Holiday Plans

So finally, in the middle of May, the real weather arrived. Not just some 17-19 degrees of warmth but the real 24-27 degrees of summer heat. The kind of perfect weather when you can see heat waving above the surface of the asphalt, colours bright and pulsing. The kind of weather when you simply cannot stay indoors and the only thing that keeps you alive in the office despite the lunch break ice-cream delight, is a vision of a hammock hanging over the view of a calm and quiet lake. At least that is the only thought that I have, while at work!

And of course, no better time to plan the holidays than summer! So many destinations, so many places to see, so many things to discover! I have seriously patiently waited all year for a good vacation and now I am more than ready to go. The only question is where??

What: Dress: Seppalla. Shoes: Viva Batai. Bracelet: facebook “Papuošalų galerija”.

“This time, I want to go some place different, really different”, I thought at first. Travelling to another continent would be an incredible experience. But later, after considering the amount of time that I will actually get off from work and regarding the budged, travelling that far doesn’t seem like a good idea for now. If I’d go somewhere that far, I would like to really stay, hang out, travel around the place in order to not only see things but to get a sense of the place.  For this reason, I would like to reserve not less than 3 weeks to travel some place in another continent. Knowing that I will only be able to take 5-10 days off from work, I decided to stay in Europe. 

 

Who: Photographs taken by Darius Kavaliauskas.

Special thanks to: Jurga Girdzijauskaitė

But Europe, is a large place too, you know! That’s not as easy as it seems to select where to go. Europe itself is very colourful, you get all different cultures if you travel to different regions. I have already visited  Poland, Check Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, Hungary, Austria and England. I spent weeks or even months in some of these countries while travelling, studying or working. Sweden, Italy, Belgium and England are among the lucky ones. But for some others , like Austria or Hungry, I had only 2-3 spare days to run around the sightseeing routes to see a bit of its sparkling beauty. So it would also be a good idea to go back to those places to explore them again, to refresh the things that are already knows and to discover the cultural riches in-depth. Will do that sometime for sure! But now, my heart is seeking for something new, something totally unfamiliar…

Where: Villa in Pilaitė, Vilnius.

So guys, what is your advice? Where should I go?? I was thinking just for now to avoid the popular West Europe destinations like Spain ,France or Portugal. Not because I am not interested but because I am willing to explore something more exotic. I was thinking about heading somewhere towards the Balkan region. I am totally open culture/race/ climate/ ethnicity wise so feel free to name some bizarree places to go to.

 Has anyone been any place there and found that it is a heaven on earth? Or perhaps some of you live there and you could tell me all about the fantastic places I should visit? In any case, I am looking forward to read your opinion at the comments below or in my inbox at dressupforme{at}yahoo.com. Maybe you know places that I should be adviced against visiting? Or places too dangerous to go to? Please let me know about that too!

Have yourselves a lovely, sizzling, adventurous and inspiring beginning of summer!

Yours truly,

Vaiva K.

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Sometimes there are situations that I get exposed to that need certain phrase to make the most of it. And when that happens, I really hate to go around looking for “the suitable words” on the web or in my thoughts. So for this reason, I have made a collection of my favorite phrases/quotes/ proverbs or just fun thoughts that I have recorded over a longer period of time.  Hope it will bring some thought to you and some of them – even a smile

{pictures are taken off for edditing. Sorry } 

 

1. “Let’s celebrate Columbus day by walking into someone’s house and telling them we live there now”. (someecards.com)
2. If people are trying to bring you down it only means you are above them.
3. “Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced” James Baldwin

4. Put the politicians on minimum wage and see how fast things change.

5. “I hate when they say “He gave his life for his country”. Nobody gives their life for anything. We steal the  lives of those kids. We take it away from them. They don’t die for the honor and glory of the country. We kill them”. Admiral Gene LaRocque.

 

What: Jeans: Zara Collection. T-shirt: H&M. Jacket:  gina trickot. Shoes: QQQ.

Bohemian Comfort Zone

Spring has finally arrived. Slowly, tenderly, with lots of snow storms and quick-tempered rain showers. Came so suddenly, like a brilliant idea that wakes you up in the middle of the night and doesn’t stop to bother you. Exactly like this I fell asleep with naked branches creepy scratching my second floor window and woke up from the bird songs and butterflies chasing each other around from a blossom to blossom…

When: April 27th, 2012

And so I woke up once again, in a need of change, in a need of a little transfer. So I used one very old but brilliant advice – I went for shopping in my own wardrobe. And with a little bit of fresh and new and a little bit of old and familiar I have discovered a little bohemian outfit to fulfill the need of change.

