sleepwalk

Hi guys!

I'm just dropping in to post a few pics from last Saturday. I know I'm a bit late, but I finally had the time to sort out the photos that I had collected on my SD-card, so I prepared them yesterday. However unfortunately most of the photos didn't turn out as I wanted them to, I suppose it's because I'm trying to use my cam's manual mode and all the features and settings more now, but I'm still a raw recruit. I still struggle with the manual focus, so most pics were blurred, what a bummer. I will practice and visit a photo seminar soon, I really want to know how everything works because I've been only working with the automatic programs since last Christmas when I bought me the camera and now it's high time to get into the manual stuff.





Patrick's band had another gig last Saturday, so we spent the whole night in Aachen. I try to accompany him to as many gigs as possible because it's always fun to hang out with the band and our friends and because there's so much more going on at the weekend in Aachen than here in Düsseldorf - at least concerning rock music.
Funnily enough I got a comment from a girl yesterday who asked if I was at this concert because she thought she had seen me there. It's a small world isn't it? I have noticed that there are so many bloggers here in the area, I mean Aachen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, the Ruhr basin... we should really try to have a blogger meeting someday.



Above you can see our friend Wolf. He is a better photographer than me and he took the photo of me below and edited it, I borrowed it from his Facebook. Thanks Wolf!




So as I said, most of my pics were crap. I hope I'll be able to take better ones next time...
Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the nice sunshiny weather now because I'm having the day off (yay!). I'm not sure where to go yet, I was thinking of either going to the North Park with its Japanese garden or to a little castle nearby our flat with a lovely bailey and garden. Let's see where I'll end up :)

Have a great day!





now playing: crime in stereo - type one

every endless day

Hi guys!

The second to last week of my summer break is going by, Germany is having a wonderful Indian summer now, I should enjoy the mild sunny weather after work, meet friends for a drink or sit on the balcony and read a book... but instead I've been feeling tired and weary for no reason since last week. My life is not stressful at all at the moment and still I can't drag myself out of bed in the mornings without hitting the snooze button two or three times before. It's annoying, I don't know... how will it be when the new semester begins? My days will be packed with uni and work! I hope I'll recover a bit from this weariness until then.
Maybe it's because of all the little ailments I got at the moment. Whatever... It will pass.




♥ cardi: gina tricot ♥ shirt: h&m ♥ jeans: zara ♥ shoes: new yorker ♥ bag: bershka ♥




These photos were taken last week when I tried to style this shirt/dress with jeans. I had tried wearing it as a dress before but was not so happy with its length because I like to cover up my legs from the knee upwards, so I tried an other version with my skinny jeans and I think it turned out really nice.
Furthermore I love to wear these flats with blue jeans, the colours just look so good together, so I always try to put together something that can be worn with this orange-red tone.
I like how they bright effect on the photos make it pop even more :)




♥ necklace: new yorker ♥ watch: casio ♥




Alright, now I'm off to buy some groceries for a quiche recipe and afterwards back home I'll watch a movie and iron the laundry. God I sound like an old housewife, so terrible..... oh well but that's life right? Everybody has to do housework. Boring but necessary...

Have a lovely day! :)






now playing: the ataris - i remember you (best Skid Row cover ever)

mars muffins recipe

Hi guys!

The other day a certain baking lust just came over me, so I grabbed my recipes folder and looked for something I had not tried before et voilà: Mars muffins. Well, actually the recipe was for Mars Delight but they didn't have them at the supermarket so i took the normal Mars chocolate bars and gave it a try.
Basically when using the basic recipe you can bake these muffins with any chocolate bars you like, I can imagine they would also taste amazing with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for example.

Anyway, here is the recipe:


For 12-18 muffins (depending on the size) you need


320g Mars (Delight) chocolate bars
250g flour
2 table spoons cocoa powder
2 table spoons baking powder
1/2 table spoon baking soda
1 egg
75g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
80ml vegetable oil
300g buttermilk
a muffin baking dish or these little paper baking cups


Here we go...



1. Pre-heat the oven at 180° Celsius. Chop up the chocolate bars into chunks.
Then mix them with the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.



2. Whisk the egg and mix it with the sugar, vanilla sugar, oil and buttermilk.
Then fold in the chocolate-cocoa-mash bit by bit until all the dry ingedients are wet, so that everything is a well-stirred dough.



