Have a Dreamy Weekend

Cheers to the last Friday of January. What are you up to this weekend? Thank you SO much for all the sweet notes about our fresher and sassier exPress-o. I am so pleased that you like all the tweaks. Wanna know something funny? Ever since Ana uploaded it, I keep on having the biggest grin on my face...It weirdly feels like I just did some major spring cleaning :) Ha! Loves, have a fantastic next two days and I will see you Monday morning – bright and early, but in the meantime here is a bunch of cool links for your weekend fun. Enjoy!

Brilliant and totally unexpected hostess gift.

Seinfeld reunion? I can't wait!

Plus, a few things you probably didn't know about the show.

Cartilage piercing earrings are so darn sassy and FreshTrends have some amazing pieces to choose from.

Babies ruin bodies - beautiful read.

Swoon, what an amazing home. When can I move in?

I never knew parrots can be so beautiful.

All about parks:)

Valentine's Day tea cloths that you can make yourself.

Oh boy, scallion pancake challah:)

This Japanese taxi driver snapped some awesome photos...

Super nifty tip to keep lemons fresh for up to a month!

Yowza, those ice sculptures are incredible!

Ah, snow chic:)

Cakes on wheels.

Mary Jo has an amazing 3 days flash sale that ends on the 2nd of February! Don't miss it:)

'Why I never hesitate to... say I love you' - brought me to tears.

And fancy a blast from the past?
- Three years ago today.
- Two years ago today.
- One year ago today.

P.S: Fancy a bit of chit-chat? Join me on Twitter, Facebook or even Pinterest.

(Photo of Paris via Rebecca Baust)

This Week's Gems

I like big bags and I can not lie:)...

Tea towel perfection...

A beautiful double-sided pendant necklace. Perfect gift for a new mom!...

Perfect Pairings - this book is on my wish list...

Ha! The sweetest little espresso set!...

If you are craving some flower goodness, this photo-print might just do the trick...

Also, I love this tote and it's on sale - yay!...

This burgundy Zircon engagement ring makes me swoon!...
Brilliant - Super Bowl nachos in individual serving bowls!

I'd wear these tiny little earrings with a sassy striped top and boyfriends jeans. You?...

Happy Friday, darlings! What caught your eye this week? Any great finds or buys? xo

P.S: Fancy more gems?

Meryl Streep Does Sexy

Just when I thought that I couldn't possibly love her any more, she does this on The Ellen Show earlier this month. Have you seen it? Meryl Streep, you're hilariously brilliant, witty and all around amazing. Lovelies, are you a fan? How brilliant is this video? (I'm still giggling). xo

P.S: Here are a few of my favourite films with Meryl: It's Complicated, Hope Springs and Julie & Julia. Yours?
P.P.S: That little (insignificant) thing I love...

(Thanks Justine, via PetFlow. Photo of Meryl Streep via Katelyn)

The Power of Ballet

I’m lost for words after watching this extraordinary little film about the power of ballet! Michaela DePrince is a 17 year old ballerina whose life began with tragedy, but her harsh beginnings transformed into something inspiring and beautiful. Dance changed her life, helped her express herself and made her whole again. If you have 2 minutes to spare, watch the video above…Incredible, isn’t it? xo

P.S: Here is an amazing article about her if you fancy getting to know her a bit more.
P.P.S: La Práctica and more ballet goodness here.

(via Miss Moss via Good Night, Day. Film by The Avant/Garde Diaries)

Psst...

...welcome to a fresher exPress-o! Last night, our awesome Ana from Blog Milk did a bit of magic, spread some fairy dust and widened our horizon. Hope you like it!

We are still working on a few little tweaks today and for the next few days, so if you see anything funky in your browser, like wierd text, images out of place or anything at all, please drop me a line so we can fix it right away and make your exPress-o reading smooth and easy:) Thanks so much, darlings and I can't wait to hear what you think about the new look.

A few little bits:
- all the 'follow' buttons (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram - coming soon, Bloglovin' and Google+) are now in the right column under "follow".
- we also have a new gadget in form of "categories" in the right column. You can now view posts by the main themes of the blog if you wish: beauty, fashion, relationships + simple pleasures, travel, food, photographs + art. If you run your mouse over the pretty image circles the category names will pop out.
- and lastly, you can now share any post you like by using "share this post"  gadget under each post on any social media platform you desire.

I'll be back with two more fun posts today:) xo

(Photo of Zooey Deschanel via MetroLyrics)

Nifty Little Perfume Trick

Last night I learned a nifty little perfume trick. While catching up with friends over a cup of coffee, we talked about perfume and how overpowering it can be if applied too much at once. Yet if you put too little, it tends to wear off very quickly. The answer is Vaseline!

Yup, if you dab a dash of vaseline onto your pulse points and then apply the perfume, your scent won’t wear off and it will carry on throughout the day without the need of constant re-applying. I tried it this morning and it works so far!

