{quotable thursdays}

The song that Edith Piaf made famous, is today's quote:

{Non, je ne regrette rien}

Stop & think about your life. We all have regrets, or things we wished we had done differently, but those mistakes have brought us to where we are. So try to live your life with little regrets. Aim to learn and take something from every experience, and remember, "non...rien de rien, non...je ne regrette rien." (for the music click here)

So...dance in the rain & don't regret it!: 

{singing in the rain}

xo, 

L

{musings from the little red book}

Sometime in undergrad--2001 or 2002--I started a little red book. Now that I think about it, it was a precursor to this blog, private rather than public, but a little place to take down notes, sketch ideas from design and fashion mags & brainstorm my own decorating ideas or art inspiration. This was before the days of pinterest and so many images online, easy to google. I had my little pink folder (somewhere in storage still) where I filed away clippings from mags and the little red book where I sketched musings. Well, I recently pulled the little red book out and realised that my younger self actually had some good ideas! Some of them are a little outdated, but some of them could be tweaked to fit 2013.
As many of you know I've been living out of 5 boxes of books & 2 suitcases for the past 4 years. yes, gulp! All of my stuff has been in storage awaiting the day I landed a permanent job and could finally set up a home again. Looking back on the 31 years of my life, I've never actually stayed put. Growing up, we would pack up our things every three years to sail around the world. Then I left high school for France, then France for Vancouver, then Vancouver for London, then London for Montreal, then Montreal for Italy, then Italy to move back to Vancouver, then Vancouver for upstate NY, then upstate NY for Vermont....and now LONDON (if you haven't heard the news, I blogged about it here).
I digress--I've been starting to think about all my stuff in storage and all the great ideas I have for my new flat in London. While it will probably be small (living in one of the highest rental markets in the world), I want it to have character and to scream me. So, on that note, I decided to pick up the little red book again and jot down some ideas.
I've decided to start a new column on this blog. It'll contain musings from the little red book--some old, some new, and some updated.
so today is the first entry--the first entry from the little red book but also the first blog from the little red book. Stay tuned for more soon! Enjoy!!!
xo
L

Inspiration #1: a small bar for the home:

& some photos found on the internet & pinterest inspired by this little detail of a home bar:

{bar tray atop a dresser}

{dresser bar}

{chest of drawers bar}

{on an old trunk from rue mag}

{save on some floor space with bar shelves}

{hidden bar= hidden mess = hidden sins:)}

{another armoire}

{some changes...some news}

{via coco+kelley}

{via zsa zsa bellagio}

Some big changes are afoot for 2013.

impatient to know?

{news news news!}

I'm leaping for joy...

{via terrier&lobster}

I'm moving to the UK! If you read my blog regularly you'll know I adore Blighty and that I often spend my summers there. I have been desperate to move back permanently and the occasion has arrived! yipeeee!

{Charlotte Trounce}

& not just anywhere, but:

{LONDON}

yes L.O.N.D.O.N!!!

{via words&eggs}

So, as many of you know I'm an academic, and post-PhD, life can be pretty tough. You spend all this time working towards a huge accomplishment, only to find yourself back on the bottom of the ladder desperately trying to find a job amidst successful, smart, intellectual, and career-oriented people. and you apply. you spend hours & hours applying for job after job. You can't choose where  you want to live, because there are so few jobs, so you have to take whatever comes your way (and when one job does come up, you're one in 250 or sometimes 500 or sometimes even 1000). You get short-listed; you get an interview; and then it's been narrowed down to you and another 3 or 4 or 5 people. and then you don't get the call. & you start all over again. I didn't dare expect a job in my beloved UK, and certainly not near London. That was just setting myself up for expectations that wouldn't be met. But I hoped, and I tried...

& ALAS I got it! A dream job in the place exactly where I want to be. 

