July 19, 2015

Quick Sunday Recipe: Chicken Orzo Summer Salad.


I love Summer not only for sunny vacation days on the beach but also because in Summer I get to eat all of my favorite fruits and veggies. I usually eat much more fruits and veggies then meats but in Summer for inexperienced chef like me it's so much easier to play with different fruits and veggies in combination with pasta and a little bit of white meat or fish to create wonderful, healthy and most importantly quick and easy dishes with not much time standing by the stove when it's anyways super hot outside.

Today I am sharing one of my favorite full meal salads - Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese.
Whenever I eat in a restaurant I tend to order some kind of salad and it's almost always with goat cheese which I adore so my friends already make fun of how predictable I am :)
Still, I think you will enjoy this one.

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July 5, 2015

Moving in a New Apartment.


This year my boyfriend and I are moving in two new apartments, we are finally furnishing our Summer home in Dubrovnik Croatia and moving into a new apartment in Barcelona, Spain. One was planned and one wasn't. :) 

SUMMER HOME IN DUBROVNIK
We hired an interior design company from Croatia to help us furnish and plan lighting at our Dubrovnik apartment which was purchased completely empty. 


As we are not living in Croatia the biggest benefit of hiring interior design firm was that we didn't have to be involved in all details our selves as contacting suppliers, ordering furniture, lightning, paint etc.  Dubrovnik is a small city where there are no major furniture stores so we had most items delivered from Italy or from Croatian capital Zagreb. 

We both love modern, contemporary design so we went for black and white colors in the whole apartment furniture wise, large open space living room-dining room looking at the terrace and kitchen  with an island in the middle (which I adore). In the living room we went with large, textured stone looking wall behind the TV with modern drop shaped fireplace.To break white and black tones we added glass and metallic tones in details and chandeliers. 

Now when all the work is (almost) done we definitely see the benefit of having the interior design team manage all of the tiny details which we ourselves wouldn't even think of, also schedule of lightning in the big apartment is super important and it has been done perfectly so that the whole apartment is perfectly light. 

APARTMENT IN BARCELONA
Although many of our friends live outside of the city both my boyfriend and I prefer to stay close to city center where are favorite restaurants, parks and places to go out are. We searched long and hard once we decided we are staying in Barcelona for at least three more years for a perfect apartment to live it as until now we were renting for three years. Finally, after seeing 7 or 8 great apartments we found a perfect one (read I found the one with a huge closet :) photo to follow in September when I move in).



Apartment in Barcelona is a smart home with a bit smaller rooms and custom furniture in black, white and grey tones. My favorite part of the apartment is large room closet and stone and ebony textures combined in kitchen and dining room.

WHERE TO SHOP?
For small house stuff like dishes, bathroom accessory etc. our go to place was of course IKEA and Zara Home for details. Next, we purchased some amazing pieces on very much discounted prices online on   Westwing (Spain only) and  Vivre (Croatia only). Since we are quite tall, both my BF and I we custom ordered beds, kitchen and all closets in Dubrovnik apartment to better use the space from wonderful company called  Centrala Interijeri and this cost us less then if we would have purchased each piece from the store. In Barcelona we managed to find big enough beds for us at La Tienda Home.


For great quality (not cheap) Italian furniture we looked at  Archi Products (delivered worldwide). We got great big black leather bar chairs at Lesnina (Croatia) and cute details on mobile app.  Fancy.com (delivered worldwide mostly). 

HOW TO SAVE?
We saved a whole lot of money buy reviewing the designer firm offers and then choosing the cheaper chandlers ourselves online as well as replacing designer furniture pieces suggested with more affordable ones. It's important to keep in mind how much time you spend in Summer home vs. where you live most of the year and invest accordingly.


Investment pieces on which you should spend more if you can are those you will use the most: bed (frame and matrace), sofa, dining table & chairs, kitchen appliances and laundry machine. All other you should look to save on if possible. This doesn't mean you buy anything, of course you look for quality but also look for discounts. 

Since I have been searching for great deals on home decor for a last year or so feel free to ask me any questions if you are in the same boat, I would be happy to help! :)

XoXo



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June 30, 2015

Romantic & Gothic Cruise Collection by Boudoir.

Photos: Mladen Šarić

One of my absolutely most favorite Croatian brand just climbed a page higher in my book when they combined custom flower and animal print with my bellowed skeleton motifs. As a huge Alexander McQueen fan and (mostly) aspirational McQueen shopper I was thrilled to see such gorgeous prints on A-line skirts, peplum t-shirts and Spring bomber jackets in Boudoir Cruise 15' collection.

Always ahead of other designers when it comes to artistic touch and craftsmanship Boudoir sisters found a way to expand their shopper demographics and successfully incorporated their branding with custom print and soft, cool and comfortable fabrication to create still very affordable Cruise collection.


