... for all the " k o n i k l o s " of the world!

[via]

 h e l l o  T h u r s d a y !

h e l l o   e v e r y o n e ! 

 it's with pleasure & a sense of sweet anticipation,

that this elegant, antique brooch, discovered in London by undoubtedly talented,

kind & lovely Angelica, is expected to reach my doorstep.

I believe in good work and true, polite intentions.

When encountered with an opportunity to be part of something like that,

I jump in, just like I would dive in crystal clear waters,

on an early summer or early autumn afternoon...

The leaf brooch is part of a collection currently been offered 

at  K o n i k l o s , a pop-up shop to be running till the 20th of December,

curated by Angelica,

the author of Aufrais blog,

a photographer, graphic designer & overall creative person

with a high sense of aesthetics.

Below she is modeling one of the three 

{still just one available - correction: just sold out while this post was being written }

vintage brass bracelet.

photography & collage by Angelica Aufrais  [via]

All items have been carefully collected through her travels

both in Greece, her country of origin and current place of residence,

and abroad.

I'm in love with the 60's coffeepot & the boot removers!

ummm, boot - what - I heard you say?

h e r e  is a fully informative post,

to find out what they are & how to use them.

Thought, care, love & attention have been devoted

from accumulating the goods, to photographing them,

to pricing them & developing the packaging.

{ you can read this post to find out more through the author herself }

Asides the vintage collection,

at Koniklos, you'll find a calendar with Angelica's beautiful photos 

&  b e e w a x   s a l v e s ,

like beeswax body butter & ginger lip balm

prepared all the way by herself

in her studio at home,

paying attention to detail, while experimenting

with new fragrances.

I really appreciate similar handmade & homemade

initiatives, don't you?

"handmade" sometimes seems to be getting rather misunderstood nowadays...

k o n i k l o s 

Angelica posts some updates of what is going on in her shop,

- which is already doing very good business! -

in her facebook page,

a serene place to take a look at,

spending a few quality minutes of your time.

As for the shop's name, K o n i k l o s ,

it's the ancient Greek work for  r a b b i t,

the small domestic animal which symbolizes 

a b u n d a n c e   &    c o m f o r t .

These precious & priceless qualities of life, 

especially in the current worlds we are living in.

Isn't it a wonderful notion,

to be feeling comfortable in the skin we are living in,

meaning in full awareness & acceptance

of who we are & who we are evolving into,

while appreciating the abundance that surrounds us?

 Love hearing from you & wishing everyone a beautiful day,

filled with abundance & comfort!

_____________________

All photography by Angelica Aufrais, posted with permission.

the right words for a "wrong" mood...

 ... let not the title mislead you my dears... as no mood is ever wrong.

  whatever we feel is having its reason.

 it's not often that I come posting here a picture of myself and going,

 I just can't seem to find the right words and images to communicate my mood

 lately, which has been colored both with bright & dark tones at the same time.

 So, this is just a short notice to say that I haven't forgotten about you, all I wish to share and do in this place  and I'll be back, concentrating on all that is positive, carries beautiful, creative energy,

 while sharing my views on living a stylish, meaningful life, much as I try to do with mine.

 Till then, here is a corner freshly styled for the purpose of making a new display for

 Cupcake Love:

Enjoy!

Pictures: Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy 2012 

P.S: some garlands are already stocked on the shop's shelves. More to come!

our rooster says it's Friday ...

 our rooster says it's Friday and he's in the mood to abandon once more* his role as a door stopper

  and do instead something more creative end enjoyable:

 show you around a favorite corner in our bedroom, where rather unexpected splashes of color

 in neon pink or else bright strawberry red shake up the tranquility of neutral tones,

 just enough to not be feeling like taking naps and relaxing all the time...

 {* during Easter time, this cute little rooster was seen a... chicken and jumped on our dining table to lay  eggs for us... isn't the world of writing & pictures so convenient sometimes... 

 everything can be curated as we wish ; ) }

 isn't it a nice example of how a little color in just a few objects can

 brighten up an otherwise neutral palette,

 wh ile at the same time leaving the space feeling light & airy,

without being overwhelmed with colors?

 what is happening here?

neutrals meet neon 

+ 

white sleek surfaces meet the texture of natural materials,

like the dried banana leaves from which this big basket is woven

 (so so long in my wish list and just a couple of days ago added to our home force)

- here holding an all cotton summer blanket from Habitat, purchased during sales of course, when I was renting my first individual home in Greece back in 2003, a 40 sm bungalow with its own garden .

the little basket on the surface of the wall mounded "sideboard",

 made out of two kitchen cupboard units as described here,

brings another color to the picture, that of orange, which is also found in the stripes of the pillows featured on the cover of a book which is all about exactly what the title says: a beloved Home or else a geliebtes Zuhause.

