Classic old tartan

 

 It's been a while (again), this is starting to become a habit, one that I do not like. Disappearing from the online world is not a necessity for me, it's rather happening because time is not enough for me to actually browse around the big old Internet. I barely have 6 hours to sleep, 20 minutes to eat, and about 5 seconds to breathe - an exaggeration, but you get the point. 

Adult life is not a pink dream. 

 Did you notice that tartan print is having a come back? Or maybe is it just me and it was in trend for many seasons and I just opened my eyes now. Anyway, I saw this skirt and my first thought was: "This actually does NOT look like a table cloth" - I usually get that idea in my head when I see tartan, checkered prints and such. 

I just loved the fabric and the colors and also the design - that front zipper really turns the skirt one step into the modern world. I did not mean to make that sound so dramatic though.

 Anyway, I am very late for work as it is, let me know your thoughts on this outfit, how would you wear a tartan print item?

 

Wearing: Zara sweater and coat, Stradivarius bag,  skirt and bracelets, H&M boots

Neutral Winter

 

February is just around the corner, the last month of Winter so they say; the thought that one more month (make that a month and a half) of cold, heavy coats, boots and sweaters is killing me slowly. I miss Spring, I miss the flowers and the chilly evenings where I could walk around without freezing and dreaming of a hot tea to warm myself up. 

 On that note, it feels that a transitional season is up ahead and for me, that means neutral colors and neutral feelings. So, camel coats, beige boots, ochre skirts or grey bags will suffice. Gradually, I intend to add more color to the outfits, I started off with a dark purple this time, because well, plain neutral from head to toe is just boring. I couldn't go out without some accessories, I took out all my vintage Toledo gold jewels this time around - these did not came in a set, I searched for them individually for more than a year! I am still searching for a bracelet in this style, maybe 2017 will be my lucky year!

  

Wearing: Miniprix cape, thrifted skirt, Mondiano boots, bag from HERE, New Look tights

The blue fluffy coat

 

 I'm that person usually comfortable in the classic, elegant style, with a bit of glamour on top, but every now and then I enjoy a twist of eccentricity and this blue furry coat is the one I am referring to here.

 I remember buying it a looong time ago on an impulse. It was so different than everything else I saw in stores and back then I used to be this restless spirit that wanted to be as colorful as possible, but also, in style! I wanted to feel that way again so I decided to wear this coat on a Sunday afternoon and you know what? I still love it, which is quite something considering the fact that I usually get bored of 40% of my wardrobe season after season. 

How do you like it? I am curious to know!

 

Wearing: thrifted coat and belt, New Yorker scarf, Adona bag, H&M boots.

A freezing new year

 

Hello 2017 and hello all you visitors that continue to come back to my blog in this new year! 

I hope you had a lovely time celebrating the New Year's Eve, I wish that all your resolutions will be fulfilled this year, so let's keep on positive! 

The new year welcomed us with a massive freeze, for the past two days it has been incredibly cold here, the air crisp and the trees completely covered in white. We made this photos on the frozen lake in our local park actually, a place you normally cross by boat, but kids were skating and pushing each other across the ice with no fear. It's that cold! My hands and feet were frozen within 10 minutes and I wished I had a thermos with hot tea so badly!

 Whenever this white Winter comes and the temperatures drop considerably, I am always covering myself up in this coat, it's doubled up with faux fur on the inside and it keeps me so warm and it looks classy as well - you will never see me wearing a parka jacket, I tell you that! 

 Keep warm guys and let's make the new year a fabulous one!

 

Wearing: Bershka coat, self-made skirt, Deichmann old boots, vintage earrings, no name hat and gloves

Christmas cupcakes ideas!

 

One more day left and Christmas is here! 

I think that actually the most joyful part of this holiday is all the preparation and anticipation for it rather than Christmas day itself - oh wait, there also the gifts opening on that day, nevermind what I just said, that is the most exciting part! 

So in honor of this holiday, as I felt very festive, I decided to make some Winter themed cupcakes which I am totally excited about. The idea came into my mind in a minute and in the next hour I was out purchasing all the necessary ingredients. The decorating ideas came into my mind as the baking process went all along, so naturally, I was missing some red pigment or some glitter, I'm also not too happy about the cupcake paper forms, they started to disintegrate in the oven, but after all this, at least they are insanely delicious and my level satisfaction was sky high!

