Collecting green glass

Bored with the monotony of mass production, Dutch designer, Klaas Kuiken, has developed a new technique for glassblowing, using a specially adapted oven and a compressor. With his method, glass bulges more where the bottle walls are thinner and less where they are thicker. This results in a totally unique shape for each bottle, using exactly the same raw materials and process.






Kuiken’s green glass collection, shown above right, looks even better when the bottles are lit from behind, producing a mysterious, watery reflection (left).












If you’re interested in starting your own glass collection, we’ve a rare curiosity at ShopCurious. This collectable malachite glass scent bottle, made in 1930s Bohemia, is something of a vintage treasure. The Lalique style flacon is beautifully moulded with a depiction of a young girl and a fawn.




The image and colour of the glass are curiously appropriate for spring. This would make a totally unique seasonal gift – as well as being a prized heirloom. And, like so many things, it looks even more beautiful in the sunshine…

I just hope we get a few rays over the holiday weekend.

Do you?

Springing to life

Flowers are coming into bloom, birds are singing, and spring is in the air. It’s the time of year when nature's new additions are in the offing - so appropriate that it should be Mother’s Day in the UK.

We often take our mothers for granted, yet they offer us unconditional love whatever the circumstances. No one said motherhood was easy. And sometimes it just wasn’t meant to be…


On that note, here’s a poignant poem by ShopCurious poet in residence Matt Bryden:

Lambing

Still warm, she says. The sheep lies on its side.
The crows have claimed one eye – pools, ebbs,
darken the snow. Three more weeks
to lamb. She pokes her hand beneath the wool.
I lift a leg, manipulate the hoof joint.
The muck cakes her wrist. The flock are keeping distant.

A probe and waters burst. Full hands of gut,
intestine slop on snow. I roll her sleeves
beyond her elbows. Come, I say, and push
the sheep against her arm. Come on. She feels
the hoof of one of them but can’t secure
her grip, the cervix open. I want them born.

You’re doing well, I say. Propitious year –
of snowfall, blue moon. I grip the fleece.
Come on. She holds the head now, pulls it
by the skull and worms it from the mother,
floppy lamb puppet, tips it so its paws
tread snow, then rubs its face, its closed eyes.
No. The umbilicus spills its red all over.

Back in. This time easier. She pulls it out.
A girl. Too young. She holds it up.
We lay them by the mother’s side –
for buzzards to dispatch, the farmer to descry.

On a lighter note, one of my favourite books from childhood is PD Eastman’s Dr Seuss book, Are You My Mother? (see pic left).

Are you?

Paris blossoms into springtime

They say there’s nowhere like Paris in the springtime, but I’ve noticed something rather curious about the city at this time of year… Unlike London, the centre doesn’t seem to have so many trees – at least not of the blossoming variety.

Never mind, the French make up for it in style. If you’re in Paris for Fashion Week, look out for the blossom in shops, restaurants and hotels. Here are a few photographs from my travels around the city:









The prettily decorated Tresor by Brigitte Masson in the Marais district (curiously reminiscent of my former boutique, Fashion Gallery in the late 1990s) always has a lovely window display – this one featuring a blossom-dressed, quirky papier mache mannequin.






















The Japanese influence appears to be quite popular this season (see today’s post at The Dabbler for more on this trend in photography) - artificial cherry trees appear in quite a few shop windows, along with other more curious flower-filled displays.

And not forgetting the twinkling tree lined avenues and arty floral arrangements in grand hotel foyers, like the George V, as shown below.


















Anyway, if you’re looking to bring some slightly lower maintenance Far Eastern floral style into your life, how about these beautifully decorated gold and black lacquered vintage bowls from ShopCurious? There are six altogether – each one featuring a unique, hand painted Japanese design. There’s a lovely lacquer box with abalone shell inlay too, which would be perfect for Mothers’ Day.










Or you could always take Mum to see the curiously blossoming Paris in the springtime…

Will you?

Blossom springs eternal

Spring has finally sprung, in an exploding confection of sugary pink blossom.

However hard the winter, Spring arrives at roughly the same time every year, with a fecund flourish of magnificent, flowering buds.

The eternal beauty of Spring never ceases to amaze and uplift the spirit.


(click on the photos to enlarge)


































































If you share my love of blossom, this unique. vintage 1950s, floral raffia handbag, available at ShopCurious, is covered in candy coloured blooms, and simply perfect for Spring weddings , or dressy outdoor occasions. Pastel pink, camellia and candy colour accessories are going to be big this season too.

Enjoy the fabulous fruits of the Spring!

Will you?

The curious accessories of Spring, tra-la!

I’m curious to know whether or not Goldfinches migrate, as they seem to return to the olive tree on my terrace every year. Last year the tree was used twice by the birds. It’s quite a responsibility having a nest of vulnerable little chicks just outside your window, especially if there are nasty magpies and crows about – but two successive broods of tiny chirping balls of fluff in one season can make life positively stressful.



Although one baby bird stayed in the nest until it grew so fat it was almost bigger than its temporary home, the most nail-biting time was when the chicks first left the nest. Most alarming of all, was the moment when one of the tiny birds, newly out of its nest and still being trained to fly, got stuck in a corner, behind a big plant pot - unable to fly upwards and over the glass screening around the terrace.

Several other birds (possibly parents, or from the same family) were equally distressed, but also unable to coax the bird out from behind the pot. It was particularly worrying that the apartment next door had a couple of cats. Eventually, the poor little bird was unceremoniously prodded to safety with the help of a long bamboo stick and then carefully lifted up and thrown into the air, whereupon a protective flock of fellow finches flew out of nowhere to surround the bird and encourage it on its way – an extraordinary act of nature and love that brought spontaneous tears of joy to my eyes.

The little creature flapped furiously and flew upwards and upwards… then faltered and crash-landed, inelegantly, in an even more confined space between a glass screen and window on a balcony of the building opposite. The concierge was duly called. The neighbours were away for the weekend, so there was nothing that could be done – apart from fretting. The amazing thing was that at least one bird kept watch over the little chick the whole time it was stuck in the crevice. The poor bird must have eventually regained enough strength to fly off, as at some stage during the following day, it simply disappeared.

I love this time of year: Nature’s so fascinating and it’s incredibly uplifting to hear the birds singing, especially in the early evening when, until very recently, it was totally dark. Goldfinches also have a rather quirky and amusing, yet strangely beautiful, way of flying – like they’re swimming the breaststroke in mid-air and then suddenly stopping and starting again...

If you’re also a bird lover, you might like the Hatastic Easter Bonnet that’s available at ShopCurious. Crafted from recycled bits and pieces, rather like a genuine bird’s nest, this unique creation has also been lovingly handmade. A totally original hat to wear to a Spring wedding or to Summer events, this eco-friendly fascinator is simply ‘eggcellent’. Just make sure there aren’t any broody birds around.

Will you?