Vanillery Garden podcast #1

Today I come to you with something very special: the first Vanillery Garden podcast! Now you can listen to it on the go, in your car or while you are at your way to work :) Amazing!!!!

This time I will be talking about choosing your words wisely and how much influence our words have on our daily life. I hope you enjoy it!


Please download it here (rightclick and "save target as"…)


As for Nouvelle Vague:




Many hugs to you,

The Personal History Of My Hair

Yesterday I made a backup on my external hard drive and while waiting I skimmed through some old photos from 2007 and 2008. It is very odd how I felt the need to cut my very long hair. You will say that I am a maniac for doing so but back then I had to get up at 5 a.m. and go to Vienna by train to get to college. Then I returned at 8 or 9 p.m. and would have to work on some projects for school. Simply no time for blowdrying my hair for one hour.

I have had that long hair when I was 8 and then cut it short after seeing "French Kiss" with Meg Ryan when I was 11. To me back then she seemed cute, yet free and unconventional. I kind of liked it that I was mistaken for a boy a couple of times. After that I let my hair grow down to my hips again. I feel more like myself when I have long hair, yet it gets really heavy and lacks volume at the roots. I would not like to spend more than half an hour in the morning to make my hair look decent. You can really learn a lot about yourself when you watch your thoughts while you are thinking about changing your hair.

Hair brings one's self-image into focus; it is vanity's proving ground.
Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices. (Shana Alexander)

It´s always the same circle: have long hair, see somebody with shorter hair, spend hours thinking how I would look with that cut, wail and whine into other´s ears for advice and finally cut it.

It brings out the different personalities that dwell within you. You have to ask yourself questions.

• How do you see yourself? 
• How much are looking for something convenient/sexy/cute/different? And why?
• What has brought the need to alter your look?
• What changes recently happened in your life that you feel like you need to change too?

For me it was always looking cute. Most times I have seen a movie, a picture, a commercial or something else where I would think "Oh, I would like that!". I was never afraid to go to the hairdresser, because I simply don´t. When I was younger my mother used to cut my hair and now I do it all by myself. It is much more convenient because I can take hours and slowly cut one half inch here and a little bit there until it looks nice.

I had my hair really short in 2009, when Agyness Deyn with her bleach blonde hair was really hip. I loved her tomboy style and her down to earth attitude.






I had to find out where the urge came from to constantly look like somebody else. It is and was always hard for me to "be the same person" for a very long time. My interests change a lot and my views on life do to. It somehow got stuck to my brain that I have to have a role model and look like her.

I think it´s part of finding your own identity and since people hardly ever pop out of thin air to take you by the hand and guide you through, I take myself by the hair *lol*. Changing my hair therefore has always had a much deeper reason and impact than just for outer looks.

Right now I´m letting it grow again. I don´t know how long, but I definitely fell in love with my natural color of hair again. It is soft blonde with a tiny bit of red and brown in it. It is not monochromatic and therefore matches my eyes (they are mainly blue, but have a brown ring in the middle). It all has to do with the mori girl movement.

Live is a journey and your hair is a little documentation of it.
How have your hairstyles changed? Are you happy with the way it is? What would you like to change if you want to?

Hugs to you!

Look Closer And Be Kind

Today my little brother came to visit and the weather was just perfect. I love spring, it´s not as hot as summer but very enjoyable. I am not the kind of girl who likes hot summers or would spend money to broil myself on the beach somewhere in Greece. (I liked the temples though!) We sat in the gras, our backs leaned against a tree, enjoying the sunshine.

When we walked home, I noticed that there was a leaf stuck to Mr. DomDom´s shirt. I picked it up and threw it on the street. But to me horror it wasn´t a leaf, but a rare Oleander hawk moth! I immideately picked it up again, but its wings looked terrible, like they would wither. In between my admiration for this beautiful creature I couldn´t help but start crying in the middle of the street. I had not payed much attention to what I did and made a terrible mistake. The least thing I could do was to carry the hawk moth to the next park, which happened to be that one in front of our house.

facial expression= desperation, joy, anger with myself. Captured my Mr. DomDom

So I cried my way through, blaming myself for hurting my little friend, until we reached the spot, accompanied by Mr. DomDom and my little brother who both tried to calm me down. (actually it brings tears to my eyes right now.) Even in this state where I think that I walk through the city with my eyes open it happens that I don´t pay attention to things where I think it might just be another trivial common every-day situation.

