christmas time is cookie time

Just one more night... and it's Christmas! I am really looking forward to all the family celebrations... the only thing that's missing is snow (but I'm still crossing my thumbs!). 

Within all the Christmas preparations, the last minute shopping, and the wrapping of all the presents I still found some free minutes for cookie baking. I usually try to do the 'classics', which for Switzerland would be Mailänderli (THE Swiss cookie if you like), Zimtsterne (star-shaped cinnamon cookies) and Brunsli (Basel chocolate balls). But this year, I wanted to try something new... So I just opened my cookie recipe book on a random page and went for that recipe: walnut chocolate cookies.

Challenge accepted!

This is what you need for the walnut chocolate cookies:

150 gr walnut kernels

100 gr flour

1 egg

1 pinch of salt

50 gr cold butter

50 gr sugar

1 sachet of vanilla sugar

100 gr chocolate (dark or whole milk or mixed)

Cookie cutters (I only used my snowman, moose and penguin cutters)

Step 1
Reduce the walnut kernels to small pieces, mix with flour and heap on your work surface with a small depression in the middle. Add egg and salt. Spread sugar, vanilla sugar and flakes of butter on the margin. 

Okay, now it's time to admit it: I didn't read the instructions properly! I thought the chocolate belonged into the dough... whereas the chocolate in this recipe was actually thought to be used for the decoration. Well, I had already melted the chocolate and added it to the batter when I realised my mistake. So I had to improvise! But let's continue with the instructions now slightly changed by my humble self.

 

Mix everything and knead it together to a smooth dough. Cover in cling film and store in fridge for min. 2 hours.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 160°C (air circulation), cover cookie sheet with parchment. Roll out dough to 5mm on a floury surface. Cut out the cookies and put on the tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the middle. 

(This is where I had to improvise... I had no idea how long these cookies would take in the oven having changed the original recipe. Seems like I left them in the oven for a minute or two too long...). Then, let cool!

 

Step 3

Now it's time for decoration (to make up for the taste - in my case only of course!). Melt white chocolate cake glaze. Cut off a tiny edge and start beautifying :) You can obviously add all kinds of toppings. 

 

 

So hey, everyone makes mistakes... it just depends on what you can make out of it! And sometimes, look is more important than taste :) although all my friends assured me that they tasted great... and the fact that they were all gone in 3 days seems to accentuate that. 

 

 

Now off off to bed! Santa Clause is coming to town :) 

 

xoxo linskaya

open up your eyes, honey!

  
What worth does the most beautiful dress in the world have, if you do not emphasize its beauty with your make-up. That's why I thought I'd collect the most beautiful holiday-make-up inspirations for you... 
There are no more words to be lost on that subject. Just enjoy the pictures! 

I'm sorry but I'm not really in the mood for great words and wisdoms. But pictures say more than words anyway... ;)

xoxo linskaya

not sucking in a vampiric sense [review]

The last week of the autumn semester at University is dawning. There is light on the horizon. Finally! 

In honour of this occasion - namely the end of the semester - I wanted to share with you one of my works I had to do for one of my courses at the English Seminar this semester. It's a review, something which I haven't done (professionally) before. A review about the new Twilight movie: Breaking Dawn - Part1.

via here 

(Be warned: In case you are a true Twilight fan, you'd better not read this or you'd probably like to tear me apart just like Jacob does with his wedding invitation. Also, if you haven't seen the movie "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" yet and intend to do so you shouldn't read it as well. There will be spoilers!)

So here we go:

