My Weekends in Pictures

A couple weeks ago, we took a stroll through Tiergarten and it only took me about 2.5 minutes of walking to realize I really was really sick. Again. The walk was lovely but the biergarten workers were not at all prepared for so many people to want to enjoy the lovely, sunny day there and totally dropped the ball on service. It was for the better, as I gladly headed to bed instead and ended up staying there the entire week with something similar to strep throat. Thanks for that, fall.

Once I was feeling better, we decided to go check out the new Hofbräuhaus beer hall that opened at Alexanderplatz on this weekend, but much to our chagrin, there were bouncers and a line outside! Hard to believe, for such a large location, but as Micha so aptly put, he wasn't "about to wait in line for Bavarian beer" (His Berliner-ness comes out every now and then in such exclamations). I just wasn't going to wait in line for anything in the cold, so we moved on to a great bar around the corner (Volksbar) where they were playing some awesome '20s music with an electro twist.

On Sunday, we headed to our friend's new house that they just bought and are in the process or renovating. Sadly, they'll be getting rid of that chair-lift. I think it really adds something to the stairwell, don't you? Following a tour a coffee break, we headed to the forest to get our lumberjacking on, only to find out that Micha's rusty old saw was no match for real trees. He barely made a dent in them! (I have big plans for woodsy Thanksgiving decorations, you see, and he's so great he was willing to try to cut up some tree branches for me.) But on to plan B...

And apparently, I have a nature walk. It's kind of an ewwww-why-is-nature-so-yucky, prissy walk, I now realize, and I'll pretty much have to avoid nature from now on so as not to been seen by anyone else walking around this goofy-ly again.

I'll be back a little later with a fun project using some pretty leaves I collected!

Inspired By...

...a breakfast nook that I want to co-opt as my own right now. I love the zigzag chairs, the pink sofa, the tulip table, and the framed art (and the cake stand of waffles, of course!). It's a fact that I adore walls of framed pictures, but I'd never thought to layer them right up next to each other--what a great idea and a beautiful result!

Photo by Laurey W. Glenn for Southern Living

 ...a rainbow rug that is straight out of a fairy tale. I know it's made for indoors, but all I want is to put this in a garden and pretend I'm back in my five-year-old wonderland.

Available from Angela Adams

...geographically influenced memo pads that would make jotting down my on-the-go lists and reminders so much more whimsical!

 Available at Canoe

...a method of jewelry organization that had to have been created just for me. I'm a sucker for any small, cute bowl or dish that I can fit jewelry into, but usually have to withstand from buying them or the limited surface space in my room will be covered. I'd never thought to simply store them in a drawer (I sense shopping in my future...). Genius!

Photo from Martha Stewart

 ...pretty striped baby blankets from the Purl Bee. Anyone (ahem, Nicole) want to make one for me in an adult size?

Knitting kit by The Purl Bee

...a beautiful yet simple new way to wrap gifts. With the holidays just around the corner, my desire to wrap gifts in fun and innovative ways is bubbling to the surface. This mix of ordinary brown butchery paper, elaborate doilies, and white twine is just too pretty, don't you think?

Photo and DIY by mondocherry

Image credits: My favorite breakfast nook styled by Anne Turner Carroll pinned by Jamie | Pathways rug by Angela Adams via Oh Joy! | Altitude memo block by Canoe via Design*Sponge | Stylish jewelry storage by Martha Stewart pinned by Tiffany | Baby blanket by The Purl Bee via Eat Drink Chic | Creative gift wrapping by mondocherry 

A Little Reading Inspiration

Okay, I'm about to admit something mildly embarrassing about myself that my roommate recently discovered when she saw my ever-growing collection on our living room bookshelf: I love reading kids' books. Not picture books--I do read at higher than a first grade level--but pre-teen and young adult books. I don't know why, but those are the books that got me hooked on reading when I was a kid (like Goosebumps, remember those?!) and I've never gotten sick of them since. I of course was on the Harry Potter bandwagon, although I never could get into Twilight, and now I am so hooked on The Hunger Games. Usually I try to find my books at the library (yes, I still use the library, and sometimes I feel I'm the only one, but I'd have a personal library to fill a three-storey house by now if I didn't) or order them on amazon, but I was so desperate to start Catching Fire, the second book of the trilogy, that I had to go out and buy it at my local bookstore right away. Don't you just love books that are powerful enough to suck you into their world and not let you go?

