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I am smitten with these adorable miniature forests by brother-sister team 2of2. They look so soft and dreamlike, and of course it helps that most of them perfectly match the color scheme I had in mind for my new place!

And I think that -especially living in the city- it is good to have some things in your home that remind you of nature.

But 2of2 has some other lovely items as well. Like this intriguing iridescent home, that switches between bright neon and light and ethereal depending on how the light hits it.

And there are even a few adorable pocket sized monsters for sale!

Visit the shop to see their entire collection! And if you're as hooked on Pinterest as I am, you might want to follow them there too. Enjoy!

Amazing Art: inameliart

If you're browsing Etsy a lot, I'm sure you've zome across inameliart at some point. The shop is run by Amelia, a lovely artist with a wonderful talent for creating adorable animals on canvas.

You can even get custom work done, like a portrait of your pet for instance.

But there are plenty of ready made pieces too, with all sorts of species on them.

I love that they're all very merry -a lot are even party-themed- but very serene as well. They make you both happy and calm!

Amelia is actually doing a giveaway on her blog right now. Click this link if you'd like to join in!

Visit Amelie's shop to see more paintings and prints. And be sure to follow her blog too, so you will see what new pieces she's working on.

Circle Songs #33

"A paperback head, you get carried away... Stitch up your spine... You must draw your own day..."

Paperback Head - Tegan & Sara

{picture sources: 1 - 2 - 3}

Lately I've been reading a lot. In fact these first four months of 2013 I've read more than I have in the entire year before. Other than that I've been kinda stuck, so books have been a great comfort and distraction.

Wishlist

I know it has only just started to get more sunny, but I had to share this cat-eared rain cap with you. It's such a nice spin on an old-fashioned item! And handy too, as rain and wind often go together, but umbrellas and wind do not.

And it looks very cute with the cape on as well. What do you think? Shall we bring this look back?

Since the phrase is "it's raining cats and dogs", I figured I needed to put a dog in this post as well. So here's a cute pug poncho that's bound to make you feel better when the weather is dreary.

Let's hope we won't be needing them any time soon though!

Lovely Movies: Albert Nobbs

Albert Nobbs had been on my radar for a while, so when it showed up in a sale and one of my friends mentioned the movie once more, I had to get. And I'm really glad I did, because despite its famous cast it's a wonderfully unique film.

Glenn Close plays a woman who -for multiple reasons that will become clear in the movie- makes the decision to continue living as a man. A slightly quirky one, but one that passes easily. Until one day, of course...

Mind the One-Minute Rule!

For most of the movie, surprisingly little happened, but it was somehow fascinating to watch. And though a lot of the characters weren't blessed with a particularly nice personality, it was still a very warm and cute movie. Enjoy!

the Sand Cat

Lately I've been discovering all sorts of new animal species. Have you heard of the Sand Cat yet? They're a species of wild cats -unfortunately endangered- and really fierce and elegant looking! Like a bit of a house cat with a twist.

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And here's a little video to see them in action. And... with kittens!

Don't you just love the print on their legs? It reminds me of knee high athletic socks. Pretty awesome cats, right?

Plans & Goals: May

Hopefully this will be a very productive month! There should be a lot of progress in my new place and I hope I'll have more energy than I did in April. Also, I'd love to spend more time outdoors. And cross some of these off:

• Enjoy the sunshine and relax!
• See some cherry blossoms.
• Take and post a lot more pictures again.
• Catch up on some things I wanted to show you.
• Make progress in my knitting project.
• Decide on a paint color for my bedroom.
• Wear one of my new dresses.
• And meet up with a friend and fellow blogger!

What do you have planned?

Looking Back on April

Though Spring is shy this year, we did get some great weather this month. I expected to have more energy, but instead I got less. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but there were some wonderful things too:

• I treated myself to the raccoon above.
• Got some lovely things for my birthday.
• Reviewed MaryLou -a lovely jewelry shop- and sunglasses from Firmoo.
• Found some free things for my new place. Yay!
• Had a giveaway with Lix Hewett Photography.
• Spent a lot of time outdoors.
• Read a lot!
• Saw and bought some great things on Queen's Day.
• And reached my 1000th blogpost and 200.000 views!

How was your month? Did you do anything fun?

In The Mail...

