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| Adoration | 17th April 2009 |
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I don’t need to wait until Thursday to let you know what makes my world sparkle!
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13
I adore:
1. Sleeping in. I love warm sheets on early weekend mornings & the way they crinkle. I love having time to dream & wander about in fantasy. I love waking up next to someone awesome.
2. Cloudwatching. I like to watch the clouds on the way to work. I don’t look for pictures or images. I just enjoy the shapes the way they are & let my mind wander. My favourite clouds are cirrus clouds, the ones that are high up & full of ice. Delicious!
3. AWESOME! My new word it seems! I’ve found myself using the word awesome to describe just about everything. It’s so much more refreshing than the usual “nice” or “fine” that I used to pepper my speech with. & you know what, the more I use it, the more it applies. Life is pretty awesome right now.
4. Homemade pizza. Nothing beats pizza you made yourself. The choice of toppings & the perfect cooking time make for a ridiculously tasty dinner (or lunch, or breakfast!)
5. New appliances. It’s nice to have a few conveniences after a period of denial. Boiled water is one of them ;-) Can you say pot of tea?
6. My new pen. I recently bought a new pen. It’s a glorious Parker pen that glides over the paper like nothing I’ve seen before & leaves a beautiful trail of black ink. I love the weight & feel of it in my hand. It’s just itching to record my thoughts. I’m thinking about giving it a name.
7. Crispy fresh fruit. I’m riding the deliciously kaleidoscopic high that is fruit salad.
What do you adore right now?
| Where in the world is Bella? |
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Image by margolove
This is both a quick update & an apology. My world has been in a state of flux for the last week or so & will probably continue this way for at least another week & a half. I’m adjusting to a new job - one that doesn’t allow me to commune with my computer as often as I would usually - & I’m moving house. Yes, it’s stressful, but no, it’s not a bad thing. I’m embracing these changes & hoping to get back into a regular posting routine once all the wrinkles are ironed out. I won’t abandon you!
So if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been for the last couple of days I apologise! Hopefully soon enough, you & I will be able to get back to weaving the wonderful tapestry that it Bella’s Threads.
<3
~Bella
| Affirmation | 27th March 2009 |
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Have a lovely weekend everybody!
| Threads from the Web | 25th March 2009 |
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| Coconut + Vanilla Yoghurt Tartlets with Lime |
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This is the recipe for the cute little tartlets that I made & featured last week. I had these mini tart cases in the pantry for a good while now & was thinking of something fun to do with them. At first I thought that they would end up as miniature quiches but then my sweet tooth took hold & I altered an old recipe to fit. Because the recipe is so small I’ve measured everything out in grams. I used a handy electronic kitchen scale & the tare/zero function to measure everything out perfectly. I don’t have mad food-photography skills like Luxirare (mostly because my hands were covered on sugar) so without photos I hope my instructions are clear!
Coconut + Vanilla Tartlets with Lime
- 35 miniture pre-baked tartlets cases
- 30 grams dessicated coconut
- 30 grams softened butter
- 40 grams vanilla yoghurt
- 90 grams caster sugar
- 1 egg (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Beat the butter & sugar together & then beat in the egg. Add the juice, zest, vanilla yoghurt & vanilla essence & mix well. Gently fold in the dessicated coconut & use a teaspoon to scoop into pre-baked miniature tartlet cases. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for fifteen minutes (or until puffed, golden & delicious). They will deflate a little when removed from the oven. Serve sprinkled with vanilla sugar. I think these are best eaten while warm from the oven but they will keep pretty well for a couple of days, provided you can resist them for that long!
I found a bunch of these on the footpath while walking home. They’re flyers for a flyer distribution service. Apparently Aivis & Mandy will deliver your flyers into people’s homes for just $40. They’ll also leave a few lying around on the footpath, you know, just in case. Bonus points for littering! I had a quiet chuckle & then put them all in the nearest bin.