Now please, don't think I'm unfairly gloating. Rather, I just want to shout out to all others looking for an academic job, depressed at the prospects of post-doc life, that it WILL come. You just need to be super patient. not months of patience, but YEARS. I had to survive in teeny weeny towns, that totally were unsuitable to me, but something will come through. It truly is about perseverance. So hang in there my friends. In November I posted a quotable thursday quote on perseverance.  It was right after I found out I got the job (that trip to the UK was because of the interview-I had to keep quiet until the contract was signed). Anyway, it's worth reading every time you feel slightly fed up with life & trying. 

Finally, believe in your dreams. Anything is possible, but it does require A LOT of work. Don't think you can  obtain your goals on self confidence alone. Surround yourself with lovely friends & family who will support you no matter what, and work extra hard (this quote is also all about working hard to obtain the things you most desire).

I don't move until the spring... and before the mad rush of moving across the Atlantic and the nerves of starting a new job begin to stress me out, let me pause for a moment and celebrate and thank all my wonderful friends and family for their love & support. 

{pink cheers!}

Cheers!

{cheers!}

{appropriately attired bubbly}

{love this print by Megan Burk, buy it here}

so, if you will permit me, I'm going to squeal with delight for just a little longer. A big move is ahead...and an even bigger career move with expectations and stresses...so let me bask in this glory just a tiny teeny tinza bit longer. yay!
XO,
L

{quotable thursdays}

Today is an ode to sisters. I have four sisters and I spent Christmas with all of them. It was a delight. They are my life, my heart & soul...they make me feel whole and I know that whatever happens in life I can rely on them 100%. We don't get to see each other very often, but when we do, it's like no time has passed & it reminds me that I am one of 5--not alone in this world, but part of a sisterhood.
So, a few excellent quotes on sisters:

Help one another, is part of the religion of sisterhood.  ~Louisa May Alcott

Sweet is the voice of a sister in the season of sorrow.  ~Benjamin Disraeli

There can be no situation in life in which the conversation of my dear sister will not administer some comfort to me.  ~Mary Montagu

{all 5 of us on the night before Christina's wedding}

{Easter 2000, Victoria BC}

{some time in the 1980s, in California}

{us in the Australian newspaper in 1988}

{sisters' night out before Rachel's wedding}

{our whole family in the 80s}

{all of us on Christmas Day}

{the five girls on a sisters' night out, this past Christmas}

{5 girls, Christmas 2012}

{sisters' night out 2012}

Famous sisters:

{bbc austen}

{five sisters from BBC's Pride & Prejudice}

{5 Bennet girls from the latest P&P}

{sisterly affection?}

{lovely girls}

{the girls laughing in the latest version}

& although there are only 4 sisters, Little Women is a good tale of sisters:

{Little Women}

{Winona Ryder version}

yay for sisters!!

xo

L

{Happy Birthday Mum}

Today's my Mum's birthday, so some old school photos of her to celebrate! (check out this post I did on  her for Mother's Day a couple of years ago).

{Mum, at her graduation}

{Mum & Dad, young love}

{Mum, me, & my sister Esther at Mamre Oaks}

I love you Mum!!!

{downton fever}

Are you loving Season 3 of Downton Abbey as much as I am? I can't get enough. As you may know, I visited Highclere Castle (the home of the fictional Downton Abbey) in the spring, and having experienced walking through those rooms--oohing and ahhing at the grand entry hall with its neo-gothic design & grand staircase, the lovely library, & the dining room with van Dyck originals...it brings the telly series ever more to life.
But this season has really gone off with a big bang. I'm dying for Sunday's airing of episode 3. Here are some of my favourite parts so far of season 3 & some inspiration from it:

{the hairdos}

& some Downton inspired images:

{via wedding bee}

{simply stunning  French dress, c. 1935 from the Met}

{another simlpy gorgeous gown}

& who can resist this gorgeous detail on Lady Mary's dress?:

{via zsazsa bellagio}

*loved the simple decorations of white bunting around the town:

{white bunting}

{english country wedding invites}

The interiors are stunning too: 

{love the colours, the fireplace & frames}

some Downton inspired interiors: 

{via zsazsa bellagio}

{great mix of objets d'art}

{via d*s}

What awaits us tomorrow???
xo, 

L