Calmess, collectivity & ... b a k i n g !

top center clockwise: 1 2 3 4 5 

even though I thought time to come share again today an inspiration Friday post would be limited,

I'm glad to be making it work.

I felt truly happy with seeing readers' traffic coming here again

and was totally warmhearted with your comments 

T  H A N K  U

so here is another collage I put together.

Everyone has their values in their lives

& for me being a calm & collected person

is a true treasure

I owe a lot to my personal efforts, but also

to my man who has tried over & over the years 

again to point out & tame my occasional moments

of over anxiety.

I think it happens to people who are sensitive

and care perhaps a little bit too much about others

& the world itself.

I found out that the best gift we* can offer to

the ones we love, society, the world

and of course ourselves

is to be fully aware of our own individual natures

and become in peace with that.

{ * according to my personal appreciation of life }

Unlike what many people think,

being  c a l m   &   c o l l e c t e d 

has little to do with not ever being upset

or expressing emotions

It has little to do with being passive

It doesn't exclude

having fiery parts as a person, too

And above all it doesn't exclude passion

or being madly in love with someone / something / life itself at times

Being  c a l m  involves feeling  f u l l  &  c o m p l e t e  at all different stages of life.

Just like when we sit watching the sun set above a

magnificently calm sea...

It's the same water that becomes waves

when a storm breaks out.

Yet, it is always this:

able to adjust

reflecting the beauty of life & the universe.

I like to think of people not as beautiful or less beautiful per se,

whether physically and /or internally,

but as chances for them / us to reflect the  b e a u t y   &   m a r v e l  of this world.

Before I go,

here is a little something I've been wanting for a long time to share,

simply cause it is a big part of my every day life.

Baking has evolved into some kind of soothing activity for me

and I just receive so much happiness offering people I love

something healthy & tasty made from me.

It's not only the outcome,

I love the whole  p r o c e s s 

of gathering together the ingredients,

placing them in pretty bowls & glasses & plates,

watching everything transform 

till the moment to take them out of the oven

comes,

enjoying the beautiful smells in the meantime.

It really is a form of  m e d i t a t i o n  for me

And it is as good as moments of 

{ fun & seeing the light side of life }

In case you are curious about our ever continuing home make over

I posted a couple of pictures on

our facebook page

Take a look { h e r e } &  { t h e r e }

nothing really styled for a proper photo shoot

yet pictures nevertheless!

Wishing you all one g o r g e o u s weekend ahead

& 

sharing another pic of some of my favorite moments

in every day life:

b r e a k f a s t s

Welcoming a wonderful New Year: H a p p y 2 0 1 4 !

{ vertically from left to right: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. }

H e l l o !

with true Joy I come here to wish you all

the merriest of New Year's ahead!

Here is to a 2014

where each day - or as many days as possible -

begin - and are! - as if it is

  O u r   B i r t h d a y .

Here is to a Year

where G o o d  D e e d s 

brighten up our  

W o r l d 

Here is to a Year full of

physical, emotional & spiritual

H e a l t h  &  G r o w t h

Here is to a Year

where  P a t i e n c e is not only a virtue,

but an honorable way of living,

benefiting the ones who practice it,

as much as the ones who receive it.

Here is to a Year 

{ clockwise from top right: 1. 2. 3. 4. & 5 }

where the little things are enjoyed,

true stories are shared

for good purposes

and to a year where  I n d i v i d u a l i t y 

is celebrated,

cause the W h o l e is nothing without the sum of its parts.

So let each part be as magnificent & pretty

as  S n o w f l a k e s  are,

all  d i f f e r e n t  in their own beautiful way!

Here is to o a Year filled

with all kinds of  m a r v e l s  &  w o n d e r s  &  m i r a c l e s,

cause there is enough space in

the arms of this World & this Life

for  i n f i n i t e  numbers of them to occur.

{ the woods  +  the sea  }

I'm and have been feeling ever so grateful for so many aspects of life in general and mine personally,

and know that this intensely "pregnant" period I seem to have been going through 

lately is reaching to the point of a happy, focused & prosperous release.

And yes, sharing my work in what has become { our beautiful, beloved home } & my recent projects!

