World II Illustration

I leave my house to go to an adventure by boat. I put on a raincoat, because it's a grey chilly Sunday around here, and play a nice tune on repeat.
What is your Sunday like?

Lego Lunchbox: stir-fry thai chicken with vegetables and rice

Lego lunchbox today:
stir-fry thai chicken with vegetables + basmati rice 
espresso
no dessert 

Stir-fry chicken isn't exactly a meal you would see in my red lego lunchbox. But there are a lot more skilled lego lunchbox owners who can actually prepare stuff like that. I see it like that: red is for newbies, yellow is for pros. Whenever you see the yellow lego brick around the blog be prepared for sophisticated top class recipes. And boring coffee drinks, obviously.
Stir-fry chicken with vegetables didn't sound like a big deal in the beginning. But it is. I tried to make it and failed hard. (Dexter didn't mind and ate the whole thing). It wouldn't be right to give you tips on a recipe I hardly understand but let me tell you this: the easiest way to enjoy stir-fry chicken with veggies is to find someone who can prepare it for you. Or in my case: take a picture of it in a special yellow lego lunchbox.

Perler Bead Coasters DIY

I didn't know how they were called. I didn't know where to find them. I only knew that they were super fun and that, well... I needed them badly. And as all good things in life, I discovered them accidentally - and couldn't believe my luck. I've been playing with them ever since.

And by them I mean perler beads. You might remember playing with them as a kid. Мy best friend introduced them to me when we were in high school and we used to spend sleepless nights making ridiculous jewellery that we loved but actually never wore. Or - you might still be playing with them secretly? At least I do - not so secretly, though.

Perler beads are a lot of fun. I might be hooked. I might have written a whole list of things I'd like to make out of them. I might have used half a jar of in one day. Dexter might have eaten a bead or two out of curiosity. Don't try that at home. Dexter's a professional.

The supplies needed for a set of cute geometric coasters are simple: some beads in your favourite colours, a circle pegboard, parchment paper and an iron.

It's super easy - create a design you like, carefully cover it with parchment paper and iron it for a couple of seconds until the beads fuse together. Once you've done that you might want to put your coasters under a pile of heavy books (don't remove the parchment paper yet) just to make sure they stay completely flat.

Half an hour later you have your perfectly flat super cute geometric coasters - now you only need a fancy drink to put on top. Homemade lemonade is always a good idea.

Аll is love

Dexter and I wake up early on a Sunday. 

Dexter waits impatiently while I make breakfast: freshly squeezed orange juice and a perfectly cut mango (it took me only a million youtube how-to videos to finally get the hang of it). We take a look through the window to check the weather outside and plan our day accordingly. It is sunny today. Perfect for an expedition. 

And by expedition I mean an adventurous walk to the near bakery. We can't live on orange juice and a mango! We need a second breakfast. Something like a muffin or a waffle or a slice of pizza. Dexter doesn't mind - he could eat all three at the same time. 

I put on my magical lilac hat I found a couple of days ago and almost-magical-running-shoes and we are ready to go.  Dexter doesn't have any magical attire. He keeps it real and casual. Although he likes to wear my lilac hat when we're at home and nobody's watching - but let's keep that a secret. 

We meet friends and foes on our way to the bakery: a couple of stray dogs that don't like Dexter very much and keep arguing we should change our route and a cute little black dog who is Dexter's latest love and follows us along. We stop every now and again because Dexter believes he is this close to finding a treasure but - oh well - it is always a false alarm. We haven't lost faith, though - every adventure ends up with a treasure sooner or later.

Our treasure today is a delicious freshly baked croissant from the bakery. We share 50/50. 60/40 even, because Dexter's girlfriend gets some of my share. Ah, love. I do what I can. 

When we get home we are already tired of our little adventure. Dexter falls asleep almost immediately and I hide under a pink blanket with a couple of favourite books. I don't read much today - I just look at pictures or make lists of german words I don't know. I listen to good music, drink sweet tea and... well... I might have a mint chocolate or two. Or half a box of. It's Sunday. I can do that on a Sunday. Right?

