Shift how we see

It is only junk

Flatware.lo — Old style flatwear, otherwise referred to as cutlery, is sadly a thing of the past in most ‘modern’ homes. Why have these beautiful pieces of silverware gone away? There is nothing nicer than the look and feel of these bone handled knives, the curved rat’s tailed forks and spoons. Recognises the joy of old things. Things that have a history. Objects that were manufactured in times when built-in redundancy simply was not a possibility.

Music to go

Colander decor

Nothing is wasted

A great shiftazine idea: paint patterns and shapes onto those plastic containers that held the new plants you bought home from the nursery. They usually hang around the garden or fill up the recycling bin. This way you get a new plant and a new plant container that you can place on the garden table. clever, huh!

A good idea

A very Shiftazine idea presented itself on Oxford Street Darlinghurst in the form of a BOOK SHARE. There in a disused doorway, sits a book case full of books that are longer wanted by the original owners. These books have not outlived their intrinsic value, they just have given what they had to offer to the past owners and are now awaiting the opportunity to offer something new to someone else. This is a great example of recycling or pass it on. A generous act. Love IT!

Warm and loved

The Cuddle Coats organization turns animal cruelty into animal care. Located in Minnesota, the non-profit strips old fur coats of buttons and zippers and sends the furs back out to animal rehabilitation centers around the country. The program is a branch of the Animal Rights Coalition. They seek to make the world a kinder place for all animals.

Tea Towel upholstery

Tea towels are a necessity of domestic life. Exciting to buy new ones, all bright and crisp. Often they serve as reminders of a great holiday or outing. They wipe and dry benches and hands. Get hung over kitchen cupboard knobs, oven handles or backs of kitchen doors.

Broken but beautiful

The Japanese practice of repairing a broken object, referred to as kintsugi, is solid shiftazine thinking. Something that is chipped, or broken into pieces, or cracked should be, if possible, glued together. It should be kept. How many times have you reluctantly thrown out that beautiful cup because of a chip, or that bowl because of a crack? It is the flaws that give it a history, a personality, a sense of unique. Like all things in life, nothing is perfect.

‘Old school’

There is something about a lovely, ‘old school’ sink and tiles that speak to me on a hot, hot day. ‘’Old school’ anything can possess a charm that simply cannot be reproduced. ‘Old’ is not a crime.

Quick to the draw

Just a pile of unrelated, unwanted drawers that do not belong to anything, can still perform their primary function, that of storage and provide order. As always, it is just how you choose to see a thing that makes it valuable or not. The design is by Tejo Remy and the article about it is in a book called ‘Visual Conversations’ AVA Publishing, Switzerland. It is a great read BTW.

Op-shop opportunities

Just love the look of the mixed textures, elements, objects and colours, that have no business being seen together, that are often partnered up in ‘op’ shops and second hand stores.
The advantage of this kind of accidential styling is that with a fresh or non-contrived eye one can create a beautiful and surprising environment.

A twist

Creative thinking