Magical Stamps

Reason #9994258 why it's cooler in the UK: the Royal Mail has unveiled a set of stamps inspired by magical literary characters from beloved stories such as Harry Potter and the tales of King Arthur. How rad (wonderfully creepy, is more like it, actually) would it be to receive a letter with Voldemort's visage staring back at you?

{Images via the here}

Book Quote

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." -Sir Francis Bacon in his essay, "Of Studies"

{Image via here}

A love letter to Colin Firth

Oh, Colin Firth, how I love thee. I was chuffed to bits (to use an expression from your blessed homeland) to see you win an Oscar for best actor for The King's Speech. The film was clever and winningly entertaining, and you were marvelous in it. And in interviews you come across as incredibly genuine and charming, intelligent, kind, and self-deprecating in a way that only a British gentleman can truly be. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this honor than you, my dear. Congratulations!

P.S. You will always be Mr. Darcy to me.

{Image via here}

Judgmental Bookseller Ostrich

The Judgmental Bookseller Ostrich cracks me up. I heart book snark.

For more bookish fun, click here.

{Images via here}

Street Chic

I love the cozy insouciance of a wooly gray scarf draped over the shoulders just so. The layering of the leather motorcycle jacket with the grandpa cardi makes for a cool, interesting juxtaposition. And the graphic handbag adds a bit of blingy texture that ties it all together. Simple and effortless.

And then you have my fashion idol. Enough said.

{Images via here and here}

E-Valentines from Kate Spade

I heart these E-Valentines from Kate Spade. They're perfectly adorable and quirky in every way. And eco-friendly to boot. What's not to love?

{Images via Kate Spade}

Google Art Project

If you have yet to check out the new Art Project by Google, then by all means I suggest you start exploring this very moment. This amazing new website allows you to visit the world's most famous art museums by a simple click of a button. I really get a kick out of gazing at some of my favorite works of art from the comfort of a cozy arm chair (I adore Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, as shown above, which is located at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence). For those times in life when a plane ticket to Europe seem out-of-reach (read: now), it's comforting to know I can still indulge in a bit of culture without breaking the bank.

I remember the first time I saw Holbein's The Ambassadors (above) at the National Gallery in London. At the time I was an English student at UCLA and had the supreme good fortune to spend the summer studying Shakespeare in London. I have long been a fervent anglophile, but I credit my abiding love for London with this first-ever trip to The National Gallery. I remember feeling mesmerized by the rich, saturated use of color, as well as by the weighty stares of the gentlemen staring out at me from the canvas. The painting is so heavy with importance.

And here's an up close shot of Van Gogh's The Starry Night. Check out those thick brushstrokes! Wouldn't it be fantastic if Google continued to add more museums from around the world to the website? I'm looking at you, Museu Picasso.

{Images via Art Project by Google}