L E O N I E . W I S E

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inspired by the Lines & Shapes Connect Us publication Sundays Are For Lovers ¹, i am accepting the invitation – located inside the front cover – to answer the set of questions that all the featured artists answered.

i invite you to play along too.
leave a link to (or write) your answers in the comments…

questions are in bold.  here we go…

My home-base is currently London, England, though i still consider New Zealand my home

Day to day I work as much as i can on learning more about myself and the world

If I didn’t do this I would probably already be dead

Next year I will travel to some more countries that I’ve not visited yet

To me Sunday means sleeping in with Nic

And I like to eat something that someone else has made, preferably somewhere we’ve not been before

And I will get out of bed if the sun is shining and there are places to go

And get dressed around the time I am ready to leave the house

And I will smile about everything that is good and right in my life

And I just may daydream about a home by the sea

And when Monday comes i will tīmata anō (begin again)

————–

1. footnotes

1. thanks to Jeanine for putting me on to this publication
2. features Brian Ferry of the blue hour, who i have only just found out about (i know!)
3. the book is available in London from Albam or online from Lines & Shapes
4. limited edition of only 1000 copies, so hurry if you want one of your own

in which i attend a letterpress workshop, run by the two fab ladies at harrington & squires

composing stick

applying ink to the press (an adana 8×5)

first press. VERY excited

the creation: a limited edition print run of one of my poems

288 picas wide. such a fabulous use for a tiny space

also love these shopping list magnets that they make. so cool

tea rooms, stoke newington. available as a print from etsy

inspired by this hot mama’s wednesday invitations from long ago…

1. sas’ new super beautiful blog to match her super beautiful self
2. rachel’s gorgeous artwork now available for purchase in her etsy shop
3. my friend pip. who is braver than she knows
4. the book: released into the world, finding its way into homes across the globe
5. thoughts on worthiness and a giveaway by my beautiful gypsy friend alex. go check it out!

bonus track

1. jennifer lee’s newsletter arriving in my inbox today with a perfectly timed reminder to me:

While saying no is important, it still can feel awkward or yucky to walk away from an opportunity or to turn someone down. Many of us have been so conditioned to avoid conflict, to do things for others at own expense, or to be agreeable, polite, and to even grin-and-bear-it, that sometimes saying no doesn’t feel like an option. Or if you’re coming from scarcity, you may fear that if you don’t say yes, you’ll lose your chance. But if you don’t say no, you’ll be overwhelmed, exhausted, and perhaps eventually resentful. Not good things for maintaining healthy relationships, being fully present, or manifesting your dreams!

subscribe to the artizen coaching newsletter to get jennifer’s wonderful inspiration and tips delivered to you each month

image source: papermash

i love lists

1. listography … fill-in journals
2. papermash: letterpress i ♥ lists sheets (pictured above)
3. hula’s lists make me happy
4. work. life. play.
5. generate your own lists to look like library cards
6. today i will … hooray!
7. found grocery lists: the site. the book. the top 10

dear friends,

i’m writing to you after a day venturing forth into the cold rainy weather. it’s been disturbingly warm here this ‘winter’ so far and it’s actually nice to finally be experiencing some colder weather.

we headed out today, specifically to visit the museum of everything. {found via PureBlog}

we were also delighted (well, i was delighted, not sure husband was so much…) to discover that today just happened to be the primrose hill christmas festival.

there were lots of lovely stalls from the stores along the street, selling tasty food, christmas gift goodies, mulled wine & cupcakes from the primrose bakery…

sugar intake at maximum, we then ventured to the museum – down a little side street, then a little alleyway, a stone’s throw from primrose hill. which isn’t really a museum… it’s an art gallery who promote themselves as “London’s only public space for art by the untrained, unintentional and unseen creators of this, our modern world.”

yep, that would pretty much sum up what was in there… the inside of the building appeared much bigger than the oustide, and contained within the converted-warehouse-style building was a treasure trove of quirky art.

some of the artists included w.c rice

hell is hot hot, w.c. rice. originally uploaded by queenodesign
(more great examples of his work here)

alfred jensen

(image best viewed large). originally uploaded by cliff1066™

emery blagdon

Emery Blagdon. originally uploaded by C-Monster

and miroslav tichy, described elsewhere as “a voyeur with a home-made camera”.

no photographs allowed inside the building on penalty of death, so sadly i’ve not got much to show you aside from a photo of the entrance.

great place to visit if something slightly more offbeat is what you’re looking for in a london art gallery! i will certainly be going back for another poke around. might see you there then?

maxim bar, copenhagen

5 things i am excited about today

1. discovering that anthropologie is opening a store in london in just a few days. joy!
2. visiting friends in copenhagen this coming weekend (jellyfish salad anyone?)
3. record the day – by lobster & swan
4. the brilliant insider’s guide to my secret london from wee birdy & friends
5. lo-fi london, from notes by naive, reveals to me some yet undiscovered places (not for long)*
6. a journalling tutorial from curiously crafty

what’s got you excited today?