        It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you are going to have a caesarean, it is not a good idea to have vampires in the room. Breaking Dawn, Part 1 does it nonetheless. The fourth movie of the Twilight saga is just like every other Twilight movie, only a few things change: glitter-vampire Edward Cullen still looks like a marble statue covered in talc, only now he wears shorts. The werewolves now argue telepathically with each other in English, which is just silly. And the great, melancholic soundtrack from Muse has been exchanged by dull and annoying pop songs that underscore every moment.
         The audience, mostly 16-year-old teenage girls, seems to enjoy it and the Twi-hards certainly will not be disappointed. Breaking Dawn, Part 1 picks up where Eclipse left off; feisty yet droopy 18-year-old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and her stone cold hottie, the vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), aged 108, are about to get married. The wedding is so kitsch that anyone not obsessed with hair and make-up may find it a seemingly endless half-hour of near-death experience.
          Bella and Edward then fly to Brazil to a luxurious honeymoon hideaway on an island, where the morning after her wedding-night Bella wakes black and blue with bruises and all the furniture is broken. But apart from a passionless foreplay accompanied by the world’s worst pop music, the movie does not show us what happened. The most eagerly awaited deflowering in recent movie history takes place completely off-screen. From there it is on to the speediest pregnancy in history, and an alarmingly gruesome and bloody childbirth.
          Teenage girls will probably be less interested in the story bordering on an abortion-debate than in the earliest point where the werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner), Edward's rival for Bella's affection, rips off his shirt, which is within the first seconds of the movie. Jacob's muscles have been one of the most special of the movies' effects and that seems reason enough to get the character's shirt off as often as possible. These filmmakers certainly know their audience.
         The Hollywood machinery has a firm grip on the Twilight saga. One may wonder about the creative benefits of following the Harry Potter model and dividing the final Twilight book into two movies. In terms of economics, however, the decision is certainly a winner. The previous Twilight movies Eclipse and New Moon pale in comparison with Breaking Dawn in terms of revenues and number of visitors. But whereas the Potter series gained from that decision, the Twilight Saga loses almost all its momentum.
         The general difficulty of bringing page to screen is inherent already in the Twilight cast. Kirsten Steward manages to play exactly one face throughout all the four movies, stealing her heroine Bella Swan all depth of character. However, giving credit where it is due, Bella Swan's pregnancy is brilliant on paper. On celluloid, it is simply a joke. What Stephanie Meyer did so brilliantly in her book is lost in the movie.
          Maybe the studios have begun to believe that they, like the classy Cullen clan, are immortal and that almost nothing can kill them. They better hope that it is true, because Breaking Dawn, Part 1 sucks - in the metaphoric rather than the vampiric sense. The film does not have the bite that a vampire romance should have. It is as if all the life has drained away. A great number of its 117 minutes feel like hours, and whenever certain actors take the lead, time seems to crawl backward and Breaking Dawn begins to feel like yesterday's breaking dawn or Thursday’s.

I'm open to any kind of criticism, but bear in mind that one cannot argue about taste. I'm sure some people (in fact quite many) liked the movie... and I'm not attacking them. I'm just communicating my own opinion.

  

xo xo linskaya

a tiny little christmas tree

Guess what?! It's snowing outside! Oh, how these tiny fluffy white flakes make me happy... I know my hopes for a white christmas might be in vain this year, but I might as well enjoy the snowflakes as long as I can. 

And guess what else?! Yeah, it's already the fourth Sunday of Advent! Less than a week to go till Christmas... I'm really looking forward to it. To great a food, family time, lots of love and lots of presents :) 

So in celebration of these two things, I thought I would show you our little Christmas tree. He is itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie (meaning very small, haha), but my boyfriend and I don't need a bigger one. I decorated it with different red Christmas bulbs and bow ribbons and a funny looking Santa Claus (hihi). 

Looks cute, right?

Light your fourth candle on your Advent wreath and enjoy a lazy (not for me) sunday!

lots of love, xoxoxo linskaya

Ladies, show your legs!

I just listened to the weather forecast for the weekend here in Zurich and it seems as if it will finally be cold enough for snow! I'm really excited; I almost feel like a 5-year-old again. Building a snowman, lying in the snow making snow-angels, getting cold feet and hands and red cheeks... ah how I love winter!

But as winter also equals cold, you need to wear lots and lots of layers to keep you warm. there is nothing bad about that! However, and it might indeed sound more than contradictory, I love to wear leggings and tights especially in winter... Don't even try to find out why! My mind even refuses to give me a satisfactory answer to that question...

That's why I will simply celebrate my queerness (in case you haven't noticed it) by showing you some awesome winter leggings and tights, either worn with a skirt or simply an overly long sweater (covering your but completely - everything else is gross!).

