Enjoying The Spring

Today I'm enjoying the spring - even though it's a little gusty - and I'm looking forward to visiting Mitsy over at Artmind to find out what everyone else has in their flickr favourites this week.

"Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day." ~ W. Earl Hall ~

1. MMXI::SEVENTEEN::AFTER, 2. Sunset, 3. birds, 4. family of five, 5. Vintage Fence, 6. Sweet Peas

Where would I be each week without my stock of quotes? What makes a photograph a favourite? Tell me. I'm interested!

Missing In Action {A Little Interlude}

Deadlines. I thought I'd finished with deadlines the day I handed in my dissertation. But no, I have a major deadline next week and, although I'm unlikely to have to pull an all nighter and then do my printing on the morning of my deadline* - ahem - I currently look very much like this. Isn't this photograph fantastic? I'll be around over the weekend. See you then x

* Not something I'd recommend for those suffering from low or high blood pressure, panic attacks or...um...hangovers!

Such Is Life When Lived {Flickr Favourites}

This is my first Flickr Favourites for quite some time and I'm looking forward to visiting Mitsy over at Artmind to find out what everyone else has in their flickr favourites this week. For me, a little collage of recent favourites, inspired by one of my favourite passages.

"I used to sit on the banks with a raft and watch the water roll lazily by. One day I pushed my raft into the shallows of the water and found the water moved swifter than I thought. My raft was actually a boat. Then, after some time, I rowed my little boat into deeper water. There were great storms, mighty winds, tremendous waves, and sometimes I felt so alone. But I have noticed my little rowboat is now a mighty ship manned by my friends and loved ones; and beautiful calm seas, warm sunny days, and nights filled with comfortable dreams always double after a storm. Now, I could never go back and sit on the bank. In fact, I search for deeper water. Such is life when lived." ~ B.D.Gulledge ~

1. Then, I'll sail the seas, 2. The Seven Seas of Ryde, 3. ..., 4. ...

The passage perfectly describes how I feel about my 'life lived' and how grateful I am for my 'crew' - my beautiful family and friends.

How Winter Should Look

"The city is caught in the grip of ice. Trees, walls, snow, are as under glass." ~ Anna Akhmatova.

1. Snowblind, 2. Love The Sink Houses By Walther & Co, 3. Some Kind Of Blue, 4. ..., 5. Paloma's Parade Sash /Hairband, 6. Warm Hugs

Delicious Autumn! {Flickr Favourites}

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~ George Eliot

1. The Wooden Path, 2. Spree, 3. Untitled, 4. Poppies At Dawn, 5. Untitled, 6. It Was Cold Today

There's always something about the coming of autumn that makes me feel truly alive. The hope of crisp, clear mornings; the excitement of bonfire night; the smell of jacket potatoes on the air! Ah, it's as if my soul is being renewed.

Visit Mitsy over at Artmind and find out what everyone else has in their flickr favourites this week.

Like A Rainbow {Flickr Favourites}

Inspired by reading the lovely Cindy's post listing what treasures she would like to find at the end of her very own rainbow, my flickr favourites are a multitude (multi-hued?) of colours.

1. Birthday Bokeh, 2. Paper Rainbow, 3. Esperando un arco iris.../Waiting for a rainbow..., 4. Today Is A Colourful Day

Visit Mitsy over at Artmind and find out what everyone else has in their flickr favourites this week. They're always good for the soul.

The Language Of Being Alone {Flickr Favourites}

This week there is a general theme to everyone's flickr favourites - loneliness or emptiness. I'm pleased that I was able to pick out a few photographs that have been in my favourites for an awfully long time and combine them with another of my favourite quotes.

“Language has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone.” ~ Paul Tillich

1. She Doesn't Love Walk Alone., 2. Alone With Birds And Crazy Sea, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled

I'm curious to see how the rest of this week's participants have interpreted the theme, so I'll be heading over to check them out at Artmind as soon as I get back from work. Of course, if you have time, you should do it now.

Most Precious Resources {Flickr Favourites}

Continuing the theme of combining my flickr favourites with my favourite quotes, this week's choices are inspired by naturalist, John Burroughs who said, "If I were to name the three most precious resources of life, I should say books, friends and nature; and the greatest of these, at least the most constant and always at hand, is nature."

1. Rain, 2. I Remember Lying In The Grass And Watching The Clouds Go By, 3. Untitled, 4. Torn

If you'd like to see more flickr favourites (or play along with your own favourites) then head over to Mitsy's blog Artmind.

The Very Pink Of Perfection {Flickr Favourites}

I must be going soft in my old (but not that old) age, but pink is a colour that seems to appeal to me more and more with the passing of time. This is just a small selection of pink favourites from flickr.

