Beauty in Bloom

I treated myself to a pretty book the other day called 'Beauty in Bloom- A Collection of Beautiful Inspirations' by Natalie Bloom and it was such a cute and gorgeously illustrated book I though I had to share it with the cyber world. It's a short book, I read the whole thing in just over an hour and is filled with little tips, quotes and doodles to inspire a beautiful life (aww).

The first chapter focus' on physical beauty (Natalie Bloom is the founder of the make-up brand 'Bloom Cosmetics') which gives any make-up junkie a good fix of information and even a Chinese proverb I've fallen in love with:

'When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.'

The second chapter in all about 'Indefinable Beauty' and looks at all the little things in life there to make us feel fantastic- for example:

'Beautiful stationary is so important. Forget longwinded, impersonal emails and relish in the charm of writing a sweet note on elegant stationary.

Good-quality, gorgeous hosiery is a symbol of style and elegance....'

This chapter even has an A-Z of positive attitude, including:

'D: Dream big.....E: Ecletic, mix and match to suit your mood; don't follow one system of style.....J: Joie de vivre! The joy of life transcends any language.....S: Spirit: Your spirit is the engine room of your life. Keep it stoked and enthusiastic...'

Stoked? What a great word- Might have to adopt that one from the Aussies. The book carries on with various quotes from the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Karl Largerfield and Vincent Van Gogh as well as personal things that make Natalie's world beautiful (Ribbons, Doilies, Buttons, Pinboards, Perfume, Notebooks, Books, Magazines, DIY, Origami, Colour, Gardens and Flowers).

It may seem a bit fruity and lame to some, but I think every girl needs a book like this to dip into when she's feeling a bit low and wants to appreciate the little things in life. This has become my mantra over the last couple of years, focus on the now and appreciate all the little things in life that make you smile. Natalie even mentions one of my favourite films in the book- Amelie. Something else guaranteed to make you smile- if you've never seen it I demand you go buy it!

A pretty book with pretty illustrations about having a pretty life. I'm feeling prettier already :D

I want to be a sponge.

A metaphoric sponge that is, (Spongebob really gives me the creeps). Yes, I've decided I want to soak up some new information- and lots of it. I want to sit down next to a pile of books, put some music on, make myself comfortable and read until my eyes bleed.

For the past few hours I've been raping the amazon site looking for inspiration. And I've written a nice long list of what I want.

I want fiction: 'Apples' by Richard Milward, 'Invisable Monsters' by Chuck Palahniuk, 'Naive. Super' by Erlend Loe and 'Pieces: A Collection of New Voices' a book full of short stories from new writers. And so many more.

I want Philosophy (basics, for beginners that kind of thing- I don't want to melt my brain yet).

I want Psychology and all subjects relating: 'Essays in Love' by Alan de Botton.

I want photography/fashion: Vice photo book, Nylon 'Street' and 'Play'

I want travel: (anything with pictures to dream with.)

I want Illustration: 'The Picture Book: Contemporary Illustration.'

I want to learn and feel my little neurons sparking again.

More than that- this list has turned into 'stuff I want to buy.' I'm kinda using the whole thing as an insentive and motivation to earn some dollar. I want a holiday to Mallorca to see my friend living out there. I want movies: 'Into the Wild' (amazing film), 'Once' (a modern romance) oh and 'I'm Not There' (Bob Dylan film). I want albums and new favourite bands- I've done a whole seperate list for that bad boy. I want subscriptions to fashion and literary magazines. I want more tattoo's. I want new shoes and a plaid shirt. And please won't someone buy me a pony?

I digress. Lists are fantastic. I have a list of things to nurture my mind and it's terribly exciting. Yesterday I wrote (wrote? that's a lie, I typed it up...) my favourite list though- my aspiration checklist. Complete with little pictures found on photobucket. I won't bore you with the details, but it's got everything I want to do on there and is serving as a great reminder to stop lying in bed till noon and bloody do something. I just wish everything didn't rely on money- makes me sad. Even volunteering abroad, something I want to do, costs a s**t load.

Must focus on the lovely free things in life. Like hugs, and jokes, and kisses, and umm...sunny walks, and dancing, and compliments, and naps, and daisies....and the like. Yes loverley freebies- let's focus on that and forget about the neverending lists of material needs :s

I like ending with a picture, here's something free and lov-er-ly.

Aww isn't that sweet. I might just go throw up a little. Bye.