Greenhouse sanctuary for one, please.

Absolute serenity. 

However, if I were to somehow come into ownership of this little sanctuary, I'm fairly certain I would become an official hermit. Which may possibly ya never know kinda kill my social life. But hey, who needs human friends when you can have bird friends, and deer friends, and fishy friends! (Yes, I have turned into a Disney princess.)

*m 

{Happiness is...}

Fairy Tale Dresses

Watch me! Watch me! Watch me! 

Susan Tabak at Prêt-à-Porter Fall 2010: Trash-Couture from Susan Tabak on Vimeo.

Well, hello there dresses of my dreams. I'm Miranda. Wonderful to meet you. You shall be my wedding dress. And my sister's wedding dress. And my best friends' wedding dresses. And the bridesmaid dresses for my brothers. Oh, hmph, I guess the wives get to decide. Since when do they get to do that? Needy, needy, needy.

When I first laid eyes on these ethereal, fantastical dresses I almost died. Yes, literally. It's a true story. As my eyes digested each delicate bead, feathery layer of chiffon, and every piece of gold or silver thread intertwined throughout the trim, it became too much to handle. I am writing this from another realm, folks. A realm of fairies. And don't you worry, my death was relatively painless. Here in Fairy Land, our outfit of choice is from among the designs of Trash Couture and our days consist of dancing to the melodic tunes of nature... 

Okay, that's too much even for me.  I'm fairly sure I would go insane if my days only consisted of dancing. However, it does sound nice to escape to that little world for a solid week/month.*

Oh, yes, hello there beautiful jewelry! You too can jump onto my body!

Macha jewelry blows my mind... and seems to go quite well with the whole fairy theme of today.

Tiny Hussies

...was anyone else genuinely surprised when it turned out that those girls in the first photo were actually this age? I honestly had no idea. At first glance I thought they were merely a pack of very individualistic young women, and then in the next photo, there were these five faces smiling back, no older than thirteen, decked out in makeup and these white, lacey stockings they seem to love. Now I don't want to write a whole article on why it bothered me, blabbering on about the classic "these kids are just growin' up too fast these days" but I can't deny that I was bothered by the photo. Personally, I feel as if this is sending out a slightly twisted message. You can tell on their faces they're very proud of this newfound tween spirit but I found it sad to think that some men would be leering at these young girls who, along with most other "tweens" (whatta word), were just trying out the thrill of being older. 

*m

{from Christeric's travel photos of Tookyooo}

One Badass Hippo

First let me just say how much I love her dress. Very chic.

And now let me say (stop reading here if I'm not allowed to say it) how much I adore this apartment to bits. Usually I have a tendency to be drawn to rooms where there is less going on. Not in a minimalist sense, although that can be equally tempting if done in a certain way, but more of a "if you lived here there will be nothing that will ever go wrong again, ever" kind of way. You know, with gleaming white counter tops, dainty vases of fresh flowers, wide open shutter windows with light washing over the walls... so that imagining any stress whatsoever taking place there seems literally impossible. 

But this apartment is like a feast for the eyes in another way. Every place my eyes seemed to rest, even for a moment, there was something intriguing staring back at me. A statue of a tough, chocolate bull dog, a pop of bright pink in the form of a tree stump stool, two leather chairs that seem right out of Star Trek, a truly 80's boombox radio, dazzling jewelry, all so meticulously organized, or a very happy collection of book ends and miniature statues adorning the book case. So just as the rooms of impossible stress tempt me in one way, this room tempts me in another. One can really imagine a life going on here. It isn't too prim and perfect. There's room for a little healthy chaos, and once all is well in the world, you can take a visit to your hippo friend who just so happens to be a bartender at the same time. There is so much glamour, and so much ingenuity. I can practically feel the creativity pulsing through the veins of this designer, becoming more and more exhilarated with each vintage trinket or bold piece he or she found.

And so of course it makes sense that an editor from Vogue lives here. Honestly, how am I not surprised.

*m 

ps. Can no longer find the link, however, if you are dying out of desperation to find it, I will make sure to look through each page in my history to find it. At this point though, True Blood is calling my name. Forgive me.

sanctuaries dipped in white

Always on standby to dominate in pillow fights, complete with eight pillows within an arm's reach to overtake your opponent.

I've never really known if I would like to have my bedroom so easily visible from the outside, but something tells me this backyard is only acres and acres of lush, green meadows so there most likely won't be any creepers hiding behind trees or anything like that. Or is there... (Okay, I get it. I'm way too paranoid to ever have a hope of being able to sleep soundly with only a glass wall surrounding me. At least now I know.) If this room wasn't so unbearably chic I wouldn't be able to make it through the night.

So NYC. This is the type of scene where Carrie from Sex and the City would emerge in her classic outfit (a t-shirt, undies, and a pair of socks) and would then look outside with a troubled expression contemplating some issue surrounding men. Gotta love SATC. 

So sick. Such a prominent modern touch with the minimalist black chairs contrasting the deep, rustic look. I would feel so absolutely safe in that little nook for a bed. Imagine if you had a single curtain that could slide shut as well, with some sort of sheer material so the light still trickled through. 

There's something about chandeliers and luxurious bathtubs that always gets me. And shutter windows that are such a crisp shade of white. And a fireplace nook filled with a plethora of candles instead (to be subtly witty). And an antique scale which I would never use because it would most likely be hopelessly inaccurate and I'd be left feeling very upset/confused, but it makes the room in my opinion. And a perfectly simple hanging lightbulb which is just the right amount of light needed for a room like this. And of course a wooden platform next to the bathtub, making this room seem as if it is legitimately out of Atonement... well, shucks, this room will always get me.

