Beginnings Matter

As I listened to a favourite piece of music I studied my reaction to it and realized that with that specific one the beginning was the part which gave me the goosebumps and took my breath away (literally). Mostly in other songs the middle part is the one where I find all the character, and there are some others where the end is the part that I wait for throughout the piece. But when it comes to beginnings...

Thinking about it, only two pieces came to mind in which the beginning is what I love most about the piece (make sure your volume is turned up!):

Daniel and I went to a Johann Strauss New Year's Concert in Barcelona in 2014, and one of the last pieces they played was The Blue Danube. As I live and breathe today, I tell you that when the lights turned down low and in the expectant silence the first violin notes were heard I got such a lump in my throat I couldn't breathe, and I got goosebumps all over. 

Beginnings matter!

Wedding Pictures Pt. 3: Getting Ready (Details)

The one year milestone is definitely behind us. We had a beautiful First Wedding Anniversary in Bulgaria (more to come on this, perhaps...), and my expressions of "I can't believe it!" and catchings of breath are over (or perhaps not so frequent).

However, I still enjoy going over the wedding pictures so much! I enjoy writing these posts because I get to look at them once more and each time I remember a small detail I hadn't noticed before. I love the small details that give meaning to a bigger picture, so these pictures are special to me.

Without further ado...

Hairclips and other things...

The special rose-centered accessory that the ladies who sewed my dress gifted me with.

Watching, waiting...

Tying...

Learning how to tie one's tie...

My lantana outside in the garden... so beautiful!

The rings...

The rings on my father's guitar... (Daniel plays the guitar beautifully)

My grandmother's pearls (which I've wanted to wear on my wedding day ever since I received them) along with
my father's guitar and my sweet Verdi, a life-long friend.

My sister attaching the rings to the cushion...

One of my bridesmaids playing the piano...

My sister checking my brother's tie...

Adding baby's breath to the bridesmaids' hair... *-* What a lovely idea!

Oh, what I'd give to re-live the whole day again... so beautiful, so precious, so unforgettable! ♥

On Baskets and Flowers

Do you remember this?

I expect not, because I don't recall ever posting it on my blog. I did, however, post it on my photography tumblr, so perhaps you might remember it.

A beautiful flower basket that Daniel gave me on the 14th of February 2014 during my visit to Romania. Wasn't it lovely? This, however, was more'n one year ago, and the basket, which I kept, was empty. It was sitting forlornly on the inside sill of the sitting room window, and attempting (pitifully) to decorate it.

Today I had a sudden inspiration, and after some time of work, I got this result:

Of course you can't compare it to the original, you see? (Nothing really compares to what the hubby chooses, really) but it's colourful and it looks bright, pretty and cheerful.

First of all I partly filled the basket with bright green tissue paper. Then I added the two leaves, one on each side (I followed a very confusing and altogether non-recommendable tutorial for them, so I'm not going to link it) and filled the rest of the space with more of the same tissue paper. Finally, once all of the lilies were finished, I positioned them on the creases of the tissue paper combining their different colours for a mixed effect.

I used six different origami paper patterns (they were very thankful to finally be used. I've had the origami paper packet for years and have hardly used it), one for the leaves, and five for the lilies, and followed this tutorial for the flowers. It's quite easy and I ended up doing them without looking at the instructions (and I better, as I had to do the same ten times!).

My next craft is a quote I want to do for the kitchen using small cardboard letters.

J. S. Bach's Complete Lute Works

I discovered this quite by accident. If you've ever used YouTube lately, you've probably noticed that a relatively new feature, an "Up Next" video option, unless you cancel it manually, automatically plays another similar video to the one you've been watching.

I had started the day off by playing Henry Purcell as I worked, and absorbed in my chores I suddenly realized that I was listening to an unfamiliar piece of music. Puzzled, I came to check what was going on, and it turned out that the "Up Next" video wasn't Henry Purcell but Bach.

His complete lute works, at that. They're beautiful, peaceful and perfect to work along to in a relaxed manner. There are almost two hours of music, so once you start playing, you should be done with your chores by the time the video is over!

"When in the Chronicles of Wasted Time"

Quan veig en documents del temps passat
Descrites criatures esplendents
i veig que en un poema afortunat
d'una alta dama es fan enaltiments,

llavors crec que els antic han desitjat
(al carmí de la galta sempre atents,
i atents als ulls i al rostre delicat)
expressar la bellesa que tu tens.

Perquè els elogis d'ells són profecies
que la teva bellesa a tots auguren;
però són versos de pretèrits dies 

i aquells mots seus tan sols et prefiguren.
I jo, que tinc la sort de contemplar-te,
no tinc paraules prous per enlairar-te.

- GERARD VERGÈS, a Shakespeare, el més gran. Versió, molt aproximada, del Sonet CVI 

The Adventure Begins

Last January my parents presented me with (one-of) their long-awaited wedding present: a brand new sewing machine all to myself! However, even though it's been a little bit more than six months I haven't officially really "used it for the first time" yet. I haven't done any big project with which I could break the champagne bottle and launch the ship!

Things have changed a little lately, though.

For starters, when my husband and I visited my parents back in April my Mum gifted me with a very cute black-and-white checkered kitchen towel (or dish towel) with a big "True love is a big deal" written on it in pink. As the writing was of some sort of plastic printed material, and it occupied a large area of the towel, therefore rendering it unpractical for drying (let's face it, plastic writing doesn't absorb water very well) she suggested I turn it into an apron. I considered it a capital idea.

Then I received some money from my parents-in-law for my birthday to spend on something nice for myself. Some days ago I finally got around to use that while browsing around eBay for general tools and supplies for sewing and specific supplies for the apron design that I have in mind.

Then I declared myself ready to start off my first real project with my new sewing machine.

I've started out by ripping out the hem seams from the towel. At first I thought I'd use the existing seams for my benefit and use a black/white/pink bias tape for the parts I had to cut out, but in the end I decided I could gain a lot by ripping that hem - it would be a good thing as the towel isn't as big as an apron usually is (I was right, I ended up gaining a good 4 cm in length and width!) and use black/white/pink bias tape (haven't decided on that one yet... any advice on that?) to finish off all the hems and have a balanced, symmetrical look.

Now, after having washed it so that the fabric could settle (there were tiny holes left by the seams) I will iron it (upside-down, of course) and impatiently wait for the supplies to arrive.

One Year Today

I fall more and more in love with him every day. I catch myself daydreaming about him and wondering when he'll be home again, all the time smiling at space like a silly school girl.

I still try to write poetry about him and what I feel for him, and can't manage it because I can't think of the right words or expressions that would say it properly.

I sigh when I think of sweet memories of moments spent together, chuckle when I remember one of his jokes, and laugh outright when a clumsy, comical occurrence comes to mind.

There is so much stored away in my memory, there is so much overflowing my heart, there is so much that has filled our time together.

And yet, only one year has gone by...

...and it has been the fullest time of my life. 

I wonder what will come next?