meadowpond-tearoom - Tumblr blog

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Dreamy art + ♫

Youtube recommended me this lovely album the other day, and when I clicked, I was like "Wow... that sounds cool!" It's a rare thing when I really like female voices, but these three ladies, each one of them, have very sweet, tender yet powerful vocals, and listening to them is indeed a pleasure. So, here we are - SAY SHE SHE, an amazing female trio, plus some dreamy art for a relaxing Saturday evening!

"𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢." - ᴹᵃʳˢʰᵃ ᴺᵒʳᵐᵃⁿ

↑ Claude Monet

↑ Enz River by Richard Mierniczak, Germany | Saatchi Art

↑ Nenuphars 5. painting by Richard Mierniczak, Germany | Saatchi Art "The water lilies in the pond, inspired by Claude Monet's famous painting, present an enchanting scene full of color variations and delicate reflections."

↑ [Water Lilies, 1914-17 by Claude Monet], here↑ is a 100% hand-painted oil painting reproduction on canvas painted by one of the professional artists at ipaintings.com

↑ .via happyheidi

↑ Lakeside View by Ruth McDonald, 2023 .via fravery

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today's art find: Albert Dürer Lucas (British, 1828-1918)

"𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡, 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒." – Gary Snyder

"𝑀𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠, 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒." – Claude Monet

"𝐼𝑓 𝑦��𝑢 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑛." – Frances Hodgson Burnett

"𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒." – Gretel Ehrlich

"𝐴𝑑𝑜𝑝𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝐻𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Beautiful illustrations by a russian artist, Boris N. Lapshín (1948)

"𝑊𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑠. 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ, 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝑇𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑." - M.Prischwin (1873–1954), a russian novelist and prose writer who wrote mostly about nature.

...I fell in love with these illustrations right away when I saw them in a thin, paperback book (an issue of 1988) at my friend's house. As you might guess, the author was Mihail Prischwin. And I just had to take pics of them and share it here for you to enjoy too!

Love this style of painting...! It's like the foggy outlines of whimsical creatures weaving into images of amazing flora species, and familiar forest dwellers emerge out of nowhere.

"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑠, 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑢𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛, 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒; 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 – 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟: 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛, 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒." - M.Prischwin (1873–1954)

"𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑘 – 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑡ℎ, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒 – 𝑎 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑦." - M.Prischwin (1873–1954)

"𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑓 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑? 𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑜𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦?" - M.Prischwin (1873–1954)

"𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑑." - M.Prischwin (1873–1954)

“𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑡. 𝑀𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔.” - M.Prischwin (1873–1954)

"𝐽𝑜𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓, 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒, 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒." - M.Prischwin (1873–1954)

"𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑟." - M.Prischwin (1873–1954)

I've just checked it on google and it says that the works of this fantastic writer - he's famous for his picturesque, soulful nature descriptions - are translated into different languages. In my early youth, I used to skip the pages where they described nature because I thought it was boring. But now I have come to really enjoy it. So, I'm curious about his books, only afraid it wouldn't be easy to find them.

It was not easy either to find Prischwin's quotes on the internet. But, luckily, I came across an article at excellencereporter.com, where I got all the quotes you see here from.

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...I found this joyful blue-eyed company in a nearby town park :)

"𝐼'𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓, 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟, 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒." - found on Pinterest

[meadowpond-tearoom]

SPRING 2024 in pics and my way to embrace Slow Living 💕

...Today I would like to show you some photos of blooming trees captured during our spring walks. But it's not the only reason why I decided to make this post (I would share the pics anyway:). In short, I will share a lesson I learned on my journey to a more balanced and fulfilling life. ✿I've often noticed that some of the most interesting thoughts and solutions to problems I try to resolve with little success for quite some time come to me so naturally and effortlessly when I am at nature(!), as it was this time too when I was reflecting on the present topic. Usually, it's like sudden insights coming up in flashes, and the pieces of a puzzle are all at once put together into a beautiful and clear picture.

Then, when I start following "my own advices", my daily life does get so much easier and harmonious, and I can deal with my daily tasks as if they were a game of colourful blocks - it becomes not a task anymore, but a fun activity.

