Bear-ly Made It

Precious! Early last year, Paul Souders spent two weeks in the Hudson Bay looking for polar bears and then when he was just about to give up, he befriended this little rascal above. Somehow, the bear felt so comfortable around the photographer that she got super close to him. So much so that Paul could actually hear her slow, regular breathing as she watched him below the surface and swam close by. He said that it was one of the most special and accidental moments in his life that he was lucky enough to capture on film. I just love how curious she was. Brilliant, isn’t it?

P.S: Remember the polar bear live feed?
P.P.S: How about this rascal? (Still melts my heart).

(via Awkward Situationist)

Little Laughing Challenge

How many times do you smile or laugh each day? Recently I read this interesting article that made me realise that we don’t chuckle enough which is strange since laughter is one of the most joyful and spontaneous bodily responses that releases a flow of endorphins that makes us instantly feel better. Yet, on average most adults only manage 20 bursts of laughter a day (if they are lucky) while kids by the age of four laugh about 300 times per day. Incredible, isn't it?

It seems the older we get the more serious we are. So here is a little challenge: starting from today till the end of the week, let’s try to make at least 3 people chuckle each day at something we say to get their daily laughter dosage up a bit. It can be a lame little joke or a funny video from youtube, anything that will get them laughing. What do you say? Are you game? xo

P.S: Smile :)
P.P.S: Plus, on being fully present in the moment.

(Photo via Of Hearth & Home. Article via Sho & Tell)

How to Grow Sunflower Greens

Have you ever had a salad with sunflower greens? A while back, a friend treated me to a sunflower greens salad that she grew in her own kitchen and ever since then I wanted to plant my own batch. It’s incredible to think that those little greens are packed with minerals and vitamins, plus they are perfect for salads, smoothies, sandwich toppings, you name it!

Anyway, I thought that spring cleaning weekend would be the perfect time to give it a go, so on Saturday night I started the process. Eek, fingers crossed by tomorrow or the day after the seeds will start to sprouts. Can’t wait! (If you fancy trying it yourself, here is the full how to I used). xo

P.S: Plus, A rooftop garden in Brooklyn.
P.P.S: Bottled style Paperwhites.

(Photos by Sandra)

Cheers to a breezy weekend

Cheers to Friday, lovelies. What are you up to this weekend? For us the next two days will be all about spring cleaning the flat, the wardrobe, the whole shebang:). We are also hoping to get a chance to sneak out for a movie and a dinner sometime on Sunday. Lovelies, have a beautiful next two days. I will see you here Monday morning but in the meantime, here is a bunch of awesome links for your weekend blog hopping fun. Enjoy!

To all the European readers (and my mom), don't forget about daylight saving this weekend:)

How many cups of coffee per day are too many?

Plan C?

I'm totally swooning over Boston Harbor right now!

Hilarious!

Ha, you shouldn't wash your raw chicken!

'Mom' jeans: Thumbs up or down?

How about a French kiss margarita?

Must try: broccoli tempura.

Giggle, have you ever fallen asleep in a library?

Awww...what an amazing little girl!

Fancy making your own soap?

That cake...

WOW!

Ha, another great use of coconut oil:)

Here are a few of my favourite DaWanda picks, if you'd like to see:)

Yum - homemade (giant) oreos!

Plus, remember this fresh lemon trick? We just used the last one from that batch on Wednesday and it was still beautifully juicy and zesty. (5 week and 1 day - how brilliant!).

And fancy a blast from the past?
- Three years ago today.
- Two years ago today.
- One year ago today.

P.S: Fancy a bit of chit-chat? Join me on Twitter, Facebook or even Pinterest.

(Photo of Lombard Street in San Francisco by Daniel Parada)

This Week's Gems

Don't we all need a cool net bag in our life?....

Those must be the sassiest laundry bags ever and so perfect to add a dash of colour to our spring flat...

Ha! What a brilliant idea for kids birthday party favors! (You just need this bowl, a string and a label + whatever goodies you want to put inside)...

Soul sisters necklaces - one for you and the two others for your besties:)...

White and with a lace - the perfect spring number!...

Ah, a rose gold arrow bracelet! Would add a great edge to your everyday tee and jeans uniform...

Those napkins would come in handy during those fun weekend dinners with friends:)...

Spring must have: those dashing diamond stacking rings!...

A food lover's guide to vegetable gardening:)...

I so need a pair of those chinos. They look super comfy, don't they?...

Awww...'home is wherever I'm with you' and you can personalize the heart location. Swoon!...

