Over the holiday, I took this snap of my Mom’s pantry, complete with her Sunshine Crossback Pinny hanging on a cup hook, and it made me think of what Pema Chodron says about ordinary things. “By taking care of ordinary things, we rejoice in them. When we scrub a vegetable or brush our hair, we are expressing friendship towards ourselves and towards the living quality that is in everything. This combination of mindfulness and appreciation connects us fully with reality & brings us joy.” Pema Chodron in The Places That Scare You Joan (my Mom) is the OG when it comes to taking care of places ..read more

I made this Cherry Tomato tart with feta cheese and black olives for my Dad’s 80th birthday using a photocopy from The New Cranks Recipe Book (page 135) by Nadine Abensur It’s not my own recipe, so it wouldn’t be right to publish the text of the recipe here. So here’s a photo of the photocopy from my (well-used) homemade recipe book, and if you click the image, you’ll link to a downloadable PDF of the recipe. PS: Want to get your own copy of the New Cranks Recipe Book? It’s a real classic, and I see there’s a used copy for sale on Bookmall at this link. The post Recipe: Ch ..read more

Today is a very good day, because… we’ve opened a store at the V&A Waterfront! Look for the stripey yellow awning on the upper level of Victoria Wharf, right next door to our friends at Pichulik, and opposite the Diesel store. Team DREAM Team The store is tiny, and quite oddly shaped, but Team Architects took the project from sketch to execution, putting every inch of the space to brilliant use. They devised a versatile display system that showcases a wide range of goods in a welcoming, warm, space that has real impact, despite its tiny dimensions. We loved every minute working with Philip ..read more

This year, our friends at Heath Ceramics in San Francisco are celebrating 75 years of designing, creating and selling their top quality, timeless, American-made ceramic goods. To help them celebrate, we’ve created a 75th anniversary tea towel, sold exclusively by Heath Ceramics, and now available as part of their freshly-launched seasonal Winter range. Our 15 year relationship with Heath is truly something that really makes us super proud. They were one of the very first companies to start stocking our goods, way back in 2008, and we’ve been working with them on seasonal collections ever since ..read more

Ever wondered why we called our seriously big and sturdy shopping bag The Alexander Sack? Well, it’s in honour of my friend Robyn Alexander who insisted I create a bag based on one she’d had in her family for decades. That’s how you get a bag named after you. It’s easy! The Alex Sack has massive capacity, and to hold all those bottles of bubbly, there’s an extra base panel for strength, to which the straps are attached. All seams are triple-stitched with upholstery thread, so this is a really, really strong bag! Want to know more about how well this bag lasts? (Hint: a long time) Read this bl ..read more

Mae Pakdhoust of Mae Artisan Rugs represents the new generation in her Iranian/German family’s rug business. Mae’s focus is on contemporary rug design, but it’s her boundless curiosity about the process, craft and possibilities of rug-making that is her true secret sauce. When Mae approached me to work on a rug collaboration, I was thrilled by the opportunity to diversify my design abilities. I dived into ideas mode, making fabric and paper collages in my studio, thinking I could visualise the end product this way, but it turns out I had no idea how everything would turn out. A true collaborat ..read more

People often ask two questions about Skinny laMinx. Why the name? The first question is “What does the name Skinny laMinx mean?” The answer involves a very beautiful creature (our little Siamese cat, Monkey). You can read more about her at this link. Why the bird? The second question is: “If Skinny laMinx is named after a cat, why is there a bird in the Skinny laMinx logo?” The short answer to this question is that I cut a bird from paper back in 2006 and thought it would make a great logo. And I was right! The longer answer has to do with a much less popular and largely unappreciated creatur ..read more

I love creating patterns. My favourite thing is to carve little rubber stamps from cheap erasers, and use these to create endless variations on a pattern theme.  But where do the ideas for my clear, simple patterns come from?  Finding the ingredients While designing the Scandi Candy patterns, I started thinking that creating patterns is a bit like cooking or baking – it’s about the quality of ingredients, & taking the time to combine them just right. With Scandi Candy, I had all the ingredients for her pattern right in front of my nose… for years before they became Scandi Candy ..read more

Find the full Scandi Candy range of kitchen and dining textiles, as well as cushions and upholstery fabrics in our website shop, or at the Skinny laMinx showroom at 16a Buiten Street in Cape Town. The post Recipe: How to make Scandi Candy appeared first on Skinny laMinx ..read more

I’ve got all kinds of projects on the go. Perhaps you can relate? Some of them (like my needlepoint tapestries) take incredibly long to finish, while others (like my quick carved-eraser patterns) are made in a flash. I occasionally find it difficult to reconcile the two, because while I may start a needlepoint in response to other things I’m doing in the studio, by the time I do the last stitch, the design is old news. We’ve all moved on, and all that effort ends up getting forgotten in a drawer somewhere. Recently, however, I appear to have managed to find a happy middle. In April last year ..read more