Oh the lovely things

Happy Friday! Mini DIY Round-Up

2012-05-25T09:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday! Sorry for the missed post yesterday. I had my first final exam and put myself under excessive stress... But I think it went okay. Phew! Only two more to go.

Any fun plans for the weekend? I will be in the french countryside, house sitting my parents house, as well as their adorable animals : a bernese mountain dog, a cat, four vietnamese pigs, and a goat! They're the sweetest.

Anyhow, here are three of my favorite DIY projects (links below) - I'm always amazed at how creative people can be! For more DIYs, check out all my DIY related posts here, or my DIY Pinterest board here. Thanks for stopping by today, and have a gorgeous weekend!

DIY Braided Bracelet by Into Mind // DIY Paperbag Clutch by A Pair And A Spare // DIY Minimal White Leather Top by Love Aesthetics

Color Palette : Watermelon Pink + Deep Gray

2012-05-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

I've featured Audrey Jeanne's work before (here) but when I saw her "Sous Bois" poster yesterday (via My Little Blöggy), I couldn't resist the urge to create a post based on its color palette. What can I say : an owl, a bird, a ladybug and a coral leaf, from one my very favorite artists? I couldn't help it.

Smartphone Wallet (in Coral and Gray), Mochi Things ($35.95 each) // Orange Silk Blouse, Ella Lai ($84) // Watermelon Pulp Bikini Top and Bottom, Anthropologie ($49.95 each) // Dior Nail Polish in Garden Party and Gris Montaigne ($23 each) // Mini DV by Dolce Vita, Bloomingdales US ($79)

Blog Brunch

2012-05-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for great resources to learn about blogging and ways to improve my blog. As going to Alt isn't an option for me (at least for now), I've been on the hunt for valuable online articles, tips and tricks, and interviews. And I eventually came across Blog Brunch. I've come to realize that many blog readers are also blog writers, so I thought it was worth sharing, for the bloggers among you.

Blog Brunch is "a collaborative network powered by two bloggers wanting to share, dream and learn with other creatives in the blogging community". More precisely, it's a monthly get together on Twitter, to discuss various blogging topics such as blog design, sponsorship, social media, how to write great content, and much more. It's a free opportunity to share and learn specific tips and tricks that can help you and other bloggers in the community grow.

Unfortunately, as the timing is very bad for me, I have never been able to participate. But they thought about that and created a blog to accompany the Twitter meeting!

On the Blog Brunch blog, you'll find the questions that will be discussed during the Twitter meeting (so that you can prepare your answers), recaps, bloggers interviews, various tips, links & resources, free printables, and even more.

So if you're a blogger looking for some input or willing to share your knowledge, or if you just want to connect and make new friends in the blogging community, join the party over there!

Random Things I Love Today

2012-05-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Today I've been attracted to a bright yellow hue, maybe because it has been raining all night long. I hope it can bring a little bit of sunshine to brighten the whole week.

DIY Lemon Scrub by Mrs Lilien // Kate Spade Carousel Bangle Watch in White, Yellow, and Black ($250 each) // Castle Pillowcases ($49 each) // Photo by Athena Plichta via Coco Roost //

Today I'm also guest posting over at the always lovely and inspiring This Little Street blog. Hop on over there for a pastel inspiration board, including two DIY projects and a recipe.

And finally, we have a winner for Ohhh Lulu's giveaway! The winner is Kestrel (#68). Congrats Kestrel, and thank you so much to all who entered!

Happy Friday! (Mini DIY Round-Up)

2012-05-18T03:47:00.006-07:00

Happy Friday! Did this week treat you well? Do you have fun plans for the weekend? I'd love to hear, I'm always curious about weekend plans! Honestly, I'm just looking forward to a laid back weekend... A restaurant + movie night (haven't done that since way too long!), a family lunch, and maybe take a little walk. I've been meaning to prepare a DIY to share with you here, and couldn't seem to find time, so hopefully I'll finally be able to do it over the weekend!

