Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of ANNABEL LEE;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea;

But we loved with a love that was more than love-

I and my Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsman came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,

Went envying her and me-

Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we-

Of many far wiser than we-

And neither the angels in heaven above,

Nor the demons down under the sea,

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,

In the sepulchre there by the sea,

In her tomb by the sounding sea. 

By Edgar Allen Poe
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Oh, here's a handkerchief, dear. I'm sobbing my eyes out too. But, this is my favorite poem of all time, so I love it anyway. Why? I think it is beautiful and tragic, and I love how their love is undying even after death. How lovely ♥ However, I would like to make it clear that I don't agree with all the theology in that poem: I really don't think the angels in heaven were jealous, and I am sure they were *way* happier in heaven. ;) What is your favorite poem?
Blessings! 

Style Inspiration: Diane Kruger

To me, she will always be that girl from the movie National Treasure 1 and 2... I admired her character's  style *so* much in that movie, but didn't think to research Diane's personal style. Now that was a big mistake. However, I have now, and let me just say, "I am in love!" She is so ladylike and her impeccable taste is so obvious. Gorgeous gowns, golden hues, and vintage inspired curls sprinkle her look, yet she makes room for the unconventional looks as well. Prepare to be inspired. :)

Such a demure length, but it is kept "modern" by the sparkles
on her dress. Personally, I like that length best as knees peeping
out of the bottom of a dress look weird. In all honesty! ;)

Now how is that for a Bohemian inspired look? Love the dress,
but the hair.... not so much. :P Also the sleeves look like they
are about to fall off. Hows that for uncomfortable?

Gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS! And modest as well :)
I love how she wears red velvet but keeps it "young",
something I find very difficult when wearing a darker velvet
dress. Thats probably because I am not Diane Kruger ;)

I. am. in. love. It is just spectacular. Yes, it isn't extremely
modest, but it is classy, and that is more than most can boast of :)

So... whos going to try and buy one exactly like it? ME!

Just beautiful. I don't needs words to describe this.... it is pure elegance.

This would look better with some waist definition. But the
details are exquisite. Definitely lovely.

So, what do you think of one shoulder dresses? I think they are
beautiful... but modest? Still figuring that one out ;)

Now that is splendid. Ooh, those roses are just lovely :)
I just wish the back was different, although it *does* add
character. 

The front of the dress above. {because you needed to see the
beautiful front ;) }

That dress is so vintage-y cute. And her hair? Ooh la la!

What striking color! 

More boho? Still, the color is lovely.

Pink....!

So I didn't really post this for the dress, but because
Orlando Bloom was with her. He makes a picture worthwhile. ;)

Although we can be inspired by these looks, they are difficult to incorporate into daily life, non? Really, how many of us wear a ball gown on a daily basis? So what can we glean from her style? {as shown. I am *sure* she doesn't just wear fancy frocks} While each person may be inspired differently, I think we can learn three things:
~Diane is obviously a classy, classy woman. Class comes from the way you carry yourself and the confidence and poise that you radiate in any situation, from the red carpet to the supermarket. There are many women who throw on a prom dress and easily look amazing, but far fewer are the ladies who display elegance, grace, and aplomb. We may never attend a society gala or the academy awards, but we must not allow that to excuse us from developing those qualities which Diane so beautifully displays. :)

~Diane knows what colors look best on her. This may sound silly, but wearing the proper colors for your skin, hair, and eyes is absolutely important. Has anyone ever told you that the certain color you were wearing brings out the color of your eyes or the highlights in your hair or your sun-kissed glow? Well, why not wear colors that do that for you everyday? Sounds nice you say, but how do I know which colors look best on me? No, don't worry. It isn't trial and error. ;) I use "The Chic Fashionista", a website full of amazing fashion advice. I did the seasonal color analysis, and came out as a spring, although I vary as to which type of spring I am:

I couldn't say off the top of my head what coloring Diane is, but she obviously knows, and that is the important thing. :) Go check it out and tell me what you are!

~Lastly, Diane is not afraid to experiment. In this post alone, she has done the regal, boho, girly, glamourous, and glittery look. Off duty, you will often see her in blacks and whites with a rocker edge. In other words, she doesn't have many style boundaries. I often find myself stuck in a rut of the same style over and over again: pink, girly, and romantic. But recently, I have been trying new looks such as vintage, classic, rocker {I know! :scary:}, boho, etc. It is really refreshing, even if I only do it ever so often. Diane's style has obviously encouraged me to do that more though.

Well, I like those insights from her style. Maybe I should do that more often in these "Style Inspiration" posts. What do you think? Did it make her style more realistic for you? Also, I need help deciding what to post about next! Style inspiration on Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Scarlett Johanssen, Princess Diana, or something on maternity fashion? Tell me your preferences, please!

Have a lovely day, and God bless! :)
Also, there is an amazing giveaway going on at Dandelion Wishes... go over and enter!
Images courtesy of Vogue.com and style.com.