* ssshhh, let this be a secret { you may as well laugh here, I'm doing so, too ; ) }, 

but I think I must have gone through a phase of adult  t i m i d i t y... well if that exists... can you possibly relate in any way?...enjoying life & very often also wishing to share about it all, but somehow being hesitant... or just wishing for privacy and quietness after all...

a bizarre thing for a person with quite a few social media platforms you might say... * 

this calls for reevaluation of situations...

but to return to what I was talking about,

above all I'm grateful for the loved ones in my life,

my home next to the woods, 

here  in the middle of this beautiful country,

as much as appreciative of my origins by the sea.

On another notice, recently I read this on Pick the brain and I was sighing with  r e l i e f,

while the word  B E L I E F 

was "blinking" with pure, white light all over and around me...

it's just  SO NICE  to find out there something

that resonates so perfectly with your thoughts & emotions simultaneously ....

Care to read through and come back here to share your thoughts?

A little time consuming perhaps, 

but then maybe when you make some time space for it!

{ left  & right }

So, how about when giving advice, to try to be modest by adding a phrase like:

"this is working for me, so I thought I share it with you in case it could help you, too!"

I do say a big , clear YES to thorough  p l a n n i n g   &   o r g a n i s a t i o n,

as in so many parts of life it is absolutely essential

{ well, much like in our living environments ; ) }

but then, let's also remember that not all people are, think or act the same,

and each situation is unique

In some cases and phases of our lives, perhaps all we really do need is to just: 

b r e a t h e,  t r u s t, l e t go &  s e e  what happens,

while keeping in mind that

g o o d  things  t a k e  t i m e,

so let us just  b e  p a t i e n t

and work passionately towards actualizing our deepest positive wishes & desires! 

I'm very happy and thankful that you take part here,

in this blog place which still feels right with my heart,

{ I even STILL like the header after 2 and half years!.. is it just... me? oh well. }

I wish for changes.

There's more than that & I need to combine my strengths to carry it all off!

There is evolving a new order of things & I'm as eager to see the form and outcome

as much as you are perhaps!

We all need each other

and I know I need people like you,

who take the time to go through,

read & reflect upon what is shared here or wherever else I might be.

Above all I love to share

J O Y !

{ clockwise from : 1. 2. 3. 4. & 5. } 

d i s c l a i m e r  : 

all the images have been found on pinterest boards of people I follow.

Other than combining them together into collages to convey a personal

message, the full rights belong to their creators,

who I'd very much love to know!

However it seemed impossible to find original sources in most of the cases,

therefore lots of them as just linked to pinterest,

all of which you can find on my "like" page,

I would love to be pinning all these in my boards,

so if anyone could assist in providing valuable sources so that it can be done the "proper" way,

I'd be ever so thankful!

+ + +  M e r c i   + + +

Staying at home for a s w e e t November... { Inspiration Friday }

left: all white home in Copenhagen by Norm architects via Vosges Paris
right:  via Tiziana Tosoni's pinterest 

H e l l o   e v e r y o n e !  

{ s m i l i n g  wholeheartedly to you... }

Friday morning* and it's been since the beginning of this - past already! - week

that waking up at home in Germany

is the norm.

{ have you perhaps read the instant post about how it felt to wake up in the middle of nowhere,

when I spent some beautiful days on Mallorca island with my man,

this trip being a surprise,

shortly after I returned to our home

in the beginning of September? }

Do you also like to wake up in similar places?

Have you been to this island?

If yes, how did you like it?

{a little more about it you can read in this recent post }

* was indeed as these lines were being typed; thanks to a nicely busy day though, late afternoon and this post can finally go on line!

clockwise from top left: figs via / "she believed she could so she did" via / wonderful Elizabeth Heier's new beautiful home via / fresh wreath via

It feels great to be having the chance to grow stronger

through the challenges of the past months.

It feels great to be back home, with my man.

However it requires

constant work with ourselves in order for relation ships to really flourish,

in order for them to become a means

of bringing each part of it forward and to the right direction,

we both made the brave and perhaps wise choice,

to use difficulties as  o p p o r t u n i t i e s  to learn, 

to grow,

and to take strength for realizing our dreams.

One by one, day by day, one strep at a time, minute by minute.

left: via / top right: via /  bottom right: via

I am personally particularly pleased with myself,

for I handled what was a demanding and discomforting situation

in a very  p o s i t i v e  manner,

emphasizing an open heart & mind,

and deep belief in deserving to receive.