Anyhow, I wish you a wonderful, fun-filled, relaxing weekend, and I leave you with this mini round-up of pretty DIY projects!

DIY Bow Sandals by Swell Mayde // DIY Thumbtack Art by Things Bright (via Samantha Kate) // DIY Envelopes by Fellow Fellow

Art I Heart : Samantha Totty

2012-05-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Delilah, by Samantha Totty. More of her amazing art can be seen (and purchased) in her Society6 gallery.

DIY Cupcake Frosting

2012-05-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

While looking for a cupcake frosting recipe, I stumbled upon this post from Anna and Blue Paperie where Stefanie shares a fabulous cupcake icing color chart that she found in the May issue of Food Network Magazine. The chart allows you to make frosting in any color with just a basic box of food coloring (red, yellow, blue and green). Handy, right? I love how this is just like mixing paints. It made me want to try my hand at cupcakes... I have never made some before, so this will be a first. Wish me luck, I'm a terrible cook!

Random Things I Love Today

2012-05-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Today I'm loving : this Lavender & Honey Raw "Cheese" Cake, this Ikat Throw (Modcloth, $85), this Tote Bag (Rennes, $220) these Feather Earrings (Still Tree, $29), these Ballet Flats (Dolce Vita, $49), and this photo, that just looks like the epitome of comfort!

Giveaway : Ohhh Lulu (Closed)

2012-05-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

I've been a long time fan of Ohhh Lulu's romantic, vintage inspired handmade lingerie. Sarah (the lovely mind and hands behind Ohhh Lulu) plays with fabrics, colors, textures and trims to create clothing that is both beautiful and unique. Her signature ruffle bloomers, with their retro fabrics, romantic bows, and feminine ruffles, are one of my favorite pieces. I bet anyone would feel beautiful in them. Well, her bras, camisoles, and high waist panties are pretty gorgeous too! Plus, for the crafty ones, Sarah recently introduced PDF sewing patterns with step by step tutorials.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you so much for playing along!

~~Sarah is giving away her Lace & Roses Ruffle Bloomers to one lucky winner! They will be handmade in your size, and shipped anywhere in the world, so everyone can participate.~~

~~To enter, simply leave a comment with your favorite item from her shop.~~

~~Bonus entries :~~
~~- Like Ohhh Lulu on Facebook or Follow Ohhh Lulu on Twitter : one extra entry~~
~~- Follow Sarah's Blog : one extra entry~~
~~- Pin an item from Ohhh Lulu Shop on Pinterest : one extra entry~~

~~If you use bonus entries, please leave additional comments for each.~~
~~This giveaway is open to all (worldwide), and is open until Sunday, May 20.~~
~~Thank you so much for playing along, and best of luck to you all!~~

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you so much for playing along!

Happy Friday! (Mini DIY Round-Up)

2012-05-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday friends! I want to thank you once again for your kindness in response to Monday's post. Your supportive and uplifting words have accompanied me all week. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true.

I'm going to a craft fair this weekend, and I'm far from being ready! But I wanted to pop by and share a mini DIY round-up (links below), before wishing you a gorgeous weekend!

DIY Daisy Lollipops from Funky Time (via Amelie) // DIY Laundry Soap from Yellow Brick Home // DIY Side Twist Fishtail Braid from Running on Happiness

Art I Heart : Holly Exley

2012-05-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Bowl, by Holly Exley. More of her beautiful art can be seen in her Portfolio and her Flickr Stream.

DIY Raspberry Basil Mojitos

2012-05-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

Don't these Raspberry Basil Mojitos from A Spicy Perspective (via Sylvie) look both gorgeous and delicious? Makes me want to throw a party just so I have an excuse to drink one ;) Find the recipe right here.

Expanding My Imaginary Wardrobe : Beauty In Simplicity

2012-05-09T07:33:00.001-07:00

There is beauty in simplicity : something that is easy to forget, and nice to be reminded of!

