In summer mood....

Goodmorning to all who are living in the same hemisphere as where the little Penthouse is located, the living room of which is pictured above and from where I'm usually writing :)

And hello or good evening to those being in different time zones.

I 'm finally managing to come and make an appearance here to say hello and give a taste of this week's happenings (since previous Teusday's last post)  through some pictures. As you may well have guessed, I have indeed been a (very) buzy bee lately! Still, there has been some time to....

style a little tiny bit our veranda, by adding some hamam towels (bought at h&m Home on line)

on the chair and the bench and enjoying some sunbathing during the day or grilling during the evenings

make a collage displaying favorite moments happening around the house, such as 

getting dressed for an "at home" Friday dinner, styling around a bit for some pictures, crafting and making - one of a kind - combined art, collage & drawing cards such as this one,

bringing out Mr Squirrel to help me with providing some string ,as I was packing some gifts for dear friends and therefore making a click to capture the basket holding all of the "balls" of string as they looked so photogenic to me...

making the bed with fresh sheets (Ikea) mixing and matching the pillow cases (Ikea) from different sets with a light grey, duvet cover perfectly light for summer, also found at h&m home....all combined to acheive a minimal look in natural tones...

...also spending long, endless hours in front of the computer screen, processing pictures according to my personal feel and taste,  like the "House with hats" above, photographed by my loving partner (also madly into photography) in our neighbourhood some months ago and processed by me specially for the needs of our Etsy shop

....and the "Happy nuns" pictured above, which you are invited to open in flickr by just clicking on the link to find out why this is the title and which, together with the previous one, belong in the "Stories of times gone by" photography series and was inspired this weekend....

mostly by our visit to the Oltimers car's festival that took place in the park across our home (Verna Park), where I accidentally discovered myself in the reflection of a super polished back part of a 1930's car front light and therefore took a minute for a little - ahem! - posing....

and had plenty of time to fall in love with the cutest of the cars participating in the festival among Rolls Royce and Jaguars to Austin and Bentleys..to  Porches, to astonishing Cadillacs and totally rounded Ford vans... this little guy, an original VW beetle caring "his" vintage, leather suitcase on "his back", simply stole my heart like forever!....that's why he'll have a special place on the shelves of the Etsy shop, at your disposal when you wish to signify that you'll be away or to simply wish a friend:

"Bon Voyage!"....

...and as if all this has not been enough, there was some time to engage into a play with circles, remembering old days of school, when geometry class was one of my favorites(!) and so often run home to find the solutions of the assignments we would recieve, almost always absolutely correct to my teachers' surpise...."get a life you little teenage girl!", they must have thought and actually I do think the same, now.....I wonder what would they say if they saw what has been happening to all I've learned and how it is incorporated into my daily life....sigh....!


 Finally, to be bringing this rather happy Wednesday post to its end....

there has been some time to be feeling just like walking in the skies, when out in our veranda, as apart from the view of little roofs among gardens, one has an immediate connection to the sky, the little penthouse being situated on the 4rth floor. Oh Good heavens, dear all.....if it isn't about celebrating every little moment in life, then what is it about?....hard times will always come our ways as well and am thinking that maybe...just maybe...sucking the beauty of glorious little moments to the very depth of our souls when they occur, can be the antidote when these hard times appear.


All the love and blessings to all 
Friendly yours,
Ivy

Home stories to love

Hey people!

I know that it's rather hard to capture your attention when I post similar pictures over and over again during last days - the mosaics from my flickr favorites being the only exception - but I'm preparing the photography line of my Etsy shop step by step and I'm pretty happy about it...it is my little and beloved baby project :)

So eventhough, you will most possibly not comment about it , I sincerely hope that you are liking my Home Stories, Domestic Stories, Kitchen stories and so on...and that maybe.... when they shop reopens in the next few days you can pay me a visit....that would be really nice...

So, please do bare with me those days!...I promise that it's worth the patience. 


The best of regards and wishes to you all!

Domestic stories - Photography for your home

Domestic stories - Photography for your home, originally uploaded by ivy style33.


Hello and have you all a wonderful week!...was very - very! - happy to finally see some movement here after so long and admit to have enjoyed it a lot! Thank you for coming here :)
Now, got some time to spare and have a look at my Photography Series, the preparation of which is moving forward step by step in a satiyfying pace, let's say?


Here is my thinking behind it all....

These series are meant to address different kind of tastes, still being true to my personal, favorite choices and style.
Each composition is thought of according to its possible placement in a home. 

Being mostly an interior designer of spaces, I can only think of objects in relation to the environment where they are to be placed.
And of course according to the utility of the room...therefore these series belong to distinct categories.

Whereas the first five can be placed in a kitchen and/or dining area, the last one of the series, the half peeble heart, is more versatile and can be placed in a living or a sleeping place for example. What do you think?...am so looking forward to the next days when some first prints will be in my hands!

Zucchini Love

Zuchinni Love, originally uploaded by ivy style33.

...leaving you for the weekend with this heart made of zucchini slices, prints of which will be shortly available in the Etsy shop, as part of my "Photography... Through Ivy's eyes" series, under the label "Domestic charm", categorized as Kitchen Stories.

