A trip in Snapshots

It's been a little toasty around Rousse, so we decided to run away from the heat to a quiet, peaceful and, most importantly - colder place. We invited Dexter and a couple of friends and took a quick trip to the mountains, where the air is cleaner, the grass is greener, and you need an extra blanket during the night.

The weather was great, the improvised meals we cooked tasted divine and the bats that flied around the house during the night didn't scare us at all. Dexter was there to protect us, though he didn't really know what to do. Good thing we didn't trusted the boys and their fishing skills and took some provisions, because otherwise we would have eaten... three tadpoles and a frog.

The place where we stayed was too far from a big town and didn't have many residents, but the people we met were really nice and helpful. An older man taught us how to ride a horse. As it turns out - I'm a natural. I took a liking to Iceberg, the black horse and I do thing he liked me, too. A nice old lady came to us and offered fresh eggs and milk. Who does that anywhere else? A cute little girl - the only child in the village at the time - made friends with Dexter and introduced him to the cows, ducks and some little puppies. She also took me around the village and showed me her favourite places  It seemed like everyone in the village was excited about the new visitors and wanted to show and give the best they got. And they did. 

  

See you soon, Vienna!

This is officially my last summer day here in Vienna - I finally booked a ticket and this time      tomorrow I'll be back in Bulgaria! :) 

I had some final errands to do today and had to visit 100 places in an hour or so. It was fun, though -       the day was beautiful and I managed to capture some beautiful snaps with my phone. Here are my favourite ones!

    ***Break the law before the law breaks you.

Read of the Month: June + July

         i'm still packing suitcases... I'm definitely bringing 1Q84 home to my favourite books collection! 

Oh, Haruki Murakami... Would you ever write a book that is something less than brilliant?

My love for Haruki Murakami started as I first came here in Vienna. If I remember correctly, "Kafka on the Shore" was the very first book I bought here. The book was very overwhelming and out-of-this-world. It took me only two days to read all 600 pages and when I finally reached the end... I was dazed and absolutely confused. But I loved it.
I've since read a couple more Murakami books and I like each and every one of them. They float effortlessly between reality and imagination and leave you pondering over... well, just about everything.
If you've ever read Murakami you'll understand me when I say that I cannot possibly make a short summary about 1Q84. It's like explaining an anime plot to someone that has never seen one.
1Q84 is a book (actually a set of three books) about living in a parallel reality. It's about Little People, two moons in the sky, a lifespan of a butterfly and mystical organizations. It is full of stories within the story, mysteries and questions left unanswered. Everything is perfectly detailed and you can easily picture everything in your head. I find 1Q84 to be a romantic novel, but that's just the magic of Murakami - the book can be whatever you want it to be.
I've read reviews that this is probably not the best choice for first-time Murakami readers - not sure why, though. I loved it and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys extraordinary reads.
I am definitely adding it to my collection of favourite books.

Chalkboard quote of the day

What have you been up to lately?

I've been packing suitcases, sipping on enormous amounts of bubble tea (it's my elixir of life in these temperatures!) and writing summer to-do lists. I have a couple more days here in Vienna and then I am finally going back to Bulgaria! How exciting is that?

Now that all my exams are over and I have some spare time on my hands, I can fully enjoy silly things like midnight walks (with the secret mission of finding the best lemon cheesecake in town), long anime marathons and even some drawing projects.

Speaking of projects, I decided it was high-time I gave our chalkboard a summer makeover. The last message had stayed there for far too long (with an addition of some extra difficult and long german words that I just could't remember). This George Bernard Shaw quote has been one of my most favourite ones lately. What about you - have you got a favourite quote at the moment?

~

Favourite Summer Fragrances

my favourite summer scents are: Calvin Klein: One Shock, Thierry Mugler: Womanity; Chanel: Chance Tendre aand Thierry Mugler again: Alien.

