Little things

Same old, same old. Way too busy to craft/blog/do whatever makes me happy.
The presence of motivational posters/hipstery chalkboard saying 'Do more of what makes you happy' changes little when heaps and heaps of work surround you.

Gretchen Rubin, an awesome expert on happiness, once noticed that it's not just time that plays a super-important role in how well we manage our tasks but also energy. Sometimes, even if I have a couple of hours on my hands, I'd spend them in bed, mindlessly shifting jewels on my phone and looking at Facebook, not able to get my thoughts straight.

This, obviously, has to stop - and it definitely will. However, as freedom is getting closer, I still need to make an effort and keep my spirits up while dealing with the heaps mentioned above.

It helps when you have something beautiful around you. Do pay attention to little things. Put beautiful knick knacks on shelves. Frame love notes. Buy gorgeous candles that smell like strawberry cheesecake.

In a way, these little things are slowly falling into a certain pattern, finally making me start projects I've been thinking about for ages. There'll be an update really soon.

P.S. Medium sized things, such as cats, help, too!
P.P.S. Picture by a great, Hanover-based photographer Jan Deckner.

Here's to good old New Year's resolutions!

I've heard that some people are really good at posting in January and forgetting all about their blogs for the rest of the year. Let's hope 2015 will be really different, with lots of great changes on board.

Speaking of changes, here are the most recent ones from the heart of Fantastic Flat:

Finally invested some time to set up another art wall - a more chaotic, funky, vintag-y version this time. It's all about dreams coming true...

I don't think I've ever shown this room before - it's all very basic, minimum knick-knack, always-working mix of Ikea + vintage (found that chair in a garbage container).

 Fake fireplace goes grey - someone finally got to painting it!

This good old idea worked out just fine in the living room - super simple, awesome storage.

Me happy. Stay tuned for more Frau Mayer news - there's definitely some on the way!

Another Fresh Start

It's 2014! I haven't updated this blog for AGES.

I'll keep the news short: lots of really good things happened.
After having recently noticed how much I actually missed blogging, I promised Yvonne I'd start again and write a post before January's over, so here it is. A shiny new post. Another fresh start.

I'm currently reading The Happiness Project which is enormously inspiring. A dangerous thing about a book like that is that it can get you all excited, run to a stationery shop to get a new fancy notebook, jot down resoultions and forget it all altogether three days later because you have way too much on your plate already.

So my primary goal/resolution/whateveryoumightcallit for 2014 is to stick with the resolutions.
Right after it comes another one: Declutter. My flat, my possessions, my head. I'm going to use this blog as a helpful tool and document the changes, mostly about the flat (my passion for interior decoraion didn't go anywhere, it's staying for good).

I traveled excessively in 2012/2013, so much that I actually got tired of planes and not being at home. This year, I wanna spend more time in my amazing, cozy flat and do a whole lot of decluttering and reorganizing. I do believe it'll open up some space to even more positive changes.

Here's my work in progress: the right side where I keep my work materials is all done (turned out all I had to do is order some new folders, get rid of the worn out ones plus a mountain or random handouts) and the left one is waiting for me to get started. How come I never really get to making stuff? Does it have anything to do with the overstuffed and messy drawers? 

Well, to be honest I did manage to finish a couple of tiny projects, like this mini-art wall above my desk. 

Nothing fancy, just some frames, souvenirs and happy pictures to lift my mood. Sorry for the nasty iPhone snapshots, I'll tackle this issue at some point during the year. 

Coming soon: Decluttering Stage 1 - Getting started. 

See, Yvonne? Es geht doch! 

Sticking with the plans

and trying new things!

