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I am not sure what was wrong with me when I was a kid. I was pretty normal little girl for the most part - I liked dolls, and pretty clothes, and pink, but there was one thing that was seriously wrong with me...
I did not like nursery rhymes. I detested them! I refused to sing along with any of my Kindergarten posse whenever they broke out into cheerful renditions of Little Jack Horner or Mary Had a Little Lamb.
........
I think it's because I always thought they were for babies. I didn't ever like to be thought of as a baby, so I even rejected Santa. I remember going to a Christmas Party when i was little, and there was a Santa there that the kids were all telling their Christmas Wishes to. I made it my personal mission to show that this guy was a phony, and told all the kids at the party that we wasn't real, and that if they pulled hard enough, they would see that big white beard of his was a fake. "It has to be a pretend beard! It's white, but his eyebrows are black!" And when I was proven right, all the kids started crying.
But now that I am 28, Nursery Rhymes have gotten hold of me. I love the simplicity of them, and how it tells children a concise little story that they will remember for years to come. No need for a big hefty book of many pages to get the point across when it can be sung like a low-key musical!
Whenever I browse through the lovely Etsy store Lanyapi Designs, I am reminded of nursery rhymes. Everything owner Daisy sells in this store has a simple but whimsical feel to it. I adore her charming jewelry, each seems to have a little story to tell.
Daisy is a world traveler, and her journey has introduced her to many new cultures, and also to many unusual styles of jewelry. She takes memories from these trips home with her and captures them in her creations. Outside of creating jewelry for Lanyapi Designs, Daisy also enjoys camping, swimming, and reading - but most excitingly - she's planning her wedding!
With her favorite color being yellow, she told me that she is considering wearing yellow heels with her wedding dress, which I think would be lovely, and the perfect amount of romantic whimsy - just like the little pieces in her store. She also mentioned to me that she has a soft spot for cupcakes (yum!), and as I am typing this post, I realize that Daisy herself sounds like someone that could be in a lovely nursery rhyme! She's getting married in pretty yellow shoes, creates pretty trinkets, and has a soft spot for cupcakes. Truly the ingredients for a lovely nursery rhyme!
Daisy is giving one of you readers one of her adorable necklaces! Yay! To enter, please leave a comment here telling me what your favorite nursery rhyme is, and then let me know which of these three necklaces you would like if you won: Sweet Latte, I Love You Postcard, or Wishing Well. I will announce the winner on Sunday.
I like old movies. Ones where the corners of the screen are flickery, and the film shows little crinkles here and there.
Movies where women were ladies, and men were gentlemen, and they used words like "cad" and "dollface" regularly. Movies where neighbors were best friends and they'd have you over for dinner on Mondays, and you'd have them over for breakfast on Saturdays. When they called getting dressed up "putting on your fineries", and when men pulled our their handkerchiefs and offered them to a woman when she was crying.
Maybe that's why I adore The Honey Press. It's a lovely Etsy store full of items that remind me of the old movies that I love. Pretty aprons, and lovely silk-screened handkerchiefs. It is owned by Pascale, who was convinced by her boyfriend (who she calls an "avid hankie-user") to sell her pretty handkerchiefs online. From there, she has branched out to selling sock dolls, original art, pillow cases and aprons - all in her lovely style, reminiscent of an earlier time, where life was simpler, and things were beautifully prim and proper.
Pascale's work is inspired by fashion, reading, writing, her beau, history, and even lovely things that she can see from her window. She also is inspired by her dad's creative style. Things like the green of the golf course in her backyard, the vivid colors of her parents' garden, and the blue hues of the ocean all are sources that she draws her lovely style from.
Like me, Pascale can't commit to one favorite dessert for too long (a true Sweet Tooth never can). At the moment, it's vanilla soft serve ice cream, topped with lots of rainbow sprinkles. I like the sound of this, and might have to borrow this as my favorite dessert for the week.
Pascale is giving one lucky reader a lovely handkerchief of their choice from her store, so you too can walk around in your fineries and offer a handkerchief to someone crying. Or you could keep it for yourself, as I would probably do. To enter, please leave a comment here, letting me know which handkerchief from her store you would want if you won, and also let me know what is your favorite thing about old movies.
