Friday 31 July 2009

Seeking Inspiration: Nature's beauty



The search for inspiration is like the quest for the holy grail, in that both are highly sought after by people all over the world. Whether you are an artist, a designer, a writer, or simply someone bored with the routine of normal life, inspiration is something that could enhance your existence just by its mere presence.

Because, this blog is dedicated to helping you live creatively, this is one of the core pieces of the blog, and I will release a post on this every week. Its going to be any story, poem, picture, quote or thing that I find that deeply moves me and that I think may inspire and motivate you. I hope you like it, and before I forget submissions are welcome. Email me : aury4eva@gmail.com






What a beautiful autumn day! How I wish I could just lose myself in the beauty of such a place....






And just because today is my first day...








Love you all and Stay Inspired,


Aury



P.S. Let me know what think in the comments below...
(all pics from flickr.com)


Wednesday 29 July 2009

Music Therapy Part 2: Falling in love



Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you' re just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have YOU... The one who turns to his friends and says, thats her...

UNKNOWN
more famous quotes


I love you, not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.

Roy Croft
more famous quotes


Ah love. Its such a beautiful and powerful emotion. When you have it you are happier than you've ever been. When you lose it...well, it can be the most devasting thing you could ever experience. Because love is such a focal point of life, there is an infinite number of songs out there about falling in love. Some may seem sappy, and others may be truly romantic, but all of them try to capture that moment when you are so happy, weightlessness ceases being a possibility and becomes a reality ( at least in your mind).

Sometimes, when you are feel like you're falling in love, you just want to let the whole world know, and usually this is entirely practical. If you feel like you may just bubble over with content, here are a couple of songs that could help you let it out ( without slowly driving your friends crazy):

1. Love Story- Taylor Swift (also really good if you're experiencing a Romeo and Juliet-esque problems.)

2. Untouched- The Veronicas

3.Thank you for loving me- Jon Bon Jovi


4. The Reason- Hoobastank

5.This Love- The Veronicas

6. You make it real- James Morrison

7. Halo- Beyonce

8.Heartbeat- Scouting for Girls

9.Superhuman- Chris Brown Ft. Keri Hilson (For those times you feel like you can fly)

10. Brown Eyes- Destiny's Child

Honorable Mention: Bruises- Chairlift- (For when you're feeling extra silly and giggly)

These songs are a few of the ones that I love personally. Reasons to be truly happy aren't always clear; celebrate them when they are there.

Love you all and Stay Inspired,

Aury

P.S. What songs do you listen to when you are all loved up? Feel Free to tell me in the comments below




Monday 20 July 2009

Life's a Debate: A herd of... crocodiles?


Now let me just begin by saying that the above title does not mean I believe a group of crocodiles is a herd. I know for a fact that is either a congregation or a float(Ha!). But that is besides the point of this post as you will soon see.That being said, I can now introduce the topic.


Well, one day as I sailed through cyberspace (much better than "surfing" because you can multi-task darling...lol) I stumbled upon the headline "Hermes Breeds Own Crocs to Meet Bag Demand" on Reuters.com and was instantly repulsed. Yet, I read on and, as I suspected, the article told me all about Hermes's then recent decision to breed its own crocodiles on its own farms. At first, I was appalled. What kind of world allows and even encourages animals to be reared just so that they can be killed and their skin used to create a bag! And by maintaining farms in order to meet this demand isn't Hermes enabling the current situation? After all, the best way to solve the problem of excess demand would be to stop demand, wouldn't it?


But one can't only look at it that way. After all, Hermes is at least making an effort. According to Paul Thomas, Hermes is willing to run its own farms despite the fact that crocodile rearing is capital intensive and generally expensive (each crocodile has to be kept separately and even then a third of them may die in the rearing process). This should decrease the amount of wild crocodiles hunted and killed for their skin, especially considering the fact that it take 3-4 crocodiles to make each bag. Apart from that, they do have a responsibility to their customers especially if they want to maintain brand loyalty. It's all very complicated.




This is a topic I've wanted to write about ever since I heard about it but I wanted to wait for a followership first because of the nature of the post. It's a little food for thought.



Love you all and Stay Inspired,



Aury



P.S. So tell me what you think. Is Hermes's decision pro- or against crocodile survival? Are organizations like PETA and other animal rights centered groups being to hard on them? Or do u think that the only real way to make a difference would be by switching from real to faux? Feel Free to comment below.

