Good Morning Monday! #7

It's exam week for theologians here in Cambridge, darling, and the pressure is on! I have so many scrumptious post ideas for after Friday - when it will all be over! - but for now, I apologise for my incommunicado-ness.

For now, this is for all my fellow students - and anybody else going through a tumultous time - who just want to curl up in bed and hide...

"Things will turn out the way you want, if you could just stop doubting that I love you."

-The Science of Sleep




Love, lockets and Anna Friel xx

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea, you and I, you and I, oh, how happy we'll be

What a seaside surprise! As a belated birthday present, The Boy took me on a road trip to the nearest beach. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and The Boy had prepared an amazing picnic: pizza, pesto pasta, ham sandwiches, cocktail sausages, strawberries, brownies, cookies and cava... all my favourite foods!

I even got to wear my new red bikini splashing around in the sea!

It was such a sun-sparkle on the sea of an afternoon! I wish I could be by the sea more often, with a champagne glass in one hand and a beach ball in the other!

Love, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon xxx

Good Morning Monday! #6

Ciao, bellas!

So, yesterday, one of my favourite nonpareil princesses and I decided to splash out and treat ourselves to a manicure at a local parlour - a first-time experience for me! For an hour I had my cuticles trimmed, my palms massaged, and my nails painted the gorgeous glittery gold of my choice.

Sybaritic? Frivolous? Utterly bon vivant? Absolutment! And I feel fabulous! Every time I look down at my hands - no scandalously peeling skin or chipped nails anymore! - I feel as special and sparkly as my polish. Coming in at under £15, I'd definitely recommend setting some spare cash aside for such a treat!

I also adore, adore, adore this nail colour: OPI's "Bring On The Bling." Isn't it just like you've dipped your fingertips in fairy dust?! I must get hold of some...!

In the meantime:


"I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick."
-Audrey Hepburn

Love, Karamel Stroopwaffels and Rob Ryan vases xxx

I'm for reckless abandon, and spontaneous celebrations of nothing at all...

...like the twin flutes I kept in the trunk of my car
in a box labeled Emergency Champagne Glasses!

Raise an unexpected glass to long, cold winters
and sweet hot summers and the beautiful confusion of the times in between.
To the unexpected drenching rain that leaves you soaking
wet and smiling breathless;
“We danced in the garden in torn sheets in the rain,”
we were christened in the sanctity of the sprinkler,
can’t you hear it singing out its Hallelujah?

Here’s to the soul-expanding power
of the simply beautiful.

See, things you hate, things you despise,
multinational corporations and lies that politicians tell,
injustices that make you mad as hell,
that’s all well and good.
And as far as writing poems goes,
I guess you should.
It just might be a poem that gets Mumia released,
brings an end to terrorism or peace in the middle east.

But as far as what soothes me, what inspires and moves me,
honesty behooves me to tell you your rage doesn’t move me.
See, like the darkest of clouds my heart has a silver lining,
which does not harken to the loudest whining,
but beats and stirs and grows ever more
when I learn of the things you’re actually for.

That’s why I’m for best friends, long drives, and smiles,
nothing but the sound of thinking for miles.
For the unconditional love of dogs:
may we learn the lessons of their love by heart.
For therapy when you need it,
and poetry when you need it.
And the wisdom to know the difference.

The solution to every problem usually involves some kind of liquid,
even if it’s only Emergency Champagne
or running through the sprinkler.
Can’t you hear it calling you?

I’m for crushes not acted upon, for admiration from afar,
for the delicate and the resilient and the fragile human heart,
may it always heal stronger than it was before.
For walks in the woods, and for the woods themselves,
by which I mean the trees. Definitely for the trees.
Window seats, and locally brewed beer,
and love letters written by hand with fountain pens:
I’m for all of these...

So don’t waste my time and your curses on verses
about what you are against, despise, and abhor.
Tell me what inspires you, what fulfills and fires you,
put your precious pen to paper and tell me what you’re for!

-Taylor Mali [thank you, Ella Louise!]

Pink champagne in paper cups. Laduree macaroons. Sparklers in chocolate cupcakes sprinkled with pink glitter. Confetti. Roses in paper teapots. Rob Ryan books. Balloons. Laughter and friends and fun. - or, as The Boy put it, "love, cake and merriment." I had the loveliest 21st birth-day, my friends!

When I was little, I always wanted to be Willy Wonka from the old 1970s film... the top hat, the bright purple velvet jacket... the chocolate waterfall!! I adored his utter eccentricity, the way he created his own magical world and spread sweetness and imagination out from it.

How would the female Willy Wonka dress, I wonder...?

[Willy Wonka by carolinecakewise]

"Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew,
Cover it with choc'late and a miracle or two?
The Candy Man, oh, the Candy Man can!
The Candy Man can because he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good!

Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh
Soak it in the sun and make a strawberry lemon pie?
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can!
The Candy Man can because he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good!

Willy Wonka makes everything he bakes satisfying and delicious
Talk about your childhood wishes, you can even eat the dishes!

Oh, who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream?
The Candy Man, oh, the Candy Man can,
The Candy Man can because he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good
And the world tastes good because the Candy Man thinks it should!"

"There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there you'll be free
If you truly wish to be..."

Love, bow ties and lickable wall paper xxx

She’s a poignant work in progress

...gawky, eager, quick to blush, easy to wound and with a generosity that makes her lovable."

