under the sky:

what's on the agenda this weekend?

i have canvas art in the works that needs to be finished. finally!

for some reason i never just work on one piece at a time. i always have 3 different projects going at once.

oh, i almost forgot the best part of this weekend is our picnic in the park with the kids.

one of siennas' friends is having an outdoor birthday party.

no rented clowns, moon jumps or donkey rides,

just a fun filled day under the sky with delicious food.

we may do a treasure hunt "dora style" or pretend we are taking a trip to the south sea with pipi longstocking.

either way i know the kids will have a ball.

i looove picnics :-) see you monday!

{pics 1+2+3}

this is the idea:

a dream lighter than a cloud. go get yours.
{idea2lifestyle}

images of inspiration

l.o.v.e.d these images.

they have been blogging my way
this morning.

have a wonderful day everyone!
{ photo 1+2+3+4+ 5+6+7 }

with love and pita:

i had kitchens on the brain lately. i love nothing more than eating, (drinking wine!) cooking and hanging with friends on the weekends.

or any time really.

one of our dear friends happens to be a chef and since i am always hungry, every time we are at their place for dinner - it feels like Christmas to me.

finally, though it can be intimidating to cook for a "chef", i found the courage to whip up a greek meal for them. i figured even a chef probably wants to be fed sometimes.

i had way too many people over for my small space but we all huddled around my tiny dining table and had a (meat) ball - with tzatziki, pita bread and greek salad.

oh, and really good wine.

the only thing that can beat it is being in Greece!

i am still searching for my dream kitchen and until then i figure it’s the process of cooking with friends that will give my kitchen (no matter what it looks like) some soul, not an expensive stove.

Have a great weekend everyone!

aren't these kitchens amazing? i found them here.

even if i had a pantry like that - i can guarantee it wouldn't look this perfect.

{living more beautifully}

During my everlasting quest for finding the perfect storage solution i found these images in Schöner Wohnen (“living more beautifully”) it's a popular German house and garden magazine. i couldn't help myself smiling when i saw the lamp in the second image. (you may have to click on the image to get a better look). i discovered that it's my lamp! i bought the exact lamp a few weeks ago at a garage sale in Santa Monica for Sienna's room (bottom image)... i am sure i will get over it at some point today but for now i still can't stop smiling. :-)))

OK, time to go and make ratatouille..(yum).

the spirit of love:

we know what we are, but know not what we may be.


-Hamlet, ACT IV, Scene 5


{image ONE + TWO + THREE + FOUR + FIVE + SIX - found here}

the playroom: mcvillage

the images are from a children’s play area designed by uxus design for a mcdonald’s near amsterdam.

uxus’ goal was to create an environment where children could learn about food from the farm to the market to the table.

i found this at Grace Bonney's blog (my favorite): the wonderful designsponge {thank you Grace}

it's been a while

morning!
we spend mother's day like any other day. our little girl woke me up by telling me everything she did yesterday and everything she was going to do today. then she insisted it was time for me to get up. NOW! i found flowers in the bathroom. simple beautiful white flowers. my husband and my daughter picked them outside. so sweet. ah, i remembered now: it's mother's day. then after a quick, tired glance in the mirror i joined the gang for a cozy breakfast they had made for me. pancakes, fruit, eggs - the works. and there were more flowers. roses, this time. but i learned there was even more. my lovelies had planned a picnic.... my day hadn't even begun and it was already perfect. how was your mother's day?
image 1+2+3+4 -

happy mother's day:

When I grow up, i want to be a lady like you...

indigorain

“Sometimes the beauty is easy. Sometimes you don't have to try at all. Sometimes you can hear the wind blow in a handshake. Sometimes there's poetry written right on the bathroom wall.”
Ani Difranco

{ found here}

sleepwalking in daylight:

Morning, everyone! another Tuesday, it's 9:00am and i feel like i am sleepwalking in daylight. there are too many projects to tackle and its way too hot already. so i decided to take a walk and just breathe. i have been sleep deprived for about three years and after dropping off my girl at pre-school, i went. looking for things that talk to me and wake me up.

i found beauty and sadness right next to each other. One of my customers who owns "LaPartie", a charming Santa Monica stationery boutique is closing her doors. there you could find greeting cards, personalized invitations, letterhead and specialty papers as well as unique gifts. even though i have recently sold my handmade specialty card company "vivavoxstudio" and am now concentrating on my prints and canvas art (soon available in my etsy store:-) i feel a wave of nostalgia and as much as i enjoyed selling my cards at Whole Foods and Kates Paperie etc., i really cherished the small specialty stores. the ones you visit when buying a card means your heart is in it.

i kept walking to make room for colors of summer that inspire the imagination. and there they were, hidden amongst worn-out shelves and rustic pantries holding fabrics with natural fiber and faded floral designs, at the "Shabby Chic" store, a few steps from LaPartie. you probably know, Shabby is closing its doors for good as well (so sad!). another reminder of the uncertainty that's filling the air all around us. two left over chandeliers where lighting up the room when i walked in. but it is always hard to grasp the finality of major changes in one's life and the shattered dreams that used to belong to someone.

Rachel Ashwell is talking about her hardship on her blog and says that "Shabby still has a beating heart". I love that! and i have no doubt that she will be reinventing her beautiful original idea.

when i finally stopped looking, i found myself standing in front of anthropologie ( another one of my weaknesses). there i saw a lot of uniqueness as usual and suddenly i was reminded of what i needed to do. a beautiful but seat-less chair is asking for a makeover and waiting for me at home. my bed needs to be made and lunch is not cooking itself. oh! and it's time to pick up my girl.

on my way home i could smell the ocean and it just occured to me, we live so close to the beach, and we hardly ever go. maybe that's something i need to change. stop taking it for granted. and who knows, a new sun hat and summer sandals may take me from sleepwalking to daydreaming. i could live with that.

Thanks to all of you for stopping by! have a dreamy day!

wedges and tin cans:

we had a sick household now for months and with all the sneezing and coughing there hasn't been much time for blogging, let alone cleaning and organizing. so my house looks accordingly and i am trying to figure out how to put some structure back into my life. there is a medley of art, photography, pretty paper and journals everywhere scattered in my studio. and slowly working its way into my bedroom. then, voila! i found galvanized tins in various sizes holding coral pencils, brushes, and other craft supplies. i thought it's the perfect space saver to hang a bunch of containers above my work surface for easy access. that's just part of the solution. but its a start.

to kick it up a notch, i think i need a pair of new wedges. at least, if it gets too messy again, i can always walk away. i hope all of you are enjoying a weekend filled with inspiration and (finally) some sunshine...i'll be back soon.

[i found these here,here,here and here]