I'm especially in love with these Norwegian-style winter leggings with deer, reindeers or snowflakes on them and lots of colours like red, blue, black, white, brown, beige... I wish I knew where to get them! If YOU do, YOU must let me know :) thanks, anyway! 
(You might have spotted the one on my wishlist... just in case you don't know what to give me for christmas *grin*)

So, Ladies, let's show our legs and defy the wintery cold!

xoxo linskaya (haha, I almost wrote "legskaya"!)

holiday dresses

The holidays are getting closer and closer. It is high time to buy not only the presents for your loved ones but also to buy yourself some great outfit for the festive evenings. I would argue that every girl needs at least two outfits for the upcoming holidays: a christmas and a new year's eve outfit. And I would even go as far as saying that these two outfits best were dresses. 

In order to inspire you and to also show you how many cute and beautiful dresses for the holiday season are out there, I will now present you my selection for the holidays. I decided on four general colour directions: classic and classy black, bold blue, glittery grey and rose, and wintery white. 

To say it once and for all: you can never ever go wrong with a black dress, not even on christmas or new year's eve. Black is classy and flattering for female bodies that are sinuous. Add some glittering and sparkling details like a sequin clutch or some black jewellery and you're set.

Bold Blue: I must admit that blue is a rather bold colour to suggest... but it's nonetheless a beautiful and rather extraordinary choice. and with the dresses above I guess you will have to admit that blue is a great choice for a holiday dress. 

Glittery grey, old rose, or pink... any of these colours would make a perfect match for the festivities on christmas. I especially love the grey one in the bottom left corner with the genius back. Actually, I'm pretty much in love with all of these dresses...probably because they are glittering, glistening, sparkling and twinkling :)

And finally: wintery white. What is there to say about these dresses? They will make you look like an angel! I would suggest a white or beige creme dress like any on these for a bombastic new year's eve. The one in the bottom line with the gemstone-piece on the back is just amazing.

Ah how I wish I could own all of these dresses! I would simply stop wearing trousers.... and only wear dresses instead. Dresses are more feminine anyway!

xoxo linskaya

x-mas wishlist

This is my humble christmas wishlist. Somehow, I can't come up with many wishes this year. I have everything I need and want and I'm happy with that. Making up wishes so that other people can make a presents... that's not something I wanna do this year. I really don't need anything...

Should you wanna get me any of these things, you better first check with my boyfriend... (not that I will get all the things twice)... haha, that won't happen anyway!

xoxo linskaya

1 Leather bag for all my study stuff, Mr. Charmer by Aunts&Uncles  (I know I will get that from my mom and dad!)
2 Casio gold watch
3 Limited edition yoga Sigg bottle
4 iPhone case beige/red by Freitag
5 Sherlock season 1 
6 Sony eReader PRS-T1 wi-fi black (I will get that one for sure as well!)
7 Books on guerilla advertising
8 Scandinavian winter leggings

treasure from 1938

"... who is the most beautiful of all?"

Mirror: "I am!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

And he's right! He is the most beautiful of all! The most beautiful mirror I have ever seen... and the best thing: he's mine, all mine!!! The day my boyfriend and I picked it up from this small thirft store, I was the happiest girl in the world! 

So much golden glamour is very seldom in commercial pieces. The ornaments of this piece are handmade and there is no second piece like it. And the most fascinating thing about this mirror is its age, this golden piece is an original from 1938.

I'm in love... utterly and completely in love with my mirror!

xoxo your linskaya 


(I'm oddly in love with golden things lately)

a flickering of golden dust

As soon as I start to realize that it is really already december (already the 2nd advent!), I fell like I need a little more glamour in my life. this year, it a kind of golden sparkly glamour to be precise! I am almost magically drawn to all these things... 

Whether it's a completely golden glittering dress, or simply a shirt, a pair of shoes, a skirt or a clutch... even if you had only one of these pieces, it would make your upcoming holidays stylish enough to make everyone jealous. on a new year's eve party you'd even be the queen of the night with a dress like this! Golden nails and make-up simply refine the whole outfit. 

I really hope that I will find the perfect glittering and sparkly piece for christmas.

