Wallpaper and Quilts

Today I have some lovely pictures taken of rooms that have been romanced with florals, in the form of actual fresh flowers, sweet flowery wallpapers and soft quilts. These are from the British magazine and website bbchomesandantiques.com.

Thanks Chika!

Curiously Enchanting Art

I recently came across a really intriguing blog afancifultwist.typepad.com. Vanessa Valencia is a hugely talented women who captures the most beautiful moments and places with her camera, as well as creates what she calls "curious art objects". As you know, the enchanted has a little place in my heart and I find her work beautiful and mesmerizing...

Below are prints of her work that are available at her Etsy shop, A Fanciful Twist, sold on canvas, postcards, or even stickers. She also makes dolls reminiscent of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" though sweeter, as if they have eaten fistfuls of candy (seems Vanessa has a thing for candy too). They remind me of my "pumpkin lady" actually...a very old and graying granny with long lashes and a dolled up but very kind face, dressed in a splendid purple velvet and black lace dress with a green ruffled petticoat and a broom in her hand.

Moody Blues and Ocean Hues

After photographing the blue belt for my last post, I started noticing oodles of blue all around my home. So along those shimmery lines, here is a sea of turquoise, cobalt, aqua and indigo.

An assortment from my kitchen cabinets and a collection that has grown unintentionally over the years. A little Urban Outfitters, Goodwill, Target, and TJMaxx. Odd enough yet with sufficient whimsy for an "Alice in Wonderland" tea party.

Old Navy flats from a few years back. Sometimes they'll surprise me with something that I just have to have and of course it's always super cheap. Love a pretty bargain.

A really cozy blanket knit by my mother. I asked for the ocean colors and my sister requested sunset shades. Both are amazing and so nice and warm!

Colored glass baubles from my "needle in a haystack" treasure hunting at Goodwill. I think blue glass is so eye catching and beautiful! It never fails to draw my attention first.

My mom and I recovered my Goodwill dining chairs AGAIN, this time with a plaid-ish fabric from Myanmar, purchased at a sale benefitting missions to the country. It's winter cool just in time for summer. Hmmm....?

Well worn and much loved Forever 21 chiffon top.

Anthropologie door knobs and TJMaxx vase.

I dress I found at a vintage clothing store in Grand Rapids, MI. Too lovely to pass up.

Beads, beads, beads!

I photographed a few more treasures of mine, this time all showcasing some lovely beadwork.

A beautiful vintage purse that my Gran bought for me at a flea market in South Africa. My grandparents are serious shoppers, not in frequency but in quality.

A few of my sweetest waist jewels. Believe it or not, I remember when each was acquired and can recount a little story belonging especially to them. I know, I'm a little crazy... and come to think of it, I believe much of what I own has a particularly fascinating story :). Very deserving, when you love to "Dress Like a Cupcake Should Feel".

This belt belonged to my Gran, a very chic and elegant women that I would adore to resemble when my years reach close to 80. It was actually a part of the outfit she wore to my mother's wedding. She had a very, very tiny waist. Puts mine to utter shame!

My Favorite Bride

This is Raschika, a friend that was made on my first day in preschool, who was there with a smiling face at my first dance class and then stood next to me in every dance class for the next 12 years, and the girl who became one of our family and who helped my sisters and I create and perform exciting shows, the Sound of Music always being a huge hit :). We also planned our future together, as many little girls do, making lists while we lay belly down on the floor, heads together. Those lists had diagrams even, and included a coffee shop (very tribal and cool :) we were to open one day, and eventually an import/export business sharing the one of a kind South African collectibles and clothing designers with my part of the world. And then finally, we dreamt of the arts and actually putting our outstanding and painful dance training to some good use. This one, amazingly enough, happened after I had left her and moved with my family to the other side of the world. We still had a future in common. Raschika was my shopping soul mate and had the best clothes of anyone I knew. She inspired my love of fantasy and especially faerie (there are some places that would make anyone fall in love with faeries! Places where they serve heart shaped waffles with your tea as you delicately perch yourself at tiny table inside a hollow tree.) And she showed me that it's fun to be unique, to appreciate what others might not, and that it's best to stand out in a crowd.

These pictures are of Raschika on her wedding day. I don't know as many details as I would like to, but what I can tell you is this. One of our favorite foreign films is "Monsoon Wedding", something we saw long before Bollywood became the rage. She wore a more traditional white wedding gown for the ceremony and then changed into an Indian gown for the reception (it is common to change for the reception in SA). Only my Chika could have looked so beyond breathlessly gorgeous in this dress. It deserves to be on a dress form in her home, displayed for the daily ooh and aahs. Oh, but now she has a toddler in charge of that castle and so maybe a dress form is not the best idea. Nevertheless, bravo!