What, Why & How: I wanted a splash of color and the intensive blue jeans from ‘ZARA’ were an excellent choice. However, I wanted to keep the look closer to the ‘ earth’ – so I compensated the intensity of blue jeans with a brown top from ”Bershka” and a brown jacket from “Mosaic” together with some great old leather boots from Denmark (invisible label) which originally came from my mother’s wardrobe some 20 years ago! This was the base of the outfit. But to get some extra color, in order to break the monotony of just two colors, I through on a lovely playful string necklace of green, blue and red which come in a set with earrings  from an e-shop www.eleja.lt.

In an overall combination, the outfit became suitable for a light hang-out with friends, spend time in a  park or a walk around town with a take-away creamy caramel coffee. Just a free time outfit with a spice of playfulness, charm and a game of colors

I love how spring brings you the feeling of freshness, purity, youth. This year, together with the first warmer days of sun I got a very strong tickling feeling as if something huge was about to happen. According to the Chinese calendar, this year is a year of Dragon, my year,  my year of inspirations, ambitions and success. I feel with all my heart and soul that this will be a year of change, a year of something big.

I don’t know how many of you think about what they feel when they know that something is going to happen. To me, it came in a form of crises. The load of dissatisfaction, inability to seek, discover and enjoy, lack of energy, no enthusiasm and regular feeling that something is wrong. Could be described as a feeling when you know someone is lying to you but you cannot exactly point at what exactly was not truth. Or like you know that something is lacking although nothing seems to be gone. And then , one morning, when the sunlight happened to be so bright that it woke me up, I saw it – I was lying to myself and couldn’t stand that no more. It will be hard for you to believe, but that was the day, when everything was about to change.

Where: Lithuania, Utena

From that moment on, I stopped planning time to make plans for my future. I sort of got up of bed and started doing the things that I knew will bring instant change into my life: deleted unwanted friends from my social networks, signed up for a long postponed foreign language course, cleaned up my closet from all of the garbage that I’ve always thought I ‘d never wear, opened a saving account and immediately transferred my first 100 euro contribution. In one hour time I had accomplished more tasks to make my life better than in the last… ever!

Btw, earlier I used to make lists of things I have to do today or the following day and keep a record of that in my notebook. That went straight to the garbage as it doesn’t work for me. Maybe it works for many, but not for me – seeing all the list of things undone make me anxious and stressed, while if I lie in bed ten minutes after I wake up and plan my day – I have a lovely day and tasks get accomplished. Strange, I know, but the system in my head works much better than the one on paper. Perhaps because since I realize that my short-term memory space is not unlimited, instead of listing “need to call….” I immediately take out my phone and make that call. This way things get done faster and there is less procrastinating. At least to me.

Who: Photographer – Aurelija Apulskienė

Of course, before every high-pitched period there is a period of recession. I had it too. Spent pointless sleepless nights, a feeling of total exhaustion even though I wasn’t working THAT much or doing any other hard energy requiring activities…

I had to actually face myself and be my own supporter and critic to realize that I simply got too comfortable with my life. I realized I was flowing like a log, which got stuck on its way on the rocks of a shallow letting life, like a river, flow by me. This was definitely more than I could bare.

Was I successful? Yes! In fact, I am graduating from my foreign language course in 3 weeks, have made couple thousands in my saving account, finally took part in that important seminar required for my work. How? Simple as that – I defined the barriers of my comfort zone and went over them, pushed myself out of my little comfy bed, strictly, ruthlessly pushed myself out of the safe and secure to the new and yet unsure. And here I am – at the moment the happiest that I have been for as far as I can remember! concurring new lands of my so-called “bohemian zone of freedom”.

“Life Begins at the End of your Comfort Zone” - Neale Donald Walsch

Yours truly,

Vaiva K.

