Overcast

But patterns cheer me up!

Pink and Brown

Heels, Check!

Wearing: Thrifted dress, Accessorize hat with old scarf, Invázió shoes.

These shoes are just crazy. I'm pretty sure they're deadstock from the 90s, got them brand new last week (and they had a whole range of choice in sizes) for 300 Forints, which is less than 1,50 USD. They are so terrible they crossed the line into cool.

However, they are also very very uncomfortable, so even as I tried them on I envisaged a great DIY project where I can actually cut out pieces from them and assemble a totally crazy bunch of objects to stick on the remaining surfaces...

The actual heels are chunky and curved, sort of Miu Miu-like, so done up, these beauties - or rather beasts -  could be great for future crazy photoshoots!

Splash

After yesterday's black and white set, here's a splash of colour!

Wearing: Tamaris mocassins, Invázió leggings, Orsay dress, H&M belt and flowers.

I've been meaning to tell you about this sweet giveaway I won at a blog I really really like! I don't know if you know Kittenish Behaviour, but it was one of the first blogs I've ever started reading - and never stopped. Purdey has superb writing style and her adventures in dating and living in London are nothing short of amazing anyway! :) I won this great assortment of things, which she actually sent me twice as the package was returned to her the first time around! I love the creams and glosses, and been enjoying making a huge mess with the nail art pen, as I can't seem to master the art of it, haha! 

Thank you again, Purdey! :)

Sheer Determination

Wearing: 

Sheer top - Invázió, Random leggings, handmade necklace, handed-down sandals.

It rather looks like I'm back to blogging after all!

Ruth was lovely enough to award me a Liebster blog award, which is very nice especially given the fact that I was absent for such a long time from the blogosphere... These were her questions! If you feel like answering them on your blog or as a comment, please consider yourself invited! :)

1. What is your perfect Sunday afternoon?

Watching snow fall, having hot chocolate, putting my favourite clothes on, stroking a cat and reading.
2. Favourite vegetable?

I go into raptures when I eat broccoli. But really. I mean I moan.
3. If you were to hold a dinner party, who would you invite and why? (Logistical things like time, space and species do not apply here!)

Italo Calvino, Haruki Murakami, Marilyn Monroe, Martin Munkácsi, Brassai, Csontváry, my Boyfriend and my friends, plus some cats. Everyone would relax immediately because of the presence of the cats, Marilyn would dazzle everyone and the photographers would take amazing photographs and we could all talk books and sketch each other.
4. Have you been to all of the tourist monuments in your hometown?

I guess so, and many times, I like taking people around.
5. What item of clothing do you own more of than any other?

Maybe panties? That's very un-style-blogger-like, eh?
6. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18 and find line 4. What is the book and what does it say? No cheating!

"Miyawaki owned a few restaurants." Not a very interesting sentence! Unlike the book, Murakami's The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.
7. Worst book you ever read?

Légy jó mindhalálig. If you're Hungarian, you know what I'm talking about. And every schoolchild has to read it. Jeez, I still get pissed off when I think about it! :D
8. Do you attempt the parallel park, or find another space?

I gave up driving altogether. :)
9. Last status you posted?

About Coelho's claim that Ulysses was utter drivel. What other proof you need that that man is stupid beyond measure? (It seems like I get pissed off about literature a lot! Oh well, everyone has their passionate topics.)
10. How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?

9 and 29 at the same time. I remember the happiness when I turned 18 and got accepted to uni, I was so glad I didn't belong among teenagers anymore! Funnily enough I just skipped that age and ended up a child-hearted grown-up instead.
11. What's in the diary for tomorrow?

A thrifting trip in the afternoon! :)

Well, hello there!

Wearing: Thrifted dress, Deichmann shoes, H&M necklace,
a bracelet from a Lindt bunny and another random one.

An Addams Cousin, a Bird and a Poem

If you think this dress is weird, I don't blame you. What's more, I agree.






































