I've been browsing images of vintage bathing suits lately, which brought me to these perfectly styled 1950s photographs. I love that there was a time when beach wear could look sophisticated and even a bit glamorous.

Photography by Nina Leen. Found on flickr.

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The Pagestoppers is a sweet new Etsy shop that sells a range of delightful little trinkets. I particularly love their charm bookmarks. For this giveaway, they are offering one Much Love reader a chance to win any item of their choice!

To enter:
♥ visit the Pagestoppers, then leave a comment (with your email) telling me which item is your favourite. If you win, that will be the item sent to you.*
*subject to availability. If sold out, the winner can choose a 2nd item.

For extra entries, leave separate comments if you:
♥ follow this blog,
♥ tweet about this giveaway,
♥ blog about this giveaway.
Please leave an extra comment for EACH action. Otherwise, I won't be able to count them as multiple entries.

Open to everyone worldwide, and ends on Tuesday 4 May at 11pm GMT. The winner will be randomly drawn, then contacted via email. So do remember to include your email in the comments.

Good luck!


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This editorial from Vogue Korea is a few years old by now, so I'm surprised I hadn't noticed it before. Featuring the traditional Korean dress (Hanbok), it is absolutely beautiful. The pastel colour palette and the voluminous (almost "frothy") skirts are just stunning. Also, how cute is the one with the kittens??
Photography by Kim Kyung Soo. Photos found here.

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I love: decorative sticky tapes.
I got these ones from kikki.K. Well of course I had to get the one with the love hearts.
You've probably already seen the sticky tape graphics, prettying up photos all over the blogosphere, by now. If you didn't know, they're available to download for free at Pugly Pixel. Aren't they terrific?



How to join in Much Love Monday*:
1. Do a blog post that includes a picture of a heart and mention something you love.
2. Leave a link of your blog post in the Linky space below.**
3. PLEASE put in the thing you love in the form's title space.
4. Although not essential, I do appreciate it if you link back to my blog. There are some Much Love buttons available on my sidebar if you wish to use one.
* You don't have to do the post on a Monday, I just collect the links on this day.
** Please leave the link AFTER you've done the post. Thanks!



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My latest movie pick is Cinema Paradiso, a 1988 Italian film. It tells the story of a big film director as he remembers his childhood, and the deep friendship he developed many decades ago (post WWII) with his local cinema's projectionist, Alfredo. The movie follows the boy as he grows into a young man, and we see how much Alfredo inspires the boy's love of the film world, even if it meant sacrificing another love of his life.

I really enjoyed this movie, particularly the first parts when we see the boy's wide-eyed curiosity about the cinema. Like how censorship worked in those days (very funny!), how a movie can be projected onto a person's house, and seeing the way entertainment-hungry people react. Also, I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories, especially if it has cute kids in it, so this was a delight to watch.

P.S. Don't forget it's Much Love Monday tomorrow, so get those heart photos ready :)

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Until this weekend only, all 5x7 photo prints in my Etsy shop are just $6 (it's usually $8). If you mention that you're a reader of this blog, I'll even throw in a free postcard for you :)
Offer ends on Sunday, 25 April 2010.

*comments disabled*

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How wonderful is this fabric bunting? Katie from Ducks Like Tea made it for me, and I absolutely adore it! She's even put up a tutorial on her blog, so you can see how you can make one yourself. I'm now thinking of making some more out of the vintage fabric scraps I got recently. I also think I should start putting up more hooks on my walls if I want to do that! As you can see, for now, I've simply attached this one to my window and on one of the pegs of my photo garland. As soon as I get the chance, I'm going to put it up on a different wall, and a little higher up.

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Sun drenched, care free, and just plain pretty. Loving these photos by Antonella Arismendi.

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I love: that during the weekend, as I was crossing a street, a random man who was crossing from the other side, threw an unexpected compliment at me ("beautiful dress!") as we walked pass each other. Made me smile to hear that.
Have you ever been given a random compliment by a stranger, that brightened your day? Or maybe you were the one giving the compliment? Tell me about it :)



How to join in Much Love Monday*:
1. Do a blog post that includes a picture of a heart and mention something you love.
2. Leave a link of your blog post in the Linky space below.**
3. PLEASE put in the thing you love in the form's title space. That way it creates a list of what everyone loves, instead of a list of blog titles.
* You don't have to do the post on a Monday, I just collect the links on this day.
** Please leave the link AFTER you've done the post. Thanks!



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Gorgeous Amelie-inspired photographs by Cecilia Austin.

Has anyone seen Micmacs, the new French flick from the director of Amelie? I had a chance to see it a couple of days ago, and it's SO good! I don't know how to describe it, but it's kind of like Amelie meets Oceans Eleven.

The winner of the Karma Cards giveaway is #43 = Amy. Congratulations Amy! I'll email you shortly to get your details. Have fun with your Karma Cards :)

A big thanks to everyone who entered! There were some truly inspiring answers, which would be wonderful to see really happen. So if you didn't win, you can still download the Karma Cards PDF for free, or purchase the cards for a low price (and free postage worldwide!) over at Yes and Yes. Go on, you know you want to. Spread those cards and make someone's day! Just like Amelie would do.



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Thank you for all the positive responses in my last post about posting my own photos! It's just the encouragement I needed. Here's another set of personal photos from me. It's been a while since I did an outfit post. Dress worn as top: vintage, high waisted skirt: AA, tights: thrifted (still in unopened package), pink hair bow worn on dress: from Chloe.

Also, a big thanks to Simply Hue for recently featuring Much Love in their blog!


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Went to dinner with a close group of friends last night, then went to this cafe afterwards. It's one of my favourite little hidden places in Melbourne (Easy Cafe on Bourke St). They have nice bubble tea, but best of all: they have swing seats! Much fun was had as we dangled our feet, rocking back and forth, sipping sweet tea, flicking through a Frankie magazine found there, playing Uno (we love this game, haha!), talking, laughing, and basically enjoying the company of old familiar friends. I left feeling very very happy.

P.S. The winner of the Little Monarch giveaway is #6 = Veronika. Congratulations! I'll email you shortly to get your details. To everyone else, don't forget you can still enter the Karma Cards giveaway.

P.P.S. Lately I've been wanting to post more of my own photos/images on the blog, as opposed to posting those done by others. What do you think? Do you prefer personal photos, or the inspiring photos/editorials I find by other people? I would still like to have a balance between both, and maybe this is just a phase, but I've been thinking of posting more of my own stuff. I know my own photography isn't always great, but that just gives me more reason to keep trying.

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Photography by Nicoline Patricia Malina
Illustrations by Ykha
from Harpers Bazaar Indonesia
*EDIT (16 April)* Just added the illustrator and magazine source. Thank you to Andra for letting me know! She also told me that they shot these near her house in Jakarta.

I really like how they combined photography and illustrations in this editorial. Both have a very delicate and romantic feel to them, making them fit so perfectly together. Also, did you notice her magnificent bow-covered skirt in the first photo? Love it!

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