3. Fill the dough into the baking form or paper cups with a spoon.



5. Bake them on the middle rack in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes. Afterwards switch off the oven and let the muffins rest for 5 more minutes. Then take them out and let them cool down.



6. Taadaaa! Yummy Mars muffins with delicious melted choco-caramel chunks inside, hmmmmmm :)


I hope you like it!
Sorry to my German readers, this time I can't provide a link to a German recipe because I got it from a magazine. You can still contact me via mail though if you'd like to have the recipe in German language.

Have a lovely day!




now playing: band of horses - is there a ghost

invisible movement

Hi guys!

No my eyesight has not gotten worse overnight and no I also have not been concealing contact lenses from you. The truth is: these plastic glasses were only 3€ so I bought them just for fun.
Actually I already own a pair of fake glasses, a really pretty pair with lizard print that I put in my shopping bag just randomly when I purchased some accessories at Modcloth last year. But these Modcloth glasses are real geek glasses, they look cute but are pretty big so I never wear them out.
However the cheap plastic ones that you can see in the photos are a bit more discreet concerning the size. well at least as discreet as geek glasses can be, right? Anyway, I wore them out when i had to run errands the other day and got neither strange looks, nor giggles nor whatever, it felt just fine. Unfortunately when I'm in a rush I start to sweat on my forehead so the glasses kept steaming up and eventually I took them off because i had to clean them with the sleeve of my jacket every 5 minutes. But I think I'll still wear them out from time to time though...



♥ blouse, pants + bag: h&m ♥ cardi: c&a ♥ scarf: new yorker ♥ belt: primark ♥ shoes: converse ♥ glasses: claire's ♥



What do you think about wearing fake glasses? Is it stupid for people who don't need real ones? Or is it just an accessory like a belt, headband or necklace?
I must admit I didn't like this trend when it first occured about two years ago but now I'm like why not?! It's a good way to change your looks and style and to try out something new without being forced to spend a fortune on real optical products. My last eyesight test actually showed that I could wear glasses with -0,5 diopter, but that's nothing so why not try to keep my vision good as long as possible and wear fake glasses instead?



By the way I've been having an obsession with this plumish red Maybelline Superstay 24 Color in "Absolute Plum" lately (and I red that when you wear glasses the make-up should emphasize the lips?!).

Have a lovely day!






now playing: kings of leon - closer

hello transition

Hi guys!

Transition time is here - finally! I have collected dogears in lots of magazines to fill this post with lovely fall pieces I came across when flipping through the pages. Abstract animal and ethno prints, earthy natural colours, flowing and warming fabrics, the fall/winter collections are full of them, I love it! Here they are, hope you like the selection.




Kardinale leo slippers



Felder Felder dress



Timex watch



Lindsey Thornburg cloak



Zara skirt



Thu Thu shorts


Antik Batik skirt



Will Leather Goods bag



Nicola Hinrichsen bangles



Vila cardigan



Buffalo boots



K-Way jacket



I adore fall colours! Can't wait for all the fallen leaves on the ground :)

Have a great day!





now playing: coeur de pirate - c'était salement romantique

it’s a damn good thing you know

Hi guys!

See how I try to wear my summer dresses before the weather gets even colder? I've bought a few new ones this summer but didn't have the opportunity to wear them or I was not in the right mood to do it. Now I combine them with tights and scarves to make them wearable for the fall weather and it works pretty well. I even wore boots, yes boots! That's how far we are now, the year is almost over. Unbelievable how the months have flown by, no?



♥ dress + belt: primark ♥ cardi: gina tricot ♥ scarf: h&m ♥ boots: bullboxer ♥ hat: kleiderkreisel ♥




By the way, has somebody been watching this TV series Skins? I have some spare time until the new semester begins in October and I was bored, so I started watching it and damn I love it. Is that embarrassing? I'm almost 10 years older than the characters in the story and I didn't have such a fucked up youth, but it's so catching to watch how the different storylines develop. Basically it seems to be especially interesting to those people whose youth was not full of drama, intrigues, drugs, sex and parties. I'm somewhere in the middle of season two at the moment so no spoilers please ;)
I've heard that it was a scandal in the USA because there is so much sex and drug abuse happening in this series, but actually I think it depicts youth in general pretty well because even if the younger me was not like that, I still knew several persons who acted similarly to the characters.
What about you? Seen it? Like it? Hate it? Don't care?