There Is Beauty In Simplicity 8x10 Art Print, BubbyAndBean, $20 // Viscose Blouse, Oasis, $60 // Moonchild Necklace, NinaMantra, $42 // High Waist Jamie Jeans, Topshop, $80 // Kensington Leather Watch, Nixon, $125 // Rouge Pur Couture - 24: Luminous Fresh Pink Peach, Yves Saint Laurent, $30.00 // Linen Open Oxfords, Marais, $106

Color Palette : Champagne Pink + Nougat + Chocolate Brown

2012-05-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

I can't thank you enough for your understanding, acceptance, support, encouragement, and kindness in response to yesterday's post. I already said it in the comments section, but I want to say it again : It means a lot to me, more than I can tell. It really does.

We're all fighting a hard battle. Whatever is going on, whatever we're feeling, fearing, living, doing, going through, whatever our failures, weaknesses, embarrassing secrets are, we're not alone.

So, today I've been attracted to a peaceful, calming, feminine color palette ; maybe because it reflects how I'm feeling after having read yesterday's comments. Hope you'll like my picks! Much love, Clemence

Strawberry Soufflé Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens via Kelly Beall // Scotch Nail Polish in Neat and Klondike Kooler // Skater Dress with Daisy Lace, Asos, $69.58 // Leather Shopper Bag, Zara, $129 // Dial ‘P’ for ‘Princess’ Phone, Modcloth, $54.99 // DIY Hanging Coat Rack from House & Home //

Things I'm Afraid To Tell You

2012-05-07T05:30:00.000-07:00

I’m writing this post as part of the "Things I’m Afraid to Tell You" project. You may know by now that English is not my first language, and that I’m still learning it. I’m writing way more text in this post than I usually do, so please excuse me if I make language mistakes.

Jess of Makeunder My Life wrote a beautiful, honest, inspiring post, sharing her feelings on the things she was afraid to tell her readers. Inspired by it, Ez from Creature Comforts encouraged bloggers to open up and share the things they’re afraid to tell their readers, in an open-book fashion. You can read Ez's post here. It’s a profound, moving post (I really mean it). And you can also find a list of bloggers participating, and add your own voice if you feel inspired.

The point of it is to show that life is not as picture-perfect as we sometimes make it seem, that there’s a huge gap between how we, as bloggers, present reality (in an effort to share pretty and inspiring things) and what reality is. Don’t get me wrong : this is not about complaining about how life can be hard and unglamorous and how we all have negativity in our lives. It’s more about being honest, sincere, candid. It’s about authenticity, truth and trust. Ez put it like this : she’s inviting bloggers to make themselves vulnerable in an effort to make the bigger blogging community a better place.

I don’t share much personal information here. I don’t do that in real life either. I tend to hold back and hide under my shell. I’m actually super shy! One of the reasons I’m afraid to tell you the things I’m going to tell you, is that everything we put out there becomes public – meaning that everyone who has access to the internet, has access to what you shared. That’s scary. I know that if my parents read this (I hope they won’t ), they will worry. I have the best, most loving & caring family – and they tend to worry a lot for me. But well, I thought this would be a great opportunity to open up a bit. I’ll take the risk.

So, here are the things I’m afraid to tell you :

1. I am sometimes ungrateful and pity myself. I sometimes forget all the good things I have in life and focus on the negative things. For example, I am really short on money, which means I need help from my parents, and I feel guilty about it. It also means that I don’t have my own place (I’m a lodger). I’m in my late twenties, so I'm really ashamed of not being able to rent an apartment. I tend to focus on that and forget that I’m lucky to have a roof above my head, and support from my family.

2. I wear a teeny tiny amount of clothes, limited to 4 tops, 4 bottoms, 2 cardigans, and 2 dresses. I do, however, have a really huge imaginary wardrobe!

3. I love kids, and I would really love to have some. But for a few reasons, including that I have PCOS, I don’t know if I’ll ever be a mom.

