Reasons to Heart January

There are indeed reasons to be cheerful in January! It shouldn't be dreaded or perceived as the anti-climactic month of the year - especially as it starts on a high note! Ringing in the New Year and its joyful countdown shouldn't turn into a hapless comedown. If you need a little convincing, then this post is for you.

Sitting on top of the world! Europe from space, photography by ESA astronaut Tim Peake, via Twitter

I heart January for many simple reasons. Here's ten of them, at the top of my head:
 

• The year (habitually) starts on a high note as a festive celebration. Keep it up! Don't get yourself sucked into the bad vibes of the fatalist and the disenchanted.
• Treat the new year as a blank canvas for your projects, ideas. A new start of sorts. Visualise that joy you felt at midnight and turn it into an impetus to get started on a project. It could be anything from rewriting your resume, to turning your balcony into an herb garden, to researching an author or a discipline.
• In the northern hemisphere, days have been getting longer since the end of December, bonus! This makes Winter less drab! If you live in the southern hemisphere, fret not! The Summer there has only just started so there are still many days of good sunny weather to look forward to!
•  Be kind to yourself and don't go overboard with resolutions: keep them few, simple and achievable.
• If you need a little retail encouragement, you have Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day and other landmark celebrations to look forward to, if only in terms of their window-dressing quality and the cutesy presents. Spending cash is optional when you do window-shopping!
• Reconnect with family or friends who you are not in regular contact with. In France we have les Voeux (New Year wishes) tradition, whereby we send cards or give phonecalls to people within our circles especially to wish them a Happy New Year and catch up on the news at the same time.
• Have a couple of appointments to look forward to in January, like a visit to the hairdresser (with a new hairstyle or hair colour to boot), or starting a new class or hobby.
• Go out there and enjoy nature and witness it getting ready for Spring: buds and birds! Even if you live in town, you will still be able to catch glimpses of it in your daily endeavours or by nipping down to your local park.
• Slip into a new healthy lifestyle regimen to shed those extra pounds and feel more energetic. And if you are in the cleansing mode, you may even consider a pre-Spring clean round the home or catch up with any overdue paperwork. Addressing procrastination may not sound like fun but the quicker you get round to it, the more time you will have to enjoy the rest of the year!
• Yet most of all, you should just enjoy life because life goes at the speed of light and before you know it, youth will have morphed into middle age and middle age will have morphed into retirement age... You should simply be grateful for what you have and put things into perspective. Life could be better but life could also be worse. Life is a gift and the start of a New Year is an extra validation of life. It is so good to be alive and this is the number one reason for being cheerful, my friend!

Galapagos Islands, photography by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, via Flickr

Rose & Gold for Valentine

Valentine's Day is an invitation for LBM to feature some pretty homeware pieces that incorporate topical pink and gold/ brass in their subtle shades. I chose subtle because we don't always like our colours to go bright and overboard, especially those as powerful and statement-prone as pink and gold. Because most of us do not want our shrines to resemble the Barbie dollhouse or Barbara Cartland's boudoir or Liberace's quarters. I am aware of some lifestyle bloggers out there who make (bright) pink their statement colour but in general terms, subtle goes a longer way as it defies trends and defines longevity.

Lace Cheeseboard in Rose by Suite One Studio

Those pieces here, touch with your eyes or get inspired further and leave a hint for your beloved to purchase. Or just summon the power and go treat yourself! Those items are not just for Valentine's by the way; they will equally suit a forthcoming bridal shower, wedding party, housewarming do, anniversary celebration and other family engagements!

P.S: If you are single and Valentine makes you look away, treat yourself to being your own Valentine and fix yourself a 'Me Date'. Get yourself a bunch of flowers (or a plant), a box of your favourite chocolates, and cosy up at home for a night in with yourself. First have a nice relaxing bath, then snuggle up on the couch to catch up with that great movie/ documentary you'd been meaning to watch, or immerse yourself into a good book. If you fancy your solo self to go social, schedule a night in around a lovely home-cooked meal with a posse of those single friends of yours!

As for the coupled up, Valentine's Day should be a reminder of what every day should be like: filled with mutual love, respect, praise and appreciation! In other words, every day should be Valentine's Day. And that doesn't cost a thing!

Burlap Tray in Rose with Gold Stripe by Suite One Studio

Gold-Dipped Ceramic Cake Serving Set by BHLDN

Vintage Copper Chocolate Bar Molds (Made in England, c.1850), by Coppermill Kitchen via Food52

Brass Money Clips by SIN, via Food52

Birdy Side Table (detail) by Urban Outfitters

'Two Peas in a Pod' Greeting Card by Rifle Paper Co.

Thank you @baguettemagique - we love this post! https://t.co/iUC5go8WTN

— Lindsay Emery (@SuiteOneStudio) February 4, 2016

Total Recall - Love & Be-Love(d)

Can you believe we're already halfway through our Total Recall week? Time flies when we're having fun! Today, Day 4, comes on as a flutter: heart-shaped, light-hearted, sincere, heartfelt, footloose and fancy-free, handed over on a silver platter, elusive, or even downright unrequited and unwanted...

