Combinations of things.

You know how you attach certain scents, memories, places or images with books and stories? I love how brains work like that - how it puts two different things in the same category and context; how it juggles with smell and weather and words. It's amazing. Like, The Help is yellow and lemons and the sound of a typewriter. Celia Garth and Violins of Autumn take me back to summer 2015 in Switzerland, the green shutters in the house we were staying at, and the dew on the grass in the morning. Eve's Daughters is me crying in bed and imagining the characters' smiles and the colour purple of the cover. The Book Thief is Christmas holidays, and my bedroom when the bed was at the other side of the room. On the banks of plum creek is lemonade and my old bed sheets with the pink and salmon-coloured hearts on it. Remembrance by Theresa Breslin reminds me of my old bedroom in the attic and Back Home by Michelle Magorian gives me memories of cute lamps, nylons, and my second cousin Rebekah. The Story Girl is me wishing so bad I could dive in it; and it's the colour of gold and the taste of orchard apples. Rilla of Ingleside is an emotional soundtrack like the Kings Speech soundtrack and late nights. Sense and Sensibility is grandma and my old pink diary. That chapter in Hebrews (Hebrews 11) about faith reminds me of strawberries for breakfast and talking about it on grey sofas with five friends. While We're Far Apart by Lynn Austin is dark red and chocolate and watching trailers of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies on youtube. The Sweetest Thing is light green and mental images of 1930 dresses. Gone with the Wind is dark hallways and mirrors and spring. Man, I love how there are so many combinations of things.

People

(Before I start: Yes! This is the look for the Downton Abbey week! Get excited, folks!)

I love people who are weird and over excited. I love people who sing because they enjoy it and not because they want attention. I love people who make bad puns and then apologise for them. I love people who pass on random compliments and who don't expect compliments back. I love people who feel comfortable in their own raw skin, but do it in a classy way. I love girls with braids and girl who dress up on Sundays. I love people who don't take themselves too seriously, but who are wise at the same time. I love people who are older than they are, but don't pretend to be older than they are. (There is a big difference between the two.) I love teenagers who love and trust their parents and teenagers who don't swear. I love men who greet other men by giving thumps on each others backs and calling each other 'mate.' I love kids who have the brain of old people and who roll their eyes at some stuff adults do and say. I love people who have been bullied because they are normally the nicest and most interesting people. I love people with unique backstories and unique ideas and dreams for the future. I love people who have huge, contagious laughs and then aren't embarrassed about it. I love people who are introverted and obviously so terribly interesting people with huge hearts. I love people who slander books and read classics and play the piano. I love boys who sing and play with little children and eat lots of biscuits. I love people with sarcasm and a twisty smile. I love people with Irish accents and people who wear plaid shirts and scarves. I love people who smile at strangers and talk to themselves and don't care what people think. I love people who are homeschooled and people with large families. I love people who have freckles and eyes that smile. I love people who give random hugs and say ridiculously random things. I love people who have their own opinion but see other sides as well. I love girls who hang out with boys and have fun - without flirting. I love people who get really really really excited about little things, and I love people who recommend books and movies with passion. I love people who write long emails and random emails. I love people who journal and who are a child at heart. I love people who are single and don't care, and I love couples with cute love stories. I love people who laugh at their own jokes because they are so lame. 

But most of all I love people who love God.

Letters and Words and Books

Reading. One page after another. Glancing over words. Pages cramped with squiggly forms called 'letters' and being so ridiculously entranced. Gotta love reading.

“Woke up this morning with a terrific urge to lie in bed all day and read.”

-- Raymond Carver

I'm basically entranced with words. Whether it is to write them, or to read them or to create art with them. I'm just besotted with words. Letters. I mean, it's weird. They're just little squiggles - signs - crossed lines - little shapes. And yet they give me so much unending joy.

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”Anaïs Nin

Everything with words pulls me. Like a magical magnet of some sort. I know, right, weird how it works. I find words irresistible. I want to read all the letters (I mean, hey, it's intruding into a person's privacy in a word-form way) in the world, and when there's someone texting next to me, I always glance over their shoulder and read the words appearing on the screen.

“That's absurd," I said with a little laugh. "Nobody can read too much. That's like saying someone breathes too much.” 

― Lynn Austin, Wonderland Creek

I know, this was a little of a sorry excuse for a post. But I just felt, in a moment's impulse, like sharing some pretty bookish pictures and my latest favourite quotes with you. Oh, and I wanted us all to pause a moment in our lives and ponder about the amazing-ness of those squiggly things. :-)

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Okay, one more quote, for good luck. They're made of words and letters, so, hey, we can't do much wrong, can we?