It's an absolute truth that Nature, whether we are out in the wild or among our favorite houseplants, makes us feel relaxed and at peace. And only in this state, when we are not in resistance, under the weight of negative emotions and thoughts, the access to necessary inner wisdom is getting unblocked. Truly, the hardest thing is not trying hard. :D

...Sincerely speaking, being present in that magical (no kidding:) state of the here and now has always been in my nature. I really hate being in a hurry and any fussing around does take the cake. Yet, in our demanding, high-speed society, we inevitably end up getting lost in a whirlpool of unceasing activities -- some really important and some we've been trained to think they are. And, without us even noticing it, we're no more in connection with our true essence. The only way to leave the hamster wheel, at least marking the first steps, literally sucking the very life out of you, is to take necessary time to sit still and think through any possible ways of keeping balance between your own pace at which you can comfortably act and the imposed external requirements.

My first suggestion here would be - if there's still currently no way to get off the carousel, there must be reward options added to compensate for the hectic schedule in one's free time. Even if it's only tiny bits of these little me-moments, they will be your lifebuoy keeping you afloat until you can essentially change your lifestyle. Otherwise, accepting, though involuntary, a destructive lifestyle will inevitably bring you to the moment when the organism finally runs out its resources to handle the constant pressure. Running on empty won't last for long, only you'll end up with lost years on the side, years you could have lived freely, with joy of the flow.

ツ...I even stumbled upon a very nice song on youtube with a title just right on topic, "Get outta there."

My inner perfectionist didn't make it any easier -- I often tried to pack my days with as much accomplished stuff as possible and, of course, with best results possible. I didn't even realize that my daily schedule looked like another person's week- or monthly plan. Even when I was occupied with things I loved, there was an invisible worm-hole pushing me faster and harder to get through my endless missions grinning sarcastically from the darkness of my subconscious.

It was like a fly in the ointment of my originally harmonious self which I was gradually moving away from with every new attempt to embrace the unembraceable.

"...just a little bit more and everything will be just right," I would often say to myself. I couldn't have been more wrong! No matter how much I did, I was focusing only on things still waiting to be done. It was beyond my comprehension why so many tasks were still pending no matter how much I loaded myself... It's not that I've now learned to easily measure by eye an appropriate amount of my daily tasks. It's really quite impossible to predict how everything would go. So, just with a preliminary sketch in mind of what I'm going to do, I calmly do what is planned, one thing at a time. And then, at the end of the day, I can see what my actual norm was. Now I feel grateful and satisfied with what I could do, even if it's only a quarter of what I initially intended.

Well, a little while back, I got another reminder to realize it's high time I finally mastered the art of Slow Living. And the reason was very banal - I just got so exhausted that I didn't have any forces to proceed even with trivial home routines. I didn't give a damn of whether I did something or not during the day. I just wanted to be in my own world, together with my senses. Just being and breathing. I began to do things which I could slowly and joyfully drown in, at my own pace, without checking the clock. I've been deliberately focusing on living that state every moment since then. And it started gently bringing me back to my true self.

...I've come across a funny but so true thought the other day - an american professor emeritus of medicine and the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Jon Kabat-Zinn suggests an idea that we are the civilazation of human doings and now need to learn how to be human beings!

...STATE over action. It's not only about slowing down physically . Very important is to pay attention to how you feel inside. You may look and act calm, but if you have this fussiness inside, it ruins the whole thing. That hectic inner state I happened to experience in my late childhood and early youth caused a disfunction in my thyroid (now thankfully almost healed:). A clear evidence how mind and emotions influence the physical body.

One more extra chance to finally learn the lesson was when I once cought a cold. Imagine, when you are in bed with fever, cough and other typical common cold pleasures, you do nothing from your normal routine and the only prevailing thought is how to get better the fastest possible. Usually it takes you a week to recover, and guess what? Everything is fine! The Earth is still spinning and everything goes its normal course around you in spite of the fact that you've temporarily fallen out of the clip.

...Another paradoxical thing I noticed since I started learning to live in a constant state of mindfulness was that in a slow mode I can accomplish much, much more than I used to when I was really hard on myself.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” -- Lao Tzu

......I wish my past self could read all I have written here back then, thus I would have been saved from that stupid anxiety poisoning my reality for quite some time. And I am not a workaholic, you know. It's just that I have many interests, I love knowledge and always enjoy filling myself with new information and ideas that will feed my soul and that, ideally, I can practically implement. I just wanted to soak in and process as much necessary stuff as possible... And I didn't even notice how it became a strict duty rather than a natural joy of learning and creating. Hmm... I can't get enough of knowledge. Does it sound like I might be a philomath though? Is it still good...? :)

Also, there's always a reason behind any self-destructive behaviour. I happened to come through many turbulences in my childhood, though there definitely were a lot of precious moments thanks to which I could always feel connected to my true self no matter what, and that's apparently how I came to living the way where I subconsciously tried to compensate for all the lack of positive experiences during my girlhood.