1. Pomegranate In Pink, 2. NG351 - Detail, 3. Pinks, 4. Howlite

Just in case pink isn't really your thing, you can head over to Artmind and feast your eyes upon the ever interesting favourites chosen by Mitsy & Co this week.

Big Thoughts & Small Pleasures {Flickr Favourites}

Inspired by one of my favourite quotes from H. Jackson Brown, Jr " Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures" I've put together a small collection of my favourites from flickr this week.

1. Paris Et Ses Monuments, 2. Widemouth Sands II, 3. The Option Number Two, 4. Blissfully Relaxed, And Slowly Catching Up

If you'd like to see more flickr favourites (or play along with your own favourites) then head over to Mitsy's blog Artmind.

Butterfly Beauties

I hadn't really intended to have a theme for my Flickr Favourites this week, but a brief glance at the photographs on my favourites page showed a definite preference for all things fluttery. It must be the time of year!

1. Butterfly Sneak, 2. Yes I Do, 3. Butterfly Card, 4. Etsy Packaging

If you'd like to see more flickr favourites, head on over to see Mitsy & Co, via Mitsy's blog Artmind. I promise you that it's worth a look.

Feel The Earth Beneath Your Feet {Flickr Favourites}

There is something undeniably pleasurable about being able to take off your shoes and run barefoot across dewy lawns; the texture of soil between your toes and the feel of the earth beneath your feet.

*sigh*

1. Central Park, 2. Soil That Is Loved!!, 3. Tasting The Earth, 4. First Sign Of Summer

Head over to Artmind to see more Flickr Favourites chosen by Mitsy and Co. There's always new fantastic favourites to be found.

Craft Room < 3 {Flickr Favourites}

Late last August I spent a week or so re-decorating the old study, turning it into my very own craft room. I organised all of my craft items and stashed them away ready for creative projects, but I still haven't decorated the walls, or displayed any of my creations. It feels a little bit functional.

So this week, I've been looking for some inspiration and have spent a couple of happy afternoons trawling through the Pretty Organised Group on Flickr 'oohing and aahing' over some of the craft rooms featured. Believe me, it's hard not to feel a little envious!

1. My Home Office, 2. My Craft Room, 3. To-Do-Dish, 4. Redecorating

Grab yourself a well deserved cup of tea and then head on over to see Mitsy & Co at Artmind for more Flickr Favourites. It's one of my favourite afternoon activities.

Form & Function {Flickr Favourites}

An excellent photographer can make stunning and compelling images where anyone else would see only the ordinary. An oustanding abstract image, full of the subtlely of form and function is much more difficult to perfect than you might imagine. Today's collection of Flickr Favourites are the work of only one photographer - Wauter De Tuinkabouter. Since stumbling across his photostream in 2008, I have regularly added his images to my favourites and considered them excellent examples of images that look beyond the everyday to find beauty in the most ordinary of subjects.

1. X, Y and Z, 2. Shutters, 3. Irregular, 4. Vlakverdeling, 5. Het Paleis, 6. ││▪, 7. Crooked, 8. Patternized, 9. Cells

If you'd like to see more Flickr Favourites, then please head on over to see Mitsy & Co at Artmind. - and I'm sure everyone would be happy if you'd like to join in. The more the merrier, as they say.

Tickled Pink {Flickr Favourites}

My favourite shades as a teenager, even as a twenty something, were always strong, bold colours. I always felt as though lighter shades were 'washed out' and a little insipid. Yet, here I am, admitting to a fascination with shades of the palest pinks. Not a colour I ever thought I would embrace. But how could you not, when there's eye candy like this?

1. For Kristin, 2. Carnation Or "And Now For Something Completely Different", 3. 192, 4. Strawberry Drops

These are the kind of soft, romantic images that make me want to wear cute, floral dresses, picnic in the sunshine and run, barefoot, through spring meadows. Please tell me I'm not alone.

You can head on over to see more beautiful photography with Mitsy & Co, who've been rounding up their own favourites this week. And don't forget that you're also welcome to join in!

Inspired To Create {Flickr Favourites}

During the winter months my creativity has suffered severely. At a time when we're almost expected to curl up on the sofa with our knitting I completely lost my creativity and I would sit and stare at my beads, papers or fabrics without even a hint of an idea. Not like me at all!

Now that the spring has arrived, I'm grateful that the urge to create has returned and I'm looking forward to finishing off some old works in progress and starting some new projects for the spring and summer.

Yesterday I sorted through my bead stash and then had a look through my flickr favourites to find some of the photographs I've saved as project inspiration. Aren't these jewellery pieces amazing?