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.” ― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

Have a marvelous, word-packed day, m'dear bluestockings!

Sybil's Gorgeous Room

Natalie, this post is for you. :-)

Several weeks ago, Natalie and I swooned over Sybil Lindsay's room in the comment box. You might have spotted our caps, written in great gusto. We were talking about this super, super, super short scene in the lovely movie 'Chariots of Fire' - where Harold Abraham's love interest, Sybil, hears that Harold won the race. She hears the news in her bedroom. And we happened to adore that super short scene. Screen-caps weren't available on the Internet, so I screen-capped my own!

This picture gives you the best view of the room. My GOODNESS isn't this so endlessly beauty-swamped?!!! I want to sit in that room and have a French maid curl my hair. I want to fiddle with glassy perfume bottles and little beautiful bits and bobs. I know, I know, I sound like a spoilt two-year-old who didn't get his second chocolate-cake-piece, but I can't HELP this state of jealousy. I can't help it at all, I can't.

First of all, this room has stained glass windows. I mean, of all the coolest things. And then we have elegant and fluttery pink flowers on the window sill. And then those mirrors, all hazy and morning-like. And then all the bits and bobs, shining femininity and glorious pinky-ness. I love how this room reflects who she is - it's not over-the-top chic, and I really appreciate that. I love the pictures on the wall, and the messy atmosphere.

And can you spot the little teddy bear? :-P

Ah! Now we get a closer look at the mirror and the little things in front of it. Pictures, necklaces, perfume bottles in the most adorable sizes, shapes and with the cutest little toppings. Gah, I love that sea of endless little things. Also, that pink fan. I'm proud to sat that I am the owner of one very similar to it. If I had a mirror in my room I'd try to put it that way and pretend I'm Sybil. But I don't have a mirror in my room, so.

So, what do you think?!! Isn't it gorgeousness alore, peeps? Corkers? Twinkly? Dazzlingly must-have-one-day? Yes?!? You have to agree, this room is to DIE for. (Almost, that is to say. Because why would a dead person benefit from such beauty?)

I hope you enjoyed my little swoon-post about a ten-second scene no-one in the world probably ever really noticed apart from me and Natalie. If you haven't ever noticed this scene (or watched Chariots of Fire, for that matter (but seriously, watch it)) I am very honoured to have introduced you to this charming little dressing room of Sybils. Now we can all mourn about not owning it together. :-D

Weddings Galore!

I love weddings, don't you? It's always such a happy, pretty, romantic occasion. I myself, of course, being not sixteen, know my own wedding is far to go yet, (I said 'not sixteen' in order to sound like Lizzy Bennet - I don't mean to say that I think I will be old enough once I am sixteen.) and I'm happy that way. I want to be a young girl as long as possible!

 

But I do like thinking about weddings, as a lot of girls my age do. I love looking at wedding dresses and thinking 'this is how I want my future wedding dress to be like' and that sort of thing. Here's to some of my all-time favourite wedding-dresses in Period Dramas, Royalty weddings and whatnot!

 

 

Grace Kelly's wedding gown

 

 

 

Ahhhhhh. Let us just stop for a minute in our busy lives and swoon over this glorious, glorious wedding gown. This is probably my favourite wedding gown ever --- I love it SO much. Grace Kelly was such a stylish lady with exceptionally fine taste. Her wedding gown is not only modest, it is lacy, princessy, breath-taking and yet it has a simple side to it. I don't know how this dress manages to be so beautiful, but it is. It's just amazing. A lot of people have been inspired by this dress (including, I think the makers of Maria von Trapp's wedding gown!), and I'm sure I'm one of them.

 

 

 

Kate Middleton's wedding gown

 

 

Oh dear, this is just perfection, no? Look, I love this dress so much, it's even on my header. I think Kate Middleton was also inspired by Grace Kelly- her dress is rather similar! Good thing, of course, because this dress is absolutely gorgeous. Everyone was and still is admiring it and that's no miracle. It is beautiful. I also love the way she wears her hair down - one does not need an elaborate hairstyle - loose hair is so pretty, especially with Kate!

 

 

 

Marianne Dashwood's wedding gown

 

 

Although not an absolute favourite, Marianne Dashwood's wedding dress has great personality and I love it. Lined with straw, I've heard. Very original! I love all the detail and fancy gold embroidery. And I also love how she's holding hothouse flowers. :-)

 

 

 

Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown

 

 

Right, I know Queen Elizabeth was in the middle of the war and couldn't be picky about a wedding dress. I know many don't *love* this dress. But I don't care. I love it. I love the flowery lace and the bead-ery and the girlish design. But best of all, I love the way they look at each other. It's so obvious she and Philip were/are greatly in love. This couple is probably my favourite celebrity couple.