...Now, a few simple steps I've taken on the way to a more happy, balanced and efficient self:) It may take some time to build a new mental attitude, but if you maintain a constant practice, quite soon it will become absolutely natural. For me, somehow, it works like instant magic. Because once you start doing something differently, even a little bit, the whole course is getting changed. So, if you are in a similar situation and ready to break the vicious circle, here's how:

First of all, something to consider -- we are not slaves to our have-to-dos. It's us who set out priorities and distribute tasks throughout a necessary time period (day, week, etc). ✿I also like to keep in mind two or three next things to do, just for reference. Thus I am not lost in the present moment not knowing what's gonna come next (as that would be another reason for anxiety:), but I have a comprehensive panorama of my upcoming activities. Even if time doesn't allow to proceed with other pre-planned things, I still like to know what's next on my plate, and I feel calm just because I can easily follow the route clearly marked on my mind map. ✿There's time when it feels right not to do anything at all and just drift with the flow. A full day (or more if needed) drift experience:) ✿If you "fail" to do something, that's okay as well, let it be so. "You can do it!" ...later. Let's not forget, our way is a 'no-pressure' way. The excitement and joy of learning and creating flow freely and it's not a race anymore.

Do everything quietly. When I notice that I start fussing around about something again, I slow myself down deliberately. Remember yourself as a child? There definitely were moments when you were so immersed into your favorite activity that you completely lost track of time. Our beloved Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:2-5

Okay, its easy to be lost in things you love. But what about doing something that's kinda bothersome? The principle is the same - no fuss. You just have to do something, and there's no way you can avoid it, so start doing it calm, cool and collected. And then comes my favorite part - reward yourself after you have done that annoying thing :). It can be absolutely anything that uplifts you - a visit to your fav place like wandering around at a shopping mall, stopping by at a cafe you've been looking forward to visiting, a walk in the park to get your dose of eco-therapy. At home, treat yourself with something yummy, cozy up with a magazine or watch some cartoon series. There're countless ways actually to gladden yourself! ⌛Some things may be painlessly postponed, and I see it also as a nice way of dealing with a tight schedule without spoiling the inner balance.

When I'm super tired or just don't feel like doing a certain activity which has to be done anyway, I keep doing it, only more slowly. Even if it looks like a scene from a slow motion movie, that's fine. That's fine for this particular moment that we should overcome.

Split the things to do into parts and do them by portions. For example, if I watch a youtube video that lasts, say, 30 minutes or more, I can watch it only for 5, 10 or 15 mintues. (I don't close a tab then, and continue watching later right from where I had stopped). You can implement the same to any other activities that can easily be split, like e.g., your house chores. If you can't do the whole thing in one sitting, split it into smaller tasks and proceed doing them one by one as time allows. Thus you'll be progressing no matter how small your steps are. You're not stuck 'cause you did at least something. You are still moving forward...

When I have several things on my plate to choose from, yet in hesitation which one to choose, I consciously take one thing or another saying to myself "Okay, now I'm doing ...this... ." You can say it outloud or in your mind, no matter. Like, "well, now I'm reading this magazine." And then the action itself - grab it and start leafing through. I read about this psychological trick years ago. It helps to get rid of any irrelevant thoughts about other stuff on the agenda, as I give my brain a command to be focused on the current activity only. It's so simple but works really great right from the moment you pronounce it. You make a clear decision, then you start acting accordingly and the hesitation related nervousness is dissipated. It is the power of choice in action :)

Do more of what you love. It's not about that poisoning "doing more", but about making time for your favorite activities every day. Even if it's just a few minutes only, do it anyway, and you will be rewarded with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Because if you're constantly postponing doing things you love, you'll end up having to repeatedly accomplish undesirable stuff most of your time. If you don't start including "happy stuff" into your daily agenda, there'll always be something "more important" distracting you from doing what really makes you happy. ✔So many things might be getting piled up that we shifted for "some time later". So just start doing it little by little. Watch not a whole movie, but 5 or 10 mintues of it as time allows. Next time you will see the rest of it. “Slow progress is better than No Progress." - Jami Gold, {an Award-Winning Fiction Author, Developmental Editor, Workshop Presenter, and Blogger about the craft, business, and life of writing.}

