Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Finally an alternative to the ‚Prada Marfa‘!

Since Gossip Girl and the glorious living room of the van der Woodsen’s (click here for reference), this “Prada Marfa” sign has been popping on a multitude of fashion, beauty and interior blogs. To be honest, sure I am charmed about the idea of having a piece of  Upper West side luxury in my living room, the more I am put off by the idea that at least half of the blogosphere has the same piece of interior.

For this reason, I will be DIY’ing one of these beauties:








Hautelook is currently having a sale on artsy pieces for fashionistas, which I think are the perfect inspiration for my living room.
And this is the one I will be creating any time soon…depending on how the schedule allows it, but this is a whole other topic.



What do you think? Any valuable alternative in here for you or will you rather stick with the classic Prada Marfa?


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Filipino Stir Fry: Beef and Green Beans



There are only so many comforting things in life. And regardless of the diet we are on/offing at the moment, sometimes all it takes is a simple stir fry to turn your day around. This is my go-to dish for coming home after a long day, typically around 8 or 9 pm. The Asians and Asian-food-fanatics amongst you will have everything at home anyways, and frying this up will take less than 30 minutes. You should honestly give this a try, and to be fair – depending on your diet it might not be even that big a deal breaker.

You will need:
Beef steak (about 200 – 250 g)
Handful of green beans (depending on your taste)
Handful of champignons (depending on your taste)
Half an onion
2 cloves of garlic
Rice (250 g)

For the sauce:
¼ cup of Soy Sauce
¼ cup of Oyster Sauce
1 Tablespoon brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon sesame Oil
1-2 Tablespoons of Water

1.       Cut your beef in thin slices, preferably bite-size. Slice the onion, garlic, beans and champignons.
2.       Fire up your stove and let the wok pre-heat. Once heated-up, start with the beef. Then, add the onions & garlic. Let that fry. Add your green beans and champignons.
3.       Once the vegetables are fairly done (around 3-4 minutes), add the brown sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce; sesame oil and water. Stir everything and wait until sauce thickens.
4.       Serve with steamed white rice and ENJOY!


You wouldn’t need to add any salt, the sauces carry plenty of flavour! Also, you can of course chose to mix up the veggies. Try variants with sugar snaps or capsicum. You can also drizzle some sesame seeds or sliced spring onion on top for aesthetics. This dish can be dressed-up or –down, all depends on you. Let me know how this works out for you!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

A little bit of shopping

As Christmas has taken its toll in all our wallets, january is certainly not the month for me to splurge.
What a shame Zara and co. are blowing out their Winter Sale right now, it is extremely hard to resist.


I will certainly head back for some more items, at least when they go into their 3rd round of reducing the prices.
The online store is a great indicator of about when to head back to the store, as they time it simultaneously. And whereas the online store only offers few more items, in-store you will certainly be able to find some more stunning pieces.

Let's cut to the chase, some of my finds...



Monday, January 13, 2014

Let's re:launch

re:invent
re:focus
re:structure
re:start
re:do
re:start
re:build
re:vamp

Let's reset and unwind.

I think it's time to restart - and refocus.

Return to the essential ideas - and keep things basic.