~ listening to the radio?

love at first sight...

are you familiar with this concept?

am almost certain that you do...

personally, the more social platforms like Facebook encourage us to "like" things,

the more selective I'm drown to be...

resulting in a need to:

 ~> shop less, 

~> have less,

but at the same time the need to like as much as possible

anything and anyone in my life

from people who are in my immediate environment to

to each and every object in our home & household,

to the work I do,

to the work of others,

to how I spend my time

both in virtual & real life.

this being said, there is a tendency instead to rather fall in love 

here is how I define falling in love with someone's work:

"being positively stuck with it since the very first visual encounter,

while both the eyes, the soul and the mind are

experiencing a state of intense pleasure and calmness.

moreover, the object or work in any form 

are since then always remembered

and recognised when seen again"

so has been the case with {AM radio}

or else one of the most stylish and beautiful

vintage shops operating on etsy

what fascinates me is that Melissa,

the creative person behind AM radio company/shop,

 has actually turned her work into art

this fact is something that marks me forever...

I mean when I come through people,

whose love and passion for what they do

instantly tranforms their work into art.

selling can be a very commercial issue (if but anything else),

or perhaps a very artistic issue,

with a successful outcome, counting as commercialsm as well

whenever I think of sales & material things,

then examples like Chanel come in my mind.

would miss Coco ever go out in the streets* "shouting" about the quality 

of her work?

* in current societies it is the Internet

I sincerely doubt it,

as she would have no time to actually produce quality, would she?

now what do Coco Chanel and {Am radio} or for that matter any other 

similar shop have in common?

a dynamic trio if you ask me:

[via]

unique quality, originality, love & passion for what they do.

one of the reasons Am radio is shared with you here today

is that its success is mainly based on the

extreme beauty of the work,

may it be the vintage finds Melissa choses,

or the impeccable in every way styling and photography

of the objects

there is no blog connected to the shop, neither a FB page at the moment,

yet she was a {featured etsy seller this April}.

I admit to not being always informed about everything that is going on

on etsy {therefore I only read Melissa's  interview just today}

or even all the blogs that I follow,

 simply cause if I really did,

then there would simply be no time to actually live a life,

even more a creative life,

as everything that I would create would be nothing but a mere

combination of countless inspirational stimuli from here and there

allow me to say that this is not my idea of creativity.

as fine as it may be to reproduce a favourite DIY project that we saw in a magazine,

or a blog,

as fine it is not and it cannot be named as creativity

when we see something, like it and then set on our

"adventure" to recreate it or "cleverly" reproduce it

yes, I do believe in the freedom of ideas to flow and to even change hands,

but at some point, there is a source,

and for me the source of creativity can be nothing but our true selves

so to return to AM radio, 

going through the shop's items,

I'm left with no doubt in the world,

that the person who is doing all the creative work,

is actually in love with what she does,

from the time she sets off to discover new treasures,

to taking care of them by cleaning them,

to styling her "models" to photographing them

to finally communicating with customers

it is all there

the love

the passion

the care

the excitment

 I believe this to be and to forever remain the basic ingerdient of success

how many years they may pass, how much technology may evolve,

advertisment will always be a help in promoting one's work,

but in the first place, there should be work worth of mentioning,

in order to survive in time.

on another point of view, I'm extremely happy to be sharing these finds

with you here today,

as these beautiful porcelain letters below

are the first purchase I did for my future, little studio corner

in our soon to be new home

adoring white, natural materials like porcelain and typography in general,

these could have not been any better for 

putting together my creative corner

and even though I' m since a long time extremely careful with expenses

and shopping, I'm happy that new horizons are opening for me,

therefore allowing for such small spontaneous treats as these

ones below

[via]

aren't they just darling?

so you already know by now, which is the basic inspiration

my future studio corner's creation will be based on:

well, hello ideas!

[via]

saying that, I'm so thankful for the fact that through the renting process 

of our current living space,

so mamy doors are opening to me

the clouds' silver linings are slowly and steadily beginning to appear...

[via]

 these amazing milky white glasses

would have easily ended up in my shopping cart,

 had I not efficiently learned to "hold my horses"

they would indeed look marvelous 

all lined up with flowers inside, at our new dining area,

but I have to keep in mind that

there is a renovation awaiting ahead

and this is no time

 to be indulging in

every temptation

perhaps they'll still be there next time I visit the shop

or perhaps the'll end up in one of your

 beautiful houses

so my dears, 

I' ve really mentioned enough points in this post

and will just let you enjoy looking at some more

pictures...

