Baby Serge

Baby Serge was born Wednesday 22 October 2008, at 12:55 pm with a full head of hair.

I'll never, ever forget the first time he managed to open his eyes. They where swollen like a kittens and he frowned and frowned, trying to get them to open. When he did manage to open them, he blinked in the most amazing, slow rhythm and just looked around at the lights, mesmerized, with his tiny mouth open to a soft "O".

He loves to eat and is growing up and changing every day.

We are trying to keep up with that.

October 22 2008

Tomorrow is the day. Baby Serge has had just about enough and we will have to show him the way out.
It's all so surreal still. I'll take my bags and check myself in. My eyes will be open during the whole process.
I am now off to do something impossibly normal like watch the news. And yes, I am scared.

See you in a few days.

Whipped Shea Butter Belly Cream Recipe

Here's a recipe for a belly cream I've been making throughout my pregnancy. Apparently, it has had great success with anyone I have shared it with. It's easy to make, has no nasty chemicals and leaves the skin super hydrated.
It does need some time to get used to the thick-ish consistency, but if I can use it during the Athenian heat waves anyone can. By now it has become a staple and I can't go on a day without it. Add it to your after the shower-before -going -to -sleep- ritual and I promise you will be looking forward to it every night.

Whipped Shea Butter Belly Cream Recipe

• 150 ml Organic Non Refined Shea Butter
• 60-70 ml Organic Virgin Olive Oil
• A box of Vitamin E capsules ( from Pharmacy )
• 20 drops of Lavender Oil *

Melt the butter in a metallic pan that rests inside another pan with water.
Don't overheat or let it boil since this will likely destroy many of the good stuff in the Shea Butter.
Let Butter Cool.
Once it is cooled down, add Olive oil, Vit E oil and Lavender Oil.
Whip mixture and place in refrigerator. At this point the mixture still retains some heat so you will not get the whipped consistency just yet.
Take out of fridge and whip again. Repeat this process with 30 minute intervals until you get that whipped cream consistency and it forms peaks.
Sometimes mixture cools too much and goes funny. If this happens, just let it sit in room temperature a bit and mix again. Scoop and place in a jar or tin.


* The are many counter indication for Essential Oil use during pregnancy. Some say that Lavender Oil is a uterus stimulant and is best avoided during pregnancy. If it will makes you feel better you can totally omit the Lavender Oil. As an alternative, you can add any fragrance oil you wish, just check that they are safe to use on skin and non-toxic.

Update - Despite having a dendency for stretch marks ever since puberty, I did not develop any during pregnancy...at least at the places I religiously applied this cream to. I don't know if it was pure luck, but I think its worth giving it a try. Your skin will thank you as even if you can't prevent stretchmarks, it will be moisturized and soft.

 

Nursery Banners

Banner for Serge.


I ordered a small pack of gorgeous paper to make into a banner. Any paper will do. I think mine was 2x6 inch and came in packs of 50's. Omitted the very pink ones by order of HG ( Husband George ).


Cut, glue on cardboard, sew or glue on ribbon.


Hang.
Have curious, velcro sheepdog wonder what is the fuss with this room.

Putting It All Together - Nursery

Progress on the nursery:

Wardrobe stripped, painted, assembled and placed in room. Check.
Walls. Pant over the icky, stained and yellowed walls. Check.
Chest of drawers. Strip red color, paint white, assemble, pull hair out, position. Check.
Side table. No painting, just assembly,yayyyyyyyyyy. Position. Check.
Armchair acquired and placed it in room. Check.

Awaiting for cot-bed.



Night light and clock for keeping track of whatever needs to be kept.

Bellow is the Hemnes chest of drawers which once was red and - in the tradition of the wardrobe - was stripped and painted another color with Auro paint. We will be adding a small extension in the back and use it as a nappy changing surface.




Husband George found the "S" from an old shop sign ( part of the word "furs" ). S is for Serge. We will make it into another night light by adding Christmas lights inside and hanging it from the wall.
Love the yellow stripy interior and that it smells of wood when you open it. Excuse the temporary mess of the contents.

