10 Things I Love In April

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1. Aris Allen 1930s dancing shoes. You can’t imagine how in love I am. They are way out of my budget at the moment, but one day… they’d even look great with my powder pink ball gown.
2. How To Make a Compact Vegetable Garden. I’d really like to build one of these, I love that simple design. It’s gotten quite warm outside during the last week, so look out for some gardening posts in the near future. I’m really looking forward to get my hands dirty again.
3. Mushroom Night Light, a tutorial by supersoftdrink on Instructables. If I can’t have a blue canary I think I need at least these.
4. Zenhabits. It’s a great blog I found when I looked for decluttering advice. I’m a clutter person, I collect things, I can’t let go of souvenirs, the usual. The thing is, I don’t want that much stuff around. I adore my father’s flat because it’s so empty. So, I need decluttering (once again). Look here, here and here for some advice I try to follow at the moment.
5. Silhouette vs. Aesthetic, a great article by Caro-chan of F*Yeah Lolita. I’m pretty much with her on this topic, for me Lolita has always been more about a certain style and aesthetic than about the perfectly poofy petticoat.
6. FieldCandy. They make the cutest tents. Who wouldn’t love to sleep under a giant book or in a circus tent? I also adore their dashboard, suitcase, patchwork and cool Britannia design, but let’s face it, sadly they’re actually too good for your average camping trip or festival.
7. The Sunlight that lightens up my bathroom during the day and shines on my table in the afternoon.
8. Anticipation of the new Irie Révoltés album, ALLEZ. The first single release of the same name just sounds like it’s going to be a huge part of my summer soundtrack this year. And they’re even releasing the album on vinyl.
9. The First Warm Days of this year. As much as I love ice and snow and cold, it’s nice to go outside without layers and layers and layers of clothes, to stroll along the riverside again, to smell the promise of more sunny days to come in the air together with the faint scent of hyacinths.
10. Free Time. I haven’t had too much of that (hence the lack of posts) lately, mostly due to our musical project (wich is, actually, a hobby of mine but looks more like unpaid work during the last two months). Strangely enough now that uni has started again I feel as if I have much more time at my hands. My new place is finally making some progress! I can’t wait to finish my wardrobe tomorrow, and I hope I’ll find some time to catch up with some of my sewing projects soon.

10 Things I Love in March

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1. Natsume Yuujinchou. Natsume’s Book of Friends is one of my favourite anime to watch at the moment. The Japanese have a way of serene that I haven’t found in other narrative cultures yet. Natsume is a very calm example without being utterly boring (it has its occasional action scenes and comic relief), plus it has youkai and Shintō mythology (which I both like).
2. Tartan Dresses. Natron makes one at the moment, and Mara from Fashion Fairytales & Sewing Secrets wears them all the time. I finally need one myself.
3. My Window Sill. I love sitting there, drinking tea, listening to classical radio. I can also watch the sun set from here, it’s beautiful.
4. Elements – Experiments in Character Design. See the main page of the project here and the rest of these awesome designs here on imgur. I’m especially in love with Neon, Vanadium,  Strontium and Cadmium, but to name all my favourites would be to much for this list.
5. Skullery, an Etsy shop with – surprise – a skull theme, mostly bird and rodent ones. I especially like these sparrow skull earrings and of course  I’m a big fan of crow skulls (especially since I’m living in a town where crows are the most-seen birds of all), but the dove necklace looks really interesting, too.
6. Leaves Art by Susanna Bauer. While I couldn’t keep one of these mori-esque pieces at my place I can imagine them perfectly in a minimalist home like my father’s (whose only decor in his wooden-floored, white, high-ceiling livingroom is a rope full of adder stones and a small Buddha head statuette made from stone he brought back from India – I love his sense of interior design). I especially love the Trans-Plants and the Doileaf.
7. Fable & Fury on etsy. Their silhouette jewelery is marvellous, all of it, and they even have rose hip themed necklaces (also in red. How awesome is that?).
8. Felt Paper Plane Mobile. This idea is incredibly cute. I wouldn’t know where to hang it at my place without the theme being a little bit too random for the continuity freak within, but I still think it’s adorable.
9. Zen Pencils. Cartoon Quotes from Inspirational Folks. Actually, there’s nothing to add. Make sure you read each and every one of them, they are both beautifully chosen and drawn.
10. I finally got my DELF A1 today! You can’t imagine how gigantic my relief was when the professor told my I’d passed the test, and even better than A1. I’m really looking forward to my French lessons next semester!