Houston really was gorgeous this weekend.
The weather was the most beautiful I have ever seen it - the perfect balance of sun and breeze. Houston is it's most beautiful in Fall, I love it! I have the Fall Fancies.
....
In Spring and Summer, Houston is ridiculously hot and humid, but in the Fall it cools down nicely. Perfect weather for the lovely Garden Party we went to this afternoon. Our friends had a little get-together in their backyard, and although remarks about the weather are usually reserved for small-talk with strangers, the weather this weekend was too perfect not to come up in conversations all throughout the party.
It was also perfect for eating homemade pizza in the sun.
(The winner of the Trampoline Giveaway is Hello Darling. Yay!)
Also, there is a giveaway over at Maggi's Blog celebrating her 100th post! Please go enter to win a lovely bag, some cute tea things, and one of my tea-theme necklaces from my new jewelry line! The winner will be picked tomorrow - so hurry!
I mentioned last week that Brian whisked me off to New Orleans for a lovely 3-day weekend. It was a complete surprise and we had a fabulous time.
New Orleans is clearly all about Music, Food and Architecture. So if you are interested in these three things, you need to get yourself out there.
I fell in love with the character of this city. The stately homes that have scars leftover from Hurricane Katrina. Weathered walls, cracked sidewalks, I think it all adds to the charm of New Orleans. And I couldn't get over how friendly everyone was! Everywhere you turn, people tip their hat and greet you hello, and even a man on a cell phone excused himself from his conversation to say a brief hi to us as we passed by.
Brian and I passed by a crowded Jazz Bar on our last night there, notes of music billowed out into night. I grabbed his hand and we danced in the middle of the street. It was so much fun.
We tasted a lot of delicious food. Authentic Gumbo and Muffalettas, Frog Legs, lots of delicious Beignets.... oh the beignets are what got me. They would have to be my new favorite dessert, and they aren't even chocolate! I had tried beignets at a restaurant here in Houston once, but they have NOTHING on the Beignets at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. Pure bliss!
For those of you who have never been to New Orleans - I highly recommend it! ESPECIALLY if you are a foodie!
(if you are interested in seeing more pics of the food we ate, and the scenery, you can peek at more photos here).
* And thank you to Lindsey for all her restaurant recommendations!
My Dad used to collect foreign coins when he was a boy, and my uncle collected all sorts of vintage postage stamps.
There's something charming about collecting old things. Things that have been loved by someone else, things that you don't see often in today's world. Trinkets and plates and cups and boxes... I love the idea of collecting dainty, vintage items, and locking them away in a secret box to give to my future children. Like a little time capsule. But then there are vintage lovelies that are just too gorgeous to lock away.
........
Who would be able to lock away the gorgeous items found in the lovely store Trampoline? I am seriously in love with this store. It is owned by Kim Ludy (aka ethanollie), who has a keen eye for beauty. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I want almost every item from her store. Her store in itself is a lovely collection of dainty, delicate, beautiful finds. Everything in it reminds me of a lovely poem, tucked away in a notebook with gorgeous frayed edges, but written meticulously by hand on a lovely piece of stationery. Ah, Trampoline is sheer and utter bliss!
Ethanollie's lovely collection is inspired by old pictures. She scours photo blogs, magazines and art, and the lucky duck has photographic memory! She easily recalls photos she has seen online and remembers it when recreating a project or styling for her shop (isn't her shop styling magnificent?!). Color is also a big inspiration. She likes interesting color combinations that aren't the every-day, like combinations of lavender and red, or pink dotted with fragments of orange. Her taste is fabulous!
Even her taste in dessert is perfection - her favorites are anything with custartd and caramel, or a delicate fruit pie. Anything with a crust captivates her taste buds, and I must admit, now that I think about it - I agree!
Ethanollie is giving away one of three gorgeous items to one of you readers! You can choose between the following (all pictured above):
- the set of Antique Botanical Lithograph Prints (by James Sowerby, 1873).
- the Vintage Letterpress Blocks, which would be wonderful as a decor piece, or for printing sweet sentiments of love.
- the Vintage Folk Linen Dish Towel. This would look lovely as a wall hanging, or Ethanollie also suggested using it for a DIY pillowcase!
