20 Little Things I like about Fall

In my previous life as an Interior Designer, I used to browse every single day Melissa's blog, The Inspired Room.
She's got the balance between beautiful pictures, interesting and practical text and a personal touch just right and that keeps you hooked on her posts. Melissa has just put up an Embracing Fall meme and I can only join in the fum.{I like memes cause they help me focus on the good stuff}.

My 20 Little Things list
{ta da!..}

Vacation in Greece

Hello,
Welcome to the Happy Turtle!

So glad you are joining us on our croisiere around our beautiful Globe. This is such a great idea and I am thrilled to be joining Designing DNA for the vacation.

And welcome to Greece, the Eastern frontier of Europe.

Breathe in the fresh air as we drive through the beautiful countryside.

 Let yourselves appreciate the sparkling blue of the waters.

Pick your hotel room. They have all been furnished with matresses, bed linen and furniture from the company my husband and myself work for. So rest assured that you will enjoy your rest.

Doryssa 

Orlof

There. Take a moment to relax, pampering yourdelves with naural Greek cosmetics and make up.

Apivita

Korres

Now that you are all ready, would you like a light vegetable lunch?

Green beans in tomato sauce

Ready? Let's pop outside. It's Spring in this part of the world. The weather is mild and the air fragrant.

There are some great spots you may want to visit. The Acropolis is a unique historican and spiritual place to visit, and the exhibits at the new Acropolis Musum are just amazing.



There is currently an exhibition at the National Gallery with architectural plans by Ernst Ziller who graced many Greek cities with his neoclassical buildings.

In my favorite Museum there is currently an exhibition on clothes across time. "To dress", at the Benaki Museum.

Would you like to go souvenit shopping, now? I think I have just the thing for you.

I suggest some special souvenirs, like these stylish column shaped weights, and this granny-chic i-pod case.

 Perhaps you would also like a serious girly treat for yourselves or a friend.

Vassili Zoulias 

Lito~Cabinet de Curiosites

Tea or coffee? Sit back and watch the world go round.

As we people watch, shall we leaf through the 10th anniversary issue of Vogue-Hellas?

 These are some lovely Greek homes from its sister publication, House and Garden.

Our company was also featured in House and Garden Greece.

 
 It's getting late. Shall we walk some more before dinner?

 Look, here sings one of my favorite singers.Come on in.



There is so much more I want to show you. I hope you'll visit again soon. Meanwhile click here to join my Spring giveaway. 
And while we set sail for the next stop of the cruise, let's dance to something more familiar, accompanied with great 'vintage' views of Athens.



See you soon!

8 Things*Musical History

8 Songs that Shaped my Life



1. First Song on the *8Track: Austrian traditional. I shall always love them!

2. Song that Most Reminds me Of my Childhood Home: Greek traditional.

3. First Dance:"Hotel California".That was tight.

4. Our Song:"La Vie en Rose".

5. Define Your Decade: Definitively 80s.

6. Class of _____. '87, but can't remember a song to speak of.

7. First Album You Owned:Thriller by Michael Jackson.

8. First Live Performance:Greek folk dances.



Campfire songs...yes...I was a Cub Scout leader. Still sing them.

lullabies...the ones I made up for my children.

wedding songs...see #4

first kareoke tune….waiting to be sung...

What’s your *8Things: Musical History list?
looking forward to playing along...thanks!

Button and response

Dear blogging friends,

Two weeks ago I posted about a weekly meme I was starting here at The Happy Turtle, named "Love Domino Style", the purpose being for those who enjoy the magazine's style to be in touch with the beautiful interiors its editors had created. Such a meme deserves a blog button, so my talented friend Tara created a beautiful button, which I believe reflected beautifully the magazine's spirit.

Today, as I opened my computer, I saw a note that the picture had been removed. I was surprised by the intrusion to my blogging home. I headed to the comments, and then to my e-mail. A message from a certain Ms. Gold read:

"The photo in the domino button you created for happy turtle is my photo, taken by me, owned by me, styled by me, of my room for which I won the domino decorating contest".

I am not going to pass on the rest of the correspondence which, in spite of Tara's immediate action to create a new code providing credit, ended with Ms. Gold's "Remove photo on button". And I am not going to offer an apology either, because her photo, one of thousands doing the rounds in the web these days, had not a copyright, name, or watermark on it, neither did I copied it from her blog, if she has one. Otherwise I would be happy to ask/acknowledge/give credit/link, as I always do in my blog.

But apparently Ms. Gold thinks she is so important, that everyone who sees her photograph of her teapot should immediately identify it as being her own.

Take a look at Ms. Gold's wording:

"my photo, taken by me, owned by me, styled by me, of my room for which I won the domino decorating contest".

This is the biggest show of egotism I have seen in a barely two line long sentence.

I am not a lawyer as Ms. Gold is, as I found out by googling her name. And I had no idea by seeing her name that she was the person who won the Domino contest, although I had left a comment about her victory at a blogging friend's blog, 14 months ago, without knowing her.

