Reclaim Her Name
A week or so ago I spotted some articles about the ‘Reclaim Her Name’ initiative and, as it often happens, I saved the links to read the full story later. Even at first glance, it drew my attention for the inspiring goal – to republish a series of books by women who wrote under male noms du plume for various reasons, including the desire to be taken seriously as writers and not have their work judged differently because of their sex. It made me think of one of my favorite authors, Virginia Woolf, and her quote: ‘I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman.’ The most famous title in the collection is Middlemarch, one of the best (some would say the best) English novels, published for the first time under George Eliot’s real name – Mary Ann Evans.
Now I’ve had the chance to actually read more about the project, developed by the Women’s Prize for Fiction in partnership with cream liqueur brand Baileys, I realize it is not perfect in execution, but the idea is still brilliant, it opened the right conversation, plus, from a PR point of view, it made me go to the brand’s website and learn more about them. I had no idea they actually invented cream liqueurs (Irish whiskey and other spirits mixed with Irish dairy cream and other delicious ingredients like chocolate, salted caramel, orange truffle and more.)
Baroque Pearls
When my son turned one I wanted to give myself a gift and after thinking about it for a while, I decided on a pearls necklace (a choker, to be precise). That’s when I first looked properly into types of pearls, which are considered by some as the most misunderstood gems.
Without going into grading, a very complex affair, unlike for example in the case of diamonds, I found this and this simple guides very useful, explaining the difference between the very rare natural pearls and ‘cultured’ pearls, which in turn come in many shapes, sizes and colours and can be either fresh-water or saltwater pearls. Baroque pearls are my personal favourite (name included!), for being the quirky sister of the classy round ones.
Ancient Ruins Reconstructed
As we can’t really travel freely at the moment, maybe you fancy some time-traveling this weekend, through a new series of six ancient ruins, from Israel to Panama, that have been reconstructed to their former glory in awe-inspiring gifs. All landmarks are in reality in some form of decay and have been included on the UNESCO list of endangered world heritage.
This is not the first collaboration between brand Expedia and agencies NeoMam and ThisIsRender. Part of the first series we got to see how The Parthenon (Athens, Greece), the Temple of Jupiter (Pompeii, Italy) or the Luxor Temple (Luxor, Egypt) looked like. All these ancient civilizations definitely had a taste for the grandiose!
Le petit bureau
Thinking recently that I need another desk area in my home but don’t really have the space for it, I remembered these images I pinned a while back thinking how pretty and personal a petit bureau like this, that can also double as a dressing table, would look even in a bedroom. These particular ones are beautifully hand made by La Maison Naturaliste, a couple of young artisans living in a mountain village in Argentina.
As for me, I am trying without much luck so far to source an antique one locally, that might be in need of some TLC.
A clean house is a sign of a wasted life
I have both a mug and a coaster with this famous quote and retro print from, it seems, the ‘50s (although it is unknown who might have authored it) and I strongly believe in it too! That doesn’t mean I like to live in a dirty house, on the contrary, but I don’t think cleaning should be such an important part of women’s lives as it was back in my grandmother’s and even my mother’s time, and still is for many women around the world.
First, I don’t see the point in excessive activities that go beyond keeping a healthy and enjoyable environment, like polishing surfaces and whatnot. I think keeping the house tidy by putting things back to their place after use is actually what makes the real difference, not when was the last time you deep cleaned the cooker hood. What?!
Second, there is the argument about how this is not the sole responsibility of the ‘woman of the house’, and, on top of that, the fact that there should be no shame in bringing in help (but actually pride, if I’m being honest!)
If you wonder what might have started this train of thought, it’s this article about how clean, really, do our kitchens need to be? And it seems to me, not that clean anyway…
Silk Pillowcases
I have heard it before but was reminded recently of the Legend of the Silk Pillowcase. It is said that sleeping on a silk pillowcase will have positive effects for your skin, by preventing wrinkles and helping with hydration, since it absorbs less of the skin’s natural moisture than other textiles, like cotton. It is also considered a silk pillowcase will prevent frizzy hair and result in fewer bad-hair days.
There is no hard evidence behind all these claims to fame (I find this point-by-point summary particularly useful), and silk pillowcases are definitely not going to be a magical solution to any of the problems listed above, but some experts seem to agree that it wouldn’t hurt using them, while it might in fact actually help. Plus, I think it would just make the whole ritual of going to sleep all the more luxurious.
While this seems to be the cult brand in the Universe of the silk pillowcases, I am going to keep my eye out for one that strikes a better balance between quality and price.
Bonus exquisite find is this exclusive extract from Jane Birkin’s diary, where she happens to mention how she got a blister chez les Rothschild, from their monogram on the pillowcases. This confession has something from The Princess and the Pea in it and I simply love it!
Merchants in Motion
This is another example of a brilliant, yet simple idea, producing some truly beautiful images. What dutch artist Loes Heerink did was to find a different perspective, to look at something ordinary, the street vendors in Hanoi on their bikes, presumably going to the market, from a unique vantage point, more precisely, perched high on a bridge. I think it’s exquisite and I am left hoping she will capture someone carrying a load of onions in the future. How serendipitous would that be?
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