... for all the " k o n i k l o s " of the world!

[via]

 h e l l o  T h u r s d a y !

h e l l o   e v e r y o n e ! 

 it's with pleasure & a sense of sweet anticipation,

that this elegant, antique brooch, discovered in London by undoubtedly talented,

kind & lovely Angelica, is expected to reach my doorstep.

I believe in good work and true, polite intentions.

When encountered with an opportunity to be part of something like that,

I jump in, just like I would dive in crystal clear waters,

on an early summer or early autumn afternoon...

The leaf brooch is part of a collection currently been offered 

at  K o n i k l o s , a pop-up shop to be running till the 20th of December,

curated by Angelica,

the author of Aufrais blog,

a photographer, graphic designer & overall creative person

with a high sense of aesthetics.

Below she is modeling one of the three 

{still just one available - correction: just sold out while this post was being written }

vintage brass bracelet.

photography & collage by Angelica Aufrais  [via]

All items have been carefully collected through her travels

both in Greece, her country of origin and current place of residence,

and abroad.

I'm in love with the 60's coffeepot & the boot removers!

ummm, boot - what - I heard you say?

h e r e  is a fully informative post,

to find out what they are & how to use them.

Thought, care, love & attention have been devoted

from accumulating the goods, to photographing them,

to pricing them & developing the packaging.

{ you can read this post to find out more through the author herself }

Asides the vintage collection,

at Koniklos, you'll find a calendar with Angelica's beautiful photos 

&  b e e w a x   s a l v e s ,

like beeswax body butter & ginger lip balm

prepared all the way by herself

in her studio at home,

paying attention to detail, while experimenting

with new fragrances.

I really appreciate similar handmade & homemade

initiatives, don't you?

"handmade" sometimes seems to be getting rather misunderstood nowadays...

k o n i k l o s 

Angelica posts some updates of what is going on in her shop,

- which is already doing very good business! -

in her facebook page,

a serene place to take a look at,

spending a few quality minutes of your time.

As for the shop's name, K o n i k l o s ,

it's the ancient Greek work for  r a b b i t,

the small domestic animal which symbolizes 

a b u n d a n c e   &    c o m f o r t .

These precious & priceless qualities of life, 

especially in the current worlds we are living in.

Isn't it a wonderful notion,

to be feeling comfortable in the skin we are living in,

meaning in full awareness & acceptance

of who we are & who we are evolving into,

while appreciating the abundance that surrounds us?

 Love hearing from you & wishing everyone a beautiful day,

filled with abundance & comfort!

_____________________

All photography by Angelica Aufrais, posted with permission.

{hand} w r i t i n g our hearts out

 

it's no secret, this girl here maintaining this blog sure  l o v e s  to write.

do not let yourselves be fooled by inferring the conclusion that she just likes to mumble

and throw her most profound, ingenious or perhaps nothing of these - thoughts 

on a piece of virtual sheet, where she can type her heart away...

No. No. This person here is in love with the  actual process of  w r i t i n g,

that is in the form of  h a n d w r i t i n g . . . 

You know, that simple thing we used to learn back to school,

these days when toddlers and children were learning

first how to form lines & curves into letters,

long before they learned anything about how to operate

smart phones, tablets, laptops, or anything technology related for that matter.

I am said to have been taught  calligraphy {what a beautiful form of art indeed! } 

from the very early days,

quite long before I entered first grade school aged 5 and a half years old.

Today, the moments I sit with a favorite journal in front of me,

warm drink by my side, as most days throughout the year living in the 

middle of Europe require, are precious.

Thoughts, plans, memories, travelling stories,

or just  w o r d s  expressing gratitude or other feelings,

are put down letter side by side, speaking of 

the preciousness of life's simple pleasures.

I've been having various favorite notebooks from time to time,

much like the one pictured above, purchased at Hema for a tiny amount,

during my few weeks stay in Amsterdam this summer.

I travel relatively often one could say averagely,

so my journals do undergo quite a few tests.

Needless to say I like to keep them in a good condition,

still however I try to take care of them,

when placed in a tote bag or a cabin sized luggage,

after just a few days, they no longer remind the item I purchased.

It bothers me. I like to keep them.

Though keeping them in a good condition is my goal.

I still do not remember exactly how I stumbled upon

R u s t i c o   l e a t h e r ' s  A l p i n e   C o l l e c t i o n 

yet, I'm really so very glad I did.

It was the beginning of summer in Germany,

yet rainy days were persisting.

As I was flipping through the collection,

I kept on holding this image in my mind:

winter would have settled,

painting white all my surroundings, as seen from our winter garden,

{much like  t h e n }

and I would hold the warm texture of felt in my hands,

dressing my new journal.

Snow would fall, the kettle would be making a hot ginger tea,

candlelights would be shining all around the space,

even throughout the day

and I would be taking a much needed break from 

computer work & or housework,

feeling the simple pleasure of holding a pen

writing my heart out on beautiful pages,

rich in texture, as if they have jumped out from the previous century.

I'm really pleased to be sharing these finds with you here today,

as Scott, the owner of Rustico leather,

has been so very kind into agreeing to send my choices all the way.

I chose three, sharing 2 of them with you today.

T h i s  traveler's journal in granite grey &  t h a t  large, composition cover in charcoal grey.

The third and my favorite one awaits at home in Germany,

to be shared with you soon.

All journals are hand made, to be exact hand sewn in the USA.

I'm in love with the details, the hand stitching, the leather, the rich feel of the paper,

their flexibility & the fact that they are quite light to carry around,

while ensuring that both exterior and interior will remain in a excellent condition.

I recently wore my above-the -knee-length, tweed trousers,

{ purchased from Mango about a good seven years ago }

and combined with chevron brown & beige tights

I loved how the whole outfit looked,

as I headed to a cafe,

mini purse, i - phone, a book & my journal being the only things

bringing with me.

S t y l i s h  and comfy may I say...

I'm particularly pleased when home accessories can be transformed / used as fashion accessories, too.

And you? Do you like that too?

... and what types of journals do you like to use?

do you still hand-write? do you love it as much?

or has technology taken over?

do share!

These notebooks have also taken part in another photo shoot, 

which includes the guest room make over I did while I stayed in Greece this summer

and I'm so very much looking forward to share it here with you!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

All pictures of this post are styled & photographed by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for 

Domestic Stories with Ivy 2013 {all rights reserved}

A huge  t h a n k  y o u  to  R u s t i c o   L e a t h e r   for the cooperation!