I think the before and after pictures were necessary. They bring things into perspective, especially coming from someone without formal training, it is an amazing transformation. Well done Catherine, and thank you Corine!

Posted by: Irene | December 10, 2007 at 04:12 AM

Because I am not arrogant or greedy and do not possess an inflated ego, but I am rather a filoxenos Greek, I am offering the links to the posts that Hidden in France and Apartment Therapy (as I found via Google) had written for Ms.Gold.

That is all about Ms. Gold and the photograph of her teapot.

The Love Domino Style meme will run as normal next Tuesday.

A bientot!

I love Domino style-Paint me beautiful

Hello dear friends,
I hope you all had a lovely week. A big Thank You to those who stopped by and those who e-mailed a word of encouragement. I really appreciate it!

Today I am not going to post from my Greek "Domino" collection. (You may read my first post on a random issue here). I am going to post (with permission) about the work of an artist I came across early on in my blogging and who has remained a stable favorite of mine.

Most of you are familiar with Anne Harwell, the charismatic artist of works of stylish interiors, including her iconic chair.

Anne of annechovie has been featured in the Domino website in the past. Her work had been chosen for the magazine's on line gift print gallery.

Her style and flair are instantly recognisable. She knows her subject, its demands and limitations. With her confident hand and her eye for detail she captures the particulars yet she never fails to communicate the overall impression, the feeling of a room or of a collection of objects.


Some of her works are inspired by Domino features or commissioned by clients. Her happy disposition fits perfectly with the magazine's deceptively carefree atmosphere. Here is a sample of her work inspired by original Domino features:







Isn't she amazing? Isn't it amazing how a magazine has inspired so many people to create anew kind of interiors, beautiful, fresh stylish and affordable, while at the same time it has inspired talented people to create beautiful works of art out of its pages?

Thank you, Anne for capturing our favorite magazine's style so beautifully!
Anne Harwell's blog can be found here. Click here for her etsy shop, where you can pick her prints, and here for her Flickr pages.Enjoy, and share the love!

I love Domino style...tomorrow

Hello dear friends,
I quick reminder to join us tomorrow for the "I love Domino style" picture meme.
Choose your favorite pictures, features, ideas,
pick the beautiful button that the talented Tara created, from my sidebar,
post them on your blog,
and leave a comment here.
Then let us visit each other and enjoy our favorite home inspiration magazine.
Have a lovely week ahead!

I Love Domino Style

Hello, style lovers, and welcome to the "I Love Domino Style" meme.
Our aim here is to share our Domino love and to show the people at Conde-Nast how much we appreciate our favorite magazine and that we want it back.

I am going to start Domino Love with the January 2007 issue of Domino (Greece). Domino was the first interiors magazine to use famous people on its cover, instead of the usual room shot. That particular cover featured a young Greek actress, participating in one of Greek TV's greatest successes.

Quite interestingly, Editor-in-Chief was Paulina Sarri, a fashion photographer and stylist. She is now Editor-in-Chief of the Greek edition of House and Garden.

As the decline was becoming apparent, new blood was called in. Spyro Soulis, an Architect educated in London, was the host to the one and only interiors transformation show on Greek TV, now a thing of the past, too. He was called in to offer his practical, down to earth advice. In this issue he is being introduced by the editor and advises on how to achieve "Manhattan style".

"Manhattan style" is illustrated by a real life apartment in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece.



Piero Fornasetti items are a perennial favorite of Greek interior designers and stylists in the last 20 years. Domino always chose to present interiors that were modern yet classic and fresh, always infused in beautiful light, as shown in the pictures above.

What also makes Domino special is its introduction of detailed inspiration sheets and 'how to's.

Above, where inspiration came from for a school-type kitchen.
I liked how the editors presented their choices. Even the contents page was original, picking the most special pieces that one ought to read.


Interesting books were also handpicked covering all of readers' interests.

Some of Domino's favorites from the January 2007 issue,
So Far, So Goude
A Room Full of Toys: The Magical Characters of Childhood
Africa
New Decor
Vitamin Ph: New Perspectives in Photography
Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine

Then, there was the fun stuff, like those stickers that were helpful in marking one's favorite pages from garden to presents to entertainment. They also provided a playful, girly touch. Design is a serious business, but it is also fun, Domino seemed to say.

Even restaurants were chosen and presented not only for their menu but also for their stylish and fresh interiors.

In the January 2007 issue Domino hosted a feature on the new generation of Greece's most sought after furniture and interiors shops. They were photographed with their favorite coffee tables.

Last but not least, my favorite page by one of my favorite style setters. A Rita Koenig kind of article, with personal character, that Miss D had began as a newspaper columnist some ten years ago. I loved it! In the January 2007 issue, "Holidays with a French scent".

I hope you enjoyed that first tour. I look forward to visiting your blogs and sharing the Domino style!

Also, don't forget to stop by and say hello to our button designer, Tara. I believe she did a great job capturing the Domino spirit! Stay tuned, more surprises in store!