2. make lists

I love lists! And not only To Do lists. I love lists of things I like so that I can gain inspiration from them or just a feel good factor. I love pinterest and flickr for these visual lists. 

Here's my list of things I'm loving at the moment:

Kashida Design - a fusion of arabic type and product design!

source

This mug bag with crochet trim.

Click over to see how it unfolds. I love the idea!


Crocheting With Lucy Loop - a great little book for kids that are learning to crochet.

Seen here!

This great little pattern.

These teeny tiny flowers the boys picked for me on their early morning walk because I was a little under the weather!

This post is a part of #amonthof #mycreativespace

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intense

from here

I love the intensity of these colours and the overall styles. I had a teeny tiny room as a teenager and my Mum let me paint two of the walls red. Solid, block red. She let me make it totally mine! 

and here

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books, knitting and crochet

... are things that I'm pretty much in to.  Well, maybe not so much the "knitting" part!

Did you catch my post about a certain design book obsession we often have here?  We are indulging again.  Just a little.

I was given a gift too!  Ma sha Allah! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry though.  

Laugh: I've been wanting to have another go with the knitting needles. 

Cry: I was given this book because it was thought that all of that stuff I do with a HOOK and yarn is "knitting"!!!  

I am looking forward to a little knitting challenge though.

Moving swiftly onwards (to crochet!), just when you thought I'd had enough of year-long crochet-alongs and piles of various squares ...

What?  No crazy colours?  Yes, this time we have homogenous yarn and colour coordination.  Talk about organised, eh? 

Hmmm, ok, there might be some craziness in the colour, but only because it has been requested by a 7 year old!

And look what we saw at our "local", Swedish furniture store! 

The pictures are not so great, but those are crocheted appliques.  AND it was my 8 year old who spotted that first!  AND she said, "You can make those!" In sha Allah another project idea?

They do have quite a bit of crochet going on in their Bathroom section:

Photo source

But there was one really cool one that I just can't find!  A circley one.  Have you seen it?

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book browsing

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I want to share a few of my favourite Interior Design books with you. Over the last few years we've been able to pick each one up for a reasonable price at our local Jarir Bookstore. Jarir is the Saudi equivalent to Borders, I suppose. And they have the coffee outlets too!


Yesterday, as I was browsing, I remembered how much I love these books!


Bathrooms is a little book (in the Miniarch series) full of inspiration: From minimalistic styles ...

... to those with a more traditional, country feel ...


... if you need bathroom ideas, it's got them. Follow the link and you can take a look inside. Speaking of bathrooms, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new bathroom at Attic24.

I actually have a couple of the Idea Books but this ...


... is from the Trim Idea Book. The book focuses on all sorts of trim: on walls, ceilings, stairs, you name it. But it's also packed with photos that have great ideas for other projects.

The Windows and Skylights book is especially good for those designing and building their own homes.

My absolute favourite though has got to be ...


... Designs for a Healthy Home: An Eco-Friendly Approach.
It's brilliant and brimming not only with design ideas but also tips on how to live a healthier lifestyle in tune with our natural surroundings.

I love it! It discusses all sorts of eco-friendly design ideas but it also details ALL the other aspects of creating a healthy home, like eating fruits and vegetables that are in season, how to best cope with outdoor temperatures changes and the most efficient materials for our kitchen utensils! I really want to go and have a look through it RIGHT NOW!

But before I go, although I love looking through books that I can hold, I love visiting sites and blogs too.


Lately I've been enjoying Dar dz.

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doilies are "in"?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Since learning to crochet, I seem to notice it everywhere. Things I wouldn't have noticed otherwise are brought to the forefront of my attention. I even stop and feel garments and examine patterns and stitches. I've had to stop myself from reaching out and having a touchy-feely of strangers' scarves. I'm seeing crochet EVERYWHERE.

I noticed this throw at a house-sale. I dyed it with tea and now use it as a table cloth.

It's popping up everywhere I tell you, even in the back of my wardrobe!

I recently noticed that the chocolate shop Patchi (here in Jeddah) has this big doily pattern in its shop window. It's very similar to something I saw on Apartment Therapy a while ago.

Then, I got really excited when I noticed this over at Bahraini Diva's blog.

The rug caught my eye, but even the stools look crocheted!

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