4. I tend to be jealous and envious of people who just seem to have it all : a perfectly decorated home, a happy marriage, beautiful and healthy kids, a job they love and are successful at, a gigantic closet, a perfect figure... All the things I don’t have. I know this isn’t completely true, but things seem to be so easy for some people, and I envy them. Sometimes I’m so jealous that I forget to be happy for them.

5. I have an abnormally high IQ. This is not something I easily talk about. For some reason, it makes me feel stupid. Knowing it makes me feel more ashamed of my underachievements and failures.

6. I procrastinate. A lot. I think it's a kind of self sabotage. I think part of it is caused by my lack of self confidence, and my fear of doing wrong, or not good enough. Instead of trying harder, I don’t try at all.

7. I lack of social skills. Well, I’ve improved a lot in that field. I can now enjoy parties and meeting new people. But I still try my best to avoid picking up the phone, and I’m still prone to social withdrawal sometimes. I think part of it comes from my fear of being rejected or laughed at. I have exaggerated concerns over what people think of me.

8. I am super sensitive and emotional. I can cry over a tiny detail, and I can worry for days about a tiny thing. I am incredibly anxious and always assume the worse.

9. There’s a huge gap between my values and my ideals, and the way I actually live and behave.

10. I’ve been through hard things in life. Well, I know we all have... As a result, I’ve had a dark period of eating disorder and severe depression. I’ve overcome it, mostly thanks to the support of my family and friends. I’m now calmer, healthier, happier, and mentally & emotionally more balanced, even though I’m still prone to pits of depression.

If you made it through all of that, I’m impressed! Thank you so much for reading. This wasn’t easy for me to write. I’m about to click the “publish” button and it makes my stomach hurt a bit. I’m worried that knowing this will make you despise me. See, I’m always worrying!

I encourage you to read Ez's post, where you can also find a list of participating bloggers. I hope you will be inspired by them, and even write your own « Things I’m Afraid To Tell You » post. If you do, please leave a link here so I can read it!

Thank you, Ez, for getting more honesty into the blog world.

Happy Friday! (DIY Round-Up)

2012-05-04T08:09:00.003-07:00

Happy Friday! Phew, I'm glad this week is over. I'm looking forward to starting a new week on the right foot, since this one has not been the best ever. Over the weekend I'll be working on a DIY project to share with you soon, and prepare for an upcoming craft fair - two things that always make my heart lighter.

Above are my top 4 DIY projects of the week (links below). I just realized they are all home decor related... I guess I have major spring cleaning + home decorating envy.

Well, in whatever way you spend it, have a gorgeous weekend!

DIY Clay Pots by Fellow Fellow for Say Yes To Hoboken // DIY Dip Dyed Stool by Erin Loechner for HGTV // DIY Cement Coasters by A Daily Something // DIY Waterslide Decals (With Free Printables) by The Painted Hive

10 Tasty Homemade Ice Pop Recipes

2012-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

The days are finally warming up here. It's already starting to feel like summer and I'm already starting to think of ways to beat the heat. And what better way than a homemade ice pop? Well, from Strawberry Yogurt Ice Pops to Mojito Ice Pops, you can find 10 tasty recipes that will keep you cool all season long right here. Until then, have a wonderful day!

Art I Heart : Alice Ferrow

2012-05-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Untitled, by Alice Ferrow. More of her beautiful, moving art can be found on her blog.

Color Palette : Petal Pink + Prairie Green

2012-05-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! Can you believe it's already May? So crazy!

Are you going to celebrate Mother's day? Have you already picked what you're going to offer to your mom? If you want to make the perfect present yourself, you can have a look at the Mother's day DIY gift guide that the lovely Sarah Hart and I shared here.

Anyhow, above are a few things I'm currently loving in a petal pink + prairie green color palette :

- This Minted Rose Water from Sunday Suppers looks as elegant as refreshing.

- I want absolutely every color of Essie Nail Polish, including "Sheer Bliss" and "Navigate Her".

