Ivy hearts styling...

Ivy hearts styling..., originally uploaded by ivy style33.

....wether interiors, exteriors or fashion, she loves to style!
....and most of all she loves to style with a clear mind and a smily heart!...she's happy for her initial studies and major in Psychology (and minor in Philosophy ) and sees that provided there is health given, there is nothing that can stand between a person and his/her true passion!

Having been passionate about style all my life, the only reason I hadn't studied it at the beginning was that major life issues in my immediate environment called for understanding, and studies on the subject mentioned were a priority.

Years of personal analysis followed ( as to practice in my own self what studied) and all comes down to the one and only truth: we are all born with some talents and passions and there's nothing better than perfecting them as soon as possible....but should life bring it this way, that there is a delay...it is never too late and actually, late is better than never!

I have come to conclude that there is a special quality in styling that fascinates me and this is that of balance.

I know that decorating is very often about astonishing results and evoking ohhhhs and wooows, or needing to impress even a little bit with some possesions. This is fine and quite often I myself do admire such spaces, but somehow I prefer to live and create simple interiors, that are powered by the personalities of the people inhabiting them.

Balanced interiors of course needn't always be in neutral palletes, as much as balanced people needn't always be quiet! They can still be expressive and get super enthusiastic about things, still there's something about the way of expressing that holds a certain balance....

Always...not too much....and not too little...who knows maybe a new wave will emerge....after minimalism and maximalism....balancism!

If we think about it, we are all amazed or affected by balance in so many ways....dancers and acrobats wouldn't be able to perform without balance...buildings wouldn't be able to stand straight, cyclists wouldn't be able to ride their bicycles or motorcycles, there would be no musical harmony and of course there would be no day and night, no seasons....everything in the whole of existence seems to be based on balance....but we people are sometimes so dependent on our need to impress, that we choose fancy or extreme ways - in our interiors / outfits/ behavior - which are definetely much more notable and exciting...and probably easier to achieve...

Do they make us happy though?
Could it be that the key to happiness is also balance?

The adventures of a powder pink blouse

...or the small adventure that we women sometimes go through, in order to choose an outfit. 

Now, on a small parenthesis here, I know that I do not usually post about fashion here, but since I'm so interested in the overall concept of styling in all its possible domains, I thought I give it a shot also here, other than my flickr account where there's a set of pictures devoted to styling and fashion....through my eyes always...the focus being mostly inside, even when we talk about or are involved in more - seemingly - superficial actions & things...

So, to go back where we started from...the adventure of choosing an outfit...I'm sure it has happened to many of us, in different ways. Sometimes it happens in a second, others there's a little bit more time needed or simply...a little time to go shopping in our own wardrobe, giving a fresh new look to clothes living in our closets for years, by making new combinations, adjusted  to our current moods and influenced a tiny bit by current trends.

....not too much...not too little...as balance in general is the key to successful styling....in colours, in texture, in shapes...and of course in the way we feel!

This is the outfit I chose to wear yesterday, which was actually the second idea in the raw, among the one with  the jean skirt and the one with the colourful floral bag. It is Springy but in a rather quiet way, as I believe it fits better to April, while the latter one fits better in May...

I like to take my outfits gradually from one season to another, as much as I also like a sense of continuity to exist from one day to the other, from one outfit to the other...

Everything in nature happens gradually and there are natural circles for everything...

In autumn for example, the colour of the leaves changes gradually until they fall and flowers bloom and aquire their full colour day by day in Spring.

Part of the essence of styling is that one is in accordance with nature's cycles by adjusting the outfits chosen and by going through stages, like participating in a charming dance!

Styling of course, should most of all reflect the personality of a person and focus on the positive physical characteristics, whichever they may be. Others are more gifted and others are less. The key is to accept ourselves for who we are, including our bodies, our minds, our hearts, our thoughts, our immediate environments and even the countries we live in.

Dressed up like being on vacation on an exotic,a Greek, or any other island, while actually being in the middle of a city, doesn't exactly promise successful outfits!...this is my humble view on the matter of course...

There's the right time and place for everything and success lies in being in accordance with them.

But the most important element is to be in accordance with our true selves. Then we wear our clothes, rather than them wearing us and elegance doesn't depend on spending huge ammounts!

Smart shopping, ability to recognise quality over label ( not that they do not coexist of course!) and a consistent style which adjusts to seasonal trends with small additions, all contribute to building a wardrobe to keep over years and making us proud, looking back, for our choices.

For me, it started 10 years ago, in my mid  20s, after I had experimented and enjoyed various styles, youthness being my aliby.