So Miss Constantine of Cupcakes & Mace has tagged me. Here are the questions & my answers!
What is your current obsession?
Packing things. I’m a little bit obsessed with getting all my possessions sorted out.
What are you wearing now?
Floaty floral print dress. This dress is falling apart because I really do wear it too much.
Do you nap a lot?
Not really. But I do take “day-dream breaks” so I can just sit & imagine things for ten or so minutes without being disturbed.
Why is today special?
Tonight is Nerd Night! This always makes me super excited!
What would you like to learn to do?
Forgive indiscriminately.
Image by Jeff Bauche
What’s for dinner?
Probably chilli with corn chips!
What was the last thing you bought?
A lemon & four limes. Hey, you asked!
What are you listening to right now?
My intuition.
What is your favourite weather?
I like cold rainy days & windy days & warm sunny days & thunderstorm days.
What is on your bedside table?
I don’t have a bedside table.
What’s your style?
I’m still in the process of figuring this out. I don’t think it’s anything static though. My tastes are very fluid & unfixed.
What is your most challenging goal right now? If you could have a superpower what would it be?
To make people smile the moment I meet them.
If you could take an all expenses paid trip to one place where would it be?
The Czech Republic. Again.
Name the things you cannot live without.
Daydreams, warm beverages in general, cheese, colour, public transport.
What would you like to have in your hands right now?
My destiny!
Image by checoo
What would you like to get rid of?
Bad vibes, nasty thoughts, junk & stuff in general.
What was the last book you read?
Pyramids by Terry Pratchet. I read a new Discworld novel each week - it’s a guilty pleasure.
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Scotland.
What languages can you speak?
English, LOLcat & smatterings of Czech, German & Latin.
What language(s) do you want to be able to speak?
As many as possible!
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I don’t ever want to grow up thank you very much.
What is the worst job you’ve had?
I worked in a food court & it was mostly physical labour & my boss had a habit of standing too close.
Name something that makes you deliriously happy.
Getting hugs via a text message. It’s almost as good as the real thing except that you never expect them.
| Today’s Threads | 20th March 2009 |
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(from yesterday…)
- White cotton stripe bouse
- Black satin sash
- Black cotton slip dress
- Black knee-high socks
- White Doc Martens
- Silver bangle
- Silver & amber ring
- faux croc bag
Schoolgirl chic. For some reason I decided to wear bright red lipstick. I think it was these photos of Emma Watson that made me do it! Anyhow, this is what I pranced around in while running errands. It was a really hot & humid day so I returned home looking a bit dishevelled. Despite all the cotton I was still too hot! I think this outfit would look better with some red high heels a la Agent Lover & a bow tie instead of a sash.
| 15 ways to make a bad day worse & feel awful |
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Image by mrlerone
1. Listen to sad & downbeat music. Music has a profound affect on mood. So if you’re looking for a sure-fire way to feel grumpy put on some sorrowful or angry tunes.
2. Drink a glass of wine. Or a bottle of vodka. Most drugs & alcohol are mood amplifiers & will enhance whatever your feeling at the time. Drinking heavily or taking drugs when you’re feeling down will only make things worse. Bonus points for drinking alone.
3. Pick a fight with someone you care about. Be a completely selfish diva & yell & call them names. Not only will you feel really guilty, but you will also have no one to talk to either.
4. Drink soft drink or eat lots of sugar. Sugar provides a temporary high. But after your body has processed all that glucose you’ll be left will sugar withdrawal & feeling lethargic & depressed.
5. Think nasty thoughts about everyone. The people on the bus, the chick at the checkout & that guy who’s walking in front of you taking up all the room on the footpath. Selfish bastard. Spread your negative vibes!
6. Watch the news. The nightly news is full of conflict, violence & horror & it’s all real. If you want to feel bad in no time then immerse yourself in stories about people at their worst.
7. Stay at home. Don’t go out & don’t talk to anyone. Even the most hardcore introverts will eventually become lonely if left by themselves for too long. Follow their example. Black out your windows.
