Bee House Teapots

Generally a day doesn’t go by that I don’t have tea; it gets me up in the morning, it gives me a kick in the afternoon and it comforts me just before bed. I’m extraordinarily picky about my tea and how it’s made so finding the perfect tea pot has been a trial by a lot of errors process.

One of my favourites (and the one I’ve only been using the past several months) is the Bee House 15oz Tea Pot. I love this pot because it’s small, cute, and beautiful but also because  it has it’s own stainless steel infusers that fits in nicely (and removes just as nice) and also because the lid can easily come off, stay open, or close shut. It retains heat wonderfully without having the handle get scolding hot. And the best part? No drips!

With summer coming up, I just purchased the 45oz Teapot in a beautiful green which is perfect for Ice Tea (brewing, storing, serving). Both pots clean easily (either by hand or the dishwasher) and come in a variety of colours. And the smaller one goes perfect with my favourite Lily Crowned Tea Cosy.

BUY AT: Bee House Teapots

Lily Crowned Tea Cosy

I survive on tea and must always have a cup of tea on hand. It can sometimes take me a fair bit to get through a cup so that when I go for my second (or third!), the tea in the pot has usually cooled off. I’ve searched for years for the perfect tea cosy but since I didn’t want one that had cats, pom poms or was crocheted I seemed to out of luck.

Whilst browsing on Etsy I came across the Lily Crowned Tea Cosy which suited my aesthetics’s and tea warming purposes perfectly!

Our tea cosy is lined with an insulating layer of batting and decorated with a vintage image. So put the kettle on - it’s tea time.

Made from French vintage linen sheets and stamped on image, these hand made cosy’s are insulated, pretty and oh so charming. I loved tea before but having this to put on makes it even better (Tip: I put warm water in the tea pot whilst brewing water and put the tea cosy on top so that the pot stays extra warm).

The cosy’s come in a couple of sizes so check the measurements and buy the one that’ll fit your pot the best.

BUY AT: Gloaming Designs Etsy Shop

Maison Belle Orange Rosemary Washing Up Liquid

Two of my favourite places (France & Denmark) team to make one of my not favourite things (washing dishes) more pleasant. “This effective and nontoxic, detergent-free dish soap quickly removes it all from your dishes without harming your skin or the environment. Scented with essential oils, this special formula leaves your dishes smelling naturally clean” so says the web site and frankly, I couldn’t have said it better. What I love is the size, style and the fact that it has a pump dispenser. The scent is heavenly and really does help when you’re washing up caked on food that might not be so nice. Not that I let things cake on. Well. Maybe.

In any event, this product of Denmark with its French name and feel really works weather you’ve a sink full of nasty dishes or one delicate tea cup to rinse out. I love the fact that it’s eco-friendly with a short ingredient list so I don’t have to worry about leaving a chemical film on dishes that I eat off. And I confess I’m always a sucker for pretty packaging and a good story - especially when it all works together to form a great product like this.

BUY AT: Anthropologie in the US or at Isabella Smith for Europe

biokleen Automatic Dish Powder

I’ve only had a dishwasher a handful of times in my life and confess that I actually really don’t like them for a myriad of reasons. But for a long time it was because I couldn’t find a decent eco-friendly washing liquid/powder to get the dishes clean without chemicals. I didn’t want things I couldn’t pronounce leaving a film on my dishes that I’d have to eat off. And I didn’t want that run off to go into streams. But eco-friendly detergents just didn’t cut it.

That is until I found Biokleen’s Automatic Dish Powder. I had had really good success with biokleens Bac Out which I have recommended to everyone and their mama so I decided to try this powder since, by purchasing it at Whole Foods, if it didn’t work out I could return it. However, it worked on the first go even with caked on eggs, chocolate batter stuck on bowls and a few delicate peices of china.

Because it’s concentrated, a little goes a long way making it a great value. And it’s completely natural so it’s good for the environment or for people with cemical sensitivities and allergies. And for me the best part is that there is no fragrance! I’ve always found fragrances with dishwshers to be slightly overwhelming, not so with this!

So if you do use a dishwsher but want a great, eco-friendly option, I heavily recommend biokleen.

BUY AT: Whole Foods & Drugstore.com

Factory-Reconditioned Breville Juice Fountain Plus

Juicing always conjured up images of a 109 year old man on tv screaming about all the delights of juicing celery and avocado. That didn’t appeal to me despite all the claims and the remarkable bendy-ness of this 109 year old man.

I don’t really drink juice - not even from bottles - so why on earth would I juice? Especially since the machines are notorious for being expensive, hard to clean and lots of work (you have to cut up every bit of veggie for them to get “juiced”). But when so many of my cheap, lazy friends began to rave about the Breville Juicer (and how much better their skin was looking) I knew I had to investigate.

Mixing spinach, celery, green apple (cut in half), one lemon and a little bit of ginger into the juicer sounded frightening but turned out to be amazing! After one sip I wanted the juicer but asked my friend how long it’d take to clean up. Literally a minute thanks to large parts that remove easy and are dishwasher safe. But then I was concerned about the price. This unit normally retails for over $150 so I bought a reconditioned model for less than $40! And let me tell you, it’s a power horse.

I do not want to be cutting up bits in the morningtimes when I am far to sleepy and need the juice to wake me up. And this machine literally just juices the bejesus out of every piece of fruit or veggie. I have to say, getting my fill of vegetables has never been so delicious - or easy.

