We have had much of a winter this year, but since it has arrived a little bit I thought I would share my favourite things about winter. 

• Everything is covered in a beautiful, sparkly, white!
• Winter skiing and skating (not that I have been able to these this year).
• The wonderful crunch sound your feet make on the freshly fallen snow.
• Coming in from a crisp winter walk and having a hot chocolate. 
• Watching the soft snow flakes falling while being cosy inside by the fire.

This neat place is the Fairyland Guorui Villa complex located in Beijing China. It was designed by UN Studio. I love the organic shapes to the buildings and the tree lined path down the middle, as seen in the photo below. Check out more photos at Contemporist. 

From the designer:
In order to take full advantage of the location, the layout of the Fairyland Guorui Villa complex follows an open plan organisation, while the public spaces within and adjacent to the complex follow the design philosophy set out in the masterplan and respond to the context of the site in the waterside location.

Essential to the design approach for the villa development is the combination of individuality with a distinct quality of community. As a result, a mix of consistency and singular identity defines the scheme. The architectural masterplan envisions sculptural villas scattered along the riverside, each with its own characteristics and living spaces, but embedded in the communal space to stimulate a neighborhood effect.

I know, it's such a little thing, and hardly something to be excited about; but we haven't had a toilet paper holder in our bathroom for a long time, and now we do! It's actually a towel ring made by Moen. We didn't like any of the toilet paper holders that we saw (and I have been looking for awhile now). However, this towel ring works well for the toilet paper, and has the modern look I wanted. It's the little things in life worth getting excited over. 

Take a look at this hidden house! It's located with Tel Aviv and was design by Dan and Hila Israelevitz Architects. Such an interesting concept and so private. See more pictures of inside the house at Contemporist. 

For the architects:
A house of contradictions, between sealed and closed, to open to natural light and to the outside area.
Contradictions between colors and drama of volumes. All of these create interest in a house built on a relatively small plot. The required privacy was achieved through a mysterious facade, with only clues of cracks of light breaking through it, and this is the front facade.

Check out this amazing obstacle course set on water. It was created by German watersports company Wibit Sports. Lots more at Contemporist, including a video. This looks like so much fun to play on, for kids and adults alike.

I can't believe it, but an entire year has gone by since Elara's birth. She is already one years old! She definitely is her own little person now; who is sweet, silly, and has quite a suborn strike. I have also been doing a lot of remembering of my own birth experience. Quite a lot of it was hard for our new family as we had a shaky start (you can read more here). However, everyone is great now and our little girl is just so happy with life. 

Elara's official birthday is today, February 4th. However, we ended up having her birthday party this past weekend with family and friends. It was a lot of fun, and Elara held up really well! She got to try some cake for the first time. She didn't seem too sure of it, and hated the mess on her fingers. Although it was great entertainment for everyone else. So much to celebrate, we are so happy with our little toddler now!

I was mesmerized by these moving photos. There is something very calming about them. I especially like this one, with the rain beating across the window. It really adds a dimension to the photograph and creates a deeper atmosphere. These images were created by Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg of Ann Street Studio. Check out lots more photos and an interview of the artists at My Modern Met. 

About: 
Using high-end cinema cameras, they've pioneered this art form, which features still images that incorporate motion to tell a mesmerizing, visual story. Back in 2011, the artistic duo created their very first cinemagraph and, since then, they've worked with clients such as Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Volvo, Giorgio Armani, and many other household names. They describe their invention as a "living moment" that can either be used as a GIF on the web or a video on Instagram. Either way, their main goal is to make each cinemagraph come alive as a portal to another world.