Add a parallel task to your main activity if possible. E.g., I like to listen to my favorite music while doing house chores. I listen to educative and spiritual videos on youtube while doing some fancy work (crocheting or embroidering), or while having my 15 minute beauty time with a face mask on. Thus, I can kill two birds with one stone (ugh, that's kinda cruel! Anything more kind? .......yeah, I've just googled for a 'compassionate replacement' and it suggests this one - "Tie two loose ends at once.":)

And finally, to support your nervous system while you're learning to embrace a new lifestyle, it's very important to practice deep breathing and develop a feeling like "I am home in my body." I also love to rely on herbal teas with a calming effect - passiflora, chamomile, valerian, lavender and hops are very helpful.

Well, since I started to live this way, my daily life improved so much -- I calmly choose what to do and when I do it, and I can always relaxedly track my progress. (This is also thanks to a special daily schedule structure I had to develop myself by trial and error, because none of the existing examples worked well for me. This scheme simplified my life immensely. I can switch between activities easily knowing that nothing is forgotten. I would like to speak about this more in detail in one of my next posts:) So, with all this, no matter how much I did or how little, I always give myself a pat on my back for what's already been accomplished.

” …slow living is not about living your life in slow motion; it’s about doing everything at the right speed and pacing instead of rushing. By that same logic, slow living is not about losing time by going slowly; it’s about gaining time by doing the things that are most important to you.” - Kayleigh Dray, stylist

...thus, for me, living slow is not about doing less either (eventually, I can often accomplish more than I expect). It's about being gently present in every moment, knowing what to do and moving at my own pace. Quality over quantity approach, in everything.

Well, I don't even know if anyone would ever read this or not, but I just wanted to share my story, because I hope that someone could benefit from it and get out of the similar situation with ease. Also, commiting my thoughts into this digital paper here helps me a lot to organize my instrospection process. It's kinda win-win. :)

...And an absolutely amazing message! I've come upon it right now on youtube and it is just so on point!... ツ

[meadowpond-tearoom]

Now, one more little moodboard and a beautiful instrumental album from a New York-based band, Holy Hive - for a pleasant start of a new week♡

...I think it would be nice to spend one summer weekend in such style -- white flowy outfits with volumized textured prints, lots of fine ethnic style jewelry and rattan beach bag. Hmm... what else? ♾️A bouquet of white flowers wrapped in kraft paper next to a cup (or two:) of delicious latte with fluffy whipped cream flowing over the edges, ♾️and cashmere palantine on the shoulders to help you get warmed up by the cherished memories of the day passed - such a lovely way to spend a cool evening soulfully :)

row1: x-x row2: x-x (all images via Pinterest)

[meadowpond-tearoom]

Spring Cottagecore: ᵇˡᵘᵉ⁻ʷʰⁱᵗᵉ

I'm very much into creating moodboards these days! I love the idea of using them as color guides and getting inspiration in just whatever stuff it might be to implement then in our own projects - e.g. home decoration, table styling or when composing a new outfit, and even as a reference to trying the same featured activities.

But first, since my today's moodboard theme is Spring Cottagecore, let me start with a lovely piano album by Ophelia Wilde, dedicated exactly to this topic.

...Speaking the truth, I've never had a desire to be listening to piano music specifically like in background. On the one hand, may be it's only me, the sound of piano usually gives me a feeling of ...sadness and kind of boredom. Funny enough, it says a girl who studied piano at music school for about 6 years:)) On the other hand, my second and last music teacher was a hard and ignorant woman, and I guess, that could play its role in keeping me away from piano for many years.

Notwithstanding the above-mentioned, there were times when I really enjoyed playing piano, I liked improvising and even composing my own songs. Now, though I'm afraid my piano playing skills might have been mostly gone - not my fingers technique probably, but I don't quite remember how to read musical notes (and I used to play Haydn, Händel, Gershwin to name a few ...sigh), -- beautiful, mellifluous music of this album does inspire me to try again! 🎶

...A new little dream of mine is to learn songs by my favourite Korean singers and Ghibli style music. The only thing left is that I should buy a compact piano, e.g. like this one on alibaba. I think it's exactly what I need. It has a light structure and won't occupy too much space in a room compared with a bulky classic piano (i'm missing my old piano though:(.

