Special Feature Friday: So Many Somethings

Edition 39

Because I am still surrounded by moving boxes, and the moving date is coming quite near, I will do a short Special Feature Friday this week. Short, but very sweet!

So Many Somethings is a wonderful shop run by Abby, she sells home made sweets and cookies.
Abby finds quality and delivering a good product the most important aspects of her sweets. Her sweets look gorgeous and very attractive. The marshmallows will be great on a winters evening or for the upcoming holidays. If you are like me, and you like to use your candies and chocolates as a piece of edible decoration, Abby's shop is certainly the place to go!

These wonderful cherry marshmallows are gluten free. The marshmallows you can find in So Many Somethings are not the gummy stale marshmallows you are used to, but light and fluffy cubes of confection. They are available in 3 sizes. Marshmallows are also available in other flavours. 

White chocolate lemon truffles, how beautiful do these look? They remind me of freshly rolled snowballs. They are also available in a gluten free version, and would make for a wonderful gift!

Abby offers a 20% off coupon for the items in her shop, with a minimal purchase of $20. It is valid until Christmas day 2014. 

Arles

I decided to not have a Special Feature Friday this Friday. Due to my daytime job, and because we are moving house soon, I do not get to spend as much time on my blog as I would like to, and instead of a Special Feature Friday I would like to write about a memory we made last summer.

Friends were over with their car, and we decided to go for a daytrip. This time we chose Arles, a city in the Provence of which I heard a lot. It is about an hour away from Marseille and makes from a nice drive on a spring day. We arrived in Arles and found an Provencal market very soon.  It is great to see the items sold by the salesmen. Olives, bread, vegetables, nougat, sausages and meat products. It was wonderful to see all these regional grown and made goods together!

Arles is an ancient city, the area was already inhabited at 800 BC. In 123 BC the Romans arrived and worked on the expansion of the city. Roman influences can still be found today in the shape of an amphitheater, built in 90 BC and a Gallo-Roman theater.

The arcades of the amphitheater against the blue sky. The theater is open for visitors and in summertime it is still used for bull fights. It has an whole history for it's own! The Gallo-Roman theatre can also be visited. Just outside of Arles there is a Roman aqueduct and mill. 

The city center breathes the air of the old Provencal streets, with the typical houses. Decorated with their beautiful doorways, practical wooden shutters and statues of Maria and other saints. Every summer traditional festivals are celebrated. Every 1st Sunday of July "les arlesiennes" will dress up in their traditional costumes and parade trough the city. 

The painter Vincent van Gogh lived in Arles some of the last years in his life. Some of his famous works where painted here, like "Starry Night over the Rhone", "Cafe terrace at night" and "Hospital in Arles". The latter two can still be found and viewed in the city. Above you can find a picture I took of the "Hospital in Arles", where van Gogh stayed for a while.

Arles is certainly worth a visit, and I would advise to visit in spring or Autumn. As summers can get very hot. If you don't want to miss the market it is best to go on a Saturday morning, as markets usually stop early in these parts. If you have the time it is advisable to stay a couple of day's to truly discover Arles. A train goes to Arles from Marseille. Close to Arles you can find the Camargues, a natural parc in between to arms of the Rhone. It is a river delta with wild horses and flamingo's roaming around. About this, I will write more next time!   

Special Feature Friday: NoraKaren

Edition 38

Nora from NoraKaren worked as a fashion designer for many years, one day she decided to paint a peacock feather on a pair of shoes. It was an immediate success. Nora designs her shoes for the special days in life, wedding days in particular. Her shoes are all hand painted and unique, they will be the eye catchers of any outfit.

Not only paint is used to make the shoes beautiful, crystals, strass and brooches can be added as well.

These shoes are decorated with daisies. The shoes are available in 11 colors. The daisies are painted on by hand, the detail is truly stunning! 

I love these red shoes with snowflakes. I think they will make for a great pair to wear to a Christmas party, but they will also work for a winter themed wedding. The added rhinestones really make for a great finish, giving a luxurious look to the shoe. This shoe is also available in other colors.

You prefer to have a matching purse with your shoes? No problem for Nora also offers a lovely range of shoes with matching purses! 

Nora offers free shipping within the US, with this discount code: FREESHIPPINGSHOES

Special Feature Friday: Pure Designs

Edition 37

Victoria Brewer is the person behind Pure Designs, her mission is to "Make the world more beautiful, without damaging the environment". Her line of jewelry and decorations are made with eco friendly materials, and recycled paper.

The technique used by Victoria is Quilling, an art that uses small strips of paper which are rolled, shaped and then glued together to form a whole. Victoria sells earrings and home decorations.  

These eco friendly earrings are made of paper, eco-friendly glue and are coated with a eco-friendly matt vernish. Because of the varnish they are waterproof to a certain extent. They are available in different beautiful colors.  

These leaves make for wonderful autumn decorations. They come in a set of 7. 

This snowflake will make for a beautiful eye catcher in your Christmas tree or wreath. The detail is stunning! It is about 5.3 cm but also available in larger sizes. It is available in several wonderful colors.

If you would like to follow Victoria's designs you can like Pure Designs Facebook page, there is also a shop website.