Hippy chic and bohemian chic were my most beloved styles, but over the years I reached to the point of being able to elicit through styles, the predominant one, being my personal one: this which expresses my whole existence.

As much as there are various styles that can be named both in decoration and fashion, I strongly believe that there should be exactly as many styles, as there are people and as there are homes!

I'm fanscinated by decoration, fashion and styling as seen in magazines & books but am mostly fanscinated when I meet extremely stylish people on the street, who know how to dress themselves and seem to be in contact and in peace with who they are. And the same goes for their homes.

Interior design can also stand for designing our inner selves, the key to true, long lasting happiness, which doesn't depend only on our temporary successes.

So here we reached again, down to the depth of it all, even having started talking about styling and fashion, that everything in life depends on our relationship with ourselves and the point to which we are aware of what is going on inside. 

To me, most liberation and evolution takes place not when we recognise our good sides, but when we are also wise enough, sincere enough and brave enough to face these parts of us that are less shiny and happy, when we take the time to face our "deamons".

Funny enough it is then that they become smaller and smaller until they disappear....keeping them in the dark, out of fear or pride or whatever other reason, will only feed them to grow bigger...which in the end will return to one and only place: ourselves and our lives. We have the power in our hands and we should use it wisely!

When the shades of soul are open...

...forms of goodness will always cross our paths in life....sometimes we'll be the ones to give and others we'll be the ones to receive....eventhough the cup of pain doesn't have the same size for everyone....there will be goodness and blissfulness knocking on our doors and our windows...we must open though...trully open...and be prepared...cause as we open to feelings of bliss and happiness, we are also susceptible to feelings of fear, sorrow and sadness...

  It is so normal though, as we cannot be happy, smiling robots, always excited about everything and always pleased with ourselves and others...unless we are participating in a play rather than real life....

  So, true happiness can be felt when we have also allowed sorrow to be felt.
Sadly, it is mostly considered as a sign of weakness in our current societies....sensitivity, which is the basis for experiencing feelings in all their range, is considered often a shame.

  Maybe all the great individuals throughout the whole human existence, who have accomplished greatness should be considered....maybe then there is a chance of considering a different perspective...

  Sensitivity doen't need to be mistaken for overemotionalism, when everything seems to affect us in an extreme degree, possibly impairing our daily lives...

  Sensitivity doesn't need to be confused with many powerful words...for this again, is a quality to be expressed in someone's actions and felt rather than be spoken about...

  Sensitivity is possibly respecting deeply ourselves as we respect others...

  Keep in mind that a delicate, adjustable tree with a flexible bark will be the one to survive strong storms, as it has the ability to bend...and then stand straight and safe again...able to enjoy the next sunshine and spring...



  This attitude has helped me through all kinds of life's difficulties, since early childhood....the heart was kept soft....as a hard heart is a frozen heart....and all the blissfulness and warmth of the world is not enough to make it alive again...

Would you risk that?....we have it in our hands....we hold happiness in our hands...we are the key...we have the responsibility....

Simple thoughts on domestic life

...or domestic simplicities...would you join me in seeing what life itself brought into the span of my attention today? I'd be so delighted to share with you...

Even a small rearrangement, when cleaning up, can bring a fresh feeling in our living spaces...as we are not always in the mood or have the time to invest in bigger changes.

Here:

....just the vintage books, which have since recently been serving decorative purposes on the coffetable surface, have been shuffled up, bringing up the lighter one with the golden lettering.

It is worth noticing the big impact that even bits of colour have in our spaces.

As an additional change, the porcelain form, serving as a candleholder, has been placed on the books instead of next to them, sitting on the same paper doily that was "accidentally" forgotten under the books, in the previous arrangement.

I find that being  p r e s e n t  when cleaning, eventhough I might as well be out enjoying the sunshine at that point, has a more creative effect to the whole process and actually incorporates some decorating in it....I guess this is how traditional housewifes used to do it in the past, could it be ?

...when decorative tips and ideas were not widely offered and presented via magazines, books and recently blogs and TV shows...and when people were more concentrated on themselves in the most unselfish way....

Some more thoughts about our daily lives emerged, after seeing this picture I took this morning...

A goog morning...

...can be prognosed from the early morning, says a Greek proverb.

Well, jugding from the early sun rays bathing the little Penthouse this morning, I must admit this could be true.

Still, my considerations are, that we can stop and change the flow of our days at any given point, should we feel that something might have not started in the best possible way.

A w a r e n e s s   is the first step.

