Wish lists

Last night a new reader on Twitter said she had loved the Neisha Crosland vinyl floor tiles I featured a while back – and that she'd added them to her wish list.

It got me thinking about wish-lists, what what would be on mine. And then I remembered I had written out a far more prosaic list around a year ago, and stuck it to my fridge door. Twelve months later, I have done precisely two things from it ('snails' and 'dispose of fence' in case you are interested – how glamorous I am – am I the only person with such a dull wish-list?).

But last year was an epic DIY adventure, and it tired me out a bit (especially this part). So roll on the spring and maybe I can cross some things off that damn list at long last.

Meanwhile, I can avoid it with much more interesting shopping wish lists, which I can handily store  right here, rather than on lists stuck on the fridge. Here are a few less boring things on my house wish list...

This ingenious sofa-arm shelf for sale on Etsy (but from Blisscraft and Brazen, a reclaimed wood design store based in Canada, but easy to get a good joiner to make one up for you if you are elsewhere in the world).

A beautiful portrait of a good face, painted in oils, like one of these by Kai Samuels-Davis.

A set of Pretty Pegs, top, for my green sofa, above, which has not very nice ones. Or I may even just finally get around to painting them... when I can decide on a colour...

Some beautiful paintings

Buying prints of paintings can be an affordable way to get some original art onto your walls. And I came across these prints of Clare Elsaessa's lovely paintings in her Etsy shop, Tastes Orangey. Coincidentally – or not – I have previously featured the California-based painter's other half, Kai Samuels-Davis and their home, which was the subject of an Etsy tour earlier this year, but was unaware of the link when I saw Clare's work. 

Check it out here, and also Kai's work, which I also really love. Isn't it funny how these two painters and partners have such companionable styles? I wonder if their styles grew together, or found each other fully-formed?

Covered, £28.77, 13" x 19"

Succulent, £9.59, 8" x 10"

Portrait in Yellow, £28.77, 13"x19"

To Sea, £9.59, 8"x10"

Black Lab, £28.77, 13"x19"

The prints come with borders; personally I would frame them without the borders, adding a mount board instead of you want that effect – otherwise it just screams 'print' rather than 'painting' from 100 paces...

Postage (from the US) is just under £9