For the Love of Longfellow

“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books. “
hwlon
Born today in 1807:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(February 27 – March 24, 1882)
An American poet and educator whose works include “Paul Revere’s Ride”, The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, and was one of the five Fireside Poets.

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times
we call a man cold when he is only sad.”

 

As the most widely known and best-loved American poet of his lifetime, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow achieved a level of national and international prominence previously unequaled in the literary history of the United States.

 

I adore Longfellow. I fell in love with his poignant yet beautiful poetry early on, and he has remained a favorite of mine. He has a way of mournfully telling you how wonderful life and love are, and someone it makes the meaning stick with a realness that is more lasting. A Psalm of Life was the first poem I ever committed to memory, every line enchanted me.

Afternoon in February

The day is ending,
The night is descending;
The marsh is frozen,
The river dead. 

Through clouds like ashes
The red sun flashes
On village windows
That glimmer red. 

The snow recommences;
The buried fences
Mark no longer
The road o'er the plain; 

While through the meadows,
Like fearful shadows,
Slowly passes
A funeral train. 

The bell is pealing,
And every feeling
Within me responds
To the dismal knell; 

Shadows are trailing,
My heart is bewailing
And tolling within
Like a funeral bell.

I end with a quote from my all time favorite:
“Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate; still achieving,
still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Profound Paragraphs XI

“The test they had agreed upon, however, was utterly unnecessary.
They should never have undertaken it, because they really and truly were each other’s 100% perfect lovers, and it was a miracle that they had ever met. But it was impossible for them to know this, young as they were. The cold, indifferent waves of
fate proceeded to toss them unmercifully

“You have to make an effort to always look at the good side, always think about the good things. Then you’ve got nothing to be afraid of. If something bad comes up,
you do more thinking at that point…”

~ Haruki Murakami, The Elephant Vanishes

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“The Elephant Vanishes” is a collection of 17 short stories by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. The stories were written between 1980 and 1991, and published in Japan in various magazines, then collections. The contents of this compilation were selected by Gary Fisketjon (Murakami’s editor at Knopf) and first published in English translation in 1993.

The Enchanting Beatrix Potter

“I remember I used to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child. What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood,
tempered and balanced by knowledge and common-sense.”

Beautiful words by a beautiful soul!
Beatrix Potter, 2012, Olivia WasteHelen Beatrix Potter 
A whimsical and brilliant
writer and artist.
Born today July 28th in 1866.

Known mostly for her charming sweet
Jemima1children’s books starring such famous characters as; Jemima Puddle-Duck, Tom Kitten, and of course the timeless Peter Rabbit.

c9ddb55d4acb6d5583ded310cb4d6a2e
However she was more than just an enchanting
tumblr_luee59rs3e1qaq5smauthor and incredible artist. She was also a natural scientist and conservationist, and she dedicated much of herself to the passion of plants and animals.

What an astonishing women!


A few books that tell her story/stories:
      (Click Pictures for details)
The first is a biography on Potter, the second a collection of her
classic tales, and the last is a book that is all about the places and
2377e7c31526aae7a16b7312aae1ba22.jpgsubjects that inspired her work.

Book Beans: Duchess Tea 
Create your own little Ribby tea party : Steep some classic earl grey and serve
hot with milk and honey. Bake some
poppy-seed muffins and sugar cookies to accompany. Set up your treats and tea out in nature, maybe under a tree. Now invite a friend or two over, or make a little kiddos day, enjoy your afternoon tea!

“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story.
You never quite know where they’ll take you.”

Beatrix Potter

What Beatrix Book do you love? What character/s capture your heart?

The Most Brewtiful Cafes II

lookbookThere were already so many stunning cafes in Part: I and yet
you will find in Part II that this world has many more incredibly
beautiful and interesting cafes.

Here is part II of The Most Brewtiful Cafes:

Bar Topolski (London)

Topolski gallery-bar-café-venue is a unique London space set in the railway arches near Waterloo Station, in the former studio of artist and illustrator Feliks Topolski RA (1907 – 1989).

Knoll Ridge Cafe (Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand)

Knoll Ridge Cafe is the highest cafe in New Zealand and has incredible views over the upper slopes. Serving a wide array of meals, including a fresh salad bar, hot dishes from around the world, café style snacks and espresso coffees.

Cafe Central (Vienna, Austria)

The café was opened in 1876, and in the late 19th century it became a key meeting place of the Viennese intellectual scene. Until 1938 the café was called the “Chess school” because of the presence of many chess players. The café occupies the ground floor of the former Bank and Stockmarket Building, today called the Palais Ferstel. Palais Ferstel was renovated in 1975 and again in 1986 after closing post WW2.

Dreamy Camera Cafe (Yangpyeong, South Korea)

This incredibly unique cafe stands out on the hills of Yangpyeong as a red, rectangular building in the exact form of a Rolleiflex.

Balzac’s (Toronto, Canada)

Balzac’s Coffee Roasters micro-roasts the finest selection of Arabica beans at their roastery and serves some of Canada’s best coffee at their Ontario cafés.