-Karen Durbin

Yes, golly gosh and goodness gracious - as of one hour ago, I am 21 years old! What a world away I feel from the tree-climbing, film-making, poorly-coiffed, skinny-as-a-rake sixteen-year-old Me, or the angst-ridden, escape-planning, desperate dreamer at eighteen. And yet, deep down, I feel not so very different at all. How far I have come, but not, I think, in so many of the things that really matter, and that I try to hold true to.

Tomorrow mia madre e mio padre arrive bearing celebratory baked goods and gifts, to whisk The Boy and I away for a very posh and non-student-y luncheon. The Boy has also suddenly acquired a car, and vaguely explains that this is all part of my "birthday surprise" - I can't wait!

Until tomorrow, my sweets...

Love, show choirs and 100,000 hits [woo-hoo! Thank you!] xxx

Good Morning Monday! #5

Buongiorno, my beautiful bluebells!


Who doesn't love a bouquet of fresh, fragrant flowers delivered to their doorstep? I've certainly never had the pleasure, but then it seems to be a very old-fashioned custom [as all the best ones are!]. Seriously - spread some bright colours, beautiful scents and a little bit more loveliness around the world and send someone you love a bunch of flowers. It costs less than £10 to do so here, fellow English Roses! Who knows, someone may well return the favour to you one day!


In the meantime, go buy [or pick!] yourself a big bouquet of your favourite buds. Research shows that flowers decrease depression, improve memory, help you generate more creative ideas, and improve your happiness instantly and in the long term! Get out there and smell those roses, gorgeous!

"Well, it's all about the same thing, isn't it? Children and flowers, it's life, it's survival... I think that's what life's about, actually - about children and flowers."

-Audrey Hepburn

Love, poppies and peonies xx

I'm just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time

"I want to be magic. I want to touch the heart of the world and make it smile. I want to be a friend of elves and live in a tree. Or under a hill. I want to marry a moonbeam and hear the stars sing. I don’t want to pretend at magic anymore. I want to be magic."

-Charles de Lint

I want to be luminous. I want to be vivid, like Technicolour. I want to be the kind of heroine who leaves a trail of sparkles and crumbs and the fresh air of adventure in her wake.

I want to swing from the arches of the Eiffel Tower on a spring day in Paris, and fall into the arms of handsome European gentlemen.

I want to dance on far-away shores, heady with the hope of no return, with the sand under my toes and the sun kissing my skin.

I want to radiate pizzazz and glamour. I want the pop of champagne corks, the clink of glasses raised, the cries of "Chin chin!" to follow me like the sound of the waves on a sea breeze.

I want to enchant everybody I meet with the faint scent of freshly-cut forget-me-nots and bluebells.

I want to be fabulous, pure and simple.

I want to write. I want to write.

"All I ever wanted to do with my life was write, & for what I put down on paper to help other people in some way; I wanted to create something which made people feel good.

Mostly, I wanted to write for girls. I wanted to make women feel good about who they were, especially because for such a long time I didn’t feel good about who I was. I wanted women to be able to discover who they were through what I wrote. I wanted to remind women how beautiful we are, how strong & magnificent & incandescent we can be.

It is so magical that now, six years later, I get to do this every day. I’m so immensely happy & grateful. Thank you for reading, thank you for caring, thank you for being so amazing.

I know that my little blog is but a drop in the ocean, but even that is such a huge thing for me. The simple fact that people read what I’ve written is all I’ve ever wanted, & then some.

I’ll never be Hemingway, & that’s okay with me. All anyone can ask is that we continue to look for truth & share it with others. I am going to do that until the very end. I’m going to give everything away until there’s nothing left, & I can only hope that you’ll be right there with me, holding my hand, glowing, twinkling & lighting up the world."

~Gala Darling

Have I done it, darlings? Have I made someone's day a little more magical by penning down my thoughts, weaving words and pictures and poems that please me together? Oh, I hope so.

Ms Gloriosity, your words were unspeakably wondrous to me:

"And a banner moment in my post-self-evincing blog life was stumbling onto Miss Caroline Cakewise and her life-giving Sparkles and Crumbs.
It may be a bit presumptuous to so adore a person whom one has never met, but this Glorious Lady's posts have been known to act as balloons to buoy, shovels to dig out, glitter to transform, and even balm to soothe."

I think it's my new mission statement, lovelies!

Most of all, I want to be BRAVE. Courageous. Dauntless. Gusty. Indomitable. Valiant.

[They are all such lovely words!]

I want to be brave, like my beloved camerado.

Occasionally, I feel like I am living in a fairy tale. Or, at the very least, a movie from the Golden Age of Disney! Sometimes, people surprise you more than you ever thought possible. Encouragement and advice comes from the least expected sources. Villains redeem themselves. People decided to change their lives and be happy. Faith is restored. And, a very few times, if you are very lucky, true love really does conquer all.

That is what has happened for my camerado in the last few weeks. She is in the midst of making a momentous decision: the decision to follow her heart and choose to do what makes her happiest. So many of us - myself included - never have the courage to even figure out what that is, let alone set about making it happen for ourselves, despite all the obstacles. I am so, so proud of my favourite girl, and I am awed by her bravery.

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."

-Alan Cohen

I very humbly ask you all, darling readers, to wish her every bit of Sparkles & Crumbs success she can squeeze out of life, like juicy lemonade! And let's all take inspiration and start leading our own big, fat, juicy, DELICIOUS lives!

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."

-Walt Disney

"If you care about something, you have to protect it. If you’re lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it."

-John Irving

"Sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whiskey and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested."

-Hunter S. Thompson

Love, sandcastles and pictures in the clouds xxx