Monday Inspiration | Memorial Day White Out + Some History Tidbits

By the end of the first year of American involvement, tens of thousands of the nation’s soldiers had died (World War I). President Woodrow Wilson was concerned that large numbers of women wearing the traditional black or dark-colored mourning clothes would have a negative effect on public morale, diminishing the nation’s will, and eventually its ability, to win the war.

While black is a traditional color of mourning in Western cultures, I think the decision by AGSM (American Gold Star Mothers) to wear white, rather than black, was a strong statement of how the women wanted to be perceived as they participated in the organization's business. Yes, they mourned their lost children, but white made a symbolic statement that went beyond mourning, a statement of peace, sacrifice, innocence and goodness. Those were the things that their children had been and had died for - wearing white celebrated their children's contributions while the gold star acknowledged their sacrifice.



Image Sources: Adorevintage Pinterest. Article snippet from Gold Star Moms -

9:06 AM | 0 comments | Read More

An Invitation For Tea | History Tidbits & Pictorial Morsels

"Find yourself a cup of tea; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things." - Saki


According to legend, tea was first discovered by the Chinese emperor, Shen Nung (2737-2697), when he was boiling some drinking water. To create his fire he was using twigs from a wild tea bush and a gust of wind blew some of the tea leaves into his boiling water. The happy accident resulted into what is now the second most consumed beverage in the world (after water) and that my dears is tea.


Oh wonderful, wonderful tea! A drink that changed an entire empire (the British), seeped in ancient tradition (the Japanese), and evokes lovely images of vintage teacups, lace linens, and flouncy dresses (me and many others that share my sentiments).

As you may have already guessed, I am deeply fascinated by history, fashion, and food. So when all three come together, it's like a giant cosmos of happiness on my part. So, here is a little tidbit that puts all three together.


The modern day "Earl Grey Tea" was named after The Second Earl of Grey (Charles Grey) who had a love affair with Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire who herself was a hugely influential fashion icon in the late 1700s when she would arrive at parties with 3 foot ostrich feathers on her already 3 foot tall hair styles.

Credits: If you are interested in learning anymore about Tea or Georgiana, I recommend these books as I gathered the information here from them.

"A History of World in 6 Glasses" by Tom Standage. And "Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire" by Amanda Foreman. All images from We♥It

11:12 AM | 0 comments | Read More

"Let Them Eat Cake", History Tidbits & Pictorial Morsels

The Famous Words Marie Antoinette Did NOT Say. Although the young princess of France is associated with this phrase, it was actually first written by philosopher Jean-Jaques Rousseau in reference to the large gap between the rich and the poor in society at that time. And when he had written this (around 1766), Marie Antoinette was only 10 years old, not yet the Queen of France, not for another 4 years anyway.

The actual phrase written in French is "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche", brioche being less fancy than cake (but still quite delicious if we might add). The brioche has been around as far back as the middle ages and consists of plenty of eggs and butter.



Image Credits: Marie Antoinette in Muslin Dress, Still Life With Brioche painted by Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin. Modern imagery from We♥It

9:00 AM | 0 comments | Read More