Genius! Seems that Vaseline is one of those miracle workers, isn’t it? Would you try it? What's your favourite perfume right now? I got this one for Christmas and I can’t get enough of it, which is strange as I mostly just use solid perfume. xo

P.S: Remember this clementines trick?
P.P.S: Plus this one to messy hair perfection.

(Photo of Marilyn Monroe via The Independent)

Family Table

Sri Lanka

Burma

Italy

Indonesia during monsoon season

Tibet

India

Honduras

Macedonia

Do you have a tradition of having family meals? It seems that no matter what country, culture or upbringing we might have, sharing a meal with people we love is on everyone's agenda no matter how rarely it might actually happen. Nowadays in our ever busy world, it’s seems it’s a harder task to gather everyone at the same table, so these photos by the brilliant Steve McCurry make me miss those Sunday dinners at grandma’s house back in the day. Ah, good memories:)

Our family dinner table was like Speakers’ Corner in London. We discussed, debated, argued, declaimed - all of us at the same time. - E. Thomson Earl

P.S: The hungry planet.
P.P.S: From grandma with love!

(Thanks, Stephanie)

A Film About Coffee

Fun fact: New Yorkers drinks about 7 times as much coffee as the rest of the world. Surprised?

This morning a friend who tastes coffee for living (lucky bugger) sent me that fun fact and the link to this awesome coffee documentary that I can’t wait to watch. It’s about people’s love for coffee - whether you take your java habit totally seriously or it’s more of a social thing for you. It documents the full life cycle of coffee from the farmers, to buyers, roasters, sellers and beyond.

So, if like me, you love your coffee and want to understand more about how it's made, this teaser above will give you a thrill. There is no official release date yet, but rumor has it,  it's this summer. Can’t wait! The video is beautiful:) Cheers to that! Do you drink coffee? xo

"No matter the quality of your cup, people who love coffee, love it. Coffee is about people, and people are what I’m interested in ultimately." - Brandon Loper.

P.S: Tons more coffee goodness!
P.P.S: Coffee shop chatter - genius.

(Top photo via For Emma, Forever Ago)

Pay It Forward - My Little Challenge!

While catching up on reading I stumbled upon this little story from last summer. Have a read:

I am a senior citizen, age 92. While trying to hail a taxi on Second Avenue on a busy, rainy Saturday night, a well-dressed young couple came along behind me, also trying to hail a taxi. They seemed impatient, so they walked one block uptown to get the first cab. A few minutes later I saw them get into the first oncoming cab - my loss.
As their cab approached me, it slowed down and came to a full stop. The door opened and, as they both got out, the young man said, 'It’s your cab.' I thanked them profusely, got in, and went on my way.

Lately I've heard a lot about a new phenomenon called "paying it forward" - it means to repay a kindness by being kind to someone else rather than the person who was kind to you.

For example, I read another article about how people in Texas and many other spots around the country like to make someone’s day by picking up their drive-through bill in a pay it forward type of fashion. Supposedly, there is a lady in Oklahoma who pays it forward in the drive-through, every single day. Can you believe it?

She just does it out of kindness rather than for recognition. But others have told drive-through cashiers they wanted to pay it forward in gratitude to drivers who waved their car ahead of them in line or after noticing in the rearview mirror a woman weeping into her steering wheel, and wanting to make her smile. Cancer survivors have done it in appreciation of life, and new parents have done it to celebrate their baby.

So, in spirit of loveliness and paying it forward, from today till the end of February I made a pact with myself to do one good deed every single time when I feel like someone did something nice to me.

It doesn’t have to be anything big. It can be just sharing a cab, or giving it up like the NY couple above and catching the next one or even just giving someone a compliment, just because they seem sad. You can also pay for someones's coffee or give away your seat on the subway. What do you think? Are you up for it? xo

P.S: One thing this year...
P.P.S: Life lessons.

(via NY Times. Photos via Touchdisky)

Flamingos Love Dance

Did you know that flamingos have this brilliant and totally hilarious, yet highly synchronized mating dance? Don’t believe me? Don't take my word for it - check out the video above and your Tuesday morning will turn from gloomy to totally peachy:)

The cool thing about those pink-shrimp-eating-rascals is that when they start looking for a mate they group together and spend hours puttering around the lake, turning their necks from right to left, as if the were preforming some type of highly rehearsed dance routine. I have no idea how they eventually decide on the one, however, their little romancing seems so endearing and charming. Don't you think? Hope the video will make your morning! xo

P.S: llama type of day:)
P.P.S: Plus, Harlow and Indi.

