Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Heavy Metal Picks!!

Well, well, today's Wearing Handmade Wednesday is brought to you courtesy of my very awesome boyfriend, even more than usual, cause after going through all my photos I couldn't find any that would work, so I asked him to try and work something out, and he did!

My awesome damask Heavy Metal Picks' necklace!

I wore one of my awesome guitar pick necklaces from Heavy Metal Picks to Sonisphere, and I have another I plan to wear to Metallica's concert in India in October. They are simply awesome pieces for any occasion but for a gig, they're just beyond ideal! Just go check Kahlaw's shop on Etsy or her website, and you're sure to find the perfect rock'n'roll jewelry for any metalhead!!

Mark This Book Monday: The Shiva Trilogy!

Hey everyone! Monday is here again, and this week for me it means days off after a really busy weekend at work, two awesome tops from Label of Hope in the mail, and time to read!

Right now I'm completely hooked on the "A Song Of Fire & Ice" series, and I'm currently on the 4th book, but that'll be another Mark This Book Monday entry, cause today's entry is for The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi, and the two books that are out so far: "The Immortals Of Meluha" & "The Secret Of The Nagas".

I've always been in love with Mythology, be it Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse... it doesn't matter, I love myths, and getting into the possible Anthropological answers behind them is even better for me, since it fulfills one of those basic treats of mine: wanting to know, to understand and to get answers. But just for the pure enjoyment I love when Mythology, Anthropology & Archeology are all mixed up in the form of a good novel, and this series does that with Hindu mythology.

The Shiva Trilogy is the story of Lord Shiva, one of the many Hindu gods, but one of the best known out there, and the premise of the whole series is: What if Shiva once existed but was never a God, but a man that forged his destiny in a way that is now remembered as a God?.

Even if you don't know the first thing about Hindu mythology you'll get wrapped in the story, with the intrigues, the secrets and the path of a normal man that becomes a hero through his karma (call it destiny, call it karma, call it doing what he feels it's right), and if you know at least some Hindu mythology you'll really enjoy the way the author explains and presents the characters and the myths themselves.

I read the first book last year during one of my visits to Delhi, and the second book I finished on my way back from Zurich to Spain, during my flights and layover in Geneva. Thankfully, Deeksha, G's sister was awesome enough to give me her copy of the book, before even reading it herself so I could read it! (Thanks Dee!). I'm now hoping the third book, "The Oath Of The Vayuputras", won't take too long to come out, cause you're left with quite a surprise as the second book ends, and with even more unanswered questions!

A very recommended series, and if after reading it you wonder about Meluha and the Indus Valley Civilization, I'd recommend another great book to learn more about it: The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives.

Saturday Song: Head Over Feet - Alanis Morissette

Saturday is here, and with it, a bit of a busy weekend at work for me, but I wanted to start the weekend with a smile and a warm feeling, so I decided to share with you this Alanis Morissette song, that I love: Head Over Feet for our Saturday Song.

If you, like me, are lucky enough to feel like this, embrace it, and share the love!

Traveling Thursday: Zurich!

Hello everyone! For this week's Traveling Thursday, I'm sharing photos of my most recent trip, this past weekend to Zurich, Switzerland!

G's family were there on vacation, so I decided to join them to spend some time with his elder sister and her family that I hadn't seen in almost two years, since they live in the US.

On Saturday we went to see the Rhine Falls, the biggest waterfalls in Europe, and the walk from the train station to the falls themselves was also gorgeous!

On Friday we went to Conny Land, a small amusement park, with a very cool rollercoaster, called the Cobra! And we saw the dolphin training session too!

And I didn't get to see too much of Zurich itself, except on our ways from the Central train station to our hotel, but since that's smack in the centre of Zurich, that was a nice view!

Packing for a weekend means only hand luggage, and my Weekender Dolly bag was perfect for it!

Switzerland looks like a lovely country that I'd love to visit again, but I should try and learn some German for my next trip, it'd make things easier!

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Lily Brush!!

