~ some days in Malta...

 it is in difficult times that one understands what matters, right?

  this is a tiny post to welcome you all in the new week, despite having caught a cold so nasty as it hasn't been  in a very long, long time & reveal the reason there were no posts or news updates during the past few days.

him & I spent a few days on the island of Malta, a destination we have grown to very much like since our first visit there last winter.

you can imagine that spending time working on our pictures & talking for hours here about our trip

is something I so wish I could do at the moment,

but anything than a short period in front of the screen tires me

 due to fever.

I still wanted to pass by here and say hello,

while sharing a few SOOC (straight out of the camera) pictures - except from slight cropping & a little processing in the last two,

 my partner made of me,

as we both enjoy our roles behind & in front of the cameras... 

 our days were spent strolling in the charming streets of Valletta, the capital of the country,

driving - on the left side! - along the coast line,

promenading along the sea in Sliema, where we were accommodated,

photographing doors, details, me posing in front of doors...

eating delicious food,

such as mouthwatering pastizzis,

which cost between 30 & 50 cents per piece, no matter where you are

... visiting the beautiful cities of Mdina & Rabat,

taking a ferry to the amazing tiny island of Gozo

and not to forget, among others, me catching a cold,

(thank God only on Saturday, just a day before our return)

to bring as a souvenir,

together with memories of good times

&

pictures of undeniably charming places.

oh well my dears...

I hope to be well soon, being able to enjoy my work & posting here

from me, best of wishes for one more wonderful, creative week,

bringing you just a little bit closer to all you love!

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

P.S: here are some captions to illustrate the pictures, from top to bottom:

1. yesterday, in low fever (if only I knew what is to come!)

2. walking up to Valletta, this building always captures my attention

3. Thusrday morning, after our first evening on the island, the capital is our favorite place to visit

4. Friday, probably our best day of all the trip, at Mdina & Rabat

5. pastizzis!

Be the change you want to bring to the world ~

now... how will I manage to keep this a minimal post word wise my dears?

 {I will not, wanna bet?}

 all I basically want to say is that much as {the current moment, the present, is our present, our gift in this life  time of ours} we all are synchronized in,

 so Life itself is upon each one of us to color.

 Three might be the basic colors for us all to paint with on our life canvases,

  but then none of us will make the same painting.

 we' ll use and mix our colors differently

 some of these paintings will be masterpieces,

 some not.

 some will be nice, some ugly

 the world might know or might not know about them

 in all cases.

whichever the case, the painter of our lives can be only one person:

OURSELVES

we can choose where to focus,

how to think,

what to see,

what to keep in our hearts,

what to let go,

what to do,

what to do again,

what to not do again,

which words to use,

what to hear,

how to behave,

how to dress,

how to build our interiors,

and everything will be nothing but a reflection of who we are.

need Love? let us give Love

need to have more? let us give from what we already have

need to be forgiven? let us forgive first

need to see the Light? let us stop being afraid of darkness

the mere existence of Life itself is Dual.

choose where you focus on

accept both sides

let us acknowledge our fears

see how small & unimportant we all are

& then be grateful for the grandiosity of our existence

LOVE & PEACE ON EARTH

 my friends

LET US BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO BRING TO THE WORLD 

THROUGH OUT OUR JOURNEYS HERE

[via]

this space whispers tranquility, love for life and peace with one's self, doesn't it my dears?

this is to a marvelous Tuesday for you all

{and no, this is not another "Aujourd'hui j'aime" post but a "Life of awareness" one ; )}

collage credit: Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy, using clockwise the following pictures:    

  1. 2. 3. 4.

also... listen ~

Aujourd' hui j'aime...

Bonsoir mes amis,

 hello my friends & a wonderful new week to you!

 was the weekend a good one?

 nothing to complain about here & lots of beautiful moments, apart from a little

 emotional turmoil caused - quite probably - by the full moon,

 resulting in some temporary family tension.

 oh, aren't our closest ones those to receive it all first? both the good & the bad? 

 and vice versa of course...

 how about you?

 are you affected in any way by nature' s cycles?

all right, enough of small talk,

 let's get down to serious talking cause there are things I wish to share with you.

So...

 my love for French & natural inclination to speak this language is intensifying these days

& didn't hesitate to create a new series for the blog under the name:

Aujourd'hui j'aime...

{Today I love... }

several times so far some of my instant choices shared here were filed under... well... {instant choices}.

Nothing wrong with that, other than the fact that simply something wasn't there name wise...

 if you know what I mean...?

Concerning blogs & anything creative,

I appreciate everything & everyone that evolves naturally & step by step.

Originality & honesty are also appreciated. A lot.

Actions or posts brought forward in order to impress others,

rather easily put my away...

Naturally, this blog & myself are gradual and constant developers as well,

remaining always faithful to what is important to us,

to what characterizes us.

{Aujourd' hui j'aime...}

is a collection of pictures that inspire me and create a visual story for me.

much like the {moodboards}, I'm also loving to make.

