around you becomes part of you without real economic value. It’s stuff that has sentimental value, things that can not be measured in money. As for example an old bench 🙂

Feminine with flowers / daisyincupcake

Strict & masculine – maybe / evalindh

Personal expression / paper-planehome.blogspot

In the shade / stylefiles

Treated & untreated furniture / Pinterest.com

Appealing style / hus&hem

Fabric covered bench / hus&hem

Austerely & stylish / remodelista

Different seating surfaces / 79ideas

French style / annatruelsen

Nice mix / 79ideas

Only natural materials / happymundane

A nice little bench with rounded corners / dwell.com

A simple wooden bench for the most necessary / thehousemag.com

Low white bench to use for fancy things / lauraredford via Pinterest

Take care / Marie

Tagged Bench (furniture), benches, dining area, functionality, furniture, home decor, home furnishing, homes, living area, rooms

24/12/2012

Leave a comment

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Christmas gifts

IICHRISTMAS – gifts, Christmas night, longing, joy & togetherness. Time together with my loved ones, no stress or any other demands – just tiiiiiiime. The joy of moments together – getting to sink into the comfort of your home, with the people you love. The TV or music is on in the background. The darkness that comes creeping towards the evening, lit candles, blankets & pillows & a long night of conversation & storytelling.

Christmas presents are of course a part of Christmas goodies, but not the most essential after all. It’s about being together, with time as a precious gift. To feel the joy in everything that’s great or small & above all – health. That’s my present to you – wishing you the best in health & love.

Shiny ribbon / chatelaine.com

Gold & glittery / baenk.com

Waiting for Christmas eve / seersuckerandmagnol

Wonderful image / Frenchbydesign

Simplicity / heartbeatoz

Last details / bymildred.blogspot

Inspiring / ullamaijahanninen.net

Aestethic / tinywhitedaisies

Practical / housedoctor.dk

Poetical / paigesmithdesigns

Creative / sundayinbed

Styling / google.com

Generous / mariawinckel via Pinterest

Enjoying / bobedre

Celebrating / bloomingville.com

Tagged Christmas, christmas eve, Christmas joy, diy, Gift, Gift wrapping, gifts, Holiday, home decor, presents

17/12/2012

Leave a comment

Design, Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

WHITE

I thought I might inspire with something in white today – even though I’m fully aware of the fact that not everyone is over the moon when it comes to white. But alas, so it warms my old heart. Everyone has their favourite colours & I guess that some would not even think of white as colour, or black either, for that matter. I for one, think that white fits almost everywhere. White is the colour of pure snow or milk. It’s the color of light that contains all of the wavelengths of the visible spectrum without absorption. In Western culture, white is the color most often associated with innocence, perfection, the good, honesty, neutrality & lightness. It’s interesting how much of importance we associate to a colour.

It’s said that white colour affects us physically, such as aid in mental care. It encourages us to clear clutter or other obstacles. Even that the colour evokes purification of thoughts & actions. The ancient greeks wore white to bed to ensure pleasant dreams. According to Pantone inc., white is the best selling colour for the classic american t-shirt. I find it hard to find stuff in white, such as garment, bedding or furniture, to give a few examples. By that I mean in Australia or rather here in Sydney. Recent months, it has started to appear white pants in the stores, which have been almost impossible to find previously. I had to take the opportunity to shop several pair of white pants at home, when we were on a visit. Things are changing slowly.

Here’s, to those who don’t consider white being a colour:

“The first of all single colors is white … We shall set down white as the representative of light, without which no color can be seen; yellow for the earth; green for water; blue for air; red for fire; and black for total darkness.” — Leonardo Da Vinci

Snow white landscape / witanddelight

Whipped cream / thatkindofwoman vi tumblr

Old & new in white nice combination / kotinvinkki.fi

Simple & welcoming work place / pinterest.com

Tiles, bench top, utensils, milk, flour – in white / cervera.se

Glossy white cabinet doors / expressen.se

Fluffy white chandelier / dainty&floral

A perfect small kitchen with lots of storage / skandinaviandeko

Soft, nice & white / homeandgarden

Tablecloths in white to white porcelain / oldbasics

While appealing, I wonder whether it would work with a bath directly on wooden floor / bathroom-review

A dream bedroom in white / kimtimmerman.com

Stillness & beauty combined / jukkarapo

Stylish in white, all year around / coronado via fancy

White walls & imageless frames / kotivinkki.fi

Enjoy your holiday & take care / Marie

Tagged dining, food, furniture, holiday season, home, home decor, Interiors, light, white, whiteness

13/12/2012

Leave a comment

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Personal touch

I’m leaving Christmas to rest for a while even if it Lucia today back home. Instead, it will be about interiors in varying styles – no extremes – but a bit more about small differences or rather taste, actually. I’m not a daring person when it comes to home decor. I am, after all, a fairly ordinary woman & therefore choose the images that are common but appealing in different ways. You know by now that I’m rather beige & predictable in my taste. I like it in that way, you see!

A home is something we all have in common, where we create our own world … our own space, our way of life & living. Some like to have it as in a magazine, others want to find their own thing. Some build their homes from memories of their childhood. Again, some have no direction, but it gets as it gets, AND usually it becomes good … because it’s about lifestyle. In fact, there are no limitations, more than in our heads. We are taught or influenced by people we spend time with, newspapers we read or TV programs we watch. The older we get, the more often we end up in the style we ar grown up with. It’s like as we sometimes take after habits or behaviors after our parents, despite the fact that we said – I’ll never do this or that. It happens unconsciously, simply. The force of a habit is great.

Now, not that there’s something wrong with that, just a general observation. It’s precisely what makes things so interesting, right? The perfect, or the half-finished, or that which is in constant change. Or the odd or unusual or completely ordinary – the personal touch!

Different materials & colors mixed into a lovely expression / aprillaprill