10 Things I Love in February

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1. The Paris Time Capsule Apartment. It must be so exciting finding something like this.
2. Karma Chakhs. Such a great project! Sadly it’s already over, but I wanted to share it anyway. (Hat Tip goes to Lilibeth for pointing it out.)
3. Winterreise’s Cover Version of Trollhammaren. I still like the original by Finntroll a lot, but this folksy version is so lighthearted  and lovely and made me realise again how pretty the melody behind the song actually is (never mind the lyrics, which are not lighthearted at all). It sounds just like I imagine the soundtrack to a Finnish fairytale (which the song is, somehow).
4. My new home, of course.
5. KurageHime. Princess Jellyfish is such an adorable anime, it’s not even funny anymore. I love Kuranosuke, he’s just plain awesome. Sadly there are only eleven episodes, but those are definitely worth watching.
6. The Reward, a Bachelor thesis film project from Denmark. My eyes really got watery towards the end, and Scoundrel and Weirdboy instantaneously decided they had to go on adventures as “sword guy” and “wizardly guy” respectively after they saw the video.
7. The AntiCraft, an online craft magazine on hiatus. Some of their archive projects are a little bit too macabre for me, but I really like the tutorials for things like this crochet maiden’s glory wreath, these socks or the Elephant Elephant doll.
8. Even more Snow. Snow makes everything better. It’s a blanket that makes everything look nice and tidy and beautiful, and it muffles every sound. It’s melting away at the moment, but while it lasted, it was the best snow ever with even the streets completely covered in white when I walked home from Jules’ last weekend in the middle of the night.
9. Holidays! Finally! I’ll be quite busy rehearsing for our musical project, learning French and painting and drawing, but I’m sure I’ll have a great time.
10. You. Yes, exactly, you. For reading this blog. Thank you so much! I’m always taken aback and flattered about your interest in my ramblings and little bits of life that I shared over the last four years and still share. You are lovely. ♥

10 Things I Love In January

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1. Carouskel, a print from spoonflower. I think I like the milk tea and the emerald versions best.
2. Dumb Ways To Die. I’m a bit late with posting this as the video has been around a while now, but it’s just so lovely (and maybe not all of you know it yet).
3. Glittery Tights. I never had tights this sturdy! The blue pair already survived the flying sparks on New Year’s Eve, and the gold one didn’t get a scratch from my hard landings during ice skating (you can’t say the same about my knees, albeit the deep purple was rather pretty…). Plus, they’re pretty.
   
4. Advice for Self-Timer Photos from Delightfully Tacky. I had a conversation with Liz of milktea bliss recently about how awkward it feels to shoot these, but I think the tips in this post are quite helpful.
5. DIY Firefly Jars. There’s a great tutorial over at The Briar Rose Blog, this looks so dreamy! And it’s more animal friendly than actual Fireflies, too.
6. Monster High Customs, a tumblr about exactly that. They look so awesome, some day I’ve got to try and make a mod myself.
7. Pinterest. Yes, it got me, too. It’s just a bit more accessible and better organised for inspirational pictures and links than “one folder to save them all”. If you want to, you can find me here.
8. Snow Again! We thought winter would never come back, but finally the streets are white again and I can make use of my scarves and mittens. We even had a field trip into the snowy woods lately. Lovely.
9. Moccasins. I’ve been seeing them over and over again on several blogs I read lately, and somehow they stuck with me. I’m pretty much in love with these Minnetonkas at the moment.
10. A Sense Of Structure: Steampunk Fashion Rules, an article by G. D. Falksen. While I am against strict rules in any way of personal expression, Falksen says explicitly that these “rules” apply to no one except those who want to follow them (see “rules are more like guidelines anyway”). Also, they encourage the reader to actually do whatever they want.

10 Things I Love in December

1. Ornaments by Skunkboy. Isn’t this narwhal adorable? The girl behind the shop also has a really cute blog.
2. When I can see my breath as a white cloud in the morning (or all day) outside.
3. This cute gift idea. I think this might be an option for the upcoming Yuletide feast.
4. Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Pecan Cookies.
5. Acorn Cap Candles as made by Frau Liebe who in turn got her inspiration here.
6. Winter Walks in the forest surrounding our fairy tale town. Best when still snowing.
7. Mozart! The Musical. I’m a big fan of the work of Kunze and Levay since I first heard Elisabeth, and Mozart! is so obviously in their tradition of awesome musicals that I can’t help but love it. Especially “Jeder Abschied ist der Anfang einer Reise” is so heartwrenching and beautiful and true I almost cry when I hear it, and “Wie wird man seinen Schatten los” has become some sort of my theme song (Jules went for “Irgendwo wird immer getanzt”, by the way).
8. The Sound of Falling Snow on the last dry leaves still clinging to the trees.
9. The Hobbit. Of course. I loved it (it’s not perfectly close to the book, but fair enough, and I didn’t expect that anyway). We went to see the first airing of the original (48 frames and the most beautiful 3D I’ve ever seen) version at our local cinema, and it was wonderful. I actually always liked The Hobbit better than The Lord Of The Rings – not that I don’t like the latter, I just like Bilbo Baggins’ adventure better -, and I also came to love the movie adaption more. Plus, there are Aidan Turner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Lee Pace in one film. Also, I adore the fight choreographies. I actually thought about writing a review, but I’m not so good at that, so I won’t. I’m just happy I saw it. (Twice.)
10. Coal Candy. A terrific idea. I’d love to make some, but I fear I won’t find the time.