But when I saw it, it reminded me of the Addams Family and how I used to love those films, and suddenly saw myself in the disguise of a long lost Addams cousin... Well, you get it! After a very very tireing week full of overtime work, it seemed like a good thing to wear, intriguing and menacing at the same time, as well as playful and girly.





















I put on owl earrings and a fascinator to match the rather interesting decoration of the dress, which looks like there's a dead bird stapled onto my chest.

Wearing: dress from a Chinese shop, Promod boots, Calzedonia tights, H&M fascinator, 

Jojó Art Shop leather cuff, and I forgot where the clip-on earrings are from.

It's the Day of Poetry today in Hungary, celebrating my favourite Hungarian poet's birthday. Whenever I start reading his poems, emotions well up within me with such force, they always blow me away. Attila József, I hope you're happy, wherever you are.






































Attila József: The Audit is Done

I've trusted always in myself, alone.
This hasn't cost me dear, for what I own
is absolutely nothing. Or at least
not more than it would cost a slaughtered beast.
I held my own in spite of fear and doubt -
I lived, I blended in, and I stood out.
I gave as good as they were giving me,
I paid with love when someone gave me free
and when a woman led me on and teased
I trusted her, why not? Let her be pleased!
I scrubbed the deck, I heaved the bucket rope,
to clever gents I played the stupid dope.
I paddled whirligigs, bread, paperbacks,
whatever sold, poems and almanacs.
To die in bed one day, that's what I hope,
not in a battle and not on a rope.
The audit's done. The facts are simply these:
I've lived - and people die of this disease.

1936

(Translated from the Hungarian by Peter Zollman,
in: 43 Poems by Attila József, Maecenas, Budapest, 2005.)

Illustrated Shoot - The Leprechauns Made Me Do It

Obviously they like pixies, so they persuaded me to get the new haircut. Altough I don't blame them at all, as I love it more and more. Drying my hair takes two minutes, and I don't wake up every morning with what looks like a stack of hay that was thrown at me randomly.







































I have a lot to thank the Leprechauns for, or Irish mythology in general, as I ended up at English major at the University I attended because of a really inspirational musician, who plays in an Irish band called Bran, who held storytelling evenings in Budapest. It turned out he has a lecture at my university every week and I decided it must be a good place if studying there involves Irish folk tales.







































So I proceeded with my Irish Studies and met my Boyfriend through it all, and we travelled to Ireland together... The Aran Islands are still my dream destination, a wonderfully magical place, where mythological creatures frolick around the stone fences, unseen but felt by the random tourist.





























I was gonna post these pictures somewhat earlier but fell ill so I couldn't finish the drawings till now - a bit of a belated St. Patrick's Day! I could just say it was because of the Leprechauns... Let's say it was. :)

 I thought three different types of lace would look good together, hence the all-black outfit. Hope you can sort of see!

Wearing: Thrifted top and skirt, H&M scarf, gifted belt, Deichmann shoes, primark headband.

Pictures and drawings by me.

Illustrated Shoot - Peacock

Peacock feathers remind me of Art Nouveau, of lean and soft lines, gentle waves, pleasing symmetry and the most beautiful deep and broken colours. Of gardens with winding paths that lead to sweeping green grass where birds flaunt their colourful attire. Of misty evenings when hazy shapes lurk in the shadows...





































And if we’re talking blogs, of Pandora, of course.






































And the headpiece fixation continues... I created this one from two separate headbands bought in England, which I couldn’t resist, as they immediately made me yearn for beauty. That’s a good thing. :)






































The weather is terrilby wintry nowadays, yesterday snow was swirming everywhere during a few blizzards through the day and cars went slower than strolling people. Hardly weather conditions that beckon you to take pictures outside! So sorry, but indoors pictures it is for a while!

Wearing: DIY headpiece created from Primark headbands, gifted gown,
mismatching nail varnishes by Miss Sporty and Essence.

