Random Friday - Purple Sneakers

I've mentioned before that I'm a huge linguistics dork, and one of my treats is inventing my own definitions of words. Take sneakers, for example. Simple. They're sneaky in a good way, they sneak up on you and get under your skin, so that you have to have them. It worked for me. I'd looked at these at H&M for days and months, trying to rationalise why I shouldn't get them, and then finally getting them as an early Christmas present to myself.

Ever since, I've been dreaming about spring, when I'd be able to wear them. Imagining scenarios that would make perfect commercials - jumping, grinning and spreading world peace.

They're very comfortable to wear, even for long walks, so they weren't just lookers. Want to know another cool thing about them? Their sole prints.

Aren't they the best?

 

They remind me of good old postal stamps.

And wouldn't it be cool to have self-inking shoe soles? Hearts, for example? Just saying... :)

Kooky Thursday - Zucchini Muffins

I first made these last summer and they had to be good, because turning the oven on in summer? Doesn't happen unless there's a very good reason to do so.
And they were good. I've since made them as bread (too lazy to pour the dough into muffin molds), and then got back to the muffin variety.

This time I switched some of the ingredients, but do try to make them according to the original recipe for the first time.

I just love mixing of corn flour and all-purpose flour, both their colours and textures.

They're a cinch to make. Preparation and baking take less than 40 minutes. And the results are more than worth it.

Slightly crusty on the outside, fragrant and polenty on the inside.

With all the ingredients hiding inside - that will pop up here and there once you've opened them - they're like little healthy treasure chests.

Unemployed on Wednesday - Plant One

After gazing endlessly at these (Common Houseleek, Hen and Chicks) at my Grandpa's garden, I decided I'd give them a try. I mean, they even survived my aunt's black thumb.

A slight digression: my Great Grandpa made this flower pot, which makes it 80 to 90 years old, and me very proud :)

I fell in love with their apparent robustness (I love their meaty leaves), and figured they shouldn't be too hard to grow. And that proved to be true, they're a masochistic little bunch, having withstood a cold winter with not too much love from me.
So here's a little tutorial for you. A pot, some clay pebbles, soil and sand. They like bright light and outdoors. As for watering, make sure the soil has dried before adding water again, to prevent rotting.

I was so satisfied with the first round, that I've since planted another pot.

 

See the light, tiny one in the center? It's doubled its size in the last two weeks, and I'm thriving! Today I added some succulent fertilizer (you can fertilize during spring and summer), and I can't wait to see how they'll grow in the weeks and months to come.

Whether you choose to sow, seed or plant, the feeling that you actually tended to something so that it grows will make you feel great. It will probably take your mind off of bad things, occupying you like poetry, like music. And the plants you grow will do you more good than you could have ever done unto them.

Inspiration for Your Tuesday - Interests

Eleanor Roosevelt was one powerful lady I only got to discover once I became immersed in the blogosphere. She seems like a no-nonsense type of woman that never took 'no' for an answer and marched to the beat of her own drum. The statement below proved true for me many, many times.

Funny Face Pt. II

This movie has several outfits that I could wear all the time. Dresses are cool because you pull a piece of clothing over your head and voila!, you're decent. This particular outfit is not too complicated, either, and its great attribute is the famed trench coat, the most convertible and combinatory garment, not to mention the instant appeal it gives.
So here's how Audrey rocked it in 1957...

here too...

and here's how you could today

* click on image for source

Pretty Please :)

I'd like to ask you, dear readers, a favour.

Here's a little background story. My boyfriend is finishing up his final thesis to earn a university degree of a product designer. He is designing a chest as his final project, and we'd like to ask you this - what would you keep in it? Would it be everyday items, like books and magazines, or would it be something you treasure - jewellery, photos, gifts from people you love? Would you like it to be mobile or static?
Is there anything else you'd like to point out, that hasn't been mentioned here? 

Be as brief or as detailed as you like. Hope that you'll find time to answer these questions. Thank you, we appreciate your input very much!