Just like the cozy wardrobe interior:

Are Macaroons The New Cupcakes ?

New York times ran an article about the supposedly fading fad of cupcakes. Fad? When I realized I have a cupcake obsession and made this post, I wasn't remotely aware that foodstuff could be fashion.

I am not ready to leave behind my newly discovered cupcake obsession and promise to serve it with every colorful, sugary, multi-colored candy sprinkle of my heart.

But...there is one question. If cupcakes are out, what will take it's place ? What could be as stylized, sweet and decadent ? What could be equaly delicious as an image on a bag or a shirt and gorgeously tasteful i the mouth. Just one thing sprang into my mind : Macaroons.






( Recipe for pink Macaroons above )

Dating back to the 18th century, the macaroon is made of egg whites, sugar and almond paste. This sweet pastry came out of the French courts' baker's oven as round meringues similar to today’s amaretti. Some say they originated during the Italian Renaissance hence the name Macaroon - Macaron.

In the beginning of the 20th century, Pierre Desfontaines Ladurée, had the idea to join two meringues and fill them with ganache. Today, these meringues are of endless colours and flavors and Ladurée still has it's macaroons as it's most famous creation. When visiting Paris, you have to stop at Ladurée, even if it is to just hover over their lush macaroon gift boxes and presentation. If Paris is too far away- which it probably is, you could alays order online. Try the Raspberry - Cassis flavor for a true essence of all that is Parisian or you could always try making them yourself with a few ideas here.


Other places you could go for a Macaroons - Macaron are:

Pierre Hermé in Paris and Tokyo for more innovative flavors ( I think they have a zucchini one...) and the delicately flavored, mini macaroons at Zurich's Confiserie Sprungli. These little sweets are pure heaven when combined with a cup of coffee at their cafe. I could eat them all day long and forever and ever and ever.

If, you just want to wear a Macaroon, because it is a fad after all , you could always try this delicious Antoinette's Tea Party - Mint Green Macaroon Necklace
( from hacCa's Etsy shop)

or this Macaron Bracelet
( from lepinkchocolat's shop at Etsy )

or even these French Macaron Soaps for your bathroom, but try not to eat:





( from naiad's shop at Etsy)

Whatever you do, I'm sure once you've tried them there's no going back. I would really like to re-unite the antagonistic Cupcake and Macaron one day in a...Macaron and Cupcake party but I'm wondering who would come.

smallish Note

I have a month left till the new Small Person arrives and I think I have now accepted the fact that I am Baby Thing obsessed. Not baby obsessed yet, just consumed with it's accessories. I think and hope that when engulfed by nice things, I will not be too terrified of the sudden yellow, mustard pooping situation surrounding my existence.

So it is pretty safe to assume that all future posts in this terribly misspelled blog will have a baby thing theme. Bare with me?

Freebie Lounge - Free Wallpapers

Here are a couple of wallpapers I shot and created a few days ago. I adore the colors of the Matryoshka nesting doll in either their vivid or more desaturated form.

Just click on the images and save. Enjoy!

PS. If anyone is interested in the more vivid - saturated versions just let me know and I'll upload them.

Little Buzzing Bee

I know this blog is baby obsessed but I never knew you could have this much fun with baby stuff.

Next acquisition for the baby frenzy is a stroller. I always though strollers were boring and uneventful. I could never quite imagine myself pushing one of those gigantic, mahoosive stroller things, where little babies get lost inside the bulk of canopy roofs, double bottle dispensers, 4 wheel drive super pneumatic wheels and under set storage that is big enough to hold the contents of a small house. I was not impressed with the stroller thing at all.... that is until I saw The Bee.

Bugaboo's Bee Stroller is a one of a kind design. No fashionably bulky, SUV type strollers here. Just very smart, industrial design cuteness. The Bee is designed for city dwellers and in a city with sidewalks like Athens' you need a super steady, compact and sturdy one. Oh, and it fits in our boot without the need to upgrade into a Hummer!

