Indulge Yourself

Hi everyone! It’s Alya, again. I loved the feedback I got from my previous post here.. it’s going to be pretty hard to leave once September comes!

Today, I thought I’d share something somewhat different. It’s the weekend. You worked hard last week and now you want to relax.  You deserve it. I’ve always been a proponent of indulging one’s self. You only live once right?

This weekend, simply indulge yourself in some yummy food. Make it a point to eat something you love. Trust me you’ll feel better immediately. Also, take a look at all these wonderful summery foods styled by one of my favorite prop stylists Paul Lowe. I think looking at these photos might be just as enjoyable as eating. Ok, maybe not AS enjoyable, but close enough..

Images: Sweet Paul

Out of Africa

Hi, It's Maggie from Flux Capacitor

Nick Brandt takes truly magical photos. In this series from his 2008 book, he captures the out-of-this-world essence of African animals in a totally beguiling and mesmerizing way. View his fantastic work at his website here. ( I adore the zebras )

Colorful Celebration

Well, hello there and happy Friday to you! I'm so, so thrilled to be guest blogging here. I truly adore Tina's blog and have been a fan for quite a while!

I'm Julie, and my husband and I are the duo behind Duet Letterpress. When I'm not busy designing or pedaling away at our antique Pearl press, I can be found here where I blog daily about our shop and our studio. It's also where I jot down inspirations and ideas and document things I love.

Today, I thought I'd share with you some photos from a friend's wedding. Her photos are truly gorgeous. And magical. I've never seen anything like them, and I thought you might find them beautiful too.



Those colors up there? I could get lost in them for days.



Congratulations and thanks Dana + Hunter.



Also, thank you Tina for having me here.

[Photos by Chennergy Weddings]

botanical garden yumminess.

happy friday everyone!

today i want to share some amazing photography of botanical gardens around the world. personally, i am daydreaming about a peaceful stroll through each and every one... enjoy!

montreal botanical gardens (via rifle)

glasgow botanical gardens (via nytimes)

bordeaux botanical garden (via tamara rigney)

birmingham botanical gardens (via john)

to read more from me, visit naturally nina. cheers!

A Tiny Perfect Loft

Hello — Lori of automatism here again! Today I'm sharing an amazing space that I featured a while ago on my own blog, but one definitely well worth a revisit. This stylish mini-loft is, amazingly, only 57 square metres in size, but it feels as airy and bright as one four times bigger. Architect Philippe Harden bought a partitioned, narrow corridor-like apartment because he loved the view from the large windows, which open onto a park. After two months of work (spent mostly removing doors and walls) he has what you now see here — a serene, light filled environment. Look carefully and you can see how he makes every inch of space work, yet it still feels relaxed and effortless. One of my absolute favourite spaces from Marie Claire Maison.

A Study in Color; Pink

via Haus Maus

via Glamour (?)

via Chantal Thomass

via here

via Brown's Fashion

via Fifi Chachnil

via here

via Sandra Freij

via W Magazine, July 2002

via Courtworth

It is certainly a pleasure to guest-post on The English Muse; a blog that has inspired me for many months with its eye-candy. I hope to be able to return the favor and inspire you!

Allow me to introduce myself: I am Alison (aka Mademoiselle Frou Frou) from the Frou Frou Fashionista, which is a luxury lingerie blog that features upscale intimates as seen in photography and in my boutique, Faire Frou Frou (which my mom and I own)!

This post is simply a dedication to the color pink. I think pink gets a bad rap for being too girly or 'frou-frou' (that shouldn't be a bad word!), but the reality is that it is sweet, soothing, and undoubtedly feminine. From fuchsia to pale pink, there's a shade that can work for everyone. Don't you agree?

See you next time with another color dedication!
xox

P.S. - Tina, best wishes to you as you take this time off. Nothing is more important than family.

A Visual Cookie Plate

A little pick-me-up for this afternoon, lovelies.

Photos all found on fffound.

Kisses,
Julia

a little bit of love.

hello, hello!

i am so honored to be a guest on tina's fabulous blog today. my name is nina, but my mother almost named me tina, (true story) so we are definitely kindred spirits.

on my own little blog, i write about life's little pleasures, inspiration, but most importantly, love.

and so today, i've decided to share a love note that i wrote to my boyfriend last valentine's day. forgive the schmultz, but he's pretty cool. (p.s. you can click on the image to make it bigger.)

isn't love fun? happy wednesday! so nice to meet you all.

xoxo.

magical photographs.

hello pretties!

first off, i'm so excited to be guest posting on english muse 

while tina is away. i think tina is just a doll 

and like you, i'm a big fan of the blog.

by the way, i'm naomi {known from my blog as taza}. 

you can find out more about me in my little space, 

the rockstar diaries. 

it's where i blog about my life adventures, 

the man i get to spend forever with & the little things i adore in life.

today i thought i'd gather up my most favorite images 

from around the web to share with you. 

these are the photographs i keep coming back to 

when i need inspiration. the color, the details, the beauty...

to me, they are magical. don't you agree? 

*image sources: emily hunt, flickr, ffffound, you are my fave, rachel papo, olivia bee

Women Writers in Photo

Hello Readers of English Muse,

I am Maggie May from Flux Capacitor, married to my love Mr. Curry with whom I have three children- Dakota, Ian and Lola. I am a novelist and poet, so I thought it fitting that my guest blog be full of photos of amazing, fascinating women writers. Let's begin with Queen Poet, Sylvia Plath, and this lovely color photo of her and her children, Frieda and Nicholas. Look at her hair, the braids! I wonder if they're real? Did they even have fake braids back then?

This is Marguriete Duras, the French novelist. I found my first of her novels in a pee smelling used book store and fell in love with her surrealist, gorgeous, engrossing style. She wrote ' The Lover ' , a novel based on her life experience that was turned into an erotic and gorgeous movie. She was a beautiful woman, with a lovely wide brimmed hat here!

I can't tell you who this is! She's the makings of many a post on my blog, my newest hero and obsession....

Anne Sexton! I remember the first time I read the Collected Works...I was in heaven. Her subject matters are nothing less than life, sex, love and death (what else is there? really-) and her poetry is so interesting, so passionate, so good to the brain. She was gorgeous and mysterious and gave readings to throngs of women who were feminists or becoming so. She inspired us and she showed us a way to self expression. She wrote a wonderful poem about women, ' Her Kind '

The glorious, brilliant Joyce Carol Oates. Ah. I remember reading ' We Were the Mulvaney's ' and feeling intimidated: Holy Hell! How could I ever hope to measure up the scope of information on human life in this novel! And so I fell in love. Her novels are a.ma.zing. She has a terrifiyingly human and tactile grasp on life, on our experiences and the ways we fail, the ways we love. I think she looks like a silent film star! Of course, this picture is from the sixties.