Dexter sleeps till late afternoon. I invite him out for a run but he's the laziest dog in the neighbourhood, he can't take more than one adventure a day. So I put on my magical hat and shoes again and go out alone. An 8km run compensates for eight After Eight mint chocolates, that's what my simple math tells me. I'm good at math, you can trust me on this one. 

I feel happy today. I go on expeditions and draw and run and read and take pictures of mangos. I watch an old Bulgarian movie called All is Love (Dexter falls asleep right after the opening title. Not the best company for movies, this one), I laugh to old-fashioned jokes and clumsy romantic scenes. 

I feel happy and loved today.

All is love. And a simple Sunday made wonderful.

* All is love opening title. Enough to put my Dexter to sleep. 

Bear and Fox

There is an old Bulgarian saying that goes like this: "Sun is shining, rain is pouring down, a bear and a fox are getting married". February is far away from shining sun and pouring rain but in my mind I'm picturing the loveliest forest feast under the rainbow. 

I've added new illustrations in my Etsy shop (you can also find these two!). You are more than welcome to take a look here.

Read of the month: February

Things that can instantly make me happy: Bubble tea. A good book. A good run.
A good book about running by one of my favourite authors is such a delight I can almost forget about bubble tea. Almost.
"What I talk about when I talk about running" is not the typical Murakami book. No little people here, no mysteriously disappearing women with uncannily beautiful ears, no raining fish. This is an honest "kind of memoir" as the author himself calls it - about his life and experiences as a runner, as a writer, as a man.
I cannot call myself a runner. I like a good occasional run, I like to beat my own time and distance records. Maybe participate in a half-marathon (or even maybe a whole marathon!) in the near future - but no more than that. Reading the story of a man who has done 25 marathons and an ultramarathon (100km!) was a huge inspiration, especially when this man happens to be a great novelist, too.
This book is not only about running, so you shouldn't be put off by the title. Murakami describes all the physical and mental agonies he has gone through the years, all the little wins and big losses, all small things that matter and big things that don't. It is a great story about all the possible things we can do (doesn't matter if it is a 100km run or a finished novel or something else) when we set our minds right.
If you don't run you might want to give it a try after reading the story. If you do run - you might put an extra kilometre or two on top of your distance record. I know I did. 

Lilac tulips

I've always considered myself a winter lover. How come I always dream about summer when it is actually winter then? I guess it's just too cold outside. 

And by cold I mean really really cold. And snowy. And all I've been dreaming about are lilac tulips and sweet sweet bubble tea and picnics in the park.

I guess I prefer warmer days after all.

World Illustration

My very first illustration for 2014. Goes really well with any of Little People's music.

If you guess in which house I hide, I might invite you in.

The Best Christmas Present

Home baked cookies аre an absolute must this time of the year. They are fun to make and decorate and actually - they are a great last-minute gift idea, too. Who would say no to a batch of sugar cookies in fun holiday shapes? I wouldn't. Dexter wouldn't. You can trust us.

This recipe makes about two dozen: there will be plenty of cookies to munch on during holidays or pack and give away. You are going to need:

1 cup softened butter

1 egg

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 

for the glaze: 3-4 teaspoons lemon juice and a cup of powdered sugar

You could always use the help of a curious dog, too. Dexter plays his part perfectly. 

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, cinnamon and baking soda until combined. Stir in the flour until dough forms. Form a ball from the dough, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it for a couple of hours.

Lightly flour your counter top before you take the dough out of the fridge. Roll it flat: if you prefer crisper cookies, roll a thinner layer of dough. Thicker dough makes softer cookies (me and my helper are big fans of those). Use your favourite holiday cookie cutters, place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-12 minutes. Place all baked cookies on a cooling rack once you get them out of the oven.

Lemon glaze is one of my favourite things on earth because it's the easiest thing to prepare and it gives the cookies a nice wintery look (and a great taste, too!). Just add 3-4 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to a cup of powdered sugar and stir until it gets homogenous. Spread quickly on your cooled cookies and leave it dry for about half an hour. You can melt a bar of you favourite dark chocolate and cover some of the cookies with it. Both choices are delicious.

