shout out: Lumiè

I recently found an iPhone app that I think it so much fun. It's called Lumiè, and it allows you to add some nice effects to your photos. Here's a photo I snapped of a rose from my garden, then I added a Lumiè effect to give the photo some nice light flares. I think it gives the photo a little bit of a magical feel.

shout out: versailles

While in Miami my husband and I made the pilgrimage to the famous Cuban restaurant, Versailles, located in the Little Havana neighborhood. We had heard great things about it from several different sources, and it didn't disappoint. It was wonderful watching Cuban Americans of all ages file in this neighborhood restaurant, sit down with their friends and families and enjoy a really great meal.

Here are a few shots from our wonderful lunch...

a fabulous mojito

me, digging in to my lunch

flan for dessert!

and an espresso to finish with

Check out Versailles if you're in Miami - you'll love it.

shout out - brasserie v

One of our favorite restaurants here in Madison is Brasserie V, a small, neighborhood restaurant that specializes in a seasonal menu and beer, especially Belgium beer. I'm not a beer drinker, but I still find Brasserie V to be delightful. I love that it's right in our neighborhood and that there can't be more than 10 tables in the restaurant, which creates such a cozy vibe. Even on a weeknight the place gets a lot of patrons, no doubt drawn in for the tasty dishes and extensive drink list, not to mention a really pleasant atmosphere. We enjoyed our dinner at Brasserie V tonight, and I snapped a few photos for you to see...

red wine - Chilean for my husband,
Spanish for me

a little oil light
lends a beautiful glow

the frites are a must-do!

my entree - leek risotto 

my husband's choice -
the restaurant's signature burger

chocolate mouse pie for him,
port for her

If you're here in Madison, you need to check out and support this outstanding local business! Here's their website: http://www.brasseriev.com/home/welcome_.html.

shout out: beadycats

I adore earrings, always have and probably always will. I also adore Etsy. One of my favorite parts of Etsy is that it allows me to "visit" shops in far away lands and buy pieces that are a little more unique than what the stores at home carry. So when I stumbled across the Etsy shop, Beadycats - located in Istanbul, Turkey - and looked at all of the beautiful items - Beadycat's earrings definitely caught my attention. I bought 3 pairs, all pictured below. I'm so pleased with the quality and craftsmanship. Beadycats sells gorgeous rings, necklaces, and bracelets in addition to earrings. All of Beadycats' pieces have an element of what I think of as the organic, probably due to Beadycats' use of unique and colorful stones. And as I'm partial to gold, everything in this Etsy shop appeals to me. Check out Beadycats when you have a chance: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadycats?ref=ss_profile.

pink agate with pearls
very old fashioned, and I love them! 

jade, coral, and pearls
I think this pair is totally "me"  

black jade
the most multi-functional pair

It's hard to pick a favorite! My husband and I are headed to Turkey next month for vacation. I ordered these earrings before the trip was planned, but once the package from Turkey arrived and he saw my new earrings, he now suspects we're actually on a quest for more earrings! I plead the 5th. ;-)

shout out - Oiseaux

I wanted to bring back the "shout out" post for another Etsy shop, Oiseaux. I think the "shout out" posts will become regular posts as I find/am reminded of great stores/shops/websites etc.

I've been a fan of Oiseaux for awhile now. Oiseaux specializes in the most sweet and tender book plates for children. About 2 years ago, I purchased a set of book plates for our friends' newly born daughter. This Easter, in lieu of chocolate bunnies or other candy, I decided to give our Goddaughter, Magnolia, and my dear friend Kate's baby boy, Matthew, book plates from Oiseaux. 

I remember my favorite books from my childhood well - for awhile my particular favorite was "A Time to Keep" by Tasha Tudor. This book has such beautiful illustrations; images that still trigger my imagination. I love children's books to begin with, and I think they make such wonderful gifts. So, to me, book plates are like a little cherry on the top of an already delicious item!  

If you like old fashioned images of fairy tales, animals, and sweet of childhood images, I think you'll love Oiseaux's shop too.

Oiseaux's Etsy shop can be found at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/oiseaux.

for my Goddaughter,
the sweetest little girl around,
Magnolia

for the handsomest little
fellow, Matthew

shout out - Brookish

I adore Etsy and finding a new, fun shop on the website is always so exciting. To my extreme delight I stumbled across a shop called, Brookish.  Brookish is an amazing shop for anyone who loves Jane Austen (most of you know, I fit this category), especially Pride and Prejudice (my favorite of the Jane Austen novels) as most of the items they sell are Pride and Prejudice related. I could not decide between 2 t-shirts because each was so lovely in its own way...so I ended up getting both. When faced with that type of difficult predicament, who out there hasn't made that same decision before?  

I was giddy as a schoolgirl when I opened the package sent from Brookish - here's a photo of how nicely they wrap their items. It was like a gift - to me, from me! And, to be 100% honest, it was a fantastic treat for me at the end of a rather rough week. Their attention to the little details is so sweet!

what pretty packages! 

After opening the packages, I laid the shirts out on the dining table to take a photo - Nino jumped up to see what was going on.

after I upwrapped my "gifts"

Brookish does superb work - check out their Etsy shop!  http://www.etsy.com/people/Brookish. The shirts have now been washed and dried and I really adore them - I'm awfully happy I bought both!

the key locations and towns in
Pride and Prejudice

Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal
written out in beautiful script