A PEAK INTO MY STUDIO

As I told you on my last post, I plan on moving to the Netherlands by the end of the summer on 1st of August. Truth to be told, I don't know exactly what I'll be doing but I feel it is the right time to have this experience in my life.

Anyway, many times during our conversations with A. about me moving there, I can't help but think that I've been living by my own for 7 years now, always in extra spacious places. And then, when I picture my life in the Netherlands I realize that we will probably live in a way smaller house than the one i have now and with way less room for working.

When I came across WeWork, a coworking company, I was inspired to post about my work space and  all the little features of my studio that make the difference for me -and probably I'll miss a tone when abroad. WeWork is a lovely community that helps creative people work in amazingly friendly and beautiful environments by providing lovely spaces in a handful of locations all around the world. Well, i'm checking out Amsterdam soon ;)

Well, I am lucky enough to own an apartment so I have relatively more room for myself. Therefore, where there should be a living room, I have my workplace. I chose a big, 4m long, working table, that -let's be honest- works perfectly as a dining table as well. The best part of it is that it is so long that I can easily divide it into different working areas. As you know, my first occupation is architecture. Then I am a jewelry designer and somewhere in between -not so much lately- I am a blogger. Having a working place like that helps me keep things in order without flipping out. The left side belongs to jewelry making. The right side to architecture. And in between everything else. If I have someone over for work, this is his spot. If I'm working on a separate project for the blog, it belongs there. 

Another important feature, that's not pictured above, is a little sofa I have. Mostly used as my dogs spot, but it gives a more "hommie" and cozy aspect to the space and many times if I need to relax i just take my laptop and move my business there for a while ;)

However, other than the left side of the table that's full of ropes, copper pieces and materials for my jewelry, the rest of the room is rather architectural. I have four bookcases full of architecture books and four big b&w framed posters with the works of the most famous architects.

Anyway, I believe that the space people work in is really important and can have a great impact on the quality of their work as well as their psychology. So, the fact that WeWork provides spaces like that is at least reassuring and inspiring. 

Guest Post | Tara Victoria

Hello lovely myLifebox readers! My name is Tara Victoria, a Graphic Designer and Blogger from Canada. I run my design studio Hatch & Harbour as well as the blog taravictoria.com, a lifestyle and design blog blog about simplicity, experiences, living authentically and all things inspiring. I am thrilled to be guest posting for Anna-Rosa as she travels and takes a much needed break!

Though I love the warm weather of Summer, Fall just has something about it – a certain je ne sais quoi that I fall in love with all over again this time, each year. I don’t know if it’s the warmth of snuggling inside by the fireplace with a pumpkin spice latte (my favourite), all the beautiful colours when the leaves change or the new comfy fashion styles that come with the changing season. Whatever it is about this season that’s got my heart melting, one thing I know for sure is how much I adore re-vamping my wardrobe to match the cooling weather. I’ve put together some of my recent favourites for you guys that I hope you’ll enjoy shopping with your favourite pumpkin-flavoured snack!

Flannel  -  Hat  -  Scarf  -  Long-sleeve tee  -  Jeans  -  Bag

Guest Post | My Paradissi

Hello My Lifebox readers! This is Eleni, blogger behind My Paradissi and I’m here to fill up for sweet Anna-Rosa while she’s enjoying some well deserved time off. I know Anna-Rosa is a dearest fan of cooking (like, please, how delicious does this salad look?) so I thought I’d prepare for you a post that combines both the culinary essences of smell and taste with the visual one a decent interior designer and architect (hello Anna-Rosa) swears by. That means delicious recipes prepared in equally astonishing kitchens that, of course, get along perfectly in style and vibe. Like fresh vegetables and sleek surfaces, creamy cheese and whitewashed spaces, crisped bread and unrefined woods. Does it make any sense to you? I feel that the surroundings play a vital role for ones health and inspiration. Yes, no junk food is allowed in the above kitchens ;)

If you are indeed inspired and crave for some healthy delicacies, you can find the links to the recipes here:

Green pasta salad

Crostini’s with kale

Pesto Cappelletti

Campanelle with burrata cheese, lemon and garlic

You can always drop by My Paradissi to say hi :) Thanks Anna-Rosa for having me!

