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The City of Dionne is my own little dream world. Do you have one of your own?
Where do you go to daydream and escape from reality for a while?
In the City of Dionne, it is perpetually Spring. All the flowers are constantly in bloom, and everyone rides their bicycles through the park. But it does snow up in the mountains so that everyone can get their snowboarding fix when they are in the mood.
The Mayor (me) gives out free cupcakes at random times, and they are all sorts of lovely flavors. The Mayor's office is in the heart of the city, but even though it's a big city, it's alive with lush greenery.
The regular work week is from Monday to Wednesday, from 9am to 2pm. I created this law so that my husband can come play in the park with me after work and still have lots and lots of time left in the day.
There are book stalls on the sides of the streets where people can pick up free books, and then once they've read them, they pass them on to someone else to read.
Football games in the City of Dionne are shorter, but everyone goes to the games in fun costumes, and instead of hot dogs and chips, they eat meals cooked by French chefs accompanied with yummy wines from the vineyards that surround the City of Dionne. I don't normally like wine, but the wine from my city tastes however you want it to taste.
What about you? What would i find in the City of You?
(PS. I added a new Photography Print in my store. If you love cupcakes, come check it out here).
Is there something in the water?
Sooooo many people I know are expecting babies in the coming months, or just had one. It's such an exciting time - preparing to bring a new life into the world! How can you even begin to guess what that would be like for the first time? Brian and I aren't ready yet to have our own little kidlets - we want to wait until we've been married at least 2 years before we go down that road, but I am so excited for all of my friends who are going to be parents soon!
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A lot of my friends are having weird food cravings - for some reason pickles with icecream seems to be a popular craving - why is that? I wonder what kind of things I will be wanting when I finally am ready to become pregnant? It's interesting to think about. It's totally uncharted territory for me, so it's weird for me to imagine having someone living and growing inside me. I see all these really cute baby accessories on different blogs, and I can't wait for the day when I will be ready to buy some of them for my own children.
A store that particularly caught my eye is Tialys. Lynn runs her shop from her home in the foothills of the Pyreness in Southern France (I am jealous!), right by the Spanish border. Her lovely store sells lots of gorgeous, sewn products, including Etui Boxes. One of my favorite ones is the Baby Girl Etui box that opens up to contain an adorable pair of little booties. I love the construction of the boxes, how when you open the lid, the walls come down to reveal what is inside - and they even have little pockets sewn into the sides.
Tialys has a whole range of themes for the Etui boxes - from chocolates, to tea, to sewing themes. And in addition to her Etui boxes, Lynn also sells other lovely items like Lavender Pillows and Lunch Sets. Everything in the store is so pretty and the craftsmanship and effort that must go into each piece floors me. Lynn really does an amazing job making each piece.
To keep inspired, Lynn likes to surround herself with other creative minds, and also enjoys collecting fabrics for inspiration. Her home is an inspiration in itself, being right by the mountains to snow ski in for the winter, and near beautiful lakes to swim in during the summer. She (like most of us) enjoys retail therapy (shopping!), and loves walking her dogs, cooking and doing upholstery while listening to loud music. And when it comes to her sweet tooth, she couldn't just pick one dessert - she chose two. For Summer it would be a Summer Pudding, and then for winter it would be a lovely Rhubarb Crumble.
Lynn is generously giving away one of her pretty Etui Boxes to one reader. To enter the giveaway, please let me know which of these two Etui Boxes (here and here) you would prefer, and also suggest a new theme for an Etui Box that you would like to see in Lynn's store. Lynn will choose the Etui Box theme that she likes the most and I will announce that winner on Sunday.
(Photos taken by Lynn at Tialys)
So here it is - my 100th post.
I bob a little curtsy to all of you who have read, commented and followed this little bloglet of mine. Your sweet comments make me look forward to our little chats, and you really make me feel special. I feel like we were sitting next to each other on a plane, and I just strummed up a conversation with you out of the blue, and now we've become friends that meet a few times a week to talk in the park, or to catch up over cake.