(Video via Be Nice. Be Kind. Photo via Brave Metaphor)

Spinach + Cheese Waffles

Do you have a waffle maker? If you don't, you need to get one, if you do, get it out and make those spinach-cheese waffles for dinner tonight! Top it off with a sunny side up egg and a few wedges of freshly sliced avocado. My new favourite! Plus, this combo is like a band aid for a sad soul - last week Balazs and I found out that Buffer has diabetes which is expected at his age (he is a 12-year-old Westie) but it's still sad so we comforted ourselves with this yummy combo and a late night glass of wine. Here is the recipe.

Which take on waffles do you prefer: sweet or savoury? xo

P.S: The poached egg trick.
P.P.S: Breakfast for dinner bagel style.

(Photos by Ashley McLaughlin)

Women + Food

Eating cereals in a bathtub, snacking on peaches in the bed - does it sound familiar? Have you ever indulged in a little naughty-bathtub snack after a long-tiring day? Lee Price is a painter who created those super photorealistic self-portraits that touch a very fragile topic - woman’s relationship with food. As Tshepo ingeniously points out: 'women are taught to be givers, to nurture others at the expense of their own needs and food for some reason is one way we women have chosen to give back to ourselves - to attempt to nurture ourselves.'

Food for thought with a dash of saddness...yet so brilliant, if you ask me! Thoughts? xo

P.S: Foodie confessions...
P.P.S: Literature + food and those awesome food flags.

(via Sho & Tell)

Drama on the Streets

If you are up for a dash of drama, you are in luck as Miss Moss has done it again! This time she cleverly paired up awesome period drama films with some amazing street-style photographs. I love the theatrical beauty of some of the outfits and how brilliantly they translate to everyday street life. I’d wear The Duchess street version any day, and who wouldn’t want to rock the tomboyish goodness of Meryl Streep’s character from Out of Africa? Plus, I totally fancy recreating Keira Knightley's Atonement look, and don't even get me started on the street-version of Little Women - perfection!

Which pairing tickles your fancy? Do you have a favourite drama-film? xo

P.S: Films from top - Little Women, The Duchess, Atonement, King's Speech, Emma, Out of Africa, Downton Abbey, Marie Antoinette and Pride & Prejudice.
P.P.S: Also, fashion & landscape!

Giveaway Winners

The winners of the SimaG jewelry GIVEAWAY are Emily and Thelma. Congrats to both! xoxo

P.S: Thank you all for playing:)

Cheers to a wonderful weekend

Cheers to Friday, lovely ladies :) What are you up to this weekend? Tonight we are going for a birthday party with cake, wine and all that jazz. I'm excited to get out and mingle. Besides that, we will see where the next two day will take us. How about you, lovelies? As always here is a bunch of nifty links for your weekend blog hopping fun. See you Monday morning. xo

San Francisco + Gary + his piano-bicycle = genius!

18 things we should have been taught as teenagers.

The sweetest thing ever - polar bears enjoying a magnificents sunset:)

Yup!

I have such a girl crush on Caroline De Maigret:)

Brilliant - I need to save this for the future: 44 things Jenny said to her kids to get them to eat.

I really want to try this salad.

I'm usually not too keen on cakes but I'd have a piece of this one right now.

WOW!

Aww...have you seen this video of the newborn twin boys? It will melt your heart!

That tee.

Lisl and Alex got married in the Namibian desert.

Ethiopia's Simien Mountains.

Fancy creating your own beach flat oasis?

Candle straws - oh yes!

Incredible people that will make you believe the world is beautiful again.

Good morning yoga sequence.

Ha! Did you know that you can grow your own ginger at home?

10 secrets to living well!

Only 2 more days left to enter our 2 winners SimaG jewelry GIVEAWAY! Don't miss it!

And fancy a blast from the past?
- Three years ago today.
- Two years ago today.
- One year ago today.

P.S: Fancy a bit of chit-chat? Join me on Twitter, Facebook or even Pinterest.

(Photo via Laura)

This Week's Gems

Just got this tee the other week and I can't get enough of it. So soft!...
This new cookbook looks like a gem - 'As with any Leon book, cooking is not about spending hours in the kitchen but bringing family and friends together with simple, gutsy, happy food'...

Blimey! A London blue topaz + a gold organic brushed band = stellar engagement ring. Would you wear it?...

How adorable is that pillow?...

Dandy little purse for daily strolls:)...

I love this hair barrette, that is all:)...

Triangle necklace perfection. What a beauty!...

This sassy little cross bar ring totally tickles my fancy...

A beautiful mini journal for all those late night thoughts...

:)...

Those blue studs would add a wonderful pop of colour to your winter uniform:)...

What a sassy little number. Would go great with a top knot and smokey eyes for a date night:)...

The best way to say 'I love you' to a dapper husband is with a sweet little Valentine's handkerchief...

Be still my heart - math equation earrings!...

One for you and the two others for your soul sisters - sweet!...

Happy Friday, darlings! What caught your eye this week? Any great finds or buys? xoxo

P.S: Fancy more gems? How about those?