a S u c c u l e n t Story for Urban Jungle Bloggers

... this last Wednesday of February 2014

is finding me on board Urban Jungle Bloggers movement,

meeting some great participants & blogger friends,

initiated by Igor & Judith.

I joined in just a few days ago & wanted to make it to submitting my entry

for this month, well... before it ends ;)

So, promised  B i s c o t t i  recipe coming as a next post this week!

Honestly I could not be absent, being myself such an avid, little, urban gardener...

Plants have always been part of life in my homes.

I can say with certainty that the best

option I have to share so far

is the little, happy, ever growing, green family*

* remember our  w i n t e r  g a r d e n   just about 2 years ago?

living in our current home,

often referred to as the  P e a r l   B i r c h e s   H o u s e.

U r b a n   J u n g l e   B l o g g e r s challenge this month

was to present "one plant in three stylings"

I decided to adjust the theme a little to my needs,

so that I could also at the same time take the chance

to share with you a corner of the bedroom,

which organically evolved after the decision for seeing it with

fresh, new eyes

Any recollection of  the Hello new wall!  post?

that wall has been hosting our Malm chests of drawers,

while providing sufficient horizontal space {2,40 x 0,50 cm } for displaying favorite objects,

or just having useful free space at our disposal.

This is how it currently looks

and this is from where I took things

building around the theme for the 3 different stylings.

Protagonist is the little succulent seen above,

brought from a trip to Fuert Ventura this past December,

growing roots in a grey, stoneware mug,

which otherwise serves favorite cups of tea or coffee.

Rather than creating totally differentiated stylings,

I chose to demonstrate the  e f f e c t   s h a p e s  of plants

have as a decorative element.

Instead of totally changing the materials / objects

surrounding the plant,

{ something that has been so wonderfully demonstrated by many participants ! }

I kept on adding plants.

Below you see our growing succulent fellow

in the company of a round, green leaved friend, as a 2nd version.

... and in the 3rd version, the addition of a madly growing

aloe vera plant { flash back h e r e  }

which totally turned the whole vignette

into a family of plants,

all distinguished for their rather "architectural" character.

Which version do you like the most?

And what about you? Are you growing currently any plants at home?

If yes, what kind of? Where?

  

saying goodbye with a little "bonus" picture

of a glimpse into an idea

you might want to try out yourselves:

wrap a   p r e t t y   s t r i n g  around the

relatively, grown & strong trunk of one of your 

tall house plants { mind you, not too tight! }

Here is our Seflera plant,

begun barely a few centimeters tall with only but three little leaves,

now all grown up,

wrapped in a cotton white string with golden accents.

It gives an air of surprise

while turning the plant

into an even more decorative element, don't you think?

P r o d u c t s  in this post:

1. "Golden ratio"  p o s t c a r d s : S n u g

2. large & small  f r a m e s : RIBBA /  Ikea

3. star  c a n d l e   h o l d e r  & "Calm"  c a n d l e  in a silver glass: h&m Home

4. metal grey  c a n d l e   h o l d e r s : from a local shop, saw exactly the same in white

while visiting the House Doctor stand in Ambiente a couple of days ago.

5. simple, grey  c a n d l e s: Ikea

6. light brown ceramic pot: MANDEL / Ikea

7. D a l a   h o r s e : Swedish souvenir present from a friend,

spray painted in silver grey

8. grey stoneware  m u g  { here holding the little succulent }: John Lewis

9. green leaved plant in a concrete  p o t : from the flower section of our local super market 

10. decorative woolen & beaded hearts : from local stores

H e l l o N e w W a l l !

... we might as well be mad

that's why a day was spent prepping for sanding this wall,

which, till today, hadn't ever seen straighter days before.

The man of the house bought & used with supreme care & elegance

a professional machine, which of course is getting sold

after all our renovation works are done,

any time soon hopefully.

It's not too much to ask after 2 years { ! } of having bought & moved into this

house, right?

{ Since you might be wanting to take a glimpse into this room,

as it was until some time ago,

please click here }

With a favorite wallpaper bought but never applied till today,

cause of the rather dreadful job* of applying layers of paste, 

sanding & sanding again

and especially the work

of organizing the temporary new placements of the furniture,

so that the room can also be of use during its renovation,

the day that it will be applied in all its glory {as I have imagined}

seems like a tiny victory which has taken the very long road...

how welcome it is!

For the record, this room measures 17 sm² and is on the 2nd floor of our maisonette,

which is also the last floor of the house,

meaning that there are sliding ceilings on the one side,

while the other side  - the wall we are working on - has a generous height of  3,15 meters.

My man & I both quite much liked how the room got a totally new

vibe as the bed got removed from the wall,

the white, Malm chest of drawers being directly 

behind it, its six drawers facing the wall,

with a comfortable corridor for passing,

and of course opening & using the drawers.

The "arrangement" on the surface of the chest of drawers

consists of :

1. my ever favorite "Antifoni" reading lamp 

bought about 10 years ago, while I was renting my own apartment,

which I now "stole" from our working room in the same floor.

2. one of our favorite stone mugs in grey purchased this Spring, 

paired with a natural wooden plate

{ see 3rd pic in this post }

3. a book my man is reading

&

4. one of my very few perfumes,

which mostly acts as a ring catcher.