And speaking of arrows, I totally fancy the pants off those earrings. You?...

Beautiful and handy spoon rest...

Lovelies, what caught your eye this week? Any great buys or finds, Do tell...xo

P.S: Fancy more gems?

(10th photo by Smitten Studio)

Picnic For One

And while we are on the subject of enjoying alone time, Frances just made me daydream about a little picnic for one. So if in the next few days the weather decides to play nice, I will toast some garlic rubbed bread, cut up an avocado, a few little cherry tomatoes, pile them all up and take it outside. Just me, my avocado sandwich and people watching - that is the deal! Wanna join in?

Btw: My dad always says that everything tastes so much better outdoors. I think he might have a point, no? xo

P.S: Plus, four takes on avocado snacking.
P.P.S: 15 more scrumptious takes on this yummy green fruit.

(Photo by Frances Janisch)

What Women Really Do When They Are Alone

What do you do when you’re all alone at home?

Recently I read this funny article where Olivia asked a few of her friends to tell her honestly what they really do when their husbands and kids are away. Somehow, ever since then I’ve been asking everyone around me the same question because some of the answers are actually very surprising and cool. We all expect everyone to just say that they are catching up on work or cleaning, right? But that is not always the case. For example, one of Olivia’s friends said that whenever her husband is away she goes to a bakery for a big slice of her favourite cake. While another one takes that time to redecorate the house - from top to bottom. There was also one answer that made me laugh out loud because the girl in the article and my good friend do exactly the same thing - both ladies try on their old wedding dresses when they have that precious night off from their spouses. I love that!


As for me, whenever Balazs is away in the evening, I usually make myself breakfast eggs and watch countless episodes of my favourite telly series in my pj’s, in bed. Back in the day, when he used to work late Monday nights, I had the habit of ordering sushi every single week or go out for a solo dinner. How about you? xo

P.S: Our perfections:)
P.P.S: Me-time fix!

(via Red Magazine. Photos by Sophie and via Luisa Brimble and Ignite Light)

Undone.

Whenever I feel like I need a little pick-me-up in the morning, I browse through this series entitled Undone by Anna Williams for inspiration and as a reminder. It’s all about simple living, little pleasures and clean fresh food - my mantra! Somehow those images tell such a beautiful story, don’t they?

Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy mornings like these every single day? Le sigh! Where are you off to today?

"The tangle of sleep unravels. Yesterday's ruin. She seeks something simple, raw and perfect in its crudeness. A return to the most elemental."

P.S: How to have a great life full of simple pleasures.
P.P.S: Plus, spring reboot.

(via Happiness Is via frolic!)

It's All About The Sponge!

With spring dinner parties and Easter celebrations around the corner, how would you fancy becoming a goddess hostess this spring?

A while ago I realized there is no better way to wow people after a delicious meal than with a piece of homemade sponge cake (or Victoria Sponge as my very British mom calls it). It’s that simple and the only thing is: it has to be homemade. I know that many people think it’s a waste of time to make it at home since you can get one in the store but the store-bought will never be as light, as fluffy, as buttery, as zesty and as delicious as the one you make yourself.

Now here is the secret: this one little recipe will give you the base for countless cake topping options and nobody will ever realize that you are actually using the same base recipe over and over again. So, you can go crazy creating cakes with fillings like lemon-cheesecake, mascarpone and raspberries cream, chocolate mousse, a simple British strawberry and pudding cake or even stuff it with raspberries or any other fruits for a delicious fruit cake, all by yourself, all from scratch and all by using one simple recipe. How is that for a tip?

Recipe for Sponge Cake
(Adapted from What Katie Ate. Recipe makes one sponge)

Ingredients:
- 175g unsalted butter
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 of  vanilla pod (seeded)
- 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cups of plain flour
- 1 teaspoon of cornflour
- 1 teaspoon of  baking powder
- 1/2 teasoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of milk

Pre-heat your oven to 180˚C (350˚F). Place flour, cornflour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. Grease a baking tin and set aside. Cream the butter and the sugar together until super creamy and then add the eggs. If the mixture looks curdled, don’t worry, it will often look like this, it’s perfectly normal. Next, add the vanilla, the dry ingredients, the lemon juice and the milk and fold in gently to combine. When the batter is thoroughly combined, pour it into your baking tin and spread out evenly. Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and the skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Allow to cool in a tin for 5 minutes before removing and adding the fillings. Ta dah!