Now, here's my moodboard - this spring I'm inspired by the blue & white color palette!

row 1: x--x row 2: x--x row 3: Minna Mercke Schmidt photography--x--x (all images via Pinterest)

...and how about some lovely cottagecore readings?!

Here's a selection of books by a canadian children's novelist, Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874 – 1942), author of the widely loved "Anne of Green Gables." The covers art is amazing!

You can also read an interesting article about L.M. Montgomery at Smisthonian magazine, here.

[meadowpond-tearoom]

Listen/purchase: Cookbook by John Andrews & The Yawns

For today, a collection of my most favorite paintings by Vincent van Gogh accompanied by relaxing tunes from John Andrew & The Yawns. There’re only three songs in this playlist, but you can find the whole album on youtube.

The majority of images are from vincent-van-gogh-paintings.

-Still Life Vase with Roses-, 1890  Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

-A Fishing Boat at Sea- Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

-Seascape at Saintes-Maries- Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

-Landscape under a Stormy Sky- Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

... - Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

-Still life with a plate of onions-, 1889. Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ 

-Fishing in Spring, the Pont de Clichy- Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

-Railway Carriages- Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

-Self Portrait with a Grey Felt Hat- Vͮⁱⁿᶜᵉⁿᵗ ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

❞𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.❞ - ᵛᵃⁿ ᴳᵒᵍʰ

[meadowpond-tearoom]

♡Still life and words I love today

I'ᴠᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ғʀᴇᴇ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ʟɪғᴇ. Iɴsɪᴅᴇ I'ᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴄʜᴀsᴇᴅ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ. I'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏʟᴇʀᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ. I ʟɪᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴀ ʟᴀᴄᴇʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴅᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ. I'ᴍ sᴇᴇᴍɪɴɢʟʏ ғʀᴇᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ I ᴀᴍ ᴀ ᴘʀɪsᴏɴᴇʀ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ. -- — Clarice Lispector, from “A Breath of Life.” .via claircaelis ✪ Mary Fedden (British, 1915-2012), The Boiled Egg, 1974. Oil on board .via thunderstruck9

"Iᴛ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ'ᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ɪᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴀʟɪɢɴᴍᴇɴᴛ." -- Abraham Hicks ✪ .via pinterest

"Gɪᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs." -- Mahin Ismail ✪ ’Hyacinths in a vase’ - Jan Sluyters (1881–1957) .via lilithsplace.tumblr.com

"Tʜᴇ sᴜʀᴇsᴛ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏsᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ sᴇʟғ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ɪs ʙʏ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇs ᴏғ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs." -- Becca Lee ✪ A painting by a swedish artist via bofransson.tumblr.com

"Iғ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇᴋ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ, ʙᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ. Iғ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇᴋ ᴡɪsᴅᴏᴍ, ʙᴇ sɪʟᴇɴᴛ. Iғ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇᴋ ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ." -- Becca Lee ✪ A painting by Fernand Toussaint via colourlovers.com

"Hᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇs ɪɴ ᴇᴛᴇʀɴɪᴛʏ." -- Ludwig Wittgenstein ✪ A painting by Frans Mortelmans (Belgian, 1865 - 1936) via mutualart.com

[meadowpond-tearoom]

enjoying a lovely weekend spent by yourself

...I've recently come across this beautiful album uploaded by nice guys (they surprise with interesting indie works quite often!). The music here is full of lightness and positivity, so it makes a perfect weekend album! It's called Paris which is the topic of my today's moodboard.

May be a couple of the images below are not french by origin, but I just wanted to keep this oh-la-la mood throughout my visual checklist...

row 1: x - x row 2: x - x row 3: x row 4: x - x row 5: x - x

✎some nice ideas of mine that you might like to steal...

Dress up in style and go for a walk around the historical center of your city pretending you're a tourist. Thus you'll see your home city afresh and probably discover new curious places as well.

Make photos of beautiful buildings and architectural details that attract your eyes. You might like to print them out later and stick into your diary - a wonderful way to keep your memories bright.

Visit a museum.

Let yourself have an impulse purchase. For example, buy an interesting piece of jewelry that made your heart flutter.

Get yourself some beautiful flowers to fancy your Home Cafe tea time.

And why not bring home some exquisite confectionery to accompany your end-of-the-day tea/coffee. Or, try your hand at making e.g. lacy crêpes with real edible flowers baked into them.

