Good Things

There were so many good things that happened in 2011!

I was inspired by so many things, saw wonderful sights, read many great things, both abroad and in Hungary and on great blogs run by great girls! After all, it's all because of you that I started my own blog this year and it's been such a great experience! I met some lovely people online and I hope the coming year will bring some real-life blogger meetings too!

I had the luck to work together with an amazing photographer, Zsófi Raffay, and styled some really lovely ladies. The first time I had the chance to work as a stylist and I really hope 2012 will bring even more opportunities. I can't wait!

So many thrift shopping tours made me really happy (for instance when I got this dress, my favourite find of the year! :).

I draw and doodled and loved it all!

The times we spent together with my Boyfriend were wonderful... I don't want to be cheesy but really, I'm so happy we've found each other with Marco more than 7 years ago!

I think the days I spent in Croatia with him will always be a fond memory of mine... We were lucky to get a room where we saw the sea from our bed and woke with the rising sun. The loveliest time of the year.

I was also lucky enough to swim in the Atlantic this year and enjoy the many delights of Devon... The moment the ice cold waves rush over you and you're immersed in endorphins and laugh and jump and just want to hug the sea, it's unforgettable!

I got so much support from my Mum, my Boyfriend and my great friends, I'm so insanely lucky to have them! Oh, and our cat. She makes me happy every time I see her, which is no mean feat!

I also got actively involved in politics this year and going on demonstrations against the Hungarian goverment's crazy rulings made such a difference to my outlook on the world. Social consciousness plays an ever-increasing part in my life and I'm really glad about living my life with more to think about.

This year I've also made some decisions concerning career steps which I'm really glad I did, and I hope 2012 I will see my plans even more clear.

Last but not least, I have so many plans for this blog for 2012! I can't wait! :)

What was the best in 2011 for you? I'd love to hear!
Have a great New Year's Eve (I can't wait to dance the night away!) and all you wish for in the New Year!

Wearing: a thrifted dress by Tomasz Starzewski, Calzedonia tights, Vagabond shoes

and a handmade necklace that incorporates stone and glass... A Christmas gift.

The artist keeps it a secret how he molds the two. How amazing is it, really?

Christmas is in the Details

Happy Christmas to Everyone!

I hope looking at these pictures make you as happy as it makes me! Their atmosphere captured me the first time I saw them as a child, and I'm captivated since...

They are etchings by Arnold Gross, who creates minuscule worlds in dreamy colours, using a special colouring technique. He's probably my favourite artist and he inspired me in many ways, even in my hope to become a graphic artist.

Those familiar with Budapest - this drawing above is actually very accurate, only the real Budapest is not this idyllic... (Especially when taking part in a demonstration against the government's antidemocratic steps is what you do on the day before Christmas. By the way it was a very atmospheric demonstration. :)

Please click on the pictures to admire the gorgeous details! Looking through Arnold Gross's pictures is one of the most festive things I can imagine!

Here in Hungary we celebrate Christmas on the 24th, so I'm looking forward to decorating the tree and dressing up nicely and meeting a load of relatives and playing with little cousins all night! (Regardless of being a "grown up" I enjoy sharing the kids' happiness and trying out the new toys the most. :) For the first time, my Boyfriend is celebrating Christmas with us, so I'm looking forward to it even more!

Enjoy your holidays! :)



(Dear Arnold Gross, please don't take it as an offence that I posted your pictures, I love them and would like to spread the word so more people will love them all around the world! :)

Green Birthday

I'm green, regardless of the years that pass me by. Oh well, that's what I'm like.

This past week I've survived the extraction of my last remaining wisdom tooth, so I can also add that instead of gaining wisdom over time, I rather lose it. :) 

Anyway, I'm so happy my face is almost back to its normal size after a short detour to looking like a chipmunk, and then the Godfather, that I'll show you what I'm wearing on my birthday! :)

So many lovely blog friends have their birthdays in December, happy birthday again to those who already celebrated them and to those who will, in advance!

Wearing: Leather skirt: Second hand, Blouse: Jeans Club, Boots: Doc Martens, 

Leather bag: Deichmann, Earrings: C&A, Scarf: My Mum's, random tights, 
Essence nail polish (this time only one glittery layer:).

I've seen this before...

I've worn the same thrifted leather skirt in May at the festival for "pálinka", the Hungarian fruit brandy. You can read more about it if you click through here!

Double Glitter and More Colour

Two things to lift your spirits when it's cold outside and you're ill and need some cheering up.

 
You might be surprised to find me painting my nails with glittery nail polish, as I'm really not the glitter type of girl. But when you're coughing your head off and missing the Christmas spirit, it works, believe me.

I used two layers of a bluish nail polish already loaded with glitter, plus another golden one, with bigger glitter bits added.

Sorry for the poor pictures, my camera cannot deal with the amount of shine my nails emit.
To tell you the truth, me neither, I keep staring at my nails and turning them in the light.

Taking pictures of my nails totally makes me feel like I'm 16, so just to be on the safe side, let me add a foolproof DIY as well that you can happily do even in bed, and to inject some colour into the winter gloom!

Take a simple black blazer (which you thrifted in the hope of maybe creating some outfits that are at least a bit grown-up and sleek). Choose some colourful buttons you have collected over the years (or bought a bottleful of them in Liberty when you were in London and felt a strong urge to get something that wasn't gonna hurt your budget but would still have Liberty patterns on).

Cut off the black buttons and sew on the colourful ones, preferably with colourful thread. I chose bright pink, of course. When in doubt, choose the harshest colour available!