Creative sisters Morana Saračević and Martina Čičko-Karapetrić have recently been featured in New York Times short tourist video of Zagreb.

Their collections represent true fairytales, with at times distinctly positive and at other times slightly darker inspirations, oscillating from graceful colored fairies to subtle S&M messages that speak volumes about the essence of female power in dressing. Fluid richness of soft feathers meets dramatic tulle in a romantic marriage between many different layers of lace. Colour palettes vary from collection to collection; however, their liking for black and white is obvious, while the grey area in-between is made up of pastel shades.

Now you can order Boudoir new Cruise collection on Trendcy HERE.

XoXo


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June 23, 2015

Print of The Season - Pink Flamingo.


From mass market to couture fashion designers fell in love and got inspired with famously gorgeous pink bird - flamingo. Since early Spring and in traces during last Summer seasons we could have seen pink flamingos printed on absolutely everything from pajamas and underwear to shoes, dresses and purses and it all started with blow up pink flamingos which celebrity kids started posting on Instagram from their Summer pool parties.

Kate Spade took up on this trend most seriously and with the most success. She designed all from pink flamingo print t-shirts to hoodies and handbags.
I got to say that I am a sucker for this print with my favorite being navy wrap dress with tiny pink flamingos and Kate Spade purses, especially the pink feather one! How cute? :)

Giles Deacon Resort 2015.




C Wonder Smoking Suade Flamingo Slippers 

Sophia Webster Pink Flamingo Shoes Sale

MisslFire Ping Flamingo Sandals, $115

John Lewis Pink Flamingo Sandals 






Shop Pink Flamingo Print bellow:

XoXo
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June 21, 2015

Spring 2015 Best Sneakers.


Photo: Puma Girls Blaze

I never really liked wearing any other sneakers other then classic white and high red high tops Converse but since more and more both athletic footwear labels and fashion houses started to really look into and design fashionable sneakers, intended to be worn outside of the gym and even suitable for more dressy looks, I really found a lot of gorgeous, desirable styles to combine with skater skirts and dresses in Summer. Well....you can even wear it with the tutu if you like! :)


Naturally, first I looked into leopard print ones (Adidas) which are actually sports shoes for gym workouts but look fab enough to wear around town. They also have a casual styles.


Nike and Adidas launched a several big name designer collaborations as well.
NikeLab x JFS launched a collaboration recently with Berlin-based Acronym designer Johanna F. Schneider but they have a wide variety of customization options on their style sneakers like: Nike Air Pegasus 83, Nike Internationalist, Nike Roshe One iD,  Nike Juvenata Print and my favorite Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 32 Photosynthesis.




Adidas has an ongoing collaboration with Stella McCartney (Adidas by Stella McCartney) but they also work with Yohji Yamamoto (Y-3),  Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Mary Katrantzou and Jeremy Scott.

Raf Simons for Adidas

Other brands who stepped up to the occasion with fancy fashion sneakers are Reebok, Puma and New Balance, with latest being my favorite of the tree.


Did you also go crazy for this trendy but also comfy sneaker styles? Which one is your favorite?

Shop more popular styles here:


XoXo


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June 12, 2015

Juicing Detox 101.


Detox is super modern buzz word lately and you can find numerous recipes online but not all are equally beneficial and working equally well for detox. It's really important to try to find a good, knowledgable resource before you try to mix and match your own juices. This is especially important if you have some kind of eating disorder or any chronic condition or if you are pregnant or nursing, in this case it's best to consult your doctor before doing detox on your own.

MY STORY

I'll be very honest with you, I always loved eating fruits and vegetables and my mum (forcefully) made me and my sister drink vegetable and fruit juices from a very young age so this detox & juicing trend is not something new,  it just came back in 'fashion' just like the 70's fringe bags. I don't smoke or drink (maybe a mojito, gin tonic or a glass of red wine once in a blue moon) but I do drink 1-2 coffees a day. I make time time to cook at least 2 healthy meals a day for my family and we don't eat out a lot, at most 2-3x per month.

However (very) recently since I turned 30 I noticed (regretfully so) that my metabolism isn't what is used to be, I am working from home now and moving a lot less then before and although I am trying to exercise as often as I can I can feel like my muscle tone isn't what it used to be back (like...yesterday) in my 20's.  

Like all the experts will say, 80% of good health is what you eat and drink and 20% is exercise so I decided to make a conscious choice and invest a bit more time into choosing my groceries and preparing my meals with a little bit more care and love. My boyfriend is a professional athlete so I got another great reason to take special care of how and what I cook.

