Basket Case

Wicker, Seagrass, Sweet Grass, Bamboo, Sisal, Rattan, Raffia, Jute, Palm, Cork & Co. - any fibre and material that is golden blonde and organic lends itself beautifully to Summer, bringing a sunny coastal note while mellowing a home or dress code. Without further ado, check out Mirabelle's capsule selection for self and the home!

Pandora Gold Metallic Flecked Cork Covered Wedges by Jimmy Choo

Swarovski Crystal Embroidered Satin Adriana Espadrilles, by Oscar de la Renta

Large Natural Heart Raffia Zip Pouch in Lilac, by Aerin Lauder

Pom Pom Beach Bag in Ocean, by Mar Y Sol, via The Little Market

Coastal Inspiration by Maisons du Monde

White Island Tendances Déco, via Maisons du Monde

Mandala Woven Bamboo Box, via Maisons du Monde

Light Taupe Dancer Trivet, by All Across Africa

Oscar de la Renta Home Collection (pict source)

Coastal Inspiration by Maisons du Monde

Small Hope Bowl and other baskets by All Across Africa, via The Little Market

Sampano Storage Basket (detail), via Urbanara

Tiny Whimsical Basket in Gold, by All Across Africa, via The Little Market

Reina Peacock Chair, via Anthropologie

Mineral Marvels

From the midst of time, minerals have been sought after, carved, polished, scuplted, faceted, architectured and worked some more in order to adorn bodies as items of jewellery, and homes and wares as not only mere incrustations of nature into the human habitat, but as both receptacles and distributors of magical, godly powers they had been conferred by our mortal selves lauding deity and seeking divinity. And more prosaically, their precious or semi-precious state would assign them monetary value that in turn would translate into or reaffirm material status to the beholder, a worth guided by materialistic acquisition and ownership.

Yet no matter how many mysteries from the natural world we have conquered and defeated, we remain fascinated by the raw, rough and somewhat brutish beauty of gemology that surrenders to our coveting gaze and yearning desire for possession. Objects like minerals transcend their material assignation to dominate our minds and hearts and delight our senses to the point of deadly sin.

Meanwhile each mineral seems to unveil a microcosm of its own, supranatural, extraterrestrial, with transposed and imagined rockfaces and crevices, deep canyons pitted against shard-like peaks, shallow lochs lapping lush forests of coalescence, dormant lagoons encrusted into opaque robes of solidified lava, imprints of reflected skies into pools of calcified ores, underground seas unfolded, nebulae suspended in basalt, landscapes of the mind set in stone... Sought-after, visually-pleasing, stratified decorative pieces of geology that fuel the imagination like no other!

Azurite with Malachite

Calcite

Volborthite

Brochantite with Barite

Enargite with Pyrite

Calcite with Fluorite

Malachite

Actinolite

Source: All photography via Andy Seibel, Fine Collector Mineral Specimens. The minerals pictured are available to purchase directly from Andy Seibel.

(1) Ref: S17234 - Azurite with Malachite, Touissit, Oujda-Angad Province, Oriental Region, Morocco. Overall Size: 6 x 5cm. For Sale: USD$950. 'This unusual and distinctive specimen is packed with outstanding coverage. The morphology of this azurite is obviously rare, flat and nearly exposing every face, and the malachite is rather attractive. Here we also have the addition of calcite.'

(2) Ref: S17057 - Calcite, Campomorto Quarry, Viterbo Province, Latium, Italy. Overall Size: 17 x 14.5 cm. For Sale: USD$1800. 'A naturally sculptured specimen of calcite hemispheres adorn vuggy basalt, and make this large plate very presentable for display, considering the matrix and crystals have appeal. This piece is in mint condition.'

(3) Ref: S17062 - Volborthite, Gold Chain Mine, Mammoth, Tintic District, Juab Co., Utah, USA. Overall Size: 11.5 x 8.5 cm. For Sale:  USD$750. 'This is an outstanding specimen of the species volborthite, a yellow-green mineral containing copper and vanadium. This one is significant not only for size, but more importantly as an almost completely crystallized display face without damage.'

(4) Ref: S17082 - Brochantite with Barite, Blanchard Claim, Bingham, Socorro Co., New Mexico, USA. Overall Size: 5.6 x 3 cm. For Sale: USD$300. 'This specimen of brochantite is sporting acicular needle-like crystals in pristine condition without scuffed up areas. On top of that, this thing has crystals all over it!'