Lit up aromatic fancy candles and fill yourself with inspiration while leafing through beautiful coffee table books or your favourite magazines.

↑ illustration by Michel Delacroix via pinterest ...Also, right when I was finishing this post, I came across an amazing piece of poetry! It's about embracing a genuinely managed life; a nature's wisdom philosophy coveyed in a smart, humorous way.

Give Yourself Some Flowers

by Marcus Amaker

𝖠𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖦𝗈𝖽 𝗀𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝖺 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖼𝗄𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍:

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗅𝗎𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖽𝖺𝗇𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗈𝗑𝗒𝗀𝖾𝗇, 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝗂𝗋.

𝖬𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝗈𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝗌𝗅𝗈𝗐𝗌 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖼𝗄𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗂𝖽𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗆𝗉𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝗈𝖺𝖽.

𝖳𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝖺 𝖻𝖺𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗒 𝖿𝗅𝗈𝗐.

𝖯𝗎𝗌𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗉𝗎𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝗆𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍.

𝖱𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝗉𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝖽𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍.

𝖳𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅-𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗍 𝖻𝗎𝗂𝗅𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗌,

𝗈𝗋 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋:

𝖥𝗅𝗈𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈,

𝗌𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿.

𝖨𝗇 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽𝗌, 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝖾𝗌:

𝖲𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖽𝗎𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗆 𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗀𝗒.

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌

𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝖾𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀.

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌

𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈 ���𝗇𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖼𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗌,

𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗏𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗍𝗌,

𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝗒, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝗊𝗎𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝗈𝗂𝗅.

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅 𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒:

𝖬𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖻𝗋𝗈𝗄𝖾𝗇, 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝖽𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖽𝗈𝗎𝖻𝗍. 𝖸𝖾𝗌,

𝗄𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋:

𝖤𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗌𝖾𝖾𝗆𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝖼𝗄 𝗂𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝗍𝗂𝖼𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀,

𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾.

Copyright © Marcus Amaker and Free Verse, LLC.

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Julio Larraz (Cuba) - Sunset at Cape Laplace (2014) .via random-brushstrokes

There is such kind of music that is best to be listened to at night. And for me, most of the songs by a french band PÉPITE definitely fall into that category...

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My new favourite fashion style...

Though this post is about fashion, but I'll start with a couple of beautiful paintings. Not that they are closely related to the fashion style I'm showcasing in this post, but it was really because of these artworks that I've come to discover a whole new level of sophisticated chic and charm...

Ilda Lange (Austria) - Katze am Fenster (1921) .via random-brushstrokes

Elin Danielson-Gambogi (Finland) - Portrait of Walborg Jakobsson (1890) .via random-brushstrokes

...90% of the fashion close-up images below are found on whimsigothwitch:

...I can't even properly define the right name for such style (though it should already exist, of course). But it obviously embraces different historical fashion styles -- Gothic, Neo Baroque and Rococo are definitely present here. So I decided to call it NeoChic to myself...

...layers upon layers of high quality fabrics like velvet, jacquard, tulle and lace, just to name a few; lush intricate embroidery, textured patterns, rich embellishments and high-end jewelry - countless ways to immerse yourself in history, even into different epochs, all met in one outfit.

↑4 images on the left are my finds and ↑3 images on the right are via whimsigothwitch

...and here's my moodboard: so much inspiration can be taken from the old times masterpieces - colours, shapes, patterns and textures - to compose modern lush looks full of personality!

Moment Volé perfume - Fragonard

Brown Cake Mascara $23.00 at besamecosmetics.com

Pa Design purse €22.50 at pa-design.com

...I don't have any outfit in such style yet, but what I see in the images is very appealing, and my fantasy is now going really wild suggesting me lots of ideas for my first NeoChic look. The challenge is that I'm going to hunt for the stuff at affordable prices, so I'm afraid the choice will not be so wide. But that does make the task even more interesting. We'll see... :)

ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɪᴍᴀɢᴇs ᴜsᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴏᴏᴅʙᴏᴀʀᴅ:

x - Willem Kalf (1619-1693) “Still-Life with an Aquamanile, Fruit, and a Nautilus Cup” (c. 1660)

x - Jan van Huysum (1682-1749) “Bouquet of Flowers in an Urn” (1724)

x - My favourite actress, Madelaine Petsch :)

x - Christian Berentz (1658–1722) - Still Life

x - Marija Auersperg Attems (Graz, 1816−1880) "A Vase of Flowers"

x - Abraham Mignon (1640-1679) "Still Life with Flowers and a Watch"

x - A cameo jewelry on books from victoriamag.com

x - Angela Bandurka "Pouring peppermint"

