Imagine:Dolce & Gabbana - Mosaico Collection

Imagine

all the work and craftsmanship that goes into everyday objects.

Imagine

 the imagination that goes into one piece of beautiful article of everyday use.

Like these glasses from Dolce & Gabbana 

made with mosaic

in the finest Italian tradition.

Beautiful!

50 perfect

What will it be to be in my fifties?

I hope I will look something like this!

Cindy in Malibu and Elle in Manchester

via here and here

Being a mom in my forties

I long thought it was best to have your kids early in life. To be able to run after them, feel like them, treat them equal and just plain sit down and play with them.
I was wrong.
In part.
I did have kids in my twenties, which was good for my body. In a sense. In the sense that I was able to cope physically with pregnancy and childbirth, without feeling threatened by the changing image of my body, because, hey! there would be time to fix this.
I didn't. Nor did I play dolls because I was too busy doing thw stuff that (you think) needs to be done so that you may sit and play with dolls.
I am an overweight mom who has been overweight in the past eighteen years or so, and especially in the last ten years, since my children stopped eating yuck mashed food, and fruits and veggies were not a food prerequisite.
Ready-for-the-oven became family staples. My cooking muscle waned and my weight rose.
But it's not just that.
Now that I am in my forties, and my kids are ready to fly off the nest, I long for a baby.
I long for mommy talk and friendship in the clan, color pops of toys (I was too much into eco when my kids were young) and strolls in proud, "look what I've made" looks of bright fluo orange trainers, grey active wear and floss frienship bracelets (they don't hurt baby like metal).
What I don't long for is crying and toothing and pooh. True. But if I did it again? I'd hire an aid. I could afford it but I didn't by choice. And I raised (too) independent kids. Good for them, and at times good for me when I'm not into cooking dinner-even frosted.
So yes, I would hire help if I could afford a cleaner.Would I  hire someone for the baby? Part-time, yes, so I could fly off guilt-free to a coffee and Vogue tete-a-tete.
Do I want a child as in birthing one, right now?
Don't know really. I might, if I could.
I fyou can, keep your mojo up.
Motherhood is bound to be brighter at 40.

Meanwhile here is a reminder of what mommyhood looks like.
Enjoy!

Elvis for the World Cup?

I was always thrilled with sporting events.

Not being raised sporty myself, 

I enjoyed my share of the active world 

looking at people finding happiness

 in pursuing impossible tasks.

Pizzas, bier and football go perfectly together, you might think, but there certainly are alternatives, or so dear Nigella says.

So, if you are dreaming of Maracana, 

have a taste of the exotic

Take a look at whay the domestic goddess has in store for you.

I know you might not expect to find the World Cup as a leading topic on a food website, but 1) I love the World Cup, and 2) you've got to have something to snack on while you watch it, don't you?
Obviously, first up for footie food has to be my Soccermole which you probably don't need me to explain is a variant of that gorgeous creation Guacamole. Talking of gorgeous creations, my Roquamole which adds salty blue cheese to the creamy green avocados, absolutely deserves a place as you watch the soccer on the sofa. You can dip into it (as the Soccermole) with breadsticks or tortilla chips and crunch down noisily whenever things get tense. Ditto with my Peanut Butter Hummus.
Other easy-to-make, easy-to-eat soccer snacks include Quesadillas, my Cosmo Cocktail Sausages - inspired by the cocktail not the magazine! - some Mini-Meatloaves, a good grabbable bowl of Bar Nuts, some Tuna or Crab and Avocado Wraps, a Na'an Pizza or two,Lamb Patties with Hummus and Pitta or - if many beers have been downed - the incomparable Elvis Presley's Fried Peanut-Butter and Banana Sandwich.
And if you don't like the football, don't worry: there's always the food!

Let's not mess around: you want trashy, I'll give you trashy - I'll give you the King. This recipe, for want of a better word, comes from a rhinestone gem of a cookbook, Are You Hungry Tonight?, a collection of his favourite foodstuffs bought on a visit to Graceland many years back, prized ever since and a delight from cover to cover. Even my most recent addition to a library already bursting with bad-taste titles, Liberace Cooks!, can't lose him his crown.
Believe it or not, the quantities below appear in edited, attenuated form. I honour the King but I can't be him. 

• 1 small ripe banana

• 2 slices white bread

• 2 scant tablespoons smooth peanut butter (don't use extra smooth)

• 2 tablespoons butter

Mash or slice the banana. Lightly toast the bread, and then spread the peanut butter on one piece and the banana on the other. Sandwich together then fry in the butter, turning once, until each side is golden-brown. Remove to a plate, cut the sandwich carefully in half on the diagonal and eat.

Feeling racey?

Epsom Downs for Ladies Day at the Derby

via

Don't Die With Your Music Still In You

Hello, Friends,

Read and contemplate: Is that you?

Don't die with your music still in you is the most profound phrase I heard over and over as a child. I knew that we all incarnated in this lifetime with a purpose, with something unique that called to us and excited our soul, and the idea of dying without ever expressing the music I came here to play terrified me. It still does! I've asked myself many times what my purpose is-- why am I here?
As a child, my parents instructed me not to follow the crowd. "Try not to get caught up in what other people tell you to do," they would say. "Just follow your heart, Serena."
Later, when I was a teen, they'd tell me, "When you follow the herd, you're bound to step in shit. Avoid the herd. Think for yourself. Do what you feel is right for you."
I heard this kind of thing all the time, but it wasn't exactly easy to take such advice. Doing what I wanted and doing what was right were often not the same thing. The times in my life when I didn't make the best choices were often times of great struggle that led to enormous personal growth. I try not to judge my past; after all, I wouldn't be who I am without it!
Not dying with your music still in you is not about what you "do with" your life. It is about how you lead your life. Raising children to dance to the beat of their own drum means raising them first to hear, and then to follow, their own inner calling. It means encouraging them to follow their hearts--to listen to their intuition, and nothing else. It also means encouraging them to move forward in their lives, rather than keeping them stuck on a decision they made in the past.
Being yourself allows you to enjoy every step of your journey, without ever having to change for someone else. As I get older, I understand that life really is about the journey. While that once irked me, I now love it!
Slowly, I awakened to my true purpose. I discovered that I'm most in alignment with who I am when I'm communicating; when I am sharing knowledge that inspires me. There are myriad "jobs" that could carry out this life's purpose, but what I came to realize is that my purpose is not what I do. It's how I do it. It doesn't matter the medium I choose; it only matters that I express myself. I am expressing my purpose through this book. I don't know if I will make a career out of being a writer, and it doesn't matter. Because what I've discovered is that, when you are living on purpose, the outcome doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that your mind stays open. To everything.
Having a mind that is attached to nothing means learning to work with situations that aren't turning out as we'd want or expect. It's seeing that everything is in perfect order anyway. It's hard to see something challenging as being in perfect order, but those of us who have gone through tough times know that we'll eventually come to realize that the sun has been shining behind the clouds all along.

 source

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

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