SHRINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND

the view from my work desk

Severe apologies for the post title, I couldn't help myself. (Now I finally understand what goes on in the sick mind of whoever is chief name-giver to the items on Modcloth)

It's been around 8 months since I've moved from Australia to Berlin. Time has flown! Over these months I've been living and moving between different apartments whilst trying to get into the swing of things. Finally everything is starting to feel more permanent, except for the fact that all my wordly posessions are wrapped up on a pallet in Perth. Aaand also except for the fact I'm kind of floating around at the moment, not really sure how long I'll be in Berlin, or where I'll be next, so it's hard to justify shipping all my gargantuan amounts of stuff over. Of course the ideal solution to my 'stuff' problems would be to become minimalist. Believe me I've tried; it just aint happening.

In the meantime I'm living in an already furnished place; therefore it's important to me to decorate the space to make it more my own. I'm also working from home for the first time in a while. I had so much fun decorating my old Melbourne studio I find it really important to make little shrines, to motivate myself to keep going and keep inspired and all that jazz.

  close up of my work inspiration shrine, magic garden, iggy azalea painted lyrics, postcard from pet shop girls in melbourne, mother mary candles & postcards, photos of cherry blossoms & melbourne, bamboo plant

I've been pretty interested in Feng Shui, particularly the room Bagua placement. Whether placebo or not I feel like clearing clutter and rearranging to allow chi flow makes amazing difference to the feeling of a room. I've always been a little obsessed with floor plans too. When I was younger I used to steal the real estate section and imagine what it would be like, so perhaps that explains it. In general though I'm really attracted to colour coded systems of arranging, categorising and doing things, like Pantone, T2, The Periodic Table. (Can't you guys tell I was the supreme master of my high-school chemistry class?)

Since all my homewares and decorations are tucked away I've had to make do in a lot of ways, with things collected pieces, as well as making new stuff. In aNovember instagram post I showed these origami butterflies was making out of an old art catalogue. They were intended to be Christmas decorations but instead I've finally made it into a mobile; with the wooden part being made of disposable chopsticks & tape. Ever so slightly ghetto I know. Let's just say I was 'repurposing' and call it a day.

origami butterfly mobile, hanging in the bathroom

vintage finds & some of my washi tape

If you've ever been to Berlin you'll know that the Berliner's love themselves some Flohmarkt action! I picked up this old mountain painting and vintage clonette doll at a garage sale / freemarket for around 2€. I plan to add either rainbows or UFO's to the painting. I love clonettes because they have all the right elements of creepy, kitsch, cute & colourful. They also remind me a little of the little sisters on Bioshock and also remind me of my bf's South African heritage. On the right is some of my patterned washi tape collection. A few I picked up in Japan last year and some from Singapore the year before. It one piece of all my stuff that I could actually justify having sent over. And well, by sent over I mean taking up valuable Twisties space in my Brother's backpack last time he visited home.

That's it for the little corners of inspiration tucked into my house. They are much more modest than my old studio or my Melbourne house. But these type of things develop over time. Hopefully I can collect some more inspiration on my summer travels.

xx