Quite honestly, I have to admit that sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that needs to be taken care of. However, regular small actions do make a difference.
I'm currently testing a new approach to time management (more action, less Internet, yes, been there before) with a list of
*30 minutes projects (organizing paper/crafting supplies, drawers in my work cabinet, listing things for sale online etc.)
* 1 hour projects (basement, tax report, work)
So far, I've organized/backed up my computers, sold a bunch of clothes/furniture I no longer wanted/needed and gotten started on the tax report. I also ordered some beautiful things for the flat and managed to stay on top of the things at work. And yes, there've been regular updates on this blog. What an achievement!
The picture is supposed to illustrate the wine/cheese seminar we visited yesterday, following the 'trying new things' plan.  It wasn't easy!
Three hours, 10 wines, 9 cheeses. The whole action took place in a gorgeous old school building around the  corner, so we could ride our bikes there. Definitely a fun experience, although the rest of the day was, of course, completely wasted.
I'll be back!

I heart Mondays. What!?

Monday is my new favorite day of the week.
I get to stay at home and do whatever I please (like my tax report. Oh yes. Delight!)

Besides working a lot (again!), I actually took some steps in the right direction and signed up for a real photography course. Too bad it's already full and the waiting list was as far as I got. We'll see how it goes.

There'll be another one, of course. For sure. Good news is that the wine and cheese seminar we're looking forward to SO much had a couple of free spots. Oh yes. Bring in the wine. I mean, the cheese, of course.

Also, to celebrate my new Monday love, I've just registered at Solebich
Heard lots of good stuff about this site. Who knows what it'll bring? Fame? Cake? Whatever.

The picture below should 1) remind me of Lisbon beauties and 2) illustrate me wanting to get on the course list and absorb all the photography knowledge available (too bad I don't have any decent camera any more).

The organizing madness

As it doesn't seem an easy task to actually post something sensible every other week, I'm still going to try and use the opportunity for rambling a bit instead of just placing a couple of nice pictures here.
There won't be any nice pictures this time as I left my camera in Berlin (a wonderful weekend with two girlfriends, lots of apple pie and lengthy conversations). Intead, an iPhone shot of Vivian the Cat feeling a special connection to nature will have to do as an opening illustration.

Organzing has become madly popular these days. Everybody's trying to organize everything around them that's not nailed. Oh yes, and there's time management out there, too!
So while I've been gathering inspiration online at places like Simplify101 (a great resource, by the way, even if you're not willing to sign up for a 70 bucks workshop), a lot happened offline.
Here's the list:
*My day job requires super-advanced organizing skills. I can't call myself a professional in that area just yet but these are my helpers:

This shelf hosts almost all the books and materials I need at any given moment. There's a little secret closet right behind it that used to be a hand-pulled lift (the house is really old).

And this is the ever-flickry-popular cabinet I spotted while riding my bike in the neighborhood. An old pharmacy was closing down and all the furniture was just standing right there on the pavement, looking at me, screaming: "Take me home". I entered the place, saw the cabinet and didn't leave until my boyfriend came to pick us both up. I was too anxious someone else might take it! The multitalent cabinet holds all my materials (neatly labeled) on the right and crafty supplies (paper, stamps, punches etc.) on the left. It's definitely a 'never-let-me-go' piece!

*I also tried organizing my living room a bit.

Making plain Ikea kitchen cabinets work as a sideboard idea had been in my head long enough, ever since I spotted it in the Apartment Therapy book. The total cost was around 100 Euros. Now talk about being savvy! This sideboard holds anything that shouldn't be seen (CDs, mags, frames yet to be hung etc.)
I also hoped I'd swap the art on the picture ledge above the sofa every once in while. Ha ha. Keep dreaming.

My next project is an organized closet. I've started selling things (and furniture) I no longer need and can report back - go for it!

  
 












I've bought a little helper and I do hope that before I pack my suitcase to travel again to my beloved Land of the Best Shopping Ever, I'll have a very detailed list of things I really need that, together with my long-time favorites, are going to make my wardrobe work. Maybe it'll be the end of my jeans/skirt/jeans/skirt dressing ritual (boring!).
I'm going to end this post with some flowers my significant other gave me right before SVD. He should know that they made me really happy.