Callas Cafe (Budapest, Hungary)

The Art Deco style Callas Café & Restaurant has a prime location on Andrássy Avenue right next to the Budapest Opera House.  Budapest is a city of cafés. Its famed historic cafés can still evoke a reflection of the lustre of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s past…

Cafe Majestic (Porto, Portugal)

Belle Epoque-era cafe with ornate interior featuring carved wood, mirrors & chandeliers. This gorgeous cafe is rich with luster and history. Click here for More on The Majestic
“The Majestic Café is a wonderful place, where muses, thinkers and artists can get together to live the best moments life has to offer: simply sharing communication through words and gestures,glances smiles and even a few tears sometimes.” ~ Gloria Montenegro (President of the Paris Academy of Coffeeology.)

Well there they are, some of the most beautiful and interesting cafes in the world. I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I have. 
Please share if you have visited any of these magnificent cafes.

Which ones would you want to visit?

A Colorful World of Books

150407_eye_jbclose1-crop-original-original - EditedBeyond the swirls, patterns, and mandalas of the the typical grown-up coloring books, there is a whole story-filled world of unique artistic creations. These favorites of mine tell stories; either within a single picture, through tradition and history, or mysteriously through each unraveling page. I love coloring and I do like the mandalas, but now that I have discovered the wonders beyond that, I am hooked.

Here are my favorite book-coloring experiences to date.

I love this book, the illustrations are incredibly beautiful. It was so fun to explore and imagine the stories behind each image. I love the variety within the pages and the dual copies. Each new page was different and unique and I had so much fun making them my own.

After Enchanted I was hooked on Selina Fenech’s art work.
So now I cannot wait to get Mermaids and start exploring and
beautifying the pages more. 

I love rich texture and culture of Celtic art and symbols. This book will be a fun and beautiful way to explore them more. 

I wouldn’t say I am a die-hard Steampunk fan, but I do like it, and this book is so crazy awesome. I cannot wait to start it.

Another by Creative Haven but a different artist.
The preview of this one is stunning. I love the mixture of pattern/graphic flow with the organic faces. They are all so pretty and the variety and mixture is really interesting.

Owls by Creative Haven is also beautiful.

The_Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock–inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by the internationally best-selling Korean artist Daria Song. Then, explore the magical world outside the clock through the eyes of a fairy in the sequel;
The Time Chamber: A Magical Story and Coloring Book.

I am really impressed with this line of books, the detail is astounding.
I also love that there is a story and a mystery withing the pages.
There are many others by Johanna Basford that I love as well,
this on is just my favorite.

Here is a link to 2 others that I really like Lost Ocean and Secret Garden.

I saved this one for last, because I am SO excited for it!
I have it on pre-order now, due to come out May 17th.
Beauty and The Beast is my all time favorite tale, and based on the preview of this book; the art and designs are absolutely gorgeous.
Now I just have to wait 😦

There are also Alice and Wonderland and Snow Queen books by the same artist and they look fantastic as well.

If you are a stress coloring fan like me, what books do you love?

The Most Brewtiful Cafes II

lookbookThere were already so many stunning cafes in Part: I and yet
you will find in Part II that this world has many more incredibly
beautiful and interesting cafes.

Here is part II of The Most Brewtiful Cafes:

Bar Topolski (London)

Topolski gallery-bar-café-venue is a unique London space set in the railway arches near Waterloo Station, in the former studio of artist and illustrator Feliks Topolski RA (1907 – 1989).

Knoll Ridge Cafe (Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand)

Knoll Ridge Cafe is the highest cafe in New Zealand and has incredible views over the upper slopes. Serving a wide array of meals, including a fresh salad bar, hot dishes from around the world, café style snacks and espresso coffees.

Cafe Central (Vienna, Austria)

The café was opened in 1876, and in the late 19th century it became a key meeting place of the Viennese intellectual scene. Until 1938 the café was called the “Chess school” because of the presence of many chess players. The café occupies the ground floor of the former Bank and Stockmarket Building, today called the Palais Ferstel. Palais Ferstel was renovated in 1975 and again in 1986 after closing post WW2.

Dreamy Camera Cafe (Yangpyeong, South Korea)

This incredibly unique cafe stands out on the hills of Yangpyeong as a red, rectangular building in the exact form of a Rolleiflex.

Balzac’s (Toronto, Canada)

Balzac’s Coffee Roasters micro-roasts the finest selection of Arabica beans at their roastery and serves some of Canada’s best coffee at their Ontario cafés.

Callas Cafe (Budapest, Hungary)

The Art Deco style Callas Café & Restaurant has a prime location on Andrássy Avenue right next to the Budapest Opera House.  Budapest is a city of cafés. Its famed historic cafés can still evoke a reflection of the lustre of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s past…

Cafe Majestic (Porto, Portugal)

Belle Epoque-era cafe with ornate interior featuring carved wood, mirrors & chandeliers. This gorgeous cafe is rich with luster and history. Click here for More on The Majestic
“The Majestic Café is a wonderful place, where muses, thinkers and artists can get together to live the best moments life has to offer: simply sharing communication through words and gestures,glances smiles and even a few tears sometimes.” ~ Gloria Montenegro (President of the Paris Academy of Coffeeology.)

Well there they are, some of the most beautiful and interesting cafes in the world. I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I have. 
Please share if you have visited any of these magnificent cafes.
Which ones would you want to visit?