Melting Down The Promises

One delightful Saturday afternoon, with a casual cappuccino and a never-ending interesting stuff on the internet, I was researching the internet wedding pages as my good friend is about to get married. Unfortunately, what seemed as an innocent delightful time helping a friend to plan the finishing touches of such a special occasion I have come across something that I didn’t bear to take alone. So I decided to share it so that I can get your opinion and reflection on some very bizarre facts and statistics:

•   A woman from Taiwan had the most unusual weddings in history - she married herself (video was banned or not uploaded, but here is a sneak-peak review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir1T_NXePr4).

•   A man from Japan married a virtual game character (not to a virtual person but a virtual game character that only exists in the game!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsikPswAYUM ).

• A man from Korea married to a giant cuddling pillow with an Anime picture on it (here is a link to him and his “wife” on a date: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q90Iq7kCOr8)

• A man from Azia just recently married to…a dog! (watch this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr9-YjU-Apo&feature=player_embedded)

What: Coat: Marks & Spenser’s. Shoes: QQQ.  Tights: Iggy.  Blouse: Bershka. Skirt: Monton . Gloves: thrift. Pearls: Seppala/ Silver City. Belt: New Yorker.

OMG Item: “Pearls. It’s the same if you put on just one piece or an entire sea of pearls hang on your neck – you will always look expensive, smart-looking and in style. Pearls are a little predictable but still you can get many looks: from an elegant A class princess to a Lolita chick. However, I always find it the most beautiful, when different pearl strings are being blended together than mixing pearls with other type of jewelery, specially plastic or fake looking things. It’s time for fun and it’s time for pearls. This time – pearls only!”

Gay marriages and marriage among the family members are not as rare as it may seem. Since the global population has trebled in the past 50 years, has it become actually impossible to find your significant other? There are legendary stories telling us that there must be someone out there for every one of us. The significant other, the soul mate, love of your life somewhere walking the same Earth as you and all you have to do is find him/her. Obviously, easier said than done. And in the world where you can marry anyone or anything, have the endless possibilities made it impossible to choose right?

Divorce statistics are more than frightening: more than 4o percent of Lithuanian marriages fall apart. Have we forgotten that the promise “for better or for worse” is intended for forever and not until the road get’s rocky? And if you can get divorced and can get re-married so easily – why marry at all?

Very often I see press headlines blinking from celebrities announcing their 2nd , 3rd sometimes even the 5th or 6th marriage. Each time: wearing a white dress, pearls, diamonds, tiaras, spending thousands of dollars for an impressive ceremony and pricey entertainment for a party afterwards. But  the most importantly – promising each time and yet again to be with the person for as longs as they shall live…

And then I look at my parents: with all the ups and downs in every marriage, just 3 years ago, they celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. We had a ceremony with family and friends, went to the city hall in the city of Kaunas to celebrate the 25 years of their union. It was very interesting as an adult to see my parents re-marry.

With both of them being so emotional as they are,  I have seen my parents raising their voices at each other, slamming the doors before sitting in separate rooms for hours, going on for long walks separately. But I have also seen Christmas holidays cooking together, dinning together, building snowmen, playing team games, cuddling before bed, movie nights with popcorn and classical Russian/ American cartoons, picnics in the yard, birthdays… A lot of those moments are worth living all together.  Worth building a relationship for and worth giving it another try. Sometimes I used to think that my parents would be better apart but now, after all this time, I see that they are not just husband and wife, but also friends and soul mates. Growing old together made them slow down, taught to forgive and forget and although they are quite different, they  have mastered the secret knowledge of how to live together in peace and to accept people and things as they really are.

Up to this day, I have a great pleasure to be back home with my parents. Living every day together can create lots of tension and good and bad things can happen: things get misunderstood, people expect different things from the same event, etc. But exactly all the love, fun , joy and all those every day troubles make life bubbly and interesting.

And what is your point of view? Marry or not? Is it still possible to find someone to love and are we still able to make the commitment last ‘forever’?….

Yours truly,

Vaiva K.

10 Things Every Man Should Know…

…about a Woman. Even if some of you have conquered the Everest of a relationship and marriage there are still things that you could improve, renew, refresh, or newly determine. Those things include 10 top secrets that were designed after consulting with my married and single friends.

Of course, a list “What Makes A Women Happy” could be almost endless but just for clarity sake, I have decided to list these five. These things are easy to implement and the positive changes are almost immediate. So off we go – into a brighter tomorrow in the world of women!

What: Scarf: Marks & Spenser. Coat: Next. Shirt: Ivo Nikkolo. Skirt: . Shoes: QQQ. Tights: Gatta.

