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!

waking up in the middle of nowhere...

waking up in the middle of Mallorca...

on a foggy morning...

olive tree fields covered in a light, airy sheet

soon to dissolve, revealing magnificent views

absolute silence

just some waking birds tweeting 

the clouds moving peacefully into one of a kind formations,

instant pieces of art that the wind will 

take with "him"

minds free of constraints

interpreting

the wonders of existence 

_________________________________

beautiful days, seemingly endless, as if  e t e r n i t y was written

with every breath being taken,

beautiful days marking 

a fall to cherish for sure

____________________________

one can hear so much when in  s i l e n c e 

yet the trip to bearing  it at the beginning is challenging

_____________________

can you bear the silence?

do you enjoy it ? 

and do you also perhaps see a heart shaped in the sky?

H a p p y  T h u r s d a y !

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Photography / accompanied words by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for J&I Travelling Stories 2013

{all rights reserved }

{hand} w r i t i n g our hearts out

 

it's no secret, this girl here maintaining this blog sure  l o v e s  to write.

do not let yourselves be fooled by inferring the conclusion that she just likes to mumble

and throw her most profound, ingenious or perhaps nothing of these - thoughts 

on a piece of virtual sheet, where she can type her heart away...

No. No. This person here is in love with the  actual process of  w r i t i n g,

that is in the form of  h a n d w r i t i n g . . . 

You know, that simple thing we used to learn back to school,

these days when toddlers and children were learning

first how to form lines & curves into letters,

long before they learned anything about how to operate

smart phones, tablets, laptops, or anything technology related for that matter.

I am said to have been taught  calligraphy {what a beautiful form of art indeed! } 

from the very early days,

quite long before I entered first grade school aged 5 and a half years old.

Today, the moments I sit with a favorite journal in front of me,

warm drink by my side, as most days throughout the year living in the 

middle of Europe require, are precious.

Thoughts, plans, memories, travelling stories,

or just  w o r d s  expressing gratitude or other feelings,

are put down letter side by side, speaking of 

the preciousness of life's simple pleasures.

I've been having various favorite notebooks from time to time,

much like the one pictured above, purchased at Hema for a tiny amount,

during my few weeks stay in Amsterdam this summer.

I travel relatively often one could say averagely,

so my journals do undergo quite a few tests.

Needless to say I like to keep them in a good condition,

still however I try to take care of them,

when placed in a tote bag or a cabin sized luggage,

after just a few days, they no longer remind the item I purchased.

It bothers me. I like to keep them.

Though keeping them in a good condition is my goal.

I still do not remember exactly how I stumbled upon

R u s t i c o   l e a t h e r ' s  A l p i n e   C o l l e c t i o n 

yet, I'm really so very glad I did.

It was the beginning of summer in Germany,

yet rainy days were persisting.

As I was flipping through the collection,

I kept on holding this image in my mind:

winter would have settled,

painting white all my surroundings, as seen from our winter garden,

{much like  t h e n }

and I would hold the warm texture of felt in my hands,

dressing my new journal.

Snow would fall, the kettle would be making a hot ginger tea,

candlelights would be shining all around the space,

even throughout the day

and I would be taking a much needed break from 

computer work & or housework,

feeling the simple pleasure of holding a pen

writing my heart out on beautiful pages,

rich in texture, as if they have jumped out from the previous century.

I'm really pleased to be sharing these finds with you here today,

as Scott, the owner of Rustico leather,

has been so very kind into agreeing to send my choices all the way.

I chose three, sharing 2 of them with you today.

T h i s  traveler's journal in granite grey &  t h a t  large, composition cover in charcoal grey.

The third and my favorite one awaits at home in Germany,

to be shared with you soon.

All journals are hand made, to be exact hand sewn in the USA.

I'm in love with the details, the hand stitching, the leather, the rich feel of the paper,

their flexibility & the fact that they are quite light to carry around,

while ensuring that both exterior and interior will remain in a excellent condition.

I recently wore my above-the -knee-length, tweed trousers,

{ purchased from Mango about a good seven years ago }

and combined with chevron brown & beige tights

I loved how the whole outfit looked,

as I headed to a cafe,

mini purse, i - phone, a book & my journal being the only things

bringing with me.

S t y l i s h  and comfy may I say...

I'm particularly pleased when home accessories can be transformed / used as fashion accessories, too.

And you? Do you like that too?

... and what types of journals do you like to use?

do you still hand-write? do you love it as much?

or has technology taken over?

do share!

These notebooks have also taken part in another photo shoot, 

which includes the guest room make over I did while I stayed in Greece this summer

and I'm so very much looking forward to share it here with you!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

All pictures of this post are styled & photographed by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for 

Domestic Stories with Ivy 2013 {all rights reserved}

A huge  t h a n k  y o u  to  R u s t i c o   L e a t h e r   for the cooperation!

waving h e l l o s & g o o d b y e s

some how like that I planned to welcome you to the middle of this fall,

only the end of October is just around the corner already,

so it seems more appropriate to 

say perhaps something like that: 

more than two months after the latest post here,

when the Jug was offering to pour some Happiness

into the Jar,

with the Jar gladly accepting, while offering some Hope herself,

{fairy tales for adults, copyright Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos, 2013}

the fairy tale is no longer only a fairy tale, but a true story.

The story of my life. 