+ Lanvin 2015 fashion runway close-up

[meadowpond-tearoom]

Art by Joy Laforme | IG: joylaforme .via happyheidi

Though ♡24.25♡ is already over, but in Serbia, Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January. So, taking advantage of it, we're now having the second chance to enjoy a special Christmas mood again :)

And here's a wonderful atmospheric Christmas album by a South Korean girl group, Girls' Generation-TTS.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

row 1: x - x row 2: Hubert Zandberg’s Christmas decorating style - x row 3: Zagreb/Croatia by domagojsever - x row 4: x - x

"𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑓𝑢𝑙. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠. 𝑀𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟." ♡

[meadowpond-tearoom]

Christmas @ Home

What's your favourite style when it comes to decorating your house for Christmas? On the one hand, I personally am in love with traditional way of decoration which is red-green-white, but I'm also keen on the Scandinavian style in calm and soft tones.

↑ I like how cozy this festive place feels! Transparent chairs and lots of white speak for the presence of ice and snow, which is so Nordic; yet with such a nice table setting, you can definitely expect a warm welcome | photo from Avotakka magazine via meillakotona.fi

↑ So fresh and joyful! Love the combination of white and red. And the straw goat /Yule Goat is a Scandinavian Christmas must-have! | via meillakotona.fi

↑ Such a peaceful dining zone! Cold colours and beige tones work so well together! And of course not to forget about textures that add warmth and depth to the living space. | via meillakotona.fi

↑ Not a 100% sure, but this lovely pastry looks pretty much like a traditional Finnish Christmas treat, Joulutorttu... I guess that's what it is:) | Photo by Satu Nyström from meillakotona.fi

↑ Another jolly holiday table setting! All these reds and blues... like berries in snow. The large birch branch above the table contributes to the winter forest tale as well. | from realhomes.com

↑ Beautiful ornaments hanging on birch bare twigs make for an eye-catching spot by the window. | from realhomes.com

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:)) ... "𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒. 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑡." | painting by Elisheva Nesis

"𝐼𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦… 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠… 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠." - Rumi | “Raft” painting (2020) by Aron Wiesenfeld (1972-) Oil on panel

"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔." - Susan Cain, an American writer and lecturer | painting is by Clare Woods

"𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡." - André Gide | Two Trees in Space by Sarah Stivers- 2022 Acrylic on Canvas

[meadowpond-tearoom]

moodboard: MORI KEI = mori girl

I don't know why I chose exactly this topic; it hasn't been even planned for the nearest future. It was, for sure, a certain kind of unconscious impulse. Probably because I'm missing such kind of life these days - in plain nature, surrounded by dear to the heart things and homemade cozy pleasures... Anyway, 2 moodboards are right here for us to enjoy :)

row 1: x - x - x row 2: x - x - x row 3: x - x - Autumn Walk in Bavaria by Johannes Hulsch

──────▄▀▄─────▄▀▄ ─────▄█░░▀▀▀▀▀░░█▄ ─▄▄──█░░░░░░░░░░░█──▄▄ █▄▄█─█░░▀░░┬░░▀░░█─█▄▄█

Next time, I guess, I should make a post on Hama Kei, a Lakeshore girl, as I call it to myself :) Though I personally don't differentiate between these two styles, as my mori-hama girl living on a lakeshore surrounded by dense forests all around benefits from both worlds...

[meadowpond-tearoom]

Coffee time rice cookies with prunes (dried plums)

...It's been on my mind for quite a while to bake something from rice flour. I wanted my first try to be a simple recipe, and finally decided for these cookies. I had to improvise a bit with the original recipe, and, luckily, my version turned out to be successful - I'm baking these cookies two days in a row already 😁

The recipe uses my favourite method - mix everything and put in the oven!😎

for 12-13 cookies you will need:

1 glass (200g) rice flour

4 tbsp sour cream (15%)

60g butter

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp lemon juice

some grated lemon zest

a generous handful of prunes (cut into small pieces)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix everything together and, helping yourself with a spoon, scoop the cookie dough onto a baking tray. Bake for 20-30 min on middle oven rack.

I like the texture of the cookies which is chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. This recipe is perfect when you need to come up with a fast and yummy treat in no time 🍪☕