 

 

 

Sophie Hutton's wedding gown

 

 

Sophie Hutton and Dr Harrison's wedding is just the cutest! Her precious wedding dress so graciously offered by Miss Mattie looks stunning on the Sophie! Absolutely beautiful. I also really love the puffed sleeves and the LACE. I'm a bit addicted to lace at present. And the yellow ribbon around the waist is darling.

 

 

 

Colleen's wedding gown

 

 

Do you remember when I said that elaborate hairstyles weren't needed? Well, I take that back now. I've just been looking for some more Period Drama weddings and I've seen this one of a certain Colleen in 'Dr Quinn Medicine Woman'. And her hair looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL. And so does the veil and the frilly dress, of course, but the HAIR. Love.

 

 

Cosette's wedding gown

 

 

What I love about Cosette's wedding dress is that it's not white. I mean, I love white dresses, but it's nice to have very light rosy pink for a change. So I love this colour - and, of course, the puffs.

 

 

 

What's-her-name's wedding gown

 

 

This wedding dress is a great favourite of mine! It appears in a Little House on the Prairie episode, on I-can't-remember-who (not a very important character). I remember when watching it, loving this dress immediately. I love the ribbon and the old-fashioned-ness... and the lace.

 

 

 

Mary Ingalls' wedding gown

 

 

This leads us to my next! Mary Ingalls' sweet baby blue wedding gown is simple, but beautiful!

 

 

 

Diana Spencer's wedding gown

 

 

All right, I'll admit it. I love this dress. I know it's supposed to be too puffy and too overwhelming and too big... but I love it. Besides, no list is complete without Diana Spencer's famous dress. This dress is amazing.

Diana's wedding dress was a puff ball meringue wedding dress, with huge puffed sleeves and a frilly neckline. The dress was made of silk taffeta, decorated with lace, hand embroidery, sequins, and 10,000 pearls. It was designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel, and had a 25-foot train.

Yes. A 25-foot train. Yes. Ten-hundred pearls. I told you it was amazing.

 

 

What's your favourite wedding gown?

Is it on this list?

 

 

Period Drama Dresses ~ Pink

Pink is my favourite colour, so I've been looking forward to the pink Period Drama Dresses. Here they are! I hope you enjoy!

 Two randomly lovely pink pictures.... aaaand now we can start!

Liesl von Trapp's gorgeous pink dress. Oh how I love this dress. It's simply adorable. It's gorgeous. I just want it. I always have, as a young girl. I remember envying her pink dancing dress when I watched it as a wee kid for the first time. I remember wishing that I could make my dress so light at puffy and twirly as she could. I tried, but poor me, I couldn't. :(

I love Rose' pink garden dress as well. It's simple but elegant. She's also wearing it in the picture on my header- which proves that I really love it. Oh and by the way, don't you love the old-fashioned pram in the background of this picture?

Do you think that this dress is the same one? Because if it isn't... well I want to say that I love it as well. Edith's brown garb however- I do not care much about. Come one Edith- you should look a bit more glamerous.

I know Daisy is only an undercook, but I love her pink dress she wears on her outing to the sea. She looks so pretty!

I know this dress of Meg's is supposed to be unsuitable, but I can't help it- I like it a lot! Well, yes, it is too low-cut, but apart from that, I think it's absolutely delightful.

Oh dear. I have suddenly remembered something terrible. I have forgotten my favourite pink Period Drama Dress! I have forgotten it! Oh dear!!!

How could I have forgotten Emma's lovely, darling, pink ball gown! She wore it when she danced with Mr Knightley! How could I forget! I am sorry readers.

It has layers and layers of different colour fabrics to make a shimmery effect and I love it dearly.

Emma also has two other pink dresses which I admire greatly.

But then I admire all Emma's dresses greatly (especially her pink ball gown and her yellow flowered one.)

So...

Which pink period drama dress is your favourite?

And have I missed one out?

Period Drama dresses ~ White

Today I'm going to talk about my favourite white period drama dresses. That is not-bridal-gown-dresses. Oh me oh my, there are lots and lots of white dresses that I simply adore. Be prepared girls. This post will probably bore you. If you aren't interested in white dresses you can go away. I won't be offended. I really don't want you to spoil your time on a post which doesn't interest you in the least.

But for you who do- like me- like white dresses (which I hope you do and which I am pretty sure that you do) you will hopefully enjoy this post.