And don't forget: some girls are just born with glitter in their veins!

xoxo linskaya

hello december!

Just quickly a few pictures of the Advent calender I made for my boyfriend this year. 24 cute dotted and striped grey'n'white paper bags filled with lots of love and sweet traits (and yeah, some more things) and stuffed into a basket! 

I love filling it and he already loves opening it...

xoxo linskaya

piles of books

Piles of books...

I'm surrounded by them...

No room in our apartment without one...

Do I care?

No. Not really.

To say it differently: I love it! I simply love to be surrounded by books. Every time I look at the books I feel a tiny but pleasant twinge of anticipation. Sooner or later I will have to time to read all those books and that's what I'm looking forward to. Event now when simply talking about it I am excited.


I know that my love for books is a tiny bit crazy... but that's actually my smallest problem ;) 
So just that you know how crazy, here comes a list with some facts about me and books:

1. I decided to have a book with me wherever I go thanks to Rory Gilmore (I'm serious here). I even carry one with me when I'm hanging with friends. just in case!

2. I love the feeling of being completely taken in by a book. When the tears of joy and sorrow wet your cheeks. When you laugh out loud in the middle of a crowd. And when you shout at the pages in anger. That's the spirit!

3. I'm jealous of Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she can read while walking. I certainly haven't mastered that skill yet.

4. I don't like to borrow other people's books the same way I don't like other people borrowing mine.

5. I can't reread a book because if I spend time reading books I've already read I will never be able to read all the things I want to read before I die.

6. Whenever I go to a giant bookstore I feel like a five-year old on christmas.

7. Nothing smells better than the unopened pages of a new book.

8. I always judge a book by its cover. And I don't understand how there can be so many books around with ugly covers.

9. I was the kind of kid that got in trouble for reading past my bedtime. Always under the blanket and with a pocket lamp.

10. And one more: The fact that there are still great books out there gives me hope for the human race!

That's the pile of books right next to my bed. The bottom one, Paul Hoffman's "The Left Hand of God", I've already finished. The title and the blurb (and the cover of course) took my in right away... the story however didn't. I wouldn't exactly recommend it. 

The two books by Glenda Larke are part of the "Stormlord"-trilogy. Reading the first one was really a pleasure. Only problem with these two following ones: the setting is almost always a desert. Seriously, I can't read that when it only 5°C outside. They will have to wait till summer.

I won't say a word about Twilight... haha, I might lose some friends if I do! So let's rather talk about George R. R. Martin's  "A Game of Thrones". That book is my read at the time and although I'm only about 100 pages into the book I've already grown seriously attached to the characters. I started watching the series on television  as well(which by the way is great), but holding that thick and heavy book in my hands simply makes happy.

A second pile of books stacks some more books I wanna read. Three of them are historical fiction about the Roman Empire... I will surely enjoy them. And as soon as it starts to snow (hey, snow, where are you?!) I will start reading the two crime stories by Jo Nesbo.

And last but not least: my University books. Not that I don't like them, but they're just not that much fun as the "leisure time"-books. However, I have to admit that I enjoyed reading James Hogg's "Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner". As strange as it might be, it's a fantastic read! Just like Scott... a classic! 

And should you be a student of English literature just like me (haha, I'm sure there aren't that many around), you'll know how helpful the Norton Anthologies can be. And so is this one on theory and criticism. 

So get your noses back into your books and enjoy the ink-written words!

xoxo your book-lover linskaya

I've got some new shoes on...

Usually, I'm not a big fan of UGG boots. There is just nothing beautiful about them and they make even the prettiest girl look crude. No heels, no nice shape and no pretty colours: I really don't understand what girls like about them. 

The situation is, however, completely different with these cute ballerinas which my boyfriend got me for the first advent. Aren't they super-duper-lovely? I wouldn't wear them outside, but whenever I'm home I slip into them and enjoy the cuddly feeling of the furry shoe-sole.

aaaaahhhh, I love my new shoes... I'll never have to suffer of cold feet again!

xoxo linskaya

winter favourites

I want snow! Like really much! Like right now! 