Not necessarily from one artist, or one art, but a combination of them.

As much as it is created instantly, its effect is permanent.

Its images mark me & stay with me for a rather long, long time

Interior design

Decoration

Fashion

Styling

Photography &

pretty things

have always been inspiring me... after all who doesn't get inspired by them?

 in my strong effort to avoid repeating other blogs

and keep an honest & personal approach in this blog,

lots of my choices were kept for a long time private.

In the meantime, and thank's to Pinterest as well,  where everyone can simply have access to each member's  taste, I feel that my presence here is distinct enough & has an aroma,

a sound, a feeling of its own.

For the fact that I feel this way, I need to thank SO many of you,

that should I start, I have to be very careful and remember to include all of you in the list!

I'll skip this part for now

 & just go back to {aujourd'hui j'aime...}

I love visual stories and about 2 years ago, I had started writing stories under the collages {such as here & there} I was creating with my favorite pictures from friends & contacts in {flickr}.

I think {this} must have been the fisrt one.

In the meantime, it has become clear that

favorite styling both in interiors & fashion,

as much as stunning photography and breathtaking details

simply fire my brain cells,

while pleasing my eyes.

It's not only that though. 

It doesn't stop in the "visualization" & dreaming level.

The images that inspire me are actually kindly invading my life, the way I decorate our living space, the choices I make,

the way I dress and style myself,

the way I think & behave,

 and of course the way I work with others.

So darling people, allow me to be opening a window to my mind, heart & soul to you

through my choices, mostly grouped in my Pinterest boards and likes.

You must be a little familiar with that through the

{etsy treasuries} also curated by me.

Today's inspiration is all about secretary style,

intellectualism,

espressos,

truffles,

geometry,

wood & metal.

Enjoy & c u soon!

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

oh! not to forget:

 this feature is not bound in any way to be daily, weekly, bimonthly or anything similar.

Due to the spontaneity of my nature, it can be once a day, a few times a week or simply taking a rest for a while. Sometimes, it might even be more frequent that once a day.

 Each post is going to be mainly recognized by the date that it is posted under the label:

{Aujourd'hui j'aime...}

Merci!

... and oh! #2, if you wish to read a bit on maximasing space in an open air loft

and see how I managed to do so in our previous home,

here' s my latest entry for Ikea Family Live.

Thank's so much for your comments, 

being here & following me around the web

 in every possible {nice} way you can!

xxx :*)

[via]

collage crated by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy combining the following images clockwise: 1. 2. 3. 4. 

LIFE

[via]

Look

 Listen

 L O V E

 _____________________________________  

 isn't life but a miracle itself?

Gratitude & the present moment

hello my friends!

 so nice to come here again to share some inspiration with you 

{smile :*)}

I think I've made the quiet decision to be following my heart and my feelings in each and every post shared here....

that might create some complications with posts that need to be scheduled,

such as when other people are involved, but I have full trust that it is going to work out just fine...

you too may I suppose and hope? 

blink, blink ; )

so, my mood board today is full of emotions and is marked by the depth of the music and the {lyrics} of {this} song,

at the same time, my choices above pretty much colour my feelings, too

{could be the opposite as well I guess}

the good thing about quotations & inspiring words, is that they are self explicative and there is no need to talk much

{ something that I seriorusly need to parctice on ;)}

so I must say, that:

~> I think that I'm lucky {possibly intelligent, too} enough to have chosen a gentleman to be by my side

{well not always but anyways, who talks about perfection?}

~> I must have also found my trick and being enjoying life right HERE, right NOW

{the power of the present is unbittable}

please notice that the word present in the English language also has a double meaning:

 present : now

+

present : gift

______________

simple additional mathematical equation... and

your present is...  {the} present!

or {the} present is your present!

... however you wish to state it

voila! that's all you have in your hands!

but it's a huge thing isn't it?

if you consider how many people are lost in memories or future aspirations

{ no, no... never said that we shouldn't have any of both!}

how many people are trapped by their own emotions,

their own preconceptions....

I think I might have ended being such a person,

but instead, had better plans for me and this life, so generously offered to me...

I fought my dears... fought with mind and heart

 to overcome all possible emotional shortcomings

and start living my life, the way I decide, I wish.

I've mentioned it again months, perhaps years ago, but one of the best* presents I've done to myself was beginning and completing {for about 7 years} psychotherapy sessions.

* second best present to myself ~> I begun blogging!

** third best since the begining of this last December ~> I'm dancing freely, while exercising a few times a week}

I'm not saying that they are necessary - here I mean the therapy sessions {despite also having majored and graduated from Psychology, too}

just saying that they are enornously helpful and offer a solid basis for a real, true alteration/ transformation of the self, towards the best human beings that each of us can be.

there lies happiness my friends....

being the best that we can be each day,

TODAY

at this point, it fits rather nicely to state that, thanks to Nichole Robertson, runner of {this} tremendously succesful and utterly beautiful shop

{and FB of course, for how else could I have been instantly informed?} I got to spend some nice moments exercising a bit my... sometimes rusty brain cells, by causing some neural transmitions and evoking thoughts {and emotions at the same time}

when reading {this article} on Modern time and the perception of time.

just marvelous... 

