Historical Beauty

There's something captivating about vintage photos, isn't there?

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Frozen moments of people just like us, with quirks and friends and hopes and dreams, but who lived in a different period of history. Sure, these images don't have all the edits and fancy angles like the photos that photographers catch today, but photos from the past have such a rich, historical beauty. They tell such mysterious stories that we will never know fully, and can only wonder about.

I see a lot of vintage photos, but this one is by far one of my favorites. I found it at the Etsy store Clancy's Classics, and can't stop staring at it.



It's an image from a school in Chicago from "Bring a Doll to School Day". Isn't it marvelous?


I wonder what it was like to go to school back then? And I wonder what became of all these girls?

Are you like me? Are you drawn to vintage photographs too?

Apartment Bakery

I go on baking binges.

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Our apartment often smells like bread, or rising cake in the oven. And over the last two weeks it seems like we live in a mini bakery.




The other week I experimented making Brioche for the first time, and decided to make it two ways - a sweet version to have with marmalade for breakfast, and a savory version for fluffy sandwiches for lunch.

Then yesterday I had some leftover pork sausage, so I decided to make Stromboli, which is basically an Italian turnover filled with meats and sauces - it's delicious! For the recipes, meet me after the jump.

A Demeanor Made of Bright, Pretty Things...

... is part of the opening line to my favorite song right now (go listen, it's definitely a great get-ready-to-tackle the day melody).

"I wear a demeanor made of bright pretty things - what she wears, what she wears, what she wears... Birds singing on my shoulder, in harmony it seems - how they sing, how they sing, how they sing...

I love the idea of that. Treating my demeanor (my attitude and behaviour) like it's something I put on, or wear. And describing my demeanor as being made of bright, pretty things. Our attitude is definitely something that we have control of, and I like the idea of imagining it as a tangible thing, and how it would look if it were visible. Would it be beautiful and sparkly, or would it be sharp and dark?

"I've got halos made of summer, rhythms made of spring - What she wears, what she wears, what she wears... I got crowns of words a-woven, each one a song to sing. Oh I sing, oh I sing, oh I sing..."

Sometimes my whole mood seems to be controlled by what type of hair day I am having. How odd that hair would dictate my whole tune for the day. So this morning, no matter what - I am wearing a demeanor made of bright, pretty things. My mood is looking like some of these outfits:


What is your demeanor made of today?

*photos courtesy of the store in each caption's websites.

Sweet Flowers

This weekend it was warm and gorgeous in Houston. A gentle breeze and the soft glowing sun made it perfect weather for a picnic with friends - so that's what we did.

While spring flowers aren't quite ready to be in bloom yet, the weather had me excited about trips to flower farms and patio eating - all the outdoor fun that I love about Spring.



For those of you who've read this blog for a while, you'll know that I like to wear flowers in my hair. Especially in Spring, of course. And I have a feeling that this lovely store - Heartfelt by Aviva, will be a Spring favorite.



Heartfelt by Aviva is a garden of hair adornments of all shapes and sizes. Aviva carefully tends to her gorgeous garden, and is inspired by the simple things in life- whether it be looking through her grandma's closet or hearing a random song on the radio - she always tries to keep an open mind and a free spirit.

Aviva loves creating. When she isn't crafting a beautiful piece, she is observing and admiring other crafters, or taking trips to the art gallery. Aviva likes to surround herself with art and the creativity of others. Even her day job encourages creativity - she is the Marketing Director at Dreaming Tree Films, whose mission is to empower youth through film-making (isn't that cool?!).




Aviva's favorite colors change with the seasons. Over summer, she was obsessed with corals and oranges, and right now she is more drawn to emerald green (she says it could be because it's nearly St. Patrick's Day, or it could be because she like Angeline Jolie's dress at the Golden globes, haha).

Aviva is generously giving away one of her pieces to one of you guys. To enter, please leave a comment here letting me know you like to explore art and creativity. Please also let me know which of the last three pieces pictured that you'd like if you won. I will announce the winner next week.

(PS. The winner of the This Year's Girl Giveaway is Sam. Yay!)

