Hello and Welcome! I’m Ella and I’m something of an artistic, creative, curious and fanciful spirit. I love vintage doodads, cuddly animals, pink squirrels, embroidery, soft sculpture, stuffies, books, words, history, tacky tourist sites and a ton of other random, quirky things that make up my world.
Contact me at lawhimsy(at)gmail(dot)com or go here and use the form.
Whimsical Babble
- WeekDay Wrap-Up 17: Just Being wp.me/pArSv-fM 2 days ago
Follow @Lawhimsy

All posts by lawhimsy

WeekDay Wrap-Up 17: Just Being

I’m not quite sure how, but at some point between Tuesday and Wednesday we went from mild, chill weather to almost Summer warmth. Monday I was curled up in a cozy sweater coat (one of the best gifts I ever gave to Glory…’cause I get to borrow it all the time, tee-hee!) and today I am in light cotton shorts and open-toed sandals. No wonder my head has been swimmy!

untitled by Maria Louceiro on Flickr.

Weird weather aside (sometimes I feel like I talk about the weather a bit too much, but I do truly find it to be a fascinating subject. I like to fancy myself something of an amateur meteorologist.) I’ve been keeping busy this week with all sorts of random happenings. First, my darling Jojo has been suffering from allergies something fierce but refuses to take medicine for it, so I do what I can to keep her comfortable (even if that means she ends up tearing my finger up trying to get away from me as I wipe down her fur…usually it’s okay but I caught her at a bad time, sigh).

How can I stay mad at that?!

This week also saw me starting a few new projects that I am planning on using for a new feature here on the blog. Just a tantalizing hint – it’ll have something to do with my Pinterest. I’m thinking this place could use a freshening-up and a slight make-over so stay tuned for news about that!

Now I’m off to clean up the house and maybe tackle my cloths – I want to get rid of a bunch, sort through and put away my Winter stuff and gather up and enjoy all my Summery cloths again.

Visual approximation of my dream closet…(Vintage Fashion print by Mandy Lynne)

Have a lovely weekend y’all!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

Leave a Comment

by lawhimsy on May 17, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on May 17, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/weekday-wrap-up-17-just-being/

WeekDay Wrap-Up 16: May Be

After what has felt like weeks of nothing but rainy, mizzly, dreary, cool days the sun has come out and a soft sort of warmth is drifting upon the air. I didn’t really mind the weather, since it was cuddle-up, hug cats and dogs while reading a good book kind of weather and what better time, might I ask, could one come down with a flu bug?! I was never quite ill enough to warrant total bed-rest, but I did feel incredibly run-down, cranky, achy and icky. I’m still not 100% – more like a good 82% – but I am over the very worst of it.

I did manage to finish re-reading “The Crimson Petal and the White” – which I mentioned previously here. I’m half tempted to pick up a copy of “The Apple: Crimson Petal Stories” which is a collection of short stories that Michel Faber wrote as a sort of sequel to “Crimson Petal”, but first I want to finish reading these lovelies…

Okay, so Emma doesn’t actually need reading, but I was thrilled to pieces when I scored a Penguin Threads copy and I just had to share, tee-hee! The other two books have been such fun to delve in and out of. I can be a very hard-core reader, getting so involved and immersed in my book that I can completely block the outside world (though I will have conversations that I have no recollection of while doing so, much to the annoyance of those around me) and having books that I can easily read a bit of here and there is a pleasant change.

In gratuitous shoe photo news, I scored these darling dollhouse flats for next to nothing and I am loving them! Flats and I have not always gotten along since I have terribly wonky feet (slight birth-defect that I accept as just my feet being uniquely my own) but these have so far been comfy and cute (even if they do run a wee bit big – no matter). The bright pop of neon pink is what truly won me over – I am big into pops of color, the brighter, the better!

Play Him Off Print by lukaluka on Etsy

Here’s to a wildly wonderful weekend – don’t forget to hug your Momma’s!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

Leave a Comment

by lawhimsy on May 10, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on May 10, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/weekday-wrap-up-16-may-be/

Word Nerd : Nascent

Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.

Nascent (na-scent) adjective

Emerging, just coming into existence. Beginning to develop.

This week’s Word Nerd was a bit providential since I was asked to spell nascent first thing after waking up this morning. I figured I might as well take it as fate and use it since it is one of those delightful words that sounds lovely and is fun to spell (especially with a morning-fuzzed brain, hehe) and use. Nascent is a word filled with newness, promise and burgeoning opportunities. It’s also a very Spring appropriate word, since this season is nascent to it’s core. I’ve also been feeling a certain sort of newness to the air around me as though something new is about to begin… I can’t wait to see what develops from this nascent start!