One of the creators of the now very successful Bugaboo brand, Barenbrug graduated in 1994 with double honors in two subjects: mobility (City Bike) and leisure (pushchair). In 1995, Together with physician Eduard Zanen - who became involved with the ergonomic development of the first pushchair concepts - he tried to market his Bugaboo design to several manufacturers, but nobody was ready for it. I think they have probably regretted it by now....It appeared that his ingenuity was ahead of its time. In 1996 Max and Eduard set up Bugaboo as a company and focused on how to mass produce their product. 1999 saw their first Bugaboo - the Bugaboo Classic - appear on the streets of Holland and now, the pushchair models are available in 32 countries across 4 continents, not to mention several celebrity type people as well.

Apart from all the neat features, the simple fact is that I'm in love with The Bee's design. It looks better live than in pictures and you can really appreciate how many hours someone has spent over the drawing board for this.

Plus, they have the most adorable Bee film on their site.

Yellow Is The New Black - Making a Nursery Closet

From this

to this



Finally, the completion of a project. Remember in an older post how we had set out to convert a black solid pine IKEA wardrobe, into a yellow one? There was the sanding and the primers and the paint mixing and finally the two coats of the Auro paint.

Then there was the infamous IKEA assembly, where it is customary to be half way into your project when you realize that you have done it backwards and then you need to re-do it, at least twice.

Well, assemply is finished, drawer pulls are placed and we fitted it into what once was my home office's library. We filled it with pretty much everything related to Bean ( there's plenty more in the drawers ) and are off to our next DIY venture.



Oh, plus we'll also be adding a marquetry on the top.

Le Cupcake: Edible Cow Cupcakes (Chocolate Mud)

Mouth watering site by Le Cupcake. Have a look at these Le Cupcake: Edible Cow Cupcakes (Chocolate Mud)

So many colors and to much deliciousness in this blog!

Shallow Obsessings II - Cupcakes

I ordered the Tree of Life one since it was on sale as well, but found myself in need of some cupcake sweetness. The Tree of Life bag had no cupcake stitched on it and I was left with a huge craving. So another fixation developed soon after my order was processed : Cupcakes .Etsy's craftpudding cupcakes in ribbons, faux sweets, charms, prisma's felt fabric brooches, delicious random Flickr Cupcake photos, cupcake anything...





Yesterday I got two Accessorize cupcake charms for my keys that will migrate on my Yummy Mummy bag as soon as it is put in use.

Shallow Obsessings I - Yummy Mummy Diaper Bags

We have been trying to get ready here with the baby bubble, the nursery and the new house. I need to have some ridiculously shallow obsessings to keep my sanity.

In the midst of all the stroller, cot, bottle, nappie shopping/scouting, I became fixated on these deliciously quirky Yummy Mummy Pink Lining changing bags ever since I laid eyes on one a friend was lucky enough to have as a present.

Pink Lining is a fashion handbag label created by British designer Charlotte Pearl. Charlotte created the label when she had her first daughter and they are as functional as it they are pretty. They are currently selling in Selfridges - London, Harvey Nichols - Hong Kong, Harvey Nichols - Riyadh, Isetan - Japan, many indepedant boutiques and online. The signature shocking pink lining used throughout the bags provides the wearer with their own personal piece of hidden luxury.

UPDATED - Here's the bag I received and love it. When I open the bag, the look and feel of the bright pink lining and accessories make me feel like I'm surrounded by throbbing neon pink hearts and flying strawberry shortcakes. Who knew you could get such a kick out of a diaper bag of all things.

Yellow Heatwave

Being almost 8 months pregnant does not help when you need to sand down and repaint a wardrobe. The heat here is around 37 Celcius which feels like 45 to me. Husband George has set out to the task. He sanded and applied 2 base coats for the paint and re-sanded each time.

Then we mixed the paint to get the light yellow. Light Yellow. Maybe I need to rethink the color of the wall so I'll get more of the effect we wanted.

We are also going to add a marquee on the top and add some drawer pulls from Zara Home.


I tried some rough color combinations in Photoshop.