Favourite Things #2: My Windowsill

Right, seeing as it's a horrible wet, dull and generally October-like day here, I decided to show you some of the things that I love to have around me when I'm sitting at the kitchen table blogging/tweeting/creeping browsing on the laptop or doing my cross-stitch. My kitchen has two medium sized windows - one that holds all the usual kitchen bits-n-bobs - washing up liquid, kitchen roll, chopping boards, knife block, etc. The other window is the one right next to where I park my ample behind and ramble away to all you lovely people. That window's MINE. It's my little corner of "me" in the kitchen.

I'm not generally someone who loves a lot of clutter - I love different things, like the old 80s oxtail soup bowl that sits on top of my cooker; the retro coca-cola storage tin that lives on the worktop; or the fairy lights that I leave on top of the units all year round. I have random little bursts of my own personality dotted around the house, and this window is one of them. Here are a few pics of some of the things I love to have around me when I work:

The top left picture is my Griffin oil burner. I don't use it for oil, I use it to burn Yankee Candle tarts. They're absolutely my most favourite candles in the world, and I always keep a stack of them in the press - I'm convinced that there's no better cure for a miserable day than lighting a Yankee Candle. I adore them. My favourite one is called Witches Brew, but I think it's usually only available around Halloween and I completely forgot to look last year, so I'll have to stick to the old faithfuls -  Sandalwood and Midsummers Night until then. If you've never tried Yankee, then now would be a pretty good time - www.yankee.ie are having a 40% off sale until August 23rd. Oh, I almost forgot - I got this burner on eBay.

The figurine on the bottom left is from Nemesis Now, and I got her online last year and I love her - the detail in Nemesis Now figurines is always excellent. The bottom right picture is the right corner of the window - that ceramic pot was one that my other half dug out of the ground when he was making a pass up to our shed - ancestors of his had once had a house there and we've often come across tiny little china cup handles or clay pipes, but nothing this well preserved before. I cleaned it up and I use it to store my incense sticks - it makes me happy to think that it's still being used for storage after so many years and so many generations have passed. There are also a couple of books there - I like to read at night.

The top picture has my mini weather station in the corner - I don't even use it for the weather, I just use it for the clock, because the clock on my computer seems to be wrong all the time - and my little pot of incense cones. The plant pot houses an Aloe plant, which is brilliant to have nearby for any minor cuts or burns. It came in really handy a few weeks ago when I got really badly sunburned! The little plate is full of various stones, shells and crystals that I've bought or collected over the last few years.

The top right picture is another eBay buy, it's a little mini jewellery box, I use it to hold all my stud earrings. The next two things are on the portable tv behind me (I sit with my back to the telly when I'm on the computer) and they're an oil burner that my other half got me (I was SHOCKED when he got me the set with this in it, I didn't think he passed much heed on the kind of stuff I was into) and my little miniature Titanic model that I made from a set I bought myself in Argos one Christmas. Self-gifting - love it. The bottom right picture is of my holey stones - my Mum has had loads of these in the house ever since I can remember and when I moved up here she gave me some. I love them, they remind me of going to the beach as a child in the summer.

Since I took the photos, I've bought another Nemesis Now addition for the window - a gorgeous dragon incense burner from eBay - here's a pic from Google:

What do you like to have around you when you're working/relaxing?

S xx