A c c e p t a n c e  the next.

Then comes  i n t e n t i o n  to change,

and finally  r e a l i s a t i o n  of our intentions by taking  a c t i o n.

And finally, combining the two pictures in the begining of the post in a diptych, gave rise to sharing the following thougts and appreciations on life and its magical simplicity....

...coz life's beauty lies in living it simple....

Simplicity is often mistaken as less or just not enough and there are so many of us running around - and often away! - like mad, trying to always have more, achieve more, earn more, be more, when trully nothing can be compared with the blissfulness and prettyness of the relaxed beauty of simply being who we are and enjoying the gift of life and whichever activity we might be engaged into.

We do need to be or to become a little bit wise though, to reach to the point of appreciating ourselves and our lives.

And should we reach to this point (for which very often a lot of hard work in all fields - practical, emotional, spiritual, mental, educational - is required), just everything, kind of magically, falls into place and that manifests in our daily lives, the way we treat ourselves and others....


So, I' m wishing us all to be finding the beauty in the simple things in life, which are always the most precious ones....inside lies the treasure...outside it also becomes evident.

This Easter I'm loving....

1. That we let ourselves free and simply ended up
staying at home, with no special preparations
made, but still enjoying daily three nice meals and tea time in between.

2. The vintage, wooden bunnies from East Germany,
found in the attic and donated by my partner's father, which
serve as our Easter, understated decoration.

3. The inexpensive white - golden, porcelain tea set for two, recently purchased at a local store,
reminding me of my mother's Bavarian set I grew
up with.

4. The trip I made to Munich a few days ago and
enjoyed to its fullest extend, mostly because
after a long time, I travelled on my own again.

5. That photgraphy has developed into a true
passion affecting every domain of my life in
multiple ways.

6. One of which being, the ability to keep a
journal of pretty decent pictures of the places
visited, especially architecture that so much
fancinates me and I adore.

7. Another being making, posting & sharing pictures
of my everyday life here, the place where I 've
met a lot of people that inspire me, I admire
and have grown true friendship feelings for.

8. That through flickr, my mother no longer feels
away from me, as through the pictures, she sees
the world I experience through my eyes and has a
regular visual connection to me. Telling her
that I'm happy, cannot be compared with the fact
that she can see a smile up on my face!

9. Among the mails I get from dear friends, flickr
friends and contacts, the ones from my mother saying 
how much she loved what she saw, carry special 
meaning and importance.

10. That it's the 3rd Easter I'm spending in this
beloved little Penthouse with my partner and it feels so right!

11. That after a period of adjustment in this
country, I have really started to enjoy my life
here and appreciate it for all its benefits,
being able to bare the disadvantages and the
difficult parts.

12. That after more than two years that I'm gone
from Greece, the friendship field has cleared
out. I am very, very pleased for the few, true
friendships with a couple of wonderful people!

13. That I am as close as I have ever been to making
some of my dreams come true and the fact that I
am prepared for all the work that this involves.

14. That I'm in relative peace with myself, having
grown a deep understanding of why and how I've
reached where I am, even when it seemed that I
was taking the wrong direction or choosing a
rather long way. My vision always seems to
prevail and be clear, even in between storms.
I suspect the reason being that it comes from the depths of my existence and it
is trully connected to the heart.

15. That I'm in relative peace with others, even
when that involves saying a firm "no",
especially when I feel that I'm not being
honestly appreciated for who I am and the parts
of myself that I generously offer.

16. I've finally grown and learned to have
some patience when things are difficult and
accepted the fact that those moments simply
need to be bared, like the happy moments in
life and that they always reflect the need for
undealt issues to be taken care of.

Thank you for reading through this post, in case you did, it means a lot to me to communicate such thoughts and am pretty certain that the ones to read are the right ones...

Should you wish to share here in the comment section what you are loving or are pleased about this Easter, please do so!

Peaceful moments. . .

Gathered here, are moments of peace during my Birthday and these I 'd like to share. There were also of course more intense emotions such as being extremely moved or feeling lots of love & passion.
Am choosing to emphasize peacefulness, as there must be this critical point in everybody's life, regardless of the actual age, that someone feels in full acceptance of his / her life. Of all the happiness and all the pain, of all the struggles and all the rewards, of all sucesses and all failures.

Peacefulness is again one of this internal qualities that cannot be faked or dublicated.....somebody knows that he/she is in peace when life situations are absolutely acceptable and considered as blessings despite their imperfections...
One is in peace when anger is dealt, when grief is felt, when envy is healed, when there is the abilitity to see the beauty of our own selves and at the same time have all the place of the world for a million other fabulous people, without being afraid of comparissons, understanding that there are areas where we will prevail and others that we won't.