Some of you are new, some of you have been here since Day 1. I just wanted to mention a few people who have made City of Dionne such a fun place for me to hang out. So I am opening up the little City of Dionne History book, please allow me to read a few brief points:
- Eric's was the first blog that I ever read consistently. I know him from when I lived in California and love the boy dearly. If it wasn't for him, I never would have started up this blog. His blog is the wittiest, funniest blog in Blogland - i really think you should check out what he has to say!
- Kotori, Photojoy, Kristin and Nicole Marie have commented on the most posts on my blog, and I feel like their comments complete each post. I look forward to reading whatever comments they have to say on my posts, and also whatever they have to say on their own great blogs.
- The first blogger that I didn't know outside of this blog that I met in 'real life' was Lyndsey. Her blog is all about paper and pretty stationery, so of course it was only natural to hang out with her at Papersource (after grabbing a coffee, of course).
- Brian and I are now on our 6th toothpaste tube. The back-story of this is here.
- A lot of times, what I am going to blog about comes to me when I am doing the dishes!
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OK, that's enough from the City of Dionne history book for now, maybe we'll pick it up again when I reach 200. But basically I just wanted to say thanks for either sticking with me all this time, or for jumping on board in recent months. Your comments, emails, surprise presents in the mail, and everything you do has really encouraged me and filled my little city here with love. So thanks, guys.
(PS. The background texture on the cake photo I took is curtesy of Tristan at The Blahg - another awesome blog that I frequent)
Music.
Laughter.
Conversation.
Traffic...
We all have our own daily soundtracks that surround us as we go about our day. For us bloggers, the clicking of the keyboard as we type punctuates our time, or in my case, it's coupled with the voices of Eisley, who I am listening to right now.
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A lot of people don't like silence. Is it because it emphasizes that they are alone and don't like the thought of that? Is it because they are left alone with their own thoughts, and don't want to face them? Or maybe it's simpler than that - maybe it's just because they love their daily soundtrack, whether it be natural environment noise, or their ipod playlist. Sound is such an amazing concept. The fact that we can be moved by strings of notes, or pounding rhythms - thinking about things like this really reveals to me how much God loves us. What a mind-blowing, creative concept. Ears really are something to marvel.
And what girl doesn't like to accessorize those pretty ears? Stacy Harkins Designs is full of pretty ear adornments. All of her pieces have such mesmerizing colors. I look at her jewelry and feel like I am in Morocco on a lovely balmy night - the colors are just so rich and exotic. Stacy is inspired by the very color and shape of each stone that she uses, and from there creates a masterpiece that emphasizes those individual colors.
Also inspired by nature, Stacy studied horticulture at Cornell University - and through these studies, she has become more attuned to nature's patterns and textiles which is reflected in her work. Her favorite stones are aquamarines, pink amethyst, lemon citrine, whiskey quarts and labradorite. Stacy Harkins Designs isn't only dedicated to earrings though, the store includes lovely necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry too! Perfect for a romantic date, a fun girls night out on the town, or even to pretty up your work attire. I love each piece so much, I would even wear them around the house while I was baking, just for fun! Like me, Stacy also enjoys baking, and when I asked her what in particular was her favorite dessert - her response was her homemade peach cobbler and key lime pie. Yummo!
Stacy is giving away a pair of her stunning earrings to one City of Dionne reader (woohoo!). To enter, please leave a comment here telling me these two things:
1. What does your daily soundtrack consist of?
2. Which of these three earrings would you like to win? Dew Drops, Lemon Drops, or Pink Amethyst Drops.
I will announce the winner through random.org on Sunday.
I link Food with Love.
Food is nourishing.
It can cheer us up.
It can connect us with old friends again
Our mothers give it to us to show their love...
I am sad that in our hectic lives, many families don't have the time to sit down at a dinner table and break bread with the people they love. I am sad that food has become something that we quickly consume on the go through a drive through. We've become satisfied with bad quality food that does more harm than good, just because it's convenient.