♥ brooch on the hat: Budapest souvenir ♥ ring: ebay ♥




Well, that's it for today. We have to go grocery shopping now andsee what to have for supper, so everybody enjoy your day/evening!

Happy Wednesday!






now playing: letlive - muther

Zalando Fashion Flatrate

Hi guys!

I couldn't help taking part in this awesome contest when I first saw it the other day. The huge fashion online store Zalando is offering one lucky winner a fashion flatrate, that is a 300 Euro giftcard each month for one whole year, wow!
All you have to do is head over to their website, create an outfit only containing pieces from their immense range of lovely clothing, shoes and accessories, post about it on your blog or Facebook page, link back to them and fill out a little form. I'm not sure in what countries they're having this contest so maybe you should check that out first, I only know about Germany and the Netherlands.
Et voilà, here is what I put together:





This would be an example of a perfect fall look for me. I love burgundy, dark green and cognac brown anyway and I think they're especially awesome for fall because they remind me of fallen leaves. Furthermore there is nothing better than a fun print shirt combined with a lovely cardi and basic pieces like a simple skirt, legwarmers, a university-suitable bag and classic boots. Many people say such a shirt and cardi are too much when put together but I like it playful and a little extraordinary, so I go for it.
The icing on top for me always is delicate golden jewelry like this simple Arena Copenhagen necklace and the matching rather sporty Nixon watch to dress everything down a bit.



Please note that I can only provide the links to their German website because I'm taking part in the German contest.

How do you like the outfit?

Happy Tuesday! :)

where I'll end up

Hi guys!

The other day I was unpacking my Budapest suitcase and sorting out laundry and still fresh clothing. It was surprising how many shirts and dresses I brought back home unworn, it was such a waste of space in the suitcase that I could have used for something else. I'm a loser when it comes to packing in advance, especially if I know I'll have to live out of the suitcase for more than two or three days because I dress after my mood and need the possibility to choose spontaneously. Actually that's a pretty spoiled attitude towards clothing right? We all know this "whole wardrobe full of nothing to wear" and every time I'm such a dressing crisis I afterwards realize how stupid it actually is. As if there were no other problems in my life or let's say even more important problems in the world.
And still these situations occur regularly. What do to against it? Does anybody have an idea? I sort out my wardrobe, sell, buy and re-sell monthly and it works quite well, but it doesn't keep me from acting so spoiled once in a while...



♥ dress + necklace: h&m ♥ cardi: c&a ♥ jacket: new yorker ♥ belt: primark ♥ scarf: accessorize ♥ shoes: goertz ♥



Anyway, this outfit is the result of throwing together the unworn pieces from the suitcase. I love this look, I think it's typically me. It includes tights, a dress, florals, polkadots, brown accessories, et voilà the perfect everyday outfit. Not to forget tights are much more comfortable than pants :)
Also I can't get enough of darkblue and brown, it's my favourite colour combo this year and it might make it into 2012 as well.
I love that floral summer dresses can be worn for fall so easily if you add some essential things like tights or a scarf. Can't wait for the real fall to begin soon!
How about you? I red on so many blogs that fall is the favourite season, does that apply to you too?

Happy Sunday!





now playing: dredg - ireland

stomping ground

Hi guys!

I came across these photos while I was organizing my photo folders and realized that I have not posted them yet, so here they are.
A few weeks ago I went to my home village to visit friends and attend the ridiculously small village fair. You know, there is really nothing going on in this place, never has been and never will. So a bouncing castle for the kids, a stereo, homemade cakes and coffee are the highest of highs in this place, but still I love it. I love the "hick town -ishness", I love that I know every single house, tree and fence, I love the endless fields around and I love all the memories I have of this sleepy boring hamlet.
I was invited to dinner at a friend's house later this day, but after I had left I stopped by the dirt road behind the end of the village to take some photos. Excuse the poor quality, I used the self-timer and it was crazy wind there in the fields, hence the nice hair.....



♥ coat, dress worn as top + skirt: h&m ♥ shoes: goertz ♥



I used to hate living there when I was younger, you know, this urge to leave home and explore th world and all. But now I think it would be nice if my mum still lived there, so I could visit her over the weekend from time to time. I would love to stroll through the area and take photos in the midst of this beautiful landscape.
It's so much harder to find outdoor places for taking photos in the city! Especially if you're the strange girl that tries to use the self-timer in public and especially when you don't have a tripod and look for a window sill or whatever to place your camera on.
I really need to buy a tripod very very soon...