My friend Anka introduced me to juicing. Not that is matters but it's related obviously, Anka is super physically active and a perfect fitting model size thanks to her healthy lifestyle choices. :) 

She is a vegan and she is researching and testing numerous juice recipes and reading various books about juicing and healthy nutrition for years now so she recommended me to invest in a cold-press juicer should I decide to juice on a regular basics. I am still searching for a good one and will share with you once I find it.

Since I don't have a proper juicer but only blender which is great for smoothies but makes to thick of a drink to be good for juicing, I did one day detox yesterday with professionally prepared 5 juices, one glass bottle of organic almond milk and a shot of ginger and lemon concentrate to drink with water from  Lo & Lo juicing bar in Barcelona.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY IT

Just like I used to, when I mention the importance of eating healthy, juicing and exercising to some of my friends they say stuff like: 'I don't have time for all that', 'It's to complicated' or 'It sounds expensive' but then they do complain about being tired all the time, overweight or doing crash diets. 

My response to this kind of comments is simple - you need to care about your own health, you need to love yourself and your body to be willing to make an adjustment in your diet and your lifestyle and stop putting junk in your body.

 Just going to the gym and doing manicures and pedicures won't make you healthy and pretty if you eat crap. Once you make this a priority, you will feel better, you will be more positive, in a better mode, you will focus better at work and you will be a better role model for your kids and your family.

LO & LO ONE DAY JUICING DETOX PACK

Juicing is a good way to introduce natural vitamins, minerals and other goodies from fruits and vegetables into your diet, especially if you naturally don't prefer taste of some fruits and vegetables. Multivitamin pills cannot give you the same value natural juices can.

Yesterday I did my first one day professionally prepared detox by   Lo & Lo Juicing team. The package cost me about 30 Euro and it contained of 4 juices, 1 almond milk and 1 smaller concentrated immunity shoot in about 0.5L glass containers.

Lea from Lo & Lo Juicing recommended me to drink green 'Love Greens' and 'Detoxify' juice in the morning and red 'Energy Boost' juice in the afternoon, a small yellow 'Immunity shoot' I drank mixed with 0.5l water through the day and orange 'Balance' juice I drank in the evening. 

Love Greens: apple, green pepper, cucumber, kale or chard, ginger and lemon
Detoxify: apple, fennel, cucumber, turmeric or ginger, parsley.
Energy Boost: apple, beet root, carrot, turmeric or ginger, lemon.
Balance: apple, carrot, turmeric, lemon.
Immunity Shoot: ginger & lemon concentrated juice.
Almond milk: 0.5l

I choose a day when I worked full day from home to do this detox as you will need to go to pee more often :) Around about 1pm I felt a bit woozy so I mixed a half a bottle of almond milk with small banana in a blender and drank. I didn't feel hungry at all during the day, in the late afternoon after my third drink I already felt energized and alert as if I had a cup of coffee. 

Did you ever try juicing at home ladies? 
Share your recipe in a comment!

XoXo



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June 11, 2015

Gordana Dimitrijevic Bosnian Shoe Designer Conquers Paris.

Source:   www.gordanadimitrijevic.fr 

I am always inspired by beautiful stories of women resilience, power and creativity. Today I am excited to share a story about Bosnian lady, a shoe designer Gordana Dimitrijevic who now lives and designs shoes successfully in Paris.

The story starts in 1995 in the war blasting Sarajevo.


Gordana as a young student leaves her hometown, her family and her studies in Economy. Suitcase in hand, her will and talent packed, she sets for Paris. She finds work as an au pair, and quickly becomes a distinguished student at the famous Parisian fashion school Studio Bercot.

Poached right out of school, she begins designing for Charles Jourdan, where she stays four years. With this experience, she accepts a new challenge and goes to work for then emerging brand, Mellow Yellow and divides her time between France and China. Subsequently, she designs two collections for Stéphane Kelian before becoming artistic director for Accessoire Diffusion, a role she carry on today.

"Gordana makes her wishes come true. She has willpower, pleasure and incredible intuition. Throughout each stage of her life, she has inspired trust and exposed her creative universe, gathering confidence and support along the way."


During this time, Gordana’s desire to create her own brand and place of expression continued to grow. To make this dream a reality, she joins the French Institute of Fashion in September 2009 and enrols in the Global Management MBA, aimed to train future leaders of fashion companies. There, she built a team around her project.

Today, Gordana's gorgeous name brand collection has been featured in Grazia, Cosompolitan, Elle, Marie Claire, Madam, Figaro to name the few.  Famous fashionistas, bloggers and fateful clients in fashion capital of the world can't get enough of her gorgeous shoes.  
Here are some of my favorites, is this a true #shoeporn or what? :)






Scroll over each image to see the price and link to shop. 

How do you like Gordana's shoes and which one is your favorite style? :)
 


XoXo


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