 

I have my snowmen which I made with extreme care out of fondant and I used some pretzels and chocolate tiny bubbles as I like to call them, as decor

Next I have my polar bear paws made out of chocolate glazed biscuits and chocolate almond dragees - I actually had to glaze them myself because I could not find anywhere small chocolate biscuits with glaze on them - it was mission impossible IX

Aaaand my little reindeer and snowballs, I used the same fondant for both, some dragees and lots of coconut flakes as decor!

For these cupcakes I used simple ingredients, like 250 g flour and sugar, 3 eggs, a teaspoon of baking powder, 100 ml sour cream, 170 g of butter and some vanilla extract for the dough. Baked in the oven for 20 minutes and done!

For the white icing, I used 100 g of cream cheese, 25 g of butter and 50 g of powder sugar.

As for the brandy icing I used 200 ml of whipped cream, 30 g of powder sugar, one tablespoon of soluble coffee and a bit of brandy for flavor.

Simple right? The decorating part is the most challenging but also, fun to do!

With this, I am wishing you all a very Merry (and sweet) Christmas and I hope you are also feeling as festive and joyful as I do! 

See you soon!

My kind of Winter

 

It's been too long since I posted an outfit post, I missed those days when I had free time and lots of new clothes to play around with and also an available photographer pretty much all the time.

But you know, life gets in the way, job hours stress you out and everybody is busy. Now Christmas is coming and everyone is hectic with preparations and gift shopping.

 My moods have been swinging from extremely festive to a somewhat nostalgia chill, don't know exactly why, perhaps a feeling of "getting older" that will surely pass. But this weird feeling kept me from feeling..inspired, which I totally hate.

I am wearing here quite a basic Winter outfit for me, I love this chromatic mix - the navy blue and marsala are working together beautifully, and this is pretty much what I have been wearing this season, a mini skirt hidden under a fine tailored coat, a blanket type of scarf (this one in particular is very soft and keeps me really warm) either heeled boots or over the knee simple ones, and a beret too, forgot it at home unfortunately this time and trust me, my ears were frozen and sore, it did not feel nice.

 This is my kind of outfit for Winter, quite chic, as I like it! 

Now tell me, are you ready for the holidays?

 

Memories from Vienna, Prague and Budapest

Hello guys! I am back from a short vacation across Central Europe and I am so excited to finally share my experiences and photos!

 It took a while to make a selection, it's just difficult to decide which picture is better or if one is more important than the other. 

But anyway, as soon as December kicked off, we embarked on a trip and went straight to Vienna for a day, just in time for the Christmas markets! The atmosphere was not as cozy as expected mainly because a very strong and cold wind was blowing our heads off, so we couldn't enjoy the fairs at the fullest. I really wanted to visit the Belvedere Museum and see Gustav Klimt's paintings - I really love his works and to see "The Kiss" in real life was a little dream of mine. There is no comparison, it's so different from what you see on paper or photos, because it literally shines and there are so many hidden details in it, it's just magical!

I left that place in awe, not just because of the paintings, but because the whole palace is mesmerizing.

I loved the Christmas decorations, they were so pretty and also expensive, but I left Vienna with a silk scarf and a beautiful mug, both illustrating Klimt's paintings - I'm such a tourist, I know!

Next stop was Prague and oh, how much I fell in love with this city! We barely explored about 30% of the old town, we managed to visit the castle and spent some time around the main square where the Christmas fair was happening.

Prague is a medieval city, is it's so different from Vienna which is more grand and austere.

It's simply charming, with all its tiny streets and extremely old buildings; the downside is that it's constantly so filled with tourists that you can barely manage to get from point A to point B. It gets exhausting after a while, so because of the crowds, we could's get a glimpse of Prague from the clock tower, but at least we spent some time on Charles bridge and gaze upon the river and also enjoyed some hot wine in the market.

Can you believe this view??

Like I said, charming!

I really loved it and I can't wait to go back and explore some more.

Next stop was Budapest. We've been here before during the Summer, but now we got to experience the Christmas mood from downtown, which was extremely lovely and also, busy. Filled with people, tourists, gingerbread and many, many lovely souvenirs and Christmassy stuff. Too bad we stayed there far too little, I really needed more time to feel the holiday vibe in Budapest.

And now we are back home, preparing for Christmas (at least I am) - this trip really got me in the mood to make awesome gifts and even though it was tiresome, I somehow feel energized and in a very good mood! It's amazing what happens when you leave your normal routine and explore new activities or places.

I hope you loved these pictures, if you want to see more you can keep up with my Instagram account (@lola.wonder) and I'll keep on posting bits and pieces of this holiday that did not make it to this post.

Now tell me, are you ready for the Winter holidays?