Otto Dix

Vincent Van Gogh

John William Waterhouse

Kees Van Dongen

Hello, world.

A collection of aerial photography produced by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

 

Fall wardrobe

With my favorite season approaching, I'm excited for all the new fall clothes to come out. Fall is, in my opinion, the best season to dress for. There's so much you can do with layering, scarves, cardigans, boots and lots of jewelry and cool weather makeup and hair.

Whenever the cool weather approaches, I tend to dye my hair darker and I love my pale skin, (even though I'm pale throughout the year!!)

Here are some of my key fall pieces

Summer Hair

Lately I've become obsessed with getting healthy hair so it can grow long long long! It's been difficult because I have very fine/baby hair and it breaks super easily. I decided that I'd have to treat my hair with more respect and splurged on Shu Uemura's new hair line (which is absolutely amazing) and got a morrocan oil hair mask to treat it. 

Thus far, my hair has gone from dry and limp to super soft, manageable, and it feels so healthy!

If you're looking to treat your hair I'd highly recommend spending a bit more money, and you'll get great results!

Pumpkin muffins

I absolutely love baked goods that have pumpkin as their main ingredient. My friend Stephanie makes amazing pumpkin bread and I'm lucky that her mom bakes me a loaf whenever they make a huge batch! Pumpkin is very low in fat and very high in flavor. It has a great texture and makes everything moist and smooth. Sometimes I have trouble finding something to eat in the morning, so I decided to make some pumpkin muffins that I can use to fuel up in the morning before work, or enjoy as a late night snack. They're light and delicious, and also low in fat. This recipe calls for 1/2 a cup of vegetable oil, but if you replace the oil with apple sauce it gives nice texture and flavor as well, and reduces the calories by a lot!

Mini Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
Recipe from The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great by Pam Anderson

1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup neutral-tasting oil (I used canola)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tray with cooking spray.

In a skillet, heat the pumpkin and spices over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and add brown sugar, whisking to combine. Add the oil, then slowly add the eggs.

In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients (dry ingredients). Whisk in the pumpkin mixture, just until combined.

Portion out the batter into the muffin cups, about 2 tablespoons each. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then finish cooling them on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

Summer

This summer I'm working at a paper store that sells notebooks, especially Moleskines. I bought a moleskine journal that I want to use to make collages out of photographs I take throughout my summer, as well as a place where I can write thoughts, poems, and possibly some short stories.

Since the summer's in Montreal are ridiculously humid, my clothing, hair, and makeup are going to be effortless and comfortable.

I love pairing boy-ish pieces with girly accessories. I love how Annie Hall rocks a tie but still looks feminine.

As for me, I rummage through my dad's closet and I love pairing his sweaters with either tight jeans, leggings, or jean shorts.

Biking

I'm always happy when the warm weather approaches because I can ditch my bus pass and replace it with my bike. Biking is a great way to get around. It's fun, cheap, and it actually cools you off on a hot summer day because of the breeze! Luckily, some of my good friends love biking as well so we bike together, which makes it even better! Now I know it's really uncool to bike with a helmet, but I have to stress this... WEAR ONE. I don't like typical bike helmets so I opt for a skateboarding helmet. It's smaller and it looks better. 
So next time you want to take the bus, think about taking your bike instead! Not only is it better for the environment, but there are health benefits and honestly it's pretty damn fast! 

Poetry

Alright so I dabbled in creative writing this past year, and I wrote a couple of poems. They are both inspired by Dali paintings. I just wrote what I felt the moment I saw them, and honestly I ended up writing them in roughly 2 minutes haha. The first one is a sonnet, and the second one is a free form poem. 

Sonnet for Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bumble bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening

She lay on the rocks floating in the water
While the elephants stand near holding ships on their backs
The rocks are soft and let her drift farther
The pomegranate swims as the tiger covers its tracks
The bayonet stings as it approaches her neck ever so pale
She lies there quietly and starts to dream
The elephant’s legs grow longer and more frail
She awakes to the boiling river beginning to steam
The fish tries to swallow the tiger twice it’s size
The rock begins to melt, leaving her to die
While the elephant approaches with each long stride
The bee stings her once as she makes one last cry
She awakens in her bed far from her dream
As she looks out the window at the sky and it’s gleam.

 

Ode to Three Sphinxes of Bikini

My first mind clouds as it forms to your body
The smoke fills me up as I try to step forward
It creeps down my neck and it approaches my spine
Without your cloud, I can’t make up my mind.

My second mind crosses over and over
As each branch twists and twines
The leaves slowly creep down my neck
But this time I don’t have a spine
It’s broken in half
Nothing can hold me.

My third mind, the lonely one
The clouds begin to intertwine
I stand high on the mountain holding me up
This mountain I now call my spine.

Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth is on of my favorite painters. He was a realist painter in the mid 20th Century. I love how each photo has a longing to it. They're all very melancholic and make something so beautiful so sad. Here are my favorite ones

New Beginings

This is a blog dedicated to food, literature, fashion, art and love.