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 !  *

... 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.

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!

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!