Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Miss Blackbirdy

There is a party coming and Miss blackbirdy does not know what to wear :( She is a bit cranky.



So she runs to the mall to shop till she drops. That will make feel her better! 

But she keeps being restless. Nothing fits.
Abrupt awakening, she decides to go home. 
To make another fight in her closet. Her creative fire is flaired.


And she turns out beautiful :)


Time to party with friends!


Miss Blackbirdy is made by the Dutch artist Merel Boers (1981).





Monday, December 27, 2010

The luxury of simplicity

Just back from 3 days spend with family
eating / laughing / idling
loving and wonderfull
but
now i need some time alone 
celebrating the birth of Jesus
made me also a bit sad
yes, i did count my blessings
could not help
longing for
the birth of my "own" child
maybe it will come
maybe not
Mosa baby Urnatur

Would it not be nice
to hide 
just during dreary days like this
in a treehouse?
Treehouse Sweden, Urnatur

A bit solitude
the immeasurable delight that comes from 
 being unproductive
having the freedom to daydream
to think or not think
 to process the past
make plans for the future
to simply be in the world as it is.

Harmony to the mind

Just writing this
helps me 
i feel better
Thanx!

Maybe, one day we will go to Sweden 
and enjoy the luxury of simplicity
But for now i am happy
in my own little place
with a snoring cat
a barking dog
and my Love who watches TV.


Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry X-Mas!


Wish you all warm & happy days with family and beloved ones! 

polychrome Yarn

Yesterday i spent a lovely day with my mom. Doing some X-mas shopping, but meanly chitchatting about everyday life! So nice just to spend time together- gathering urban inspiration!
Villa Augustus (Dordrecht)

Intermezzo (Dordrecht)

Mom is always full of funky ideas
wrapping, sewing, DIY-ing
Re-thinking and re-cycling
It is in my moms nature!
She is really attentive
and makes lovely presents
out of nothing.
Nature is her muse.
Everything she touches 
Instant cuteness! 
 
With my upcoming birthday
my mom is making birdies for me
Can not wait!


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Home made Granola

This morning I had the intention to go and try out a new yoga class, something i was really looking forward to. But it was too slippery out there on the streets. In ten minutes i slipped 3 times on my bike! And i still had to go 10 miles....... So i decided to turn home.
But then i was feeling rushed. Thinking of my to do list (stacks of laundry, overcrowded cabinets, screeming christmas cards and so on) i could not enjoy my " spare time". Here i was, grumpy in holiday times!

Happily i got inspirered by my friend Lisette Kreischer , the Vegan Lady who invented THE ECOFABULOUS LIFESTYLE.  Lisette is author of the cookbook Ecofabulous cooking in all seasons.   When the book was made, Lisette did the shooting of the Winter photos partly at our place. So now i can find really beautiful pictures in this book of my own stove. This gives me instandly a better feeling!



So i made this indulging recipe called Granola. Now i have enough ecofab cruesli for the upcoming weeks. This will help to stick to my plan to eat a healthy breakfast everyday. And i slipped into Me Time!

Wish you all a mindfully day!

Monday, December 20, 2010

More books

Anthropologie sells this great bookish wallpaper  which fills nooks of your home with towers of titles!
Bookish wallpaper from Tracey Kendall

I think it is the best, but my roomy would go crazy when i dragged this in our house. Our bookstore is dubble row and now i start to put stuff on top. Yesterday, he (my roomy) growled to me when he saw on top of my birtday list there where 4 new book titles (i just got 3 new books last week).......
Our bookcase (formerly a showcase in a Snowboard store)

Okay, i have too many books and Never Enough!
Do i see some space in the right corner?

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Welcome World!

We woke up in a Winter Wonderland. When i looked out the dormer window i saw a beautiful church, wrapped in snow. The church bell rung ten times, trying to gather village people together.

But i decided to bake Jamie Oliver's pancakes. Tastes great with Agave Sirop. Baking pancakes has become my holiday ritual, it marks the transition from Working Time to Zen Time.













Hope you will enjoy your day!

Friday, December 17, 2010

To catch my breath

 

Hurray! It is Happy Holidays time!

Next two weeks I will (hopefully):

 ....sleep in

....make my Happy wall

....kiss my Love

....go to the Aveda beauty spot

....laugh with my friends

....read some books

....enjoy seeing my Granny

....do yoga

....bake american pancakes for breakfast

....drink Gluhwein & Champagne

....sit by the stove

.....go to Hella Jongerius - " Misfit" 

....make my photo book Desert Yoga

....walk in a winter wonderland

....do some some ecofriendly shopping for christmas

create so many other ways  to cath my breath!

 

Happy Holidays!

 



Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Daily inspiration

Picture by Geninne (A little collection of curiosities in her studio wall).




















Oh i love the work of  the in Mexican living artist Geninne (D. Zlatkis)! She calls herself a curious stay home mom, but to me she is my daily inspirator. Her work is absolutley stunning! Her birdies and her color sense are amazing. Gorgeous styling. And she seems to be so modest.

Geninne is a faithful and disciplined blogger, so almost everyday she brightens my life with animals and nature.
 
When I visit her blog, i realize Reason is not everything. 