To enter this charming giveaway, please leave a comment here letting me know which of the three you would like to win, and also let me know if you have any collections of your own. I will announce the winner on Sunday.
*Product images courtesy of ethanollie
(PS. The winner of last week's Studiotto giveaway is Rhianne - yay!)
(PPS. I am guest posting today at Kotori. Come visit!)
Remember how I said I wanted to go on a little getaway?
Well Brian surprised me with a weekend jaunt to New Orleans! So today's post has none of my drawings or photos, as I am in New Orleans right now! I will resume my regular posting on Tuesday. I hope your weekend was fabulous!
I will announce the winner of last week's giveaway on Tuesday.
How do you close off your correspondence?
Do you end with a brief "from _____"? Or are you a more formal closer who says something like "yours, sincerely ________"?
Melissa had a really interesting post the other day about email sign-off etiquette. She talked about how women read a lot into the signing off statement from men in their emails and letters. Words carry so much weight, but not everyone thinks about them to the same extent as others. I peeked through my sent items in my email inbox, and here are a list of some of my email closings:
"From your hot wife, Dionne"
"Hearts, Dionne"
"My foot fell asleep, Dionne"
"See you soon, Dionne"
"Batman and Robin, Dionne"
"Cupcakes and Coffee, Dionne"
What about you? How do you close off your emails and letters?
(PS - check out my shiny new advertisers for this month! They are all on the right and they all are completely awesome, and I am sure they would be great email sign-offers!)
Who wants a vacation? I do!!!
Even just a brief jaunt will do. Although flying over to the Mediterranean sounds good right about now, but I would settle for a weekend away to another state! A quick trip to rejuvinate at a little bed and breakfast, or a cute hotel sounds perfect.
I think I was born with the Travel Bug. It must be genetic. Going anywhere new and discovering new scenery, meeting new people, peeking into other lifestyles - it makes me feel sort of like a Private Investigator, but not private about it. A Public Investigator perhaps?
A place I am curious to explore is Turkey. It is a culture that I know really nothing about, and I am sure the scenery is gorgeous. And it has shops like Studiotto, full of lovely Meditteranean-colored wares. Baris has a lovely little Etsy store that I was immediately in love with when I found it. I love the mixture of the white with the bright pastels. It reminds me of a seaside stroll.
I love each exquisite ceramic piece in this store. The rings, the brooches, the bowls, the cups - it's all so gorgeous and definitely increases my desire to travel! Baris was educated at both the Liceo Italiano and MS Fine Arts Universities, and there she learned all about various types of global art and developed this embracing of culture into her own style. Her one-of-a-kind work really is all about the lovely Meditteranean culture, and as you can see - she loves using white and shades of blue.
Along with the colors of the Meditteranean, Baris also enjoys decorative desserts, like Hansel & Gretel style treats. She also wouldn't turn down a slice of Chocolate Cherry Cake!
Baris is generously giving away her Gold Flower Brooch to one lucky winner. To enter, please leave a comment telling me where you would like to go for a weekend jaunt.
One of my first memories of rejection comes from Food.
All my life I have been exposed to food from different cultures. Most of you know from previous posts that my mother is Filipino, and my father is Italian-Australian, so our kitchen reflected that. I remember when I was younger, my Mum had cooked some amazing Filipino dish, and some of my friends refused to even taste it. I felt like they were rejecting me, because it was part of my culture, and something that my mother had lovingly prepared. Of course, when you are little - it's quite normal to reject a lot of things when it comes to food - but growing up traveling the world really exposed me to different types of cuisine. There was no food that I would reject.
For a little while I remember being ashamed of Filipino food. I never revealed this to my mum, or anyone in fact. I remember hoping that when friends came over that mum wouldn't cook Filipino food for dinner that night, even though I loved Filipino food. Fortunately I got over this ridiculousness quickly, and into my older childhood years I looked forward to when my friends got to taste it for the first time.
What about you? Were you ever ashamed of things your mother cooked? And if not, what foods from other cultures do you enjoy? I definitely love Korean, Thai, Greek and Japanese the most! Yummo!
(PS. The winner of the Mixmasha Giveaway is Amelia. Congrats!)