There is just no such thing as common.

Now to the good part of the story: the Oleander hawk moth did not get hurt. The truth was that it had just slipt out of its cocoon (the main reason why I thought that it was hurt, as the moth was still wet … it was barely seconds old!) and somehow made its way onto the shirt.

What a magical moment in the middle of the city! (photo by Mr. DomDom…I was holding the flash *lol*)

That must have happened in the middle of a busy market and no way that it would have survived longer than 5 minutes on the floor if it had stayed there. The wings were still damp and wrinkled-up. After I placed the insect onto a bright green bush (a very good hiding place) we could see how it began to breathe heavily and the wings became unfolded and dried in the light breeze. We came to check back for 3 hours to see if the little fellow was o.k. and the wings turned from brownish-grey into a mesmerizing sort of green with an intriguing pattern on it.

Finally dry! Photo my Mr. DomDom.

So there are two lessons learned today:  

Lesson 1
Look closer, even if you think you know what´s going on. Even if you think you are 100% sure. I tell you, there is no 100%. You are depriving yourself of a lot of magic if you go the path of 100%. Always be prepared to look, feel and be curious. If you stop, someone gets hurt.

Lesson 2
Just because it looks bad does not mean that everything is lost. Don´t give up. The willingness to fix something takes you a long way. And if a little public crying helps you to get over it, well so be it.

I hope you never forget to marvel. We are all blessed.

Hugs,

Back To The City

Here are a few impressions that I made for you in the garden. My hands were a little shaky after all the gardening, but still it is nice to watch. Enjoy your 2 minutes of holiday :)
I really like the lush colors of nature in spring. It is such an uplifting emotion in my stomach, it makes me want to sing a serenade to every single flower. Next year I want to make a class about mori girls and gardening. I´m already preparing stuff for it now.

But it seems like Vienna has missed me, as this day is particularly enjoyable. The weather is perfect, it seems that all the noisy people have gone away for the easter holiday. We have to create the countryside living within the city. My newest inspirations comes from here: http://theselby.com/7_21_10_AnnieEagleSt/ The website can be seen here: http://rooftopfarms.org/blog/ Isn´t it amazing? I would not even mind if my apartment would look like this, rough walls, white colors, flowers hanging from the ceiling.



A small video from the Freyung, 1st district in Vienna, right before the Easter Market starts. The day is still young and fresh, but the city is really charming. Come and visit me! ^___^

Hugs to you!

In The Garden

Yesterday I arrived at my parents home, helping them out with work that needs to be done in their wonderful garden. I got up at 7 am, having a healthy breakfast and then heading outside to start the day.

I love gardening, it has a way of grounding me that is unlike anything else. I feel connected to life in a very direct way. This is what I dream of, having my own garden and being more self-sufficient in nourishing myself. Also this work is quite enjoyable, I got to talk to my mother and brother, we laughed a lot.

Everything is covered in lush colors, beautiful greens, pinks, yellows and purples. And the fragrances! This is heaven for the olfactory system!

But it is not only work. Or work that you would think is exhausting and stressful. Connecting yourself with nature only brings benefits. I don´t need a fitness center. :) It is very fulfilling. In between all of this we eat yummy chocolate rose muffins and drink wonderful fruit tea. Nourishing yourself is so important.

At the end of the day this might not be the most eloquent entry that I have ever written. It is 10 am and my eyes are closing while I write. I hope you had a wonderful day wherever you are and that the road that you decided to take is the one that leads to happiness and away from suffering.

Many hugs   zzzzzzzzz ------

Don´t Think

Hello my lovely cupcakes!

Sometimes it is better not to think, but to be.
Sometimes it is better not to think, but to breathe.
Sometimes it is better not to think, but to sleep.