How to Rock: Ankle Cuff Heels





These shoes are hot, sexy and have totally made my transition to fall fashion a lot more exciting. Since one of the major themes of the Fall/Winter 2009 season is the strong shoulder trend of the 80s, for balance to be maintained, it follows that strong shoes like the Ankle Cuff Heel must also come into play. I must confess that at first I didn't really like this trend. I thought that the shoes were a bit strange and indecisive. I mean it looked like a cross between a heel and a boot! But once I laid my eyes on the gorgeous chocolate brown Qupids(via en ala mode on the left I was converted. They are made out of faux croco-leather, and are absolutely fabulous.


Now we've seen it. We love it. How do we rock it?



Well, I've been thinking and I have come up with three major ways to rock these heels:


1. Biker Chic: Definitely one of the most obvious ways to rock this look is in a biker chic fashion. The strong edgy aura given off by the cuff of the darker shoes definitely coincides with the total edginess of biker chic. Just thrown in a studded bracelet, some leather and metallic jewelry (all popular pieces right now) and you can totally chanel your inner badass.






2. Eighties Revolution: Another way to rock Ankle Cuff heels would be to incorporate it into an 80s- inspired ensemble. Since 80s fashion is going to be a major theme in fall, why not don a strong-shouldered blazer, with a pair of dark skinny jeans and complete it with some gorgeous ankle cuff heels? That way you embody the best of the 80s.






3. Sweet vs Edge: In fashion, the best outfits are made up of pieces that either complement or contrast each other.So a good way to rock the ankle cuff would be by contrasting it with, a truly feminine outfit. Think cute LBD with lace details and sexy black ankle cuffs.




Warnings and Words of Advice:
  • The cuffs on these heels tend to emphasize the size of the ankle so if your ankles are on the thick side the best way to wear these would be by teaming them with leggings or fishnets to make your ankles appear slimmer.


  • Finally, since the shoes are usually statement pieces, the best way to rock them is by working with them and using them to step up your outfit.

Love You all and Stay Inspired,
Aury

P.S. So tell me. What do you think of these shoes? Is this a trend you would try? How would you rock it? Feel free to comment below.

(Photos from polyvore.com and En ala mode.com)

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Trendlight: Asian Fusion



Its that strange time of year again. That lingering time, when all the summer clothes are being cleared out to make space for the autumn/winter lines and almost all the fashion blogs and websites start talking obsessively about the up and coming trends for fall. I mean, I'm all for moving forward in life, but for the fact it is still Technically Summer, I'm not quite ready to jump right into the trends for fall yet. Sorry.


So what's a girl to do, if you're not quite ready to turn in your colourful tops and shorts for your wellies and trenches yet?Well one You could try out this late summer trend dubbed Asian Fusion.


This trend has been popping up in small doses around Europe since the beginning, but even more so now that people are growing tired of the Bohemian vibe. The trend mostly consists of using Asian inspired fabrics with lovely rich colours and prints on satin, to create beautiful dresses and tops, that are quite flattering to most figures. Most of them make absolutely gorgeous "night out" dresses and fabulously sexy tops. Another plus for this trend is the simple fact that it is not overworn so you won't feel like you look like everyone else on the street. Luckily, stores like Yendi, Tally Weijl, C&A and online stores like Oli.co.uk and Metrostyle.com still have some of these clothes in stock.



My friends and I discovered the potential of this look while hunting through various shops on our high street in search of inspiration. We agreed that we needed something different but still in season enough to help us transition into fall too and we believe this is it. This is definitely a lovely trend well worth picking up on, especially if you are one of the lucky few still peacefully relaxing somewhere on holiday. But even if you aren't a little change never hurt anybody.



Love you all and Stay Inspired,

Aury



P.S. So what do you think? Would you rock this look? Have you rocked it already? And do you think it can bridge the gap between summer and fall? feel free to let me know in the comments below.

(Photos- Top right- Metrostyle.com, Bottom left- Oli.co.uk via Polyvore)
Monday 13 July 2009

Love&Relationships: On this Love





So here it is guys, my first love and relationships article.

Don't laugh or make stupid kissy faces. :)


Ever since I left my homebase, Switzerland, for a month's stay in Northern Ireland, I have felt more than a little lost. This is because, I had to leave a very important part of me there. My bf, the most amazing guy in the world, has been more than just a boyfriend, he has been my best and closest friend practically since I met him. I tell him things that I can tell no one else, because I know he won't judge me, or worse laugh. He has supported me through some very difficult times in the past year and somehow had the strength to not run away from it.

Unfortunately, I began to take him for granted, and therefore did not really prepare myself emotionally for our first big split.

