Summer

via here

We had made a deal, Summer and I. I'd begged her to stay for a while in July and August, but she would only show me a flash of a smile, a ray of warmth and she'd be gone again. To Italy, France. Or Morocco.  So I promised I'd give her something to come back for. My turning forty didn't impress her much. She needed more. A token of my appreciation. A sacrifice. So I vowed I'd quit smoking and she whispered she'd make a comeback for a week or so. 

  We both stuck to our promises. With her, she's brought the delight of ripe figs paired with walnuts. Easy breezy afternoons at the nearby café. A feeling I'm about to burst with happiness. I don't even miss the cigarettes that much.  But that's a lie.

Hands

A. Stieglitz, Hand with buttons, 1918

via here

E. O. Hoppé, Hand study, 1925

via here

I. Cunningham, Ishvani hands, 1962

via here

Man Ray, Hand on lips, 1929

via here

Man Ray, Hands painted by Picasso, 1935

via here

R. Mapplethorpe, Lucinda's hand, 1985

via here

Letter K.by A. Alessandra

via here

J. Spagnoli

via here 

A. Stieglitz, G. O'Keeffe's hands

via here

unknown

D. Bayer, The hands of time

via here

A. Corbijn, J. Lee Hooker's hand, 1994

via here

I. Penn, Miles Davis' hand

via here

M.Torosian, Sanctuary, 1976

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A. Van Gelder, Louise Bourgeois' hands

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A. Poignant, Artist's hand, 1941

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A. Stieglitz, M. Prosser's Clasped Hands, 1933

via here 

M. Yamaoto,  Nakazora #955

via here

A. Modica, Treadwell NY

via here

Just like my dear blog-friend V. I love hands. They are the first thing I look at when I meet people. That and someone's eyes. I have fallen for people just because of their hands. I love their beauty at all ages.

To celebrate V's decision to open up her own Etsy store, I decided to share some of the images of hands  I've collected over the past years.  Congratulations V.  May your hands produce a lot of beautiful things!

Interior voyeur

via here

I was already a big fan of the Selby and Freunde von Freunden - there's just something about taking a peek inside the homes of creative folk - but yesterday I discovered a lovely new blog by Michael Mundy (great photographer btw, whom I already featured here).  His blog, An afternoon with, features the homes and interiors of hip and creative people. Yesterday morning, I happily spent an hour browsing, getting inspired and enjoying the beautiful images of the beautiful people and their beautiful interiors.  For our new place, I want that leather armchair in the 4th picture!

Happiness

Cakes, Wayne Thiebaud, 1963

via here

It was a lovely afternoon yesterday. Surrounded by people I love, chat and laughter. I'm so lucky to have such good friends. 

Today, the sun is out in Antwerp and it will be here for the week to come. I love autumn.

Happy!

Thank you

via here

Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes. They've really warmed my heart!

 I had a really nice day yesterday: going out for a leisurely breakfast with the boyfriend in the morning and for a yummy meal in the evening and catching up on some much-needed sleep. Bliss! Tomorrow afternoon I'm having a small get-together for friends, which I'm really looking forward to!  Turning forty isn't that bad after all!  

I'm most excited though by the gift the boyfriend gave me: a trip to Paris! He couldn't have picked anything nicer as Paris is my favourite city in the world. Just walking around there makes me so very happy. I know Paris quite well, but have no idea what's changed the past years. So, any tips (for interior shopping and coffee drinking especially!) are more than welcome!

Like a watercolour in the rain

ffiXXed shirt

via here

Tie & Dye tables by designer S. Parmentier

via here

via here

Trift, sculptures by Judith Seng

via here

These images remind me of a line in Al Stewart's The year of the cat. This song, which dates from 1976, is one of my favourite songs ever. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it and fills my heart with joy. I remember hearing it on the radio when I was five. It must be one of my earliest memories. In it, is this beautiful  line:

 'She comes out of the sun, in a silk dress, running like a watercolour in the rain.'

B-day

via here

Autumn begins today, both for nature and for me :-)

Similarity

Brooch by Danni Schwaag

via here

Black square & red square, 1915

by K. Malevich

via here

Colour story

via this lovely blog

Stephanie Hilvitz, artist & photographer

here

Blueish-grey and rust (again!). I really seem to be drawn to this combination. It reminds me of my favourite similarity post ever, here and of one of my very first posts on this blog, here.

A bigger picture

Hockney in front of his work Bigger trees near Warter

via here

This morning, after having shown what feels like a millon potential tenants around the flat we are moving from, I soothed myself by watching the splendid documentary 'David Hockney: a bigger picture'. I'm not that big a fan of Hockney's work, but the documentary is really beautiful and Hockney really touched me as a person. If you get a chance to see it, please do!

Note to self

via here

In the midst of all the apartment-related stress (mortgages, sollicitors, etc.) I'd almost forget I'm turning 40 in a few days! Thank god I'm not a cheese!

Art deco

Art deco clutch

via here

In keeping with the apartment we bought. Wouldn't it be nice to own this beautiful art deco clutch? The art deco period has always been one of my favourite design eras. An antiques dealer specialising in jewellery once told me I looked like 'perfect art deco with a hint of art nouveau'. I think I instantly grew an inch or two. No one had ever looked at my ears quite so intently before or waxed so lyrical about the curve of my neck!  No doubt his compliment was motivated by a desire to sell me a beautiful set of 1930s diamond earrings, but still, I felt really beautiful for about an hour afterwards!  :-)

Do you have a favourite design era?

Teeth

Teeth bracelet, via unknown

Yoan Capote sculpture (detail)

via here

Teeth are emerging everywhere.

Shapes

via here

Loving this graduate collection, called Digitalized, by fashion designer Alba Prat. Reminds me of a post I did here.