Essential elements . . . . . . .

Perhaps I've mentioned before how, some years ago, I became smitten with the
 work of extraordinary Australian designer/stylist, Sibella Court. I first discovered 
her through her book etcetera found when browsing through Anthropolgie.
She is an amazing traveller/collector/historian who brings back elements, both as  
objects and perhaps more importantly, as memories, to translate into her personal
versions of unusual one-of-a-kind interiors.

Besides Sibella's stellar career with many of the world's best known retail giants 
and publications, she was the host of a TV program called Restoration Australia. 
She also has a shop, The Society Inc. in Sydney, Australia which, if I'm ever
 fortunate enough to return to 'the lucky country' for another visit, will be at the top 
of my places to visit list. I know I will spend hours looking through her 'oddities and curiosities.'

  Sibella has shared much of her fabulous global travels in several books. Different in 
their artistic format, they are beautiful to hold, making one anxious to turn the pages.
I have three of them - etcetera, The Life of a Bowerbird, and NOMAD. 
I never tire of looking through them, reading her words, and admiring her 
 brother Chris Court's stunning photography. The books themselves are pieces of art,
 the paper, type fonts, and the layout/design of each page.

Yes, Sibella is a vagabond. . . . . .the hunter, gatherer, traveler I'd most like 
to meet in person some day.
Anyway, look her up, read much more, and if you like to collect unusual elements to
 make your life interesting and creative, go here to Sibella's website where you can
 also visit her blog. Her posts are so interesting - recently she posted on her visit to
 Scotland with her father, and it's lovely.

I discovered a box of bits and bobs I'd tucked away and wondered what

Sibella would do with the contents. This little delicate piece of crochet work, 

still attached to its ball of cotton thread, was begging to be admired.

Looking around I found the perfect place, around the slender neck of my 

Santos cage doll.

Well I'll be domed!

Last weekend Jasmin messaged me from her fun, part time workplace 

SuzAnna's Antiques. 

It was a photo of another display dome and it had just arrived 

at the shop - was I interested?

You bet I was. "Please hold it for me dear personal shopper

granddaughter."

Nice wood base, glass dome about 13" tall.

Took a ride over later in the afternoon and sweet co-owner 

Jenny gave me a great deal - thanks as always Jenny.

For now I'm displaying three resin life-sized artichokes 

as they are cool-looking - later I'm thinking a stack of 

mini pumpkins, perhaps sprayed matte 

nickel silver - I loved that look on these larger 

ones I painted last Autumn.

I can't believe I'm already thinking about decorating for 

Autumn. I bet you have special things you're planning

to display this coming season . . . . . .  

when it's cooler and our energy has returned.
I'm even thinking wool coats, sweaters and tall boots. . . 
can't come soon enough for me after this hot Summer! 

The cure for boredom . . .

. . . is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.

                              ~ Dorothy Parker ~

OK, the thing is, I'm never, ever bored. I'm always far too busy. 

Boredom is a word I rarely, if ever, give a thought to.

I consider myself to be a curious person. 

Ever since childhood I've been extremely interested in nature. For gifts I often requested pocket-sized nature guides to plants, weeds, wild flowers, birds, insects, even the small animals found in the meadows such as field mice and hedgehogs. I was fortunate in that I don't recall there being dangerous, poisonous, biting, stinging creatures in England's beautiful countryside that I needed to avoid . . . well perhaps a raging bull at a gate once, and a few horseflies now and then!

The older I became the further afield I would roam with those guidebooks, and a small notebook and pencil in my pocket. In winter I would don my Wellington boots and mackintosh - it was usually raining, or threatening to - sloshing through piles of wet leaves to get into the fields. In spring and summer I would traipse through a large nearby field at daybreak - before the cows arrived - gathering a basket of mushrooms for breakfast. Later, in sunshine, I'd watch the flowers opening, buttercups, celandines and daisies, as I lay on my back with clouds scudding overhead, swallows swooping low. Autumn was always, and still is, my favorite season. The colors of the mighty horse chestnuts and oaks were amazing, their leaves laying thick carpets of gold and bronze on the woodland floor, the chestnuts' copper-hued conkers shining as they peeked through their bright green prickly cases. 

We lived at the edge of the countryside. By that I mean in a neighborhood built after WWII to house families where the dads, and sometimes even the mums (both my parents served in the Royal Air Force within England during the war), returned to civilian life, desperate for housing.

We lived in my grandmother's tiny flat in town for a while, then we moved into a pre-fabricated home on a housing estate. Neat little cookie-cutter houses with small back and front gardens built quickly in meandering rows, bordering a village and plenty of woodland and farmland. I have vivid memories of that house as we lived there until I was seven. My mother taught me how to grow flowers and vegetables from seed - flowers I recall best were the heady perfumed sweet peas in summer, and powerfully fragranced sweet William that bloomed with autumn's arrival. The veggies were runner beans, broad beans, potatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts.

I found this little rustic cabinet when treasure hunting in Asheville, NC last year. I knew immediately it was to become my own cabinet of curiosities.  My plan was to refinish it, make it spiffy with perfect paint, but the longer I've put it off the more I realize it's just the way I want it to be. It already holds some natural curiosities and brings me a lot of pleasure. Searching for new, meaningful additions to the cabinet is something I've discovered to be most interesting.

The opposite of boredom is to remain engaged or 

interested in a subject.

I believe that curiosity just might be the answer here.  

Do you consider yourself to be a curious person?