Scent of a Woman

My husband doesn't understand why I'm willing to pay $16 for this...

By Candidate, from here

"But, but, it's the kind of art I appreciate. Besides, $16 is less than P1,000," I reasoned. "I want it for Christmas."

"Yun lang pala eh," he replied. (That's loosely translated as, "Is that all?")

"Among other things!" I quickly added.

In my quest to crowd our still-bare dressing-room walls with original prints, I've been trawling Etsy for fashion illustrations. Not a good idea. I'm starting to think I can become a collector of these things, and am imagining prints on the walls of our future baby's nursery, future kids' rooms, commissioned works...

I think I was drawn to this particular print because, for one thing, Chanel No. 5 reminds me of my mom, and for another, I consider it the scent of a sophisticated woman (something I strive to be--which, in itself, is ironic because a truly sophisticated woman wouldn't even have to try!). I was introduced to this classic scent maybe 15 years ago, when Mumsy had a bottle of it on her dresser. I didn't realize then that it was a legendary fragrance, and wasn't even particularly attracted to its scent--although I used it liberally. You just knew it was something special once you got a whiff of it--and putting it on made me feel so grown up!

Hmmm...the more I write about it, the more I want the actual perfume for Christmas! Let's hope Hamil still replies with, 'Yun lang pala eh!"

Prints Charming

I really don't know much about art. I try to appreciate it (if running through the Louvre looking for the Mona Lisa on a super short trip to Paris counts as "appreciation"), but I don't think I could have the same passion for it as I have for, say, dancing or disc. Unless I could own Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night, I don't see myself really taking the time to study and invest in art.

Lately though, I've been drawn to illustrations. I can't even remember how I found Melbourne-based illustrator Emma Leonard, but I really like her work. I think among all media, watercolor has been the one I've been most attracted to, so I enjoy seeing her ink-and-watercolor work. A few things I really want from her Etsy shop (I hope she doesn't kill me for posting them here...):

(From top) Tender to the Blues, Stretching Girl, About a Girl

I would love to have all three of them, framed and hung in my unfinished dressing room. I'm so desperate to have illustrations in there that I made a very vague, random request to a freelance illustrator-friend to draw me a "fashionable girl." I made the request to this particular friend because she and Emma have somewhat similar styles. Unfortunately, said friend is super swamped and I won't be able to get my hands on her work til October.

Sigh. The husband and I have that long-overdue honeymoon coming up, so I don't have extra bucks for these babies right now. Maybe I should learn how to draw...