I'll wait for you at the end for a nice closure...

[via]

[via]

[via]

[via]

[via]

[via]

I suppose that after this visual bath,

it's time to share a picture of Melissa* with you....

*btw Melissa means bee in Greek, quite an appropirate name for a creative & productive person,

don't you think?

honestly, when you see such a person's eyes & face expression,

is there really any doublt in the world,

that above all, 

she's trully a kind person,

appreciating the life she has and all she does?

do hop {here} to read her whole interview...

I' ll just fininsh this post with some of her words that deeply touched me:

Where would you like to be in ten years?
Still seeking out vintage treasures, loving my husband more than I do now, watching my little girl grow into a lady, and possibly building a cottage tucked neatly away by the waters edge.

[via]

wishing you all a wonderful day ~

it has been such a pleasure putting this post together,

while at the same time mails were being exchanged with Melissa,

in her effort to assist me in every possible way she could.

till next time... 

take care and consider this:

Energy... comes from within... take care of your soul & psyche as much as your body & mind

........................

All pictures are originally styled and made by Melissa for AM radio.

The first collage, second diptych and the one before the last are put together by me for Domestic Stories 2011

[all rights reserved]

Domestic stories present Fab pins!

the time has come my dears,

it took a little longer than expected,

still I personally believe it was worthwhile

and hope that you will feel this way, too.

This feature is very special to me, not only because of the lovely products 

presented & the lovely person behind the making of them,

but also because it has given birth to a new idea.

Something that I have been trying to figure out since quite some time now.

That said, I'd like to ask you in my turn to be patient for one more time,

&

 simply keep this in your minds as an introduction

for a new era for Domestic stories.

I'd like to proceed with the wonderful presentation 

I' ve been longing to do

&

promise to go on revealing details very, very soon.

So, first of all take a look at the picture opening this post

& 

the one following below...

take your time to look carefully 

&

 concentrate on details...

Can you tell already?

if you are seeing some Fabulous Pins

&

the word recycled somewhere,

then you have it right,

as this is the key to this post:

some trully amazing, Fab pins, made from recycling security envelopes!

what a concept, right ?

How did these lovelies end up in my home

&

are eventually being featured here on Domestic stories?

a couple of weeks ago,

I noticed a beautiful etsy shop icon,

commenting on {this} etsy treasury I had just curated...

 I was so attracted by the little picture representing the shop,

that I immediatelly visited it and looked at the products one by one.

the outcome?

Love at first sight & an order placed immediately.

remarkable is the fact that I actually more or less am not the hugest fan of pins,

but as I'm in love with geometrical patterns,

natural tones & shades of blue,

falling in love with these set of badges was inevitable.

additionally I was emergly attracted by the beautiful product photography and packaging 

&

 simply reasonated deeply with recycling paper in order to make these pins.

When I - very promptly - received my order,

I felt like a girl on Christmas morning, thanks to the lovely packaging seen {here},

the thoughtful little card & a surprise present of a third set of 5 pins!

I also felt like getting to know a very interesting person,

as Jenny and I were exchanging some mails.

She responded so super positively to my suggestion of her being featured here

after she got familiar with the blog,

that not only she shared her story on  how it all begun,

but she also offered herself a special reduction to all the readers of Domestic stories.

isn't this wonderful?

I'll give you all the info +  instructions at the end of the post.

For now, take a visual bath in Jenny's Fab pins

&

come with us to hear fragments of her story... 

rather than asking questions, I let Jenny open her heart & speak for what ever pleased her

concering her work.

she says:

" I have always been fascinated by the hidden beauty in everyday objects that most people around me don't notice. Especially things which are designed to be used for only a short time such as tins, packaging & various other ephemera.

While recycling envelopes (from the many bills, bank statements & junk mail I had lying around) I noticed that the insides were all different & decided to use the paper to make little envelopes (with patterns on the outside) to use for gift wrapping small items & sending little notes. That was back in 2006. I made my first badge back in 2007 with a toy badge maker. I eventually bought a professional badge machine last year. I have now built up quite a collection of these envelopes & I love how making a simple badge with them really brings the patterns to life. Each is like a miniature piece of 

abstract art!"

well, I happen to strongly believe with all my heart that these badges are trully little pieces of every day art.