   
I have the tendency to always give my perfumes labels. I prefer to use different fragrances for the different seasons, with only one or two exceptions (like, for example, Alien. I can't live without it and still I use it just a couple of times a year for really special occasions). I pick light flowery scents for summer and since I always experiment, every single summer of mine smells different.
One Shock: I'm not going to lie to you. I picked it up because it looked too cute. I've been slightly obsessed with neons lately (anyone else or is it just me?) and I just couldn't resist the electric pink. Turned out that the perfume wasn't that bad at all, either. I would definitely use it on a daily basis.
Chance Tendre: My absolute favourite summer scent. It's delicate and airy and perfect for the heat outside.
Womanity: I love all Thierry Mugler perfumes. They just have this special something, they all smell somehow untypical and this one in particular is my scent. It's a little bit heavier and I can't wear it all the time, because I get a little dizzy (no kidding!) but I choose it for a night out or, like earlier today, for good luck during exams. ;)
Alien: Sometimes when I smell a perfume I've had once before, I have a deja vu. I am sure you've experienced it, too. That's why I adore Alien. Everytime I put it on I remember a very special summer, wonderful memories come to me and it's a great experience. I really don't use it much, but when I do, I make sure it's for something quite extraordinary.

Do you use your perfumes till the last drop and then throw the bottles away? Or do you keep just a little bit at the bottom and store it away somewhere? I always prefer to store some away, it's like storing memories, don't you think?

C'est moi François le français.

       *** François likes menthol cigarettes, sandwiches with mozarella and um... oh yeah, the ladies. 

Hello there! :)
I know i haven't been around much lately but I swear those German language exams are endless... I haven't had the time to draw or walk around town and take pictures but hey! It's summer already and it's all going to change. Well, after Monday, I mean. That's when my last exam is.
Ugh, what a couple of months it has been! I've started with simple german expressions like "Hi, how are you" and "Oh, I understand." and now I am talking freely (and not so freely) about Freizeitbeschäftigungmöglichkeiten. (okay it's not that big of a deal, i know... It only means opportunities for free time activities. But it sounds somehow impressive, doesn't it?).
As much as I like the rainy summer days here in Vienna, i just can't wait to go back to Bulgaria. Until then I will draw funny men like Monsieur François here at 6.30 in the morning and I will drink watermelon bubble tea. And I will try to show up here more often, too!
~

A Man Lost in a Place

Hello there! Wow, I can't believe my favourite month of the year is already here! Life seems to go so much faster when you speak German. Seriously.
I've planned lots of fun things for May, a couple of new projects, a trip (my camera is so bored! I need to take her somewhere!), and a cute surprise for you, too! Can't wait!
In the meantime, I've been working on some new prints. Here's a preview!

Pencil Picture Frame DIY

Here's a quick and simple way to pretty up an ordinary picture frame and add a little pop of colour to your place! Grab your old colouring pencils and join the fun!

1. You will need: a plain picture frame (the wider - the better!), all-purpose glue, a set of colouring pencils, a sharpener and a knife or a small hand-saw to cut all the pencils with. 2. First off, we need to cut the pencils to smaller ones and sharpen every single piece. I used a kitchen knife for the job and it took me about an hour to cut the whole set of pencils and another half an hour to sharpen every piece. 3. Start arranging the little pencils on the frame without using any glue. That way you can always rearrange something you don't like, swap colours and check if you will need to cut a pencil with an exact length. 4. When you've arranged all the little pieces, make sure that the pencil-frame fit perfectly within your plain frame and there aren't any pencils slipping out. 5. Time for sticking! I don't recommend instant glue in this case, because it doesn't give you the freedom to move around the particles after sticking them. I chose a slowly drying glue, so I was able to play with the little pencils even after applying the glue and arrange them in a way that best covers the frame. (Note: round pencils would be harder to attach because of their shape! It is not impossible, of course, but it would take a lot more time.) Leave the frame aside for an hour or two for the glue to completely dry. 6. Put a favourite picture in the frame and we're done!
Have fun with this little project and be extremely careful when cutting the pencils! :)

Three to nine.

Wonderful things happen at three to nine in the evening.

Raspberry ice cream tastes better (yes, it is possible!). Singing under the shower sounds like a favourite song. The rain is warmer. The city smiles. Only at three to nine - at two to nine everything gets back to normal.