Being present...

I've recently suscribed to Ali Edwards' brilliant newsletter and I'm thrilled by the fact that it actually works.
Being present is something that Ali talked about in one of the last emails and this phrase just seemed so right.

I haven't been present for quite a while. I've traveled a lot, learnt and tried quite a bunch of new things and generally grew a bit but I haven't written a single line about all that since July.

Now it's time to change it. I'm not going to wait until I'm able to take perfect pictures with my new camera (the DSLR got stolen this fall) because this is most probably never going to happen.
I'm just going to post what I have and keep writing my little online diary, perfectly meaningless to the world.

Fantastic flat's been coming along nicely. There's progress everywhere, quite a lot to show, actually.
Like this funky corner.

Or maybe this one? It's all become a bit more colorful as I'd brought heaps of beautiful things from my trips to Japan and India last year. One day there'll be photo albums with real pictures and journaling and all this but right now all I can manage is a bit of handmade here and there. Oh yes, and a clean desk. From time to time.

I should've written more about those trips. They were so very different from everything I'd known. Loved Japan and our new Japanese friends. Loved all the zakka stores. The book stores. Loved the sushi galore (of course!)

We actually even managed a flea market visit in Tokyo. Can you find the loot in the shelf?

I'm going to end my very first post of the year with a simple resolution.
2012 I'm going to blog regularly. Say, on a weekly basis. Already put that into my iPhone planner.
See you soon, dear non-existant readers! And thanks, Ali.

Hello from ....

Any fans in the land of the tastiest squid ever? Like, say, in Tokio?


I'm up for some fun!
All yours,
Fr.Mayer (the cat's home, in good old Germany)
See ya, squiddies!

Art Wall Results (for real!)

Let's start this post with a compliment. Sometimes my significant other really is the most patient person in the world. Kind of an angel, actually. For instance, he managed not to kill me yesterday while I was running around the FF, screaming: "I want to have it done!!!!!!!!!! I want it to be over!" in the most unpleasant manner.

He also helped me to turn this

into this

Never mind the empty frame. It's going to disappear as soon as certain someone finally tells me if I can produce my own little city collage - cause I'm dreaming of having one in blues and yellows right there in the middle of my shiny new art wall *wink*

While at it, I also moved some furniture and immediately came up with approximately 235 new ideas for the corner (that will frustrate me for a loong time because I still need to take care of the chaos in the living room). I also did a fair bit of decluttering and intend to indulge in many more hours of this rewarding activity.

The art on my incredibly beautiful, tastefully arranged and professionally hung art wall was kindly provided by Geninne, Eva Juliet, Tali also known as TushTush, Lucille Prache, a vintage mag found at a Bangkok market and the mighty Cavallini.
Loads of love to my signifacant other! I'm honestly surprised somebody actually reads this neglected blog - there'll be a big design overhaul soon to celebrate the fact that I posted twice within a week :)
Stay tuned!
Your Fr. Mayer
UPD There'll be a little city collage up on that wall very soon. Thank you, my dear interior guru!

Art Wall in Progress or How Not to Kill Everyone Around

Good thing I need to go pick up my bike and ride to the hardware store. Otherwise I'd turn into a mass destruction weapon. Have you ever tried to create a nice little art wall? Say, looking like this?

Then you'd better go buy a couple of nerve cells because some of yours are going to die while you arrange those damn things on the floor, cut out templates, put them on the wall only to watch them fall off and look like a complete mess. I'm also not going to talk about the AGES it took me to finally pull these frames  + pictures together.
Anyway, this is what I completed today:

Step 1

Step 2.
Guess what't falling off the wall right now!
Ok, I think that if I really want to see it all done today, I'd better disappear. I blog too much anyways, right?

Guess who says Hi!

No, dear ghost readers, this blog is not dead. Its owner's life, however, has been quite busy! Three weeks in the States, wonderful, full of shopping and new impressions. No time for blogging! I'll write more about my list of must-sees in NYC and around later, promise!

