welcome!

It's most certainly winter here now. Deep, powdery snow, and trees frozen white. The dogs leap and roll in snow drifts and come home with icy balls hanging from their fur. Home is fragrant and warm, quiet and cozy. When it gets dark around 4 pm I light candles, and being warm inside while looking through the window at the icy world outside makes me feel so safe and comfortable. 

We are still changing things here and there, so I'm not showing photos of the whole apartment just yet. You can expect more festive pictures around Christmas. But here, as promised, are a few impressions of our new home:

This is my Kiki La Ru studio! 

I'm so happy to have an entire room dedicated to crafting, painting, writing, and creative inspiration. I took this picture sitting on the plump white sofa I work from. On the work table, which is actually a coffee table, you see some half-finished cake buntings, fabric containers full of supplies (find your own handmade fabric container by looking here), my calendar and iphone, and glass of water (well, it had water in it). 

Since I have to much stuff that I need, from stickers to bubble wrap to envelopes to rubber stamps, I decided to use this white dresser from Ikea, which has plenty of drawers. The file cabinet to the right is also from Ikea. 

I strung up a thin length of ribbon along the bottom of the shelves and used tiny clothing pins to hang vintage stencil lettering, ephemera, photos, and a fabric hoop. These will change seasonally.

Here you can see the antique piece we sanded and glazed and are using as a linen closet. The doors are having their glass replaced, so it's open for now. I thought the top was the perfect spot for family photographs and flowers. To the right you see the antique kitchen bench, with a seat that opens and is perfect for storing wrapping paper and candles, which we also sanded and painted white. It's in the hallway, for putting on and taking off shoes. Accross from the linen closet (not visible in this picture) are the WC and pantry. To the left, the entryway to the open kitchen/dining room/living room. 

The royal Doglets. 

The photographs I took of the kitchen itself mysteriously turned out too dark, so I am going to take new ones asap. But this fridge is worthy of it's own picture, don't you think? And I'm very proud of the contents. Do you see all those fruits and greens?


Visitors have said they think it's a beautiful home, but that it's still missing that personal energy that comes from having lived in a place for a long time. I understand where they are coming from, and agree that it will naturally grow warmer and more inviting with time, but personally, I'm also enjoying the newness and lack of clutter, and am especially looking forward to dressing this space up for Christmas! Oh yes, there will be many photos to share then. :)


I miss you all and think about blogging every day. Now that life has slowed down to a pace where there is time for leisure, I hope to blog much more regularly.


Enjoy your Sunday, friends!


xoxo country girl

Preview Of Our New Nest

I hope your Thanksgiving was a festive, joyful celebration, with loads of good eats and good company!

I couldn't believe it when the handyman who has been working on our apartment actually finished. The next morning when I walked into our living room, I felt the most delicious happiness! There was nothing more to do. Everything was in it's place, and everything was perfect.

I took my camera and went from room to room, taking pictures and admiring the calm, quiet beauty of order. Utter satisfaction.

Here's a picture of our dining table. It's just a little preview of the rest...my mother and her boyfriend arrived from America today and we stayed up late, talking and laughing, so I'm very tired in a happy way now, but wanted to share this pic before heading to bed.

We are constantly commenting on how much space we have now. We got rid of so many belongings, and I've been revelling in the feeling of having only what we need and love. Sweet simplicity.

We're still waiting on our new linen couch, two barstools, and curtains. But other than that, we're DONE!

More photos to come...

Sending love,

xoxo country girl

I'm just leaving a quick note to tell you all that I miss you, and I miss my blog, and I miss having the time to write. 

The apartment is coming along wonderfully, though it seems like it's taking FOREVER. I wonder when I will be able to confidently take photos of our new home and share them? I'm guessing at Christmas time. 

It's getting colder, and I am waiting for the first snow with the heart of a child. I just adore the first snow. One dear reader asked, "You get snow in Australia?" This mistake has been made many times. I live in AUSTRIA, Europe. And yes, we definitely get snow here in Austria! :)

So sorry I can't stay...must rush off. But I hope you all know I am thinking of you and looking forward to being able to post regularly and at length. 

Love,


xoxo country girl




 

November Is Humble

On cold, rainy mornings, the dogs are the last ones to get out of bed. Here they are, watching my husband get ready for work. Don't they look like they are thinking, "What's this guy doing? It's clearly a day for staying in bed."

Later when the clouds cleared we headed out into the woods, where all the leaves have fallen and have formed ankle-deep drifts of red and brown. I spied the last of the asters and mushrooms and thought about how these things will soon be covered in thick blankets of snow. Everything will look white and blank, but underneath, there is still life, dormant, waiting for the thaw.

