~ ~ > summer breeze

hello everyone + happy Tuesday

 I hope you'll have a gorgeous day!

this is me saying that I'm a little lost in my happiness these past few days

{while also working + preparing stuff}

and

 seem to be also loosing touch with time...

we are travelling to an Aegean island for a mini vacation a day earlier than I thought,

which means that there's more to do in less hours

oooops!

this said, I prefer that the celebration taking place here begins when I return in just a couple of days.

I feel that I want to be connected and around when you'll be visiting over,

cause there'll be a long party going on,

as there's so much to celebrate,

marking my two years of blogging 

and other exciting stuff.

I 'm sure you understand and are all right with it, too.

so, I'll be off completing some styling work,

ironing a couple of light, mostly white clothes,

getting back to as much mails as I can throughout the day,

possibly a few phone calls, too

& 

hopefully returning here with a nice inpirational moodboard

later

in the meantime, listen to & watch {this} & {that}

They are totaly making my heart smile

& have been torturing the really polite neighbours,

while I hit play all the time, often singing & dancing along...

 are you feeling the summer breeze, freshness & deep happiness that

love, friendship and creativity bring into life, too?....

: )

~ soft beginnings

good morning everyone!

 may this Monday be a soft beginning in this new week!

 having rather a lot on my agenda lately,

making sure that the day - and new week - begins softly,

is a way to reassure that there will be enough "fuel" on the way,

without burning myself out.

I love my work and am recently doing more than before to let you and all out there know

that I'm passionate about it and determined to establish myself as an interior designer 

&

a stylist / photographer.

Being mostly self taught and learning more and more each time I' m involved in actual projects

is a challenge, often cause I feel the need {or it occassionally exists} to prove myself.

I know well that there a lot of talented people out there, who have been offering their very own view and mark, being able for their work to be memorable and recognisable as something unique.

I also know that as much as I'm loving gettting inspired, as a person my driving force is to discover myself,

and doing that through creativity.

As a matter of fact, this is leading me to create interpretting my own visions

into settings, living  spaces & pictures.

as a styling concept for a client is being developed,

I took a little break from working and...

worked a little more!

...just kidding ; )

all I want to say is that I paused for a while to take some pictures of my breakfast this morning,

as I couldn't resist the creamy & dusty pink colour of my smoothie!

...which happened to be absolutely delicious, energising & refreshing!

the Ingredients:

 ~>  a banana

 ~>  5-6 raspberries

~>  5-6 strawberries

~>  a handfull of a mix of almonds + walnuts

~>  rice milk

How to:

~> first blend the almonds + walnuts to powder

~> then mush + mix the fruit with the milk

~> finally add the nut powder

~> mix again

~> put in fridge 

~> serve in a favorite cup or glass

tip~> using a transparent cup will allow you to enjoy the smoothie's beautiful colour,

allowing for both visual + actual candy ; )

my smoothie was accompanied with a {creme au chocolat} from {Rewe's Feine Welt line},

which btw is such a fine line of products , with a beautiful website - love the golden butterflies! - totally deserving their name.

....affordable luxuries  & a delicatessen just right next our doors...

I love it!

the cremes are not only offered in pretty little glass jars that can be reused after the ingredient has been enjoyed, {much like I did yestereday} but they are also available in various tastes,

sold in sets of two for...0,99 cents!

...told you they are affordable luxuries ; )

 don't you just adore the golden foil?

 oh! do I!

now let's see what else can fit in this post before I have its case closed,

as lots of work is waiting for me

& 

of course the promised celebrative post , where I'd really love, love to have you on my side.

So do stick around today for a little longer than usual, would you?

and bring your best friends over

 would  LOVE to meet them ; )

now speaking about what fits here in this soft mood 

{with lots of hidden energy & power inside ; )}

I think this current collection of items,

picked yesterday from various {chosen etsy shops}

is appropriate...

"hello ~ ...my name?" she said...

"just be sure to remember it"...

and she disappeared like a fairy...

[treasury curated by New Ivy Style on etsy]

hope you enjoy the finds 

&

are inspired to spend an energising, creative day, in the softest of ways...

 it's almost noon here ~

time for a second breakfast or a snack ; )

c u later ~

happy ~ pretty in pink ~ weekend!

