Inspired By...

...a simply stunning (not to mention gold!) hand-painted wall. That's right--hand-painted. It took the artist/home owner over a year to do, but the time was well worth it--the result is breathtaking. (Although based on her lovely cakes, this comes as really no surprise.)

Photo by Brenda Liu

...the prettiest, spring time-y gift wrapping I can imagine. And in perfect time for Mother's Day, am I right?

Photo & DIY by Stephanie

...Holly's stunning living room. The bookshelves! The colors! The photos! The pillows! I could go on and on... Oh how envious I am... (and how happy I am for Holly that the room is finally complete).

Photo by Holly Burns

...a swoon-worthy keyboard! Seeing as my computer is still out of commission (F and I have to share his lately, which he just loves, let me tell you), I'm tossing around the idea of getting a new one, and a Mac at that. If I did, I think this washi tape DIY keyboard would most definitely be in order.

Photo & DIY by Kira

...ridiculously cool geode street art. That also kind of looks like a gold-teeth-filled mouth coming out of the side of a building. Just awesome.

Photo by A Common Name

Image credits: Hand-painted wall by Ava Roth (in her home) via Design*Sponge | Bloom gift toppers by Stephmodo | Holly's living room for Nothing But Bonfires | DIY washi tape keyboard by Her New Leaf via Oh Hello Friend | Geode street art by A Common Name via Design for Mankind

My Weekend in Pictures

I so wanted to post this yesterday, but then work and the final hockey game of the year got in the way, so I hope the suspense didn't kill you. On a happy note, our team came through for us last night and once again won the championship! Yay Eisbären!

I won't give you an entire recap yet of our 5-day Scotland trip (after all, that's what Travel Thursdays are for!), but here's a nice little selection of the many many pictures of our shenanigans throughout the very long weekend.

Sunrise over Berlin while waiting for the bus to the airport

Probably our last flight out of Tegel (as the new BER airport opens in June); I'm gonna miss this silly wee excuse for an airport

Reunited with Alyssa (and I'm looking mighty attractive here)! One of my favorite Padovane (we studied abroad together in Padova, Italy, along with a couple other of my favorite ladies, Liz and Emily)

Mirrors and a horse butt at the entrance to the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art

Glasgow cherry trees in bloom

True story | Glasgow humor (yes, that picture was taken in a bar bathroom)

Haggis (with neeps and tatties)!

Our gracious American-turned-Glaswegian hosts, Jerrick and Dawn

 Our hike up the moutain behind the Glengoyne distillery. We got more than just a wee bit wet.

Courageous Erik and Mike

Hiding from the rain yet again, this time in a phone booth in Edinburgh

More pictures and trip details to come but the very short version is:

We tried haggis (Micha liked it, I could live without it)
We drank a lot of warm beer - what is it with warm, barely carbonated beer in the UK?
We made new friends - already knew Alyssa and Erik, but now we can call Mike, Deanna, Jerrick, and Dawn our friends too!
We understood at least 75% of what the Scots were saying to us.
We tried (and enjoyed) Airbnb for the first time.
We even learned to look right every time we crossed the street (and as a result, no one got hit by a car!)

And finally, it really does rain a lot in Scotland. Like, every day. But I'd still move there in a heartbeat; it was that awesome.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! What are you up to this weekend? It's been alternately rainy and 80-degrees here, so while we're hoping some to do a long bike ride on our new road bikes down to Key Biscayne, we'll have to wait and see. We're also checking out Juvia, a new restaurant that recently opened on Miami Beach and that's getting a lot of buzz here. And can I just say that I'm kind of ridiculously excited for a dressed-up Saturday night date night?

Hope your weekend is lovely and we'll see you back here on Monday (with tales of whisky and Scottish accents from Nicole, to be sure)!

P.S. Love this tank! (As seen on the ever stylish Oh Joy.)

This would be awesome for a summer party!

The Ikea PS collection is coming to the US! Hurrah!

Made me laugh.

Image: Reason to smile letterpress print by Honeycomb Print Shop via Design Is Mine 

I Have a Garden! (Well, Almost)

Okay, I know it's Travel Thursdays over here, and appropriately, Nicole's jetting off to Scotland today, so I was going to say something about that--something like how we've wanted to go to Scotland since starting Ian Rankin's Detective Rebus novels years and years ago, yada yada--but then F suggested we run to Home Depot this morning to stock up on supplies for the green balcony of my dreams, and I got distracted. And then I got excited. And then I had to share with you.

We went to Home Depot to get enough supplies to replant what is turning out to be the massive amount of tomatoes, peppers, basil, and parsley we planted last week. We got those, and the neccessities like soil and fertilizer, and then I got all ooh I love this! and this! and this! and we ended up also taking home a large palm plant and what is basically a hibiscus tree. Evidently I have a lot of faith in my green thumb. Let's all cross our fingers it doesn't fail me.

I went home and immediately started rearranging the balcony to accommodate all the plants (and also, if you're wondering why the paint roller is there, decided to paint a few storage boxes I'd been meaning to because hey, if I was going to be crafty, I might as well go all out). This is where your ta-da! moment comes, right? Where I show you the beautiful green dream balcony I've been talking about since the beginning of the year? Well that's not quite what I ended up with (yet!), and here's why:

The seedlets, as I have decided to refer to them, are, to my dismay, not quite ready for replanting. We only planted them a week ago and despite the fact that they're growing much quicker than we expected, I was assured replanting them too soon would not be a good idea. They need to grow roots first or something like that. So I'll have to be patient, which I'm not great at being, especially when it comes to a craft project I want to do now, and settle for the loveliness of my Dream Green Garden-To-Be.