Image credits:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Throw Together | Sweater Weather Edition

SWEATER | JEANS | SUNGLASSES | BAG | SHOES

Hello hello! First and foremost, have a great month you guys!! Yay, it is October, FINALLY, right? This means more chances for hot coffees and snuggling in bed.. I have to admit I'm pretty excited October is here for more reasons than just coffees...after all I wasn't waiting for fall to come to enjoy my favorite beverage..duh. 

In two weeks I'm leaving for an a-ma-zing trip to Europe. First I'm going with my gals to Venice and Lausanne and then I'll go meet my boy in Rotterdam!! Two weeks off for me, yay again! Plus I'm twice excited cause I'll get to wear my sweaters again, since here in Greece the weather has been so so hot until last week and now we just need a light cardigan to go out. 

Inspired by my upcoming trip and my excitement for sweater weather, I threw together an easy go-to travel outfit that I could totally wear all the time. What is more practical than a pair of boyfriend jeans and a perfect knit sweater? The absolute fall staple pieces. 

mylifebox got a facelift

After a long long year of trying to put together a new design for my blog I finally am proud to announce that thanks to my lovely collaboration with Kelly myLifebox got a face-lift! As you can see there are a lot of black elements (what a surprise, right?) but I tried to keep it simple as much as possible!! 

Along with the design, my pages are updated too, so if you want to read a more recent about page, see where myLifebox has been featured in the past or are you interested in sponsoring myLifebox now is the right time. Or from now on, to put it right. That being said, I would looooove to hear what you think about my new baby!!

Kelly, thank you so so much for your help, patience and will to make it happen. If it wasn't for you I'd be stuck in my old kinda miserable design. 

And people out there, if anyone of you needs a blog design or re-design contact Kelly, she is the best. Seriously guys!! 

Tagged | 5 things about me

I was tagged by the lovely Emma Lou to join the game 5 Things. Lately many bloggers have joined this or similar tagging games and I'm so excited I get to be one of them. I loved reading all these little weird facts about fellow bloggers, but now it's my turn to share some funny facts about me as well. The truth is it was kind of hard to decide what to share but I hope some of you will relate to my weirdness :)

1. Singing in the car. It seems that my driving always comes with my terrible singing. I would love to have a nice, or at least decent, voice...but no! God decided to leave me without any vocal talents. And apparently I desperately want to prove him wrong. Therefore I sing, as loud as I possibly can when I drive. With the windows open :) And of course singing comes with theatrical moves. It just feels wrong without them. At least I make people laugh :) 

2. I am a crier. Hmm..well that is probably one of the first things (I hope not the first) that my people would say about me. I literally can cry about anything. I get moved extremely easily. And crying while watching The Notebook I guess is fine. But crying with moving commercials (yes, moving but still...commercials) I'm sure it is not fine. The funniest thing about it is that till recently I was sure that no one had actually noticed how much of a crier I am :) 

3. I can live on milk. And any other dairy product in fact. I can replace water with milk. My mom tried really hard to make me stop drinking milk but I think it just can't happen. Sometimes I believe that I have milk running in my veins. It makes more sense. Plus I can drink milk with any food. Especially with pizza! Ok, sorry if it sounds disgusting guys :) 

4. My love, Booky! I simply cannot imagine my life without my beloved dog. I know this is not a fun or weird fact about me, but it sure defines me as a person more than many other things. Booky, is the most wonderful and tender creature and I'm so happy to have her in my life! We always sleep together and I looove her so much I could die. 

5. Five names. I think only a few of you know that I'm half-Dutch/half-Greek. My mom is from The Netherlands but I was born and raised in Greece. My parents decided to name me Anna-Rosa, which already is a bit unusual and most people who don't know me just call me Anna (which is fine)! But the funny truth is that my whole name is Anna-Maria-Rosa and then I have two surnames too :) So my complete name is Anna-Maria-Rosa Moschouti-Vermeer!! Yes, children used to tease me a lot at school :) 

So that's all guys!! Five things you didn't know about me :) I'm tagging Eleni (myparadissi), Kelly (Pink and Lola), Jacquelyn (Lark & Linen), Juni (Hej, Juni) and aaaaaall of you who want to play along :) Because it is not about tagging other people :) 

Foodie Weekend Round-Up

hello hello my lovely friends. I know i've been a bit off lately, but many things are going on and my head has been all over the place! the good news are that my sister in law delivered her baby and now I have a teeny tiny niece to love as well!! That means I'm in Athens again, since I want to be with my family more than ever, to embrace our little's life. Moving to Athens for the month though made my life messier than ever. I had to bring all the stuff I need for my jewelry with me plus clothes, books and many more things I use on a daily basis. Anyway, the important thing is I get to be with my friends and family and I really love that.