I'm really proud that I seem to have crossed a bridge

I always wanted to, but somehow was reluctant to do so.

I'm confident in my choices.

Allowing & welcoming prosperity & wealth our ways,

sharing even if just a little bit of  g o o d n e s s with the  w o r l d .

Sometimes it takes such a small action, yet full of  love, awareness and pure, clear intentions

for what we have been taught to perceive as  m i r a c l e s  to occur.

left: via / right: via 

Going back to the norm of being at home in Germany,

I love it. I love it with all heart, mind & spirit.

Visiting Greece again for some days in October

in order to take care of some practical issues

requiring care & attention

has been nice this time.

I enjoyed myself as a tourist in my own country of origin,

focusing on spending quality time

even if just mostly by myself,

gladly enjoyed meetings with few good friends,

who always seem eager to engage into constructive conversations

about our lives,

exchange opinions about life in Greece, life in Germany,

the economic crisis, ways to deal with it,

a t t i t u d e  changes that when put into action,

following deep awareness, understanding & true love for life

they make the everyday nice, meaningful & joyful.

left:   via, via / right: via
Right now, I'm very happy when I find the peaceful time to post here

and since it's Friday, I put together some collages and diptychs

using images that came through my screen using pinterest,

making another Inspiration Friday post.

They all convey current moods and they aim at bringing you

t r a n q u i l i t y ,   h a p p i n e s s   &   g o o d   p o s i t i v e   v i b e s

while encountering them.

left: via / right: via

I hope you enjoy!

Have a  w o n d e r f u l  weekend!

See you next week while sharing some of my recent work & projects.

left:  via / right: via

individual picture credits can be found linked in captions

collage curation: Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy 2013

{ a note about today }

p.s: in Greece people celebrate not only birthdays, but also name days and today my father and the son of a wonderful woman & man have theirs. 

So many happy returns dear Stratos & Serafeim!

For the record, I personally don't have a name day, as my first name - Iro -comes from Greek Mythology.

But from next year I will celebrate, cause this summer, my man decided that I do have my own and it is on the 10th of August which is regarded as "hero" day. 

This summer I was in Amsterdam, I'm all smiles to find out where next one will be!

to plant a g a r d e n

dear all,

my  a b s e n c e  this week after my  last post

s i l e n t l y  speaks of the  d i f f i c u l t y  I'm facing.

However, allowing myself to come here to post,

even without a schedule

a s s i s t s  my efforts of creating a bond with what I do,

and  l o v e  to do it,

while also connecting with you.

For this week's I n s p i r a t i o n   F r i d a y ,

{ hooray for it being the 3rd in the row! }

Audrey Hepburn's words were the theme around which the collage 

was built.

"to plant a  g a r d e n  is to believe in  t o m o r r o w " 

I hereby declare that I'm a firm b e l i e v e r  in tomorrow,

which begins t o d a y .

However, I must exclaim that there is a part of the equation I still haven't managed to solve.

Cause I planted with much love & much care

{ as shared  h e r e }

a potted little garden at the veranda { and winter garden and all over } of the place 

I still call  h o m e 

But for me probably not being able to enjoy and care for it,

in just a short while from now,

it means that I neglected some important parts.

Or this would not be happening.

It feels as if I planted on a borrowed ground,

rather than my own.

It feels as if I considered my own something that was never meant to be.

And it feels as I didn't cherish enough something that was given to me.

For all these, other than being sorry beyond words can say,

I wish to l e a r n  from,

cause planting my garden  { like shared h e r e } is a little tiny part of my dream coming true.

This time, making sure it grows its roots on the right ground,

a ground I can call  my own

and no one in the whole world could argue against it.

What about you?

are you  g r o w i n g   y o u r   o w n   p l a n t s ?

perhaps  i n d o o r s ? in front of your windows ?

at your v e r a n d a s ?  b a l c o n i e s ?

l i t t l e   p a t i o s ? or when lucky enough in your  o w n   g a r d e n ?

what kind of  c o n n e c t i o n  do you get from taking care of plants ?

Is this a way for you to show you believe in tomorrow ?

from me,

wishes for a  g r e a t  w e e k e n d  ahead!

tonight is the longest day of the year

in this part of the world,

got to love long days!

{ even when these days are not the easiest we' ve ever experienced }

. . . . . . . . . . .

picture credit clockwise from top left: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4