Saturday evening, or better the first early hours of Sunday...

rather unsual to be posting at this time,

but so let it be since it's happening...

go with the flow...right? 

; )

I'll share bits of my day, which seem to fall under the colour scheme of dusty pinks, naturals & touches of black.

After making myself a pretty, little notebook to keep my notes inside

 and encourage me to be more organised, while reinforcing my lately failing memory,

 I had a second breakfast, inspired by the lovely post of {my farmer's friend} on her family business newly launched website.

{Citrus Organicus} is a fresh and very inviting place, with a {blog} written in Greek & English.

~ we LOVE breakfast! ~

do you, as much?

I certainly do!

encouraged by Angelica's wholesome drink,

I made a banana & rice milk smoothie, adding some walnuts & almonds, while spinkling with cinnamon on top at the end.

...added the last double chocolate crisp cookies from {Ikea's food department},

poured my smoothie in our new {pink, ceramic, gigantic glasses}

and set off at the veranda together with my new, pretty, mini notebook,

{the cover of which is laminated btw, therefore it fears no spills!}

making notes for the next days & attemping to prioritise

throughout the day, I've been practising in styling & photographing,

other times making arrangements

and other times simply capturing my working surface as it was

or combining the two,

much like in this photo below:

this was taken in the afternoon

-> I made another smoothie, this time using strawberries & rice milk.

I used the glass bottle of a previously bought juice, to store the fresh homemade smoothie in.

and then made a little red fruit bouquet, pinning strawberries, raspberries & sweet cherries 

with wooden sticks.

-> used a glass jar to put them in,

-> stuck a {scalloped round paper sticker}

which arrived yesterday together with the baking twine ordered from this {lovely shop}

wrote "take one" on it

and voila!

a little party food styling in a flash

to put together all that has been mentioned, here is what was needed:

the notebook is handstiched with the amazing coloured, waxed threads

brought from Greece.

{here} you can have a better look at them

and below and till the end of the post,

are various shots of all the elements presented

Hope you enjoy!

there's so much on my agenda to be posted

before life goes on too much and some are forgotten...

but I have no worries any more...

my happy planner  is now my right hand, 

promising for better times in time management,

 organisation & priority setting

; )

hope your weekends are delighful ones in every way you wish!

c you here quite soon!

creativity sessions 

&

 a celebration connected to the {shop} 

with offers, presents & give aways are to follow

 stay tuned or should I say...stay {domestic}? ; )

H a p p y   W e e k e n d !

[via]

P.S: the shopping list is written up on Baking Love, a print available {here}

~ a touch of sweetness

cakes ~

 macaroons ~ 

 pom pom flowers ~

  and an amazing patchworked curtain making up a tree...

all lovely ways to add some sweetness in your life,

without exagerating with girlyness, femininity & romance

your girlfriends & mum are gonna love them,

your boyfriends, companions & husbands

have great chances of not running away and sticking around,

while being able to feel comfortable in such environments

ok..just kidding ; )

take a closer look at each picture separately as you scroll down

and do not leave unoticed this

super brilliant embroidered home,

growing steadily its roots...

how modern, cute & lovely is this at the same time? 

[via]

[via]

I love the earthy dusty pinks along with whites,

& 

am absolutely adoring the happy feelings and delicate humour

the flag banner brings on the cake

and the patchworked tree curtain in the bedroom below

[via]

[via]

[via]

and in this spirit, 

am introducing you to some of the crafting & creativity sessions,

  taking place in our sunny, little home studio.

all about paper boat making and much more soon in a next post ~

hope you are spending marvelous Fridays!

have recently been busy styling and photographing all around,

as there is some sample work to be submitted and a coperation with a magazine

I'm just so happy about.

all to be shared in the longterm 

in the shorterm, enjoy these picts and remember to capture the moment

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

Images credit: all linked to their sources. Click on [via]

collage: created by me

last picture: by me for Domestic stories with Ivy

~ the moments...you know them?

hello lovely people 

 big smile & wishes for a great Friday ahead

 I'd like to start posting today sharing with you the value of moments...

 do you know them?

 do you know these moments when time stays still?

[via]

it can be anything... anytime... anywhere...

it is a totally personal matter

experienced through different ways,

yet there is one common factor binding them all together...