But in general it is better to think.
Think positive about you and assume the best in others and yourself.

"An optimist is the human personification of spring. "
(Susan J. Bissonette)

Be the spring! Be the young girl! (love you, Melody Ross!!!)



Many hugs to you,

Preparations

Hello my lovely cupcakes!

Today was filled with preparations for tomorrow´s vernissage. It is the last big thing in this semester (there are two other exhibitions coming up, but they are not as time consuming) and then I can finally focus on my diploma project. I feel like a heavy rock is lifted from my heart and feet, it feels like flying! Freedom here I come!

This is the place to be!

10 a.m. Everyone is still tired.

Checking.

Cleaning vitrines.

The official invitation.

I am very curious what everyone will think about the outcome. I´ll take pictures for you to show you!

Hugs to you,

Do You Feel Naked?

Hello my lovely cupcakes!

On the weekend I often go out without makeup. Since I started wearing makeup in my teens it has become quite a habit to wear it whenever I go outside. Going out without it would feel like going out without cleaning my teeth or brushing my hair. It felt like a part of me and I would be really embarrassed if someone would see me without it.

But what is the big deal about it? Isn´t it horrible how you don´t feel like human, being worthy to be looked at without make up? How does it make you feel?

It´s quite windy in Vienna these days, I guess you can tell … (photo by Mr. DomDom)

I don´t look too bad without makeup and I truly believe that you do either. I look a lot worse when I am tired and sleep deprived. It makes me look old and worn out. My point is: it is not  about being pretty without makeup, but to give yourself the possibility to feel beautiful without it too.

“When I was your age…I wish I’d known that I already had everything I needed within myself to be happy, instead of looking for happiness at beauty counters.”- Ilene Beckerman

All of this does not mean that I don´t wear makeup at all. Because I do. I like it. Not enormous amounts, but a little here and there to enhance my features. I think the magic lies in variation. People should not he shocked when they see you without makeup once in a while. Keep your styles mixed. And give your skin some weekends off too.

Health and charity combined: half of the price of my breakfast went into helping Japan.

Nutrition is so important. Give yourself good food. It makes your skin look a lot better than any makeup. Please don´t think that you have to look like straight out of a lifestyle magazine. Ask yourself why you think you need it. You are free to do as you please. There is no must.


Hugs to you,

Ice Cream and Sunshine

Hello my lovely Garden Girls!

Isn´t it wonderful how spring is slowly bringing back the light? I have to say I am a huge fan of daylight saving. This is the part in me that acts like a chicken: when it´s dark I get tired and want to sleep. So having light until 7 p.m. is a big plus.

I feel like I am getting connected to nature and life more and more the older I get, but in a similar motion also feeling younger at heart. Lighter. There is less "have to do" and more "can do". It´s not that there have been huuuge changes recently, but my priorities and ways to think shifted. I can only recommend the book that I am reading right now to you about alternative lifestyles of rural people in Japan.

Today I am really happy that I have two hands. Without them I would not be creative, productive of generally the person that I am right now. Manufactured things (manus is latin and means "hand") are so much more appealing once you start making things yourself.

I want to learn how to make delicious ice-cream myself. Maybe with not so much sugar and less eggs, but organic and rich in taste. Until I get there, Mr. DomDom and I will go for Häagen-Dasz and Ben&Jerry´s.


Treat yourself well!
Hugs to you,

Workshop Of A Different Kind

Hello my lovely cupcakes!

Today I´ve had a workshop at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber for people interested in self-employment and it was very informative! I can hardly wait til I can start. Austria is sometimes really complicated when it comes to taxes and insurancies, but they provide a really good support there.

As you can see: the walls inside of the workshop room were red! REEEED!!!! Can you imagine what happens when you look at a red wall (did I mention it was red?) for three and a half hours and then take a look at the information sheet right in front of you? Yes, you´ve guessed correctly: everything turns green!

It is really a very disturbing color. But the chandelier was really nice! Those old buildings in Vienna always have a really high ceiling, you feel kind of special and creative in there. Your head has room for all the ideas.












I like the style of the Chamber, it is very roman/Art Noveau!

