Smart space-saving

Doesn't it always seem as if there's never enough storage? Bedding, towels, and toys all need a home - but where to put them? We spotted some ingenious ideas for saving on space that are suitable for all sizes of homes. Take a look...

1. Wall art, if you like, that's wholly functional, too. A wonderful idea from German industrial designer  Yi Cong Lu. 

2. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just your ordinary (rather tidy) linen cupboard - the sheets have been neatly folded and placed into their matching pillowcases to flatten things down. More space and a pretty shelf, too!

3. Ok, so this one's more decorative, but it's such an adorable idea, we just had to include it. Great for bookworms!

5. What a clever use of space - this above-door-shelf proves that being inventive with the room you have can lead to both aesthetically pleasing and functional results.

Things to do with feathers

Look at the beautiful feather picture we found. Isn't it a delight? We spotted it here and it's spurred a few ideas of things to do with loose feathers - the first one taking its inspiration from this very image...












1. Pick a frame that complements your choice of plumes and room - (they can be found, or bought from your closest haberdashers, whichever you prefer). Trap a trio of plumes between a sheet of quality card that's cut to fit your frame. Place the card inside the frame and trap it between the glass.A tiny dot of glue behind each feather will ensure they stay in place. 

2. From a collection of feathers, or those you've bought, try making your own wall art by gently placing them onto a freshly painted piece of stretched canvas. Playing with scale gives the best results. Finish with a thin layer of spray mount to fix your newly created masterpiece.

3. Embrace your inner artist and try your hand at a watercolour feather portrait! Tiny paintbrushes, delicate strokes, and the way that the colours bleed into each other mean that this medium lends itself perfectly to its subject.

4. Make gift tags by cutting out feather silhouettes in card and attaching them to brown string. Simple, yet ever so effective. 

Do let us know how you get on if you try something!

Inspirational photography

Every now and then a photograph pops up out-of-the-blue and demands ones full attention. Take, for example, Ukrainian photographer Anton Surkov's monochrome masterpieces. Utterly captivating, aren't they? 

Then there's Zena Holloway, the Persian self-taught photographer and director who focuses on capturing subaquaeous high-profile editorial shots. 

Finally, it's the work of Bruce Mozert, a pioneer of underwater photography in the thirties, that's peaked our interest. He regularly captured day-to-day subaquatic scenes, often featuring screen star Marilyn Monroe, underwater - where else?