Which pairing tickles your fancy? xo

P.S: Also, Nutella fudge, chocolate fondue 2 ways and cheese with a coffee twist.
P.P.S: Plus, tons more recipes that you might like:)

(Photos and layout by exPress-o)

Easter Eggshell Planters

Crikey, those little dandy eggshell planters just got me super excited for Easter! Can you picture them sitting all beautifully on your festive table? I also love the idea of treating each guest to one on their way out. What do you think?

And the best part: they are super easy to make, you just need a few eggshells, some moss, a bunch of cute flowers, succulents and you are ready to go. (Here is the full how to). Beautiful, aren't they? xo

P.S: Plus, homemade Cadbury creme eggs:)
P.P.S: I just planted those yesterday.

(Photos by Le Robins Nest)

A Boy, A Girl And A Baby Sparrow

If you need a little pick me up, hopefully this will make your day. Last September Tomas Banišauskas, the founder of Board Panda and his girlfriend experienced something totally magical. Here in his own words is their sweet little story of love and compassion:

"One stormy night, my girlfriend saw what we thought was a dead sparrow below our balcony. He was barely breathing, covered in ants and completely blind. We brought him home and put him in a box. After spending a night in our bedroom, he woke us up with high-pitched tweeting. We tried feeding him, but without any luck, so we placed him on our balcony. He continued tweeting non-stop for 3 hours. Finally, his father found him and started feeding him. He brought his chick huge bugs and bread every 10-15 minutes all day long for two weeks straight.

He was getting bigger every day, but he was still blind. I called a vet, and he told me to try simple eye drops. It worked like a charm! He even started hiding from us behind our flowers. Soon, his father started showing him how to fly through the window. One day he just left – we knew this day would come eventually. We became really worried because that same night, and for the next few days, there was really stormy weather.

However, 3 days later, he came back and fell asleep in one of our pots. We were so happy for him! Now our balcony gets visited by lots of sparrows and we can’t even tell which one is ours."

Awww…it melts my heart and ever since I read it I can’t stop smiling. Sweet, isn't it? Now, go on and have an awesome day! xoxo

P.S: Elephant nursery in Kenya.
P.P.S: And the people who walk with reindeers.

(Photos by Bored Panda)

How fast are your reflexes?

Giggle, Balazs and I can’t get enough of this little sheep video that tests your reaction time and your speed. I started off as an ambling armadillo and after a few tries I moved up to the bobbing bobcat but there is no way I could ever make it to the turbo-charged cheetah - I’m simply too slow! So, if you fancy a little fun distraction, have a go or two and came back with your result. I am so curious :) What did you get? xo

P.S: Also, left or right?
P.P.S: Page turner.

(Image of Roadrunner aka one of Balazs' favourite cartoons)

Picnicking

Without a fail, every winter while daydreaming about sunny days, I promise myself that the following spring and summer I will surely take more advantage of the beautiful green areas around the neighbourhood. Since we are living in the city, we don’t get the luxury of having our own yard but parks are a great alternative and we have a few very close by.

So my plan for the next 5 (or so) months is to set up regular picnic afternoons with friends where we all bring something delicious like cheese, nuts or tomato sandwiches, sip wine or homemade lemonade and just enjoy the sunshine and the good conversation. I love how picnics have this relaxed vibe that makes you feel like you are on a little mini-break. We are planning to start sometime in April!

So I would love know what do you like to eat on a picnic? My friend Sofia already said that she is bringing hot Irish coffee and biscotti. I like that! Do you like picnics?

P.S: Also, thank you for all the sweet comments and emails on yesterday's post. You guys are the sweetest readers a person can have:) Thank you!
P.P.S: Remember this picnic-style wedding in Australia?

(Photos by Poanne Pio via Freutcake)

When life gives you lemons...

...you make lemonade but in our case it's more like 'when life gives you a sick dog you give your Rome trip as a gift to your mom and her husband'. Yup, this Thursday Balazs and I would be heading for an 8-day vacation to Rome. Sadly, a few weeks ago when Buffer (our 12 year old Westie terrier) got diabetes that requires daily insulin shots, we had to change our plans for the sake of the sick pup. Our vet + tons of different dog boarding places said it’s not a good idea to leave him right now because of a stress induced diabetic seizure that comes with his condition. A change of environment can trigger it since he is older, set in his ways and very attached to us. Plus, we didn’t want to burden our friends with such a responsibility, so after countless days talking about it and making lists, Balazs and I decided that we treat my mom to a great vacation that we so thoughtfully planned. Honestly, Balazs is heartbroken because he put so much time and effort into getting everything organized and your tips helped him so much in setting everything up from the hotel, museum passes, flights and even a few restaurants we wanted to visit.