Let's make it short. I went to a flea market (Golden Nugget around Princeton, NJ), I found a crate, I bought it. 

Please, ignore the laundry in the background. My crate and I (as well as the crate intruder) are both saying Hi!

Still yours,
Frau Mayer

Kitchen: The Best Of

No; I've just discovered this interesting competition and I'd love to take part although I'm not really a scandinavian blogger. Whatever!

And some more!

And more!


And because the dining room is basically a part of our kitchen, here we go again!

Want to see scary before pictures? Go here!

Corners - one (or two) at a time.

It's been a while since we moved into FF (fantastic flat) and slowly but surely I have developed a better understanding of the place. There are so many advantages (endless storage, all the space, cozy little kitchen that doesn't allow any cluttering) but also a couple of smaller problems that need to be tackled (like painting ALL the doors - minus one - as well as the door and window frames. Great thing to do in summer!).

One of the best things that have happened lately is my giving up the priority list. I was acting like "Oh, no, I can't buy any artwork before I've figured out how and where I'm going to hang it". Now I'm just happily putting things into little corners and watching it all come together.

I'm also trying to navigate away from that matchy-matchy, color-coordinated style I used to be such a fan of. Places really do look much more interesting if you don't stick to a million of rules.

Living next to the wonderful gardens, I make myself (yes, you've read it right, I do have to make myself because there are always so many important things than need to be done this very second) go on little walks and bring back brunches that end up in lovely bottles in various corners of FF. Right here you can see a tiny bit of the bathroom that I'm really too ashamed of right now to be able to show more. Well, OK, just another tiny piece.

I've basically just thrown some of my favorite treasures and non-treasures on it: bottles from Morocco, a too-magical-to-be-described perfume from Anthropologie that I treated myself to and wear almost daily and a couple of branches from the said gardens.
That'll be all the corners for today. I'll leave you here with the last picture and a little question - can you guess what happened to the blue wallpaper? :)

Women in my life

Singing women, that is.
There are three of them, actually. All incredibly beautiful and blessed with voices that sound as if they weren't born on this planet.
I had the incredible pleasure of seeing Alela Diane in Berlin a while ago. I spent an hour on a beer crate because I can never see anything during concerts unless I climb somewhere (yes, I'm a garden gnome). Hearing Pirate's Gospel live just cracked me.

Marissa Nadler's songs are very much like her - very dark, impossible to approach, they're to be enojoyed from the distance. I remember that hearing her actually speak was totally weird.

And, finally, Keren Ann.
No matter if she sings in English or French (she does both), it's magical. If I was ever going to marry anyone (I'm not), I'd do it to her Right Now and Right Here.
And she's beautiful, too.

 

Source picture 1
Source picture 2
and picture 3

(Art)work in progress + Hannover on Sunday

Surpirsingly, I've managed quite a lot lately. Let's take a look at the little list:
1. Digested a bunch of inspirational books and picked some brilliant ideas.
2. Went to Ikea (oh yes, that long time no see feeling!) and spent a couple of wonderful hours. Just me and my shopping cart. It's paradise! And here are the results:


Soon, very soon the Chaos Corner will be a thing of the past!
3. Bought these fantastic prints at Lucille's store:

One is going into the bathroom (nicely updated with a couple of very inexpensive yet stunning Ikea rugs), one's destined for the dining room and the lovely blue bowl of Japanese soup will be staying in my modest abode.
4.
Some fresh pictures from the kitchen - it really needed some clean lines. All the cheerful blues and greens made it look a bit like a candy store but black surely does the trick.


There's a very ugly cable hiding right behind the rosemary!
5. And finally, I'd love to show off my neighbourhood (pictures made on a VERY short walk due to the freezing cold)





Sometimes I still can't believe we're really living here, right next to the beautiful gardens, surrounded by the old buildings and yet just a short train ride away from the city center. Oh, Hannover, you're the place to be!