Sadly enough, it's not gonna happen... not in the next few weeks anyway. But I'm not gonna stop wishing for it. And until the fluffy white flakes start falling down from heaven, I will revel in the cold and enjoy my new winter favourites:

The winter scarve and the gloves will keep me warm. As well as the super delicious black chai tea! hmmmm... the lavande handcream from L'Occitane will keep my hands from becoming dry and the smell is just lovely: the best handcream ever! and whenever I'm home, I light my Othello-flavoured candle from Laduree. 

And my new iPhone?! Well, I simply love it (and that's not connected to the season!) 

Enjoy your sunday evenings, folks!!!

xoxo linskaya

Winter Scarve from H&M

iPhone 4S white from Apple

Black Chai Tea from Sirocco

Othello Candle from Laduree

Lavande Handcream from L'Occitane

Black Leather Gloves from H&M

jewellery (or wanna have part V)

Wow - I just realised that is part number five of my "wanna have" series. Seems like I wanna have many things! With christmas time approaching quickly (is it just me, or are these weeks flying by more quickly every year?! Gosh, I'm getting old...) my wishlist is not going to shrink.

Well, I'm gonna do this post anyway because I wanted to do it for weeks... and because I fell in love with these pieces of jewellery. I especially heart the ones in the upper-middle. so simple and so cute! I found them all on Etsy and just be told: Should you know a jewellery-loving friend (like me) or if you're a guy and have a girlfriend, Etsy has plenty and plenty of cute shops with cute stuff. Why? Hello? didn't I just say that christmas is approaching?! :)

So, have fun searching and finding your way through cool christmas presents!

And have a great weekend (I hope to be posting more in the near future despite all the work...)

xoxo your linskaya (who is really wishing for snow now!!!!!)

ink under your skin (or inspiration part III)

  

I never thought about getting a tattoo - until a while ago. I am not really thinking about getting one now, but I realised that there are indeed tattoos that are fascinatingly beautiful. I'm not talking about huge coloured dragons across the whole body or about tribals... no way that I will ever like that! That's just as bad as chinese symbols (you can never be sure what they really mean anyway) or other popular things like roses, butterflies or dolphins! And you should obviously never burdon yourself with names or initials of your loved one... even if you intend to be staying together forever!

Just have a look at the collected pictures above and you'll know what kind of tattoos I mean: lovely, fragile, even tiny ones. The placement is what makes the difference! I couldn't tell which tattoo from the ones above I like best. They are all special in their own ways...

And once again: I'm not thinking about getting a tattoo - I'm merely admiring the art of tattooing (for the first time in my life)!

xoxo linskaya

marshmallow hot chocolate

I really like to reserve some time on Friday evenings to do whatever I like to do. Strangely enough, I almost always end up reading despite all the university reading during the rest of the week. But I simply love the feeling of slowly reducing the piles of books that surround me all the time. No matter what, I try to really allow myself 2-3 hours of precious me-time every week. And guess what? It reduces stress even better than a yoga class… 

Clearly you need something milky and chocolatey and warm and delicious to go with a good read in your me-time. I’d suggest: marshmallow hot chocolate.  It only makes sense, don’t you think?

Ingredients

3 heaped tablespoons of dark/milk/white (whatever you prefer) chocolate chips
2 (really big) marshmallows
1 cup/mug of milk (any fat content you fancy)

Tiny sugar stars for decoration

• Gently heat milk over low heat.  Whisk constantly so the milk doesn’t burn.
• Add the chocolate chips to the hot milk.  Whisk until completely blended and super delicious looking.
• Add one of the two marshmallows, which you have reduced into smaller pieces. Stir until the marshmallow pieces have dissolved.
• Pour into a mug and top with cocoa powder, tiny sugar stars and a marshmallow-heart (I used a cookie-cutter to get the heart-shape)

Now lean back and enjoy your me-time and for once don't worry about calories!

pinecone deco

Another great and sunny autumn weekend went past. And winter is approaching quickly! That's why I thought it's time to show you my autumn decoration. Really simple: fill chestnuts into a glass vase and fill up with pinecones. That alone would suffice for a great deco piece but I painted two of the pinecones gold to add a little liveliness. Hope you like it!

xoxo linskaya

PS: sorry for the really short post...

golden beauty (or wanna have part IV)

'speech is silver - silence is golden'

__________________

I don't know what it is about gold watches that fascinates me. I used to think that gold watches are only for pimps and gangsters. Especially the big ones. When did I change my mind about that? I have no clue at all. All of a sudden, a golden wrist watch does not simply look good, but I really feel the strong need to have one!