So, sadly Rome will have to wait for now...but as soon as my mom returns, I will write a post about which hotel we booked because it seems really dreamy. I just first want her to see it before recommending it to you.

Now, do you know what would make me feel better? If you told me about your upcoming trips…I would love to know where you're heading this year? xoxo

(Photo of Rome by Michael Cutri)

How To Never Have Another Junk Food Craving

Do you ever get those uncontrollable late night cravings for junk food, ice cream, sweets, bread or coffee?

Oh boy, I hope I am not alone when I say that sometimes I can eat a whole bag of onion and cream chips in one sitting. Anyway, having said that, lately I've been trying to listen to my body more. So, I found a way to substitute those junk cravings with healthier options that actually help my body instead of giving it a quick and empty calorie fix.

Supposedly, the reason we crave certain unhealthy things is because we are likely missing something essential from our diet.

 For example when we crave...
- chocolate - we actually need magnesium that we can find in nuts, seeds and cucumber.
- coffee - we need macronutrients, phosphorus or iron that is easily found in seafood, milk, turkey, garlic or broccoli.
- sweet and sugar-y stuff - that means we need to eat more superfoods like blueberries.
- carbohydrates like bread - we are probably low on proteins like eggs and fish oil.
- burger or meat -  means we probably have a deficiency in B12 or iron and we need to pack up on healthy fats found in avocado, coconut or olive oil.
-  and salt - we need salt but not table salt, more like natural sea salt found in leafy greens or berries since we are more likely to have manganese deficiency.

How interesting, isn't it? So next time instead of reaching for my usual bag of chips, I am going to have a handful of berries or a salad made of greens. Thoughts? What's your craving?

P.S: Vegan before 6pm?
P.P.S: Breakfating  and 200 calories.

(via Sarah - TotalBeauty)

Night-Time London

What a treat! Jason Hawkes is a photographer who for the past 20+ years takes night-time photos of London directly from the open door of a helicopter. I don’t know about you, but to me, London looks so darn romantic with the mix of twinkling lights, the River Thames, the greenery and the grand buildings beautifully arranged like an art piece. Everything seems to coexist in such a harmony and beautiful style, don’t you think? Ah, a city to fall in love with:) Have you been? xo

P.S: Where NYC meets London.
P.P.S: Ah, Beachy Head in England:)

(via Awkward Situationist)

Cheers to a dreamy weekend

How is the first spring Friday treating you so far? Are you ready for the weekend? Tonight is all about Thai food for us! We are trying a new place that (so far) had raving reviews so I am pretty excited. Besides that, we don’t have many plans, just enjoying the first signs on spring :) How about you? Darlings, have a beautiful next two days and I will see you Monday morning, but in the meantime here are a few cool links for your weekend-blog-hopping-fun. Enjoy!

Can't get enough those two!

Table 9 - made me teary!

Time flies...

18 creative habits.

So true, don't you think?

3 recipes I need to try as soon as possible:)

Soul warming coffee recipes:)

California dreaming.

Ha, brilliant! How to juice without a juicer.

Very courageous and powerful.

Chocolate + espresso torte = must make this weekend!

How to: spring bulbs in weck.

Aww...volunteer cuddlers to help soothe newborns:)

Bow rubber bands are the best!

Three stretches to start your morning.

Wish I could wear those dresses every single day...

Hilarious!

Natural and beautiful house cleaners that you can make yourself.

And fancy a blast from the past?
- Three years ago today.
- Two years ago today.
- One year ago today.

P.S: Fancy a bit of chit-chat? Join me on Twitter, Facebook or even Pinterest.

(Photos of Paris by Roost)

This Week's Gems

On my April wish list: this little number...

Handy and beautiful lemon press...

Aww...this wedding date bracelet would make the best gift to someone who just got married or is celebrating their wedding anniversary...

We are thinking about a new sofa. How do you like this one?...

Chevron bracelet perfection! So fitting for spring...

This print just made me smile. Isn't it perfect?...

And speaking of all things chevron, how spring-ready are those sassy necklaces?...

The best way to add some funky stripes for a gent is by adding a cool little pocket square to his work uniform:)...

That is what I call a swoonworthy necklace. Can you imagine how amazing it would look with a simple white tee?...

Ha! Easter stamp cookie cutters :)...

I can't get over how stunning is this wedding dress (and so different too)...

Be still my heart, this pear pink tourmaline ring makes me swoon!...

Happy spring Friday, darlings! What caught your eye this week? Any great finds or buys? xoxo

P.S: Fancy more gems?