...speechless

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

Absolutely incredible. Sheer, undeniably heart-wrenching beauty. The galaxy in constant motion against the earth's horizon, the fleeting stars and planets darting across the universe, the clouds as if they were the undulating ocean... TOO MUCH TO HANDLE. 

It's entitled The Mountain. I'm watching again as I write this. Sometimes I forget how small we are, how entirely insignificant we are to what's past our atmosphere. And it's easy to forget, too, when you look at this video, because you see all of the beauty we're blessed with. Why would we feel we need to look beyond or question it when what we have is so utopic?

Global warming, damn you. But honestly. When you even see just glimpses of the Earth's raw beauty, it's just unfathomable as to how we can continue down the path that, unfortunately, we have already set in motion. Do one thing today that otherwise you would find yourself saying you're too lazy to do. One thing that could eventually turn into a habit. And we can all set a different path in motion step by step.

And that's my spiel. Peace out home dawgs.

*m 

My Love for Ryan Gosling = My Love for this Kitchen (almost)

Ryan here, as you can see, has just about the highest amount of swag injected into his veins as humanly possible. Even if you weren't a fan of say, one of the greatest love stories of all time, The Notebook, or the critically acclaimed Blue Valentine, or the just ridiculous Drive, (best playlist known to mankind), but seeing him saunter out of the airport like so. It's too much. You can't deny his swag. 

And then I lay eyes on this...

1. The light. So welcoming and cheery and full of hope, I can't stand it. Cue the whistling birds on the window sill just outside.

2. Those darn cute pink chairs. Look at them for a second time, but this time, wash them over in a black colour. Or metallic. Yes the room is still a beauty, but is it as perfect as Ryan Gosling? Can't say it is, can't say it is. The injection of colour in this room is to the injection of swag in Ryan Gosling's veins. It would just be incomplete without.

3.White on dark wood. The perfect balance between maintaining that airy feel that you will inevitably have with so much light, but giving the room some much needed contrast, à mon avis! 

4. Last but not least, the organization of it all. The wall of cabinets, surrounding that fridge (which is actually so beautiful), it's very refreshing to see, partly because it isn't the classic cabinets above the counters type thing. This way, they can have more space above the surfaces, like, say, another window, or glossy tiling behind the oven.

I could go on, but I don't think you're interested in me analyzing every detail of what makes this room perfect. You just need to look at it, and you'll know what I mean. 

And there ya have it. Perfection in a kitchen and perfection in a man. Weoo!

This could change your mind on which is more perfect.

Or maybe this. You never know ;)

Hope your Monday was as happy as a Monday can actually be!

*m

ps. Check out Jessica Helgerson mastermind interior designer. Pictures are larger too, so ooh la laaa.

{jhinterior design} 

Take a Moment

Keeping the mood light, little baby.

That is poetry. And it is beautiful.

*m

colourcolourcolour

This is a happy room. It is clinically impossible to be unhappy while you're surrounded by so many vibrant colours.

And P-POW! Hello crazy cool nails. You'll be on my hands one day soon when I (realistically) have about four hours to spare. 

Still can't fully tell if this is a painting or a photo, and that's why it has left me so intrigued. That thick black nail polish, reminiscent of a witch's long tendril of a finger, pressing into the lips of what could be Snow White, it's all so fantasy-like. 

This has been saved on my computer for ages, but I could never find the right post to slot it in. A post about colour, however, now that can work. That yellow is the boldest, most cheery yellow I've seen in a while.

Her silky, dark hair against her milky, white skin is such a beautiful contrast.

Now excuse me while I go look up just how I can master those nails. 

*m

ps. TGIF.

{1, 2, 3, watercolour, 4, freya}

Delicacies

This'll be short and sweet collection of photos... because of the math textbook taunting me on my desk, waiting for me to study, because that is what my life consists of lately. Studying. I'd much rather be with all of you guys, but duty calls. Save me anytime!

I feel as if I could just slip into this dress and all worries would slip away with it. So pure.

{quiver}

{miss moss}

{oracle fox}

{lyla and blu}

{flickr}

I've actually come across this photo so many times and have always forgotten to save it. That single modern chair leaves such an impact on the whole room, but without taking away from the ruggedly romantic, even sad in a sense, atmosphere. So perfect.

{decor8}

:)

{get ups}

And by delicacies I don't mean a scrumptious form of exotic food, (not that I wouldn't be down for some exotic food right about now, I am so damn bored with what I eat), but just a collection of photos that have a certain "delicate" air about them. When I was scrolling through, that one word kept popping into my mind, so I couldn't help but pull them all together.

Happy thursday night everyone... (one sleep till Friday!)
*m

Off Livin' In Dreamland, Don't Mind Me

How amusing life would be, if we were all taken by our dreams in such a literal way. 

Just imagine if, as the nightlife came alive on the streets of downtown, you looked up into the sky and saw thousands upon thousands of people hanging by the threads of a cloud, or the stem of a flower, or the sails of a boat, looking as far into dreamland as humanly possible. All dangers, of course, wouldn't touch them as they drifted on by, and then, at the end of the night, they would be delicately released into their bed.

First, if I looked up and saw this, I'd scream. That's slightly obvious. Because with the impending arrival of 2012, you know, I'd probably think it was some odd... cruel.. warning. And then, I'd accept it with open arms! I wanna dream while hanging off of a flower! Me, me, me!

A tad eery, but her illuminated blonde hair does look quite magical.

