WINTER love. | outfit. |

Today was the loveliest winter day in Vienna. Full of sunshine. I'm a person whose mood depends a loooot on the weather. There are these days - when I wake up I either can already hear the rain on my window or I look outside and see the grey and gloomy weather. In this situation I could instantly go back into my bed and stay there all day long. It's very hard to get motivated when you can feel the world goes down outside your house. Then, there are these days - where you are woken up by the sun. One of the best feelings, I think. My mood and motivation rises immediately!! 

Although, I haven't been the biggest fan of the winter the last months, I thought I'd give it a second chance. ;) So, my friend and I decided it would be a great possibility to go for a walk and take some lovely pictures. I'm lucky, that I don't live directly in the bustle of the city, but in an outlying district where I have very good subway,bus and tram connections and at the same time possibilities to escape my everyday life. I put some of the photos I've taken today down below (and also some pictures of my outfit I wore today) Enjoy :)

bag - H&M

gloves (they're black with white "BRRR..." on it ;)) from MONKI - London

 

coat - Pimkie, scarf - ZARA, nailpolish -  ESSIE(bikini so teeny)

black boots - F21

 

NEW YEAR. 2015.

I have to say, it wasn't the best year of my life, neither the worst one. I've had wonderful moments, but also the opposite. One thing I can say for sure is that LONDON by far was the best time for me in 2014. I experienced an unbelievable and exciting month without (almost) any worries. :)

I don't see the 1st of January as a big restart in my life, like many other people. I personally think that when you really want to change and improve something in your life you would do it right NOW. So for me, especially the last 3 month were a journey of working on motivation and attitude regarding certain things. If you really want to change something and STICK to it, you don't need the 1st of a month or a Monday of a week. 

Next to some points/tasks I'd like to work on this year (which I listed below), I really want to stick to this idea: I will start this January with an empty jar and I will fill it with notes about good things that happen during the year. Then, on New Years Eve 2015,  I'll empty it and I'll see what awesome stuff happend in 2015. I think it is an great idea, that helps you remembering to really focus on the POSITIVE and to just enjoy your life to the fullest! 

1. Stay focused and disciplined while learning/working.

I'm that kind of person, that can be distracted so easily. This leads to minimal concentration and productivity - which sucks! Especially when you have two exams in one week. So, came up with tips/ideas, and I'm really trying to use them while learning.

• Keep nothing!!! on your desk except books/notepad you need for the subject.
• Turn off your phone and hide it somewhere (yes, in my case this has to be done haha) 
• Organising the subject matter (although I'm an organized person I neglect that sometimes)

  Fitness.

Getting fitter and going to the gym more often must be under the top 3 new years resolutions. But thats not what I meant for my "resolution". Personally, I haven't got that lack of motivation when it comes to fitness right now. My goal is to MAINTAIN A ROUTINE. I'd like to keep on going 3-4 times a week constantly. That means: I'll not have this routine for a month and then get demotivated for the next month. Another thing would be that my goal isn't weight loss, but rather muslce gain.

Healthy eating.

During the last 2 years I learned more and more about nutrition, diets and health benefits. I found out whats good for my body. While browsing through some blogs, I learned more about the vegan lifestyle, some vegetarian and paleo recipes. Personally, I'm mostly trying to avoid dairy products and in general exchange products with healthier options like: milk- almond milk; white bread- whole- grain bread;oil-coconut oul; sugar- agave syrup....and so on. I chose this "lifestyle" because of all the benefits you get from them : you feel fitter and more awake, you'll see a transformation on your skin, hair and body...and many more. 

Save money and travel.

What really annoys me is that whenever I got money for my birthday or Christmas, somehow most of the money was gone after a few weeks. Really don't know for what exactly, but it would've been so much better if I'd saved a little bit on every occasion. So, that has been definitely a goal for the last year and I will go on saving money whenever I possibly can. The most important reason for me is: travelling. I'd really want to see at least 2 NEW PLACES/CITIES this year. A few tipps and tasks that I have on this subject would be:

• Put all of the little coins from your wallet in a box and empty it every other week/month.
• Go shopping only when you really need and fancy a piece. 
• Sell old clothes on "Kleiderkreisel".
• Cook more and go out for breakfast/lunch/dinner at least 4 times a month.

"Do more of what makes you happy" and stop worrying too much.

I guess this one is more an attitude goal. Last year I caught myself worrying about things, that you shouldn't really worry about. This leads to overthinking and you could say "kills
the happiness". Sounds a bit depressing, but it's true I think. So, I'm trying to worry less and maybe be more spontaneous.

 What I also realised is, that I keep on thinking about something that has happened in the past (something that wasn't positive and hurt me in a certain way), which I think is totally a waste of time. You hold onto something, that doesn't exist anymore and that you can't change. So why still worry about it ? If something great happened, you have a wonderful memory. If  it was a negative experience, for me, most of the time it was a lesson and what I should do now is focus on the future and what's ahead of me instead.

I finish this blog post with this fortune cookie and- in my opinion the perfect way to start a new year.
I hope you'll manage and compete your own new year resolutions, if you set some. :)

POSTCARDS. selfmade design.

Lately, I've been designing...it might sound a bit lame to some, but I just love these cards with motivational or funny quotes on it (doesn't matter where they're from)- so I started thinking about designing on my own.

