Beautiful, serene photographs by Silke Zander

So beautiful...






Love this one...



All images property of Silke Zander

Has anyone tried flameless/battery operated candles?

Well, I hadn't until recently. I'd seen tiny LED tealights in restaurants but I'd never been crazy about them because they had the fake flame shaped bulb. The one Enjoy Lighting sent to me is definitely many steps up I have to say. Mostly, I was impressed by how real the candle itself looked and felt. It's made of wax and resin, and the surface definitely feels like wax.

Another thing I really liked is that the candle can be programmed to automatically turn off after 4 or 8 hours. This is nice if you often fall asleep with candles burning - which also causes a huge fire risk - which these candles don't have. So for those of you who have a habit of leaving candles unattended, or have kiddies, or fall asleep with candles burning - these are a good solution. I was also impressed by the flickering affect created by the 3 tiny LED lights in the candle.


Here are some pics I took of my candle -




from directly overhead

In pitch dark. These candles are not quite as bright as real candles, which one of my only complaints. If you are seeking real illumination be sure to get several candles. The only other drawback for the model I had is that it requires 4 batteries.

Here are some much better photos from the site:




Go to Enjoy Lighting to learn more.


Disclosure: I received this Enjoy Lighting product as a sample.


Sorry I just had to include this pic of my pups -

Remi in the passenger seat, Storm in the drivers seat. They love to make the rounds when it's feeding time for the livestock.

Yes, No, or Meh... How do you feel about this fireplace? (Plus a lovely roundup of fireplaces)

I ran across this fireplace in metropolitan home. It was really the chimney breast that caught my attention. It's not my style but I still can't make an unbiased judgment as to whether or not I like it. I suppose I can say that I like the concept of customizing, or calling out the chimney breast, but I just can't carry off zebra stripes. What do you think?

via Metropolitan Home

So, this inspired me to sniff out some fireplaces that I was certain I liked!

I think this is so pretty and sweet. It's a similar idea to that above - but instead of painting the chimney breast it's been wallpapered.
image and instructions at Ideal Home

via Flickr
I thought this was a sweet idea - with the photos, and as you can see it also works in many architectural situations.

via House to Home

All four of these images make me gush - and a great way to use a fireplace that is non-working or out of season.
via Abbey Goes Design Scouting

via Fireplace Decorating


I think the magic of the image above is that the painting above the fireplace is almost the same size and proportion as the fireplace opening. The stark white walls also make a striking contrast.


via Apartment Therapy