Hey there everyone! After a slight break from blogging (I went this past weekend to Zurich, to spend some time with G's family, and I didn't have time to work on entries for last Friday nor Monday) we're back to our regular schedule with a new Wearing Handmade Wednesday edition!

My Lily Brush kimono dress (& one of my Dolly bags)

Today I wanted to show off my awesome Lily Brush kimono dress (photo taken by my dear bf & photographer at a very tourist-y location in Madrid). Not only it's a super cute, comfy, chic & great looking dress, but it's also a no fuss one. Slip it on, tie the obi belt, and you're good to go! Lily Brush's Etsy shop was a great discovery, full of gorgeous clothes, mainly dresses, and her Kimono dresses even more, they're available in all sort of prints, and be warned, they're addictive, you'll want to get more than one!

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: akaCinders!!

Hi there! *yawns* How's Wednesday going peeps? After working night shift I'm yet to get some shut eye, but I decided to write today's blog entry while I wait for the postman to come, so I can then take a nap without interruptions.

Today's Wearing Handmade Wednesday's photo was taken by my personal photographer and love of my life, and he edited it to make it look as vintage style as the Vivifromage dress I was wearing, though the entry is NOT about the dress!

My absolutely gorgeous akaCinders flower necklace!!

I already introduced you to akaCinders awesome necklaces in this previous entry, but since then I've bought another two gorgeous necklaces for myself, and I've given a brooch and a pair necklace as presents! The last time I wore this necklace I got so many compliments of it, such an unique piece, and even better, eco-friendly!

If you've fallen in love with this piece, you need to check akaCinders Artfire's shop, and see the many more gorgeous necklaces she has to offer!

Monday Munchies: Alma's Cupcakes!

Hello everyone! A short (and sweet) blog entry for today! I work a double shift, so after working morning shift, I need to have a decent nap before going back to work night shift. And since last week has been pretty busy too, I have no entry ready, no recipe and no book...

So I decided to do a different sort of Monday Munchies entry! I'm sharing a blog and a website that you all need to know! Alma's Cupcakes and Objetivo Cupcakes! Both are the brain (& hand) child of Alma, an amazing Spanish lady even more obsessed with cupcakes than I am, and that is a total pro at them! She's such a pro, that she's offering courses/workshops and I've signed up for the beginners one in November (rest assured, there'll be a blog entry about it for sure!).

Most of her recipes are in Spanish, but she also has a good number of them in English, so check out both her website & blog! Her recipes are amazing, and all her info has helped me locate supplies that won't cost an arm & a leg to ship! Yay for cupcakes boxes in Madrid!

And since I can't write a blog entry without photos, here you can see my latest cupcake sucesses!

Green Tea cupcakes, recipe from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World"

Mojito cupcakes, recipe from Heaven Is A Cupcake!

Saturday Song: Man of the Hour

The bf has been obsessed with Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder for a while now, and though it can be a bit annoying sometimes, it is good music, and some of it, even great! And so, this Saturday Song is by Eddie Vedder.

Who would have thought an ukelele and a guy singing could be such a masterpiece?

This song is just amazing, and part of the soundtrack of an equally amazing movie, if you haven't seen Big Fish, I highly recommend that you do.

Traveling Thursday: London!

Hello guys! This week I'm sharing with you a few old (and not too good) photos of my first trip to London, quite a few years ago!

I went to London with my friend Sara and her friend Juan, and my then camera decided to crap out on me during the trip, with very dark photos (not that London was uncharacteristically sunny or anything, but their photos weren't half as dark as mine!)

Since this trip, I haven't properly visited London again, but I've had connecting flights more than once at Heathrow, and let's not forget last year's lovely "I'm-stuck-in-London-for-5-days-cause-there's-a-shitload-of-snow-and-planes-are-NOT-coming-or-going" experience!

I really wanna go back to London again, on an intentional trip, to visit sights I didn't get to see & experience (like the Eye of London, or the Florence Nightingale museum), to spend more time at the National Gallery & the British Museum, to visit the Doctor Who Experience and to take some bloody decent pictures!!