...aiming at bringing some Love in your kitchen and everyday life, in a minimal way, for many happy gatherings and delicious meals!

Cool summer

Cool summer, originally uploaded by ivy style33.

Goodmorning on a Saturday!

Despite the quiteness here - where are you people?....hellooo....I'm back! - I"m posting this as promised last night. I blame you not for having possibly forgotten about this place and given up hope about me showing up....but I hope that we can catch up with each other.

The collage above is in the same colour mood as yesterday's and gathers some moments from activities that I so much enjoy....travelling, with a few pictures from our current vacation in
Greece and two from The Netherlands included, photography, crafting, styling and interior designing....all adored for the freedom and deep happiness they offer me when engaging in them...

"Colour your mood" could be my moto, as there is so much interconnection between what goes on inside and what is expressed outside....I have noticed the transition from one tone to the other in between days, from more warm to more cool tones, to be smoother and smoother as years go by....like a dance between too lovers, who interchange between moments of passion and ones of tenderness and tranquility....

It's a nice feeling, which can be enjoyed and cherished after many, many intense ups and downs and sincere work on getting to know who I really am and what I want.....claiming not that issues are finished, as they are for me eternal and never ending, with knowledge being a source with which we are never finished....but just wanting to mention that such processes are true treasures to be cherished like the most precious of gifts.

Oh, let us look inside and colour our moods with our personal, magical paintbrushes!

Softness in cool tones

Softness in cool tones, originally uploaded by ivy style33.

...ok....ok....I admit that I' ve been meaning to come here so often during this first week after our vacations, but have not managed to do so....I feel a little embaraced for that, as I know that those of you who are followers - yes at least these eighty six of you! - might have dropped in to see what is up (and actually what 's not!) and therefore noticing that there has been quite some uploading going on in my flickr stream, unlike here!

I meant not to be rude or neglecting, but as I've said in the past a few times, posts come in a free manner and not at all because they are programmed or scheduled...maybe some organisation wouldn't hurt, but for the time being I find this whole posting and blogging thing to be working in this simplistic and free manner.

And now that all this uneasy part is said and done, let me say that I'm happily back and have enjoyed very beautiful and precious moments throughout our 12 days in Greece.

Coming back I felt that there was so much I wanted to share and on the other hand I wanted to take my time into finding the pace in being active on line again.....one step at a time....as both my partner and I were completely technology free during our 8 days in magical Pilion and by that I mean laptop, internet and mobile free.
All we carried were our camera equipments - my modest Minolta Dimage and my partner's two great Sony cameras and amazing lences, on which I don't set my fingers upon.....yet.

If you 'd like to see some pictures of our trip, I invite you here and should you wish to take a look at the place where we stayed when in Athens, that would be my parents' Apartment 44, the making of which I'm responsible for, you may hop over here!

....I decided to return here with this collage of pictures as they represent my current mood today and are connected to the next post that is going to follow in a little while....

I read in the comments of the last post I made the day we left for vacation,, that a reader of this blog - Ana - missed my feelings as she said....now how sweet is that and what a good reason to share! Thank you Ana for caring and taking the time to read!

Some recent thoughts on the endless subject of Love are shared here if you 'd like to have a ...read!

I wish that you all have had a nice Friday and most of all to have the nicest of weekends ahead of you, being blessed, happy, peaceful, creative and having lots of fun!

Destination ---> Vacation!

Destination ---> Vacation!, originally uploaded by ivy style33.


Hello :)....days have been rather busy lately, therefore the infrequent posts here - there have been some posting over at my flickr account  though - in case you follow me there!...I hope you are all very well!

So, what do we have in the picture above?

Vacation mode! We shall be flying to Greece tonight for about two weeks. Other than that, we had some first prints made totally unofficially, just to see how my photographs appear when printed.

There is work I need to do with the watermark and some details. Then choose the sizes to be available, as much as decide on the paper.
Apart from that, we are both quite happy with my work, so it will be launched soon in my Etsy shop.

But first of all, as already said, vacations! Will you be spending some holidays already somewhere?....or maybe relaxing at home?
We are heading to Apartment 44, from where I might post a picture or two here and over at flickr, if the time allows for it.
At the begining on next week we shall be touring around, possibly our destination including one of the many, many, beautiful Greek islands!
My batteries need to be charged and my mind to empty, as upon my return continuous work awaits for me, something I'm very pleased with.

So, happy - belated - beginning of June to all!...and if you live in a place of this world where summer is on its way...Happy summer and happy vacation to all of you!

Love, health, creativity & happiness :)!

A happy couple - wishes for a lovely weekend!

A happy couple - wishes for a lovely weekend!, originally uploaded by ivy style33.

Sometimes opposites or contradictions can be best friends...so long as they complement each other....

...bright & dark
...pink & grey
...dots & stripes
...curves & lines
...light & shadows
...low & high
...day & night
...feminine & masculine
...geometry & poetry
...mind & heart
...and so many more, endless pairs of opposites to name...

