Dawn is here. The ducks are playing outside my window. Last night’s dinner plates are still in the sink. and everything is quiet. It’s going to be a beautiful day.

…just passed by my window. I wonder what it’s about. And did someone lose it, or throw it in? It’s like a little boat. Carrying people in the contents of it’s pages.

Magie Hollingworth fashions paper pulp into fabulous stuff. Her work is also featured at Flow Gallery in London right now.

Incredibly inspiring. Magie makes me want to learn how to make paper pulp from my recycled paper waste and make stuff too. Oh, if only there were enough hours in a day, days in a week, years in a lifetime.

Beautiful. Classic. Sophisticated. I adore seeing how artists come up with creative ways of using recycled material in their work.

I am loving the work of artist Clare Goddard. Her pieces are currently showing at Flow Gallery in London until September 19, along with 12 other international artists who all “harness the sensitivity of the hand-made object.” Clare’s work above is made from paper, wood and thread. Gorgeous, non? The above photograph is taken by beth galton who is a fabulous food photographer based in new york, check out her online portfolio here.

I’m also in love with Clare’s studio. It’s heavenly.

…hanging in the window of whsmith in paris.

I love the idea of making fabulous homewares from simple, recycled material. Who would have ever thought rubber bands could look so good? And feel good too – this particular design duo also made a seat from rubber bands, and it was beautiful to sit in.

Incidentally, one of my favourite TV shows on at the moment is BBC’s Trash to Cash series 2. It happens to come on about the time I have lunch, so when I can,  I take a break from my writing and watch the show. I love it – it teaches viewers how to turn their junk into cash by holding a house sale and selling their unwanted and unused clutter. There are also great tips on how to fix up broken pieces of furniture, simple restoring tips like how to deal with wood worm, and advice about collectibles and antiques. The idea it to teach people how to rescue, recycle, refurbish and resell. The participant decides how much money they are aiming to make, and then they have to double that amount to give half of it to a chosen charity. Also, the room with the most clutter has to be turned back into a functional room again. Great concept. I hope to see more shows like this around the world.

Do you have any shows like this where you live? I’d love to hear about them.