"wonderful" thinks the rooster ...

and proceeds with showing you around a little more...

look! the wallpaper meant to go on the wall of the bed's headboard like described here,

is unpacked and almost ready to be applied.

&

and an olive tree is enjoying the loads of light by the big windows,

after arriving here this winter in February,

when mother visited over and actually carried it in her suitcase

Yes, indeed, such things we do.

it is planted in a white ceramic pot with its own plate

and holds a little house shaped label,

where an important reminder is written:

"here lives Love"

period. hard times or not. this is the essence of life here.

  the rooster kindly asks you to not pay attention to the metal skeleton of our helping table,

the top of which is still not adjusted, as new screws are needed to be found.

instead he says, "focus your attention on this amazing London illustration print created by equally amazing

Laura Amiss!"

how more adorable can a city's illustration get?

not a single little bit.

to celebrate the occasion of welcoming long wished new items at home,

a new garland has been created,

to be added to the shelves of our on line store,

where you'll find "her" during the weekend.

"hurry up!" Mr Rooster is advising you,

"this is a one of a kind piece made from incredibly long lasting wallpaper samples,

which are though not available any more"

and to give you a rest to sink in all that has so far been said ans shared,

here is a little chance to relax by staring at the wonderful light of this

blurry image:

lost in light are here a pair of two more darling wallpaper garlands,

which though will be presented and revealed during the next post here,

when another secret corner of this bedroom is shared...

till then, enjoy a delightful Friday !

from our rooster and me the best of regards,

Iro, xx

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

All images of this post are styled & shot by me. Thank you for sharing/ linking / pinning with love & care.

Picture styling & creation: Iro Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy 2012.

expressive neutrals & muted tones

today, as many other days in fact,

 my love for neutral and muted tones finds a way to be expressed through this post by sharing some favorite  corners shot recently in our home.

 above, my beloved grass woven slippers brought from my trip to Greece,

 are just an excuse so that I can share with you our finally finished

 step in the area between the kitchen and the winter garden.

 (look here for reference)

 sometimes it's worth to patiently - or perhaps quietly impatiently - wait for the final touches to be made.

 being no professional hand workers, the need to hire someone in order to have work done in a correct way  is often crucial.

 the edges of steps being areas where extreme care needs to be taken in order for safety and endurance

 to take place, we had ours finished with a mat L shaped "bar" of inox;

 specially made & placed by our hand worker,

 who also did a remarkable job in covering the pre-existing marble step

 in both its horizontal & vertical surface, as if the wooden waves of the floor naturally pass from one

  area to the other.

then, it's the rocking chair in the bedroom with the curves of which I have been totally falling in love,

as much as its fabric's texture and the details.

the leather straps on the head pillow being one of them.

 it feels as if a fine piece of Scandinavian design lives with us, when it is in fact a rather affordable 

Ikea product (Scandinavian still... )

I'm also enjoying much the sliding ceiling of the roof, and feel quite cosy under it, rocking with a warm cup of tea in hand in the evenings, looking out the big windows.

speaking of windows, they are calling for some kind of curtain treatment,

now that the summer period is here.

The sun currently rises at about 05:30 a.m and sets around 21:30 p.m

needless to say these six months pay off for the short and often dark winter days.

needless to say that I have come to love this northern light in ways I could have never imagined should we turned the clock back some let's say 5 years ago.

in the bedroom wall, where the bed's headboard is, there has still been not 

much of a progress. in fact, there has been no progress at all.

the five cupboards planned to be vertically placed the one under the other in the corner where now the plant camouflages things, are still stacked there.

the wall is still undone and waits to be sanded before the longingly wished wallpaper with black and silver grey circles finds its way on it.

Till all these are done, I simply brought home a pair of 80 x 80 cm inner cushions from my last trip to Ikea, so that finally one of the four pairs of pillow cases found at h&m home some years ago - patiently waiting the day they come out of the cupboards -

freshen things up a bit.

Typography has always moved my interest.

and despite dark blue not being in the color palette of the bedroom,

their presence has been both visually and practically welcoming.

and how could I avoid making a garland?