Two Hearts

With this week having Valentine's Day and Brian's birthday in it, I've been feeling extra lovey-dovey and sentimental - so beware, this is going to be a soppy post. I have been thinking a lot about how blessed I am to have found my partner in life.



I hope I don't make any of you sick reading this, but sometimes when Brian says or does something sweet, I well up so much with love that I start crying with happiness. The thought that I just lucked out on meeting him is impossible to me. We seem tailor-made for each other. Brian told me the other week that if he ever feels like God isn't listening to him, he thinks of me and knows that God is definitely taking care of his life.



I just can't imagine a more caring, considerate person that my husbo. He goes out of his way to support me, and care for others, but yet is so humble. He is perfectly content being unrecognized and behind-the-scenes. I feel like he can read my mind sometimes, because I will think something, and then the next minute, he's doing the very thing I was just thinking of.

My prayer for all my single friends is that you find that guy that was perfectly designed for you. It's worth the wait!

This Year's Girl...

is spending more time treasuring her loved ones...
is going to master how to make the perfect french macaron (my past 3 attempts have ranged from ok to complete failure - i want perfection!)...
is more in love with her husband than last year's girl (which i never thought was possible)...
is inspired by the name of the etsy store "This Year's Girl"...

I recently discovered this charming Etsy store. I was immediately captivated by the name, and once inside, I discovered that it was full of lovely keepsakes.



Melissa's store is a beautiful collection of photography, cards, jewelry, and romantic notions. I am in love with the dreamy way that she captures life through the lens and combines it with a whimsical other-worldly feel. Her inspiration comes from music and film, along with trips to art galleries to see the work of her favorite artists.



In Melissa's first year of college, she took an elective class in photography, and knew right then that it was something that she needed to pursue. As time went on, customers started asking her if she would include her lovely photographs in jewelry pieces. People wanted to wear her art. So after researching jewelry making and lots of tutorials, Melissa introduced jewelry into her store, and now loves creating each piece.




Melissa is generously giving away a $25 gift certificate to her store to one lucky reader. To enter, tell me what you'd want to spend it on, and also what your "this years girl" is aiming to be. I will announce the winner next week.

(PS. The winner of the Felt & Wire Shop giveaway is A Different Wholeness).

My Vintage Plate Collection

All the cabinets and storage in my teeny kitchen are bursting at the seams with vintage plates.



In the past year, I've started collecting pretty vintage plates. At first I collected teacups, but then it segued into plates. Here are a few of my favorites, some of which you probably saw in my French Chocolat Party post.



When looking for plates, there are certain characteristics that I look for.
1. I like plates with a scalloped or some sort of interesting rim.
2. Not too cluttered with pattern. I like to have white space.
3. Nothing dark. Not only do I want pretty plates, but I want plates that will flatter the food that I put on it, and darker plates make food look less appetizing - so I generally prefer base colors of white or cream.



I like scouring the vintage section of Etsy for new listings. And since I can't buy ALL the lovely plates I see on Etsy, I thought I would share some of my lovely finds with you.

- Pretty in Pink and Eggshell plates (definitely tea-party material.)
- Dainty Chocolate and White bowls (begging to be filled with chocolate pudding...)
- Gorgeous Turquoise platter (perfect for serving cupcakes!)
- Pretty scalloped-edge white dessert plates (you can never have enough white!)
- Gold and Luxurious plate (i have one very similar to this.)
- Lovely Lace-edged plates (such pretty detail!)
- Darling Milk Glass dish (perfect for pretty bonbons!)
- Precious pink and white bowls (for yummy ice cream or berries...)
- Perfect Cake plates (such a gorgeous pattern, perfect for pretty slices of cake!)

Saving Pretty Paper

I am a paper girl.


I used to collect stationery and different textured papers when I was in college- I had boxes and boxes of it, sitting there unused because I thought it was too pretty to mark with my writing. I didn't even make any papercrafts with them for fear that I'd make a mistake. Then I moved to the US, so I ended up giving it all to a friend. All those beautiful blank sheets just wasted...