But I keep thinking: are you sure? will you wear it? will it look good on you? is it really the watches that I like? or is simply the 'stacked' look?

I wish I knew the answer to all of these questions....  I wish I had a gold watch.... I wish I wish I wish...

xoxo linskaya

self-made jewellery

Around this time of the year, I normally get out my knitting stuff. yeah, you heard right: knitting! If you don't know it yet: knitting is no longer considered old-fashioned, boring or granny-style. Knitting has a new urban and stylish image if nothing else because of the graffiti knitting movement (see here for some great examples). 

But this post is not about knitting (I just wanted to make sure that you still think I'm cool *chrchr*). This year, I don't feel like knitting though - so I was looking for a new challenge. As I spend quite some time on Pinterest, I was inspired by the idea to make some easy diy-bracelets. After the first one (who turned out to look a bit clumsy), I really got addicted and made more and more of them in all sorts of colours, with different leather ribbons and special beads. Of course, I improved after the first few!

I could now tell you how to make them yourselves, but I won't. If you need a last-minute present or just like them enough to give one to yourself for no apparent reason (who needs a reason to make him-/herself a present anyway?!), I would be happy to give them away for a tiny contribution towards expenses. I'm even inclined to take orders and wishes as to what colour-combination you would like to have your bracelet in. I can even imagine making ones in different lenghts... so, be creative!

Just in case you should have severe sleeping problems because you don't know how to make them, you could still contact me and I'll gladly tell you. ;)

xoxo linskaya

red curry coconut thai soup

I realized that it's time for a recipe that is not weird in any sense at all! I know, I've been pretty experimental where my cooking is concerned... breakfast pizzas, baked eggs, chocolate dipped pretzels... well, today I'm going for something different. And guess what? It's even healthy! 

What I am talking about is a red curry coconut thai soup. and what a delicious soup it is!!! When I first tried this recipe, I was astonished not only by its great taste but also by the utter simplicity to make it. Believe me: I'm not a hell of a cook and I certainly don't like complicated menues (which is probably because I'm a tiny bit too structured when cooking and I'm always following the instructions of a recipe meticulously). So the less instructions the better!

And in times like these, where its grey and cold outside and the temperate crawls under 10°C... nothing warms you up better than a nice spicey soup.

Ingredients – serves about 4 to 6 as a soup course or light entrée

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 heaping tbsp red curry paste (I’d suggest this one)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups coconut cream
• 1 lime, halved
• 10 large button mushrooms, sliced
• a handful of baby corn, cut into halves or chunks
• a handful of snow pea pods, ends trimmed
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, washed and dried
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions
In a medium pot, heat up the oil on medium heat for a minute or two. Add the red curry paste and stir until it starts to melt (1 or 2 minutes). Add the vegetable stock, coconut cream, lime halves and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Some extra advice for those of you who really like it healthy: Remove the pot from heat and allow to cool slightly (10 to 15 minutes). This will allow some of the oil to gather at the top so you can skim it of if you want to.

Put the broth back on the heat and bring back to a simmer over medium heat. You can remove the lime halves at this point. In a separate pan, gently roast the sliced chicken and add to the soup. Also add the snow peas, baby corn and mushrooms and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or just until tender.  Give it a taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking (I usually like it very spicy, so I added a lot of pepper and some more red curry paste).

Now spoon into serving bowls (you best use preheated ones) and top with sprigs of fresh cilantro. And you’re done! Nothing left to do but to spoon out and wait for the soup to warm you from the inside…

Until my soup is ready, I'll snuggle up in a blanket and read a bit!

xo linskaya

a wall for everything

I recently tried my hand at a bit of diy homeworking on an old wooden sunblend. You should know, before I begin, that I knew absolutely nothing about the subject. And truth be told, I still don't. Luckily, my boyfriend does!

