The one that believes snow is there to be eaten.

Dexter's favourite winter treat?

Snow. 

A whole lot of, to be precise.

Dexter is pretty excitable by default. But when it comes to snow, he's not just excited: he gets a little crazy. Crazy enough to gulp down serious amounts of snow and run around at high speed. Or bury himself under a snow pile or dig giant holes or even start levitating. (I'm not kidding! See picture below!) He doesn't get tired, he doesn't get cold (and its almost ten degrees below zero!), only thing he cares about is eating all the snow he could get. And chasing snowballs; eating them, too, if possible. 

I love chilly white winters like this one.

Dexter loves them more.

December Sky

I fell from the sky today. 

To land home.

I am giving.

 What are you guys doing on a chilly December Wednesday?

I am giving flowers to strangers. 

Christkindlmarkt

There are more than 10 different Christmas markets all around Vienna. The most famous one (and my personal favourite, too) is the Christkindlmarkt on the square in front of the beautiful Town hall. The market is one of the oldest in Europe, dating back over seven hundred years, and people seem to love it even more today.

All the trees in the park, where Chirstkindlmarkt is situated, are beautifully decorated with themed lights, garlands and figures, shaped like gingerbread men. Hundreds of cosy wooden huts offer a great diversity of sweets, hand-made goods, Christmas decorations and pieces of art. You could also find the best eggnog punch around here, or maybe apple cider. Inside the Town hall, there is a children's workshop, where cute little elves bake cookies, decorate presents and sing songs, and a sweet shoppe, where you could order a piece of Sachertorte, while listening to Christmas songs.

The whole park smells of cinnamon, caramel apples and home-baked bread and it is just impossible not to feel festive around here. It is absolutely heart-warming. (you still need gloves, though, because December is freezing!)

Are you already excited about Christmas? Have you decorated your tree, made a list with presents? Or is it a bit too early? 

Preparing for winter

Life lately has been filled with enormous amounts of tea to keep me awake, heavy (and not-so-interesting) textbooks piling on my desk and an occasional get out for some fresh air (and candy apples). Oh, and I am also kind of working as the postman of the floor, because magically all post comes to my apartment and I have to hand it out every time. Which is actually a fun way to meet all my neighbours, so I can't complain.

As the colder weather starts to set in I feel the need to put down a list of all the things I'd like to do this winter. For starters, finally learn to ski. (Ice-skating is also an option). Learn a bunch of new recipes. Finish up my two textbooks in time. And, of course, finally open up my online shop. I promise I've been working on this for quite some time, but there are so many little details I need to take care of. I am looking forward to flying back home in just 10 days and I hope I'll have all the time I need for all my plans and, of course, for some snow-angel making with Dexter (he's pretty good at rolling in the snow, although his "angel" looks more like a giant mess) and some cuddling in front of the fireplace and also some cookie baking.

Ah, winter. I can't wait.

*have you tried pomegranate juice? I've recently discovered it and I believe I am now addicted.

I'm shy

I'm versatile

A Rembrandt painting in motion.

For a couple of minutes today, the sky looked like a moving Rembrandt painting. I took some time off my textbooks and enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa under the pitched roof windows. Sometimes the simplest things can make your day. 

Walt says

I'm beautiful

Puzzle graphic number 2.

Playing with stamps: notepad DIY

I am addicted, I admit it. Stamps are just too cool to be left aside for too long. Plus, you could make a thousand fun things with them. So if you don't own a set yet - I highly recommend finding one. You will love it at least as much as I do. We could even start a fan club. No? Just me? Oh all right then.

This DIY is a fun weekend activity you can do by yourself or with friends. And it's perfect for a gift, too, because let's be honest - who doesn't like cool handmade stuff? The supplies you are going to need are: glue, scissors, plain paper pad, cardboard and - of course - stamps and an ink pad.

1: First of all you will need the measures of your paper pad so that you can easily cut out a front-back cover for it from the cardboard. Fold the center of the cover so that it fits perfectly to the paper pad. If your cardboard is thicker, use the tip of the scissors to create a thin line before folding. This way you won't damage the cardboard and it would fold perfectly. 2: Use liquid glue to attach the paper pad to the cardboard cover and let it dry completely. 3 and 4: Think of what you want to use the notepad for and use the stamps to print whatever it suits it best. You might find my pick a little boring but hey - at least I'm honest! Stamping on cardboard can be tricky - it needs more ink than regular paper, so keep your stamps on the ink pad a little longer. You could leave it like that or you could spice things a little by adding simple illustrations to finish it up.
And there you have it!

I'm a mess

I've been working on a commissioned set of graphics for the past couple of days. It is about human emotions and I have a lot of work to do, defining happiness, confusion, beauty and aggression by textures only. Great thing about these puzzle graphics, as I call them, is that they can be interpreted in many different ways. For someone it might depict rage, while others would find peace and harmony in it and the best part of it is that there isn't a wrong version. 

This is the raw sketch of my first print. It still needs some Photoshop retouching and minor heals, but that will come when finishing the whole set. I'm curious to find out what you see in it!

Wherever you can find pancakes on a Sunday, you can find love.

Pancakes are a special treat for me. They smell like birthday mornings and love.
I am still learning how to cook stuff. Sometimes it's a piece of cake and sometimes I end up with a stew although I've followed a soup recipe. But it's alright. I'm eager to learn. And I am getting better, actually.
Pancakes are different, though. I can make a perfect batch with closed eyes. I can flip them like a pro, I can make them in funny forms (like Totoro, for example) and they always taste great. I have only one condition: it has got to be on a Sunday. My idea of perfect romance is having pancakes for breakfast on a gloomy Sunday. With apricot jam and with cheese and with some Nutella, please.
I love sitting here on the red couch with my boyfriend (while it's snowing outside for the first time!), munching pancakes and laughing at funny dog videos. We miss Dexter. He loves pancakes as much as we do. It's a family thing.