Archive for the category: about us

:: New corners (lots of ‘em)

Posted by Vanessa on May 13, 2008 | Permalink

I’ve been quiet over the last week not because of the weather (LA has conversely been grey and gloomy), but because I was moving house - well, moving from an apartment to a small cottage. Only one bedroom, and a living room, I’m really happy with the way it looks inside and out and feel very much at home already! I miss having excellent neighbours living only a few doors down, but love how peaceful it is. We’re just about to go on a picture-hanging spree, so expect some ‘inside’ pictures soon!

Categories: about us
Tags:

3 comments

:: New corner, new projects

Posted by Vanessa on May 5, 2008 | Permalink

It’s been quite a flurry of activity for me in the last few weeks, and one of the developments has been that we’re moving a few blocks East, to a small cottage (it’s basically apartment/flat sized but in it’s own building). Today Stephen and I cheekily hopped a wall and pressed our noses to the windows to remind ourselves of the space we had available in the new place. Seeing our new space inspired me to get to a project I’d been thinking of since Christmas. Kirsty sent me a gorgeous collection of book cover postcards, and I wanted to put them all in a frame as we had several old frames lying around. I finally got around to it this evening and am pleased with the results! I didn’t really have professional glue or backing, so am a bit worried the cards might slip once it’s on a wall, but that can be corrected anyway. Now I’m excited for the move next weekend!

Categories: about us
Tags:

3 comments

:: For good pictures

Posted by Sonja on April 21, 2008 | Permalink

What is it about Pictures? I love pictures. I like to look at nice pictures. I like to go into the gallery shop, after looking at Pictures in an exhibition, and look at more Pictures on postcards. I have a box file for pictures I like, and this smaller box for smaller pictures I like. Both my Picture boxes are full.

I found my dream picture box online. It’s called VADS, the online resource for visual arts. It has all the picture archives from lots of museums, universities, galleries etc etc. Translation: lots of nice Pictures. You can sign up and then store all your favourites in a ‘lightbox’. The pictures are sorted in collections, depending on where they’re from - the Crafts Council, Design Council, or the Frederick Parker Chair Collection. Et cetera.

I can’t show any here because they’re all copyrighted, but I promise it’s a box of delights.

Categories: about us, art, design
Tags:

1 comment

:: The Good, The Bad, and The Silly

Posted by Vanessa on April 11, 2008 | Permalink

Talking of theme parties, I’m also partial to hobbled together theme restaurants and cafes. You know, not like Pizza Hut that’s organised round the theme of being… well, a hut that sells pizza; but rather like this diner en route to Yosemite National Park that was stuffed full of Western movie memorabilia and served a decent sandwich. I’d half a mind to order some cherry pie (the environment felt very Twin Peaksy) but in the end I didn’t. I’m sure like any kitsch idea that seems good in passing, my longing to stay the night in the small hamlet in the middle of no where that nonetheless had a fully stocked bar with bizarrely titled cocktails would probably not have been the best adventure - and Yosemite park by contrast, certainly was. But I would love a road trip that was purely silly at some point. To that end, Kerry bought me ‘Weird California’ before I left. I’ve seen a few of the places inside it, but I think a short holiday needs structuring around it instead. Prime sightseeing it might not be. But who doesn’t want to see a house that never stopped being built for an entire lifetime or giant dinosaur sculptures?

Categories: about us
Tags:

2 comments

:: Theme parties; dress-fixing; fridge cake….

Posted by Vanessa on April 6, 2008 | Permalink

I’m very excited because I’m having a really productive and creative weekend. On Saturday, our friends Josh and Kayla threw a “fine wine” party where everyone brought the most hilarious wines they could find. Champion contenders included a bottle shaped like a man carrying a jug, small bottles of Riesling with a picture of a little person in lederhosen on the side, and best of all, a bottle of Georgian semi-sweet red wine in a pink furry bottle cover. There was also spray cheese in a can. It was so much fun - there was even scoresheets for us to mark the wine against. Most of them tasted awful, but it made for a hilarious evening. I officially love theme parties - I seemed to go to a lot of them at one point, but no so much now. It must change! What with my Amy Sedaris book on entertaining, there’s really no excuse not to host a few.

This morning, I’ve already made a slightly awkward dress much cuter by hemming it, and put together a cherry and almond fridge cake. Feeling very productive as I still have the whole afternoon ahead of me!

