I love parcels in the mail and this one from Kim is fantastic! Three magazines including two from Domino, Canadian Indian art cards and print, necklaces, table runner from the fabric in her dining room, flock paper from her canvases in the hall and a cute piece she picked up on etsy. I love the pieces that are connected to her home and I particularly love the card that came with it. You see I got to see her handwriting and that was like seeing Kim. (We still haven’t even heard each others voices.) The card was the best thing….well maybe the two copies of Domino were. Just kidding!! Thank you so much Kim.

This week’s retro treats are from Better Homes Decorating Ideas, Ruth Quatermaine, Meridith Publishing Company, 1967. My scanner has been running hot. True 60s inspiration or desperation. Love it or hate here’s your retro therapy.

WINKS – weekend links. Here we list what has come in during the week, things we think you’ll like to see. If you’d love to see your blog or website featured email us and if we think it fits with our readers we’ll link you. So what do we have this week?

• Patrick Anderson has just gone live with his new site neoshed. Funky backyard sheds and the hippest birdhouses!
• Romain Duclos of Rlos Design designs the coolest stuff. Check out his imaginative creations!
• Lucia is selling Brazilian chita, a 100% cotton fabric that comes in BIG, bold and colourful flower patterns, with a sweet vintage vibe! You’ll find her etsy shop Chita Bonita! here.
• Sandra Evertson sent us a link to her blog. She’s been making things for as long as she can remember and is a magpie collector of all things old and unique.
• A press release came in about Designboost – a new, annual design event in Malmö, Sweden. “Designboost is a completely novel concept on the Swedish design market. It will be annual, different, international and will penetrate questions of current interest on design in a broad perspective and put them on the agenda in the society at large.” Check out the website for more information.
• Kara sent us this link to Onethreads posters for Nurseryworks. Too cute!

“A profound respect and keen observation of the rigorous aesthetics of classical design is evident in all of Ms. Bell’s work, including her contemporary projects. Inherent in her coordination of color, scale and proportion are the influences of the English and Continental designs of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries.” But look at the contemporary twist that Robin Bell’s work has! Her use of pattern is nothing short of breath taking. Although these homes have their roots in tradition there is nothing stuffy or dated about them. Quite the contrary.

It’s my favourite time of the week, retro time!! This week’s amazing pictures are scanned from The Complete Book of Decorating. An Illustrated Guide to Designing Your Home, Corinne Benicka, Lansdowne Press, Sydney, 1980. And before someone comments they are smoking in that conversation pit. Bad people but the cushions are divine!