Recently I discovered a lovely store that reminds me very much of those boxes of loveliness that I had to part with all those years ago. Have you ever heard of The Felt & Wire Shop? It's a gorgeous collection of stationery, notebooks, packaging, prints, everything you'd want in paper; and then it even throws in textiles and other gorgeous goodies. The Felt & Wire shop carries exclusive bits and pieces of pretty from lots of great designers and letterpress gurus from around the world.


The Felt and Wire shop is generously giving away one of their notebooks from their Feedback Loop Project to support youth mentoring. Noted graphic designers were commissioned to design these babies, and 100% of the proceeds go to Design Ignites Change. There were only 50 of each book created, so these are definitely limited edition. To enter, leave a comment here telling me which of these notebooks you would like if you won.

(PS. The winner of the Salt City Spice giveaway is Brandi).

French Chocolat Valentine's Party

Unlike most of America, I didn't care that it was the Superbowl this weekend.

I had some girlfriends that also didn't, so instead of watching the game, I threw a small pre-Valentine's Day party for them. To me, Valentine's Day isn't just about romance - it's about any love that makes your heart happy - and that includes the valuable friendships I have in my life. So to celebrate, I decided to throw a French Chocolat themed party.




I made lots of yummy chocolate treats, and decorated with hearts and flowers. I didn't want to do the usual cheesy Valentine's red, instead I went with blue, gold, white, brown and little hints of black.





It was a lovely time with some lovely friends.

Anthro, Urban, and their lesser-known Sisters...

It's not a secret that I'm an Anthrophile. I unabashedly love all things Anthropologie.



Anthro is pretty much my dream outfit, dream kitchen, dream home decor, dream world, and there's nothing that can be done about it.
Have you met Anthropologie's sisters?

I am sure you've met her edgy, hipster sister Urban Outfitters (or as she likes to nick-name herself, UO):


What about Free People? She is their free-spirited sister who loves to explore and roam wherever her dreams take her:


Leifsdottir is the more refined of the sisters. She's very classy and likes to make an entrance.


Then there's Terrain. She's outdoorsy. She loves to get her hands dirty and potter around outside.


And I heard the news that they're revealing to us another sister in their family! Her name is BHLDN. Supposedly she's a real romantic. Totally in love with lace and frills and all things wedding. I can't wait to meet her!

Which of the sisters are you better friends with?

*All photos are from their respective websites.

Spice up your Life

What would our world be like without spice?



Everything would taste bland - cuisines from different cultures would all taste the same. Food would be so boring! I definitely take herbs and spices for granted. Basil, oregano, cilantro, thyme, dill - these are some of my favorites. Whatever would I do without them?!

I recently came across a great store that definitely recognizes the value of spice in our lives. Salt City Spice is owned and operated by the lovely Katrina. She sells awesome custom made and repurposed spice racks for spice fans like me. She loves creative uses of materials that some people wouldn't think twice about and upcycling them into something new.




Katrina spent far too long looking for a great spice rack when she moved into her first house. WIth her love for cooking, she had an idea for a spice display on an exposed brick wall in her kitchen, but couldn't find any spice racks that fit the bill, and so she decided to create her own. Once she installed it, everyone visiting her home would admire it, and then she realized that if her friends liked it, there would most likely be a lot of other people who wanted a spice storage solution that wasn't just functional, but actually enhanced their kitchen design. That's where her store came in.

Always an adventurous eater, aside from cooking and exploring farmers' markets for interesting and seasonal produce, Katrina also loves going out to eat and trying new cuisine. She considers food to be edible art, and gets excited about any type of culinary creativity.



Of course with her spice rack creations, Katrina loves interesting spice combinations. One of her favorite foods is Indian Chicken Makhani because of all it's fragrant ingredients (garam masala, cumin, ginger, rosemary, mustard seed, sea salt, black pepper, garlic) and because of it's elegant simplicity.

Katrina is giving one of you lucky readers the chance to win one of her lovely spice racks that you can fill with all your favorite spices. To enter, please leave a comment here telling me which out of these two you would prefer if you won (the Chalkboard Spice Rack or the Magnetic Spice Tins), and also tell me your three favorite spices. I will announce the winner next week.

(PS. The winner of the Cherry Walls giveaway is Angie).