Namaste ~ Ella

* If anyone has a suggestion for future Word Nerd entries, please feel free to leave a note (or word) in the comments!

1 Comment

by lawhimsy on May 8, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Word Nerd

Tagged beauty, Being You, color my world, definiton, fresh start, Individualism, Intellectual Badass, LaWhimsy, literature, nascent, nascent definition, new, poetry, polaroid gif, Whimsy, Word Nerd

Posted by lawhimsy on May 8, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/word-nerd-nascent/

Word Nerd : Amaranthine

Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.

Amaranthine (am-a-ran-thine) adjective

Eternally beautiful and unfading, as the poetic amaranth; undying, everlasting. Also, as related to the flower amaranth, a deep purple-red color.

“‘T is hers to pluck the amaranthine flower Of faith, and round the sufferer’s temples bind Wreaths that endure affliction’s heaviest shower, And do not shrink from sorrow’s keenest wind.” ~ William Wordsworth (Weak is the Will of Man)

Amaranthine is one of those lovely poetic words that I adore sprinkling into various conversations and journal entries (okay, perhaps I utilize it a bit more in written form where I can wax poetic without raising too many eyebrows or sounding quirkily maudlin and twee, not that I mind the odd look or two, but I digress…hehe). Amaranthine is a beautiful word to say, to write and to read and I think it’s a shame that it’s not used more. Naturally, most poetic words do have a musical way about them and one that not only expresses eternal, undying beauty but also denotes a gorgeous, rich color is aces in my vocabulary!

“Hope plucks amaranthine joys from bowers of bliss.” ~ William Cowper (Hope)

“Each season has a certain hold, of amaranthine design, of my heart and of my soul and mind. ” ~ Ella

Namaste ~ Ella

* If anyone has a suggestion for future Word Nerd entries, please feel free to leave a note (or word) in the comments!

Leave a Comment

by lawhimsy on May 1, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Word Nerd

Posted by lawhimsy on May 1, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/word-nerd-amaranthine/

WeekDay Wrap-Up 15: Quaint and Quirky

Illustration by yelena bryksenkova

It’s another Friday, this one sunny and cool with the promise of warmth as the day goes on. I’m feeling all quaint and quirky and I’m not quite sure why. It’s a moody, happy, dreamy sort of state of being, like I could slip off into a world of my own making at any moment and yet I’m still aware of what’s going on around me. I think part of it is this insane weather (and we are supposed to be getting rain all weekend – I do enjoy a nice rainy weekend from time to time) and the other part is just me.

Yeah, those are the windows to my zany soul…

It’s not like the week was a weird one, actually it was a rather normal one with a few jaunts thrown in for good measure. I even got myself some new washi tape and few more notebooks…but can you blame me when they are so pretty?!

I’ve also started to reread “The Crimson Petal and The White” by Michel Faber. It’s a long, detailed read but I have to say that I have a much deeper appreciation for it and for the characters (whom I found to be rather unlikable before) since seeing the mini-series starring Romola Garai, Chris O’Dowd, and Amanda Hale. They bring a whole new light to the novel with their stunning performances and the series it’s self is brilliantly interpreted and filmed. Mind you, this is very high praise from me since I find most book to screen adaptations to be poor to mildly fair at best (I’m such a stickler for keeping true to the author’s vision – I know word-for-word will never happen, but the spirit and essence of the story and characters should remain well-intact).

The studio Spring cleaning that got started last weekend is coming along nicely and now it’s down to decorating and organizing things like my desk and the bookshelf (I swear this place needs more shelving, so a-thrifting I shall go!). I am starting to feel a bit more motivated to make things and my fingers are starting to get the stitcher’s itch again. Finding cute and amazing things like these is adding to the creative lust…

I will so be making at least one of those cases from Gingermelon – they are to die for cute. Those mushrooms, on the other hand, simply tickle my mind with all kinds of ideas of my own making. Here’s to a quaint, quirky weekend for us all!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

1 Comment

by lawhimsy on April 26, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on April 26, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/weekday-wrap-up-15-quaint-quirky/

Word Nerd : Automaton

Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.

Automaton (au-tom-a-ton) noun

A moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being. A machine that performs a function according to a predetermined set of coded instructions. A robot.