This weekend, a girlfriend and I went to our local Farmer's Market and then a cooking class. It was our second time doing this together, and I really enjoyed it. The cooking class that we went to was at the Green Plum Cooking School. It's a free class every Saturday morning, taught by renown chef Monica Pope who runs an awesome restaurant called T'afia. She really enourages the enjoyment of cooking, and making everything from scratch. Slow Food over Fast Food. Her menu changes often, because she bases her dishes on whatever is sold at the Farmer's Market - she is an avid supporter of local produce. On the menu for the cooking class was Pan Roasted Potatoes, Elk, and Fetta
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She taught us how to make this awesome brine to soak fetta in while it's stored in the fridge, and this AMAZING potato dish that was sauteed in an olive oil and duck fat combo (what potatoes in Heaven must taste like). And the Pièce de résistance was definitely the Elk. Have you ever tried Elk? It has to be the silkiest, softest most delicious meat I have ever eaten in my life!
And then to top off that delicious food, I bought some macarons from the Farmer's Market. And yes, they tasted just as good as they looked!
(the winner of the Strikk Giveaway is Katie - congrats!)
It's not just artists that have a muse. Everyone does. We all have that person, that object, that place that inspires us into action.
Have you ever noticed how you can look at God's beautiful creation and see how it's influenced so many other things in our world? Like a gorgeous dress, for example. The beautiful color, the pleats, the tucks, the ruffles, or whatever detail it might have... doesn't it remind you of flowers?
I personally am inspired by food. I know, I know - food comes up in so many of my posts! I love how food keeps us alive, and at the same time is a source of enjoyment and creativity. The smell, the taste, the texture. It really inspires me on so many different levels.
What about you? What's your muse?
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(if you haven't yet, don't forget to enter the Strikk giveaway here - you have until Sunday).
(Also there's a great giveaway here at the Stationery Place!)
I own hardly any black clothes. I think I could count on one hand how many black articles of clothing I own. And it's not even that it's a bad color, it's supposed to be really flattering - I guess I haven't seen many black outfits that call out to me from the racks when I'm shopping.
It's interesting to see how our clothing tastes change over the years. I don't mean with fashion trends, but what our preferences are. Before I moved to the US nearly eight years ago, I NEVER wore jeans. NEVER. I found the denim itchy and uncomfortable, so I was one of the only people in the Western world who didn't own a pair of jeans.
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Fast forward to now, and I am a 28-year-woman who loves them. I wear them at least twice a week. Jeans, Denim shorts, Denim skirts, Denim vests... I don't even know how I transitioned over to my jeans-wearing lifestyle, but I'm loving it! But my first love has always been dresses. Pretty, girly, floaty dresses that you picnic in at Easter time by day, and then the slinky, hot ones that you feel like a million bucks in by night. The only thing that stops me from getting certain dresses more often is that annoying little tag sewn into some of them that says: DRY CLEANING ONLY. To me, that tag is like a BEWARE OF DOG sign hanging over someone's fence. It clearly tells me to stay away.
Speaking of what's in wardrobes, don't you think that these hanger covers by Tanya at Strikk would be a lovely addition to your wardrobe?
My spaghetti strap dresses like to slip off the sides of some of the hangers I have now, and I think that these gorgeous hand-knitted covers would be the perfect pretty remedy to that. I love how dainty and feminine they are - much better than the ugly plastic, or cold wire of most hangers.