We spent a whole (still warm and sunny) saturday in our garden working on these two old sun blends. The idea - I don't like to admit it, but it was his idea - was genious. We wanted to decorate two old wooden sunblends with a blackboard, a metal (magnetic) sheet and lots of clips. In short, we wanted to create the perfect wall for everything: for keeping businesscards, postcards from friends, photographs of funny occasions, menucards to order from take aways and for being able to keep a "To-Do" or shopping list.

I have to admit that I enjoyed myself A LOT! haha... drilling, painting, screwing, polishing, milling... just my kind of stuff! I should definitively do that more often. It's a very liberating feeling when you're dirty and tired but utterly happy... besides the fact that you made something no one else will ever have in just the same way.

So, my female friends, pick up the drill and hammer and get to work!

xoxo linskaya

autumnal decoration (or inspiration part II)

yeah, it's autumn and I keep going on about it - I hope you're not bored yet!? But the pumpkins, colourful leaves, nuts, acorns and twigs offer an infinte source of great ideas for autumnal decoration. And as I will have some time on my own this weekend, I will probably collect some things on a lovely walk through the forest and work them into a nice decor...

These are some inspirational pictures from Pinterest. Most of the ideas are pretty easily realizable. And they look really autumnally!

Ah, I can't wait to get outside again into the cold, fresh and windy air... red cheecks ahoi!

xoxo linskaya

Mugs'n'Cups aka Teatime (or wanna have part III)

Whenever it starts being cold outside again, I start drinking tea again! My favourite is the classical chai tea with milk and lots of sugar... but I'm not averse to varieties of tea. Whether Black, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Roiboos or even White tea, I like all of them except for Green Tea - Green Tea just keeps reminding me of infusion of grass and that's, er, gross!

Of course you need to have worthy cups and mugs for that! That's why I spent quite some time collecting great "drinking vessels". You can see my collection here. 

I simply love the one in the middle with the fisherman - have you ever seen a cup so cute? And the one with the cookie-drawer is just ingenious! Mrs. Potts and Tassilo just remind me so much oh my childhoo that I had to put them here. Actually, I think I would not have the heart to drink "out" off Tassilo! My favourite, however, is the first couple of cups! The idea is cute and funny... and should you ever be short of an idea what to give me for my birthday: that's it! *wink*

Let's have a cup of chai tea now!!!

xoxo linskaya

P.S. I'd love to give you the sources of these pictures or tell you where you can get them (especially the one on the top left corner), but except for Mrs. Potts and the little Tassilo I have no idea...

baked caprese eggs

It's been 36 days since my last recipe post! Obviously, I had to do something to change that immediately. So hat's the answer? of course! writing this post about another breakfast recipe, which I tried a few weeks ago! Nothing too complicated (who wants to spend 2 hours in the kitchen on a sunday morning?!) and nothing too bizarre (maybe the breakfast-pizza was a little adventurous).

This recipe (which I got here) is so simple that you can count the ingredients on one hand: tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, eggs, basil and a tiny bit of milk. You may add some salt and pepper if you like... everything has got to go into a ramekin and wander into the oven. Delicious and simple! And for those of you, who really like to have an egg on sunday mornings... try this recipe and you'll have one more great variation of that classic!

Enjoy your sunday!

xo xo xo linskaya

coziness and warmth (or inspiration part I)

 

Finally, it's cold! Yeah, you heard right... I love autumn and I really love the first few cold and rainy days in autumn. And by the way, it's October - it shouldn't be 25°C in October anyway!

 

Thus, when it's grey and cold outside, when you start drinking tea again and you almost feel like you need gloves get yourself an oversize pullover and cuddle up in it. That's the epitomy of happiness for me!

 

Fashionwise, I have to admit that I kind of fell in love with that combination of really huge, oversized grey pullovers with a pair of skinny jeans or pants of any kind. Ain't that cute, cozy, warma and fashionable in one?!

 

Enjoy your autumnally cold weekends!

xoxo linskaya