Shopping Highlight: a stationery tour through Berlin

Last month we had a little city trip to Berlin, Germany with my husband and in-law family. Of course I also had to look up some great stationery stores there and in this post I would like to share the ones I visited. It's going to be picture heavy visual tour from here out which I hope you will enjoy.

Back to work, but first... coffee!

Stickers illustrated by Nikki Smits

It's been a little quiet on my blog, as you might have noticed. That is because I took a much needed break from the virtual world and was on vacation in beautiful Sweden to visit my in-laws. I could have left some scheduled posts, but decided not to because I didn't want to worry about it... and it felt sooooo good not to worry about it :) I would highly recommend that to everyone, just to take a (little) online break. So I am getting back into the groove of things, taking it slow and steady with stuff to share on the blog. And I'm starting off by telling you a little about my time away.

This was my view and we walked in the forest almost daily... and I didn't want to leave it! See HERE for more pictures. Leaving was hard but it was good to come home to my Meesha cat, as she really missed us (and we her!)

While I was away, I did make some things with a huge stash of postage stamps found in a thrift store.

Made this journal for my MIL with French postage stamps.

The back has different portraits on it. 

My in laws have the most loveliest wooden desk, but I forgot to photograph it in its entirety. It was great to have a desk to work at while away. 

This is a small Muji notebook and made for the neighbor there. It's the size of a traveler's notebook.

The postage stamp art is inspired by my good friend Sue of TangleCrafts. She sells her gorgeous collage works HERE. BONUS her books are also fountain pen ink friendly :)

Fall came to greet us while we are there and in two more days, fall will arrive here too... according to the calendar. Cozy jumpers, scarves and beautiful autumn colored (falling) leaves... I feel like I am ready for it!

Sharing this over at Julia, for WOYWW this week - hope you all are doing well and are looking forward to embrace fall as well :) 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Art Journal: Road trip to Paris

Summer is here and obviously summer vacation has been the topic of discussion. While do we don't have any definite plans to go somewhere this summer, I have been feeling nostalgic for Paris. We've been there several times over the years and my sister in law recently went with her family, it made me want to pack up the car and have a road trip to Paris and driving until sunset... Made a little art journal page reflecting those emotions. It's made with watercolors (ecoline) and masking technique and I have this great Eiffel tower mask I used for the negative space. Texture stamps from Studio Light (love the effect it has on the negative space in the tower), some clippings from scrap papers and the car is from a vintage magazine. The sentiment "One's destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things" is from Technique Tuesday.

What is your wander luster within you telling you to drive off to at this moment? 

I would like to share this journal page with the following challenge:

Moo Mania - Wheels

Art Journal Journey - Summer Time Love 

HLS july watercolor challenge

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - Distress it 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Shopping Highlight: Kowalski and Gotham Comics in Valencia

This March we've been to Valencia for a week and I wanted to share some highlights with you of shops and places I loved. A note to start off: Valencia is a wonderful and relaxed city, but be aware that the Falles festivities (including ear deafening fireworks!) start from the beginning of March and end on the 19th. While we loved seeing all the wonderful Falles works every neighborhood made, the fireworks was not something I particularly enjoyed. It wasn't a 4th of july, or NYE sparkle show either, it was more a bombardment of firecrackers which were LOUD and SCARY. Honestly, we felt terrified and wished we booked a week later! Never the less, it was a beautiful city, was amazing to see all the Fallas works and definitely an experience to have been there during that time. 

Let's start with one of my fave aria's in the city and that is Russafa (or Ruzafa) which is a popular aria among young creatives. There are several streets on which you can find some amazing fun stores and in the Carrier Dénia on number 20 you will find Kowalski; Cusas Bellas Artes ATC. It's a gallery/arts supply/ vintage/books and shoes store. Now, that is putting the ETC. to work! Eclectic assortment in a small space and definitely worth the visit! 

Storefront during night fall. I love that the shops are open until late :)

This friendly lady gives you a warm welcome at the door.  

The store is packed full with art supplies, art work for sale, shoes, books and vintage items.

So much to see in such a small place! I could have spent days there and yes I did return there 3 times, much to the owner's amusement and delight :)

They also had a whole array of sennelier watercolor tubes and acrylics

And I found a great watercolor set my lovely husband gave to me for my birthday (I was in the store on my birthday actually a month ago now and it was like being a kid in a candy store!)

I put the paints in a Koi pocket watercolor travel set of which I took the pans out. I wasn't enjoying those at all so it was time to upgrade! I am loving these sennelier paints very much!

Back to Valencia in Ruzafa, Gotham Comics was also definitely worth the visit since they are the only comic show we encountered which sold comics in English as well! That was the reason my husband went to the store, me... well I found a different reason...

and his name is Sami. And he is a sweetheart!