I think I fell in love with the look as soon

as I saw this picture taken with my i Phone this morning,

on what is a cold, mostly cloudy day

with tones of bright light { that I adore! } though.

Before I wish you all a wonderful 

Sunday afternoon,

I'm renewing our "appointment" here for sometime

soon this week again,

sharing more pictures of our current

make over !

picture credit: Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic stories with Ivy 2013 taken with her i Phone.

f o n t choices: top hers & bottom his

p.s

yesterday among the wall repairs and  h o u r s  {painful ones, yes!}

of cleaning,

we enjoyed consuming the sweets I begun preparing on Friday evening:

homemade chocolates, like these below

and my "well known" soufle au chocolat

which served as breakfast,

topped with raspberry jam.

{ certainly not the healthiest version of a breakfast,

a delicious one though ; ) }

*  wishing everyone a nice closure to the weekend !  *

S ü ß e s * Z u h a u s e *

S ü ß e s   Z u h a u s e

 "Home sweet Home"

 or as anyone wishes to call it,

 it's really nice to wish you all a  h a p p y ,  n e w   w e e k  ahead,

from my most favorite place in the world...

I hope your weekend was a happy one, similarly to mine

I'll be sharing details of our current make over in a different post

{do give me a shout out if you are with me, reading this! ; ) }

.... for now & from me another  " h e l l o " 

with progress going on in the bookcase behind me ; )

promising to share a better self portrait!

_______________________________________________________

     _______________________________________________________

Contact me for rates & availability offering my  i n t e r i o r   &   l i f e   c o n s u l t a n c y  services.

so that we build together  y o u r  beautiful space, where your personality can unfold,

reaching  y o u r   f u l l e s t  potential.

Our living environments are but  e x t e n s i o n s  of ourselves.

By working on them, we inevitably work on ourselves,

allowing us to reach outcomes that once might have only been

dreams & wishes.

O u i !

* H a p p y W e e k e n d *

wishing you all a  h a p p y  w e e k e n d ! 

here is a {new} glimpse in the living room

of the Pearl Birches House 

aka as our home :)

________

more soon

Interiors / Styling  / Photography by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos

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!

The Jug, the Jar & a full moon

 Fairy tales for adults  by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos, all rights reserved, 2013

When there are no words to be said

when emotions, feelings, desires & hopes 

are large enough & intense enough to

cover all landscape, fill the oceans & light up all stars of the Universe,

then two favorite objects of mine

a  J u g   &   a   J a r 

step out and volunteer to do the talking for me

in order to break the silence...

So thankful for them,

so thankful for this little blog place

[much like then]

so thankful for all of you

and most of all 

so thankful for 

my most beloved reader of all

H a p p y   A u g u s t ' s  full moon to all!

Love is an a c t i o n of Faith

quote by Erich Fromm, The art of Loving 1956

For a  h a p p y   S u n d a y  post,

pictures of a spontaneous table styling put together some time in August last year

to submit to Ikea Family Live Magazine...

{ find the post  h e r e }

... I had returned from a few "girlfriend" days

spent together with Ilaria at her Happy House in Eindohoven, The Netherlands...

Having recently met her again while currently residing in Amsterdam,

and while organizing and thoroughly cleaning my laptop files

I stumbled upon them

&

thought it'd be nice to bring these pictures here to share with you,

changing the fact they had never been posted, that is till now...

So, there you go!

... a little inspiration in  b a b y   b l u e   +   b l a c k 

a rather sweet + powerful combination,

built around the central pieces of two mini  s u c c u l e n t   p l a n t s...

two mini succulent plants

picked up from a flower shop at Venlo station where I changed trains,

on my way home by the woods close to Frankfurt last year,

They each required  99 cents for their purchase.

 Being mighty prettily wrapped in

silver & powder pink foils with the company's logo

- which I apologize that my current brain capacity cannot withdraw  -

they were so totally worth it, I had to ask whether there was a mistake

made.

"No, of course not" the kind sales assistant replied

to my inquiry,

smiling then at my surprise...

"Are they for a present?"she asked.

"Yes, please. They are for our home"

I replied, my face beaming with radiance...

When on board the next train to my final destination and while holding them,

all I could think of was various ways of incorporating them

in the work I was at the time preparing for the I. F. L magazine...

I remembered about the paper plates + cups set in baby blue

I had scored for about another euro

in a recent Ikea visit,

as much as the mini napkins in black

I threw in my shopping cart

with a certainty that they would eventually be properly used.

So they were.

Wrapped around the succulents and secured with black & white bakers' twine.

A silver marker came to leave

wishes and names beautifully handwritten on them,

emphasizing the d e p t h  of black,

while  b r i d g i n g  it to the softness of baby blue.

More silver tones were added by the wire

which was transformed into handles for the

glass candle holders originating 

from little sweet jars...

hope you are even a little inspired to put together your own pretty table settings,

keeping in mind that  i n e x p e n s i v e   m a t e r i a l s  and  s i m p l i c i t y  can very often

be best friends to an outcome speaking of  e l e g a n c e ,  r i c h n e s s,  w e a l t h 

& 

t r u e   l o v e  for essentially g o o d   l i f e .

Let's drink to that, shall we?

to a great end to this weekend + a powerful start in the new week!

Thank you for reading & au revoir , xo