{ Archive for July, 2009 }

the romance of rosenborg castle

It’s hard to believe that a month has passed since I was in Copenhagen… Where did June go?!?  I’m still sorting through my snaps from my Adventures in IKEAland, and came across these shots of the unbelievably beautiful (and incredibly romantic) Rosenborg Castle.

rosenborgcastle the romance of rosenborg castleSituated in the middle of the King’s Gardens, which itself lies in the heart of Copenhagen, Rosenborg was built by Denmark’s King Christian IV (the founder of much of Copenhagen as we know it) as a country summerhouse in the early 1600s. Not a bad pile of bricks to call a cottage, eh?

One of my friends commented on how the building reminded him of Amsterdam, and there’s a reason for that: the castle’s built in the Dutch Renaissance style that was all the rage in the early 17th century, and informed a lot of Danish architecture of the period that still stands today.

rosenborgtower the romance of rosenborg castleRosenborg now houses the Danish crown jewels, which although breathtaking, take a back seat, as far as I’m concerned, to the architecture…

  rosenborgwindow the romance of rosenborg castleI mean, check out the woven-cane-patterned mullions on this window… The attention to detail is mind-blowing!

rosenborgbust the romance of rosenborg castleThere’s barely a stretch of 10 feet across Rosenborg’s facade that doesn’t fascinate with an intriguing little gem, including this weather-beaten bronze bust, constantly keeping a baleful eye on visitors.

free photoshop!

If you’re one of the many who can’t afford to shell out $870 for Adobe Photoshop (I mean, really? Who has that kind of cash these days?), don’t fear — the software giant thankfully provides a way for us regular folk to edit our images, too.

adobe photoshop 400 400 free photoshop!The web-based version of Photoshop Express allows you to do basic edits on your images, and can be accessed from any computer (well, during registration it says it’s only available in the US, but doesn’t ask for any proof, so edit away!). Resize, rotate and do minor colour corrections, then when you’re done, save up to 2GB in your online account — free web real estate, too! — or save to your desktop/external hard drive.

Free never felt so good.

Check it out at photoshop.com/express

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restoration hardware solar lanterns

restorationlanterns restoration hardware solar lanterns

Now that I’ve found an eco-friendly bug repellent that works (see my post from a few days back), entertaining and eating outdoors is no problem, and these attractive solar lanterns from Restoration Hardware light up the night beautifully.

They’re made from weather-resistant cast aluminum and you can either hang them or put them in the ground with the stake that’s provided, plus they come with a switch, unlike many solar lights, so you can turn them on and off as needed. Available in a zinc or rust finish, in a set of six. Shown in rust.

Available at: www.restorationhardware.com

Price: on sale for $183 US


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Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!

winner of the flip mino contest!

The month of June is up, and apart from celebrating Canada Day, it’s also time to announce the winner of the Flip Mino contest. All of the entries were fantastic, and I loved reading all the original ideas you had about using your Flip. Sadly, there can only be one winner.

The winner of the contest is Denise Wilson from Barrie, Ont.!

Denise submitted a great comment about her globetrotting honeymoon adventure in August:

“I`m getting married this August, and then venturing into the rainforests, mountains, hill-tribe villages, and of course, island beaches of Thailand and Cambodia for a three-week honeymoon. Although my fiance is a seasoned world traveller, I`ve never left the continent. I am really excited for this experience that we`re going to share together. The Flip Mino would give me the ability to record our first big adventure together and to share it with our families and friends. I`m also a high school teacher and would love to record some of my trip to share with my students in September.

Congrats to Denise and I hope you have a great time on your trip!

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