Purse: Thrifted, no label . Gloves: Italiana Mode . Belt: Bershka.

OMG Item: “Gloves! Gloves! Gloves! They feel like silk, look like velvet and are so soft and sleek. Hands feel not only warm but heavenly. I also like the ‘royal’ touch that long-sleeved gloves give to the outfit. With the clothes being all the same it immediately gives that edgier more feminine touch and overall more fancy look. ”

Number 1. Make sure she has at least an hour for herself everyday. The time when she is at work or at the supermarket does not count, because she is busy. I mean a whole hour for herself – without the kids, you, without anyone. Either she chooses to spend that hour at a beauty salon, relaxing in a hot-tube, doing yoga, learning origami or just quietly reading a book – plan that hour every day and do not complain about it. She will love you respecting her private time. During that time women re-charge their beauty / well-being/ self-confidence battery and so she can shine again. For you.

Number 2. Do not kill her joy. She orders a strawberry milk-shake and pics a straw with a paper heart on it. You lift an eye-brow and say “What – are you 12 again??” DO NOT DO THAT. She wants it. It makes her happy.  Let it go.

Women are the vivid reflection of a child living in them. Of course nowadays  the preferred “toys” are somewhat different in price and purpose but pleasing a woman is similar to pleasing a child – a full hand of balloons, a big bouquet of flowers or a box of candy can make her very happy. Instead of trying to find what’s right and what’s not right - look at her and sink in the happy glow of her eyes.

Number 3. Hug her as often as you can. Huging is sometimes even more important than kissing. Women love to be held in a hug for a long time. Of course everything has its limits and doing it every time she passes by may be fun but also irritating. For as far as many women have indicated, they like to be tenderly hugged for a long time like before falling a sleep, when watching a movie, or simply relaxing on the couch in front of the TV. And remember: One long hug a day keeps the break up away!

Number 4. Encourage her to want more. There is no greater joy for a girl than knowing that her partner is proud of her and believes that she is capable of achieving big goals. Do not laugh at her sweating in a parking lot learning to drive. It is important for both of you to become strong well-prepared individuals. Girls are more sensitive and therefore they may get upset faster and react to criticism much stronger than many men would expect. So a little joke about her driving mistakes may become one of the many reasons to pick a fight about who and how should drive.

Long story short: if you want an interesting partner permanently contributing to a colourful life together  – invest some time in encouraging your girlfriend to fulfill her dreams and goals.

 

Where: A frozen lake, Utena, Lithuania.

Number 5. Do more than you planned to. Example 1. So she asks you to take out the garbage. Before taking it out make sure you have inserted a new garbage bag in the bin. Or broom the floor around the bin if some garbage have fallen on the floor…

Example 2. She asked you to do the dishes. After you clean them, make sure you put them back and the things that you used all to their places. These little steps will not take longer than 2-3 extra minutes but what it will do – it will show that you care and try to make such routine tasks as house duties easier. Trust me, she will notice your efforts. And appreciate them.

Number 6. Be a gentleman. No matter what a women says it is your duty to take over the tasks that requier bravery, physical strength or manhood. Nowadays nobody is asking you to fight the dragon and I am afraid that very few man could. But there are other things such as carrying the shopping bags, helping her with her coat, digging the snow, dealing with impolite – noisy neigbors, cutting the grass, catching spiders, letting her through the door first, repairing the furniture, taking the car to the mechanics, going first into the dark basement – these and all the other tasks that will make you her hero.

 

Number 7.  Be a part of her world. The greatest thing of trust a man can get is to be the first person a woman will come for an advice. This means that she values your opinion and cares about your point of view towards the issue. To get to this point you may neet to reflect on yourself and find the moments when you use your sarcasm or ignorance and kill her will to talk to you. This also includes practicing your skills of active listening.

Trust us, we are able to see if you are just sort of listening to us during the commercial breaks. That will never be a good base for an honest conversation. When woman is puzzled or in trouble – no difference if the problem is related to global economy or a fight with a closest friend – you will be in her heart forever if you will just sit down with her and talk about it. For many women unspoken truth is like a ghost – it’s scary because it is in the dark. Once the words are said aloud they are a fact.

