We gutted the linen closet today. Four bags of textiles and two bags of rubbish that neither of us can explain. I’m sure holding on to double-sized bed linen despite the fact we have a king-sized duvet made sense at some point, but we couldn’t take the untidiness any longer. Mr Fig and Pen is…
Read MoreHas it really been a month since my last update? We’re nearly to the end of our renovations, and the new extension is two weeks away from being finished. And then it’s on to the fun bit – decorating!
Read MoreIf cats could speak, they would have Russian or German accents. Clearly I have too much time to think about these things. (Sorry for the cat-heavy content. It’s this or snow at the moment.)
Read MoreI bought a set of china in an antique mall in Alabama in the late 90s. The stamp on the underside of the dishes says that the china is from Narumi (Mikassa) and the pattern is Pioneer. I’ve searched for ages, but I’ve never been able to confirm this pattern ever actually existed, and I’ve…
Read MoreAn old Harry and David box of Royal Riviera Pears, except that this box contains some beautiful old Christmas ornaments that were once used as a display in the window of the old Martin Drug Store. More photos later…
Read MoreThese cute little pirañas came from the Hippie Fair in Brasilia. They hang in the window of my new kitchen, and seem quite happy to be there. The tiler came today and nearly finished one wall. He hopes to be completely finished by Wednesday evening. Yay!
Read MoreI don’t have a favourite room in my house, but I do have a favourite space. The light on the landing is beautiful all day, and the view from the window is spectacular. I pass through this space at least ten times a day and it always makes me happy, especially when there is a…
Read MoreI won this clock at an auction a few years ago, cheap! When I finally got round to hanging it on the wall, it had stopped working completely, and clock repair shops are hard to find in this area — I’ve looked. So my lovely clock tells the correct time twice a day, but I…
Read MoreDeep in my heart, I am a minimalist, yet something compels me to collect things I don’t need. One of my biggest weaknesses is midcentury modern pottery, specifically Metlox’s Tropicana Fish pattern. I comb Ebay weekly.
Read MoreWhen I was a little kid, I had two favourite Christmas decorations — a red felt reindeer called Rudolph and an elf called Tommy. Tommy originally belonged to my grandparents, and they gave him to me one Christmas after I’d carried him around their house all day. Seeing Tommy every year was a thrill, but…
Read MoreI love Christmas, and I love these little figurines from Japan. They were made in the early 1950s, and they remind me of my childhood Christmases with my grandparents.
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Fig and Pen 