Hair Extravaganza - Your Style!

Early one morning (I don't know about you but sometimes I get really good ideas at the crack of dawn) I realised my previous post would be a great opportunity to prepare a little surprise for you! All of you who left some ideas in the comments regarding what your dream hair would be like if you could try out anything, may just get what they wished for!

First Loren shared that she would like to try having a pink pixie cut one day. I think she would look brilliant. Proof? Below! :)

Sarah actually didn't go into details, but I know she would like to have VERY red hair. I always thought it would suit her so well, so I had to give it a try... What do you think, Sarah?








































The Waves has the coolest haircut, which I managed to re-draw into quite a traditional one - sorry! She said she has problems with hairdyes not coming out as they should but would love to have red hair. By the way, this photo of her is so beautiful, whatever her hair colour!  

Gracey said she would have tried out many hair colours if her hair wasn't so dark, and I immediately saw her with a good few different colours. I ended up drawing purple as I think it's both very cool and actually becoming for her. I hope you agree, Gracey, but if not, at least you've seen yourself with purple hair! :)














































Allison has the most gorgeous shade of red hair and left a comment with a great idea. She said she would dye her hair blue or purple once it turns grey. I mean, just imagine old ladies with bright, colourful hair all over the city! I'll try to remember this when I turn 70.





























Jess wished for cotton candy pink hair, and the cotton candy association ended up running wild in my head, so not only is her hair pink, but big and curly too. It also matches her latest outfit miraculously! Especially her Lady Gaga top. :)



















Jess requested a beehive, with no special colours given so I tried to keep it sort of natural, for a change. Obviously I didn't succeed and drew the biggest beehive ever existed. It would be way too heavy to carry around all day, lucky it's just a doodle!





























That's all for now, those of you who wished for a 'do, I hope you enjoy your new looks! :)
Those of you who didn't, visit these Lovely Ladies to find out what they actually look like, and look around their great blogs! And beware, you will never know when the sneaky illustrator will strike again! Be careful what you wish for! :)

Illustrated Shoot - Hair Extravaganza

A word of warning: I enjoyed illustrating this post a bit too much.
Prepare for some shocking hairstyles! :)






































Who doesn't want a cloud of blue hair? I couldn't say no to my imagination.






































Hot pink... As odd as it sounds from a girl who never had Barbies and flatly refused liking anything pink as a child, I think it actually suits me.






































As a teenager I wanted to dye my hair green. Seeing this I'm quite glad I didn't. :)





















Fairytale hair, how wonderful it would be to have hair this huge!






































 This one is almost like my own hair... I have to say I'm keeping the red. :)

What sort of extreme hairstyle would you try out if you could wish for anything regardless of reality? :) 

Wearing: Thrifted dress with a knotted crop top from Zara, Calzedonia tights, 

Vagabond shoes and Primark headband.

Oh, my blog now has a Facebook page.
Do come and have a look, that's where the party is!

www.facebook.com/madelinequaint

Illustrated Shoot - Snowing Inside

It's snowing inside me but it would be wonderful if it snowed outside too!






































This winter we only saw about half an hour of snowfall, and I dearly miss watching snowflakes glisten in the halo of streetlights and seeing kids sleighing down the slope near to our flat.






































One of my first memories is standing in the garden of the nursery school and watching the snow fall on my coat, then looking closely and realising that it was made up of tiny, symmetric starshaped crystals...






































Then when I was in primary school, one year the first snow fell on my birthday and my father said he organised it for me. I was so happy!





















I also remember walking the streets of Budapest with my first boyfriend and realising that heavy snowflakes cast little shadows on the ground - you can see the snowflake and its shadow nearing towards each other as they fall.






































At least in my memories I can always see the snow!

Drawings by me

Wearing: thrifted silk blouse, Takko jeans, Converse shoes and H&M flowers.

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.

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.