Blue Kite Photo Blog, via Flickr

Love is simple yet some of us make it complicated. It is only four letters long and it can feel heavy like 'hurt' and 'pain' and 'lack' and 'hate', but it's potent like a magic potion. Don't get me wrong, I adore 'love', but all too often the noble cause it represents may be misunderstood, misused, abused, and/ or taken for granted. Yet without love there is no I, there is no us. The lack of true sincere love is the ultimate heart disease in our self-centred, sexually-liberated, pleasure-seeking "package culture" modern societies. And it's time to remedy this:

• Inspire Aspire - Be True to Romance (15/08/2013) >> No game playing here, this is an ode to love as it should be: pared-down, pure, sincere, honest. Coming from a place of honesty and trust, being in tune with your true self, realise that with truth of feeling and an open heart, you may conquer love and be conquered by it!
• It's Complicated (03/09/2012) >> A slight variation on the above, or how in the name of self-preservation against potential rejection or emotional trauma, we hide behind excuses and pretence. Danger is that when we start lying to ourselves, we lie to the other person too.
• Sweet Valentine (09/02/2012) >> There is a sweet and lovely ode to romance over at our sister blog, Mirabelle Design Inspiration and we couldn't resist it!
• Lessons in Love (01/02/2012) >> Grass is greener, right? When you are single, you wish you were coupled up, and once you are coupled up, you wish you were single all over again... Hmmm!
• Tickle, No Work and All Play (26/09/2010) >> Not just humans deserve a bit of love and affection, by the way. If you are familiar with La Baguette, you'll be aware of the fact that I have a pet mascot, yay!, by the name of Tickle the Jack Russell Terrier, a lovable bundle of joy! I promise to post new photos of Tickle in the next couple of weeks!

That's it for now, peeps, but I sure will see you again tomorrow for our 5th installment of Total Recall. Stay tuned!

P.S: Click the link for more lovely wedding and engagement photos from Blue Kite Photo.

Hey Gorgeous!

If the object of your affection hasn't yet plucked up the courage to utter them magic words to you, then I'll double make the point of saying them: I Love You guys and thanks for your support and following! Happy Valentine's, you gorgeous things!

Sources: (1) Zing it with a 'Classic Lemon Zest' bouquet by award-winning Cheshire-based florist The Black Rose! (2) Be a hoot like the 'Adorned Owl' illustration by my friend and French artist Isabelle Duvignon! (3) Bring it to the crunch with a medium tin of love chocolates by British confectioner extraordinaire Biscuiteers! (4) Oomph it with 'Chocolate Wafer' from San Fran-based Miette Bakery!

Want more? More V Day frolics over at our sister site Mirabelle Design Inspiration!

Snowed Under! (Part 2)

Hey, it's been snowing across the net too! So then stay in with us, snuggle up and check out this selection of beautiful inspiring photography... Oh, hang on a minute... Is it me or is there a Valentine's hint down our icy Winter theme?

Sources: (1) via Pinterest. (2) 'The Kylie Fashion Shoot' by Stylist (pictured by William Baker). (3) 'Triple Layer Vanilla Ruffle Cake' by Red Magazine. (3) 'Vanilla Rosewater Cupcakes' by Sprinkle Bakes.

Lessons in Love

Not sure whether this quiet time of year is the reason why it lends itself beautifully to an introspective mood, but lately friends and I have been discussing matters of the heart, otherwise known as the ta-da troublesome knee-jerking four-letter word starting with an L. No, just leave 'Lust' out for now, the L word in question is... (take a deep breath!) 'L-O-V-E'.

Rosie Parsons wedding photography

For starters, it's oh so funny how I find out that coupled-up friends are more likely to envy the single life rather than their (supposed) love-filled existence... And somehow the debate takes me back to re-runs of SATC. My friends with boyfriends in tow envy the fact that singletons like I are free, free to do what we want, when we want, where we want... And wait a minute, singles like I are invariably drawn to whimper back that they wish they could actually share their freedom with erm someone. Get the picture? No-one seems happy with their condition.

If I am honest, I recall that when I too was in a relationship, I used to envy my single friends who could do as they please and gave the impression of having it all (minus the relationship - which in a bizarre twist of fate did seem like a minor detail to the coupled-up woman). Having said that, there were times when I didn't envy their condition as single girls, when they were exposed to predatory conduct in social situations while I could hide behind my relationship status and enjoy the appearance of comfort and stability, although whether or not I was actually happy in the relationship was a different matter.

Love in untroubled waters: 'From Here to Eternity' (1953), photograph by Rex Features

We want it all but we can't exactly have it all, even in an ideal world. Some things may morph into something else (like the pretence of happiness), while some things have to give (individualism and selfishness), some need to lean towards compromise (freedom, independence) and others may simply snap or at least frazzle when bent too low (personality clashes, different lifestyle aspirations, self-awareness and love of self). This is the price to pay for being either single or in pairs. Either way, life is no bed of roses... Then again who wants roses when beauty is that thorny? I'll opt for the daisies.

Be my 'Sweet Valentine' (illustration by Isabelle Duvignon)

A Week-End Wonderweb 12-02 (Valentine's Day)

St. Valentine's Cupid bow has conjured up the year's most romantic day, an association of love, sugar and spice and all things pink for what is essentially a retailer's golden opportunity to cash in after the low ebbs of January; but who said romance was dead (expensive)?

Sources (top page down):

• 'Lovey-Dovey' greeting card by Allihopa
• Box of Ferrero 'Mon Chéri' chocolates photographed by ©La Baguette Magique
• 'Addicted to Cupcakes' (from Magnolia Bakery, NYC) by ©Candy Pop via Flickr
• 'Most Beautiful Roses' by Ferenc Ecseki Photography
• V&A Prints, Botanical Prints, 'Cotton Rose Hibiscus' by unknown artist (watercolour on paper, Guangzhou, China, c.1800-40).