Inspiration for Your Tuesday - Spring, Totally

These days seem so unreal, so bright, so dreamy... I haven't felt so free and calm in a while. A long while, actually. This is the first spring ever that I don't have any duties on my hands, free to observe, breathe and indulge in simply being around. Yes, the real world circumstances are less than perfect, but my inner world manages to stay cocooned and as soft as the inside of these carnations.

This discovery melted my heart. These are Storky the Flapper, and his partner, the Little One.

This guy got back to his love after the long winter's break. He's been coming back for the last 9 years, while she is forced to remain in the nest for the winter due to a broken wing. They've hatched 35 little storks so far.

This year he was a little late, as he usually arrives on March 24th, but he eventually appeared, after an 8 000 mile flight all the way from South African Republic.

Don't things like this restore your love for this wonderful planet we live on?

Funny Face

I think I could watch Audrey's movies & analyze her outfits all the time. This movie alone made me realize just how much I love fashion from this period. I guess I subconsciously knew it already as I've made it a point to only feature movies from the '50s and the '60s.
Now Audrey in Funny Face in 1957...

The silliness :)

...and the half-a-century-later attire

Palm Sunday

I love it when religious holidays have a background story to them, a ritual beyond formalities. It's been that way since I was a kid, and Palm Sunday is one such day in our tradition.

The night before Palm Sunday, flowers are left to soak in a bowl of water.

You can use one sort of flower or as many as you like. On Sunday morning, you use that flower infused water to wash your face. I've been told that it's supposed to give you beauty and health in the following year. I'd done it with a special zeal when I was a kid, followed by a long time in front of the mirror, looking for that 'glow' :) I've let go of the superstition, but I love this rite none the less.

Messages for Japan

You've probably heard about this already, but I wanted to remind you. Google launched Messages for Japan, where you can go, type in your message, and have it automatically translated into Japanese. I think it's a great, far-reaching way to share a thought, if there isn't more that you can do (donating is also enabled). Go here to show your support.

Another Inspiring Thingy :)

I love quotes, lived-in quotes, literary quotes, song lines, you name it. They will, most of all, lift your spirits. Sometimes they'll do more, but the story below will not only give you that, but a living proof of what can be done with a little ingeniousness and persistance despite opposition and the general lack of understanding.

It's a story about children from a small island village of Koh Panyee in Thailand. See the movie here.

Inspiration for Your Tuesday - Isn't It Romantic?

This is exactly how I feel this spring. When I get overwhelmed by the ever more overwhelming world around me, I take a deep breath, look around and count my blessings. And you don't have to be young to feel young. Years are arbitrary, anyway.

Sabrina

Audrey and Bogie, unapologetically :) I'm an old soul, what can I say?
This 1954 romantic comedy was called lavish, luscious and hilarious, but I like that this image exposed a somewhat new face of Audrey, a bit somber and gloomy, that doesn't come to mind first when you think of her. And the outfit is perfect for the warmer days to come.

And the match in the fashion offering of today...

Weekend Travelogue - Scratching the Surface

This weekend we went to a nice, small place nearby. In another country :) Yes, that's the good thing about living in the Balkans - all of a sudden you're surrounded by new countries that were once part of a whole. I joke about it, but people who were used to living in a less cynical world are appalled when they're asked their passports at the border crossing of a country they'd once considered their own.
I digress, this post was supposed to be about happy things :)
So, we went to this sweet spot that, to me, feels as Mediterranean as any.
We visited a museum with exhibits from the Roman period, dating as far back as 3rd century BC.
Some abstract goodness...

 

A heart? Always a plus. A heart carved in stone? Yes, please, and then some. 

 See why I think it's a piece of Mediterranean heaven, without all the fuss?

And this little sunken beauty (the whole area had been under a heavy flood just recently). I love how its pale, washed up blue goes with the green of the weeping willow (and don't you just love how the name weeping willow sounds and how well it goes with the actual tree?)

And these two kissing boats... 

And if you watch closely, you'll see that a small, gentle, self-tending gesture is as strong...

 

...as this awesome and menacing one. Only diametrically opposed.

Signs of nature awakening aplenty - a happy traveller :)