Please note that these dresses aren't in any particular order.

One of them is the dress Mary Poppins wears in the 'It's a Jolly Holiday' scene. Actually that scene bores me because I know the song SO well, but the dress! I have always (ever since I was nothing but a wee little lassie) wished to possess it. I might one day. Isn't it so nice when wishes do come true? (I'm quoting Anne, by the way, people who didn't notice.)

Anyways, without further ado, here is the beautiful dress...

I just love every little bit about that dress. I love the little red things here and there, I love the bits of lace over and around it, I love the see-through sleeves, the modesty of everything, the wide and twirly skirt, the elegant parasol to match, the white shoes, the hat and the many frilly petticoats underneath.

Oh I just love it. Have you understood that by now? Sorry. Ahem. I really should stop and behave.

The next one.

Scarlett's white and frilly sheer delight. The dress that makes everyone look like a cloud- airy and beautiful. I WANT that dress. It's just... stunning.

In the book she wears her green barbecue dress in the first scene. I'm glad they did this one.

It's just so frilly and fussy and... all those layers... those short frothy sleeves...  I have to go on.

Anne of Green Gables' greatest wish on earth was to posses a white dress. It was her greatest ideal of earthly bliss, as she put it.

It's lacy, elegant, frilly, white and has puffed sleeves. It's just perfect. Anne looks so lovely in it. I think it's the prettiest dress of Anne's. It's ever so much more nicer than her first puffed sleeved dress. Redheads shouldn't wear light blue. But white suits every single girl.

Now we come to Downton Abbey. Edith has such a beautiful white garden summer dress. She looks so pretty. I think white really suits Edith. Orange doesn't and she always seems to wear it. Anyways, back to the point, I just adore this dress. And that row of shiny even pearls just finishes it all. And the hat is beeeautiful. Envy envy.

Don't you agree? Isn't it simply georgeous? Truly Scrumptious. Truly you are Scrumptious. You're the answer to my wishes... ladida....

...sorry about that. I was singing a song. You know the song 'Truly Scrumptious' in the Musical 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.' There's a lady called Truly Scumptious and-- OH! She has a nice white dress as well....

Agree. That really is beautiful. Especially that hat. Don't you think that dress resembles Anne's white one? The same sort of puffs you see.

We watched this movie today. It's such a lovely musical although there are some scary parts near the end. But still not THAT scary if you're old enough. Have you seen it? Aren't the songs just so lovely?

I'm going to stop here, even though I'm sure there are millions of other white dresses I simply adore. But I must go now.

What is your favourite white dress? Have I missed out one which I shouldn't have missed out?

We ARE amused... said queen Victoria

The only picture of Victoria smiling aka the only picture where Queen Victoria didn't do what the photographer told her to do.

'We are not amused' said Queen Victoria.
At least, it is SAID that she said that. But in reality, we are pretty sure that she did not say that. Quite the contrary, her diary is filled with phrases such as 'I was very amused' and 'I was very much amused.'

That girl looks so much like Diana Barry

Anyway... now I come to the point...
It is the same with pictures we see of Victorians. Always looking sour and strict, colourless and sober. (Well, the colourless isn't their fault.)
Look at the above picture. (btw. The girl looks like a Diana Barry, don't you think?) I found this picture- this is a girl in the Victorian/Edwardian time and she is smiling. The girl is just a normal girl, like us. (That is if you, my reader, are a girl, which I think you are). She's a teenager, fashionable (just look at the scrumptious hat in the far right picture) and she loves having fun. Well, judging by the look of these four pictures, I imagine she loves fun.

Same with the above picture! This girl looks alive. Up until now I had never realised that Victorians could smile. Pictures of Victorians smiling are just so rare! Un until now I had never properly realised that Victorians were people- real ones, like us.
Well, I did know it, but I never really knew it.

Another example of smiling Victorians (left). The first picture is pretty 'normal' for Victorians. Then there's an embrace and giggles. They both seem to have burst into laughter.

Victorians loved doing silly things, like us. Ahem.

Now that's just romantic.

I really think hats should come back into fashion. Hats ought to be essential.

I'm just SO inspired. Victorians were REAL people, just in nicer clothes, that's all. They are PEOPLE. Not historical THINGS. The smile changes everything.

You look so much prettier by putting a smile on your face. It just changes EVERYTHING. Now I know why I always thought Victorians were ugly.

So.... WELL DONE and a pat on the shoulder to the Victorians in these pictures for not listening to the photographer and smiling in the photo.

PS. Sorry for signing with such a mournful picture.

PSS. Another sorry for posting twice on one day.