Karen Karn

I saw this in my Instagram feed this morning. minimalismfilm.com I don't know, either. I read somewhere that it's perfectly natural to want. As a species we are evolving, and part of evolution is to strive to achieve something more than that which lies within our immediate grasp. From the beaks of finches to fiscal ambitions, it's all about becoming better, adapting to achieve success. I understand that Joshua Becker and Ryan Nicodemus and the new minimalists are talking about mindless consumerism, the incessant desire to fill the God-shaped hole with something that bears no resemblance to God, material goods such as the latest iPhone, a new dining set or this season's handbag/haircut/shoes. I understand that The Minimalists , who I admire greatly, have been at the top of the corporate ladder, surrounded by all their material possessions and found the hole even more gaping. Aside from manic over consumerism, to want isn't always a mindless exercise. ...

My friend posted a link to a this image via 100Mandala.org's facebook page. I like those 30 day challenges and I love mandalas, so I signed up for the newsletter and started doodling. That was just a few days ago, but I'm already realising that I'd like to know more about mandalas. I went to Wikipedia  and came across this: Carl Jung's first mandala. Already a fan of Jung, I was surprised to find that he was responsible for bringing mandalas to the western world. Carl Jung refers to the mandala as “the psychological expression of the totality of the self.” I realise this is going to something splendid. I'm not going to get too involved in the deep spiritual and psychological aspects of drawing the sacred circle. I want to stay free and explore on my own terms. I know that I will explore more deeply later, but I have the whole year to get what I need to out of this project. For example, today, I just played around with PatternPie. ...

When I was very young, my sister had a friend who was a proper hippy. She was married to a Sri Lankan man and had some kids. Her hair was long, unmanaged and slightly transparent. She wore corduroy jeans and cheesecloth tops. She was of the tradition of never arriving at someone's house empty handed. One day, she came with a book. the Tassajara Bread Book. Since then, the book has been in my possession. Well loved and well utilised. Here's a short excerpt from the film How to Cook Your Life, featuring the book's author, Edward Espe Brown. "It turns out that we'll pay a lot of money not to cook, not to actually confront a half a potato."

In the spirit of minimalism and letting go of the past, I decided it was time to burn my journals. I decided to destroy them a while ago, and today, due to a lack of fire wood, I decided to have a go. I had a conversation with my daughter a long time ago, instructing her that I didn't want her or anyone else to read my journals (in case something happened to me before I had a chance to destroy them). She said I could have them buried with me. A good idea, I thought, but why hold on to any of it any longer? The photographs are a little blurry because of the low light. 2001, the worst year of my life, soon committed to flame. After finding some unused notes and a precious photograph of the kids, I meticulously went through each journal to prevent the destruction of any other hidden treasures. I got through all but three journals yesterday. The sheer volume of paper meant that the wood burner just couldn't handle them all at o...

I recently came across these images of an apartment in Brazil.  Words can't really express the affinity I feel with the space. I am happier merely for having seen that it exists. Original post  by  Caroline Williamson  for Design Milk FORWARD VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY Brazilian architect and designer  Diego Revollo  recently completed the  Real Parque Loft  in a residential neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil. The space was reconfigured from its original, broken up floor plan to an open, loft-like space. They chose a burned cement coating for the floors, walls, and ceilings to give it an overall uniform look, which lends itself to the modern aesthetic the owner was looking for. With most of the surfaces being a gray tone, they made sure not to let it be too cold with the finished color. Warm reddish-toned woods and pops of color were brought in to bring a more natural balance to the space. The wall shelving unit visually t...

My lovely daughter has just moved into her first proper home - her own place, a grown up, unfurnished, one bedroomed flat. We've talked about everthing a person needs when moving into their first home - the essential, basic stuff, like a bed and a duvet, scissors and a spoon (at the very least a spoon). So I looked to see if there was such a list online. I found some ridiculous ones, like this one , which lists for the kitchen measuring cups and spoons, but not a saucepan. So, I decided to make one, to print and send. The list isn't finished yet, but there will be an empty table on the back for adding items by hand.

Some time ago, a friend invited me to have my personal colours analysed. This was something I'd thought of before and was keen to try. As I've said before, being very slightly red-green colour blind, I’ve learned to avoid colour and my wardrobe consists overwhelmingly of grey. Marl grey, to be precise. We agreed on a date and were both very excited. My new make up palette. However, almost two weeks ago, on Sunday 18th May, Noah came down with his regular attack of mucus overload. We’ve been given prescriptions by specialist and our family doctor, but nothing can prevent or ease the symptoms of this horrible affliction. Since he was about six months old, he’s had these attacks. It starts with a headache and a runny nose and develops into a state where angling his head past the true vertical incurs a head ache and/or an avalanche of mucus, down the throat, out of the nose or into the ears. It’s horrific, at best causing extreme discomfort, at worst threate...