Be Inspired! - By Pau from Titine and Totoche

Hi all, I'm still on holiday, but don't despair, I've asked some of my favourite blogger-friends to fill in for me! I loved reading about Pau's sources of inspiration, I hope you find them just as uplifting that I did! Hop over to their blog to read more about Venezuelan life and subtle and fun style! 

Hello! My sister and I blog over at Titine & Totoche, though she’s more behind the scenes. We’re from Venezuela and we love fashion, food, nature, travelling, cats and music. :)
When Madeline asked me to guest post on her blog, I was so happy and slightly nervous because the task included finding inspiring pictures. I always see pictures around the internet or in books that I like or make me think about other things, but inspiring? I really had to think about what inspires me, and because of it, this was an excellent mental exercise.

Source: http://bit.ly/pH1V23

What inspires me: 1500 musicians (choir & orchestra) playing together

The Orquesta Juvenil Simón Bolívar and its director Gustavo Dudamel are currently a source of
great pride in Venezuela. In a politically divided country, through their amazing music they’ve been able to bring us together and get lots of recognition abroad. This picture then, symbolizes the importance of music; it also reflects hard work and dedication.

Picture by Titine and Totoche

What inspires me: Books/ Stories/ Novels

Through books we learn about new places and life lessons, historical events and imaginary ones too, we bond with characters and travel through time. I’ve never ever cried watching a movie, but I’ve cried reading books.

Source: http://bit.ly/rqTw6Q

What inspires me: Music, love, song and dance

This is one of my favorite movies. The song, the dance, the reason why he’s actually dancing and the rain/ splashing action are absolutely fantastic.

Source: http://bit.ly/q59wUX

What inspires me: A mountain range that hugs my city

My city is located in a valley, surrounded by the most beautiful mountain range El Ávila. It’s visible from the east to west of the city, and it’s a symbol of cultural identity. Its greatness and changing colors make me instantly happy and calm. The first picture is a painting by Manuel Cabré who throughout his career only painted the Ávila.

Thank you so much Madeline!! :)

You're very welcome Pau, thank you! :)

Be Inspired! - By Waves from No Signposts in the Sea

Dear Readers, at the moment I'm on my way to England for a much anticipated holiday, yay!

So instead of me, some of my favourite blogger-friends will feature on my blog. I asked them to choose a picture - any picture - that inspires them, and explain why or how.

I'm so proud to present the picture that Waves from No Signposts in the Sea chose as her inspiration, and the brilliant piece of writing she sent me. I'll definitely re-read it many times, and I recommend everyone to read her blog too - she inspires me to think out of the box when it comes to blogging, to write more and write better, to step over the consumerist side of fashion blogging and let my creativity lead.

It is the custom in some parts of western Finland to let an old house rot while the new generation builds a new one on the same lot. It is a bizarre sight: huge, wooden mammoths of houses barely standing in tatters, while a newly constructed building towers beside it, full of life. You wonder why the people didn't just fix up the old house, but for whatever reason this is the way it has been done for generations. I guess no one really questions the logic, apart from outsiders like myself.

Two years ago I got to visit one of these old, abandoned houses. It hadn't been lived in in decades, but it still stood there courageously, next to a huge lake, its outside paint worn out completely, its rooms filled with the strange smell of rotting wood and mold. Musty wallpaper leapt off the walls in shreds. Swallows had found their way in and built a nest in the kitchen. The wood-burning stove lay there rusted, and a selection of round, metal-rimmed eyeglasses hung off the wall, gathering dust. I took a lot of pictures of the house that day. For you, I chose one of ceiling paint chipping down. I am drawn to things old, broken, textured, lost.
Many people find images of abandonment heart-breaking. There is something gut-wrenching about the visible evidence of no one caring. And yet there is beauty in decay - be it in a wrinkly, toothless smile of a 100-year-old, in wilting flowers, a road with potholes, the punches we take, the sadness we encounter in life through loss and carelessness. There is beauty where it doesn't even exist. One of the most inspiring experiences in human life is the inevitability of heartbreak.

Summer Nights

After surviving record heat for a good few days, I'm finally off on a holiday tomorrow to escape the heat! (I'm going to England!:)
I'm looking forward to feeling free and just letting go of everything! :)

Being away will be a great opportunity to recharge, get new ideas and find inspiration - not only blogging-wise. So... I asked some wonderful blogger-friends to fill in for me while I'm away and choose a picture that inspires them and explain how or why. The posts I've already received are absolutely amazing -  thank you so much, Girls! So check back soon, I hope you will find their choices and descriptions just as inspiring as I did!