Alright, enough melancholy for now. I just didn't want these photos to disappear in the bottomless pit of my unorganized photo folders ;)

And now for something completely different for my German readers:

Ebay hat noch bis Montagmorgen eine Keds Sonderaktion laufen, es gibt dicke Reduzierungen auf viele schöne Modelle! Klickt einfach das Bild:




Also ich finds super, liebäugle mit dem bordeauxroten Kordmodell...




Have a lovely day!




now playing: marlon roudette - new age

wedding bells

♥ dress + blazer: h&m ♥ belt: stradivarius ♥ shoes: deichmann ♥


Hi guys!

Before you start to congratulate: this was not my wedding! Patrick and I still prefer to wait ;)
But last week one of my girls had her big day, Nina got married. It was about time, she and her boyfriend have had a long distance relationship - a very very long distance to be precise because Wissem used to live in Marocco.
She's a travel agent, so you probably get how they met, don't you? Anyway, they had to wait for so long, delay the wedding date because of missing documents, send important papers around the world and overcome lots of difficulties... and then it finally worked out!
The wedding day was great, everybody was so happy for them and the two were beaming with joy all of the time :)
Farah and me even managed to be at the registry office just in time, two minutes before the ceremony began, phew...





It was so touching when Nina's mother held a little speach about how their relationship had developed and it was such a wonderful moment when both said YES to each other, awww :)
Afterwards outside it rained rose petals and rice for them and the bride's father handed out glasses of bubbly and orange juice for the drivers. The weather was a bit shitty but no one let it rain on their parade.
However it was a bit sad that Wissem's family was not there. He's originally from Tunisia and unfortunately for Tunisians it's not so easy to get any kind of visa for Germany. The good thing is that they are going to repeat the wedding party in Tunisia next year so the groom's family can take part in the celebrations too.
Well, back to the wedding: after lots of congratulating and all the whole party went to the ballroom location as one big honking motorcade.







Hhmmm the wedding cake, it looked beautiful and was really delicious. Of course the bridal couple cut the cake together and handed out the slices to everyone.
It was so snugly to sit in this lovely ballroom with coffee and cake while outside the weather got worse. But oh what a bummer, the weather! Rain, wind, everything you can't use for your wedding day! Fortunately after a while it cleared up and stopped raining, so the bridal couple snapped at the chance to go to the near Benrather Castle to take photos in the palace garden. Farah, Regina and me took advantage of their absence to prepare a little surprise :)

First of all we had ordered some single-use cameras that were put on the tables so every guest had the chance to take pictures. And then we also had collected 52 colourful postcards that we hung up on a rope.
Later on we explained the guests that everyone could take one or more postcards and that there were calendar weeks written on them, so if everybody would send the postcard to Nina and Wissem in the particular stated week they would receive a postcard every week for one year until their first anniversary.
The postcards all found a sender, so now we hope the people won't forget to send them in the right week. Keeping my fingers crossed...





I had also prepared a speech bubble made of cardboard and chalkboard paint where everyone could write or draw something to congratulate the bride and groom in the photos. I'm glad I managed to craft this the night before the wedding because it turned out as a nice party gag that was used for other mischief purposes later on as well.







In the course of the evening even more friends arrived and we all really had a blast - especially Nina and Wissem of course. Yummy food, happy bride and groom and guests, music, dancing, fun and fooling, this day was the full package. It was wonderful and I couldn't have imagined a better wedding celebration for the two of them.
As you can see I took tons of photos (and you're only seeing a tiny bit of them), so for the end of this post here is the rest of what I picked out:


Bummer! The bar didn't serve spirits, so the wedding presents had to be unwrapped and we toasted to the wedding with sambuca.


"Make a funny face!"



me handing over our present


we had thrown together to buy them musical tickets for The Lion King in Hamburg and they obviously liked our idea :)


a kiss for the bride



And of course no girls event without a victory posing photo for our friend Jasmin in Beijing! She's Nina's best friend but couldn't be with us because of her stay abroad in China, so the least we could do was think of her and make a special photo only for our wannabe Chinese ;)
Jasmin we miss you!
And Nina and Wissem if you happen to read this: congratulations again! I wish you all the best for your life as a married couple!

Have a lovely day everyone!




now playing: crime in stereo - i stole this for you