Origami Street Art by Mademoiselle Maurice

Wouldn't it be like stumbling upon a physical burst of joy if you turned a corner on the street and saw this? I love the juxtaposition of the beautiful bright, happy colours and intricate folds of the origami against the dreary, harsh city walls.
These installations were created by 28 year old French artist, Mademoiselle Maurice.
This particular installation, titled Rainbow,  has quite a significant story behind it. It was created as a tribute to Sadako Sasaki, who suffered the Hiroshima bombing and its tragic consequences.

“The optimism of the action is better than the pessimism of the mind”. - Harald Zindler

I need to do a bit of cleaning up on this blog, it's gotten a bit messy! So you may see some things looking a bit wonky while I work my less-than-amazing coding skillz and try to figure things out, but don't worry, it's not broken or gone to the dogs ;)

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Beautiful Raindrop Hanging Vases

I love these hanging vases coz they look like plants growing out of suspended raindrops :)

They're made of hand-blown glass, so each one is a different shape, and the rope is handmade from the Japanese lime tree. They're created by Jurgen Lehl, a German textile and fashion designer who lives in Japan and also has a houseware range called Babaghuri. 

Seen here.

Food Typography!

Typography and food - what an awesome combination! Love this video (see below) for Behance Portfolio Review Week, directed and designed by Ouchhh. Nice lighting, colours and general vibe. 

Put a Ring on it

A little Beyoncé-inspired happiness, hehe...

Kitsch Cool Kitty Postcard Collection

Are these not just the kitschest, coolest kitty postcards you've ever seen?

They're part of a collection by Erin,  a medical transcriptionist from Florida, USA. She's a collector of note, with several collections on her Flickr page, this kitty postcard collection being just one of them. 

Big News! The launch of my freelance illustration and design career

Yes, my friends, I've decided to take the big leap into the world of freedom, uncertainty and happiness :)

I've been wanting to start a freelance career for a long time and I guess the law of attraction couldn't resist making it happen any longer! I'll be doing all sorts of illustration and design (things like custom personal or wedding and event stationery, invitations, blog headers and elements, logos... etc.). 

If you're interested and would like to see my portfolio, chat about rates and packages, collaborate, or just chat about what's on offer, don't hesitate to drop me a line at happiness.is.info@gmail.com.

Stacey Page's Magical Embroidery

I love this chick's work! So at first glance you think "ok, cool embroidery" - but what makes this really special is that Stacey uses old wallet size photos, like ID photos, and embroiders directly on them. Now imagine the size of those pics (3.1 by 4.3 inches) and look at the amount of detail and precision in her work... Now that is freakin amazing. 

 See more here.

Are you truly happy?

View the original article here.

Queen of Colour

Vogue followed the Queen of England around for a year documenting her fashion sense and this is what they ended up with...

The ad agency, Leo Burnett, then took her outfits and turned them into a Pantone colour wheel! Pretty cool :)

It's awesome that she wears so much colour!
Images and info via here.

5 happy things

Some of the things that made me happy this week... 

Having some time to experiment with watercolours and be creative...

Mini marshmallows! A whole pack of them! Was so stoked to find these to put in my hot choc :) (They're not commonly found in South Africa). So yummy and fun!

Pretty plants - African Violets and a Dessert Rose. Love having greenery around.

Kitty snuggles! My own cats refuse to cuddle or sleep on my lap, but my gran's cat loved that fluffy pink gown I had on and happily curled up in my lap :)

More greenery - really love it. The pic at the top is behind my house, the rolling hills look so beautiful in the winter afternoon sun, the photo doesn't do it justice. The second pic is on the side of a highway, but the hills look so pretty with the long grass and plants swaying with the wind. I always admire it when I drive past. 

What made you happy this week?