That Vintage owner Sophie just never fails to amaze me with her beautiful wooden jewelry. When I found out I had won one of her pendants I was over the moon! It arrived today, and in the most beautiful packaging!

The myrtle pendant was just as stunning as I expected! The engraving really is perfect. And what a pretty pattern!

If you're not familiar with That Vintage I really urge you to check it out. It is full of jewelry. From pieces similar to this one, to much more elaborate pendants, to adorable earrings with birds or bunnies.

And Sophie has a lovely blog as well! It's full of updates on her work as well as some pretty things that caught her eye.

Sponsor Call: May

April has almost come to an end, which means it is time to send in those ads if you're hoping to advertise your blog or shop this May.

Here's a quick price list:

-Large ad: $20 - includes interview, tutorial or guest post ONLY 1 AVAILABLE!
-Regular ads: $8 or $20 for 3 months
-Small ads: $5 or $12 for 3 months


Giveaways and reviews are welcome as well. So there are plenty of options to gain more exposure!

Visit this page if you want more info or email me if you've already made a decision or have any questions.

Review: Firmoo

A little while ago Firmoo got in touch with me again to see if I'd be interested in reviewing another one of their glasses. The last pair was great so I picked some new shades for this summer and waited for the postman.

I didn't have to wait long, within a few days the doorbell rang and I got my new glasses! They arrived in a sturdy and classy box, along with a cleaning cloth. And even a drawstring bag as an alternative to the case and a whole little kit for replacing the little screws if that were to be necessary.

I'm not expecting any emergency DIYs any time soon though, as the quality seems to be very good. All the parts are attached by either screws or by hinges that are completely sunk into the plastic of the frame. And both the plastic and the metal look very pretty and show none of those seams you can get in cheaper shades.

Although there were lots of fun pairs to choose from I went with the classic look of the #OTO3574 tortoise edition. I really love the colors, the shape and the metal details. Besides, it always pays to go with a timeless look.

My favorite thing about them is that they're so comfortable! I often find myself getting annoyed by the the legs being too tight, but that hasn't happened with these. They're tight enough to stay securely on your nose when you look down, but slender and loose enough to not notice it while wearing them.

Final Verdict:

I am really happy with these shades. I like the way they look, the way they feel and how they match any outfit. The weather may not be fit for them yet, but when summer finally comes, I'll be prepared!

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Now if you're interested in getting a pair for yourself, be it sunglasses or prescription glasses, I have two deals for you here. If you're new to Firmoo you can get a pair for free and otherwise you can use the coupon below to get a 30% off anyway.

So if you're in need of some new glasses hop on over to Firmoo, try out their virtual try-on system and treat yourself to some new specs!

P.S. These are all my honest opinions. I was given these glasses by Firmoo to review, but I wasn't paid in any way. And I was also encouraged to give my objective opinion.

Lovely Movies: Paulie

It seems I couldn't resist doing two animal movies in a row. Paulie is a lot different than the one I reviewed last week though. Yes, both have animals and a little girl. And I'll admit they both made me cry, but apart from that they couldn't be more different.

As a kid from the 90s I tend to really enjoy 90s movies and this really is a perfect example. It was back when they didn't really care much for special effects, or the make-up/costume departments, but it was all about making a heartwarming story you could watch over and over again.

Pardon the trailer, I know you'll probably won't go out to buy the VCR these days, but I promise the movie is still fun to watch!

Wishlist

I've been pretty obsessed with Anna Wiscombe's wooden wall birds for the past year or so. I don't think I need to explain why, do I?

They're available by themselves, or in sets of two or three and she has loads of different designs and quite a lot of colors as well.

They come with a handy little "hang-piece" in the back so you can easily hang them on any wall without having pieces of string or anything showing.

If you want your birds to travel with you, that's possible as well, because there's a huge brooch collection full of pretty birds -and even a stray owl!-. Click here to go to the shop.

Argine

I'm not sure if this truly counts as an animation. It seems to be more of an illustrated slide-show, but it sure is stunning! It's like Rebecca Dautremer made a happy version of Coraline. Enjoy!

Amazing Art: Hong Yi

Have you seen what the artist Hong Yi has been doing to her meals lately? It is amazing! I've seen some pretty things made with vegetables and fruit before, but these definitely take the cake. Enjoy!