These wonderful pictures capturing Budapest nights were taken by the amazingly talented Zsófi Raffay.

You can't really see what I'm wearing but it's a black H&M dress and belt, a pair of dark blue Tamaris gladiator sandals, a black Zara bag, a turquoise H&M belt worn as a bracelet and a turquoise scarf worn as a bolero.

Heatwave

Some pictures from the rainforest... Or from a Budapest garden.

It's 40 degrees Celsius in our neck of the woods, if you're interested. Which is a 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Woooh... A good enough reason for not being very talkative - let the atmosphere speak for itself!

I'm still smiling though! Soon it's holiday time! :)

What I wore:

Dress: Second Hand, Sandals: Bata, Hat: Accessories, Belt: My Sister's, 
Bracelet: Handed Down, Flower: Jojó Art Shop

The Little Black (and Cheap) Dress

This little black dress from H&M is the perfect blank canvas. I love the lenght, the simplicity, the price... But most of all, how utterly comfortable it is. It's flattering without showing too much skin or being constricting. I'm gonna wear this dress like half of the summer.

I love this jacket and I'm so happy to show it off to you in this summery ensemble - luckily the weather's quite cool these days. It's a traditional garment from Transylvania, beautifully handmade and to top it all, it's probably older than me.

This next one is rather a stupid shot, but you can see how the lining of the jacket is made using two totally and absolutely different materials. Quaint, ha? That's why I love it!

I'd like to thank each and every one of you who left me nice comments and good advice about my poor back. It feels much better now - I swim a lot, do excercises and still sleep on the floor. (However horrid sleeping on the floor sounds, it's actually really comfortable.) Apart from the water taking out almost all the colour of my hair, which I don't really mind anyway, I'm happy about my progress. Thank you again for your kindness!

And now for something completely different: If you use Chrome you might not be able to see Disqus comments, so cannot make any either... Please do not despair, and change to incongito mode, where everything will work (click on the wrench thing in the corner and choose opening a new page in incongnito mode). Really upsetting, I hope they work something out soon... I love reading your comments so anything that hinders you from writing is my enemy.
I'll keep stalking Disqus about it. In my scary dark sunglasses.

What I Wore: Dress: H&M, Jacket: Handed Down, Sandals: Handed Down, Earrings: C&A, Belt: I think my Mum made it, Sunglasses: I don't remember, Flowers (in hair) (just seen) (haha, I was always amused by the "just seen" thing in magazines): H&M.

A Day Away - Lake Balaton

On the train again!

Boyfriend and me went off for a day to see friends by Lake Balaton, the biggest lake in Hungary, simply called „The Hungarian Sea”. We’re a landlocked country, so obviously we all have strong feelings about this huge lake, as well as myriads of childhood memories. Honestly, the whole country holidays at Balaton.

The first glimpses of the lake. Our luck – a rainy day, with storms ahead… The sky was interesting though.

Lake Balaton’s prime years were in the 60’s and 70’s, up into the 80’s. The reason might seem strange if you’re unfamiliar with Eastern European history. When the Berlin wall was built in 1961, it physically separated two parts of the same country, Germany. Families, lovers were parted, forbidden to meet for years and years. Sounds absurd doesn’t it?
After socialist Hungary opened its borders for Western tourists, our „Sea” became the meeting point of East- and West Germans, who otherwise couldn’t have met up easily. It became a place where Germany was united again.

We went to see an amazing exhibition in this wonderful building, the Vaszary Villa, of video installations, where some of these long-ago tourists talked about their summers by Lake Balaton. Some reminisced about the happy, carefree cameraderie, others remembered finally meeting their father after years of separation, there were touching reels of old film, oozing love, showing a girl scene after scene, enjoying Balaton’s delights, and then there were the haunting stories of several people who were smuggled to West Germany after first travelling to Hungary.

These two cars, typical of the East- and West German tourists, a Trabant and a Mercedes, tied together with the Hungarian stripes, are an absolutely wonderful symbol of it all…

If you read German, here’s a link where you can see more:  http://www.hungaricum.de/balaton

Although this time we missed most of the summery delights of Lake Balaton, I still loved its overcast beauty and the stories at the German Unity at Lake Balaton exhibition... I'll definitely return...