I can imagine so many uses besides what I already show you here,

like decorating a daily shopping tote bag or a cushion.

necklaces, armbands & bookmarks come in my mind... 

decorating cute as...button presents, too!

&

I just cannot get over the idea of framing them... 

 I actually think that I'll do that, as soon as I enjoy them in various ways,

or since I'm already a happy owner of 15,

frame 9 & keep my most favorite six to use daily

in various ways...

Here are the three lovely packages I received:

and these are the two ways I'm loving using them at the moment:

Jenny produces pins of other kind of paper than {recycled security envelopes}, like

~ {stamps} from countries like USA, Canada, France, Italy, Germany & Australia,

~ {dictionary pages}, making clever combinations with words such as:

 theory - reason - logic

ego - self - identity

portrait - collage - landscape

 abstract - expressionism - symbolism

& 

others from

~ {fabric} as well

My next favorites are the ones made from dictionary pages....

[via]

I just love me some art with a touch of intelligence & intelect,

a real story behind 

&

 a beginning for no other reason than pleasing oneself,

while at the same time being genuine & contributing to recycling / upcycling.

So what do you think my dears?

has it been worth to wait a little longer?

I hope that you are nodding positively : )

now, how about sharing with you Jenny's present?

a 15% reduction to all readers of Domestic Stories!

All you have to do is visit Jenny's etsy shop Fab pins right {here},

place your orders & write the code:

"DOMESTICSTORIES"

{ as one lovely word please}

in the COUPON CODE section

that way 15% of reduction will immediately be incorporated in your purchase

the generous offer runs till the end of 2011!

 stay connected with Jenny through her {tweeter}

and enjoy!

hope you've all spent lovely days 

c u right here very soon 

xo

.................................................

P.S: all shots except the one before the last are styled & taken by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos  for Domestic stories with Ivy {product} Photography

~ write your heart away

                                                                     my work? I wish!
                                                                    my belongings? I wish, too!

good afternoon everyone!...as promised, here I am, discussing notebooks and boy! do I have ones to adore to share with you! I'm delighted to share with you the work of  {N i k a  P e r n e}, an etsy seller whose work I discovered via an etsy treasury, as we were both featured together in one, that is if my memory doesn't fail me. I must be very careful about the amount of input I'm exposed to, especially when wanting to focus on quality!

Being a rather picky person I must admit, to completely fall in love with the work of someone is already a big deal. To feel that someone's work represent me so much, that I could have also produced something similar is another big deal!

Let me sum together the kind of notebooks that you'be finding in Nika's shop:

~ ones with hand drawn geometric illustrations

~ monochrome ones, plain or with messages

~ monochrome ones with photographs - single ones or collages of them

~ ones with stripes

What about the colour pallete she uses?

~ pastels mostly in pinks &  light blues

~ naturals in grey & beiges

~ bright pinks & turquoises

~ blues, bordeauxs & dark greens

I Love Her Work!

Why?

~ it combines drawing, illustration, photography & notebook making into one

~ eco friendly, using mostly recycled paper

~ carefully thought wrapping

~ all made by herself, 100% handmade, 100% professional

~ gorgeous product pictures & general sense of styling + aesthetics

~ clean lines & minimalism in a captivating way!

Want to know what I would gladly shop from her collection?

My Virtual Shopping Cart is put together in the opening 4 picture mosaic at the top of the post

what do you think?

do you like my choices?

 as for you, here is a just a small choice of products & pictures from her shop,

so that you indulge in a visual bath

before you hop over her shop for more designs, details & prices!

to find out more about her, just read {here}

she is the loveliest of persons!

                                         

are you yet in love with her work and notebooks as much as I am?

yes? I thought so ; )

have a delightful evening my dear friends 

 could it be that I'm a little less chatty than usual today?

could be ; ) 

c u soon!

Photo credit: Nika Perne for {Nika Perne Handamade Paper Goods} & collages curated by me

Paris: charm, elegance and my rambling fire starter ;)

 a lovely afternoon to all, that is if you are in a similar time zone!

in any case, wishing you to enjoy your day much, whatever you may be doing.

mine begun with taking care of mails concerning possible on line co-operations

and some exchange of ideas. I'm super happy to be working closely with a bride to be these days, preparing a custom order for her, which will mark her special day.

I'm also relieved to be reading your comments on the last post,

because believe me, there is a lot of courage to be gathered in order to come out and place yourself in the market. While simultaneously making clear that you are not a product yourself.