As soon as it dawned on me that I wouldn't see him, or be able to reach him at moment's notice, for a whole month I broke down in tears. The pain was overwhelming and I begged God to take it away. In order to distract me from the pain, I began to go through the songs on my iTouch (Music is my best form of therapy) and stumbled upon "This Love " by The Veronicas. ( I have placed the video and the lyrics in the inspiration section below the post).
At first, the song only made me cry harder because it was echoing all that I was feeling. However, as the song's tempo became more upbeat and the lyrics started showing a willingness to fight for the relationship despite what the couple may face, I began to cheer up. The tears stopped flowing and a spirit of hope and courage filled me. I'm not saying, I was immediately healed but over the next few days, whenever I felt blue and full of despair, I would play this song to remind me to hold on. Once again, music had helped me in one of my emotional battles.


Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be releasing a couple of posts on my favorite "music therapy" songs. I strongly believe that it is a great way of expressing yourself and letting loose your emotions, even if the songs aren't yours. Also, it is a lot less expensive than retail therapy...lol. Hopefully, these lists will help you to and inspire you in making your own.



Love you all and Stay inspired,


Aury

P.S. Do you have songs that you play when you are feeling a certain way? What songs are they? Let me know in your comments below



Saturday 11 July 2009

Trendlight: The Longchamp "IT" Bag

Caught up in the midst of the crazy whirlwind that is my life in the past week , somehow I have been able to spot an astonishingly hot new trend on the streets of Europe: The Longchamp "IT" Bag. At the beginning of the summer season, when some of my friends obtained and presented these bags to me, claiming it to be the next big thing, it took all of my willpower to not laugh at the idea. I mean, aside from its extremely portable nature, there seemed to be nothing vaguely fabulous about this bag. So you can imagine my Immense Shock, when I realised that not only was this bag a hit, its popularity level has risen to such dizzying heights that even I recently found myself in a Buzzano store, admiring one of these bags in a light blue. Quickly coming to my senses, I hurried out of the store before any of my friends spotted me.




Now don't get me wrong. A regular traveller like myself can definitely see a lot of potential in this bag practicality- wise. It can be carried in at least 2 different ways because of its ability to fold up into a fraction of its regular size, which makes it easy to travel with as it takes up less space. Also, since it has little or no compartments in the actual bag it has a lot more space for you to pack the whole world and the moon, if you so desire. But style-wise it seems a little bland to me. I just don't see enough going on in it by way texture and colour. And the fact that I'm seeing it everywhere (and I do mean everywhere- see left), may just be putting me off it.

But who knows, I'm probably biased (I am totally in love with leather bags and so probably shouldn't judge any other kind). Some people have even found a way to work around the lack of texture and colour by using it as a blank canvas and customising it with stick-studs and pins.

If you feel like this is a must-have bag for you, there a few things you should know. First of all, for those of you who aren't aware, Longchamp is a high-end designer label, which means each bag carries a huge price tag depending on the size. Generally, if you are a college student like me this may be a bit too expensive for you (unless its your splurge item of the moment). If it is too expensive for you , I have seen a few similar versions done by labels like C&A with more affordable price tags. Also , if you are going to get the original and want to customise it, please don't do anything too outlandish that you'll regret. The bag is too expensive for you to over-customise it to the point it becomes unwearable in any other season. Finally and most importantly I believe, if you don't like it Don't Buy It. Even if all the people you know have it, it just is not worth it to buy something that does not reflect you.
Love you all and Stay Inspired,
Aury
P.S. So tell me, have you fallen in love with this trend? Does this bag call your name or do you belong to the camp of "I just Don't get it " too? You can give your response in the comments below.

Photo Credit: All photos from Creative Commons

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Welcome!

"Come with me,
and See this World,
Through the eyes
of an Ordinary Girl"

An Ordinary Girl's World is a blog for stylish and artistic teens, college students and young adults, creatively finding their way in this world. Its about expressing yourself through your personal style, your lifestyle, your relationships and friendships.
This site will feature articles on fashion, love and life in general, with topics ranging from the latest trends in fashion, beauty and lifestyle, personal style, artistic inspiration pieces and real life survival guides.
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aury4eva@gmail.com


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Frannie
Hello! I am Frannie a.k.a Frances Anne and I am a 21 year old Catholic Missionary. I am Nigerian but have lived all over the world and I currently live and serve in the U.S. I love God, others and life in general. I bubble over with joy everyday and would love to share my joy with you.
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