Make a wish

I turned 25 on Wednesday. Half way through my twenties already! Birthday celebrations are generally quiet affairs for me and truthfully I've come to enjoy them best that way. Warm May weather, pretty blossoms, dinner & cake with my family and my day is complete.

My mother tried something new this year and iced some of my lemon cupcakes with vanilla frosting. The combination was very flavorful, but nothing can out-do when they are simply topped with powdered (confectioners) sugar. She treated me to both. Mmm. ♥

Dress: H&M The Garden Collection, Cardigan: Target (old), Shoes: Aldo

This dress has been hanging on the back of my bedroom door since March. I've been tempted by it for months, but ignored its calls to be worn so that its first outing would be as my birthday dress. Organic cotton? Two floral prints in one? Big, billowy pockets? Yes, please.

"Sunlight is painting"

This afternoon's intermittent sunlight brought to mind this partial* quote I borrowed for today's post title. Breaking through the clouds it poured forth coloring everything it touched with its illuminating wash and brushstrokes of warmth.

Dress: H&M, Top: Target, Brooch: thrifted
Sandals: Delia's, Sunglasses: TJ Maxx

*"Moonlight is sculpture; sunlight is painting." - Nathaniel Hawthorne, Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1

Film and some favorite things

A few months ago I was on a quest for a 35mm film point-and-shoot. My quest had to extend further than boxes and drawers inside my home as I couldn't find the camera I remember my parents having. No big deal. With each visit to my favorite thrift store, I poked around through the bric-a-brac section hoping to spot one and think, "yes, that's the one for me!" Some weeks the pickings were slim, but I persisted until I found this Kodak for... wait for it... $1.49. Love that.

This particular model is the VR 35 K40 and was manufactured from 1986 to 1993. I've been so used to my SLR and manually focusing all of my film photos that adjusting to the fixed focus feature has been a little funny for me. "Just remember to point and click, Em. No need to zoom or focus." Hehe. I've been having fun with it, regardless. Below are some of the first shots we took together.




One of my favorite things in the world is early morning fog at sunrise. It's a sight that never grows old or tiresome to me. I find the colors at dawn to be so beautiful and mysterious. They create such a serene, placid, or tranquil (if you will) atmosphere that I can never seem to get enough of.

Camera: Kodak VR35 K40
Film: Kodak Gold 200
Click photos for an enlarged view

Sun on my face, wind in my hair

Today has been a quintessential spring day - ideal for enjoying the sun warm your face and the wind weave through your hair. Just perfect. I even decided to express my ardent fondness for springtime with this plaid of handsome greens. I grew up and still live nestled in the Taconic Mountain range of eastern New York and let me tell you, when the mountainsides are illuminated with an endless array of green all seems right with the world.

The dandelion has always intrigued me. With its pretty golden floret and subsequent feathery parachute ball (perfect for wish making!) it seems unfair that it gets classified as a weed, but so things go. Apparently, the dandelion is rich in culinary uses. I've been eager to try dandelion wine ever since reading the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury some years ago. Needless to say, I haven't had the opportunity yet. Have any of you had it before? How about sauteed dandelions or dandelion tempura? Might be good!

Shirt: Shaun White 4 Target, Jeans: Levi's Relaxed Boot Cut 550, Minnetonka moccasins

A certain sweetness

Spring is such a magnificent and delicious time of year. The correlation to a time of rebirth -- of youth, when things are new and fresh, surpasses the becoming qualities of all the other seasons combined. Or so it's nice to think. This spring, perhaps to appease once again the fancies of my thirteen year old self, I have been rereading a favorite series of books from childhood. There's no doubt my musings on this blog make it easy to detect my admiration for the stories of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Like happy carefree memories of girlhood, they make me feel safe in those moments when my eyes hungrily read from one page to the next. In the midst of this feverish reading, I came across a line in Emily Climbs that leaped off the page to be nestled snugly into my collection of favorite quotes henceforth: "For spring is just around the corner and I have forgotten everything but gladness."


How beautiful this semblance of words is to me! I marveled briefly over how I hadn't remembered this little morsel these last 12 some-odd years. Yet, delighted all the same in the thought that it remained on my bookshelf all this time waiting for me to rediscover and appreciate its sentiment. To be perfectly honest, a part of me cannot wait until next winter when I can dwell on these words and dream. But for now, spring is here and I am glad.

A welcome rustling breeze

Regular posting will likely resume here at Resplendent Tranquility. I feel as though my break from blogging has been long and healthy enough. It has run its course. With that said, hello again!

What's new in the world of Emily, you ask? Not too much. Just regular everyday life sort of things. However, it is that time of year when tax returns arrive in the mailbox. And so, I've been mulling over how to spend mine. A portion of it has already been designated for new tires for my car. I have it in mind to buy a much needed new pair of Levi's and try out a pair of TOMS. Saving some is a must, but before that I did treat myself to a new digital camera. Would you know that this blog, outfit posts and all, has relied solely on borrowed digital cameras? Yep, it's true. Mine broke long before this blog ever existed. I was in a pinch for a while and couldn't replace it right away. When I was finally able to afford one I often felt guilty about dropping that amount of money on myself. Thanks to that nice check in the mail with my name on it those days are gone and so... bye bye guilt!

Dress and cardigan: vintage, Belt: thrifted, Shoes: Aldo