21 February 2013

{No Grudge nor Strife}


Martial, the things for to attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain;
The fruitful ground, the quiet mind;

The equal friend; no grudge nor strife;
No charge of rule, nor governance;
Without disease the healthy life;
The household of continuance;

The mean diet, no delicate fare;
Wisdom joined with simplicity;
The night dischargèd of all care,
Where wine may bear no sovereignty;

The chaste wife, wise, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night;
Contented with thine own estate;
Neither wish death nor fear his might.


                                                                          -Henry Howard
                                                                           Earl of Surrey (1517-1547).



18 February 2013

{"The Greater Abbeys Of England" (1908) By Warwick Goble}

Battle Abbey , the Gateway.
Netley Abbey , East Window.
Gloucester Cathedral , Cloister and Lavatorium
St. Joseph's Chapel , Glastonbury
Beulieu Abbey , Door of Abbey Church
Whalley Abbey , Abbot's House
Netley Abbey , The Cloisters













{Kitchens with Character}

Happy Monday! I want to start this week with special kitchens. Seriously though, the more time I spent looking at pics of kitchens blinged out with brass, the more I realized that this is probably the only metal in which I like all styles of handles and pulls, from the contemporary to the downright country. I certainly could never have said that about nickel! So I thought I would pull together a few of the most popular styles being used right now for your viewing pleasure, showing just how versatile this heavenly finish really is. Get ready to swoon . . .

Look!

Flat front handles:


Bin Pulls:


Knobs, both modern and classic:


Traditional footed:


Recessed pulls:


T-Bars:


Vintage style exposed screw:


See what I mean? I love each and every one of these, even those I would never have expected to - like the bin pulls and the traditional exposed-screw handles (which are now some of my faves). 





11 February 2013

{Sense and Sensibility}


In the deep south of France, more precisely in Bordeaux, is a sleepy town called Les Prés d'Eugénie (name chosen by Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III). In 1970, one of the most famous chefs in France, Michel Guérard decided to return with his wife to Les Prés d'Eugénie, bought an estate and a castle and hence was born Eugénie-les-Bains. This brings together a sensory spa oasis, where several rooms welcome their customers and a separate restaurant, La Ferme aux Grives, who in 1977 received three Michelin stars and is known for excellence in three kitchens: the spa menu for weight loss, food extraordinary gourmet and traditional cuisine of the country.



{Official Web: Les Prés d´Eugénie}



10 February 2013

{Rare Colour Kodak Film from 1922}


One of the earliest examples of color motion picture has been unearthed in a mesmerizing film where actresses from the 1920s pose and preen in the exciting new medium. As Hollywood prepares for this year's Oscars, MailOnline is sharing the four-and-a-half minute clip that was discovered by Kodak at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York. 

     The fascinating find is a test of Kodachrome color motion picture film from 1922, a full 13 years before the first full length color feature film was released. The romantic clip takes us back to where the allure of the movies all began, and it is a pleasure to watch. The film comes complete with the flicker that gave old-time movies the nickname 'the flicks.' The effect is caused by variations in film speed thanks to the hand-cranked cameras that were used back then. Equally alluring are the women in the short film. Their fashions and make up define their time and the way they smile and flirt with the camera, posing and pouting, shows them to be true Hollywood gems.

Watch the film in the following player or in this link






{Source: Youtube}


{Lovely Rings}


I have recently discovered a very beautiful jewerlly company called MOCIUN, they have awesome elegant rings, you can check their catalogue here or here.










9 February 2013

{'Pride and Prejudice' turns 200}



It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.


Magic of Austen continues, 200 years on!Elizabeth Bennett may not have been a gold digger but fast forward 200 years and if Jane Austen were alive today she would want to be in possession of a good fortune. On January 27, 1813, 38-year-old Austen received the first volumes of Pride and Prejudice delivered to her from her publisher and from there female-friendly literature and Colin Firth's career was born.



     I still remember the first time I readed Jane. I was only 12 and not fond of reading in that time. As most children of that age I was required to read in school. But one morning, I discovered a dusty book, with pages yellowed and a blue cracked cover. I opened it, the date was 1925 and the "ex libris" was the name of my great grandmother Lola. It was "Pride and Prejudice". I started to readed the first pages and... well, you know what always happend with Jane, i couldn´t stop. When i was finishing the book on the sofa, mom came to me and said: "Where have you find that book? I thought i had lost it" - It was on the armchair, I answer. Mom told me that "Pride and Prejudice" was her favourite book when she was young and she also had readed at the same age as me. Moreover, granny Elsa readed when she was a teenager. So that book had belong to four generation of women: Lola, Elsa, Carolina and me. It is magic!


Portrait of Jane

Jane Austen was born on December 16 1775 at Steventon in the county of Hampshire in Southern England. She was the seventh of eight children, and the second of two daughters. As her family were members of the upper middle class of English Society – her father, George, was a minister of the Church of England (Anglican Church) – she enjoyed a comfortable, though by no means opulent lifestyle.

     In 1800 George Austen, at the age of 70, suddenly decided to retire to Bath, and the family moved there the following year. They lifestyle that his family enjoyed here is very accurately portrayed in Jane's novels, which quite apart from the marvellous plots, contain finely observed and recorded snapshots of the particular stratum of English society in which the Austen family lived.

     In 1805 George Austen died. As the majority of the family income had derived from his various livings, which lapsed at his death, the family became very largely dependent on his sons – Jane's brothers – among whom were two naval officers and two church ministers.

Austen Family Tree 

     The family moved away from Bath in 1806, first to Clifton, and then to Southampton on the south coast of England. They remained less than three years in Southampton before moving to Chawton, near Alton in Hampshire, where Jane was to spend the rest of her life.

Austen family house

     Shortly after the move to Chawton, Jane resumed her literary work, and in October 1811 "Sense and Sensibility", the first of her novels to be published appeared anonymously, bearing only the intriguing attribution "By A Lady". "Pride and Prejudice" was published in January 1813, followed by "Mansfield Park" in May 1814. "Emma", the fifth of her six novels, and the last to appear during her lifetime, appeared in December 1815. 

     During 1816 Jane, who suffered from Addison's disease, became increasingly unwell, and though she continued to work on her novels, it was clear that she did not have much time remaining to her. She died on 18 July 1817, and was buried in Winchester Cathedral six days later.



     Jane's brother Henry prepared "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion", the last of her novels, for publication, and they appeared posthumously at the end of 1817.



-HER NOVELS-:

Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Mansfield Park (1814)
Emma (1815)
Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous)
Persuasion (1818, posthumous)


Links for fans:
The Republic of Pemberley and their fabulous shop
Jane Austen Collection of Goucher College
Jane´s works in Proyect Gutenberg

Documentaries online:
Jane Austen Revised (BBC)

If you are in England do not forget to visit the following Jane´s places:


And remember dear friends: "Keep Calm and Read Jane Austen"