{gearing up for downton abbey tonight!}

Are you getting excited to watch the next episode of Downton Abbey tonight? Well I sure am! I've spent most of the day preparing for the busy week ahead, and I can't wait to put my feet up & watch the best thing to come to tv!
I know I've already blogged on Downton Abbey, but here are a few more images that are downton abbey-inspired:

{a spot of tea via ZsaZsa Bellagio}

{gorgeous wall paper via zsazsabellagio}

{refined living from love your chaos}

{stately home pinterest}

{a touch of glamour & sparkle via  ZsaZsa Bellagio}

 

{merci ny}

{love of fair}

{a dash of elegant eating via ZsaZsa Bellagio}

{stunning updos via her spacious soul}

{source}

{hats via paper blog}

{ensemble from paper blog  }

& my favourite quote from the show so far???

{lemonadeandivy}

Happy watching!!

xo

L

 

{style files}

Some picks off of my style files board on pinterest:

{zsazsabellagio}

{love the glasses & tutu via pinterest}

{gold & bows}

{pinterest}

{favim}

{pink bows & gold pretty little world}

{la moda}

{polka dot gloves + journal via pinterst}

{bow ring from kate spade}

{hello pretty things}

{I just love the gold sequins on this pullover via dillydallas}

{stripes}

{atlantic pacific}

{I'm in love with this skirt atlantic-pacific}

{stripes chez kate spade}

{elements of style}

{pinterest}

{elements of style}

Can you tell I'm itching for some new clothes?

Happy Weekend!

L

 

{quotable thursdays}

{via brown eyed belle julie}

I've been feeling a little swamped recently--start of a new semester, travels to Toronto & Montreal, research...so this quote above is apt.

However, I also like this one by Shakespeare: 

{via ZsaZsa Bellagio}

& here are a few images to end the week with:

{croissants via zsazsabellagio}

{some pastels from reverie}

{polka dots & toile via confetti & cocktails}

{bike ride zsazsabellagio}

{& some pink fancy dresses...just because, via ritzybee}}

Have a fantabulous weekend...

xo

L

{quotable thursdays}

{old letters by bloodred-sea deviantart}

Thursday again already? Where did the week go? Well, in the midst of this busy, electronic world, we ought to be reminded to stop, think, and write a letter.

"Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them."

                           ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"And none will hear the postman's knock

Without a quickening of the heart.

For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?"

                                    ~W.H. Auden

"Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls; for, thus friends absent speak."  ~John Donne

I love the feeling & smell of letters... and since part of my job entails archival work, I've found some pretty amazing letters from the fifteenth century. Letters do indeed hold the secrets of the past.
Here's a good resolution for 2012:

{absolutely stunning print from Mary Kate McDevitt via papercrave}

{via zsazsa bellagio}

{nothing like reading a letter...via playle}

{via old fashioned charm}

{via julianne donaldson}

{via zsazsa bellagio}

...and a letter from a suitor is the best kind:

{via only a novel}

particularly if it is from a Mr. Darcy:

{BBC miniseries of Pride & Prejudice, via human science}

 Happy letter writing!

xo

L

{Downton Abbey}

{via britmovietours}

I have recently become obsessed with Downton Abbey. Yes, I know I'm a little behind on things...it seems it's everywhere from design*sponge to lucky mag...but I've been watching the first season on pbs online, and now, tonight, season 2 is airing on the telly. yay! We, in America are behind, since Season 3 is currently airing in the UK, on itv.
What's not to love about this tv show? Amazing costumes, great characters, wonderful plot, and we get both sides of the story of a great estate home--from the servants downtairs to the aristocracy upstairs (in this way it's similar to Gosford Park). The setting is breathtaking too.

{via huffington post}

Highclere Castle in Hampshire is where most of the filming takes place. I've not been before but I just checked with my good cousin Choo, who is eager to bring me there this summer, when I'm back in the UK. Can't wait!

{via daily mail}

Set in the time of King George V, the lifestyle and the clothing are fantastic.

I love the striped dress Miss Crawley wears in Season 2: 

{via cntraveler}

They dress for dinner & eat formally every night:

{via P&P blog}

They have tea (still a tradition in the Clark family) every afternoon:

{tea on the lawn via austenprose}

Inspiration:

{fashion}

{popyacollar}

{from fancy treehouse}

{amazo}

{decor8}

{from me to you}

{via coco+kelley}

{brunch at saks}

{brunch at saks}

{bhldn}

{dining} 

{via hooked on houses}

{ritzy bee}

...with proper dining etiquette:

{brunch at saks}

 {tea}

{tea at downton via black tie & flip flops}

{holly mathis interiors}

{the perfect palette}

{interiors}

{via kpbs}

{popyacollar}

{elements of style}

{zsazsabellagio}

{pinterest}

{lifestyle}

{graphic exchange}

{Christmas Special, the Hunt via culture concept}

{via the guardian}

{house&home} 

{travel/adventures in merry ol'}

Watching Downton Abbey makes me nostalgic for times when I lived in England, and the yearly visits I now take. Merry England wouldn't be so merry without my great cousins--especially Choo & Liz who take me to lovely castles found across England's pastures green. Here are a few photos...(click here & here for my visit to the UK in 2011) 

{Arundel Castle. part of The Young Victoria was filmed here}

{Sandringham, the country retreat of Her Majesty the Queen}

{my cousin & me at Brighton Pavilion residence of King George IV}

{Strawberry Hill, home of Horace Walpole}

{Waddesdon Manor, home of the Rothschilds}

{Loo & Choo at the country estate (that's our ancestor in the painting in the left background and I'm wearing Granny Handover's fox stole (a real one with little teeth!)}

Can't wait for Season 2 tonight, and can't wait for more adventures in Merry England this summer!