*it was only 5 this morning, and i’ve since found this gem. for a new zealander living in london, this is an awesome find, as it’s often hard to even know where to start looking for delights like this page has

dear friends,

today has been one of those juicy lazy sundays that fill all of me to the brim. it’s been part discovery, part hand-cut chips, with a side order of photography and a sprinkling of book shopping…

large jammy dodgers, one of my current gustatory obsessions

it all began with a trip to the newly discovered (by us at least) albion caff in shoreditch (thanks remodelista!) for coffee and a jammy dodger for me, almond croissant for nic. this place is humming with people on the weekend… full to overflowing with people drinking tea from pots covered in hand-knitted tea cosies, sharing a bit of gossip with friends, or having a quiet read of the sunday paper.

colombia road flowermarket

then, it was a short wander to the colombia road flower market, where stallholders were pimping their wares – most for a fiver. it was funny listening to their monologue as they interspersed their current deal with muttered comments about wondering if anyone was listening. the market was packed full of people, shuffling along in time with the people in front/behind… some laden with flowers & plants, others (like us) with cameras. one cheeky vendor was charging £1 if anyone wanted to take photos – i guess he (and perhaps the tourists willing to pay this fee) had never heard of the photographer’s rights with regards to photos in public places.

bookstore (shot from the hip)

as well as the market, there are a ton of quirky little stores, full of people, funky art, and other goodies and we chanced upon an amazing second-hand bookstore in a couple of upstairs rooms. they had an awesome selection of paperbacks, some of which parted me from my cash, and a great view back along the flower market from the windows

image source: jessiechorley.com

next door to the bookstore is another set of stairs that lead up to a treasure trove that is part alice in wonderland, part vintage wonderland called jessie and buddug. i didn’t go in as i’ve been warned about taking husbands into stores where they can wreak havoc when bored….

why one wife now chooses to shop alone – thanks to my husband nic for the image

their website is so inviting that i do feel compelled to do another trip there just to see the shop and jessie’s altered journals in real life…

we also saw cupcakes big & small…

…and i’m now officially in love with rachel barker’s range of tableware.

the space & hubbub – our local hangout

the rest of the afternoon has been spent at our local cafe – this place is very “relaxed wellington cafe” with lazy-sunday-style music (often kiwi), great beer and hand-cut chips. we are both sitting here with laptops; nic up to some geekery or another, and me…

well, i’m writing to you.

with love,
-leonie

some bicycle inspired items from etsy.

okay, so the shoes don’t really count, but

1. they are red (my fave shoe colour)
2. my alter-ego would have a bicycle & a chic cycling outfit to match

1. bicycle bowl 2. 2 bicycle pint glasses 3. made to order 12oz cup 4. bicycle personalized stationery 5. you’re the kind of bike that fits in with my world 6. gimme a ride pocket mirror 7. mini bike bag 8. custom red retro platform pumps 9. vital bicycle – women’s eco-heather hoodie 10. bicycle part gear clock 11. red bike fork lamp 12. jonathan, don’t bring that wet bicycle in here

some of my favourites today from etsy. i especially ♥ amazing tripod girl!

vintage.camera.etsy.love

1. shopjude 2. saltsmansoap 3. xcessrize 4. revelry 5. MotherMidnight 6. Artsy 7. fstopinertia 8. Unravelling 9. Ploosh 10. julieh7 11. GetReadySetGO 12. collectorsville 13. evesimone 14. girlhula 15. vintagekitty 16. yellowgoat

dear friends,

i bought a fascinating book recently called the independent london store guide. it’s got lots of lovely quirky stores in it, with details of who they are and how to find them. i love it because it entices me to explore london on foot, get off the high street (not that i go there much anyway), and into quiet little side streets often overlooked.

labour and wait interior (polaroid)

one such place was on my adventure list yesterday. labour and wait do have an online store, though the pictures of their shop had me itching to go in and have a look around it in person.

thanks to the lovely shop dudes, they even let me take a photo… so i whipped out my polaroid, which led to a fabulous discussion about film and our shared love for old skool. they even gave me the name of a new source for film!

the shop did not disappoint. it’s filled to the brim with lovely homewares and other goodies based on timeless and traditional design suitable for any home. definitely worth a look for anyone like me who is addicted to beautiful homewares, and it’s near brick lane, so being that one is already in the locale, it’s a great opportunity to check out the amazing array of retro clothing stores and fantastic cheap curry houses.