Yellow House, Blue Sea

Hello — Lori from automatism here, with the perfect summer getaway for you today. The design of this charming Swedish summer home — by the architects Thomas Sandell and Anders Landstrom — was based on the classic wooden house of Scandinavian architecture. Built according to traditional methods of construction, its roughly squared logs were slotted together by tenon and mortise joints -- not a nail or screw was used in the entire house. Because this was the prototype house of a firm of architects, Nils Tunebjer, the proud owner of this house, actually bought it at auction! He then had to dismantle and store it (a feature of these traditional wood houses is that they can be dismantled and lifted easily) while he searched for an appropriate piece of land to install his new home. Now settled happily into its permanent locale overlooking the sea, this lovely home is a relaxed place to while away the long Swedish summers. Via Marie Claire Maison.

Natty Michelle Card Giveaway Winner

Kris is the winner of 8 Natty Michelle cards of her choice. Congratulations, Kris, and many thanks to everyone who entered!

Stay tuned later today for yet another giveaway, sponsored by Reverie Daydream Boutique!

Black Cat, Observed

I always look forward to Olga Prudnikova's flickr updates. She belongs to the flickr Moleskine group and her posts, occasionally, include simple ink drawings of her beloved black cat. (She also has a blog you can visit here.)

I think she captures the feline essence so marvelously. She paints other animals, like elephants. But none as elegantly as these. Of course, I'm partial. We have two black cats. The small one, Kali, likes to squeeze her little cat body under the Ikea couch, where she falls asleep and snores. It's very calming, really. Which reminds me, I should go to bed. It's after midnight again...goodnight!

Previous black cat observed posts HERE and HERE.

GIVEAWAY!!

Today is the last day to enter to win these lovely notecards. ENTER HERE! DEADLINE TO ENTER: 6pm pst

Lighthouses

Hello everybody!

Although I've been missing Tina an awful lot, it's been tremendous fun and excitement to meet and read all these wonderful bloggers who have been guest blogging on English Muse. It truly feels like we are all part of a wonderful and inspiring community.

Let me very quickly tell you a bit about me - my name is Tina, I'm an artist living in San Francisco. I do painting and charcoal drawing but lately I've mostly been focusing on my Papercut Art. You can see my work in my Etsy shop and read my daily thought patterns in my blog, called, well, Thought Patterns!

I'm originally from Croatia, a beautiful country with a gorgeous coast, numerous islands, old towns with cobble stone streets, wonderful nature.... and amazing lighthouses. Yes, lighthouses! If you've ever dreamed of vacationing like Robinson Crusoe, owning a castle-like lighthouse and being a lighthouse keeper (well, at least for a week!), this post will be for you. There are thirteen lighthouses on the Croatian Adriatic coast that can be rented out throughout the summer. Some of the lighthouses have keepers, but several don't. You can choose a lighthouse in the vicinity of tourist centers or a lighthouse in the open sea, scattered on various islands in what many call the bluest sea in the world, the Adriatic Sea. So, as I'm in the midst of fog in cool San Francisco, and I need some sun, let me indulge and share several photos and information about the sunny and beautiful Croatian lighthouses...

More? :)

I can't believe that summer's almost over!

xoxox

Tina Tarnoff

{For renting info visit Lighthouses-Croatia, all photos via Lighthouses-Croatia}

Nothin' Good to Eat

Hey, it's me again, Pugly.


I go through this occasionally. No matter how much good food we have at home, sometimes, there's just nothing good to eat. I realize that this sounds ungrateful. But really, I'm thankful for all the food that we have. It's just that sometimes, I get bored with a lot of it.


Yesterday, as I ran my errands after work, I couldn't help but glance at some of the menus of the restaurants I strolled past. Nothing seemed to grab me though. So I proceeded home, hungrier than hell, desiring everything and nothing.


When I got home, I foraged through the refrigerator and cupboards. Thai green beens... nah. Black beans and cheese.... nope. Frosted shredded wheat? Eh. Nachos? Fried tofu with baby greens? Noodles? Fish? No. No.. NO.


Wait a minute... oohhh... the last two slices of Acme Olive Bread. Yum! Olive bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar is yummy gooood. But when I saw the tomato on the counter, memory of Rabbit's delicious tomato cheese sandwich whet my appetite. Yeah! I found my dinner.


Topped with a ton of Trader Joe's four cheese mix, it was primed and ready for the oven. With a bit of freshly ground pepper and a cup of tomato soup, I was ready for a grubbin' dinner. Yum.

{ Recipe inspired by Spot The Pot. }