I borrowed it from our shop, on the virtual shelves of which it  is heading these days, until it comes to live in one of your beautiful homes.

the glass lantern in a huge pine corn form, is a spontaneous present from a friend with whom I spent heartwarming times when in Greece...

it's a typically Greek lantern, often found on islands and I seem to have forever been meaning to bring one here, at home in Germany.

"oh come on now... as if there is not enough stuff to pack with after spending time

in my parents' Apart 44"

I kept on thinking... and never actually bought one.

the appreciation of the situation totally changes when someone you cherish from the depths of your heart

offers you something, simply just like that:

" oh how do I love this lantern!" said I when visiting his uniquely styled home*

 "take it" he said...

after a few refusals insisting that should I have thought that this would lead to that,

I would have never said that,

I left that night with a wonderful souvenir to cherish...

something made in the country of light where I proudly originate from, currently going through such incredibly dark times,

something given from a person I deeply cherish and feel connected to...

it is lit almost every night, its flame reflected in the round mirror...

the room is different... a little bit of magic takes place...

with all walls undone and other things unfinished,

this room feels like a warm place to be at.

{* how could it not, he has been the art director of my beloved Maison et Decoration magazine}

kind regards & wishes for a wonderful rest of the week to everyone.

please be visiting our shop often, as garlands and other updates are to be taking place these days.

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

Picture styling & creation: Iro Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy 2012.

Studio & shop update

Hello there lovely people!

 I'm here, well, and have been quietly busy working in the studio,

since I returned from my two week trip in Greece,

just in time to enjoy a wonderful 1st of May spent pic nicking by the lakes close to our home.

Spring here is wonderful & I seem to be returning to routines I had tremendously missed,

such as spending quiet time with myself, taking care of the house & its domestic chores,

doing everyday even a little tiny thing in order to settle us in.

The precious help of our hand worker is resulting in pretty finishes all around,

and this place is forming into a beloved home, despite all things still undone and unfinished.

The studio corner is finally set up and almost completely organised.

I'll devote a whole post in detailed pictures any time soon.

The shop is also looking good and currently serving elegant cups of comfort.

 I would truly love to see you there!

For now, just a few pictures to share & connect with you: 

I hope your days are wonderful in meaningful to you ways.

Love, always.

Iro

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

All images of this post are styled & shot by me. Thank you for sharing/ linking / pinning with love & care.

invitation to Sofie's haus ~

... and how's Sunday evening for proceeding with introducing you to a home, blog & shop

 of a lovely lady?

 As you might have noticed, 

 despite my totally free nature & very individual relation ship with time,

 there are serious efforts done here to remain let's say on schedule,

 when something has been promised.

 So hop hop, let's jump all for a virtual visit to Sofie's haus, aka Butiksofie,

 which is located somewhere near Cologne, a German city I really enjoyed visiting some years ago.

 Sofie's haus actually belongs to Anja, a mother of three daugthers, owner of the on line shop

Butik Sofie & creative in all ways spirit behind her blog.

The soft feel to the images she beautifully styles and takes,

her personal approach to fashion styling

& the fact that she manages to combine working from home,

with being a domestic goddess & a successful shop owner

are some facts for which she has my total admiration.

From a short but delightful mail exchange, I gained a little more insight

into her every day life, which completed the picture.

Yes, indeed.

Motherhood, household keeping of what is a fabulous house,

 running a shop wearing all hats from

being a manager, secretary, creative executive, person taking care of product packaging & shipment

and keeping a blog based mostly on her own beautifully taken pictures

showcasing her daily life,

is certainly a lot of work, requiring a lot of discipline,

among energy, appetite & talent.

Anja has been very willing in replying to everything she was asked, with her only worry being what she thinks is her bad English... {oh if only she heard my German!} 

In fact she is very fluent, despite the fact her blog is officially written in German.

No worries, for those of you who don' t speak or read German, there is a translate button,

located on the top right of the blog.

Quite easy.

And let's not forget that pictures are worthy sometimes 1000 words each,

and Anja does have such a talent in taking pictures!

Before letting you proceed with your virtual dive into Sofie' s world,

( a little notice here: I must admit that choosing my most favorite pictures to share here

has been anything but easy, as I went through a few dozens of posts,

only to be finding myself liking the one more that the other!)

let me renew our appointment some time tomorrow,

to welcome the new week together.

You do know I love doing that, don't you?