I have long had a delightful fascination with automaton and their uniquely choreographed movements. There is just something so entrancing about their robotic, yet almost humanly fluid abilities and the life that they display is magical. Even the simplest of automaton can mesmerize me and bring a smile to my face. One of my favorite automatons is this one…

It was created by Peter Kintzing and presented to Marie Antoinette at Versailles in 1784. She bought it and lent some of her own hair to make the bouffant! It’s now at the Academy of Sciences and it still functions, as the gorgeous video shows (yeah, I know – the video is in a different language. At least the beauty of the automaton transcends language barriers!).

This guy is the mysterious Henri Maillardet Automaton that was built in 1805 who was acquired by Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute in 1928 in about, oh, a gazillion pieces or so. After it was carefully rebuilt and a pen was placed into it’s hand, they wound him up and he reveled his origins in one of the poems he wrote out when ‘written by the automaton of Maillardet’ appeared. He is an amazing automaton, with one of the largest memories (He creates four drawings and three poems (two in French and one in English)) and the fact that he wasn’t lost in the P.T. Barnum museum fire as was originally believed is a great boon for us today. Isn’t history fun?!

I apologize for any nightmares this gif I made may cause, but in a way it’s an automaton at it’s best – weird, wacky and bizarrely, almost human in it’s jerky movements, tee-hee!

Namaste ~ Ella

Leave a Comment

by lawhimsy on April 24, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Word Nerd

Posted by lawhimsy on April 24, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/word-nerd-automaton/

Earth Day

It’s Earth Day again, and I am delighted to celebrate a day that brings about awareness of this precious Earth we call home. Everyday should really be considered Earth Day since we do live upon and utilize the precious resources the Earth provides each and every day, but having a special day to focus on is always a great thing. Like I spoke about last year (see this post), I do my best to lead a proactive, Earth friendly life, even if it can become a bit overwhelming at times. I just do my best to take a deep breath and tackle all those simple, little things that can so easily become second nature. It’s all about kaizen and being an everyday sort of example of green, positive, always changing and growing living. After the events of this past week, my nerves have been shaken and I feel a need for balance and a healthy connection to the Earth more than ever. I keep focusing on all the good that has come out of each of the tragedies and how human-kind really does show it’s awesomeness in such dark times. That’s what makes it all worth it and that’s what makes me want to do all that I can to leave a better World for tomorrow. Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Namaste ~ Ella

Leave a Comment

by lawhimsy on April 22, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Tagged Being You, Change, color my world, Earth, Earth Day, Earth Day My Way, Earth Love, environment, holiday, inspiration, Intellectual Badass, Kaizen, LaWhimsy, My Way, nature, Polyvore, Whimsy, Whimsy Thought

Posted by lawhimsy on April 22, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/earth-day/

WeekDay Wrap-Up 14: Sleepy Spring

It’s truly astonishing how within the span of two weeks we went from 8inches of snow to cherry-blossoms in full bloom and a green hazy covering the mountain sides. Hanami party season is in full swing and here I am, enjoying the beauty to be sure, but also suffering from my own migraine woes.

I am more than grateful that my woes are so basic and my heart goes out to Boston and Texas and everyone who had been affected. I’m sure the hectic energy vibes in the air have not been helping my head any. I am so sensitive to energy shifts like these, not to sound super hippy-dippy, but we are all connected and I believe we can all feel the constant energy shifts and pulses to varying degrees. When tragic and upsetting events such as those of this past week occur, it can be a real shock to the system – mentally, physically, emotionally and subconsciously.

I find a certain comfort in knowing that hero’s and wonderful, helpful people always rise to the occasion and that their goodness actually shows the very best of human nature in such situations and that does provide a certain balm and quiet pride to these otherwise daily-life shattering sort of events. I do retain a deep sense of peace in knowing that given a chance, most people will actually prove to be wonderful, caring and giving of themselves and that while individuals may try to destroy that faith, they are always ultimately proven to be nothing more then scared, sick, mentally unhinged cowards. All that said, I think I will focus a bit more on pleasant things to provide a brighter outlook for the weekend…

What deep, wondrous being we mere mortals can be…

I have been waking up to the most delightful view from my bedroom window, though I’m afraid that the blossoms will be gone after this weekend since the wind’s been blowing and it’s been raining a bit.

I’ve been slowly making progress on my studio and I think that re-doing the space and refreshing the decor has been a great thing since I can slowly feel my creative juices flowing again. I have been pinning a good deal (well, actually, I’ve been liking pins and have to go back and sort through to make sure links are sound and assess which board I want them in. Oh, what do you think of the newish Pinterest set-up? The only thing I don’t care for is that I am having a dickens of a time tracing a pin back to the original pinner and what board they have it pinned on – am I the only one?)