I'm trying my best to cure myself and dare the cold to take some outfit pictures, preferably with my newly re-buttoned blazer, but till then, have a colourful and happy winter! :)

Stuff used: Essence Colour and Go nail polishes, Second hand blazer and Liberty buttons.

P.S.: I've created a Google+ profile, so if you're using Google+, look for Madeline Quaint!
I still haven't figured it all out. :)

The Sea, The Sea

So my dear friends, I've been away. Here...

I went to England to see my Boyfriend, who works there at the moment, and we spent most of the time just absorbing the presence of the sea. Looking through the pictures in wintry Budapest, I hardly believe I had been there...

This time I didn't dare getting into the ice cold sea, though my Boyfriend went in a good few times! That's him!

What amazes me is the scope of the Atlantic. How enormous things can be!

And when you look through the rock pools, how tiny...

That's the magic of the seaside.

Oh, and the sunsets...

It's almost impossible to believe that this beauty exists, and that I had the chance to experience it. How wonderful the Atlantic is in the winter! 

Ice Flower

I remember a blogger mentioning how common it was to find an original Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress in thrift shops, and how you'll eventually meet the one that's your size. ( I forgot the source, sorry.) I thought, oh well, probably in the US... So I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted this DVF dress in one of my favourite second hand shops!

One thing I always look out for when second hand shopping is materials I couldn't afford new, and silk is definitely one of them. A heavy silk jersey wrap dress, what else can you wish for for the winter? A pattern called Ice Flower, maybe. Which is what this lovely pattern is called, which I've found out after some online detective work. It makes me think of ghosts of jellyfish rather than flowers, but that's just my personal weirdness. 

Oh, and it cost just the same as all the other, cotton or polyester, no-name dresses... After finding out how much these wrap dresses cost new, I'm really marvelling at my luck now!

This shot reminds me of the days I used to do Hungarian folk dancing, as this twirl looks just like a folk dance move!
I was just wondering how many time Hungarian folk dance and DVF was mentined in one page when I found this interesting blog entry of Diane's looking through the DVF website. Guess what, she visited Budapest in the summer! Really nice of her that she writes about her experiences and am I glad she liked my city!

Wearing: Second hand DVF dress, Calzedonia tights, Chinese booties, 

Promod trench, C&A hat and scarf.

I've seen this before... 

A new feature, yay! In this section you can click over to a previous outfit featuring certain components of the current one. (Gosh, that sounds businesslike!)

In other words, check out my remixes, girls. :)

Same trench, different season: The Wind of Change, my first post ever in glorious spring!

Illustrated Shoot - Hearts of Gold

It's rather nice when Mother Nature provides us with golden accessories - like these fallen leaves.

December is on the doorstep with the festive season setting in. Obviously we don't celebrate Thanksgiving over here in Hungary, but to all the US bloggers - have a great time celebrating! If I could thank you for anything, it would be your continual support of my little blog.

Thank you, all of you with hearts of gold all over the world, for taking the time to read my words, leave comments, share your views! You make my life so much brighter! :)

Spreading some love always feels nice. :)

Wearing: Promod dress, Second hand jacket, Accessorize tights, Chinese shoes, 

Jojó Art Shop handmade felted scarf, Promod belt from another skirt, 

Jeans Club beads, H&M flowers in my hair.

Glamour in the City

Are you wondering how the hat goes with this outfit? Well, I didn't choose it to wear for myself, but carried it to a photoshoot I had the pleasure styling!

We had such a great time the day before with Gabi, the subject of the portrait/glamour session, working out her outfits and combining pieces of her wardrobe and clothes and accessories I'd brought. The main thing for me was to create looks she'd feel comfortable and great in - and most importantly, truly herself.
Here are some of the many great pictures Zsófi took that day.

Meet wonderful Gabi, with hairclips made up by me with flower pins I'd brought, after Zsófi's genious suggestion to use fallen leaves.

How gorgeous is the setting? No wonder we couldn't resist playing with the leaves!

(You might remember this overdress of mine from this guest post over at The Ginger Diaries blog. It suits Gabi so much better! :)
Here are some other pictures in another outfit - a darker tone in another great setting, a steep old street.

Zsófi is a brilliant portrait photographer - catching so much of Gabi's personality, and so many facets of it.

It wasn't the first time we worked together with Zsófi Raffay on a photoshoot and I sincerely hope there will be many others! :) Here's Zsófi's website and her blog, plus her Facebook!

I'm wearing: 

Promod trench, Takko jeans, Shoe Zone boots, Zara bag, Chinese scarf, Debenhams hat.
Gabi's wearing:
In the first look: Her own dress and shoes,  my overdress and trench, hairclips by mother nature. :)
In the second look: Her own dress, coat and scarf, and my Debenhams hat.

Illustrated Shoot - The Day of

These pictures are inspired by John Wyndham's book, The Day of the Triffids.

As you might have guessed, it describes how giant human-eating plants take over the Earth.

It sounds quite like a terribly corny horror, I know. :) But it's much more about human nature than creatures of fantasy. It describes a post-apocalyptic London haunted by armed bands so well, sensible Englishness turned upside down and inside out, that when I went to London and my bus went past places mentioned in the book, the memories of the Triffids welled up really strongly. I'll always see Swiss Cottage surrounded by man-eating plants.

Not a word of fashion was mentioned in this post, but at least you can read what I wore... :)

Wearing: Zara dress, Second hand silk jacket, Doc Martens, Random hat and scarf and tights,

Jojó Art Shop handmade flower pins.