Funky Town

Where to?

A new week and Blogoland link love

Hello, dear friends,

It is the beginning of a new week. And with it, the end (of perhaps the first part) of a period of doing new things that I am not ready to share here yet. What I can say is that it involved public speaking that I have always liked and everyone told me I'm good at, and hated, at the same time, because I felt self-conscious and nervous.

It seems though that all those years of reading aloud at school feasts and selling to customers, all add up.

I am in awe of how Life leads us, trains us, pushes us to show up, even when we stick our legs and scream "I don't want to move on!".

This is certainly my case. 

I don;t know what the future holds, but I try to pray consciously and ceremoniously whenever I can, or through my mind, asking for guidance in the desert. 

In the meantime

...

I let myself wander a little through unfamiliar Blogoland ground (feels like a pc game at times, unwalked territory opening up). Some places I'll visit again, some I won't, but all that matters is where we seek and find Beauty. 

...

I hope to keep a normal-ish tempo in coming here and letting you knwo how life goes.

Till then, take a look at what felt nice this morning.

The Tulip Festival in Holland

via

Doin' Time On the Donau

I love flowers. I love bulbs. I love tulips. I love Holland.

 That says it all about my first pick!

Optical Illusion Dress
via
Montana Designs

Pattern is
WOMENS McCALLS LOOSE FITTING PULLOVER DRESS EASY SEWING PATTERN NEW / UNCUT 6465 
via here

Because I admire women who make nice clothing for themselves
and because I love shift dresses
and this one looks smart!

What’s the big dream in your heart? Do you know what it is? Or is it just a feeling that follows you around and you bump into it from time to time?Wherever you are, that’s okay. Right here is where you start from. 

My kind of gal.
An inspiring post by Sparkle Tea, 
that I needed, just in time.



A wonderful if dark, and not agreable with my Christian faith, but still interesting visual journey by none other than an Appalachian witch.



Spring in the Japanese countryside.
I LOVE every picture
via
  Inaka Biking 

I hope you enjoyed blog walking with me
Have a beautiful week ahead!

British Whimsy

There is something so cheerful about 

London

The colours seem brighter

and the whimsical views are everywhere.

I love all things Victorian.

 I love all things that are respected memories of a glorious past that live on and inspire the present.

A touch and more of Greek inspiration for glory.

Where I received my degree from the hands of Princess Royal

I love this room. Modern cozy.

Picture perfect.

Sweet delight!

The Ampersand Hotel

South Kensington

England

What animal are you?

Check yours here

v

Some thoughts on blogging

One friend said on Facebook the other day, that she misses the time blogging was innocent and from the heart. And another  favorite blogger of mine also had a story on blogging to share.

I would like to know what you think.

I have been blogging since 2006, and I must say I have had my ups and downs, like every other blogger.
At first, before Pinterest came along, I used this blog to document my design inspiration, and had another blog where I shared about family and life.

Then I began blogging here about my work. The Google Friends thingy was introduced, and the pressure to have more "Friends" made people optimise, secookie-cut posts and the magic of sharing from the heart began to evaporate.
Then,  as the FB friend mentioned, the pressure to monetise our blogs mounted. Sure, I appreciate an ad or a review offer, which more often I decline than I accept, unless I can test the product and have a safe opinion to suggest to my readers.

It is true that I do miss those days of spontaneous writing, when I'd share honest posts, with real meaning, with friends that would pop over to ask how I was doing, if I missed a week of posting (and I often didn't, because I wanted them to know I was OK).
This explains why this blog that stayed with me after I decided to keep this "design" one over my family one, doesn't see my writing more often.

There are still quite a few bloggers left who share from the heart and don't have a team to write for them pretending to be them. Guest blogging is welcome, but don't tell me it's your blog: it's a magazine, a business, otherwise it's a cheat. I love on line magazines like Matchbook and Lonny, but they are honest with me and tell me they are magazines written by a team, making a profit. I wouldn't blame Vogue for that!

So, where am I with blogging?
Call me a romantic, but I shall continue to write from the heart, picking and showing what I like, what I think you'll like.
Non-intrusive ads on my sidebar will appear, and honest businesses who are interested in my reviewing their product will be welcome, too.
As far as I am concerned, I shall let you know when this or another blog of mine ever becomes a profession.

In the meantime, let us enjoy each other's honest company.

xoxo
Irene

I

Through my eyes, today...

watercolor by Barbara Weeks of Drawing Breath

Hello Friends,
I have been spending some time at home, over the Easter vacation, and that gave me the time to visit some of my favorite blog friends and discover some new ones through Pinterest.