I love learning and continuing education. My brain is like a sponge when I have the feeling that the provided information will get me somewhere. Never ever stop learning, it keeps you young at heart.

Word of the day: curiosity!


Love to you,

Exhibition Starts In One Week

Hello my lovely cupcakes!

If you live in Vienna or somewhere near, maybe you want to drop on by at the vernissage to the exhibition that I am taking part at. The students of the masterclass took a trip to Lviv and compared it with Vienna. That should be interesting for everyone interested in photography, animation and print designs. I´m very excited that it is taking place at the MuseumsQuarter!

Oh, and did I mention that I love YOGI TEA? They always have the best quotes on the little tags.

Here it says "People love gentle words." I vote for a gentle life!

Hugs and kindness to you,

How To Have What You Don´t Have

 Hello my lovely cupcakes!

Today we had beautiful sunshine in Vienna. It is with these days that I get the urge to have a garden. Something hidden, where I can sit with Mr. DomDom and enjoy breakfast outside, hear the birds chirp and enjoy the best time of the day. (for me that is the morning, everything holds all the possibilities, but is yet untouched. Virgin daytime!) But Mr. DomDom and I don´t have a garden. As I got up today at 6 am and I could see what a wonderful day it would be outside, I got a bit sad.

I want a garden. I want to be outside. 

But then again I thought: Why waste time with wishful thinking? I will not have a garden, neither today nor tomorrow, nor next week. It will come, but it will take time. Why not work with what I already have? Why not be content with what I have NOW?

So we prepared brunch outside. There is a tiny plaza in front of the house we live in. It offers three tables and a few benches to sit down. And it has the most important ingredient: sunshine.











I can hardly say how recreating this brunch was. Yes, there were people walking by, but compared to what action there is during the week, it has been really quiet this sunday. There was a playful breeze that could have come straight from the ocean (if there was one nearby … but this is MY truth, that´s why behind these walls and streets there is an ocean, I can hear and smell it).

Let´s face it: it´s not always others or circumstances that make us feel miserable. We make ourselves feel miserable by the way we think and the expectations that we have. Oh if only I had more money, I could travel and see the world. Oh if only I lived in the forest, I could hug trees all day long. Oh if only I had a garden, I could have breakfast outside every day.

So you wait until you have what you want so you can be happy. So you wait until it comes to you rather than bringing it into your life. Why procrastinate? Why wait? You already have it. You can go into a chinese shop and buy cute kawaii stickers for your journal, take photos and pretend you just came back from a wonderful journey. Because in your head you were there.

You can go out and hug a tree without being in the forest, the tree will love you just the same.
You can have breakfast outside without having a garden.

Your life is what you make of it. Remember Amelie Poulain and how she imagined her life to be? This is where you need to be. Maybe not in the quirky way (or YES! Gimme quirky!). But you know what I mean: What you want is already there, you need to make place for it in your mind and heart.

Start this little experiment today: what is it that you want? And how can you get right now? Give yourself a week and work on it. Change the way you think.

Change your world. 

Sunshine and Stritzl to you (that is what you see on the picture above. Stritzl with butter and honey.)
Hugs,

I mean, really???

Today I went hunting for a bit of inspiration concerning the different styles of unicorns for Women And Their Unicorn and of course I had to take a look at the My Little Pony section. What I saw there would almost let me faint: Are you kidding me? Is this what they look like today?

My Little Pony generation number 4, you are a shame to the pony world!

I mean, the eyes are STICKERS! Back in the good old times their head and the body had the shape of a horse (I´m not talking colors here *g*). But what is this? Scheme of childlike characteristics to the extreme. I really feel sorry for kids growing up today. Everything is hypercute, not even ponies are allowed to keep their natural look.









There is nothing left of that friendly, sometimes even motherly look of the original My Little Ponies. Remember?

That is what I am talking about! They look friendly and they had three times more hair and body size. It´s hilarious. It´s sad. In fact: Mom, I want my ponies back! ^____^

Sad times for pony owners. I am happy to be born in the 80s.

Hugs to you!
Natalie