Categories: about us, craft
Tags: 'amy sedaris', dresses, hemming, parties

3 comments

:: Not your average Happy Hour

Posted by Vanessa on April 2, 2008 | Permalink

I like sitting in beer gardens and just drinking cider, but this Friday I spent a good hour or two learning how to make origami birds and stars, as taught by my friend Otska. I’ve never bothered with origami before even though I love the way it looks because I get very frustrated trying to follow the instructions in books, but Otska was a very patient teacher and very encouraging. This is my very first origami bird - I’m going to post instructions soon on how to fold one (even though my lines are still not as crisp as they should be!). Otska also told me that in Japan, lots of origami birds stacked together bring good luck or good wishes. For instance, if someone is ill you make lots of birds and think positively about the person while crafting. It sounds nicer than flowers to me!

Categories: about us
Tags:

6 comments

:: Goodness

Posted by Joelle on March 9, 2008 | Permalink

Picture credits: Good by Russell Davies; Do gooder t shirt by Howies, an exemplary good company; leaves by me; good books from Design*Sponge guest blog post by Emily of Orange Beautiful.

As you can imagine, one of the things that required a lot of discussion before we started this blog was the name. It was Vanessa who thought up Four Good Corners, and I like it very much as a name. As well as neatly including the particular fact that we are four writers, it contained that word Good. Read more…

Categories: about us
Tags: good, goodness

4 comments

:: Climbing onto the fourth plinth

Posted by Sonja on March 3, 2008 | Permalink

“Yellowy” by Erin O’Connor on Flickr.

Hello. I’m Sonja. I was asked to join Four Good Corners because one of the corners, Kerry, is folding away and leaving the blog, and like a good tea towel or handkerchief this site requires four.

As a very non-committal person I asked if I could join on a temporary basis, like the sculpture that appears on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square (if you don’t know about this, basically London’s Trafalgar Square is stuffed full of huge, ancient stone monuments, and a few years ago they magically decided to have one plinth where the sculpture would be by a contemporary artist, and would change all the time. It’s great.)

I like it that this site has four corners, forming a square, because I’ve always liked squares in craft. I like grid systems, pixels, cross stitch and canvas. I’ve almost finished reading a book called PopCo by Scarlett Thomas at the moment, which looks like a plastic girlie novel on the outside, but actually has a lot of maths, code-breaking, and grid systems packed in. The main character is a really geeky girl. I like that a lot of crafts produce something that is pretty on the outside but, to get that way, require a geeky grid system maths project. If you like that too then you’ll like this book.

Categories: about us, craft
Tags:

2 comments

:: Ahh, that’s better.

Posted by Vanessa on February 28, 2008 | Permalink

Luckily, I came home to TV, internet and a working phone!
And without further ado; I’ve been thinking about plates a lot lately (stay with me, please). We have some lovely simple plates that our friends gave to us, and some quite basic IKEA-y ones we got for ourselves a while back. But I’ve a craving for some more decorative ‘for best’ style plates, like this one from CB2. My strange plate longing was inspired by a designer in the back of a magazine that I have long since lost and it’s driving me crazy. Her plates were decorated similarly to the one pictured, only, well, more exciting (and pricier). Does anyone have the slightest idea what I’m talking about? A further hunt around ebay hasn’t inspired me further. I don’t think I want vintage plates though I’m a fan of some vintage patterns - I think I want something modern and elegant. You know, to go with my unrealised idea of the perfect dinner party where I don’t get all hot and flustered and yell at anyone who comes into the kitchen. Expect further plate-ery…

Appetizer plate from CB2. for $2.50

Categories: about us, shopping, style
Tags: elegance, plates, style

3 comments

:: Here are a few (or one) or my favourite things…

Posted by Vanessa on February 12, 2008 | Permalink

Sometimes, of course, favourite things are very old. I don’t remember which Christmas I got this jewellery box for - perhaps my eighth- but I do remember the front of it used to have a small brass plate that said ‘Vanessa’ on it, which has since dropped off.

I could probably use another jewellery box - this one is getting rather full, and it’s suffers from ‘lumpy tangled necklaces syndrome’ but I just can’t seem to find another one that appeals. Does anyone have any ideas? I want it to look vintage, but be totally functional as well. I’ve been sat here looking through ebay, and etsy, but I’m uninspired. And I’m worried that if I make a jewellery box, it’ll look, well, like a box with some paint on it (perhaps I’m doubting myself a bit much there, but I don’t know; I’m the kind of person who can’t pritt stick a picture flat without covering herself in glue). Anyway, I’ll put any really gorgeous finds up on the blog for you all to see if you’ll give me some starters…

And by the by, the ballerina still turns…

Categories: about us
Tags:

12 comments