November is humble, unassuming. Earthy tones and glistening fallen leaves. Globes of mistletoe and bird's nests in tree tops. As Gladys Taber said, "The leaves are down...we see more sky." Isn't that an optimistic view on things? 

I've been so busy with our new home and my etsy shop, the dogs and household. Life. But I wanted to share a few photographs of that walk along a muddy path, in the solitude of the forest. I was so consumed by it's quiet beauty.

 

As hectic as life is right now, I take the time every day to be with Nature. I have the dogs to thank for that, I truly do. 


missing you all,


xoxo country girl







 

Golden Moments

The forests in these parts are mainly silver birch, which turn the most delicious caramel in fall. Right now the woods are absolutely magical. Leaves trickle down on shafts of light and form a thick carpet of camel, tan, and gold. The dogs chase eachother, kicking up clouds of papery leaves, while I slowly crunch down the path, soaking in all the beauty. 

As you all know, we moved last Friday to our new home. It was a very chaotic time, and I was on the verge of an awful cold. On Saturday we did alot of unpacking, but on Sunday I was too sick, and spent the day in bed with a fever. On Monday I was already feeling a little better, and by now I am doing quite well. (Unfortunately I passed the cold onto Ramon, so I'll be pampering him over the 3-day weekend. Soup, bubble baths, and lots of liquids!)

Bit by bit this place is becoming a home. It actually already feels like our home, just doesn't quite look like it yet! Still lots of things in boxes. The kitchen is almost complete, the wall just needs tiles. Once everything is in place I promise to share photos. I consider myself an honest person, but the honesty of pictures of this place in it's current state is where I draw the line!

Today we got cable and internet up, so I can finally say HELLO! :) I've missed you, and am looking forward to taking the time to visit you all and see what you've been up to while I was 'gone.' It felt really odd not being able to go online, which I quickly realized is the place where I connect with so many people I consider to be friends, and whose lives I enjoy following. Is that strange? 


I hope you've been enjoying these gorgeous, golden days of late October!


Love,


xoxo country girl

 

We're Moving Tomorrow!

Wow, you wouldn't believe how crazy things are right now. But I just had to leave a quick note to tell you all that tomorrow is the BIG DAY! We can hardly wait to sleep in our new home, and make that first humble meal in our new kitchen. It will probably be PB&J sandwiches or Ramen noodles. :)

I hope to have internet up soon. In the meantime, I'll think of you all fondly, and hope you will have your fingers crossed for a smooth transition and a happy fresh start!


xoxoxoxo country girl

A New Home

This is the pathway leading up to our new apartment. It feels so secluded and quiet, even though it's very central. Right now there are autumn leaves strewn about, and the river runs black and cold on the left side below.

This is a sneak-peek of our new kitchen. I say 'sneak-peek' because it isn't quite finished yet. When the builders unpacked the lovely, deep ceramic sink which belongs in that gaping hole, it had a large scratch accross the front. So we have to exchange it for a new one. The range hood also needs to be covered, and the siding is missing from the upper cabinets.

We are also waiting on the delivery of this Liebherr refridgerator:

My jaw dropped when I saw this picture...and then again when I saw the price. We are giving it to ourselves as an early Christmas present.

We're also getting a linen-covered couch from Maisons Du Monde:

And oversized industrial hanging lamps for the kitchen and living room from East Hampton Living:

I've also bought some lovely items from etsy artists like this twin set of prints by The Black Apple:

I can hardly wait to find nice frames for them and the perfect spot in our home to display them in all their mysterious beauty!

We plan on staying in our new apartment for a long time, so we've decided to only buy things we REALLY LOVE and are sure to keep loving. 

This is the view out of the kitchen window. It makes me daydream about a time when our little children will play on that swingset, and then when the first star appears in the lilac twilight sky, I'll call out to them, "Supper is ready!" And they'll come inside, huffing and puffing from the autumn cold, and there will be a warm meal and tail-wagging and a big hug from their Dad.




Leaving the new apartment today I had to take another picture of the walkway. I am really looking forward to this being the way to-and-from our home.

It's a rainy Monday. Leaves have begun to fall and plaster the wet streets. My little ten-year-old brother is visiting, so between packing and errands I'm supplying him with pizza, hot chocolate and video games galore. He calls my husband's media room 'heaven.' I like spoiling him when he visits. It's so much fun!

Wishing you all a cozy start to the week,

xoxo country girl