So, the point of me saying all these is that I don't have enough time to spend on cooking, DIYing and photo shooting. Therefore I chose to share with you my favorite food blogs. Because, even though I try to cook and then have the courage to share my recipes with you, I hardly consider my blog a food one. I just like to share with you my cooking experiences :) On the contrary, the blogs I introduce you to today, are really good food blogs. And I really admire the people behind them. Please take a look yourself to be convinced!

1_ Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies from Fork & Flower

2_ Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies with Pomegranate Salt from Top with Cinammon

3_ Cabbage Salads from Pure Vegeterian

4_ Shaved Carrots, Tangerine and pomegranate from Familystyle food

5_ Squid ink Pasta with stilton blue and figs from tartelette 

Happy Weekend :) See you on Monday!

And don't forget to check out my weekend sale on Etsy 

How We Do | A Perfect December Day

Latrina (Of Trees and hues) and Hanna (Hanna's Place) came up with this enormously sweet idea. They created a monthly column, called How We Do, where they and whoever blogger wants, get to describe how they do a certain thing. To start with, they chose a very nice topic, titled "A Perfect December Day".

Since I've already read their ideal days, which actually seem perfect, I'll try to describe mine too :)

I remember my younger self waiting eagerly for December to come. December was always my family's favorite month, since five of us have our name-days and we used to celebrate them all together, throwing a huge dinner/party at my grandmas house. And then Christmas of course!! Who can not be excited about Christmas anyway? 

Traditions and things in general changed over years, but i still wait for December to come every year! Maybe for totally different reasons, maybe for no reason at all, but December will always be one my favorite months. What is not to like about it after all? The weather is amazing (especially if you love layering up) and most people are smiling!! 

Anyway...if I had to choose one specific December day, it would definitely be Sunday. So let's imagine it's a beautiful winter Sunday morning for a moment, shall we? That would include snowing, or at least very cold weather, but with some hints of sun every now and then. You know, just enough to make you smile. :)

I picture my self waking up in my fluffy white sheets, with Booky (my dog) still sleeping by my side, in my warm Christmassy home. After snuggling in bed for half an hour, or so, I finally go to the kitchen and make some coffee and a breakfast full of colorful fruit and cookies!

One of the things I enjoy during winter, is walking with my dog. So after finishing my breakfast I drive to the woods accompanied by Booky and wander! I feel so peaceful when in the woods, or the beach. Especially in the winter!

After my walk I'm ready to meet some friends to have lunch. I invite them home, to cook, while listening, dancing and singing to loud (Christmas) music!! We make delicious eats and treats and after having our lunch we watch all together "Love Actually" for the hundredth time. It is kind if a tradition :) I absolutely love Hugh Grants dance scene!! Sigh! After watching the movie, we probably play board games. I love playing board games with friends!! We always laugh sooo hard, even though I lose all the time!!! 

When my friends leave, it is already dark outside and I have to walk Booky again. We go for a small walk at the park and when we get back home I make a nice cup of tea and sit at my desk. Sitting at my desk is something I do every single day, even if i don't have work to do. it is like a ritual to me. I might have some gifts to wrap, or I might just sit and think while doodling on a piece of paper. It doesn't matter as long as i sit there for a little time to re-evaluate and think.. The day ends with a hot bath and some book reading in bed!

I know, most of you have totally different ideal days in mind. But since I'm kind of a loner at the moment, I cannot think of a better December Sunday. Thank you very much for sticking with me and reading my words :) If you want to play along, feel free...just visit one of the girls blogs and see how :)

Let's Grow

This last month I have been working on the blog and the upcoming Etsy shop more than ever. Since I started blogging I have been discouraged numerous times. After a year and a half of on & off blogging, I realized that I really love my blog and everything that comes with it. I have to admit that this is the first time I put so much effort to grow my blog and I'm happy to see that it's paying off. Slowly but steadily the readership grows and the comments multiply. Not in a magical or fast-paced way, but still...

Recently a really talented girl, named Laura, sent me an inspiring email. She asked me to take a look at her stunning jewelry. After a couple of emails I told her that although I'm really flattered and willing to promote her work, she has to consider that my blog is not that big and I cannot guarantee huge exposure. Her answer was amazing... She merely said that we can only go bigger from being small and that she didn't choose my blog due to its readership but due to my aesthetics. 