Tanya has such a unique shop. She handknits things like scarves, and clothes, and even pillow covers and makes them all available to you in Strikk. Each piece is inspired by something marvelous - like Scandinavian fabric designs or Interior Design magazines, and most especially yarn. Seeing her products makes me want to perfect my very primitive knitting skills. Tanya was taught when she was young by her Grandma, but only reconnected with the art of knitting in her adult life when she moved to London. And guess what her very first finished knitted project was? A heavy Aran-style sweater for her boyfriend. Can you believe that? My first project was a stubby little scarf that people couldn't even recognize as a scarf! Tanya definitely has the gift! The thing that really inspires me about her knitting is that she's made everything look so contemporary - I have never seen knitting look so trendy and modern before! But despite the modern look to her knitted pieces, Tanya still likes to sit down to an old-fashioned serving of Banana Custard, hehehe.
Are you ready to pretty up your wardrobe? Tanya is giving away a pair of her lovely Hanger Covers to one lucky reader! For your chance to win, visit her shop and let me know the color combo you'd like, and also let me know what your favorite article of clothing is in your wardrobe.
*Photos taken by Strikk
When you were a little kid and it rained, what did you do?
Would you run to your mother, and bury your face into the comforting folds of her skirt? Or would you race over to the window and stare, mesmerized at the lightning as it zapped to the ground? Or were you one of the ones that would run outside, ignoring your mother's protests and play around in sheets of rain, kicking in the deepening puddles?
It rained today. We were walking into a book store (Brian was wanting to buy some textbooks - YES, textbooks. He graduated from college YEARS ago, but likes to read text books for fun! Anyway, I digress...) when the sky opened up and released the water it had been holding. While I don't like getting caught in the rain - I LOVE watching it. I could sit all day watching people dart around trying to avoid it, and cars splashing huge walls of water across the streets. But my FAVORITE part about the rain is the first few moments after it clears. The clouds roll away, and everything and everyone seems to smile. People pull down their umbrellas and smile, the flowers look brighter, the roads have that wet, pretty gleam to them. Rain really is a beautiful thing.
So back to my first question - when you were a kid - what did you do when it rained?
(The winner of the NuvoNova giveaway is Felix & Jayne. Congratulations!)
(Please also welcome two new sponsors - A Greatfull Day & Jessica Torres Photography - woo! Please stop by their sites and check out the eye candy!)
(And please check out Balancing Act's post here, it's the cutest post EVER!)
TV can be hypnotic, can't it?
So many images, places, stories, faces - some good, some bad. All day, every day, we can turn on the television and get a peek into another world. We can learn something new, or we can feed our brain with garbage - it's all up to us and what we decide to switch to with our handy little remote controls.
Brian and I don't have a television. Before we moved to Houston, I got rid of my TV, and so since October, we have been televisionless. We want to go for at least a year without one. It's weird when you go to decorate a living room without a TV. Usually all the living room furniture is positioned to face and revolve around the television - it's a nice change to be able to set up the furniture to be more social. Not that I don't enjoy TV shows - I watch The Office, and Iron Chef online, so I still get my little TV fix every week, but I like how I don't have to arrange my schedule and life around TV. Having that box sitting there would be too tempting to pass by every day without sucking down ridiculous amounts of time watching it.
So what do Brian and I do together without a television? Last night after dinner we walked through the park at twilight, and then headed over to Starbucks armed with notepads and heads filled with brainstorming. We are trying to come up with our own personal Mission Statements. I know it might sound weird - but businesses have Mission Statements, so why can't people? My Dad actually gave us the idea, and I think it's a great way to figure out what you want out of life, what you want your life to mean and become. I don't want to waste it in front of a TV. I want it to mean something, to make God proud.
What's important to you? What would you want included in your Life Mission Statement? I haven't written mine yet, but I know it involves creativity, and connecting people.
On another note: Have you noticed my lovely, shiny new sponsors on the right? I would like to welcome Naturally Nina, Chapters By Christine, Petite Minx, The Stamping Studio, and Fleur Avenue to my little bloglet. If anyone else would like info on advertising on my little bloglet, email me at cityofdionne@gmail.com .
Ain't love grand?