The Tower of London (I had a blast during the visit)

With the Yeoman (Beefeater) that was our guide on the Tower's tour, he was so witty & funny!

Enjoying the views of London from up St Paul's, I have a thing for climbing up hundreds of stairs for a nice view

Your typical photo with a phone box

And your other typical shot, with a double decker!

Monday Munchies: Hummus, yummy hummus!

A new week is here, and while I recover from last night's shift at work, I wanna share with you a very easy & yummy recipe to feed the tummy on this Monday Munchies edition!

Hummus

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 400 gr boiled chickpeas (a can of ready made chickpeas will work)

- 1 garlic clove

- 1 lemon

- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds

- Ground cumin

- Paprika

- Salt

- Black pepper

- Olive oil

Method:

- Drain the chickpeas & wash them to get rid of the preserving liquid in the can, drain them well again; put them in the blender. Crush the sesame seeds in a mortar till you get a paste, dilute it with a bit of water and add it to the blender too.

- Peel the garlic clove and squeeze the lemon, filter the juice. Add both to the blender with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of ground cumin, salt & pepper to taste. Blend everything till you get a thick paste but no lumps, you can add a bit of water if it's too thick.

- Sprinkle a bit of paprika & olive oil on top, and serve with stick of raw carrot & cucumber and some pita bread for a delicious lunch or dinner!

Giveaway Winning: Illustrated Ink!!

It had been a while since I won a giveaway, so instead of the usual Friday Feature, I wanna share my booty from the last giveaway I won with you all!

You already know how much I like Leila from Illustrated Ink's art from previous blog entries, so when she organized a giveaway in her blog to win a print of her "Love & Hate" original watercolour, I jumped aboard instantly!

I was lucky enough to win the giveaway, so I was awaiting patiently the arrival of my parcel, and when it arrived not only I got the print, but also a postcard AND one of Leila's paper dolls, Nurse Nora! ;)

Her style is amazing, I love the old school tattoo and the colours are always stunning!

Miss Nora is now just waiting for me to cut and assemble her on of my next days off!! I don't know where I'll hang her though, so that's why she's still in one piece... any ideas?

Wearing Handmade Wednesday: Horace & Jasper!

Hello everyone! Another edition of Wearing Handmade Wednesday it's here!

After Sonisphere, sporting my Horace & Jasper leather cuff

I got this amazing leather cuff from Horace & Jasper with one of my Liane Margerite Lingerie orders, since the guy behind it is the hubby of the amazing Liane. It's super easy to put on with the snap closure, and it looks great with anything black, and so it's perfect for going to gigs, like the Sonisphere festival!

You can find many more awesome hand crafted items at Horace & Jasper, wallets, cuffs, even hair barrettes. If you like leather and awesome stuff, go check his Etsy shop!

Mark This Book Monday: Lily Bard Series!!

Welcoming a new busy new week, after a busy weekend, with some food for the mind with Mark This Book Monday!

Today I want to introduce you to another series by Charlaine Harris (which main characters have also made a cameo in the Sookie Stackhouse series), but one that is not about vampires, but have a strong female lead character.

Lily Bard is a woman with many scars, inside and outside, so to get away from it all, she moves into a place called Shakespeare! (Bard, Shakespeare... you know?) She starts working cleaning houses, but her hopes for a quiet life are soon squished, when she finds a corpse. Lily finds herself playing detective without meaning to, and her knowledge of the people of Shakespeare she acquired helps her on finding the criminal.

Murder mystery books, with another mystery that is revealed book by book, our very own main character. On each book you learn more about Lily, and about what shaped her to be the way she is, and she learns to grow even within her new self, the one she worked so hard on building and made sure was strong enough to survive whatever the ugly world out there would throw at her. The murders aren't Agatha Christie twists, but aren't too previsible either, so they make the books very enjoyable to read, and the way you learn about characters through their houses and their habits is very interesting too.

I would have loved if Charlaine Harris had written more Lily Bard books, but she's said she won't write anymore, still the 5 she did write are very much worth checking them out!