10 Things I Love in November

1. A Beautiful Mess is one of my current favourite blogs. It gives such a nice, warm, yet stylish feeling of family and home without being picket fency.
2. This Toothpick Sculpture of San Francisco. Isn’t it amazing?
3. Musical Rehearsals. I missed singing and theatre so much and now I’m even taking part in a musical! Jules is responsible for the costumes, and I’m really looking forward to it.
4. Learning French. It’s really fun and – at least for me – far more useful than Latin.
5. Godete, O Cori Amanti from Georg Friedrich Händel’s Amadigi di Gaula. Look it up, it’s a great choir piece, really worth listening to!
6. Viennese Waltz. I’m doing ballroom dancing again, and waltzing is something I could do all night long.
7. Church bells. Most of the time I’m not a very religious person, but there is something about church bells that gets me all the time. I also love it when I stroll through town on Sunday mornings and can hear the organ music through the thick walls of the church with the crooked bell tower.
8. Mulled Claret Jellies again! They are sold between November and February only, so I’ve got to stock some (if you want some, get them here).
9. This awesome College Humor video. Hat tips go to M. who happens to hit bullseye with almost all of his recommendations.
10. Portable Record Players. I really like this one from ModCloth. They are so much more handy than the big one I still keep at my mother’s place because I don’t have the space at the moment.

10 Things I Love in October

1. Tiny Thimble Flower Pots like the ones in this post from small world land.
2. This adorable comic strip from Magical Game Time.
3. Silly putty. I just bought some, and I love it. The colour is calles “super scarab”, by the way, and I don’t think a photograph could picture it adequately.
4. The Brave Art Book. I bought it when I was in Bonn visiting the Pixar exhibit with Carou and two other friends of mine (here’s Carou’s post about it). You might remember that I loved the film incredibly much, and the concept art isn’t less wonderful in every way (although I’d have appreciated more insight to the character creation, the whys and wherefores of certain – all right, all – design decisions, but maybe that’s a bit too special to put into a more generally written piece). And actually, I didn’t know that even Mike Mignola was involved, that’s so awesome! I’m really looking forward to the DVD release, I can’t wait for the extra extra material.
5. Dapper Dudes, a tumblr. (mostly) about and (not only) for Steampunks of male sex and/ or gender.
6. The schedule for the new semester. It’s rather full and busy, but I have such interesting classes as History of Animation and a brand new minor, so stay tuned for a post or two about these budding adventures.
7. Framed Pumpkins, a tutorial by Ashley from She Makes a Home. I might try this for my own Jack O’Lantern this year.
8. Our Campus’ Concert Hall. Our part of campus was built in the late 1920s, and the concert hall is styled in then-all-the-rage Art Déco in a small and rather simple but no less appealing way – no regal gold (only a bit of brass for the seat number plates) and saturated colours here, only eggshell white walls, dark, old wood and blueberry-coloured curtains. It’s beautiful.
9. The Smell of real Leather. I always smile when I open my pencil case.
10. Collectible Tea Tins by David’s Tea. I love that retro design, and pumpkin chai just sounds delicious.