Number 8.  Surprise her with a kinder surprise. If your calendar indicates just 2-3 gift giving occasions a year – your relationship has taken a wrong turn. When it come to the gift-giving topic I often hear “limited budget” as an excuse. Presents to your girlfriend are not entirely about money.

You do not have to get her an iPhone or a diamond right to show your dedication. I’ve seen my friend totally in love with a girl, making 50 white origami birds for his girlfriend for no occasion. He came to her building at 4 a.m. and hung each one of  them on a thread in front of her door. Do you imagine how pretty that must have been? My friend, the girl, was totally blown away by such surprise. And it costed him almost nothing!

Writing a poem, composing a CD of her favorite songs, home-made cookies, a drawing,  a cute – heart-shaped chocolate are just a few tight budget friendly ideas that can be implemented often with just a little bit of imagination and creativity. It tights bonds with your girl and brings some romantic breath into your every day life and relationship.

 

Who: Photographer – Aurelija Apulskienė.

Number 9.  Tell her she is the one. Now this may seem as the easiest thing from the entire list but this is the most complicated. It’s not only about saying the words aloud. It’s about finding the perfect time, the exact moment when the heart is open and she is able to hear it and feel it. Do not forget that actions speak louder than words -  never say these words after you’ve done something really really mean (like if you were gone for a day or even worse-a whole night without a call or warning). Instead of repeating that you are sorry – do not do things to be sorry about. Without a sense of regret to it, the special words will sound powerful and pure.

 

 

Numer 10. Find time for more satisfying activities to do together. Love, romance and trust does not build itself from nothing. Make sure that you find time regularly to do  some common activities together such as sports or games: jogging, tennis, badminton, skating, skiing, hiking, swimming, frisbee, chess, sudoku, biking, playing with your pets, dancing or singing lessons, sight-seeing, painting, crafting, DIY projects, reading books, movies, bathing, knitting, puzzle solving – anything that you enjoy to do and that produces satisfaction. Sharing common experience of adventures will keep your feelings updated and fill yoru days with fun, pleasant and silly moments to remember. Do not forget that in order to have something to remember tomorrow, you need to make it happen today!

And after all – yes, we might be from different planets but I think exactly for that fact we can live together as the opposites attract!

Yours Truly,

Vaiva K.

Letters To Heaven

I was thinking to myself the other day, what it would be like, if you could write a letter to Heaven, ask questions that you were never capable of understanding and receive good fulfilling answers? As I browsed through memories full of people and more or less special events, I realized how many of them were to this day unclear. Getting that one true answer perhaps might have solved the “forgive and forget” puzzle that keeps haunting me for years.

What:  Jeans: Zara. Shoes:  my mom’s treasure. Sweater: Cholckhouse . Bracelet: e-shop www.eleja.lt

Omg item: “Jeans by Zara. When everyting’s dull, grey and wet I miss colours the most. During the cold season, streets are crowded with black coated people. Exactly at that time, we miss the sun and the colours the most! So I have decided to break the ice and bring colors back to the dayligt, despite the cold. And I love the intensity of this blue – not a ababy blue and not a navy blue – the golden middle”

Who: Pictures taken by Aurelija Apulskienė

And as miracles occure, I have stumbled upon this delightful letter shared on Facebook. This is by no means written by me neither I am claiming any copy rights over it. I would simply like to share it as I found it, totally unedited.

“Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

 

When: 24t of February, 2012

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith” in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies.’ Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away.

Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I’m easy to find. I am wherever there is love.

Love, God”

 

Where: Countryside of Antalgė village, Utena, Lithuania.

I was so touched by this story! I loved the post officer who made time and effort to send a reply to this little girl. I am sure it brought a great amount of joy, faith and love into her life.  This made me think about how wonderful would it be to have an actual and real mail line with God?

What would you tell him if you could? What questions would you ask him? Would you bare to open the answering letter?…

Yours truly,

Vaiva K.

Under The Red Label: LOVE

Valentines is one of the many occasions when I am undecided and I am able to support both parties: the ones that cover themselves in hearts from head to toe and also those, who do nothing and hate even calling Valentines day a special occasion. And so every year I act depending whether I miss romance or not. Valentines day was a big deal in my life when I was a child and a teenager: sending post cards via ‘Cupids’ Post Office’ at school; exchanging secret angels’ gifts… Years of experience in this field now allows me to share the most intriguing items from my secret box under the label “LOVE”.

