Germany

This is my first Christmas in Germany and hopefully it won't be the last one! I have experienced so many wonderful things while here but the one that strikes me and surprises me the most is the sense of being home.
I left Germany in 2009 with the hopes of being back here ASAP, but I guess God had other plans. After all the waiting and begging God to let me come back, I guess he finally did, and I am so ever grateful.
Being again in Germany has filled me with an unexplicable love for this country and its people. I feel a sense of belonging even when I haven't dusted off my German quite yet.
I am so happy to be back!

Marie Antoinette

I have been having a serious Marie Antoinette crush. Color crush, that is. I am in love with all the extravagance, decadence and absolute stunning beauty captured by the movie by Sophia Coppola. Even though I didn't like the movie itself so much (maybe because I knew that she was going on a downward spiral ending in a beheading and that kind of spoiled my fun, plus in the movie, she never truly looked happy), what I did like was the whole scenery and costumes and awesome colors.

I was thinking this could make up for some themed party inspiration, wedding reception inspiration, room, etc. Needless to say, I want EVERYTHING.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahkarina/432698755/

http://brideorama.com/wedding-food-inspiration-marie-antoinette-2/

http://brideorama.com/wedding-food-inspiration-marie-antoinette-2/

http://brideorama.com/wedding-food-inspiration-marie-antoinette-2/

http://brideorama.com/wedding-food-inspiration-marie-antoinette-2/

http://castlesandcarriages.blogspot.com/2011/06/marie-antoinette-inspiration.html

http://www.gastronomista.com/2011/11/foodie-film-favorite-marie-antoinette.html

http://fatallook.deviantart.com/art/Marie-Antoinette-Vanity-95236551

http://www.gastronomista.com/2011/11/foodie-film-favorite-marie-antoinette.html

http://www.gastronomista.com/2011/11/foodie-film-favorite-marie-antoinette.html

http://www.polyvore.com/marie_antoinette/set?id=7626313

http://castlesandcarriages.blogspot.com/2011/06/marie-antoinette-inspiration.html

http://castlesandcarriages.blogspot.com/2011/06/marie-antoinette-inspiration.html

http://endiscomingblog.com/?p=333

http://sincerelyboots.blogspot.com/2011/02/marie-antoinette.html

http://marie-antoinettequeenoffrance.blogspot.com/2011/05/ready-for-weekend-it-all-started-with.html

http://marie-antoinettequeenoffrance.blogspot.com/2011/05/ready-for-weekend-it-all-started-with.html

via Google

http://weheartit.com/entry/450463

http://thefrenchmaidsplace.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html

http://quintessentially-glamourous.blogspot.com/2009/11/marie-antoinette-josephe-jeanne-de.html

http://quintessentially-glamourous.blogspot.com/2009/11/marie-antoinette-josephe-jeanne-de.html

http://parisatelier.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html

http://itgirls.tumblr.com/page/199

http://www.lovelyundergrad.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

Lovely... just lovely <3

Post Secret

When I was in college, I discovered Post Secret through a friend. It was back then when the books came out and we would go to the now defunct Borders store, sit on the floor, peruse the books and spend hours and hours commenting on the books... until the manager kicked us out. Good times.

I recently re-discovered my love of Post Secret, and every Sunday I go and see the secrets as part of a ritual with my boyfriend. It's interesting to see what other people keep hidden for most of their lives and how liberating it must be to finally get it out there.

When the Post Secret App came out, I was super excited. I have mixed feelings about the app because of the people in it. It is a community of people sharing their secrets, and it is an opportunity for others to say "Hey, me too!" and find comfort in not being the only weirdo out there with the same secret. Sometimes, people are mean in their replies. If you have an opinion which is not accepted by most, people will unleash hell. Sometimes it serves to comfort and heal. I have seen a lot of secrets in this app that have touched my heart (I know, corny): moms trying to be tough for their 2 year olds battling with leukemia, wives and families losing a dad while fighting for freedom, people struggling with suicide, cute puppies sleeping. Smiles, tears, and lots of emotion-ridden secrets are found.

I sometimes save them for future reference or to show my friends. I find it interesting how it has evolved from the original idea of sending self-made postcards containing that which has weighted heavy on the heart of a stranger to this community of support (or lack thereof). If you can afford it, I say go for it. It is a wonderful experience. I look at the secrets before falling asleep and it helps me sleep knowing that I am not alone in this world. If you can't, then visit the website. You won't regret it.

Here are some of those secrets I have saved:

Here's the app's trailer:

WWTHBD?

Brooches

It was in one of those procrastination filled nights that I discovered brooches: vintage brooches, rhinestone-brooches and all that stuff. In short: anything filled with embellishment. I am all for embellishment and jewelry, and this sort of combined both in a little awesome package.

Since people don't really wear them that much anymore, I just decided to hoard collect them. And the thrill of the hunt, the victory in the finding of brooches has been quite addicting (and probably similar to the hoarder mentality!). I've started collecting them over the summer and I have acquired more than 100 of them, probably. And every time I see cheap ones, I buy more.

But what to do with them? I am not wearing them, what then? I thought about hot gluing them into the frame of a mirror and make it pretty. It would certainly look great on the mirror for my vanity. But how will it finally turn out?

Then I found this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiapeachez/1700889948/in/set-72157623435452134/

HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THIS? You can Vintage Jewelry Creations' photostream here. She has tons of other ideas made with vintage brooches. I am now more inspired than ever to pursue this project, but I'm thinking I will need to hoard more brooches or pieces of jewelry...oh yeah.

Chanel Hair

*sigh*

Definitely some inspiration of what to do with one's hair during the holiday season or any other special occasion. The pearl-inspired hair I would imagine was easy to do if one glues individual pearls to individual bobby-pins. About the last ones, I would glue a hair clip to some vintage brooch and voilá.


All images via.