If you're planning to give some of the cookies away as present, you are only going to need a plastic or cardboard box and that baking paper we used earlier. You could write down the recipe on a card and attach it or just doodle something cute. Don't get too serious about it, though - it's what's on the inside that counts. Some wise words about cookies. 

Have fun baking and packing and eating some of those sweet sweet gingerbread men. 

Happy Holidays! Be merry and bright :)

Tin Can as Pencil Holder DIY

I've always kept my pencils, markers and brushes in used candles, old (and sometimes rusty, I admit) tin cans or plastic cups. It hasn't been a pleasant experience (especially with the latter) and it didn't exactly look that good either.

It was high time I got something fancier. I collected all old tin cans and decided to give them a total makeover.  It's great what a little paint here and a simple pattern there could do.

If you'd like to try this fun and easy project at home, you are only going to need  old and empty tin cans,  spray paint in your favourite colour (white in my case) and all-purpose paint or permanent markers for the patterns. 

Start by applying a thin coat of paint to your cans. Spray paint is the better choice here, because it covers uneven surfaces more  easily. I needed three coats of paint to completely cover the metallic shine underneath and let the cans dry overnight.

After the paint had completely dried, I used permanent black markers to draw simple patterns over. I decided to keep everything in black and white, inspired by Scandinavian design, but you can always be a little more adventurous than me and add a splash of colours here and there. 

Use your new almost-designer tin cans for storing everything. Now you can be organized on a whole new *a lot prettier* level. 

Have fun! 

Red Shoes Illustration #2

The mysterious lady with the red shoes and striped socks visits the town during the night. She comes in through an opened window, plays one of your favourite songs (she might even introduce you to this one, it's magical) and leaves you with the feeling you should cook a nice dinner, bake cookies (you could tell I'm into baking lately, couldn't you?), or just do something you don't usually do. She is such a nice lady, I am sure you've already met her in some way.
This is actually the first illustration I did of her. (see previous one here) I have a couple more in mind, because - well - we better know all her possible whereabouts. She's not to be missed.
If you have any useful information, feel free to share! :)

Lego Lunchbox: tabbouleh

Lego lunchbox today:
Tabbouleh salad - bulgur, parsley, tomatoes, orange juice, onion
mint tea in my extra cute keepcup (my lunch set is growing!)
tangerines for dessert

I don't know if you guys have heard about tabbouleh salad. I hadn't up until a few weeks ago, when I tried it at a restaurant and totally fell in love with every single ingredient in it. Tabbouleh is a Levantine Arab salad made of bulgur, parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and garlic and seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil. I changed the recipe a bit to match my taste: I dropped the garlic and cucumbers and seasoned all with orange, instead of lemon juice. Tabbouleh is highly nutrient, yet very light - it can be served as a salad or a meal on its own. It tastes great and looks kinda cool in a red lego lunchbox.

I leave you my upgraded version of the recipe - try it out and I'm sure you'll love it!

Tabbouleh Salad Recipe:
1/2 cup of bulgur
3 bunches fresh, finely chopped parsley
1 diced tomato
1/2 onion, diced
3-4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt

Pour the bulgur with boiling water and let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes. While you wait mix the orange juice and olive oil in a bowl and add the parsley, so that it could soak in. You can then add the tomatoes and onion and when the bulgur is ready and any excess liquid is removed - add it as well. Mix all ingredients until combined and let the tabbouleh marinate for a couple of minutes before serving. 

Red Shoes Illustration

Ah, December.
Тhe time when the cute lady with red shoes and striped socks comes to visit and leaves a trail of sweet perfume over the town.  Or was it an old man with a red hat, leaving presents during the night? Oh. I guess I've completely messed up my illustration then.
But hey, December's here (although it feels like June was only yesterday) which means hot tea, lebkuchen and an occasional run in the snow every now and again. I'm not a big fan of Christmas songs, but I've been listening to some good tunes and dreaming about a cosy house in the woods, lots of snow and dozens of home-baked cookies. Who knows, the mystery lady with red shoes and striped socks might actually exist and show up just there. I hear she smells like cinnamon and leaves a warm and fuzzy feeling of love to whoever she touches.
How about you - are you excited about December? Planning your gift lists and New Year's resolutions yet?