*m

a stepford wive's nightmare

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

I never imagined that seeing something so perfect be destroyed could be so deliciously perfect in itself. Next time I see a breakfast buffet looking just as scrumptious and neat as this, I'm just gonna pull out the table cloth from underneath it with glee! Unfortunately it won't be in slow motion... or with such pleasant music playing in the background, which I'm guessing will suddenly make it much less awesome. Plan ignored.

*m

Swindoll, you are a wise man.

Exactly what I needed to hear.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.”  -Charles Swindoll

Summer, baby, I forgot how much I loved you.

Well, summer, you took a little too long to get here, but man-oh-man am I excited you're here. I'll have you know I prepared quite the list of things we'll be doing together... to begin with:

That's right. Wear a bright orange gown and just dance around on the precarious wing of my personal jet. (This can come true in my summer dreams, s'all good.)

1. Dedicate an entire day to listening to/downloading music, making sure that my summer playlist is just top notch quality.

2. Go swimming in vintage apparel, perhaps with some red lipstick on, ya never know.

3. Somehow become as glamorous as Grace Kelly in her darling white bikini. Somehow.

4. Document my summer with disposable cameras - otherwise I can promise you I will never develop them. And maybe, while I'm at it, finish up some photo albums that are just screaming for attention.

5. Play a friendly match of volleyball/badminton with some friends and the fam, which I vow will not turn into what it usually does... an overly competitive death match.

6. Prepare some home made ice cream. 

7. TUBING. My passion in life. 

8. Visit the beach one day a week. After waiting all year long for it, I can't just go up and pass this beautiful spot for later.

9. Learn the guitar...? Yes. Yes, I will! Learn the guitar.

9. Purchase this piece of property. Honestly, this house was made for the summer. Just saunter out of bed and jump into the pool right outside your window! 

10. Be waken up by the sun, and not my cruel alarm clock which lets out a tireless, shrill ringing bell. Side note, don't you love all of those lovely patterned blankets and sheets and pillows all toppled over one another? So tempting right about now. 

12. Slip away into a whole other time zone with my best friend and her yacht. (Say yacht and you can't help but say it like this... or maybe that's just me. In which case I need help.)

13. Attempt to go fishing again. But not the boring type, the super-jam-packed-intense dock fishing type! You know, where you lower down a hanger wire with some crushed oyster dangling off the edge... I hope you weren't eating, my apologies.

14. Escape to... wherever this beauty of a place is.

15. Act like a tool and skateboard down a street. It's inevitable all of the skateboarders will come out to play during the summer time, so I won't be too out of place.

16. Drift away in an ocean on a calm day like this. Look at this picture, and all stress will simply evaporate away.

Well, folks, I'm glad to be back. This last month just took everything out of me, and there just wasn't any time for cyberspace. But now I have hours and hours of time and my summer is juuust beginning. Perfect. I'm in a really euphoric mood right about now, this is so strange.

*m

ps. I remember looking at this last year. Who adds in "have a wet t-shirt relay race" seriously? Just when you think you understand the world, that gets slipped into a summer to do list for teens. Woow world wow!! 

Legitimate Old School

Well you officially can't get any more old school than this, can you? Even when seen up close, there is no piece of detailing that could betray its look of total authenticity. It honestly looks as if it was just a book you happened to choose out of an ancient, secret library hidden within a castle somewhere in the rolling hills of the English countryside... and then the innocent peasant come across this "zipper" and is instantly perplexed... after half an hour of figuring the zipper out, they open the book only to see the MacBook, gloriously shining and sleek in its silver facade... but this peasant couldn't figure out a zipper so figuring out a computer is hopeless. Anyway, us modern folk can appreciate what this book holds inside. 

Some things you should know about this BookBook:

1. Hardback cover with a "velvety soft, padded interior" and when closed is "nestled between two tough, rigid leather hardback covers for a solid level of impact absorbing protection". 

2. Absolutely one of a kind, each "brought to life with hand craftsmanship and distressing".

3. Super stealthy. It's so authentic that even if it's "sitting on a coffee table, dorm room or desk, BookBook looks like a vintage piece of literature, not an expensive laptop."

Enough said. 

*m

Little People

Alright, I have approximately six minutes to express in words how much inspiration/nostalgia/love I feel for this photo, all wrapped up in one little ball of happiness. GO!

First you should know just how much of my childhood was filled with a fascination of little things. To me, anything that was a size meant to be handled by faeries was just the most curious and intriguing and wonderful type of thing I could think of. This love of faeries I got from my mum, instilled in me since I was oh, about four and she would bring out picture books of various winged creatures, all of whom had these beautiful, long locks of wispy hair and mischievous looking pointed ears. Now, as an almighty, matured human being who couldn't possibly believe in faeries because that would just be foolish (lies), I have transferred this love of the dainty and whimsical lifestyle of faeries into aspects of interior design and architecture. Loving the seamless look of glass combined with luxurious antiques, and little models like this one.

The Californian retro vibe of this model, infusing two different decades together - the 50's and the 80's - is so damn cool, and it's the one of the first times in a long time I've seen little people that aren't meant to be faeries to be so intriguing.

I'M IN LOVE. WHERE CAN I BUY THIS BEAUTY.

...k, I'm done. Back to chem and physics (save me, please).

*m

{wanken}