Being in peace means finding, cultivating and living our talents. and sharing them with the world. It means seeing the talents of others and being able to appreciate them, without hiding behind our own fingers, out of fear of finding ourselves less.
Being in peace means doing our best to be the best that we can for us, free of the need to be better than others. As our own selves become our means of measuring.

Being in peace means working hard to aquire characteristics, that others we admire have, at the same time cherishing theirs.
Being in peace is knowing that in life there is justice, and all we have to do is embrace it and act towards acheiveing it.


This is to my loving parents, who brought me in this world, my wonderful life partner who is also a teacher and a friend to me at the same time and in the memory of the amazing woman who was my grandmother, a lady of big heart and kind acts.

The world through the eyes of love

Love is a quality rather to be practised than spoken about.

It is this quality, that completely transforms our lives and one that must be cultivated in order to be understood.

Love is naturally not only romantic love, but a vast essence.
Love is undestanding
Love is acceptance
Love is forgiveness
Love is actually listening
Love is making space for a different perspective, without necessarily needing to adopt it
Love is respect
Love is setting boundaries and
Love is accepting the limits others set
Love is adjustment
Love is accepting that in life there is both happiness & pain
Love is the power to change

" I love you but I cannot ", is a contradiction.

" I love this/that/the world/myself, but I have no time/money/courage to support it, is another.

Loving somebody, something, ourselves = doing anything possible in our power to support this saying, no matter how difficult, no matter how hard, no matter how much inconvenience and pain must be gone through, often overcoming our own selves.

After years of having written these love quotes on these mirrors, back in 2004, it's now more than ever, that I actually understand and experience what I myself had written as aspirations of what love is, when my reality and everyday life were definetely not bad, but still wholeness and fullfilness wasn't acheived.

I hope that now is the start of a probably another half of my life ( I'm turning 35 these days ),when I can do anything possible in my daily life to experience and spread love.

Here and now, more than ever, my heart is at home and seeing the world through the eyes of love is a possibility.

My own shortcomings, failures and imperfections had to be accepted,
Occasional unfairness and cause of pain had also to be accepted and let go....

and it is always a daily decision, the way in which to experience the world, often not the easiest one to take, as the world can be and is often hard.

Still the only meaningfull way to live is through practising and experiencing love...

If we people are to be determinded by something, it is our experiences and our feelings...rather than possesions....and life is too precious to be wasted in being bitter and complaining, sitting with our hands crossed, only to move them, in order to point our finger to somebody else who is supposedly responsible for our unhappiness.

Taking the responsibility of our own existences is love.

Devoted to my dear friend and therapist Vali, who has supported me in every possible way these past seven years, into my personal quest of finding Love.

It's a blessing to have met you.

For a more complete and detailed view of the quotes written on the mirrors, you may visit this set of pictures.

When the adult world inspires children...

...let it be a positive experience...one that is the best possible example ever....

Words won't do much....as children tend to hear with their eyes and heart.
Actions matter...so, shall we want to be responsible parents/teachers/educators, we first are obliged to be responsible and true to ourselves.

Children are extra pure and sensitive to "catch" real emotions....telling them that all is right, when actually it's not for us, will only create confusion.

To say the truth is an art and it all starts from telling the truth to ourselves...about ourselves....we are not only wonderful..we are human...we hurt...we have done things wrong...we have possibly hurt others...but all this is part of life.

Happiness is not about being happy all the time....rather it's about accepting the fact that there'll be some unhappy moments in life and learning to deal with them.

Achieving some balance inside is happiness..then we need not talk about it, we need not shout it...people simply have to look at us...and they know...and that's enough.

Children need not be taught how to be happy...
Children need to learn to accept and the best way to that is by accepting them.

We've all been children once...we know that the most intense emotional experiences were formed then...and all our adult life depends on curing ourselves from all possible harm that was done then...by accepting that nobody is perfect, neither our parents....but they must have done the best they could....

So let's try to be the best parents that we can, when parenthood knocks on our door, keeping in mind, that first we have to be the best we can for ourselves.
And please, let this not be confused with being selfish.
Actually, life is showing that the more we accept who we are, the more space and understanding we have for others.

Style...your way!

Style...your way!, originally uploaded by ivy style33.

Style...your way!

