weekend in pictures

Andrea Ferrari

His interior photography is as stunning as the interiors themselves. Andrea Ferrari documents beautiful homes and interiors worldwide, his eye for detail allows him to compose extraordinary images. His fresh style captures the culture and influences combined in each and every interior, offering up a narrative for the image. 

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International Polar Bear Day

I noticed some stunning photographs on The Guardian website today in celebration of International Polar Bear Day (which to be honest I was not away of until that moment). The photographs, shot by various Greenpeace photographers, document how polar bears play out life on a daily basis.

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See the entire collection of images here.

it's a lush life

No i'm not talking about my life here in Cyprus. Im referring to the British brand best known for its beautiful au nautrale beauty products. I have never been a huge Lush customer, mainly frequenting their stores at christmas to stock up on snow fairy shower gel - the sweet smell (that strangely also reminds me calpol) is divine. So, on my London trip in January I entered the Westfield branch with my fingers crossed that there would be one last bottle of the magical shower stuff out back, unwanted, that could make the journey back across Europe with me. I wasn't lucky this time. 

But I did spend about 45 minutes with a lovely shop assistant (by the way, customer service in England is incredible when your used to shopping in Cyprus) who not only gave me a hand massage with some of the wonderful lotions on offer, but also found me a soap bar with a delectable scent closely resembling the snow fairy smell. While I stupidly left the soap bar in my shower in my London home (I couldn't resist using it, but my eagerness shot me in the foot, since I forgot to pack it) I did bring back some wonderful hand lotions. Helping Hands and Lemony Flutter have truly enriched my life. For someone who doesn't do all too well with her hands, these are perfect. 

The Lemony Flutter has a rich and fresh lemon scent that reminds me of a plant my mother used to have growing in the garden by our front door; every morning when we left for school this smell would hit me as I opened the front door. For some it smells like those lemon cleaning products but for me this memory is more overpowering. This rich cuticle butter has done wonders for my dry cuticles, which I have a small biting issue with. And it's one of those buttery balms you can slap on lips, ankles and elbows. 

As for the Helping Hands; it does exactly what it says on the pot. The smell is somewhat muted with almond oil, shea butter and cocoa butter, but the texture is brilliant, super creamy leaving my hands feeling as fresh as a daisy. 

I think I need to start rationing my use of these products since I tend to slather on large amounts of cream before bed every night, my pots will be gone before I know it and Lush isn't readily available in Cyprus. Hmmm maybe Lush franchise could be a potential business idea....

Green Monday

Today in Cyprus is Green Monday, so I thought I would post all things beautiful and green on this not so sunny public holiday. 

image source: various blogs 

a girls best friend

I was never an animal person. Growing up we had pets but they were limited to a hamster and some fish. To be honest, I was pretty scared of other animals until recently when on one wonderful day nearly a year ago, we acquired a dog. I would generally say I was quite nervous around cats or dogs; I think not being brought up in an environment with such animals makes you unsure of them. Its difficult to understand their movements, there noises and their expressions. If it hadn't been for the fact that, our now 3rd resident,  took such a liking to me, I dont think we would have even contemplated taking her home with us. 

Millie, as we named her, was an unwanted puppy that was taken in by my boyfriends family, since her original owner was going to leave her in a field (a common and horrendously frequent occurrence here in Cyprus). Scared, frightened, underweight and unloved, when we first saw her she was shivering wreck. However after much coaxing, she ventured close enough to us for a stroke and the rest is history. I dont know if she was like putty in our hands, or the other way. It was like she was superglued to the spot next to my feet, barely moving all day. Her eyes so full of thanks and love that she stole a piece of my heart within a few moments of our first meeting. 

Unfortunately for my boyfriend that meant much nagging and pleading and some negotiating with our landlord. But it was a relationship that was bound to blossom and now she is a permanent feature and quite literally part of the furniture and I can't imagine life without her. 

They say a dog is a man's best friend. Well a dog is also a girls best friend. There is a sense of therapy to having a dog, the walking is calming and great exercise and coming home after a hectic day at work, sitting on the sofa with a big eyed, furry thing that just wants love and attention, immediately lifts away any stress I had before I walked through the door. 

sunday sound

Perfect listening for my Sunday night ears. Although my Sunday night ears are this week a little more alive thanks to the knowledge that tomorrow is a public holiday here in Cyprus which means a lie in to start the week, followed by dog walking, a trip to an aunties village, hazy walks in the hills, a huge (meat free, but more about that tomorrow) lunch and an afternoon snooze in the car home. Tuesday will be a killer I think. 

Idha Lindhag

Multi talented and multi faceted, Idha Lindhag produces wonderful images. Whether its portraits, lifestyle or interiors, she translates her talent to document everything in such a beautiful light. Her photographs epitomize the clean and creative style of the Scandinavians so effectively. 

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up a tree

I'm not really a huge nature girl; being brought up in London my whole life surrounded by buildings, concrete and cars. But I would make an exception in this case. Treehotel offers a slightly unusual hotel stay....up a tree. Set in the middle of the forest in Harads in Sweden, the hotel boasts spectacular views and breathtaking scenery, offering visitors the back to nature feeling whilst retaining the comfort and luxury of any modern hotel. 

Perfect in both summer and winter, with mountain biking or or snowshoe hiking just some of the activities available, if i'm headed to Sweden I know where I want to stay. Now which treeroom to pick...

the mirrorcube

the blue cone

the UFO

the cabin

the tree sauna

the birds nest

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Occupy & Fashion

Society undeniably influences fashion. Cultures, shifting social boundaries and social issues can all be identified in fashion movements and have long influenced designers whether it be in their choice of silhouette, colour or fabric. I found the Occupy Fashion Week video via the clothes whisperer  and it makes for a very interesting 10 minutes viewing.

she can do no wrong...

Charlotte Taylor is a girl I have talked about regularly, both for her fantastic blog and her beautiful design skills. Starting her journey in 2009, she carefully documented the ups and downs of starting your own fashion line in her own unique and wonderfully written style. 5 collections later and the girl from the Isle of Wight has conquered London, blanketing it in prints and a fun colour palette perfectly paired season after season. 

With support from Vauxhall Fashion Scout and host of British media coveting her beautiful collections inspired by grannies and nature to name just two, im sure all the hard work, sweat and tears is now starting to pay off for Charlotte. I talk like I know her, I dont. But reading her blog for over 2 years has given me a wonderful insight into her world and the words she writes really give you a sense of her character, ever optimistic, positive and ambitious (my own assumptions). 

And her new collection for Autumn/Winter12, titled Jamaica Inn is a moody mix of autumnal colours, quirky prints and modern feminine silhouettes. 

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You can view pictures of the full collection on her blog here and visit her beautiful website for all Charlotte Taylor related gossip including stockists, past collections, biography and contact info.