I felt the need to share that with all of you who struggle with blogging every now and then. Blogging can be really demanding and some times it gets overwhelming. We should always focus on its bright side and when we feel like taking a break, we have to take it. Without second thoughts. However, I have talked with many bloggers that just feel discouraged and that their efforts don't work at all. I just want to say that this is only normal and readership will come eventually. The important thing is to be yourself and believe in what you do. 

I felt the need to share my thoughts with you since I have struggled a lot with blogging my self and I haven't always been confident about my work. Until recently in fact! 

Have a great weekend my friends :) See you on Monday!! 

And remember, sometimes being small isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it just feels better to know that if you fall it won't hurt that much! 

photo source / type by Anna-Rosa

The one about the blogs I love!

Hello hello! So today I decided to leave you with a few nice blogs to read for the weekend. The last couple of weeks I was away from my laptop, therefore I had to stay in touch with my daily reads through my iPad. It comes without saying that the blogs I was visiting on daily basis for this certain period, were limited to ten tops.  So I thought it would be nice to share with you which are my favorite blogs so far and why. Of course I cannot write about ten blogs, so I chose my top four!

Amerrymishap

Most of you already know Jennifer and her stunning blog. It didn’t feel right not to mention amerrymishap though, since it is one of the blogs that made me get involved in blogging myself. Jennifer cannot be described as an ordinary blogger. She mainly posts once or twice a week and her texts are short and concise. Her unique and authentic eye for design though is outstanding and therefore her blog is so widely known. Her pinterest boards as well as her instagram account are to die for and of course, her etsy shop, with her magnificent designs too!

BlogMilk

I still remember my first impression for BlogMilk. I found it through amerrymishap blog and the pink background (previous design) caught my eye instantly.  I started following Ana and her posts and it didn’t take long to realize that I had to list it with the rest of my daily reads. Most of all I love the way Ana writes. Her words are really inspiring. She is a really good blogger because she keeps her blog as personal as needed (in my opinion). Her love for all things visual and well-designed is obvious in her posts. Furthermore, she runs one of the most successful web businesses! She and her team design blog themes which are beautiful and affordable at the same time! How cool is that? Unfortunately, I fell in love with one theme from her previous collection and now it’s gone :(

Breanna Rose

The thing I love the most about Breanna is that she is really diligent. I kind of envy that. In a good way of course.  She has decided what topics she’s interested in and she writes about them in a weekly basis. As a reader I love that because I know that every time I check her blog it will be updated. As a blogger I find her content really inspiring. Especially the be free, lance and the for bloggers series. Another reason I like Breanna’s blog is her ability to keep things simple without being afraid of colors! Her blog’s design is one of the most minimalistic I’ve ever seen and yet her posts are really fresh and colorful! Without even knowing her, I can easily say she is a hard worker and by all means she deserves to be in everyone’s favorite blogs list!

Cocorrina

I could write one thousand words only for corinas blog. Cocorrina is definitely one of my top blogs ever. First of all, Corina is Greek which means a lot to me. When I started blogging I was all over the place. Everything happened really fast and I didn’t know what I was doing. Except for Yatzer, I believed that the world wasn’t ready to accept a Greek blogger. Seeing Corinas success is tremendously inspiring. She deserves it though because it is obvious she worked really hard to get here. Her well-designed blog in collaboration with her unique content make her stand out. My favorite fact about her is that she is really true. She writes about her feelings or daily personal life without second thoughts and this is amazing. I also love her ability to write in perfect English! (ok, I’m a bit jealous of that…) Last but not least, her concrete jewels are amazing!!! And you all know how much I love concrete… So what not to like about her? Right?

Which are your top four blogs?? I would love to hear your daily reads!

On my mind | moodboard + words

long time no see... 

So let's see what happened the last two weeks.. First of all I went to Athens to see my family! I had an amazing time and I really enjoyed spending time with my siblings. I even was lucky enough to see one of them jamming with his band!! I also got together with some of my oldest friends at a reunion party! It was so much fun seeing all the people I used to hang out with when I was younger..everybody has changed very much, yet the feeling was exactly the same, like we were all back then, dancing and singing loudly to old music!! 

I'm so glad I had the chance to take a break from my busy reality and visit my hometown and old or current friends. It helped me a lot to recharge my batteries and get back to business with a big smile and a lot of energy!