...all particapting in the dance of life...can form a beautiful wholeness, so long as they accept & respect each others existence....working with and for each other.
...so long as they are both true & authentic, they can complement each other, resulting in a unity based on healthy oneness.

Not the alsmost usual mosaic (so far!-> update: here it is) to wish you all a wonderful weekend, but a diptych instead.
Enjoy all the aspects of life!

Happy (belated) new week and....

...welcoming you to Photography... Through Ivy's eyes.

Dear all, I must firstly apologise for my...disappearing act, as I meant to wish you all here a delightful weekend, by posting this collage of Various Forms of Love.

 Obligations though on Friday morning, plus preparing for a short trip on this long weekend allowed for no time to do it.

I hope you all had a nice weekend and the beginning of this week has already found you refreshed and positive!

In this post, I'm sharing bits of yesterday's favorite moments, which marked both the beginning of the week and the last day of our almost four day trip to the Netherlands. By doing this, I'm also introducing and welcoming you to Photography...Through Ivy's eyes, which is exactly what it says it is: pictures taken by me, expressing the way I see the world. I have already being doing so since quite a long time, but this time it is official, therefore the addition of my label.

...just a few words about that:

Being mostly an amateur photographer, who uses at the moment a 5 megapixel Konica Minolta camera and has modest skills on processing, my pictures attemp to moslty represent reality, as seen of course through my perspective. 

The main focus is on composition, depending on the way a capture is made, as it is naturally found in the environment. I do love to style also, but am moslty amazed by the beauty that exists out there in the world.

I think that when I'm surrounded by beauty, I'm in a constant natural high!

So, to go back to the pictures of my photography series, they are hardly processed, with the exception of a usual increase in contrast, rarely in brightness and a slight emphasis on colours by increasing saturation. I use no filters either on the camera lens or during processing.

All the importance lies in the way the world is percieved and captured, through creating a pictrure. Cropping is a very important factor, which works well with my natural love for geometry!

But mostly the pictures are framed when clicking.

So, after all these introductional blah, blah, which I sincerely wish has not put you to sleep, how about some details of our trip to the Netherlands and more of them connected to pictures of this post?....such as this one?

Yes?...that's nice :)....cause I'm all in the mood for - selective - sharing!

So, our road trip to the Netherlands begun on late Friday afternoon, destination Amsterdam. Eventhough this was the third time I visit this city in a year, since last spring, it never, ever bores me!

As far as I'm concerned, I could be living there permanently, for reasons  that will be stated in a different post, accompanied by pictures of course!

 As the weather was dreamy sunny and pleasantly warm, all the time was spent strolling around the incredible streets by the canals, being breathtaken by the beauty of the old houses, the architectural elements, the incredible interior design - as people are totally relaxed and hardly hung curtains or blinds on  their windows, plus they leave their front doors open quite often, while they are enjoying a coffee & reading their newspapers on the little balconies or even the road's pavement!

After two nights and two days, on Sunday evening, we drove direction Rotterdam, just about 60 km away, in order to take a quick look at the more industrial & modern architecture, but mostly in order to spend the night in a spacious and retro furnitured cabin of "De Rotterdam", an old 50's ship, renovated and transformed into a hotel.

An evening walk to the Erasmus Bridge offered a spectacular view of the architecure by night, captured by my partner's patient skill - and qualified camera -  on night photography.

As the city doesn't exactly offer lovely corners to explore while walking, next morning, after a quick tour by car, we headed to The Hague, for breakfast and a walk in a park, where deers lived, having it as their residence.

And now we come to the highlight of the day, presented through the pictures of this post,

Katwijk!

...or a coastal suburb a few kilometers from The Hague, situated in the south  of  The Netherlands, with small beautiful brick houses, lined by the beach, all with verandas and decorated with wonderful taste. An alternative summer destination for us - other than Greece of course, where I originate from.

Except from walking around, feeling the lovely breeze on our skin, while the sun was kissing us and smelling this incredible sea freshness and while of course taking pictures, relaxed time was spent at one of the cafes situated exaclty on the beach, where and around which the pictures of this post were taken.

I can still taste the warm brownie with the soft, white ice cream on top (sorry no pictures!) and the tea of red fruit....Having been brought up in a coastal suburb of Athens and having spent some 33 years of my life living by the sea, whenever I get near it, it is as if all worries just vanish and all thoughts can be effortlessly organised....and then just simply actions take place.

So, I hope you have enjoyed this small trip with me and should you have done so, thank you very much for being a visitor and taking the ride.

There are quite a few things running at the moment, one of which is a give away organised in cooperation with Dionne from City of  Dionne - details are to come later today - and the continuation of it, another give away, which will take place here and on flickr, in order to celebrate the 100.000 of my stream, achieved some two weeks ago.

I'll be posting pictures of this trip to the Netherlands organised in groups throughout the week. I hope to achieve a satisfying level until next week, when we fly direction Greece for almost two weeks of summer vacation.

So, this is again a period that the title of this blog supports iteslf, as I'm a currently a rather busy bee!

Enjoy a great day! I'll be back later with detalis about the give away...see you then :)