I’m still making the same drink as above; haven’t gone all crazy with fruit and books so I can’t comment on how it is with other recipes. But I can tell you that for someone who loves fresh juice, wants to get a little healthier without spending a lot of money or building a juice machine every morning, than this is the juicer for you.

BUY AT: Amazon

Fruit Tree Collage Art by Lorena Siminovich

I’m not sure if it works or if it’s just mind over matter, but I decided to incorporate some feng shui into my flat to combat feeling sluggish (it seemed a far easier & more LA thing to do than say, running). The only thing? I’m not into crystals. So to boost my health gua I headed to Anthropologie for something unique and beautiful.

There I found this charming 12″ square collage print by artist Lorena Siminovich. The simple, playful colours appealed to me (perhaps because they’re really designed for children’s rooms?) as did the fact it was perfect for my “health” area (great! no running!). But what I really loved was how Lorena’s background, eye and how she creates her collages:

The collages are made with found, recycled, painted and vintage papers. Lorena travels (in space and time!) and collects papers from all over the world, and from different eras. For example, in her collages you may find japanese architectural drawings from the fifties next to a school map from Costa Rica.

I also love that she pursues her artistic passion alongside a “regular” job - inspiring! And her sites? Amazing!

So I’m not sure if it was the addition of the print, Lorena’s inspiring background or the feng shui at work but I certainly felt better once I brought her collage home.

BUY AT: Anthropologie or buy directly from the artist at Petit Collage

Graphic Lap Desk

I love my laptop but I don’t always love the heat it generates - especially when I watch movies on it in bed (I don’t have a TV). But this lap desk by the Container Store solves that problem. It also solves others such as trying to keep the computer even (instead of slightly lopsided as it tends to do when on my lap. What this says about me I’ve know idea) and where to keep my drink (the handy little place right at the top right, of course!).

Unlike a lot of laptop desks, these are stylish so you can keep them out when not in use. And if you don’t use a laptop, you can use them for a myriad of other reasons (crafts, reading, crosswords etc. And if someone is stuck in bed for awhile this is a comfy table alternative).

BUY AT: The Container Store

Graham Brown “Frames” Wallpaper

I know this woman who has a fabulous home - a home that was recently featured in a magazine. And when I saw a picture of one of her walls I was instantly in-love because I’d never seen anything like it. It was a solid wall of frames with photos here and there. It was beautiful, fun, unique and stylish.

Turns out, it’s Graham Brown “Frames” wallpaper with cut out photos of her choosing placed on top. Brilliant! What a fantastic \ way to display photos (better than having to buy generic frames and stick them up all over the place!).

As the site says, it’s completely interactive; you can paste photos on or draw right on it. I’m really anxious to do this but I’m not sure how my landlord would feel about me wallpapering the flat. Maybe we’ll just have to find out!

BUY AT: Graham Brown

Dyson DC14 The Animal Vacuum

It seems like every year I’d buy a new vacuum since mine (whether it was a Hoover or Eureka) would just plain stop working. When I read that the number one replaced home product was the Vacuum cleaner, let’s just say I wasn’t surprised.

What I was surprised about was that everyone seemed to be in-love with the Dyson Upright. Every place I could find a review (from Amazon to Sears, to Reviews.com) raved about this line of vacuums. I was skeptical despite thousands of glowing reviews - who loves a hoover that much?

Raises hand.

I bought the DC14 Animal for a few reasons; I have two animals that like to leave hair all over the flat. The other models had the ball feature which wasn’t easy for me to maneuver (I like stability). This model came with the right amount of tools (the more expensive versions just come with more tools that you can always buy if you need them - but you won’t).

I love the fact that you don’t need bags, that it sucks the bejesus out of everything (dust balls from across the room get sucked in- it’s brilliant!). The wand quickly pulls out so you can get high to reach places or get fur off the couch or finally get the crevices behind the fridge. The power is unbelievable and the ease? Easy-peasy. It’s by far the best vacuum I’ve ever had. And thanks to its 5-year warranty, I don’t have to worry about replacing it any time soon!

BUY AT: Dyson

Electra Amsterdam Bike, Classic

Last year I bought myself a bike; a Navaro from REI. It was a decent bike except for a couple of things. Since I don’t wear pants, my skirts were forever getting caught. It was pale blue (at least it didn’t have flowers like most ladies bikes on the market), and the sitting position was more mountain bike than cruiser. So I returned it because I had a vision of the perfect bike and that just wasn’t it.

When I returned to Denmark in February, I kept seeing all the girls in dresses and long coats riding their bikes (in winter conditions no less). Sitting upright with pretty bikes I was very, very envious and really debated buying a bike there to just bring back. But time was limited and so I didn’t.

But then I heard about the Electra Amsterdam bike and when I saw it in person I was instantly smitten. It’s exactly what the name implies - a steel European bike with a skirt guard, light, leather seat and perfect seating position. It’s beautiful and riding it is a dream.

True, it only has 3 speeds so it’s best suited to rolly areas instead of very hilly ones but in every other way, it’s a wonderful, comfortable ride (no skirt getting caught!). The only warning I shall give on this bike is that one can start to think they’re in Europe whilst riding it. Actually, that’s not really a problem, is it?

BUY AT: Electra