That your ideas, abilities and talents are to be respected and rewarded.

Like your whole being, presence and personality.

While I'll still be gladly sharing openly inspiration & ideas here and occasionally guest blogging

{for some people that have since a long time suggested that, but the right time hadn't yet come}

I'm mostly concerned in turning what is currently a passion and a kind of unpaid job,

into an additional way of earning a living.

Perhaps, had the financial situation in Greece been not so tight, 

directly affecting heavily my family {and in a way myself}

 I would have forever been devoting my time freely.

I begin having a lot of respect not for money itself, but for its energy and all that it provides. Starting with the essentials. Having grown up with an attitude that money would somehow always be there,

now that there is not, I feel it is just the right push to place myself more firmly about what I want to do.

Apart from freelancing as a interior consultant & decorator taking over projects as they may appear, crafting and undertaking custom orders, I feel the need for stability.

Need I say that through blogging I have grown to love not only interior design, decoration & photography,

but also styling in general and writing as well?

These are the thoughts and facts behind my seeking a magazine related job.

I feel that I have lots to offer while I gain and learn, too.

Any ways my dears, let me ramble no more!

Let me instead relate to the pictures of this post.

Paris...what else! I begun my morning delighted by the site of this Parisian house,

which became known to me thanks to Rodostina's wonderful post on the equally wonderful blog she keeps. I'm only posting a couple of pictures here and encourage you to hop here and see many more stunning shots of this space.

I'm opening this post here with it cause this space, from the architectural point of view, to the materials used,

the furniture, decoration, details and whole mood, describes perfectly my personal taste & style.

So take a last peak below and then jump here for the original post and do return to see some wonderful photography, with Paris being its subject.

Are you back already?

splendid!

The pictures below belong to Little Brown Pen, probably one of the most fabulous photography shops that exist. I hardly doubt that there is need to introduce it to you, but in any case,

you may visit their stores here, here and blog here.

If I were the owner and inhabitant of the house presented above,

all of the pictures below would be candidates for decorating a corner of some of its fabulous walls.

Start seeing and click on the word "via" under each picture to be directly linked to the respective shops.

via

via

via

via

via

the picture above may be not picturing Paris, but it certainly carries all the charm and elegance of it!

Made by my friend Natalie, aka The Shabby Photographer.

via

Above and below some of the new arrivals in another ever favourite store of mine,

Anne's etsy shop, aka magalerie

via

via

Hope you enjoyed and are inspired!

...off to a meeting and back later tonight!

Chosen three ~ Cottage Light Studio

Sigh....life by a lake in an beautiful home...

family life....

calm rythms....

sailing...

does it sound like a dream to many or some of you?

Well, for the lady behind this fresh and also freshly opened Etsy shop

~ the Light Cottage Studio ~

this is an everyday reality.

No wonder she's inspired in making such gorgeous pictures!

Cindy is a super elegant and beautiful lady, who loves photography and has become

quite interested in it since some time.

She is inspired by her family, friends and talent shared on flickr,

where we also met.

She loves taking pictures but also studying them or imagining her next photographic challenge.

She like images that reveal the art in people, places, or things,

but most of all she loves a photo that begins a story...

I couldn't agree more with her!

Her photography is descriptive, narrative and strongly emotion provoking.

With a soft spot for nature and scenes of her everyday life by the lake,

her pictures are an oasis of beautiful colours & light!

You 'll find a lot of the pictures presented here both in print form and attached to cards.

Lovely ideas for your home decoration,

presents for yourself  or the ones you love.

Come, take a look....

or even better....hop just here to look closer and more detailed

at what is available on the shelves of her pretty Etsy shop for you to take home.

Have you decided yet?

...one of my ever favorite pictures is this flower shot...

I love it since the very first time I saw it uploaded on flickr....and I still do!

...and this is a sight I always like to carry with me,

especially when I wish to relax and ease my mind's rushing thoughts.

Perhaps one day I'll be sitting there,

enjoying a wonderful talk with her,

a walk by the lake,

as we have been liking much our contact through flickr

This seems like a nice way to end this post...

and the series of the Chosen Three for this week,

...wishing you to find some time for yourself,

to relax, sit back and enjoy whatever it is you love the most,

from family's company, to reading, to simply doing nothing for a short while, 

just to recharge your batteries, 

in order to be more prepared for this wonderful ....play called life!

Take care and see you here again quite  quite soon.

Ivy ~ xx