So dears, I hope your weekends have been nice in all possible ways!

c u here soon :*)

All images & diptychs by Sofie's Haus Photography

Curation of last dyptich: Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos

friends ~ changes ~ magical places ~

hello everyone!

  back in Frankfurt since yesterday, after a long weekend in Mallorca,

  which begun with a delicious dinner at Sa Farinera* on Friday evening, 

 marking the beginning of our effort to...

   catch up with ourselves

  amongst many changes in our lives.

{* a place we are willing to fly to, just for a dinner!}

secretly wishing for more days,

arriving back in autumn, grayish skies,

has not been exactly ideal after 3 full days & nights

in a summer climate 

still totally grateful for this short escape in paradise...

 not to mention that today, in contrast to yesterday,

 the skies are heavenly blue here

&

the sun is shining in full strength!

and then, little things, like the huge straw summer bag seen above,

made in Menorca & purchased 

for a rather very fair price

at Porto Colom

&

your more than wonderful response to the {previous post}

about the story behind our home's

current feature in Ikea Family Live magazine

have been bringing so much happiness around here!

Thank you kindly with all my heart.

 a small but important parenthesis here:

I'm a very strong believer

that it is through life's happy occasions that real friendship evolves

and know through personal experience

that real friends, good friends, potential friends

are there to say a positive word & to tap gently on our shoulder

when good things happen.

not that good friends do not stand by our difficult times,

but that strength of both a person & a relationship is determined

by the ability of one

to congratulate someone in his/her smaller or bigger happy moments

and share them disregarding their current state

can you think of anything more magnificent

that somebody's smile to be able to bring a smile on your face, too?

I see you smiling with me and this makes our relationship

through these lines strong

we are consciously part of the same circle,

bringing together our similarities & differences

I thank you so much for that 

& deeply appreciate your support and friendship 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

now, back to the weekend...

would you perhaps like to see which our favorite place to swim was?

if you are expecting sandy beaches, then you guessed wrong {!}

not that we have anything against beautiful white or golden sand,

{ we actually visited various such places, too}

but just that the clarity of the water is our number one criteria

for deciding where to swim

&

during a high season, being among hundreds of other people

is not our idea of relaxation

so, we chose alternatively

rocky places,

with crystal clear waters...

few people,

concentrating on swimming,

rather than lying on the beach...

pure magic

swimming is for me as natural as walking,

with my mother having "thrown" me in the sea water

while I was still 3 months old...

how thankful I am for that!

cannot imagine of any other exercise

benefiting all parts of the body

while

enhancing our psychological & mental state

perhaps yoga... 

anyways... 

Mallorca offers numerous places for swimming

and its nature is almost identical to the one of Greece.

and I'm not only talking about the Greek islands,

but also dreamy places and beaches in a range of maximun 100 km

around Athens...

still, one as a tourist needs "insider tips" to know where to go

to discover paradise just next to a city like Athens.

{I'll have to see what I can do in the future about that!}

In the meantime,

here is a list of the places we visited on the East side of the Mallorcian coast,

while driving the brand new, Citroen C3 we had rented...

{a smiley detail: we were upgraded to such a car, despite having chosen

a lower class so as to save money, due to my partner's birthday being the same date

with the girl who was arranging our papers. Just love when people think and act outside the box!}

so, with our base being in Calles de Mallorca,

these are the places visited:

 ~ Porto Christo

 ~ S'Illot {where the pictures are taken}

~ Costa de Pins

~ Capdepera

~ Portocolom

~ Cala Figuera

~ Montrago

~ Colonia de Sant Jordi

 ~ Llucmallor

~ Palma de Mallorca

you can imagine that I'd love to spend hours and hours going through our pictures,

choosing favorites and working on them,

sharing them with you...

I'm actually looking forward to choosing a few more favorites!

still, with:

1. the procedures of having our current home rented,

which you can check {here}

 and the demand being already quite big,

not to mention the interest expressed in

purchasing the whole interior {!}, 

which is perhaps not exactly possible,

 but then so very extremely flattering for me & my work!

I'll gladly offer my services as an interiors consultant : )

2. organizing a movement 

3.  deciding on technicians

who are going to help us make the new place a home,

you can also imagine that all these, together with 

4. working for {our shop},

5. moving on with {this} styling & photography project,

as {yes!} I have been chosen to proceed with the work,

6. and a few other side projects 

are keeping me busy as a bee in Spring!

~ ~ ~

So, my dears, there is already a next post prepared,

dedicated to something I 'm so content to 

be finally sharing with and presenting to you

and below is a clue...

see you later tonight ~ enjoy your days!

much

♥