Palette Love 01

Image from Philippe Sainte-Laudy

My love

SOURCE

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better than wine.

And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved,
that goeth down sweetly,
causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me.
Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field;
let us lodge in the villages.
Let us get up early to the vineyards;
Let us see if the vines flourish,
whether the tender grape appear,
and the pomegranates bud forth:
There i will give thee my loves.
The mandrakes give a smell,
and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits,
new and old, which i have laid up for thee,
O my Beloved”

- Song of Songs

Engagement Cake

Mr B's lovely neighbour surprised us by baking the most scrumptious looking cake for the occasion of our engagement! Unbeknown to her it also fits in with our wedding colours..

Mr B takes a whiff of the deliciousness that is our cake

  

Doesn't it look absolutely delicious?!

We have yet to decide when to eat this cake.. but I'm getting impatient to try it so it probably won't be too long!

Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar,

'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are,

You are,

You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!

How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

But what shall we do for a ring?'

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

To the land where the Bong-tree grows

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

With a ring at the end of his nose,

His nose,

His nose,

With a ring at the end of his nose.

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'

So they took it away, and were married next day

By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon,

The moon,

The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

-Edward Lear

Addict

SOURCE

As of late (late being the past two weeks or so) I have found myself spending hours and hours pouring over the bridal magazine equivalent of today's modern bride: Wedding blogs. They come far and wide, detailing weddings from small backyard affairs to huge, $150 000+ events (US dollars nonetheless). Here are a few of my favourite blogs I have come accross so far:

http://www.apracticalwedding.com/
http://jessicaralph.blogspot.com/
http://birkewedding.blogspot.com/
http://www.weddingbee.com/
http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/

There are many others but these few deserve special mention :]

Sweet friendship

SOURCE

The wonderful feeling when you realise that you have people who will cross thousands and thousands of miles just to spend time with you.

It makes distance seem so much less significant and relationships much more important for investing time into. I thank God for such beautiful friends.

Oh La La

The great hunt for a wedding dress begins now. Actually to be honest, it started a few weeks ago when I began scouring the internet for dresses I liked, and compiled a mini collection...








The last two pictures I photoshopped together to create my dream dress, a white overlay with gold underskirt in various shades of pale gold with a fitted bodice and ballgown skirt. Ohhhhh I love!

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

So here begins the start of the Engagement process.

We've started putting together some ideas, venue locations, photographers and florists... Everything seems to be flowing very smoothly which is excellent as most weddings I have heard of it is all rush rush rush and the bride & groom hardly get time out to enjoy their special day!

Given the day is about 18 months away I think we should be able to organise everything with plenty of time for enjoyment :]

B is really into the planning and wants to be involved with everything (including the making of my dress to which I put my foot down) which is exciting as I myself haven't much a clue where to begin!

So here's to the start of a very long engagement...

Venue Hunting

This weekend my fiance and I looked around at some venues.. We had heard some good things about The Orchard, a bretheren church in Te Puke, so we went to have a look at that for the ceremony. The building's lights were out and no one appeared to be there so we walked around looking through the windows to get an idea of the facilities. We were around the back, looking into the kitchen when the back sliding doors opened! We figured there must be someone in, so we hesitantly walked inside, about to peek into the auditorium when the security alarm goes off!! Startled and giggling, we hurridly walked back outside, around the building and drove away, needless to say we were in riots. I guess that ones off the list!

A few people had recommended a venue in Tauranga so we drove there to see it for ourselves, again this was at night time (probably not the best venue-looking time of day...) so we peered in through the windows. No alarm this time. The place was lovely and quaint, already set up for a wedding with white tablecloths and chair covers and everything! The venue is called Daniels in the Park, here are some photos from their website:



Our theme is white and gold, so maybe we could have the ties on the chairs done in gold. Hmmm.

Compliments 4 Fish

In her winter 09 collection, Annah Stretton uses a hybrid of asian culture and contemporary designs, which uses elements such as the koi carp and the chrysanthemum mixed with vivacious orange and tawny hues.

Cute beanie!

I love the irezumi top.. I can't quite justify $180 however.

This waistcoat is just so adorable, it would go well with some tight black pants

Underwater Fantasy

This amazing lady does the most stunning underwater shots! They feel so surreal and fairylandish.






Her african caribbean collection is breathtaking as well.







To view more, visit her Flickr.