I can't walk past any postcards in a homeware shop or anywhere else - honestly, my collection is growing and growing, but it's not stopping me from getting more of them ;) Some might think it's an crazy obsession, but as a creative person you just wanna see art and beauty in the smallest and simplest things. I love designing in general, so I sat down and let my creativity run wild. I really like how they turned out so take a look if you want!

Enjoy. :)

but first, coffee.

make art.make out.make love.

believe you can and you're halfway there.

it's up to you to find beauty in the ugliest days.

don't expect to see change if you don't make one.

choose to be optimistic - it feels better.

I'm aware that you can find quotes like that all over the internet, I really wanted to focus on the design.  One reason why I started this is because collecting cards like that is a hobby and a passion of mine. The other reason would be that such sayings can really motivate me no matter when,where or why. Sport, university or life in general. When you're having a bad day, or you're in a bad mood often little things can make you feel better and help you see the positive in the situation.

If you have a personal favorite quote, I'd love to read them in the comments!! :) xx

AUTUMN spirit. | recipes | new discoveries.

Recipe: Cocoberry- Smoothie

All you need

Blackberries
Bananas
Cinnamon

Buttermilk or yoghurt
Almond milk or normal milk
Coconut flakes

1. add in 1/2 cup of almondmilk and 1/2 cup of buttermilk

2. add the fruits 1 cup of blackberries and 1 cup fruits of your choice (bananas,strawberries)

3. last step- add cinnamon (depends on how much you like it ;)) and coconut flakes
you could also add in nuts or dates.

I also used some of the coconut flakes for decoration :) the smoothie is absolutely delicious and filling!! with the cinnamon flavour it's also perfect for autumn and winter. a touch of Christmas feeling! <3

FOOD must-haves  + healthy snack idea.

Fruits always are a must-have in the kitchen. I think there isn't any fruit I don't like. Especially when it get's colder you should eat a lot of fruits because of all the vitamines, minerals and anti-oxidants. They can help your body to prevent diseases and keep you healthy. Right now, I'm obsessed with plums and pears. Apples, dates and figs are also great and delicious autumnal fruits.

If you are craving sugar after a meal or in the evening fruits are the best alternative to chocolate, cake or cookies. I'll show you one of my favorite combination.

just cut 1 apple into pieces

and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on top.

not much effort but extremely delicious and healthy. 

FASHION must-haves + new discoveries.

of course - cosy warm sweathers and hoodies.

I recently discovered two new magazines. The first one is called "flow". Firstly, the cover really caught my attention with it's cute design. I also find the articles very interesting. Ideas, inspiration & advice - really cool, something for everyone. The next one is "couch". It's simple a home and fashion magazine. You are getting inspired for decoration, DIY's, fashion and beauty products. My last discovery is probably my most loved one - it's the book "the five people you meet in heaven" by Mitch Albom. I can't really describe how impressed I am by this book. He writes about a man and his personal story and impressions after he dies. In heaven he meets five people from his past who help him understand the meaning of his life. Absolutly worth reading !!!

I hope I could inspire you a little bit with my ideas and discoveries I showed you in this post. If you also have some delicious smoothie or snack recipes, feel free to leave them in a comment below! :) 

AUTUMN love.

  AUTUMN love.

 

Although, it's a very hard decision to make, I can say that autumn is my favorite season. Despite the weather - because it's not too warm and not too cold- there are a lot more things that I really love about that season. Fashion, decoration, food and lifestyle.I have my personal favorites in each category.

D E C O R A T I O N. One of my absolute favorite things to do is decorating. Of course I don't want to spend an awful lot of money to redecorate my whole room, but I love finding some bits-and-bobs to make my room feel a little more autumnal. For example - pillow cases in warm and mellow colours, many candles with vanilla and ginger scents, comfortable and soft blankets etc.

brown pillow with pattern (H&M), orange pillow (mömax)

 
F A S H I O N. First of all, warm and cozy jumpers and pyjamas. Who doesn't love a chilled evening at home or even a whole day just in your favorite pyjamas? I definitely do! A chilled evening wouldn't be perfect without warm socks. I couldn't live without them during autumn and winter. When you can finally convince yourself to go outside in the cold, you can wear fashionable jackets and coats.

L I F E S T Y L E. I love watching series all the time, but in autumn I become a real junkie. I get addicted and I love discovering new series. Recently I started Sex and the city (hilarious!! I love it), Breaking Bad (because it seems to me that everyone in the world is watching it, but me! :P)  and series like Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl never bore me so I can watch them all over again 100 times. ;) When I find the time I love having a pamper evening. Having a bath - quite recently I bought my first LUSH products (amazing!) - while reading a book or a magazine, putting on a face mask...you know just all the girly stuff- but I really love doing that once in a while. It's so relaxing and I really need that sometimes.

Yankee Candle - Honey Glow. <3

F O O D. This category couldn't be left out. I'm a tea lover, and in this case I also have my favorite teas in autumn. While I prefer green teas all year around, I also love fruit and sweeter teas during autumn. Autumn time is hot chocolate time. I love drinking hot chocolate when it's cold outside and you want to warm up a little bit. Autumn and winter is the time where you shouldn't have a bad conscience while eating delicious cookies or cake. Chocolate cookies, gingerbread, cupcakes, apple pie - who can resist to that? I can't! :) 

3 of my favorite teas.

beautiful autumn morning.

I really wanted to share some of my autumnal favorites with you and I hope that you'll also share some of yours in the comments below! :)