Don't you just love that feeling? Your hearts swells up so much that it feels like it could explode out of your chest, and each heartbeat feels like the pounding of a drum. That giddy feeling of romance washes over you, and in that moment the whole world seems to stand still. You forget everything else - the stresses of your job, any mundane routines you might have, the list of things you need to do... they all drop away like flies. All that you feel and see is in that very moment. Ahhhhh love. Blissful, romantic, giddy, happy-go-lucky, lets-take-the-plunge love. LOVE.-------
I love the romance of love. How you want to do anything and everything to show your love and broadcast it to whoever will listen. Don't get me wrong, I love the security and stability and every-day occurrences of love - but in this post I am talking about the grand gestures, the swoon-worthy, seemingly monumental actions of love - the Sleepless in Seattles, the Casablancas, the Gone With The Winds. I hear a lot of people say that love like this can't last, that couples can't sustain that euphoric feeling, and that it eventually becomes a comfortable friendship and not an exciting romance. I have to say that I disagree. I think it can be both. Brian and I do have a comfortable friendship. But I feel like I am best friends with a super-hottie. That feeling has not died down. I still feel excited and giddy and blissful around him. Often on Sunday nights I get all teary-eyed knowing that he has to go to work the next day.
I am blogging about this because my parents were here for 2 weeks visting us. And they have that romantic, exciting, passionate love for each other still, so I know it's not only a newlywed thing. Watching them is really a beautiful thing. Looking at them, you would think they just started dating, they have that excited, happy, fresh look on their faces when they interact. I love it.
Yes, I am such a romantic at heart. I think that's why I am drawn to the lovely things at NuvoNova. Clara has a lovely Etsy store filled with items that remind me of romantic whimsy.
She has gorgeous initial heart necklaces, romantic clothing, and such enchanting little note books and pouches. Looking through her shop makes me feel like i am stepping back to a more romantic era or place - where men would serenade at a window, or yell out in the streets "I love you!" When Clara told me that she is inspired by the 1920's, and that Clara Bow is her muse, I recognized that in her store right away, along with her love for vintage fabrics and old films. She studied Fashion Design at university, and after writing a chunky 8,000 word dissertation discovered a love for writing. Please be sure to check out her lovely blog here! And speaking of romance... what could be more romantic than her favorite dessert of Strawberries and Cream??!!
Clara is sharing one of her goodies with us! To be in the running to win either an initial necklace, or two sets of rose pouches, please visit NuvoNova and comment here leaving me the link to which goody you'd like to win - either an initial necklace, or the two rose pouch sets you'd like. And if you have a romantic story, I'd love to hear it!
*Photos taken by NuvoNova
Out on the open road - windows open with my hair flapping around in the breeze (or now that I live in Houston, the windows are closed with the AC blowing), and singing along to happy music. My summers are always dotted with little road trips.
My parents have been visiting with us for the past week, and since neither them nor us have seen San Antonio, we decided to take the little 3 hour drive out there. Before heading off, we just happened to catch a show on the Food Network that featured a place to eat out there, so we knew that would be one of our destinations in San Antonio. It was this small, hole-in-the-wall place called The Cove, and the weird thing is that it is in a Car Wash. Yes, a restaurant in a Car Wash. The LAST place you would expect to find a restaurant that grows their own herbs on site (we saw them picking basil from the garden), and serves organic Bison Burgers and Lamb Burgers. I ordered Fish Tacos, and while they weren't as good as I had hoped they would be, the Lamb Burger that Brian ordered was OUT OF THIS WORLD. It was amazing. After I took a bite, and then another, and then another - i wished that I had ordered the same as he did, hehehehe.
We saw the Alamo, which was smaller than I had thought it would be, and then we walked along the River Walk. It's a series of shops, hotels and restaurants built up around a river. It's really pretty and green, and has some European influences, but it's very commercial.
There were so many people there, probably mostly tourists like us. But it was nice to just walk along the water and check out all the little stores and cafes.
(PS. The winner of the IMH Designs giveaway is Squareby. Congrats! And if you love giveaways, Rebekah at Yeebird is having one right now!)