Gennine, thank you!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Friday, December 10, 2010

Keeping Balance

Christiansborg Castle Square in Copenhagen, Denmark

"Balance. The Ultimate Goal."
Ricky Lankford

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Ecofabulous Christmas tree

With a young dog, we decided not to bring in a real christmas tree in the house this year. (Secretely, I am also not that into funky christmas decorations, so I must say to me this not really a pity....).
So this recycled wooden (x-mas) tree is a good alternative! It is made by Wood & wool stool. 
Ingrid, the Dutch lady who runs this little company, has a really inspiring blog, lives nearby and works in my favorite market cafe Villa Augustus. How many arguments more do I need?

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Desert code (by Paulo Coelho)


The code of the desert
Two men were crossing the desert when they saw a Bedouin’s tent and asked him for shelter. Even though he did not know them, he welcomed them in the way that the conduct of nomads dictates: a camel was killed and its meat served in a sumptuous dinner.
The next day, the two strangers woke early and decided to continue on their journey. As the Bedouin was not at home, they gave his wife a hundred dinars, apologizing for not being able to wait, because if they spent any more time there, the sun would become too strong for them to travel.
They had traveled for four hours when they heard a voice calling out to them. They looked back and saw the Bedouin following them. As soon as he caught up with them, he threw the money to the ground.
“I gave you such a warm welcome! Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”
In surprise, the strangers said that the camel were surely worth far more than that, but that they did not have much money.
“I am not talking about the amount,” was the answer. “The desert welcomes Bedouins wherever they go, and never asks anything in return. If we had to pay, how could we live? Welcoming you to my tent is like paying back a fraction of what life has given us".

Source: Paulo Coelho's blog

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Windlessness for the Soul (Nietzsche)


It is hard to imagine (it has been snowing here!) but it was just one week ago that i woke up early in the morning with the upcoming sun in my face. I woke up in de the desert of the Sinai (Egypt).
It took me some years to give this great gift to myself: a 8 day retreat including a 5 day yoga-hiking safari. With 4 other women, one young Egyptian guide and one Bedouin guide, we went crossing Sinai on the back of a camel, sleeping underneath the stars, ate breakfast with freshly baked bread and sweet Bedouin tea.

We had a this wonderfull yoga teacher Jana who introduced us to different aspects of Ashtanga-Yoga (normally i do Hatha). And i really loved it! Yoga in the desert is a unique combination. Because of the quietness, the mental and physical effects of Yoga are having a deeper effect. Everyday we did about 1,5 hour body work (Asana) and we spent some hours practising breathing exercises (Pranayama) and meditation (Dhyana).

It is hard to explain but when you are in the desert clock time blurs and inner time appears. It is like a reconnaissance of a stream of time and consciousness. Suddenly, your inner voice is loudly there and you are in total harmony with the environment. I even fell asleep at the back of the camel! The flow of energy is most beneficial.

In short: this Soul-Full Journey was a great experience!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Hip & Green Copenhagen



I feel like a world citizen these days. Last week we spent 2 days in Copenhagen. We really love it!  A wahalla for design fans, vintage queens and Eco- conscious people.  Here, women can breastfeed their child in a cafe, everywhere you see joggers, bikers and little kids (fermly wrapped in) playing in the parks. A city with an indulgent atmosphere. So if you are looking for inspiration, drown your self in this vital Danish city and you will find your Joie de Vivre!





Thursday, November 18, 2010

Sweet

When I came home from work today, my love told me he baked a pie for our eleventh anniversary..........(a little bit burn but who cares?), so sweet!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Fall Harvest of Walnuts

It is getting colder here in the Netherlands. Yesterday, we celebrated my dad's birthday and it has become a ritual to guess the weight of the walnut harvest on this special day. 
This year approximately 44 pound! 

Cosy moments next to the woodstove will come.....It is time to ring the sweper!




Sunday, October 31, 2010

Longing

What a gift, sleeping in because of this additional winter-time our! But it also brings back memories, summertime seems suddenly ages ago......
For one moment, I permit myself to daydream a bit and go back to our summer holiday at Ile d'oleron (Island of France).

Sunday, October 24, 2010

To Pretty up


I love this color palette, it will be my guide making my home cosy and comfortable for long indoor evenings. 
On this rainy sunday I am busy sorting out clothes and selecting stuff for the upcoming Vintage Vendetta Party next friday (clothing swap party), organised by my friend Madu. Madu drummes all her female friends together and we will meet in an organic clothing shop, where we share our unwanted clothing along with other’s gently used items so we can trade it in for something else- something better.

A creative, cheap and eco-friendly way to get a new outfit! This Vendetta Party will be a little present after a week of hard work. Can't wait!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Our cozy little hide away



We are just back from our trip to Belgium, where we spent a week in a little wooden chalet in a farming village. It is a perfect place to retraite: on a hill in the forest, surrounded by pastures with cows and happy pigs in the mud.
The moment I walk through the fence and I see the chalet, there is peace in my mind. Do you know that feeling of being in totally harmony with yourself and life around you? 
Sitting in the sun with a book on my lap, next to me our litte dog tumbling through the leafs, and  boyfriend tinkering on his bicycle. What I else could I wish for?




It is so nice to let go daily routines and just do whatever you are into. It is a true joy to experience the full involvement in an activity that suits your needs.
Next to the stove, I got lost in Woolf's Orlando  - oh I love this books atmosphere! Now I know why it is important literature, and particularly in the history of women's writing and gender studies
And now I am carried away in Jonathan Franzen's Freedom. Oh I wish this autumn holiday never ends........

"When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world." (Eckhart Tolle)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Studying with a glass of white wine...

When you are construing texts of Markies de Sade, it works!

Accessories from Keecie and Flow makes me happy