Lovely day to all

A bit of pretty

Hope everyone is having a peaceful yet fun and still a little bit sweet sort of week. With luck, it's as loving as the last was. :) ... I've been reminded lately (as I deal with a particularly difficult buckle down time) that I am not as alone in my mom troubles as I imagine I am. That I am in my worst mothering moment, seeing another mom in her best mothering moment. That I'm doing okay, despite how it all sometimes seems. Most importantly, that each little child, with all their intricacies and strong wills, happy highs and grumpy lows, makes my life more rich and adds texture to my family portrait. I don't have to have all my little ducks in a row...they can scatter from time to time. And I've moved past the conversations about what kind of butt creams I use on my baby. That's pretty cool. Thanks for your input Amy!

Happy Love To All!

Here are a few red hots and pink dreams and purple romances for you, as you celebrate your love this weekend. I'm off to see "Valentine's Day" with my girls, so just a quick wish full of loads of love and tenderness!

(images from around the house and picked out by Monty and me)

Flower Power

I recently visited needsupply.com and the fact that I had found this little treasure made me so excited, as it had so many really pretty things I'd not seen before. It specializes in clothing that tend to have a laid back feel, with soft and drapey lines and a bohemian vibe. The men's clothing is also really cool. And the prices tend to stay within the Gap range, which makes a purchase here more feasible. Here are a few of my favorites, however the bottom 2 options are already sold out but were both under $69. So sad; seems they sell fast.

$38

$58

A Beautiful Kid's Room

I found this really brilliant kid's bedroom at Design Sponge and it is now on my inspiration board for my next child's room/nursery. The home pictured belongs to Emily Henson, an interior stylist who worked as a Display Coordinator for Anthropologie and who created those sweet birdhouses for a window in one of the stores. They were cut out of cardboard, then painted and glued with fabric. I can do this! It reminds me of my childhood favorite and downright best-to-this-day kid's book, "The Magic Faraway Tree" by Enid Blyton. I think my love of fantasy began within those pages, and the worlds found at the top of that tree are still crystal clear in my mind. I sent Emily an email, requesting a personal interview... just kidding all! But I did ask if I could use her photographs and gushed to her about how I loved her design. She responded to that saying, "Who knew I'd inspire so many?! It definitely feels good to do what I love in exactly the way I like and for people to appreciate it." And it is much appreciated here!

Winter White

I've always had that queasy, "this can't be okay" feeling about wearing any stand out white in the slap-bang of winter. I thought that it was perhaps a strike against the (ever changing) laws of fashion, along with wearing navy, black and brown at the same time. But I've noticed that this particular winter is different and rules of year's past apply no longer. In fact, I'm pretty sure my last Lucky actually had a bit of a tutorial on how to wear navy, black and brown ensembles! And yes, my inspiration for today's outfit is also from Lucky, a magazine that helps me get dressed many a day and enables me to see my wardrobe in a completely new way. So here we have the white dress, paired with a black menswear jacket, tights and booties - which have completely sunk into the snow. This dress was borrowed from my mother-in-law, who found it in Bermuda, and has really pretty beading and tiny rhinestones. Thought I'd give it a try...

The Epitome of Fashion!

I have a gorgeous Vogue mag with photographs from the spring-summer 2010 collections in Paris, Milan, London and New York. It's breath taking! One of my absolute favorites is the collection from Valentino. It's everything I would want to wear always (if I was an actual fairy and had a Victoria's Secret body and lived in a warm climate...a peek into my soul). Short dresses (a look I love cause my legs are the one part of my body that remain quite toned while the rest of it stretches and shrinks) constructed out of ruffles, soft and flowy fabrics, and with a tendency to shimmer. Rachel Zoe says it best; "I die!"

Equally stunning pieces by Chris Benz, adding bright color and sequins to the mix and making my eyes dance!

(picture from awesome blog ohjoy.com)

Also Known as "Lamb Chops"

And you can see why. You don't get baby legs any better than these! We're working very, very hard on a new inner thigh roll at the moment... especially at night. And I totally get it; midnight snacks have always been a favorite of mine too.

(Lamb chops is a little TOE (term of endearment:) that has been with our fam forever, so don't be disturbed. Yes, we don't mind eating them either, especially at Christmas, but that's besides the point.)