8. Frown lots. Also, don’t forget to be rude & inconsiderate. Like attracts like, so you’re bound to bump into other grumpy people this way.
9. Read depressing stories & poetry. Shakespeare’s tragedies are a good place to start (Othello, Hamlet etc) East of Eden & The Bell Jar are two other contenders.
10. Likewise, watch gloomy films. A Scanner Darkly, The Grave of the Fireflies or just about any film about the Second World War are three that come to mind. Watch them alone.
11. Eat unhealthy food. You’ll feel really sluggish & guilty for treating your body like crap.
12. Remember every horrible thing ever said to you. All the insults & hurtful things that people have said to you over the years. Believe each one. Give those other people power over you.
13. Bottle it up. Refuse to cry & instead bury all your emotions. Then you will be resentful & even passive aggressive to those around you.
14. Wear lots of black. Don it with a sombre significance as if you are in mourning.
15. Quit smoking & drinking caffeine cold turkey & without any help or support. Watch as you grow more anxious & moody. If you do thins right you’ll go back to smoking or drinking coffee pretty quickly & then hate yourself for it.
Image by danske
Alternatively, you could realise that happiness is decision that you have to make on your own. Life is a matter of perspective & you can make the choice to be happy. Read 15 ways to lift your mood & feel awesome! & congratulate yourself on a job well done. Because you’re awesome & you know it!
<3
Product Details
Kara is travelling to Japan for the first time. She wants to eat lots of sushi & buy all the Kawaii trinkets she can get her hands on. During the flight over she gives herself a manicure with delicious pink nail polish & listens to Blondie on her ipod. She’ll make little videos of her travels in Japan & put them up on youtube for her family & friends. Kara packed her lime green Doc Martens, copies of Fruits magazine, a rhinestone tiara & bottles of her favourite bubble bath.
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During her gap year Tory will travel to Argentina before returning to Sydney to complete her degree in Entomology. She will develop a fondness for locro & yerba tea that will last a lifetime. Tory plans to climb the Andes & visit the Ibera Wetlands, making friends along the way. In her duffel bag she packs Hemingway novels & four pairs of jeans. While preparing for the flight home in Buenos Aires she looses her camera. Luckily, all the photos were on Flickr anyway.
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On her way to Vienna to see her grandmother, Olivia daydreams about taking possible shopping trips to London & Paris afterwards. While in Vienna Olivia & her Oma will shop for sweet pastries, go to the Volkstheater Wein, gossip about relatives & catch the tram just about everywhere. She will return home with her suitcase full of German magazines, old photos & a pair of Louboutin’s she managed to pick up from Paris, of course.
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Isabella decided to take the train to Krakow because she thought it would be more romantic. She’s travelling there to begin studying at art school & hopes that the two years of Polish language classes will have been useful. On the weekends she’ll sketch pictures of the Jewish Quarter in charcoals & sell them to tourists. Besides all the vintage hats & gloves in her suitcase, she has packed her folio, conte crayons, a broken medium format camera & peppermint sticks. Unfortunately, Isabella forgot to pack anything warm to wear.
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Product Details
Lauren is going to Ibiza to meet up with old friends. They will stay out all night dancing to gabba & singing at the top of their lungs. During the day Lauren plans to sunbake by the side of hostel pool reading magazines & flirting with cute boys, though most of the time she takes a nap instead. She packs her neon yellow dancing boots, purple sandals, pots of glitter face paint, fishnet stockings as well as plenty of sarongs & berocca.
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Product Details
Morgan is traveling from New York to Edinburgh for a business trip. She’ll stop by Holyrood while there just to see what all the fuss is about. She carefully packed all the business documents in her suitcase, alongside her tailored suits & black patent pumps. Underneath everything she hid a leather riding crop & her teddy bear Mustafa. During the stopover in LAX she taps away nervously on her Vaio & updates her facebook status compulsively. “STILL waiting at the airport”