This lovely lady artist followed some of my boards and I am following back her Journaling board. I love watercolors, and although I haven't practiced for awhile, I associate them with the happiest times of my life, when my kids were younger and we'd spend time on the beach painting.

I leafed through one of my favorite magazines, Matchbook, and  loved this photo above,
 via Strikes our Fancy. 

It's an expression of sophistication, glamour and liht hearted fun, even success.

I loved this pair of needlepoint slippers via here.

And I enjoyed reconnecting with some fabulous craftsy ladies with a meaningful life to share, 

at My Paper Tales.



By the way, Laura Trevey who is another favorite watercolor artist of mine, has written a well documented post on Pinterest, that you may want to read.

I hope your week is smooth and fun!
xoxo

DIY Art

I absolutely loved this piece of art when I found it on Pinterest

(I'm right here if you want to join me)

The Canadian lady who made this, is stylish and super helpful in her "how-to"

Here is how to DIY it yourselves!

Spring in Blogland

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From Bulgaria 

to Austria

 to America

to Paris,

I hope your Spring is blooming marvelous

!!!

xoxo

Lilly Pulitzer Summer love

Love, Lilly, and the sound of happiness.

What I liked this week

think

• What would you say to your 18 year old self?

• Forgive yourself, often.
• Worry less.
• You can’t control everything.
• People will let you down, but don’t give up on people – let go of the crappy ones.
• Life is not fair, it doesn’t work that way.
• Your time is just as important as theirs (and vice versa).
• Not everyone is going to like you, that’s okay.
• Speak more slowly, make eye contact.
• Tell your parents “thank you” more often.
• For gawd sake EAT something

via

My take on this 

• Have more fun
• Travel more
• Get out 
• It is all temporary

• Cook

Honey-Roasted Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie (No Bake!)

Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

Yield: 8-10 servings

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

For Crust:

• 8 ounces chocolate wafer cookies
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For Filling:

• 10 ounces (2 cups) honey roasted peanuts
• 1 banana, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. To prepare crust, crush cookies in the Vitamix on high speed until finely ground, using the tamper as needed to redistribute cookies. You should end up with 1 1/2 cups of cookie crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and stir in brown sugar. Add butter and mix until evenly incorporated. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan or in the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Freeze crust until filling is ready. Rinse any remaining crumbs out of the canister and pat dry.
2. Place peanuts in the canister and secure lid with the tamper in place. Turn machine on at the lowest speed, and gradually increase the speed to Variable 10, then to High, using the tamper to keep the nuts moving. Continue to mix for another minute or so, until the peanut butter begins to flow freely through the blades. You may notice the sound of the motor change from a high pitch chugging sound to a low laboring sound. Stop the machine and transfer the peanut butter to a large bowl, scraping as much of the peanut butter out of the canister as you can.
3. Don't worry about cleaning the canister at this point. Add banana chunks and honey. Turn to the lowest speed, then increase to Variable 5 for about 1 minute or until banana is liquefied (the slightly lower speed here will prevent too much of the banana from splattering up the sides). Pour into bowl with peanut butter and stir to combine.
4. Wash and dry canister to remove any residual peanut butter. You want to be sure the canister is very clean at this point so your cream will whip up properly.
5. Add cream, sugar, and vanilla to canister. Turn to the lowest speed, then increase to Variable 5 for about 10 seconds. Watch it very carefully, the second the top of the cream stops moving, turn off the mixer immediately. Over-mixing will result in butter rather than whipped cream.
6. Stir the whipped cream in the canister to even out the consistency (the top might be slightly firmer than the cream on the bottom). Remove about 1 cup of cream and set aside to use as a garnish later. Add about half of the remaining whipped cream to peanut butter mixture; fold to incorporate and lighten the filling. Fold in the remaining whipped cream until smooth.
7. Pour filling into prepared crust,  smoothing top with an offset spatula or butter knife. Spoon or pipe remaining whipped cream in a decorative manner around the edges of the pie. If using a springform pan,  you can cover the entire thing with aluminum foil without touching the cream. If using a pie pan, leave it uncovered. Refrigerate or freeze for 1 to 2 hours or until set or frozen. If frozen, let come to room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving (it'll be easier to slice that way).

via

Deco

I love this apple print!

A Happy Turtle Lilly print.
Marvelous!

Hope your week-end is smooth and happy!
xoxo