GreatFull and Graceful

Hello to my new friends who read this fabulous blog!
I'm so happy to be joining the talented bloggers who are helping take care of English Muse while Tina's away. First things first...allow me to introduce myself!

My name is Lindsey and I am a graphic designer turned wedding photographer. I blog about all the things that make my days great and full at A GreatFull Day. I love all things pretty and swoon over ruffles, lace, bows, ribbon, frills and the like. Recently I did a fun little post with more about me that you can check out here.

So without further ado, let's get down to the good stuff! From the age of two years old until I was eighteen I danced at a local studio. I loved all styles but the days of the week when I did ballet were always my favorite. Something about putting on a pair of pointe shoes makes one instantly feel pretty and ladylike.


Can't you just imagine she's adjusting a pointe shoe here?

When I found Caroline Seikaly it was like finding a designer who customized her line with my loves in mind! Her gowns remind me of pretty ballerina costumes--so delicate, shimmery and feminine all at once. Gorgeous photography, intricate details, and timeless designs really seal the deal. Do you think that a vow-renewal after only 3 years is an option?



Do pretty dresses, girly frills and all things lady-like make your heart flutter too? Who are some of your favorite designers? I hope my first post adds a little happy to your day. Thanks for having me here...see you soon!

Record The Day

Hello darlings! My name is Alya from Pomegranate and Patchouli and I’m guest blogging here for the lovely Tina. I hope you enjoy my posts over here. Moving on..

Record The Day is a beautiful blog that posts daily collages using images from magazines, scraps (if that’s what she wishes to call them) of paper and jotted notes fastened to record cards that are then stamped with the day’s date.

I love love love her collages. It is such a creative process and each one is better than the other. Think of it like a diary but instead of writing, she uses images.

Take a look around her blog. I promise you, you will love what you see. I’m also a big fan of her other blog Lobster and Swan, which is devoted to her photographs and findings from around the web.

All images from Record The Day

Janne Peters Photography

Hello all — so lovely to meet you! It's Lori of automatism today, happily taking a turn as guest blogger on the always inspiring English Muse while Tina takes a well earned break. In my non-blogging life I'm a collage illustrator — you may have seen the lovely post Tina did about my work a couple of months ago — but in the blog world I'm devoted to whatever I find inspiring, interesting, or simply beautiful in design, art, illustration and other creative fields. Today I'd like to share with you a series of gorgeous magnolia-themed images by one of my favourite photographers, Janne Peters. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

LA, from my view.

Hello, I'm Julia, Tina's friend in Paris. A few months ago, Ms. Tina very graciously helped me design my blog, Sugar Pop Tarts. When I heard that my old friend from my days in LA needed help, I wanted to volunteer.



I decided to pull together some pictures that remind me of our hostess' hometown,
Los Angeles.



They were taken by photographer Sam Hessamain.



Aren't they fantastic?

I would love for you to visit my blog, but beware. Don't do it at work. It has the Blogger warning on it...Merci! -- Julia.

Black + White

Hi Everyone, this is Crystal over at Plush Palate - where I blog about fashion, interior design, and style. As you know, Tina will be taking a much deserved little hiatus in the upcoming weeks. So, while she's gone I'll be contributing as a guest blogger! I'm super thrilled to be part of English Muse and to meet all of you!!

For the sake of getting acquainted with each other, here's a little bit about me. I'm a girl who grew up in Seattle, then went to college in Boston, who most recently lived in Italy, and now finds herself in Chicago. I work in publishing during the day and devour all things design in the evening :)

So let's get started with a little inspiration! Where do you find yours? For me it's fashion and interior design. But above all, it's the collision of the two as they inspire one another and endlessly intertwine.

The other day I overheard a conversation on how artists always wear black and interior designers always have all-white homes.

Those words stuck with me and inspired my current color obsession, black + white.

A timeless palette, the two together will never go out of style and always make a strong impression in a home or with an outfit.

In a world full of ambiguity and grey, there's something empowering about surrounding yourself with the confident contrast of these two.

How about you? Do you do black + white?

*images via Skona Hem, Corrie Bond, The Sartorialist, Busy Being Fabulous, emmas designblogg, Porch Light Interiors, From the Right Bank, The Kitchen Designer, Lazareva Valeria flickr, Stockholm Street Style

A little break

My dears, I'm taking a little break from the blog for the rest of July and August. I wish I could tell you that I'm going away to somewhere marvelous. But I'm not. Just staying put amid my ongoing family matters. (Nothing terrible has happened. My dad came home from the hospital today.) I'll still be carrying around my Blackberry, so email me! Meanwhile will you promise to meet me back here after Labor Day? Will miss you...

Norma Jeane DiMaggio

Life is on newsstands this week with a new commemorative issue on Marilyn Monroe. The editors of the magazine certainly have a huge archive to draw from. The photos of the star with husband Joe DiMaggio are so charming. But the most exciting bit of ephemera is this:



Monroe's old passport is signed "Norma Jeane DiMaggio." I love it!

Camellia, twice on film

A Polaroid of a camellia, and a Polaroid of the Polaroid...



I love to take pictures of pictures, even though they never come out in focus. I found these the other day when I was looking for material for my new little Polaroid blog, Cloud Society. I have a very big announcement coming soon regarding that blog, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, please visit the beach photos I posted on Cloud Society tonight. My dad was doing better and we were able to make a trip to Newport Beach on Saturday. Our luck ran out on Monday however, with yet another setback and hospitalization. But tomorrow will be better.

That's how it goes, I guess, with a chronic illness. It's up and down. In between are days in the sun with a Polaroid camera packed with rare, expensive and expired but gloriously wonderful film.

Reflection

I love this photo, although at first I thought it was a giant bubble. It's actually a mirror....It's very clever...

Found over {here}

Announcing!!

First I want to say that I realize I'm looking for ways to distract myself from my woes. I can't really afford to shop. So why not blog? And why have just one blog when you can have, say, three or four?

Of course I don't expect you to visit all my blogs (I'm very happy you're on this one)... But in case you want to see more Polaroids and Holga pics,
here's the latest: Cloud Society. There are only two posts on it right now and it has zero followers. And I can't promise I'll update it very often.
But here it is!

A Magazine Favorite: Camping with Style

Normally I would be posting on Domino tonight, but I got distracted by these photos in the newest issue of Country Living. It was the Cath Kidston tent (above) that did it...



Or maybe it's because my secret dream is to live in a little cabin somewhere...



I just flipped over these photos...



I'm really longing to go to our little rental cabin in the High Sierras.



I don't know if I'll make it this year, but I'm so daydreaming...


(Photos by Marcus Nilsson. More details about that Cath Kidston tent and other things on the Country Living website!)

Girls in Flats

Our Facebook group, the International Society of Girls in Flats, has now grown to 680 members! Check it out here! (Don't forget to join!)

Hope you have a lovely Saturday. Depending how my dad is feeling, we might try to make a little trip to the beach for lunch.


(The photo above is from an old Anthropologie catalogue.)

Happy Weekend

These beautiful photos of Huntington Gardens in San Marino were taken by my friend Scott Martelle, journalist, author and blogger.



The Huntington is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It has an extraordinary English rose garden, a Japanese garden, an Australian garden and a Chinese garden...



I want to go (and take my Holga 35 mm camera!)

What are you up to this weekend?