- These Celebration Candles from Kate's Paperie have the loveliest colors.

- These DIY Bath Fizzies from Martha Stewart would make an adorable Mother's Day gift.

- All you need to make this DIY Hanging Planter from Weekday Carnival are ten pieces of twine and some cardboard.

Hope you like these too, and have a wonderful day!

Pssst : If you love green and pink together, you can have a look at my "muted fuchsia and vintage green" board right here :)

DIY Hermes Clutch (With Free Printable)

2012-04-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hermes did it again! After the free printable Kelly bag (not available anymore), they're now offering the Jigé clutch.

Simply visit this page, let it load up, and click on the "I want it, I'll have it" thumbnail. Choose from six different patterns, download, print, cut, glue, and enjoy!

I just printed the bird one and I think I'll use it as a gift box. It won't last a lifetime, but it's fun, free, and lovely!

Happy Friday! (DIY Round-Up)

2012-04-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday friends! Did this week treat you well? Do you have fun plans for the weekend? I think I'll use the weekend to get a few things done, work on a DIY project to share with you, enjoy the sun, and prepare for an upcoming craft fair. Anyway, I just wanted to share a few DIY projects (links below) before wishing you the loveliest weekend!

Psst : If you'd like to see more DIY projects, you can check out all my DIY related posts here, or visit my Pinterest board dedicated to DIY here!

DIY Rosette Bib Necklace by Pattern Runway // DIY Openwork Cube Pendant Light by Vintage Revivals // DIY Starched Doily Basket by Country Living // DIY Rorschach Manicure by Love Maegan

Lovely Sponsor : Dell Cove Spice Co.

2012-04-26T07:10:00.001-07:00

Dell Cove Spice Co. online shop is filled with cocktail sugars and margarita salts, gourmet herbs and spice kits, exotic BBQ rubs, tasty popcorn kits and salts, and even party supplies to make your signature drink perfect. Fresh, quality ingredients and recipes you can't find at the supermarket - so you can cook, experiment and throw the perfect party.

They think cooking is fun, they believe that it's good to play with your food, and I definitely second that.

Art I Heart : Oli Poli

2012-04-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

Tiger, by Oli Poli. More of her amazingly beautiful art can be seen in her Flickr stream.

Expanding My Imaginary Wardrobe : Dots and Stripes

2012-04-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since I last expanded my imaginary wardrobe (here) and I've missed my dream closet, so today I decided to add two outfits inspired by two patterns that will never go out of fashion : dots and stripes. What would you like to see magically appear in your closet?

Leonard 2 Sunglasses, La Garçonne, $260 // Bag, H&M, $17.90 // Florianne Blouse, Monki, €30 // Francie Knot Sandal, Loeffler Randall, $275 // Eberjey Delirious Triangle Bralet, Journelle, $32 // Retro Crimping Black Shorts, Romwe, $47.99

Hanro Colette Soft Cup Bra, Journelle, $89 // Black Elastic Mini Skirt, Miss Selfridge, $21 // Ebony Rose Striped Crop Tee, Sirene, $63.50 // Rasscal Sandals, Steve Madden, $89.95 // Oliver Peoples Sunglasses, Nordstrom, $340 // Charlie Snake Print Shoulder Bag, DSW, $59.95

Color Palette : Muted Fuchsia + Vintage Green

2012-04-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

I seem to be very attracted to shades of green and pink lately. Mint and pale peachy pink are one of my very favorite color schemes, but I decided to try a little variation with more of a vintage green and muted fuchsia combination. Hope you'll like it! What colors are you currently into?

Grocers Basket from Beg Bicycles via Design Sponge // Essie Nail Polish in Fun In The Gondola and Turquoise&Caicos // Chilled Cucumber Soup from Real Simple via Miss Kait's Pin // Oasis Plain Toe Post Sandals from Asos ($39.99) // Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed (DIY & Free Printables) from The Pretty Blog