10 Things I Love in September

1. The Vintage Fabric Sculptures of Mister Finch. I just love the mushrooms, they would look great in my room.
2. Having my room back! I lived between boxes for nearly a month and slept on a guest futon in my flatmate’s room while he was away. Not only did one night in my own bed fix my back again (guest futons aren’t all that healthy) but also did I learn to appreciate my little chamber once again.
3. Mason Jars. I keep seeing them on various crafting blogs and deco pages, and I have always loved preserving jars, they have this neat, old-fashioned-yet-playful look. Maybe I’ll try making a jar soap dispenser some time, it really looks neat. And should I ever get hold of a jr with a separate ring and lid you can bet it’ll end up as a pincushion…
4. The Lace Medallion tutorial from howdidyoumakethis.com.
5. Jules is moving here in October! This is going to be so awesome!
6. Wonderfalls, a (far too short-lived) 2008 TV series from the creator of Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me. I got the recommendation from a friend and it was just one of these hit the spot shows. Bryan Fuller has a way of making shows with bizarre storylines and cranky characters and this great retro-but-somehow-contemporary-no-even-timeless look that work like soul hot chocolate. Also, the opening theme is pretty catchy.
7. The smell of log fires. I don’t know why it took me so long to put this on one of my “things I love most” lists. Someplace near our house there is someone using wood to heat their house and when I lean out of my window on a cold morning when daylight isn’t quite there yet I can smell it. It makes me feel incredibly much at home.
8. Fairy Lights. My mother used to have them around the kitchen window most of the year and I also remember a time when my door was framed by a set of the colourful kind.
9. Having Friends Over for jam sessions and lots of tea out of unsophisticated mugs and my (t)rusty old enamel coffee pot.
10. Montmaray, the tumblr of Skye of Lost Princess and Princess Portal (I really do miss it) fame.

10 Things I Love in August

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1. Fawn & Doll, a tumblr. by Anya.
2. Infusers. There are such cute ones out there! Here’s a list of nice designs, I especially like the Yellow Submarine. I myself use one that is pretty much a spoon with a perforated lid (like the one in the list, but older, opening to the side and monogrammed) which is perfect for my half-litre tea cups.
3. The View from (and of) the Rooftops of Marburg.
4. Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream. I like mine with a healthy dose of black coffee.
5. Northanger Abbey. This is definitely my favourite Jane Austen novel. Sadly it is most often overlooked in favour of Pride and Prejudice (well, every other book by Jane Austen shares this sad fate, I guess) despite having a far more nicer hero and being a hilarious parody of gothic novels. There also is a wonderful short TV adaption filmed in 2007, with a sweetly innocent Catherine Morland, played by Felicity Jones, Carey Mulligan as Isabella Thorpe and an incomparably ironic, handsome Henry Tilney, portrayed by J. J. Feild. If you can’t tell by now: I loved the adaption. It’s exactly the right thing to watch on a nice, warm summer’s evening outside or during a rainy day curled up on your favourite armchair with a big pot of hot chocolate.
6. I Will Survive by The Puppini Sisters. I was always indifferent about the original song, but I love this cover version. And of course I love the look of those three girls.
7. Felt Animals by Hiltja. Aren’t they amazing?
8. Dry clothes. After five days of camping and damp clothes one learns to cherish these kind of things.
9. Discworld Audio Books read by Stephen Briggs.
10. Crystal Balls. I got mine from my mother when I was nine or ten years old.

10 Adorables in July

1. Enamel Paint. It has always such a wonderfully vintage look to it.
2. Somewhere Out There from An American Tail, but sung by the cast of Community. Isn’t this mash-up with the folk band brilliant? Oh, how I love this show. I’m so incredibly happy that they decided to make a fourth season after all.
3. modeS, an online shop for cute (mainly) Japanese stuff (and fabric!)that doesn’t require PayPal. Finally a way to get some Sentimental Circus merchandise! Also, they carry awesome rubber stamps.
4. Shadows, a music video by Lindsey Stirling. I like the concept very much, it sort of reminds me of the vaudeville scenes from Singin’ In The Rain.
5. The Creatures of Ellen June aka. creaturesfromel. Her creations are incredible. Some of my favourites from her gallery are the Harvest Elephant, the Little Dodo (I just love dodos ^^) and the River Otter. Her koi are also completely awesome.
6. Cycling. Especially in the middle of the night. I just found out that we have a borrow-a-bike service here in Marburg, with several check-in points all over town. Which is great when you just missed the last bus or have to go faster than by foot. You only have to check it back in once you’re done. Isn’t that awesome?
7. Method Acting/ RPG props, kind of. I’m a non-smoker. Usually. My Changeling RPG character, Josephine, however, is not. She has a minor nicotine addiction as one of her game term flaws. The cigarettes pictured above aren’t mine, they’re hers, but I use them when I play her. Ones demeanour and speech pattern changes so much when one’s holding a cigarette and smoking that I decided to use props to do Josephine justice. Also, I carry a pack of cards when I’m her, as she has a sort of viewing life as a great big gamble. Long story. Don’t worry, those are chewing gum cigarettes.
8. Toy Story. My favourite is definitely part 3, I never cried so much during a movie before.
9. These Sherlock Cupcakes from masterpieceofass.com.
10. Raspberries.