The sweetest, most adorable story,

with all her bittersweet moments & dramatized parts,

a story that for every single minute of the sometime soon to be 6 six years,

I wouldn't change it for the whole world.

Naturally I wish I'd have been wiser, stronger or any other adjective that implies something better compared to what I have already done.

H e l l o. This is  R e a l i t y.  L I F E  is for learning.

And there is probably no feeling sweeter & more complete,

no contentment deeper, than realizing

that one has learned, one has moved on, 

one has broken  f r e e , one has made what seemed impossible,  p o s s i b l e

and while doing all that, he / she chose all over from the very beginning again,

the one person and kind of life that more than any words can say

is  w o r t h  of living..

Saying all that, it's important to me to communicate a fact that has been

concerning me for quite a while.

I'm a rather quiet, reserved & very private person.

I celebrate in a rather unusual way.

One who has found herself in the middle of this thing called "blogging",

{ with all its gorgeousness & complications }

and social media.

One who enjoys sharing bits of her life but also loves sharing precious moments

with herself and the people she loves,

without mentioning anything about it on any online medium.

At least from time to time.

The circle of my good friends is small & curated.

I'm happy for that.

The situations the past months have been acting as a magnificent compass,

assisting in establishing relation ships & letting go of ones that do not serve both parties happily, or at least have a common denominator of learning & growing.

We people tend to be lost in words sometimes. I hope to be able to use the medium of  language effectively.

As much as the preciousness of  s i l e n c e.

When relations ships are lost in words, when  h o n e s t  feelings fade away, or never find their way into manifesting in the first place, it's perhaps time to pass. 

When we can't see others for who they are or who they have become,

taking part in their story as much as we wish them to take part in ours,

a loosening in ties is inevitable.

When we can't see ourselves, we can see no one else.

When we cannot admit our own truths, there is no place to share the truths of others.

oh anyways...

Someone, whose attitude in life and accomplishments I admire, 

said the following:

lets  K. I. S. standing for:

 l e t s   k e e p   i t   s i m p l e.

When people tend to complicate, I try to simplify.

I've read that in one of  Lakshmi's amazing posts.

Now I feel it myself.

This way, real changes can take place.

Experiences have meaning.

Life itself is rich.

And balance isn't just an unknown word, something we "fight" or strive for.

Achieving balance in our every day lives becomes in itself a way of life.

Some times it works better, other less.

Nevertheless, we are able to  b r e a t h e  in the middle of everything...

P r a c t i c a l l y  speaking:

-> I've been at my home in Germany, yes that one, the little maisonette by the woods, 

since about the first days of September, after having spent almost a month in Greece,

{ which seemed like a century }

and that after having spent three weeks in Amsterdam, till the middle of August.

-> I have been re-setting up home with my life partner { for reasons of easiness, I'm considering to be referring to him as my husband here, after all it feels this way }

{ oh just ignore the undone bookcase in the background. I'll share updates soon.

That is if you would like to see ; ) }

but hey:

h e l l o !

-> I've been working on establishing myself as an interior consultant and life coach,

assisting people into living the lives they truly wish to live. { More on that in a different post }

To tease you a bit, I do say that I worked unexpectedly with the most amazing client ever this summer 

{ June - middle July } 

and beginning from just a little styling advice, we ended up remaking a whole kitchen,

while we have already set our hands in the living room. The best of all, a new friendship begun.

{ And yes, we would love to share the process & outcomes here!}

-> I've boarded a plane a few times, as shortly after I returned home in Germany in September,

Santa Claus came early. No, no he doesn't fly planes. 

But, he abducted me and brought me in a lovely, little, charming, stone house in the middle of nowhere. 

Or perhaps it was not the middle of nowhere.

But just a - truly beautiful  - property almost in the middle of Mallorca, located close to one of its authentic villages I so much adore.

Forth time on this island since 2009, { here some pics from a winter visit in 2010 }

every time I love it just as much - if not more,

always wondering about the peculiar connection I have with this place. 

Who knows? Are there past lives? Have I ever lived there before?

One thing is sure:

M a l l o r c a  mi  A m o r 

it was so great to be stepping on your grounds again!

And just like that, the first days of October past and I was back in Germany,

suiting in to my everyday routine just like gloves fit a hand,

just like milk & honey.

Sometime soon there'll be a post on relocating and the process of making

a new country your home.

A true home, with capital H.

Currently on another short trip in the country of my origin,

taking care of some practical issues and in a few days back Home in Germany,

where winter will be impatiently awaiting to show up.

The easiness with which I lately board planes, pack suitcases and adjust in differentiated 

temperatures is remarkable for my once rather over anxious self.

I'm glad. 

O.k, I'll put a full stop to this post. But I'll see you tomorrow,

sharing pictures of one of the photo shoots I did for the kindest contributors  

of my new Journals for this year,

which are no other than the stylish, grey felt ones, with the most fabulous details,

like you see at the top of the post,

but also below, 

as this picture was also used to thank the people who support this blog's respective Facebook page. 

Are you one of them? Then, thank you so very  much!

We reached 2500 sometime in the middle of the month.

Taking into consideration the totally sporadic posting and activity,

I consider it a great success!

T H A N K  YOU. 

I couldn't have done it without you!

Hope you are having a great start in this new week.

Meet you here tomorrow, xo

_______________________________________

Styling & photography: Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy 2013 { all rights reserved }

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