[via]

it's is as if time doesn't exist

it's as if past, present & future all melt together in a picture,

where you are the protagonist

sometimes as the watcher,

sometimes as the doer,

or simply a participant

[via]

maybe you are fully diving into the strong smell of hot coffee as you are pouring it

into your mug,

myabe you are enjoying the quiet moments in your living space,

looking at your cats taking a nap on your couch,

maybe you have finally reached to this far away destination you always wished for,

in order to be there and look at the waters of the lake you dreamed since a child of visiting

or maybe you are resting at a beach under the sun, hidden under your big hat

and simply just feeling so incredibly grateful for being alive

[via]

or perhaps you are staring at your pride & joy,

your child, realising that this is actually a creature that has come out of you

&

you are simply taken by the mystery and the magnificence of life

do you know these moments my friends?

how do they appear to you?

one of the many ways time stays still for me,

is when I write for example,

which makes me be so thankful for this blog here

&

 for the fact that I'm step by step discovering like minded people,

who enjoy being an audience here,

but actually, I'd say better participants

of what is going on,

cause without you,

it would never be the same.

I love writing, photographing, creating & sharing all about it,

but it's everyone of you who takes some time around here,

that makes this place such a warm one to be.

so, have the most delightful of Fridays

...we'll be seeing each other here a lot,

as this weekend will be devoted to posting

quite often, 

in order to catch up with all these

(or at least some)

of all I'd like to share.

...and here is another way that time stops for me:

 when I feel loved,

much like here:

[via]

see you later with an inspirational moodboard ; )

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

Images credit:  all from my pinterest moodboards, linked directed to their sources under each. Click on [via]

collage on the top of the post: created by me

picture of me: JCN photography

know thyself & come out and play

well, today I'll come right to the point...

come out and play...

or

how to grow a confident self, 

based on healthy love,

out of what might have been a shy, inconfident child & young adult...

what does it take?

work

patience

faith

effort

trial & error

humbleness

self knowledge

time

appreciation

love

ability to say no

how do we achieve that phase of {know thyself}?

staying healthy physically & emotionally by:

eating well

drinking a lot 

{no don't mean glasses of alcohol on a constant basis ;)}

moving

training the brain

more specifically:

engaging in psychotherapy sessions

no, you actually don't need to be severely depressed, 

or malfunctioning in any other way to begin it.

it simply helps us find out who we are,

what we wish & how to achieve it,

while understanding at the same time

that it is not only about us in this world.

we are part of a whole

living together with other creatures & humans,

sometimes much more fortunate than us

and sometimes much less.

some useful tools on our ways:

yoga

meditation

massages

all help a lot in calming us down

and assist us in our process of 

getting in touch with our real personal needs,

while managing to eventually not be overdistracted

and overburdened by today's 

fast changing societies,

bringing millions of stimuli to us per day

finally, a little humour...

get to know yourself

we all have nice features both externally & internally

as much as ugly ones

cherish your good sides

acknowledge your bad sides

invest in your good sides

work on befriending yourself with the bad sides

and if possible changing them to the better.

well, and do occassionally indulge in some very selective & smart shopping ; )

value money 

& 

in my opinion,

do not become a slave of consumption

reward yourself with a few things here and then

you really love and know will add to your quality of living

[choices from my latest curated treasury on etsy {come out and play}]

avoid super market behavior and instant trends

learn what your really like 

and enhances both your self image and your living environment

in case this is not your poweful point

but it still matters to you,

allow yourself  to receive some help and advice from experts

living beautifully & stylish is something both to be blessed with

but also something that over time can be learned

ok...and how about you?

care to come out and play style with me? ; )

have a wonderful day, wherever you are, whatever you do,

remember that beauty begins from a healthy mind and loving heart

c u later with some visual inspiration found around this wonderful web surrounding us

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

Images: self modeling for myself or else Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic stories with Ivy

"True love never fades" fine art photography print available {here}

~ touring around a little Penthouse - loft...

so here we finally are with pictures from this creative + productive indeed weekend!

since I promised yesterday to share little bits of what has been taking place in our little home studio these past couple of days,

I thought I actually put together a mini House tour for you.

~ ready? ...

