A few of my favourite things...

Today's been bit of a whirlwind, up, down, here, there and everywhere kind of day. So let's just finish it off with a few of my favourite things to take me away to sweet dreams :)



Ranunculus
They are such happy, bubbly, cheerful flowers. Just looking at them is an instant pick-me-up :D My garden will be full of these :)



I can't wait to have my own garden :D



Lori Earley




Stumbled across her in an oddball magazine at an oddball shop (aren't they the best kind?). I love all the emotion she captures in her images, with the hint of quirky-ness and for some reason slightly reminds me of some of those great portraits of ye ole times.
All with a dash of Vogue. Loves it :)
Website: http://www.loriearley.com/



Darrell Lea Hazelnut Chocolate

Hazelnuts in chocolate has to be one of the best inventions ever made. They are like icing on cupcakes, spring time with butterflies, fairies with mermaids. It was meant to be.

I have searched, and tasted, far and wide all kinds of chocolate. So far, the chocolate that wins my hazelnut chocolate heart is Darrell Lea's Chunky Hazelnut Chocolate. It is soooooooo good and the chocolate so perfectly smooth that they only make it in winter because it cannot handle the heat. Yes, summer is going to be long and cruel, but knowing that my hazelnut chocolate is just around the corner couldn't make me any happier :D



Courtney Brims
(aka, I love my new t-shirt)




I was forced into a surfy shop the other day and surprisingly found something I liked! So with a two-for-$40 deal (when one shirt is usually $40 anyway), I couldn't resist. Besides, I'd already fallen in love with the white singlet shirt with this image on it:


Apparently all Courtney Grim's artwork is done in pencil and inspired by a mix of Grimm Brother's fairytales, Victorian Illustration and Tim Burton. Perfect mix, wouldn't you say? :D Check out her website for more beautiful works: http://www.courtneybrims.com/



A Good Bookshop

You know what I'm talking about. There's a beauty in those perfect bookshops which don't have all the Top 100 Books or don't stock the Penguin Classics with that ghastly orange, cream and black text covers. Instead, these bookshops have interesting, off-the-beaten-track books that would get lost in a bookstore like Borders and ignored by a store like Collins. Found two such bookshops today in the city. I can't wait to go back. As soon as you walk in the door and start browsing the titles you can't help but feel a calmness wash over you.



My future library. Once I move into Beauty & the Beasts' castle.
Who wouldn't die for that library??

Marie

How I'd love to adapt a bit of Marie Antoinette flair into my own wardrobe! Who wouldn't love such expensive luxurious tastes and delicacies.



Feathers, flowers, lace, pastels (the pastels inspired by Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette (2006)). These shall be my tributes to the French Queen of Fashion. And if only I could get the hair....


Until then.... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/beauty/3357315/The-body-beautiful-be-a-modern-Marie-Antoinette.html

Pride and Prejudice vs. Pride and Prejudice

I finally gave in and watched Keira Knightley's Pride and Prejudice after being a long and dedicated fan of the BBC series.



I mean, truly, who could ever play a better Mr. Darcy than Colin Firth?? And I love Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett - she is simply gorgeous! Plus the gorgeous costumes they have, and how I love Mr. Bennett! Keira Knightley on the other hand, for me at least, isn't the most expressive actress (despite my love for The Duchess, in which I think she is great in). She always comes across as bit of a cardboard cut out for me, which is a shame because she is gorgeous. So I was very doubtful about this movie version. I thought perhaps watching it would ruin Pride and Prejudice for me, and so I just kept delaying it for as long as possible, until I finally heard a good review of it and gave in.




The locations they film at a beautiful and absolutely stunning. I preferred the new Jane (Rosamund Pike)and Mr. Wickham (Rupert Friend) and enjoyed the new Caroline Bingley (Kelly Reilly). The US and British endings were equally as terrible as each other and most of it failed to compare with the BBC version. The locations truly were one of the only reasons I stayed tuned in. I adored the 'Temple of Apollo' where Mr. Darcy admitted his love for Elizabeth, but it wasn't the right place for that moment.




The one thing and only thing in this movie version that I love more than in the BBC version is Lady Catherine de Bourg. Judi Dench was absolutely perfectly spot on. She was the highlight of the whole show.




Veredict: The BBC, Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle will always win.