....just wanting to emphasize, that the most important thing for all of us, is to find our personal style in everything!
...not only in our homes but also in dressing ourselves...and actually in every aspect of living and life. Eating, thinking, behaving, travelling...everything that is part of life! 

I know it's hard in the era of multi media and trends and "musts"...but being creative, honest to ourselves and engaging into activities that help us learn more about who we really are, are good antidotes.

So,yes, to being inspired by any means and in every manner....
And mostly a big YES to discovering who we are, who we want to be,
what brings us in peace and how we can be the best we can both for ourselves and the people we love, as much as the whole world out there.

If we have one big obligation for enjoying the gift of life and being here, alive, is to be the best US we can ever be. Coz, if WE don't, who else will be for us?....if we are busy trying to be like somebody else, who will be us?...there is not one single person that doesn't have the potential of being a wonderful one, in his or her own way.

One basic " ingredient " to more and more reaching there, is Acceptance. Both of all the pleasures life brings to us, but also the hard times.

Lately, I ve been making posts about being grateful for a certain small thing in life.
Today I 'm grateful FOR my life.
...all we need is to consider all the misfortune that billions of people are facing daily in the world....then all of us, having the luxury of spending time here, can be nothing less than simply grateful.

I 'll close this post by saying that I 've decided to be donating to charity for as long as I can, 33% of the earnings of the things that I 'll be making and putting in the Etsy shop. It needs a lot of work that I still have not done....but these days are devoted to that.

Every month there'll be a new cause or institution to donate to. But for the first months, I think that the people in Haiti can use all the help they can take. I know that this contribution will be close to being unworthy of calculating, but must admit that I do it also for me. I 'll be feeling better knowing that I add a slight little something and then my crafting sessions will have a deeper meaning for me and reason for doing them.

There'll be an announcement about when this will exactly start. The most important thing is that proof can be provided to all of you, about the contributions actually being done to the causes we will be choosing. Suggestions are welcome : )

All of my life, I had been saying....if I got rich, I 'd be able to help the world...well... I have already become almost 35 and am still anything but rich, speaking of actual assets. But I feel so rich inside and am so grateful for all and everyone that is around me, that this is the right time.

On creativity, love, psychology and real life....somehow mixed in the same post

   This is one of a pair of two favorite dessert plates of mine, that were found in Habitat a few years ago. I like to use them for dessert and breakfast, especially when I could use to be cheered up a little bit.
   I haven't been making or posting many pictures lately, as there's not so much time or desire for it, due to issues that need to be taken care of. But I cannot leave this place, with out offering or sharing something with you. Because no matter what is going on, there's nothing more true, that comes from deeper inside me than expressing myself though creativity, decoration, design and photography! This is one of my ways of living with love and expressing love for life and promise that I 'll be always coming back, everytime having learnt something new and having made a new step ahead in life.

  It's funny, how through posts like this, the issue of Psychology is also touched....because who we are, what we do, how we live and express ourselves is actually part of our psychology.....it is part of who we are, it is a reflection of ourselves. It is of course a person's eyes that are the mirror of his/ her soul, but so is the way somebody lives and his/her place itself.


 It's not about money and possessions, eventhough money does help a lot to bring home with us things that we like and love to have, it 's mostly about the feeling that we give to the spaces where we live, and this can be achieved only by putting part of ourselves there. It' s about making a house a home, and this is done only through love.


   I know I' m getting kind of emotional, but I 'm not here to create impressions of living a perfect life, having everything sorted out and walking steadily on the path of life. No, I 'm actually here, writing these lines, because this is exactly what I need to do, to be able to make my very own, stable path in life and choosing to do it, being engaged in the things that are meaningful, important and by doing them, being able to offer the best part of me.


  It's funny how I had to complete my studies in Psychology, to find out that it's through creativity that I actually want to live. And I love to be creative with other people, especially with children. I 'm so thankful for the lovely hours spent together with them, through the Art&Crafts sessions. There is so much beauty coming out from their pure souls. And in the case that they are troubled, for any reason, oh! how it helps to understand more about them through their creations and drawings! And how soul soothing and therapeutic it is to let them and encourage them to express themselves.


  So, because this post has ended up touching far too many issues than it was intented, I will close by saying, do find yourselves through any expression of creativity and most af all, encourage your little ones ( or even bigger ones!) to experience this lovely - eventhough cruel very often at the same time - world, through every one of their senses! And to make the always necessary connection to this post's picture, a little eye candy to please the eye and soothe the soul, through these colourful, playful kimonos printed on this plate.


  A lovely Wednesday to all....keep on smiling ; -)