fresh lemonade

While me and Nick were on our road trip of the States I majorly got into fresh lemonade. It's not so much a big thing here but after watching someone make some fresh for me at Fenway Park, every so often I'll make a big jug of the stuff. It's so refreshing on a hot summer day like today.

So, start of with lots of fresh lemons, weird - I know!
I usually start with 2 and add more later if I want it stronger

and squeeze as much juice as possible into a jug

If, like me, you like pulp then you can just leave it as is, otherwise pass it through a sieve. Then add sugar - I usually start with about 2 dessertspoon-fulls but it depends on how many lemons and how much lemonade you're making. You can always add more later if it's too sour for your tastes.

Top up with water and stir lots until the sugar dissolves

Fill a glass with lots of ice

And enjoy!

Paperchase

I love stationery. Always have and I imagine, always will. I remember when my dad would take me to Makro when I was little I used to always run straight towards the stationery and my dad would have to drag me away. These days my tastes have evolved from the old black and yellow pencils and neon Staedler rubbers and I find myself unable to resist the beauties that Paperchase has to offer.

I think their designs are so cool/cute/fun/lovely and there really is something for every one and all tastes.

Some of my favourites:

Paloma's Nest

Paloma's Nest is the creative outlet for Caroline Colom Vasquez and her beautiful designs. Her Etsy shop is full of lovely little clay dishes and favours and wooden cards and bangles.

I love the simplicity and purity of her work and there is a real calming vibe that comes from it. There are no bright colours and bold patterns, which, don't get me wrong, I also love, but in this case it just works and the result is beautiful.

Check out her Etsy shop.

Designers Guild

I first discovered Designers Guild when I was on my work experience placement way back in 1998. I had written to an Interior Design store and asked them to take me on. The inside of the store was just lined with fabric swatches and all sorts of wonderful things to feed the interior designer in me.

These days I still love to look at the website and feel totally inspired by their stunning fabrics and designs. Some of their designs are quite old-fashioned and decadent in that they use a lot of rich damask patterns and antique baroque style furniture and other designs can be really modern with a more minimalist effect. I love all of it, but I think what draws me more is their use of colour. They have a real eye for it.

beautiful couture

I have this thing about beautiful evening gowns and haute couture. It often means that I watch a lot of E! (don't judge me!) for their coverage of the big award ceremonies so I can get my fix.

I love seeing beautifully made dresses with such attention to detailing and tailoring, and how they made the wearer look so amazing. I would love to have the chance to wear a haute couture gown and feel like a princess for a night. I bet it has a huge confidence boosting effect. It also makes me wish I had studied fashion design or some sort of tailoring so I could even begin to comprehend how people are able to put together such exquisite pieces.

Some of my favourites over recent years:

Charlize Theron in Christian Dior at the 2005 Golden Globes:

Penelope Cruz in Versace at the 2007 Oscars:

Teri Hatcher in Monique Lhuillier at teh 2009 Screen Actors' Guild Awards:

Isla Fisher in Carlos Miele at the 2009 Oscars:

Beautiful no?

ribbons!!

I really do, it's the crafty person in me, but I just adore them and want to fill my house with them! I once went to a lovely ribbon and paper shop in Sausalito and it was amazing - like the place was built just for me!

Last time I went to Hong Kong I happened across a ribbon shop and I had to do everything I could to keep myself from passing out. Shelves and shelves that looked like this:

I've never seen so many all in one place beckoning me with their colours and their hypnotic swaying in the wind. Forget Disneyland, I've just found the happiest place on earth! Now if only they had Ikea's meatballs and gravy...it's a close call.

Anyway, I'm planning on a trip back to good ol' Honkers in the next few months so I look forward to browsing around many more of these:

old fashioned glamour

I think there is something about old fashioned Hollywood glamour and the actresses that came with it. In an age that reveres woman such as Jordan and the term “glamour model” has come to mean what it does, I think we’re in desperate need of something for girls to aspire to. I think ladies such as Veronica Lake, Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe were just so beautiful and statuesque and were not the vulgar or crass types like so many of today’s actresses. I love to look at photos of these women and other women of the same era and just soak up their elegance and style and beauty and wish I could be more like them.

lots o' stuff

And therein lies the problem. I already have another blog for my jewellery company, mymiyel, and the adventures that it brings, but I've found that it is getting overtaken by posts about all the stuff I like. So then I think, why not start a new blog for this stuff since there is so much. It's really more for myself, I have a mental shopping list and inspiration board and it's getting a little crowded in there so I thought I'd start putting it into a nice categorised and chronological blog where I can look back and say "ah yes, let's go buy that now" or "ugh what was I thinking?!". Either way, it'll be a interesting way of documenting and remembering the all beautiful things I find along the way.

Enjoy!