The Adventures of Madalene and Louisa

The Adventures of Madalene and Louisa
L. and M.S. Pasley ~ Random House, 1980

The authors of this captivating "found" masterpiece--a girlhood fantasy illustrated in exuberant watercolors--were Madalene and Louisa Pasley, the youngest children of Sir Thomas Pasley, Admiral-of-the-Fleet in the Crimean War and at the time this album was written (beginning in 1859 when the sisters were eleven and twelve) Commander and Chief at Portsmouth.

Dedicated entomologists, the girls portrayed themselves as two eccentric spinsters "chasing beetles and butterflies" and all manner of strange things. They also illustrated and recorded, in their beautiful copperplate handwriting, such everyday events of their lives as playing croquet and visiting Papa's ships. The result is a unique record of upper-class Victorian life as perceived by two shrewd children and an uninhibited outpouring of remarkable imagination and artistic talent.

The sisters' work was unearthed by their great nephew, Tim Jeal, who used it to produce this 1980s storybook. (More on the sisters and their story, here.)

When we were young my sister Madalene and I preferred chasing beetles and butterflies to lessons in the schoolroom. We explained to a series of daily governesses that we would rather study ENTOMOLOGY than ARITHMETIC--but none of them was interested in beetles and all of them persisted in setting us sums.

When the the girls were in between nannies, they would sneak out on daring night expeditions and seaside excursions where stink bugs were as big as dogs and dogs as large as houses. Where glow worms could be whipped and lassoed and grasshoppers could drive a horse and buggy.

Funny, magical little drawings that I would have loved to stumble across, tucked away in some old forgotten place. The story is so full of life and youthful, wild imagination, it's a joy to read and ponder. Made all the more awesome when you think of the age of the girls and the time in which they imagined these incredible wonders.

Below are Madalene and Louisa Pasley :

Have a great reads..:)

Sewing Made Simple

Sewing Made Simple by Tessa Evelegh - definitely made me falls in love with handmade things.

It's an almost textbook-style beginners guide to sewing, jam-packed with facts and diagrams and detailed instructions, but it's also a very lovely looking book.

The hardback edition is bright pink, with a pretty dust jacket and even prettier floral endpapers.

Most of the pages dedicated to information and techniques are also framed with a floral border (with a different print for each chapter). If you really loathe "girly" things this book's styling is probably not going to be for you but I found it pleasingly pretty without being too twee, with a focus on bright colours and fresh-feeling patterns.

The focus then switches to skills, with step-by-step instructions (all fully illustrated) on different techniques like sewing seams, adding zips and quilting. After each new skill is introduced, you get 1-3 simple projects to make to test out the technique (20 projects in total). Some of the projects have templates provided at the back of the book (most of which need enlarging by 300-400%) and the rest just require you to cut pieces of fabric to certain sizes.

Each project has a photo of the finished item, and step by step instructions with clear illustrations.

Such a nice read..:)

*Book reviewed by Bugs and Fishes

A Girl You Should Date

Date a girl who reads.

Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads.

You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.
She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads.

Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her.
If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her.
Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.
If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

– Rosemarie Urquico –

Magazine for All (Now Era and Then Era)

What age did you have your own magazine ?

I mean..a magazine that really help you to "know" about yourself, more like a holy book of trend ?
A magazine that can brings out the self esteem in you ?

I remember that i have my first magazine when i was on junior high..around 13 years old, i think.
That magazine called Majalah GADIS and Majalah Mode (i can't find the website cause this magazine seems like off the radar)
The magazine still on print version edition and didn't have a digital version like all magazine nowadays, but the fun was the same.

Looking back to those years, i found out many Indonesian celebrities these days with their old school fashion era, which happened to be a trending at those times..:)

Perhaps these pictures below can bring you some smile...

God how i love those old school era...;p

And these magazine for children below are so hip in worldwide, a bit sorry for Indonesian people who love to collect magazine, they're not distribute to Indonesia. But if you want to buy them, you can always order them via their digital version.

Papier Mache

Babiekins

Indonesian Crafter on CHIC Magazine August 2012 Issue

A very great news came by my facebook account this morning.
A friend of mine told me that he read about Indonesian Crafter on CHIC Magazine August 2012 issue and informed me via my inbox, also tagged me the article.

Woooww..i was very very proud, this community that i join in is growing bigger and stronger and more go public.

Am also very proud with my fellow crafter that we have this solid bond towards each others.
Like they all said "we are all sharing the same passion about crafting and handmade stuff, and we learn a lot from this community. So we think we can be like one big happy crafter family here in Indonesian Crafter"

Bunch of thanks to Mas Faj Satria and his wife for tagging me the article..:)

I hope this article can motivate all crafter from Indonesia and never give up to find your passion about something. Anything. And never give up to pursue your dream.

Now, would you excuse me..i have to run to buy few copies of the magz..hahahaha..;p

*the pic of the article is courtesy of mas faj satria, chic magz, and edited by me.

Indonesian Crafter on Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Our handmade community called Indonesian Crafter was featured on Martha Stewart Living Magazine June edition.

Here you can view some of us in the pictures, and don't forget to buy the magazine yaa..:)

pictures credited to Indonesian Crafter blog

Hermes Temptation

Today was lovely.
Just received a copy of a book called "Hermes Temptation" written by Fitria Yusuf and Alexandra Dewi.
And i got my book signed by Miss Fitria Yusuf herself...whoop..whoop..;p

This book is lovely.
A bitter sweet stories and excitement yet sorrows about two Hermes bag resellers who sells those premium bags online.
It's chick literature, with quirky illustrations and witty story telling from both of them as an authors.

Ms. Fitria Yusuf and Ms. Alexandra Dewi

source

Like the authors said “... and I won't let what I have or what I don't have dictate whether I'm superior or inferior to others.”
The book is telling people never judge someone from their bags...:)

It's definitely a must read book.