This cute black cat greets everyone at the door with a friendly miauw and he certainly stole my heart! 

He came for pets and snuggles every time we visited!

His owner wasn't too amused Sami kept bothering us while shopping so he was told off, but we know he was just making sure we felt welcome in the store :)

Thanks Sami for helping me through Cat-withdrawal symptoms while in Valencia!

When you're in the aria have a drink at Café Berlin, and see here for more shopping tips in the aria. GNOMO is an awesome store with hand made items and illustrations as well.  

Next week I'll share some of my fave stationery stores in Valencia. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Easter weekend!

Monthly Planning MTN: November 2016 update

The colors I used for this month are in purple/ lavender tones. I started off with mixing some tombow markers and hand lettering the days of the week on the vertical side to give the page a starting color. Then I wrote the dates and events with my Pelikan M205 Taupe with Caran'dache storm. My fave pen and ink combination that month. I added stamp prints from Sakuralala and some fun stickers in a matching color tone so fill in some gaps. As the month went on, it became busier and it was harder for me to write down events that took place in my weekly planner. SAD really zapped my energy the last half of the month but we did end up doing some fum things esp. in the beginning.

My wedding anniversary is on the 5th of november and we always do a little get away, but this year we've decided to go for a longer (and warmer) trip to Seville, Cadiz and Gibraltar aria. It was so wonderful and I really loved documenting that bit. Read about my adventures and shopping finds in Seville HERE. It's definitely a city I highly recommend to visit as it was our second time there and certainly not the last!

Just wanted to show you a detail in the overview. I thought it was fun to pair the "fly me to the moon" postoid sticker from MTN with S-Jane Mills artwork of Astrogirl below it. I bought to stickers last july and thought this one would be fitting to end the month with. It's also the end of the undated planner book, so my last update in this form. I will do an overview update later this week and share my thoughts using the undated monthly planner this way for a year. And if I will continue it... so look out for that post later this week. 

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

namasté

Wordless Wednesday: The Real Alcazar

An intermission in my pens and inks post as I wanted to show you one of my favorite sites in Seville; The Real Alcázar. The gardens are mesmerisingly beautiful and we've spent a lot of time there writing and enjoying the ambiance. FYI, it's also a filming location of the awesome TV show Game of Thrones. 

TWSBI al green and the brown Midori Traveler's notebook. 

The writing in the first picture is from my husband and it's also his Midori doing all the modelling in the pictures ;)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

namasté

Meesha Monday: Autumn Edition

It's high time for an update on my little Meesha and seeing I am on holiday this week a good intermission in my mail art monday posts. She has been a bit sick, but thankfully she is doing a lot better now. Some cute kitty pictures galore, enjoy!

Her fave hiding spot is in the wash basket.

We lost Meesha... untill we followed the purring that came of our laundry basket. #cat #cats #catsoninstagram #catsofinstagram #catcuddles #meesha #meeshathecat #meeshaisawesome #sleepingcat #catstagram #catsofig

Een video die is geplaatst door Blaze8t88 (@cornelius.grayl) op 25 Jun 2016 om 3:49 PDT

A cute little video of finding her there made by my husband.

Always wants to play at the most inconvenient times, like when we go to bed or doing chores.

Look at that face!

I had basket and play tunnel on the couch so I could vacuum around the floor. Forgot to put them back and when I was done with other chores I came back to the living room and found this cute picture :)

While we were cleaning up we stowed her tube over her crib.... 😀😁😄 now she's a tube cat! #cat #cats #catsoninstagram #catsofinstagram #catcuddles #meesha #meeshathecat #meeshaisawesome #sleepingcat #catstagram #catsofig #catloaf #catlounging

Een foto die is geplaatst door Blaze8t88 (@cornelius.grayl) op 23 Okt 2016 om 7:24 PDT

She obviously really loves this set up :)

Totally miss her cute little face and purr purrs. Can't want to cuddle up next to her again and watch some Dawson's Creek (I know, it's terrible like junk food, but it's one of my guilty pleasures. The show, not junk food ;) 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

namasté

Back from a well earned vacation :)

It's been a bit quiet on my blog the past 3 weeks in which I had a blissful vacay from the business of city-life and surrounded myself with the green of Sweden's forests and rolling hills. We go there every year now since 2008 and every year it's still breathtakingly beautiful. Also I think I fall in love with Stockholm a little more each year...

An impression of the sights this year:

view from the back yard at the summer stuga

a trip to Drottingholm by boat

berry picking and cheesecake making with our little bear

long walks in the forests

I also have been thrifting again at auktions and loppis stores and antique markets. Can't wait to show you my finds on my thriftfinds thursday section :) 

Hope you all had a great summer holiday too! 

namaste