Inspiration #19 - Lovely Lace

Image coming soon.

How lovely and intricate and delicate and truly feminine. Lace is one of those beautiful things, that people spend hours, days, weeks, months, etc working with love on. To those of you who make it, thank your for your countless hours of dedication and hard work! It is well worth it. Lace is one of those pretty details that can be cute, pretty, sexy, sensual, it has so many facets. Lace is one of those things we replicate from nature, the way light filters through trees and plants, the way we peek up at the sky through the leaves of trees. The way it simulates the webs of spiders. Apparently, I am not the only one to think so.

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin." ~ Coco Chanel

And just for giggles, while I was surfing the web for things relating to lace. I came across this pair of quotes:


""It is difficult to see why lace should be so expensive; it is mostly holes" ~ Mary Wilson Litle
...
"Yes, but have you any idea how hard it is to get those holes to stick together!"~ A response from an English costumer.

Silly, I know, but I thought adding something a little light and airy would be fitting for this subject!

Inspiration #18 - Cupcakes R Us!

Who doesn't love a lil cake now and then?

Something sweet. Something pretty. Something perfect for sharing. Cupcakes just bring people together! I love cupcakes, I'd almost rather have cupcakes than regular cake! Seems silly, but cupcakes are so wonderful. Perfect for a party or dessert after dinner. They are just enough to satisfy the sweet tooth and offer a enough room to maybe have another of a different variety. Cupcakes have so widely grown into a huge market that competition is fierce. Which means killer cupcakes with the most amazing designs, which means.. more yummy delights for us!
Recently, I have taken up making something that is just outside the norm of the cupcake realm, but perhaps if you stretch your view you'd see it fits. Cupcake Truffles. Basically, they are about mini-cupcake sized ( perhaps a little larger ), made of cake with a chocolate shell. I made them and they are so yummy. They look so elegant and unexpected. Having them for a party without telling people, they'd expect they were getting truffles, but once you bite in, surprise! You have all the wonderful cupcake flavor surrounded with decadent chocolate. There are so many wonderful things about cupcakes, you can do them for kids parties, bake sales, picnics, brunch, dessert, wedding receptions. Anywhere you want to make an impact. I just love how versatile a simple thing such as a cupcake has become. There is a cupcake for almost any occasion! I wish more things were as useful!

~ o.X.o.X.o ~

Inspiration #17 - Flutterby Butterfly

Flutter flutter

Simple and delicate. Even the way they flutter as opposed to fly and glide is, in a way, refreshing. Some how it seems more fun and light hearted rather than, down to business. As dumb as this may sound, much like dragonflies, I think butterflies are fairies that nature allows us to see. Living in the city, it isn't always easy to run across such beautiful things as butterflies, so when they do grace us with their presence, I find it only fitting to stop and watch them for a moment. I love so much about their wings like the colors, patterns, and shapes.

  May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
  And find your shoulder to light on,
  To bring you luck, happiness and riches
  Today, tomorrow and beyond.
  ~Irish Blessing

What a wonderful blessing! I love it. Let us not forget that the butterfly wasn't always a butterfly. It started out as a caterpillar, fat and worm-like, spending most of it's time eating, before wrapping itself up in a cocoon and sleeping for a very long time. And once the time comes, it emerges from the cocoon beautiful and lovely with wings that carry it wherever it wants to go. Life lessons as taught by nature.