Anyway, needless to say all things Hunger Games are on my mind since I'm reading the book every chance I get--at the gym, on the subway, before bed. The forest, camping, hunting, gathering edible botanicals, Katniss Everdeen's mockingjay pin, her leather hunting boots...I could go on and on. These are some of my pretty Hunger Games-inspired recent finds.

It probably goes without saying, but even if you're not into, or too old for, Young Adult books, read the Hunger Games trilogy. It's addicting! Then tell me what you think.

Clockwise from top left: Feathers print by RiverLuna | Silver sparrow necklace by Tiny Cottage Treasures | Zip-up boots by Ash pinned by Kayleigh | Botanical calendar by  Miles of Light 

Halloween Movie Night

I always get super excited for Halloween weekend because it means I get to revel in one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures: no, not pillowcases full of candy (though I do love that), horror movies! No seriously, Nat and I can't get enough of them (much to Micha's chagrin, might I add). We've been obsessed with horror movies pretty much since we were allowed to start watching them as pre-teens. We used to spend many a Friday night roaming the horror movie aisles of Blockbuster with our friend, Shari, searching for a movie that we hadn't yet seen. The cheesier, the better.

So if you, like me, want to treat yourself to a little horror-movie-watching fun this weekend, here are my top recommendations for movies to rent that are sure to make you scream out loud, but not lose your lunch (we're all about the scare factor, not the gore factor).

1. Night of the Living Dead - I remember when we decided to rent this one, after having seen our fair share of the horror section already and, being the cocky 15-year-olds we were, we thought, "how scary can a black-and-white movie even be?" The answer, my friends, is blood-curdling-screaming-at-3am-that-wakes-your-friend's-parents-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night scary. Be prepared to lose some sleep after seeing this one!

2. Poltergeist - After seeing this, you'll never be able to hear the name Carol Anne again in your life without first hearing it in that tiny woman's voice and then thinking: "don't go into the light!" Oh, and you'll be terrified of giant trees located directly outside your window. And closets. And creepy clowns under the bed... Don't say I didn't warn you.

3. The Exorcist, director's cut - This version is seriously worth it. The extra scenes with the crucifix (shudder!) and the spider walk (double shudder!) will freak you out down to your bones. Never watch this one alone at night. (Although, I suppose that goes without saying for all movies of this genre...) Or after playing with a ouija board at a sleepover party.

4. House of Wax - You certainly won't want to step foot in Madam Tussaud's for a while after seeing this one, let me tell you. Natalie and I first watched in on a flight to Europe. The poor woman sitting next to us was so confused by our intermittent screaming and batting our arms in fright. We bought the dvd a few months later and it's our number one horror movie guilty pleasure. Sure, it's one of the cheesier ones out there, but it's all worth it to see Paris Hilton try to act her way through a death scene. And besides, the main characters are twins!

(I promise this is the first and last time Paris Hilton will ever make an appearance on this blog.)

5. Sleepaway Camp - This is one of those awful movies we found after having seen all the good horror movies already. It's totally campy (pun very much intended), a little gross, and the plot is absolutely absurd. Exactly what you should be looking for on Halloween! The sequels are pretty entertaining as well. (And I personally very much enjoy that one IMDB reviewer wrote about it: "The disclosure of the murderer's identity is the most shocking climax in the history of American cinema.")