Happy Easter!

The orthodox world celebrates Easter today.
Happy Easter!

Mother Nature

I am home and Dexter sleeps by my side. I listen to Moloko, I draw. It smells of lilies. I feel peaceful and ready for everything that is going to happen. Welcome, Spring.

Taste of Happiness.

I am not a good cook. I mean, I try, I really try... but it's just not something that comes naturally. I always mess up recipes, experiment way too much, make huge messes and after all the trouble I end up with something that doesn't even count for a proper meal. Oh well... It's the effort that counts.

However, baking is something else. Me and my granny used to have this special tradition that made me fond of baking. Every Saturday I used to help her in the kitchen and we used to make the most delicious homemade cakes, cookies, pies and whatever you can think of. 

This weekend is very special for me and Lazar. We both have namedays, we are home, we are happy and I wanted to celebrate it with something I don't usually do. There's nothing better than the smell of cinnamon and freshly baked cookies to make a holiday even more special. My granny's recipe for honey cookies mixed with my own experiments for colour icing is the perfect weekend treat. This is, undoubtedly, the taste of happiness. You should try it yourselves! Here's the *super secret* recipe (I am giving it with the permission of my granny, I promise.)

For the cookies you will need:

2 eggs, 1 cup oil, 1 cup extra fine sugar, 1 cup honey, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, about 1/2 kg flour, a pinch of love.

Mix the eggs, oil, sugar and honey with a mixer. Then add the baking soda and the cinnamon and 3-4 tablespoons flour. Beat until dough forms, adding 1-2 tablespoon flour now and then. Use a wooden spoon (or your hands) to mix everything better. The dough should be soft and easy to work with - perfect for cut-out forms (stars are my favourite!).

I didn't use a baking sheet and I didn't have problems with sticky cookies. But if you feel unsure, you can arrange the cut-out figures on a baking sheet and bake at 180 for about 10 minutes. Piece of cake. And then it's time for the icing - which is the most exciting part!

For the icing you will need:

2 egg whites, 2 cups extra fine sugar and 3-4 drops of lemon juice, cooking dye, sugar sprinkles. 

Beat the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Keep the mixer going and add the sugar and lemon juice. Beat on high for about 6-7 minutes until the mixture turns thick and cool. I used powder dye and put just a pinch of the three colours in three different cups and then added some of the white icing. I mixed blue and red dye for the purple butterflies and added just a little bit of orange in the yellow dye for a deeper colour. The little ducks I decorated with sugar markers in red and brown. These honey cookies are deeeelicous and are perfect for a big party or for a little home celebration. Give them a try! :)

Things that make me happy

● I finally installed a chalkboard at home and it is so much fun! I bought some colourful chalk and we're taking turns to write down our favourite quotes or quick love notes or sketch small drawings. This particular quote has been my favourite for a long time (it's too bad I don't know the source) and whenever I feel confused, or stuck, I remind myself of it.

● Snacking on gummy bears while working on something (like painting hearts on a boring set of sheets) is always a good idea. I am pretty much addicted to Haribo and always keep a spare pack around!

● It melts my heart to receive mail, every single time when I find something in my mailbox, my hearts skips a beat. This is probably because my pen-pals always know how to make me extremely happy!

● Oh, I've found the perfect place for bubble tea around! It has become a regular drink in my menu and it's the perfect refreshment. A great start of the day, too!

●What I've become literally obsessed with right now is... scarves. I can't get enough of them, really!I always fall for beautiful patterns and I am starting to pile up quite a collection here!

● Pancakes with strawberries and cream make me the happiest person on earth. Especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

● Finding beauty in negative spaces. Yes! You would never guess what's on that last photo. Or probably you will... I spilled some oil and luckily I was quick enough to snap a photo of these beautiful bubbles. It didn't look that good in reality, but it made a great photo, didn't it?

And lastly, what makes me reeeally happy at the moment is that in 5 days I am flying to Bulgaria. I'll get to see my mom and dad, spend some time with Dexter and rid myself of German prepositions for a while. I can't wait!