Belle Peach

PLUMETTE plu·me·tte Etymology for Plumette Plume │ French origin │ a long soft feather or an arrangement of feathers used by a bird or worn by a person for ornament -ette │ a noun suffix │ originally occurred in loanwords from French often used in distinctive feminine nouns (think major ettes  in a band, a bachelor ette  party, etc); also used to define small things Plumette photos from Adoring Gugu │ Edits by Me

"I will be a vessel for the Goddess of Beauty. I hold the dream inside my chest like a breath I never want to let out." This is a book that I have wanted to read for quite a while. When I first discovered The Belles, I remember being immediately drawn to the title which, in my mind, conjured up images of Southern American Belles, Louisiana Creole culture, and 18th century French nobility. Not to mention the fact that the model on the cover, Resnya Renee, is absolutely gorgeous and brings a refreshing appeal. “I am a Belle. I control Beauty.” - Camellia Beauregard The word Belle is of French origin which means Beauty. In Dhonielle Clayton’s gorgeously crafted world of Orléans, beauty is the most coveted thing of all but why is it so? Orléans’ mythos tells us that once upon a time, when the Goddess of Beauty and the God of the Sky were in love, they gave birth to the children of Orléans. With time, Sky grew jealous of Beauty’s affection for her children so he c

Last week was spring break for my mom and we were both delighted to have time to go to one of our favorite restaurants. I've talked about Knoxville's The French Market Crêperie before on this blog so I don't have to go into too much detail about this little gem of a restaurant but I did want to share a delicious new treat called The "Canadian." Btw they added a new awning and I think it's the perfect finishing touch to this place! The Canadian is a delicious medley of bacon, scrambled eggs, and swiss cheese nestled inside a buckwheat crepe and topped with maple syrup and butter. It's one of those foods where upon the first bite, you have to close your eyes and appreciate the talented hands that put this whole thing together. Seriously, it's really really reallllllly good. As long as this is on the menu, it will probably be my go to breakfast get up for a while (although I still need to try their Monte Crisco crepe very soon).

I think I'm slowly becoming a Jim Shore fan but as a Disney devotee and art lover, it was inevitable honestly. I talked a little bit about my adoration for Jim's work when I made a post about the Tiana figure I purchased so I was excited when Hallmark alerted me that they were having a 20% off sale on everything from their site. After doing a little browsing, my eyes were immediately fixated on a gorgeous Snow White figurine that's a part of Jim's White Woodland collection. Thanks to the site sale plus having an extra coupon on hand, this beauty is now a part of my tiny collection! I think she's just the prettiest little thing! What I love about the white woodland collection is that the muted colors blend well with the color scheme in my room. The mix of cream colors combined with the adorable creatures gives this whole figurine a very soft and innocent look. I look forward to seeing the other princesses Jim Shore plans to incorporate in his whit

I was casually browsing various online shops for cute silk scarves and I discovered the loveliest little video tutorial on Kate Spade's site that shows how to rock a silk scarf multiple ways and I figured I'd post it here. The Madison Avenue Bow style is definitely my favorite way to wear one of these scarves. Also, isn't the model just adorable? I love seeing cute black girls modeling classic, feminine styles.

My birthday passed a little over a week ago and one of my celebratory shopping destinations was at Hallmark. My original intent was to see if there were any Princess Tiana figurines available but alas they did not - although I did manage to find a lovely book called Paris In Bloom by Georgianna Lane which, I may blog about soon. Fortunately because of my purchase, I received a few coupons so I decided to visit their website and voila! I am now the owner of a gorgeous Princess Tiana Personality Pose Figurine by the great Jim Shore.  I'm a very big fan of his work because his art style combines a nice mix of American and European folk art with a wide variety of colors, interesting patterns, and the use of rosemaling. Not only does he create Disney themed art, but he also creates pieces that are inspired by commonly celebrated American symbols and holidays such as Christmas, the American flag, Angels, etc. Sometimes I forget that Disney isn't just significant because of the

*** Review originally published on Amazon Source I had the fortunate pleasure of reading this YA historical/science fiction novel by M. Sasinowski over the past week and because I enjoyed it immensely, I thought I should post the review I posted on Amazon here as well. My Review: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Reading Sasinowski‘s Heir of Ra made me feel as if I was apart of this fast-paced, fantastical story. I loved how it didn’t take a long time for the action to build up and the fact that the story is based on Egyptian mythology greatly intrigued me. In my opinion, Heir of Ra is everything a fantasy/science fiction story geared for teens should be: thrilling, packed with adventure, mystery and refreshing characters, and a protagonist you can’t help but admire. I’ve read many YA novels and I’ve yet to meet a heroine with as much grit and confidence as Alyssa. Only 16 years old, Alyssa is a very skillful young woman is faced with the dilemma of having to save her father, Kade Morgan, in a sh