All photos by Natalie's iPhone

Inspired By...

...striped sofas! We're stripe-lovers in my household (wee striped kitten included), but I'd never even dreamed of a striped sofa until I saw one. Now, I'm in love.

Photo by Henry Bourne

...the most delicious-looking popsicles I can imagine. I've never been a big popsicle eater, I'd rather go straight for the ice cream, but these homemade gourmet yogurt popsicles would certainly change my mind!

Photo by Victoria

....the cutest of pillows for wee ones (or for wee-ones-at-heart).

Available at Land of Nod

...DIY picnic baskets! What a cute, clever, and best of all easy idea! And since it's already picnic weather in Miami, I need to make these soon!

Photo by Alexis Birkmeyer

...blank canvases to create your very own maroushka dolls. (If only mine could turn out as cute as these did...)

Available at Blank

Image credits: Harriet Anstruther and Henry Bourne's living room via SF Girl by Bay | Gourmet yogurt pops from A Subtle Revelry | Pillows by Land of Nod via Oh Joy | Picnic basket DIY and printable by Alexis Birkmeyer for Oh Happy Day | Blank maroushka dolls via Creature Comforts

A German Baking Exchange!

So I recently signed up for what might possibly be the one of the most fun things I will be involved in all year. It's a mail baking exchange started by three awesome bloggers here in Germany, called Post aus meiner Küche ("mail from my kitchen"). It's really the coolest idea I've heard of in a while and a great excuse to get me to try out some new recipes I've been dying to make. Plus the added bonus that I finally get to share the results of kitchen endeavors with someone else so that I don't gain 8000 pounds in the process. (Oh the downside of having a non-dessert loving boyfriend...)

Post aus meiner Küche

Basically, anyone could sign up for the exchange and then each of the 300+ (!) participants was given a "Tauschpartner in Schokoladencrime" (exchange partner in chocolate crime). Partners exchanged emails and addresses and could then get to work. The exchange date is set for next week, when we'll be sending each other packages full of as many themed goodies that we can concoct and fit in a reasonably sized, mailable package. This is the very first exchange and the theme is (quite happily for me) chocolate. Could you even think of a better one? Cuz I couldn't.

While I can't yet say what my recipe choices will be (I don't want to spoil the surprise for my partner in chocolate crime!), I will leave you with a little mouthwatering inspiration today from one of the Post aus meiner Küche masterminds, Jeanny of Zucker, Zimt, und Liebe (which translates to the adorable title "Sugar, Cinnamon, and Love"). Even if you can't read German, her blog is worth a visit for the amazing pictures alone (plus, it's extra easy to translate all her delicious recipes into English with the sidebar button she's got there).

Clockwise from top left: Tiramisù espresso cheesecakes | Ricotta, fig marmelade, and carmelized balsamic onions open sandwich | Roasted banana cupcakes | Ham, rucola, and mint-pistachio pesto on a crispy baguette

 I'll update you with my sent and received packages hopefully the week after next, when they've both arrived safely at their destinations. And if you'd like to help a girl out in devouring lots of chocolate-y goodness, well, you know where to reach me!

All images by Jeanny of Zucker, Zimt und Liebe, originally found via Sodapop

My Weekend in Pictures

Friday night was spent relaxing at home and enjoying a fantastic meal of pan-seared fish on pasta, caprese salad, and white wine. Cooking and clean-up done by Micha (he's a keeper).

Gotta love a man in the kitchen | Favorite wine cork, courtesy of Nat (but of course)

On Saturday we met up with a friend we'd met in the Philippines for brunch at a cute little café nearby her place in Friedrichshain. Not only did we keep in touch after the trip (I love when that happens), we then found out that she knows Micha brother. It's a small, small world...

We also had some errands to run (and bake) and were happily provided with good weather the entire time. Spring really is on its way!

Springtime in Berlin

Birthday cupcakes for Kerstin

Birthday goodies for Kerstin

On Sunday, Kerstin post-celebrated her 30th with an intimate brunch party at home so we got up early (since we have no car for a week) to public transit our way to the 'burbs. Where we were then greeted with a deeeelicious spread of belegte Brötchen, cheese soup, egg-leek bake, meatballs, egg salad, and more. I also got to show off my new (and so ridiculously tight) bright pink pants, which Hendryk (pictured below) took one look at and burst out laughing, exclaiming, "it's like they were made for you!" He knows me well. :)

Party time

We had to leave early the party to catch the first game of the hockey finals -- season ticket holders can't pass such things up! -- and I'm sad to say, we missed the outdoor grilling fun in favor of a hockey game that was 1/3 exciting and 2/3 so boring I nearly fell asleep. But they won and as it turns out, they score more goals when I run out for a bathroom. How unjust is that?

 The tomatoes enjoying a few hours of sun

Sunset over P'berg

I would normally complain now that the weekend is already over, but this week I only have, once again, a 3-day work week before we jet off to Scotland on Thursday to meet up with our favorite Bostonians! Hoorah! (Glasgow and Edinburgh recommendations welcome.)

And how was your weekend?