Here’s to less headaches and more joy- in every aspect of life!

Namaste ~ Ella

*Most images link to either my Flickr, Pinterest or Tumblr, however each is sourced and I provided direct links below each when I can.

Leave a Comment

by lawhimsy on April 19, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Weekday Wrap-Up

Posted by lawhimsy on April 19, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/weekday-wrap-up-14-sleepy-spring/

Word Nerd : Hanami

Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.

Hanami (hana-mi) verb

Flower viewing. Enjoying the beauty of flowers and blossoms. Gather or pick flowers.

Spring is the penultimate hanami season, since after the bleak, quiet stillness of winter, the bright floral blooms simply beg for a celebration. In Japan the appreciation of the cherry blossom, or sakura, is practically a religion and hanami has all but become synonymous with the cherry blossom festivals that occur every spring. The plum and apricot, or ume, blossoms are also out in full bloom at the same time, though the cherry blossom is ubiquitous at most hanami celebrations.

For myself, I practice hanami year-round, though in my own sort of way. I admire the beauty of the grand blossoms of spring, the warm, hardy blooms of summer, the bright pops of autumn flowers and the green-house nurtured bouquets of winter. My favorites are the wild flowers that grow here and there and are often referred to as weeds (I don’t care how many seeds are spread when I make a wish on a dandelion, tee-hee!). To picnic amongst nature’s pallet of brightly colored flowers is one of the sweetest pleasures I know of (allergies aside).

“The artist is the confidant of nature, flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him.” Auguste Rodin

Namaste ~ Ella

2 Comments

by lawhimsy on April 17, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Word Nerd

Posted by lawhimsy on April 17, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/word-nerd-hanami/

Word Nerd : Welkin

Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.

Welkin (wel-kin) noun

The sky; the vault of the sky. The apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected; Heaven.

Who among us hasn’t gazed up, into the welkin, and wondered just what lay beyond the varying blues, the cloudy whites and grays, the deepness of the black night flung over with millions of glittering stars? The sheer majesty and limitless expanse of the sky makes one feel so small, a mere speck in the vast ether of this grand, glorious universe and yet, at the same time, it can make one so awesomely aware of their miniscule place in this tremendous space. The word welkin adds a certain mystic and majesty to the sky and it hints at life well beyond our own sphere and knowledge. Welkin is also poetic, as Shakespeare and Milton show us.

“She is the weeping welkin, I the earth:
Then must my sea be moved with her sighs;
Then must my earth with her continual tears
Become a deluge, overflow’d and drown’d…”

- Shakespeare

“But now my task is smoothly done, I can fly, or I can run Quickly to the green earth’s end, Where the bow’d welkin slow doth bend, And from thence can soar as soon To the corners of the Moon.” – John Milton (Comus, A Mask)

She sheds Her wings as She moves toward the dawn – embracing the golden rush to which She belongs… ~ La

I know that I never set my gaze toward the sky without it touching something deep within my soul and I think that by adding the word welkin to my vocab will only enhance this or at least it will enhance my descriptions of it, hehe!

Namaste ~ Ella

Leave a Comment

by lawhimsy on April 10, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Word Nerd

Posted by lawhimsy on April 10, 2013

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/word-nerd-welkin/

I’m the type of gal who will burst out laughing today at something that happened yesterday…
Thank You for Visiting ~ I hope you have a whimsical day!
Search

Search for:
Archives
My Instagram
Follow Me

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 603 other followers
Topic Delights
Creating Whimsy Curating embroidery Images Just Breathe Musings and Mutterings Poetry Polyvore Quotes Stuffies Thrifty Treasures Wandering Weekday Wrap-Up Word Nerd

Lawhimsy's Blog

Whimsical Babble

All posts by lawhimsy

WeekDay Wrap-Up 17: Just Being

WeekDay Wrap-Up 16: May Be

Word Nerd : Nascent

Word Nerd : Amaranthine

WeekDay Wrap-Up 15: Quaint and Quirky

Word Nerd : Automaton

Earth Day

WeekDay Wrap-Up 14: Sleepy Spring

Word Nerd : Hanami

Word Nerd : Welkin

Search

Archives

My Instagram

Follow Me

Follow “Lawhimsy's Blog”

All posts by lawhimsy

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Search

Archives

My Instagram

Follow Me

Topic Delights

Follow “Lawhimsy's Blog”