{yes, good idea! ~> make yourselves a cup of tea, take some cookies or pieces of your favorite chocolate

and enjoy reading it!}

and then, to end this post, that once more, totally failed in being minimalistic in words,

je ne regrette riens ~ I do not regret a thing,

not one single moment of the life I 've lived so far, even the ugliest, the hardest or the most uncharming ones.

and then smoothly like a silk ribbon falling on the floor,

this brings me to gratitude,

which transforms everything into well... enough!

the magic of having it all...

I have it all my friends

&

I'm eternally grateful for that 

and you, how are you today?

best wishes from me

&

a big thank you for your presence here and the warm comments you are sharing.

I have really started  loving communicating with you!

Got to go... have a vegetable soup to cook and a few more boxes to unpack & organise...

Picture credit from top to bottom (click on each number)

1 ~ 2  ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 collage made by me combining {this} & {that}  ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 selfie made by me 

Au revoir et merci pour etre ici avec moi!

Welcome 2012!

Here's to welcoming the new year my friends!

a few shots taken this morning revealing bits of our new bedroom, located in the upper/second floor of our new maisonette apartment.

There are many things unfinished, but also quite a few things done, so I thought I share a few pictures with you.

[2nd, 3rd, 4rth & last pictures are shot there]

[1st is shot in the workroom & 5th in the living room]

I have to say I love this room...

it might be measuring 5sm less than {the bedroom} we had at the Penthouse {it was a 22sm room}, but we have the luxury of not needing to have any closets at all included here.

Mr J has his own separate dressing area in our workroom/ computer room and I get to have my own walk in closet... a super tiny one, but still a walk in closet, for which I have big plans one day... currently it's a totally undone space, with walls that need to be sanded, wallpaper that needs to be fixed on the walls and the storage system to be installed.... oh one day...

I'll be showing you many more details as days come, and of course I'll be posting about the year that passed and the one which just arrived.

Normally this should be a "how was your New Year eve?" kind of post,

but you know spontaneous me, don't you?

just a while ago and shortly before midnight, I decide to post,  after having had a delicious dinner - lamb fillets in a red wine + feta cheese sauce accompanied with boiled potatoes.... a fine {and strong!} Brandy for appetiser and ice - cream for dessert...

Oh merci vie belle....

I hope that the New Year started as you wished 

and most of all, that it will bring your ways all you need, wish and long for!

P.S: merci, merci pour les {1000 fans in FB page}. Thank you so much!

P.S2: in case you wonder where all this French comes from, it's the language I adore, studied for about 8 years and was almost forgotten since I started learning German three years ago... it's coming back and I love it. I feel it's such a big part of who I am and the best part, my German is also improving.

I guess such things make me happy ~

Bonuit mes amis...

Salut mes amis!

Salut mes amis!

Hello my dear friends!

After needing a couple of weeks longer than I thought in order {to plant happiness},

nothing expresses better the sum of my recent experiences & feelings,

than this quote spoken by the wise lips of the {Little Prince}

{all the quotes here}

L'essentiel? mais oui, c'est invisible pour les yeux....

non?

On ne voit bien qu' avec le couer

if there is anything I learnt,

it is this:

    

                    *** the essential is invisible to the eye ***

                     *** we only see clearly with the Heart ***

or better... I should say felt deeply instead of learnt,

cause sometimes {learning} is associated with a simple

"follow the instructions & then do" attitude,

which.... well... is everything but the {essence}.

so dearests,

first of all, it's trully delightful to be writing again on these pages

and I can't thank you enough {mmmm, perhaps I got some ideas in my mind though ;)}

for your care, support & loving messages you left here and sent in my mailboxes while

I was away planting happiness...

I mean while I was moving us from home A to home B,

keeping my faith and patience when so many things went the wrong way...

had it not been for so many things having gone wrong though,

how could I be having the pleasure of sharing 

life stories with you?

see my point? ; )

will do so, step by step,

taking you with me sharing pictures, feelings, thoughts & endless inspiration.

Till then though, I share with you {the treasury curated a couple of days ago}

as I am slowly returning to my work.

A bunch of 16 choices I'd more than gladly incorporate in our new home,

which you will also most probably enjoy,

as we share similar taste for you to be reading these lines

{click on "via" below to be taken to the collection and then each item separately}

[via]

Enjoy and from me,

a warmhearted smile,

shot yesterday after a dancing/ exercising session which lifted my spirits up 

{apart from other parts of my body ; )}

... while listening to this fabulous lady's  tracks 

btw... you got to adore the sheep & the spider in this clip!

Je vous aime beaucoup!

A bientôt

bisus xxx

                       Ivy