Stones, Style and Food

The view from our (Spa) Hotel's Balcony. I can gladly recommend : Locanda di San Martino (Hotel e Thermae Romane nei Sassi di Matera).

I go crazy for rustic old, colorful doors.

And here's our little dog lover. Where ever you go with Luna Lisa, you must be prepared for running after every single cat and dog that come across your way. Playing with a dog makes her day.

Spring is for sure the best period for visiting. Oh so green and fresh.

Look at the rocks on top of the houses. The whole town is dug into the rock...

Un aperitivo indimenticabile. Unforgettable indeed...

Luna is getting creative while mummy is having a brake. Can you see the belly ? (Only a couple of months left, oh dear oh dear)

 Here's our Hotel room. We finally had to hide the telephone from the room (kindly advised by the staff, thanks for not getting angry and always being so friendly)...Here you can see the typical Pugliese interiors, not bad huh ?

In my last post I mentioned about a birthday of M coming up and like on many other birthdays my dear M (man of my taste) wanted to make a little trip and spend time together with his family. 
For the time I've lived in Puglia, I've always wanted to visit Matera and it's stunning old town dug into the calcarentic rock. People of Matera are especially proud for their fantastic bread and even if I'm not a big bread eater for these two days I couldn't stop eating it. In Bari we mainly eat seafood, whereas in Matera you'll find much more meat dishes. This is simply because Matera is situated in the inland, about 70 km from the capital of Puglia, Bari. 

The last photo is my present for M. I found this fascinating book at the local book store, where you can find B&B, hotels and farmhouses all over the Italy and some in France. The price of the book includes 2 nights with a breakfast for two person in any of the listed places in the book.
Now, I've seen there were a couple of places from Matera in the book and I certainly wouldn't mind returning and exploring this beautiful town in depth. The owner of the book will decide of course.

Wood Works Like Magic

This week has been quite busy as my hands have been full with little Luna. Every afternoon I've found some time and space for a creativity and I managed to do two new necklaces with some stunning pearls and beads. I also went to an antic store just down by the street and got my self a beautiful wooden plate which I'm going to use as a background when shooting photos. I think it works nicely. Next I'll be updating my Etsy shop and profile...ohhh so many things to do.

Anyway the birthday of my dear M (partner and Luna's dad) is soon here and next I'll be telling you about the little present I got for him this year. Can't tell yet as he may read this post....sssssssh.

Post From Italy

 

Next week I'll be shipping some jewellery to United States. Wooden leaf  earrings and one set of a necklace and two bracelets. Yeyyy !! I just got super motivated, let's see if I can manage to make some new jewellery this weekend. If you're interested to see some of my earlier work you can have a look on my Face Book page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Every-Girl-Loves-a-Pearl/164413476934173. I also have a little online shop on Etsy : https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ameramussa?ref=l2-shop-header-avatar. Have a lovely weekend everyone !

For a Special Dad

Today in Italy we celebrate the Father's day and here's what we made for him. Happy Father's Day to all the great dad's in the world .

It's Friday

This week I've had the luxury of having the mornings free, peaceful and quiet. Monday morning I imagined my self making long walks, doing yoga, working on the book project and finishing it half way and all this would leave me satisfied, relaxed and wonderful.

Of course, like often in life, it just doesn't keep up with our plans.

It's been more like running in grocery stores, washing laundry, ironing and cooking. I often cook in the morning, just to be able to have more free time in the evening with my family. Am I nuts ?

Who is this person ? Two years a go I never imagined my self doing such a thing. Well this is me

being a mum. Feeling guilty of not having enough quality time with my family. Even if, seriously I do. I'm sure there are other mums knowing exactly what I'm talking about. I would just love to hear your thoughts about it. Do you feel guilty ? Isn't it hard to feel like a good mum ? Even if you probably are. Well this all could be solved by organizing the time better and maybe doing some of the listed duties in the evening time. But I'm not quit there yet.

Another little obstacle this week has been that I'm sick again. Yeah, I know it's spring and all and I've been posting all those sunny photos, but the truth is that I feel like half death, my eyes are shiny, red and itching so I guess it means that I have some sort of an infection. Oh god, when will this stop.

This is easily the 4th or 5th time this winter of me not being well. And I have been eating well, I drink those damn green smoothies and I put lemon in my water and all, but I don't think it's working for me. Not this winter.

Anyway, enough of moaning. This is life, isn't it. We all have our difficulties, fears and stress.

That's how life is. And it's not a big deal. Important is how you will cope with everything.

Will you feel miserable or can you find something positive about the situation.

Just some of the things that make me feel good this week are listed below :

* The Spring is still here !

* My daughter has been in nursery for almost two weeks now, and she's still not sick.

   I can see that she enjoys playing with other kids, learns so many things so fast and has

   been getting some really nice feedback from the teachers.

* I did have time to draw and I really love it.

* I feel much more satisfied and yes relaxed after having a bit more free time for my self.

* It's Friday and I'm about to spend another lovely weekend with my family.

What positive can you find in your day, or week ? Just think about it, and you'll smile.

Have a nice weekend everyone !

Oh and here's a picture of part of what I've done for the book project so far.

Looking For The Inspiration

 

  

This morning I ran out of sketching paper so I had a good excuse to go for a long inspiring walk.
We live right at the center of Bari by the Adriatic sea and I usually go for walks along the sea side. Today I had to get to the art shop so I took the other direction and passed some beautiful colorful buildings, antiq shops and some pretty urban shops. I really admire the Italian's natural skill for decorating and styling. It's a real pleasure to do some serious window shopping here.
After couple of hours I got back home excited and ready for some coloring. Coloring ? 
That's right, I haven't told you about my new idea. 
For some time now all my creative work has been about sewing or jewellery making. It's been a while since I did any serious drawing other then some doodling for my daughter. My daughter happens to love the children's books and as we're in Italy there aren't any books in Finnish available. We've got a pile of them at home, but it looks like we've read them too many times now and it's time for something new. That's when it hit me. I'm gonna write her a story. Nothing too ambitious, just a book thats suitable for her age and her personality.
I'll post some photos of the process later, now lets get on with it !!

Sweet Sunday

 

 

This Sunday we drove 30 km South from Bari to Polignano, nicknamed the " Pearl of the Adriatic sea". After three and a half years in Bari, I've had many opportunities to see this beautiful place, but I don't think I've ever visited in the spring time. This time It was stunningly green, the flowers blossomed and the air was fresh. The photos were taken in San Vito a bit further away from the town of Poligniano (another little paradise that must be seen). Afterwards we ate a proper meal in one of the near by sea food restaurants. Hmmm... I might want to spend ALL my Sundays, just like this one.