I will be viewing at least two of these with friends on Monday night while indulging in some spooky cocktails and yummy pumpkin treats. And to start it all off, I'm heading to an early screening of Paranormal Activity 3 late tonight! (Behind the times, yes, but it doesn't come out in Germany for another week...)

Happy Halloween weekend!

All images via IMDB: Night of the Living Dead | The Exorcist | Poltergeist | House of Wax | Sleepaway Camp

Feeling Glittery & Twinkly

I know it's Halloween week and I should really be in the mood to deck everything out in shades of gray and pumpkin orange, but for some reason what I want to see adorning my apartment are sparkles and glittery things. Maybe it's the gray weather that's making crave a sparkly antidote indoors. Or maybe it's that I'm just a glittery, sequin-loving type of girl. I don't know. What I do know is that it looks like all my Halloween pumpkins are going to be decorated like this this year.

Photo by Linda Pugliese

What a perfectly pink and glitter-gold mousepad to satisfy my sparkly desires! Now if only I had a computer mouse to use it with.

 Available at Freshly Picked

A disco ball in the house is always appropriate, don't you think? Especially when it's paired with such a gorgeous flower garland (and, appropriately, our initial!).

Photo by Sania Pell for decor8

I may need to get this lovely image printed and framed above my bed.

 Photo by Lisa Leonard

Image credits: 1) Glittery pumpkin by Linda Pugliese via Sweet Paul; 2) Pink and gold mousepad by Susan via Black*Eiffel; 3) Flower garland and disco ball room via decor8; 4) Twinkle by Lisa Leonard via Laura's Pinterest

Wooden Touches

Fall always makes me want to bring little touches of nature into my home to decorate. Maybe it's that I'm always on the lookout for new, creative Thanksgiving party decorating ideas... Whatever it is, I'd love to go for a long walk on a lazy Sunday with my guy, collect all sizes of tree branches and twigs, and then come home and whip up some of these awesome DIYs to prettify the apartment with. Not forgetting, of course, to reward ourselves for a job well done with a nice, warm glass of Glühwein.

Clockwise from top left: Candle holder centerpiece by SAS Interiors | Twig pushpins by Design*Sponge | Wooden trivet from VT Wonen via Remodelista | Branch curtain rod by one claire day

Inspired By...

...colorful mugs that brighten my day and also keep my hands warm in the chilly New York fall. These just make me want to sit down and learn to knit after all.

Available at Leif

...a cupcake stand fit for a queen (or at least for a lover of all things baroque and faux baroque, like me) and a party to match!

Photo and DIY by Jenny for Oh Happy Day

...a gold-leafed Eames chair that dreams are made of. If I don't have something dramatically gold in my apartment soon, I don't know what piece of furniture I'll resort to DIY gold-leafing.

Photo by Okay Art

..the brilliant idea of an Articles Club. My girl friends and I had a Book Club in LA once upon a time, but somehow only half of us (those left over college English majors, primarily) ever finished the book, and we found that we mostly spent club time drinking a wee bit too much wine and chatting about sex and silly things. So a discussion club based on articles that everyone could actually finish (before proceeding to drink a wee bit too much wine and chat about silly things)? Count me in!

Photo by Shannen Norman for A Cup of Jo

...this lovely pillow that will always remind me of my favorite city I call home.

Available at SITE

...just the cleverest way I've ever seen a map displayed. And of my favorite country to boot (haha).

 Photo by Marie Claire Maison

Image credits: 1) Cheery winter mugs by Leif via Eat Drink Chic; 2) Trompe l'oeil cupcake stand tutorial and printable by Jenny Batt for Oh Happy Day; 3) Gold Eames chair by Okay Art via Creature Comforts; 4) Brilliant Articles Club idea by Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo; 5) Manhattan pillow by SITE via Fab.com; 6) Gorgeous map of Italy by Laudani & Romanelli as seen in Marie Claire Maison via A Cup of Jo