I hope, guys, you have the best time too ;)

photos: 1_2_3_4_5

On my mind:: moodboard + words

I love the combination of these soft pink and grey hues with white. It kinda makes me feel winter is coming, but in a light way. But since weekend is coming instead, I'll give you some good links.

First of all, don't forget to check Blogmilks new themes-I gotta say, some of them are stunning!!

Try this Rustic Peach Galette recipe by Lark & Linen.

Check this incredibly beautiful house of Christian Duivenvoorden, on Design & Form.

Read these inspiring words by Pennyweight.

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Babies in my life!

I love kids and now that my brother and my sister in law are expecting babies I couldn't be more happy! Especially with my brother whose wife is expecting a little girl and I certainly cannot wait to dress her!! I'm sure you know what I mean.. not that little boys are not stylish or anything..on the contrary, I love it when they wear folded, at the bottom, pants and little cute hats!! Here are some outfits I spotted on pinterest. Are these stylish or what?

I can't wait to hug, and play with and dress them!!! 

On my mind:: moodboard + words

The truth is I'm yearning for some more summer cause unfortunately I didn't have the chance to fully enjoy this one. But it's high time to get back to serious business blog- and study- wise. So, as much as I hate to say this, goodbye summer, till the next time! Nevertheless, I cant' wait to see what autumn and winter have in store for me. I like to consider September as a new beginning, similar to new years for example. Maybe because I'm a student..but it always feels more natural to me start over after summer. Anyway, this year is going to be all about my thesis and studying etc.. But I'm planning to post much more around here and work hard for this blog to unfold and develop it's style and content. 

Till next time guys! xoxo

[photo source: pinterest]

On my mind:: moodboard + words

I'm finally on summer vacation! I've pretty much lost my sense of time the last couple of weeks or so. I don't believe I haven't posted anything since the fruit salad post. I mean...that's almost 3weeks ago. Anyway, the important thing is that I was working on the research program I was telling you about and finally we presented our work at a conference on th 18th and 19th of July, which is pretty amazing!! Now that I'm done with that (for a while at least) I'll have plenty of time posting here. Or at least I wish to, cause actually I'm expecting guests and I really need some time off to recharge my batteries. But anyway, no matter how often I post here, I'm always uploading photos on instagram and repinning some good stuff on pinterest too. So in case you lose track of me around here, make sure you check out there :-) 

In other news, I'm still working on the redesign I'm planning to have here. And I'm really excited about it. Hopefully till the end of summer myLifebox design will be upgraded!

Till then though, here is a "is it black or is it grey that makes my heart go away" kind of moodboard.

[photo source: pinterest]

July is here already !

How on earth is it July already? Time goes by so fast. One day you're dying eggs on Easter time and then suddenly it's July and you've had only one bath in the sea. I mean, we have to do something with time guys!!

Anyway, in other news, I have lot of studying and reading waiting for me, since I took the weekend off from everything. I'm also working on some seriously nice stuff for the blog. I had a very nice meeting with someone who's going to work with me on the design and I'm really excited! I can't wait to see what are we going to do! BUT I have to be patient cause I have this research program  I was telling you about, on the 16th, and a lot of work to do for it till then! 

So have a great July guys! And if you're in Greece swim a lot please!!! Cause I don't and someone has to instead of me :( 

Love! xxx

On my mind :: moodboard + words

So, lately life has been something like this:

-pretty busy with my exams (till yesterday) and a research program we're running till mid-July

-my right knee acts up for some strange reason and it gives me a really hard time

-a new donut store opened this month in my neighbourhood and I'm not afraid to admit that I could live on donuts and milk from now on. Unfortunately I'm on a diet

-still haven't been to the beach, which is extremely unusual for me, since I used to go for a swim around May every year

-thinking of making a few changes around here, hopefully till the end of the summer myLifebox will be refreshed [btw I'd love to know if there's anything special you'd like me to take into consideration about the changes I'm going to make, since I'm a very bad decision maker, so it would really help if you dropped a few ideas] 

Plus, I read this article about balance, written by Ana from Blog Milk (one of my top-five favourite blogs) and I have to admit I loved it. So if you want read it your self and see what you think too.

And don't forget to check out NeedSupply's new look book, styled by Jennifer Hagler, of A Merry Mishap blog. It is one hell of a job.

have a great weekend guys!

xoxo

[photo source : pinterest]

On my mind :: Simple and Smooth

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Picks & items

from my pinterest 

On my mind [it's all about freckles]

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