Hello Emerald City

I remember the days when we talked for hours

And we were young; we thought we had superpowers

We kissed the sky, expanded our minds, thought we could fly

We were dreamers, and we’d never die

We were young punks but we showed potential

Us against the world, we weren’t sentimental

We weren’t our problems, our age or our paychecks

We measured our lives in coffee spoons

And those Friday nights quickly turned into Sunday afternoons

We weren’t our money, our muscles or our regrets

We were having a mere life experience

If I knew now what I knew then, I’d

Back up do it all again, I’d

Take a bow, take it real slow

Take a ride down the yellow brick road

- Raine Maida

I Hear Bells

Photo by Emily

I'm engaged! It's so hard to believe it finally happened.. I keep forgetting until I look down at my finger and then gasp with pleasure. Ooh what a glorious feeling. I feel like twirling and twirling until I fall over, dizzy and giggling.

Wanderlust

 Link

Wanderlust: a very strong or irresistible impulse to wander and to explore

I often find myself in a state of discontentment and restlessness, wanting to express myself but struggling to find a sufficient creative outlet. So instead I project my dreams on future dreams and desires which are most unlikely to happen yet still play on my mind.

Perhaps Mr. B is right and I am just not content with what I have. Don't get me wrong, I know I am fortunate and I have many things to thank God for. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not following his path for me and that be the reason for my state of mind. But can one ever really know?

Beautiful Like This

Classic beauty at the age of 70. Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress and photojournalist, certainly knows the secret. I love the way the grey splotches on her coat enhance even more her glorious silver mane.

Here are some photos of her younger days.

 

The Thunder, Perfect Mind

weheartit

 "I am the staff of his power in his youth,

and he is the rod of my old age.

And whatever he wills happens to me.

I am the silence that is incomprehensible

and the idea whose remembrance is frequent.

I am the voice whose sound is manifold

and the word whose appearance is multiple.

I am the utterance of my name.

Why, you who hate me, do you love me,

and hate those who love me?

You who deny me, confess me,

and you who confess me, deny me.

You who tell the truth about me, lie about me,

and you who have lied about me, tell the truth about me.

You who know me, be ignorant of me,

and those who have not known me, let them know me.

Be on your guard!

Do not hate my obedience

and do not love my self-control.

In my weakness, do not forsake me,

and do not be afraid of my power.

For why do you despise my fear

and curse my pride?

But I am she who exists in all fears

and strength in trembling.

I am she who is weak,

and I am well in a pleasant place.

I am senseless and I am wise."

- George W. MacRae

Fun? Exercise?

Picture By Alyssa Banks

Hoopdancing, also known as Hula hooping has been around for a very long time; it was generally used as a fun recreational toy by children, but in many countries it is now fast becoming a fitness workout for all age groups.

Physical Benefits:
* Builds core strength
* Tones your entire body
* Provides an intense cardiovascular workout
* No to Low Impact
* Increases energy
* Develops balance and coordination
* Increases flexibility

Mental/Emotional Benefits:
* Clears and quiets the mind
* Reduces stress
* Improves self confidence
* Generates joy and laughter
* Improves one's mood
* Opens up creative self expression

I came across this video on Hoopnotica.com and was instantly hooked. Sounds like the perfect excuse for me to get fit.

One of the things they stress on is the importance of the size and weight of your hoop. So no good using one of the little plastic ones you would find at Toys R Us; and the good quality ones can cost around $40 so I figured I will go about making myself one of these fabulous hoops. Basically the rule goes, the larger the hoop the easier it is. So a good adult sized hoop should stand up somewhere between your bellybutton and your chest. I found a few good websites which have detailed instructions on how one might go about making one: 

www.jasonunbound.com

www.squidoo.com

www.youtube.com

I can't wait to have my beautifully colourful rainbow hoop to get started! ^^

And to finish, a bit of useless information for you: The record for the most hoops twirled simultaneously is 105, set by Jin Linlin, on October 28, 2007. Wish I could see THAT on tape!

Happy Belated New Years

Picture by Lily Andrea Seidel

I may be a bit late for the annual New Year's post, but I do have a few goals and resolutions which I aim to complete this year:

- Start (and keep) a fitness programme including running and either skipping/hoopdancing
- Complete my 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged workbook with Boyfriend
- Implement a good savings scheme and stick to it
- Become involved in my church
- Purchase an overlocker to further my dressmaking skills
- Make an effort to do more creative projects e.g. scrapbooking/woodcrafts

Best of luck to all of you who have goals and aspirations. Fulfillment is reaching your own expectations, not the expectations of others. And as Thomas Edison once said, "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."