This past Friday, I had the fortunate pleasure of dining at First Watch, a restaurant that caters to breakfast, brunch (my favorite meal of the day!), and lunch. There are three First Watch restaurants in Knoxville and I visited the one in Fountain City. I was accompanied by my grandmother who put me on to this spot when she had visited with my cousin. We went around standard breakfast time and to sum up my experience, I have to say I had a wonderful time! Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the building's interiors or exteriors but I did get some snaps of our delicious meals.  A glimpse of the menu. As you can see, there are plenty of options of egg lovers!  My grandma ordered the The Traditional which, is a generous plate sized serving of eggs (any style), artisan toast, potatoes, and your choice of sausage or bacon. I ordered the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with a side of bacon and guys, these pancakes were heaven! I loved how the ricotta wasn't too

One of my favorite hobbies is putting together puzzles. I started this hobby because I was looking for ways to decrease the amount of time I spend staring at digital screens plus I wanted a therapeutic hobby. While the techy in me can't truly let my love for gadgets go, it's nice to get lost in something that allows me to focus without killing my eyes. When puzzle shopping, I generally look for things like great art work, an abundance of puzzle pieces (500+ pieces), and value. Thomas Kinkade's Disney puzzles tend to be my favorite because you can usually find 4 puzzles in one box for not even $20 and the art is amazing plus it's Disney! Recently I took a trip to Walmart and found a beautiful Paris themed puzzle by Aimee Stewart  whose art style is very vibrant and evocative. She also has London and New York themed puzzles which, I hope I can find on my next trip. This puzzle is comprised of 1000 pieces and while it's pretty, it was definitely not a quick put togeth

I discovered Jon Whitcomb's illustrations through Pinterest when I was looking for vintage art. I fell in love with his attention to feminine beauty and how every woman he painted exudes elegance and charm. I also appreciate how the men he painted were equally as beautiful, complimenting their lady partners. As the holidays began approaching, I was curious if there were any art books dedicated exclusively to his works and I was excited to discover that The Illustrated Press had produced The Art of Jon Whitcomb last year. I did get a little discouraged because the book is sold out mostly everywhere and Amazon is selling it double the price. Fortunately, I discovered Dream Haven Books which is an independent bookshop and I was so excited to find they had it at a great price. It's a truly glorious book and if you like this style of art, I'd recommend buying this if you can find it!  The women in his art usually have large, sensual eyes, plump glossy lips, and gr

Last weekend, my mother surprised me with the cutest little Audrey Hepburn puzzle from Marshalls. I've always loved old Hollywood and Audrey Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses from the bygone era of silver screens and vintage glam. There are 100 pieces in the puzzle and the size is approximately 6.25 x 8 inches so it's quite small. What makes it really special is that it's tailored for people whose zodiac is Aquarius with one of Audrey's famous quotes: " Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!' " Being an Aquarius and an Audrey fan, I just think this is the cutest and most creative thing ever. It took me about 25 minutes to complete the whole thing. Many of the white pieces looked similar and I had to make sure I didn't get them mixed up. Here is the finished piece: At first, I was going to put all the pieces back in the little box but it's such a unique puzzle that I'm considering frami

Hello everyone! Today I'm reviewing one of the most delicious pieces of chocolate I've ever eaten and it's a a white chocolate and strawberry cupcake inspired candy. From the Godiva website - " The strawberry coulis with white chocolate mousse, bursts with the sweet and tart flavors of strawberries mixed with the light and airy fluffiness of the creamy mousse bringing an indulgent experience to your pallet. Decorated with pink strawberry sprinkles." I love how creamy and sweet the mousse is and it pairs very well with the little white chocolate cup. When you bite into the cupcake, you can taste the strawberry ganache which is so good. I will definitely try and buy more since they'll likely be around till Valentine's Day. If you like white chocolate and strawberry flavored foods then I would definitely recommend this little goodie!

I stopped by my local BoxLunch store and picked up this cute little Marie themed cosmetic bag by Loungefly. As a Disney fan and francophile, The Aristocats is one of my favorite childhood films and it's hard sometimes resisting all the cute merchandise...especially when it's pink! The outside pouch is clear with a small image of Marie peeking out of a cute pink tea cup. Inside is a smaller pouch that's pink with little Marie's and macrons all over. The design is adorable and the pouches offer versatile uses that will come in handy for me especially since I'm always carrying makeup and toiletries with me. It's a BoxLunch exclusive item I believe so you can only buy it from one of their physical stores or their online shop. It retails for $29.99. *I was not paid for this review. Just wanted to showcase this lovely item. Thanks for reading!