1. Last Rose of Summer, detail, 2. Howlite, 3. Night At the Ballet - Rescued Pink Vintage Bead Pierced Earrings, 4. Summer Garden Earrings

I'm not claiming that I'll be able to produce anything as exquisite as the pieces I've featured, but do watch out for some beautiful beading heading this way. In the meantime, whet your own creative appetite by heading on over to see Mitsy & Co, who've been rounding up their own favourites this week.

Rompers? Really? {Fashion Forward}

When I was younger, I had a very, um, eclectic taste in fashion. Want a mental image? Do you recall the TV Series Blossom? Yeah. Exactly. I once hit up every gent that I knew for their unwanted ties so that I could make a skirt out of them. (Just like in the video.) It flared. Okay? I liked it!

But, there were lines I never crossed and, so it is with some slight chagrin that I bring you this week's Fashion Forward trend. Rompers.

It seems that rompers, jumpsuits, the all-in-one - whatever you want to call them - are evolving for 2010 and, judging by the range sported at some of the season's catwalk shows, anything goes. Some are as teeny-tiny as hotpants, whilst others are skimming the floor seventies style over the top of your platform wedges.

Personally, I've never been a fan of clothes that may require a combined force of talcing and shoe-horning. Nor have I ever been a fan of clothes that may require more than a slight pull up or down in order to pee. I mean, just imagine the trauma after a few too many beers!

Soft Shimmer (41/50) by OPCreative featuring Elizabeth and James Dresses. Items in this set: Elizabeth and James Suzette Silk/Jersey Playsuit; Grey Leather Bag; Alexis Bittar Skinny Tapered Bangle; and Monsoon Accessorize Sunglasses.

But, it seems that there are some truly sophisticated alternatives to the stereotypical, sleazy leather all-in-one - the fabrics are softer, the lines are cleaner and the colours are bang on trend. It's all I can do to suppress the urge to at least try one on and see if it's a look that might suit me. I just don't know if I'm brave enough.

Anyway, I'm keen to hear what my fellow Fashion Forwarders think about this particular trend. What do you think? Would you? I mean. Rompers? Really?

If you're playing along today, leave your link, visit the other Fashion Forwarders and be thankful that next Monday Katherine will be hosting on her blog, Paper Pocket, and there probably won't be a romper in sight! x

Pretty Pastels {Fashion Forward}

Fashion Forward folks should make the most of their winter wardrobes, because spring is in the air and there is about to be a shift away from the strong, jewel colours normally associated with Christmas and New Year to a softer, more feminine look.

Heavily influenced by the trend for vintage clothing, we will soon be awash with pale (but interesting) shades of pink, lilac, mint, lemon and soft grey. The highstreet is about to get pretty.

Keep it simple, by combining no more than two colours together for a suitably subtle look and use black sparingly - lest you look like a liquorice allsort! Or maybe team those pretty pastels with a neutral like beige, khaki or tan, eh?

Blush by OPCreative on Polyvore.com

Items in this set: Temperley London Cobra Silk Dress, £440; Corduroy 3/4 Jacket, £21; Champagne Leather Shoes, £162; L'est Rose Satin Bow Clutch, £66; and Natural Bangle Set, £25

In theory, this trend is absolutely perfect for me. I love sophisticated glamour (when I can get it) and I am head over heels in love with vintage styling. So, what's the problem? Well, in reality these colours just don't suit me. I'm dark haired but pale skinned. Put a pretty, pale pink dress on me and I look as though I've been made-up as an extra for True Blood. Most unfortunate.

So, I'll be sticking to a slightly darker palette - though I might still treat myself to a little candy coloured retail therapy. The rest of you may want to head on down to New Look who have this trend completely covered and have some nice altervatives to that lovely, but rather expensive, Temperley Dress.

Oh, and before I head off, please check out the Official Polyvore Blog. They featured my Rachel set from last week's Fashion Forward in their weekly blog round-up. Yay!

You know what to do, right?

Christmas Calm {Flickr Favourites}

I just wanted to share a cute little collection of some of my favourite flickr favourites from the past week. Forget about the stress of cooking, cleaning and remember that this time of year is supposed to be peaceful.

1. Silberkugeln, 2. Silver Bells, 3. Christmas Snowflake Balb, 4. Zimtsterne (2/4), 5. Snow White, 6. I'll Be Home...

Put the kettle on, then head on over to Mitsy's to see more collections of the good stuff and give yourself a break for a few minutes.

A Little Light Relief {Flickr Favourites}

I'm still craving light, bright and open spaces. So, the weather still being a fickle friend, where better to look for some light relief than some favourites from my wonderful flickr contacts? A talented bunch, I promise you.

1. Slippers, 2. Home, 3. Untitled, 4. I ❤ To Read.

If you'd like to see more flickr inspiration, you should head over to see Mitsy who hosts our flickr favourites every week (and her own choices are always pretty stunning too!)