It is a little unsual regarding the fact that it presents only corners of our living space,

which actually transforms into my work space & studio as well.

whichever the case, let me show you around, starting from the picture on top:

 ~ our lounge area, as seen from above {or else the gallery where the bedroom & dressing areas are}.

 our coffee table is built from a simple Ikea white surface, screwed on wheeled legs of a previous coffeetable.

 they have abandoned their pure industrial look and are borrowing bits of luxury, 

as they are wrapped in white/silver/golden original, vintage wallpaper from the 60s.

 you can take a closer look {here}

below:

 ~ part of {our dining area} & table of many purposes

as you can see from both the pictures above and below, our space is small.

 therefore smart use of it is essential if we want to have a sense of Living Big

and live as luxurious & comfortable as possible in what is a total of 65sm....

of which:

23sm measures the {gallery}

&

43sm is what is left for us to have:

~ a lounge area

~ a dining area

~ a reading corner

~ an office/computer corner with two monitors

~ a stereo unit & big bookcase for books & files

~ {lps}, cds, dvds storage

~ a well functioning kitchen

~ {an entrance} with storage possibilities & a tool station (!)

 ~ and of course a {bathroom}

...the truth?  we have it all

Plus the sesnse of living in a relative luxury...

 How? 

...well, efficient planning can really do miracles ; )

our table seen above & below is wonderful in performing many roles:

~ between 8:00 - 8:30:  breakfast table

~ after dishes are done & necessary everyday chores...

~ around 9:00, it transforms into my working table

~ from here I might write emails on the netbook,

~ study my Interior design books

~ cut paper to prepare paper boats

~ pack orders

~ generally craft

~ ocassionally host my sewing mashine, 

{as I finally took courses this winter and learned some basic household sewing :)}

~ base for photographing the shop's tems, much like {this}

~ after 17:30, it is set for dinner, with the candles lit up, very often during the summer, too

~ clients are sitted here as well,

 after they are served tea or coffee at the lounge area

below are a few more shots of our {sofa corner}....

 while I was having a mini shooting session with my vintage Beirette camera from the end of 50s, which though was bought in a bazaar in Athens about 10 years ago.

finally brought her here in Germany with me returning from {my recent trip} to Greece.

I'd love to try her out once...

and here starts a little introduction to our {veranda}, too...

see the two green bubbles on the right & lect corners of the veranda?

these have been part of my weekend gardening project.

you see, while I was in Greece for 5 weeks, {these} lovely trees dried out...

well, they either missed me too much or somebody here doesn't exactly have a green thumb ; )

well, no problem, as mine is green enough for us both

we picked these little guys instead and hope that they'll make themselves at home with us.

a little more of gardening took place yesterday afternoon, as I returned from the local super market with

2 pots of white daisies, now filling our emtly till now beige ceramic pots

and making the original white Greek coffee table

a tiny bit happier

when we grill and need its surface, the pots as simply put on the floor

now, let's approach the finish line of this little mini tour,

by taking you to one of my ever favorite corners at home,

our reading corner, which lately has been also serving as my little shop station.

here lots of materials as well as finished products are kept in a {Busta Burs cabinet with shiny doors},

trial projets, finished projects to be put into production later, too...

its surface holds my everyday accessories

and serves as extra working space while creating...

below are the pieces of paper used for the {paper boat garlands} recently made...

it's a long lasting process, one to which I'll devote a whole post soon

for now, this tour is over with a glimpse to the whole {reading area}, as seen from the {kitchen}.

{the stairs} leading to the gallery can also be seen,

behind them and on the left is the stereo & bookcase unit.

while in the far back, our {little office corner} is hidden

Have you enjoyed this mini tour ? 

Would like to see more of our space?

well, you could come over or simply...

view the few hundreds of shots on {my flickr account}...

just roam through the sets, but mainly look {here}, {here} & {there}

last notice:

Can you detect my love for bags perhaps?

Yes?...splendid, cause there'll be quite some news and a few posts related to the subject

Just stay tuned and pop by often ; )

see you very soon everyone ~ 

hope your day has been a nice one!

P.S: this post is full of links leading you to many photo galleries. Whenever you come across such brackets {...} and words written in bold & italics, simply click on them...that's the trick ; )