If I happened to pop up from the soil, however, when I began to dream, I would not want this. Don't know many people who would. "Oh jeez, there's that girl again off dreaming. You know, it's getting really annoying to remember to avoid her while I'm out on my night walk in the woods......" (actually who goes for walks in the woods at night anyhow, so I guess I'm in the clear.

*m

All this is the work of Ms. Maia Flore.

Bobby Pinning

I felt like I could share this with you all, now that you know my dreams of becoming an architect (oh so slowly, step by step). In my drafting and design class, I was told to come up with a small scale city scape made of just one material. So, naturally, I chose bobby pins... much more difficult than I thought because of how rigid they are. However, this is what I came up with so far. It's more of a building, not really a city scene. I envisioned it as a building in a really green space, with mingling potentially allowed beneath the roof of it.

Anyhways, that's what I have. What would you build if only allowed one material, and small scale? I'm curious now that I'm living and breathing bobby pins in my class. Gah.

*m

Scandinavian Haven

I have always been drawn to the crisp whites of Scandinavian design, and so of course this home was just irresistible to me. The kitchen is just perfect. I would cook yummy pasta salads all afternoon, with the light pouring in through the generous windows, and have a friend or two playing the ukulele in the corner while we laugh over life's frivolity. Oh hawhawhaw! Life is grand.

But honestly, this is one of my favourite examples of Scandinavian design. The cheery yellow of the desk chair, along with the abundance of animal portraits on sheets and pillows, the rustic windows, the set of retro lockers... it all conveys such a clear, easy-living lifestyle. It's also inevitable that if the walls are painted such a white white, that the furniture and design of the home will speak for themselves. They dictate how the home will feel. Whether that is minimalist, retro, rustic, or romantic. Scandinavian design allows for you to express your individuality, but in a subtle way.

*m

ps. Sorry I left you without some rabbit ears for the weekend. I was away at a women's leadership conference. It was fascinating. Not to mention I met someone who is currently living my dream job - a sustainable architect, so I'm a happy camper.

Highly recommend you watch this documentary as soon as you can. It's appalling the direction our media is taking us.

{Living Agency}

A Tiny Oasis

Sitting Under a Tree, In the Rain

reading a book of poetry 

or maybe short stories, or 

both -- it's hard to tell

with this author; rich wet air, 

occasional drops falling into

my hair, onto the pages, and I

am purely happy, in a way 

that is like riding your bike 

down a very steep hill, or 

wading in a stony brook -- 

it is a way that I knew 

how to follow once, but

for a long time, I 

have been too scared -- 

to read a book, 

under a tree, 

in light rain.

Mary Anne Mohanraj

This was a gift my mum was just given by a pretty remarkable friend of hers. After talking about how she wishes she could just lie in the middle of the forest with the trees stretching over her for hours on end, the next time they met, she was greeted with this beautiful dream made into a - miniature - reality. The poem above is the writing that was tied ever so daintily with a ribbon on the top of the jar.

It's a tiny oasis for us all to escape to, even if it's just staring at its inviting little bed underneath the canopy of leaves. Encased in a glass jar, free from all our troubles, I would sleep. Or read. Or chill with the birdies, who I'm presuming can talk, all around me. Or maybe just lie there, looking up at the comforting leaves above me, and beyond these leaves there is simply a foggy blur of the outside world. Nothing would be able to tap into this dream. 

Why is it that everything miniature seems so unfathomably intriguing? Because it's cute. And enchanting. And perhaps because we associate miniature people with stories, and in stories, there is no such thing as a cruel ending, so in some other sense, it's soothing. I think we like to be able to imagine ourselves as such petite little creatures because of this dream-like taste it would have. Because of this impenetrable innocence that surrounds the dream, because anything little, let it be a child or a puppy or any other fellow that's new to the world, can't possibly be able to grasp anything beyond what is an innocent view of the world free from the reality that can be, well, slightly depressing.

I can just imagine a delicate fairy wandering through the forest, only to find a bed to rest on, and sleep away her own troubles for an hour or two and suddenly everything's all better, and to us, or at least I know to me, there is no life more perfect.

Unfortunately that's just not how it goes, right! Back to my awaiting textbook. Bleh.

What would you do if you were to stumble upon this little bed? You have an hour to yourself. How divine.

*m

{my photos}

Channel Our Inner Brigitte Bardot

And that's all there is to it! 

No, that would be cruel. This was just a quick little excerpt from the oh-so-talented Decade Diary, where she gives us a really aesthetically pleasing explanation on how to tackle the effortlessly charming look Brigitte Bardot has above. But let's be real here. When do we not see Brigitte Bardot as effortlessly charming? 

Seriously though. Visual explanations are far superior in all areas. When I first saw a visual recipe, as in instead of just saying "place four tomatoes in the pan until cooked" they would actually show four tomatoes jumping gleefully into a pan one after the other. So much better!

And for you in a few hours, as you leave your house with a casually seductive Brigitte Bardot hairdo, some photos of Miss Brigitte for inspiration.

a la vie en rose

Chanel Cigars

Monkeys Gone Wild

Luandajabur

Take Care, Lazy Jane

Refine

And now, I'm off to settle into a life exactly the opposite of our Brigitte Bardot muse: studying a textbook of chemistry. I'd much rather be nonchalantly lounging on top of a red sports car, thank you very much.

*m

{Majority of the Brigitte photos found through tumblr, however, it will take me years upon years to find all of them. If you stumble across its original poster, please let me know!}