(5) Ref: S16940 - Enargite with Pyrite, Leonard Mine, Butte District, Silver Bow Co., Montana, USA. Overall Size: 3 x 2.5 cm. For Sale: USD$300. 'This very fine cluster of enargite and pyrite is an American classic. It is likely Earl Shaw obtained this specimen from Ed McDole since he use to supply them with Butte material. Si & Ann Frazier and Bill McBride also owned the piece.'

(6) Ref: S16657 - Calcite with Fluorite, Denton Mine, Harris Creek District, Hardin Co., Illinois, USA. Overall Size: 5.1 x 4.6 cm. For Sale: USD$1450. 'An absolute prize of freely and fully developed calcite sitting nicely on fluorite. The overall beauty is great and every face is in pristine and spotless condition. This specimen was illustrated in The Mineralogical Record’s Illinois issue, page 30. Ex. William Severance collection.'

(7) Ref: S16365 - Malachite, Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovskaya Oblast, Urals Region, Russia. Overall Size: 6 x 4.2 cm. For Sale: USD$250. 'An old-time botryoidal malachite specimen from the historic Ural Mountains in Russia. [...] This piece came from George Burnham of Burminco fame, with his label accompanying it.'

(8) Ref: S16396 - Actinolite, Minaret Mining District, Madera Co., California, USA. Overall Size: 5.7 x 4.8 cm. For Sale: USD$400. 'An outstanding and balanced cluster of 'uralite' crystals collected by Chris Lehmann in 2001 from the Minaret Mining District in California. This is technically actinolite pseudomorphing some type of amphibole mineral' [...].

Club Tropicana

Heat is on, design is hot, girls are hip, colours are cool, drinks are cold, sounds are neat, night is chic. Welcome to Club Tropicana!

Sources: (1) If you can't take the biscuit, you might as well have your cake and eat it! Saint-Honoré Vanille, a classic French choux and whipped cream gâteau revisited by Cédric Grolet, chef pâtissier (pastry chef) at 5-star hôtel Le Meurice, Paris. (2) Be spiky! Piña Ring, in solid gold-plated glass, by Australian jewellery designer Vera Xane, via Nasty Gal. (3) Bring you bongos or fake it with a pineapple! 'Pebble' print fabric in 'Pollen', by Skinny laMinx, designed and printed in South Africa. Photography by Heather Moore. (4) A sweet and spiked taste of the Tropics: Grapefruit, Guava and Rum Sorbet by The Artful Desperado. (5) Wallflowers will sit prettier on a Magical Thinking Industrial Chair, a feminine take on the Helix Chair, exclusive to Urban Outfitters. (6) See and be seen! Oversized Opaline Talc Cat-eyed Acetate Frame Sunglasses with metal lettering logo and gradient ivory camouflage lenses, by Prada. (7) Ladies, tower over the crowds in 3 ¾ inch heels! 'Whichway' Sandals by Stuart Weitzman, shown here in 'Camel Suede'. (8) Tough luck! Our Tickle just got partied out! (9) Light up the way to the party! Copper Lantern String Lights, via Urban Outfitters. (10) Prickly Pear Cactus, in bloom, northern Corsica. Photography by Mirabelle.

@baguettemagique Beautiful!!

— Le Meurice (@LeMeurice) July 27, 2015

Wild, Free and Beautiful

Beauty found in the wonders of nature is even more beautiful, more captivating, when it isn't captive, only captured by the photographer, when it is out there in its natural environment, free and minding its own life.

Source: Pictured above is Hildur, an adult male lion, out and about in the Serengeti savannah. Photography by Michael Nichols, and featured in National Geographic as Photo of the Day 30th July 2013.

Floral Geometry

If we ever got tempted by the belief that lines, curves, symmetry, repeated patterns and angles abiding to some form of geometrical logic (Fibonacci) were associated to the realm of the man-made (translated pragmatically and/ or artistically through architecture and design), let's pause for a moment; nature too has cultivated the idea of order and linearity to serve its own purposes, let's just take a look at the vegetal world...

Source: Above pictures featured in the Photography section of National Geographic, Patterns in Nature: Flora. (1) Giant Lobelia (Mount Kilimanjaro's Shira Plateau in Tanzania), by George F. Mobley, (2) Sunflower Florets, by Jozsef Szentpeteri, (3) Hair Cap Moss (found virtually worldwide), by Rich Reid, (4) Prickly Pear Cactus (Galapagos Islands), by Tim Laman, and (5) Hairpin Banksia (native to Eastern Australia), by Jason Edwards. Find out more fascinating illustrated facts about floral geometry, from Espace Graphique.