What: Jeans: Zara. Shoes: QQQ. Blouse: H&M . Scarf: Seppala. Earings: Marks& Spenser. Ring: Seppala.

OMG Item: ”This time I’d definitely go for the ring . I find it so wonderfully made : it’s a very cute statement piece and together with it you have a very little need or none at all to accessories anything else. Although it’s quiet a big item, it doesn’t have any sharp unfinished edges that could break materials, for example catch tights or get stuck into knitted materials. Also, irrelevant to its size, the ring is very light and comfortable to wear. When I saw it in Seppala (which lately has gotten my full attention – really improved the quality and the service) I felt as if I was tickled! Could this get any cutter?? “

A written love letter or at least a love post card is something very special, to which every detail becomes important: the selection of words, the size and the shrift of the letters as well as your hand-writing manner. The days come and go, years rush by so fast and later  for me there is no greater joy that browsing through my letter box and reading the cute lovely Valentines wishes that my classmates and friends once send me.

Where: “Coffee Inn”

Not yet written to me but have impressed me a lot as a very touching, very smart and loving expression of feelings. Here is my favorite love letter:

To : Antonie Brentano

 “Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us – I can live only wholly with you or not at all.

- Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits

- Yes, unhappily it must be so – You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart – never – never – Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves. And yet my life in V is now a wretched life – Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men – At my age I need a steady, quiet life – can that be so in our connection? My angel, I have just been told that the mail-coach goes every day – therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once – Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together – Be calm – love me – today – yesterday – what tearful longings for you – you – you – my life – my all – farewell.

Oh continue to love me – never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.
Ever thine
Ever mine
Ever ours.”  

~Ludwig van Beethoven~

A fantastic Valentines hair tutorial!

In this video a woman will explain how to make a very uncomplicated and yet very cute and original heart-shaped hairstyle. With a bit of imagination, you would be able to make it yourself,e.g. instead of sawing the ribbon, you could add it to the braid at the time when you braid it or wrap around when you finish. And bobby pin it to create the shape of a heart. Really lovely, isn’t it?

Heart-shaped Valentines Braid Tutorial

Ideas for hand-made Valentine cards.

Please refer to the fact that your date is not the only person who may get one. A close friend or a lonely person that you know is also among the list of people who are in need of a little reminder of all that love in the world. Making a card is not as hard as it may seem. Give it a try and you will discover the joy of creativity plus there will be more of your heart in it.  The most simple way is to glue a pretty red ribbon on the cover and clue some multi layered hearts in the center. Drawing and hand-writing is making a huge come-back!

(illustration found at a website which belongs to ‘graf_zahl’)

 

An idea for a gift box project.

A fun project of a Valentines gift box, for something small like candy. Quick, easy and budget-friendly.

I have made many of these boxes in silver and red for Christmas and I can tell you, that one box fits about 3-4 ‘Raffaello’ or a small soap or a tiny package of Skittles. But I would recommend adding less candy/items and instead forming a ‘nest’ on which the candy is going to lie on. This way, it looks neater when you open it. I made that “nest” out of glitter paper, ribbon or tiny piece of velvet.

 Who: Pictures taken by Dovydas Toleikis.

 

When: 13th of February, 2012.

Love yourself first and most. 

Despite the fuss and rush about finding the perfect partner, organizing a perfect date, preparing the perfect outfit, creating a perfect atmosphere, there are things that in my opinion, are mistakenly overseen. Those things include caring for yourself just as much as for others.

I do not ,by any means, intend to sound like a yoga or self-help instructor. But in my sports activities and elsewhere I often hear people talking about happiness. And followers of a music and dance therapy believe that it is closely related to finding our center. The ‘center’, as I found out, is a psychological and also a physical term to describe a place in your body as well as the a state of mind from where your feelings evolve, grow and come out. Music and dance therapists claim that persons psychological health is directly connected to the physical condition of the body and vice-versa.

You can easily find out more by reading some relevant literature. But my point here is that we should not only care about others and spoil them but also spoil ourselves and love ourselves how we really are. Taking care of yourself may mean living a more active, healthy lifestyle, taking a foam bath just for fun, spending more time by yourself to concentrate on things that are important to you.

So happy Valentines to ourselves! Kisses on the cheeks to everyone! <3

Yours truly,

Vaiva K.