Very special trip to Istanbul

One of my personal highlights of the past months was my trip to Istanbul with two special friends, Holly and Thorsten Becker. It was their first trip ever to Turkey and it was wonderful to see, that they both loved Istanbul. Of course I have been very proud to show them my hometown and be their guide, but we also had so much fun together and had the best time..Just to mention some of the things we did together:

We enjoyed little things like fresh pomegranate juice, roasted chestnuts or salep...sooo yummy..

We spent hours inside the mighty Topkapi Palace, which was very impressive and inspiring for my friends..

We walked through the streets of Istanbul and saw history inbetween modern buildings..

We had a great time spending hours in the Grand Bazaar, where we discovered some special goodies..

Not to forget the delicious meals and all the coffee and tea-breaks..My friends loved the Turkish delight and the apple tea :) Thank you Holly & Thorsten so much for joining me to Istanbul, we will be back soon, yay !!!

Hidden Treasures

Walking through the Grand Bazaar is something I always enjoy, but one of the thing I love the most is discovering hidden treasures. Where can one find those the best? In antique shops..

As you can see one never knows what to find unless one enters the shop and starts looking for those very special items, that are waiting to show their beauty..

Maybe it´s the first item that will catch one´s eye, maybe one has to look through thousand others to find the hidden beauty..in any case it´s facsinating to enter an antique shop without knowing which item one will take home..

Thank you

Surprise, surprise...yes it´s me :) First of all I would like to thank all of you for your patience, it´s been quite a long time of not-blogging. So these flowers go all of my readers for the lovely messages, comments and emails. The past months have been busy with business and private travels and much much work. As my schedule did not allow blogging for long time, I finally found the inspiration and the time for more posts. Thank you all for waiting..

Ikat bowls

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Do you like Ikat fabrics? If so, you already have a passion for the unique patterns. What about bringing some of this eyecatching beauty into your kitchen or your dining room? Imagine decorating your table with those lovely ceramics. They will be a real attraction when they are filled with delicious goodies to be served to your guests. You can get them in different sizes and in a variety of different colors. So you can feel free to decorate your table with Ikat bowls in the same color or make every guest choose its own one...

Shawls and more

Oriental leather slippers, Suzani bags, Ikat, and silk are only a few things you can find in this shop. Doesn´t it look inviting?
Usually men are bored of window-shopping, but in this case they will love to spend some time in front of this window I guess. Just take a look at all those shawls, they look both sporty and elegant to match any outfit.
A detail of silk which is embroidered with tulips. How vibrant the colors are...

Inspired by the Tiled Pavilion

The brilliant arrangement of the mosaic tiles and the colors have been a huge inspiration for this bracelet. I wanted to keep up the blue and white-theme and came up with this combination of crystals, Czech beads and pearls. even though blue is a fresh color, it also has something imperial and due to the history and the beauty of the Tiled Pavilion these shades seemed perfect for me.

The Tiled Pavilion Part 2

These wonderful windows capture the sunlight and make the colors sparkle like crystals.
I can tell that I truly fell in love with this ceiling, that looks fantastic in nature. Those white ornaments have their own structure and I am always very impressed to see old handwork like this.
Here you can see one of the old artworks inside the Tiled Pavilion. This painting shows details of the Tiled Pavilion and it is just wonderful to see this "art-in-art" perfection, that is one of a kind.
Another beautiful tile work, different shades of blue combined with gold. If you ever have the chance to travel to Istanbul, please take a little time to visit the Tiled Pavilion. It´s not very big, but it´s very charming and it´s also a nice way to calm your senses, because there is nothing but harmony. Plus it´s a great way to escape the heat during the summer !!

The Tiled Pavilion

The tiled Pavilion (Cinili Kösk), now serving as a museum where outstanding samples of Turkish tiles and ceramics are exhibited, was built by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1472 .
In spite of the changes it has undergone during its history, the building with its porticoed entrance, eyvans and tiles is the only secular building belonging to the Ottoman civilian architecture in Istanbul in Seljukian style.
The harmony of the turquoise, white, purple and dark blue tiles made in the mosaic technique are indicators of a well-developed sense of decoration.
The inscription cicrumscribing the door below the eyvan decorated with mosaic tiles gives the completion date of the construction and lauds its beauty as well.
The present portico consisting of 14 marble columns was constructed during the reign of Abdulhamid I (1774-1789) after the (oroginal) wooden portico burned down in 1737. In 1875 when it was decided to use as a museum some changes were made in the interior and it was opened in 1880 as Imerial Museum. Within the halls and rooms of the Tiled Pavilion Museum are exhibited the matchless samples of Great Seljukian, Anatolian Seljukian and Ottoman tiles and ceramics dated between the end of the 12th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

Istanbul on a t-shirt

There are always many designs to find on t-shirts and when I discovered this one, I had to buy it instantly. I think this design is really perfect, because it´s very modern, but at the same time it shows all the historical important places, bazaars, palaces and areas. What a great idea !!!

The World Of Sequins

Welcome to the world of sequins seems to be absolutely right when you take a look at the pictures I´ve taken in Istanbul.
For everybody who loves handwork and especially sewing and stitching, this might be heaven :)
You can find sequins in every color, every size and in many, many different shapes and finishes.
You can also find a huge choice of sew-on elements, glitters,and many more.

There are many shops like this in Istanbul, and I love looking at all those packages full of sequins to discover the newest colors, which I can´t find anywhere else. That´s the fun part of it...

Time for an apple tea

One of my favorite activities is attending street cafes to have a little break or to enjoy the atmosphere of a very inviting place. So I enjoyed my apple tea before working on my to-do list.
I love to sit outside, because in this case there are only few places to have a seat. That makes it even more special for me, because I love to take part of the life - which in Mediterranean countries takes place in the street.
Wonder what´s inside? Of course there are many tables and seats, but you can even buy gorgeous lamps or delicious goodies.
Aren´t those tiles just amazing? It´s a part of the floor right when you enter the cafe. Too cute..

An Opulent Green Dream

I really love playing with materials as you might know, and when I made this chandelier, I had a vision of an opulent dream. So I decided to use bright and shiny crystals and opaque Czech beads. The copper elements make those different greens even more interesting. This chandelier is very special and add glamour to an outfit instantly.

Newest Byzance Magazine

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Another beautiful issue of Byzance magazine, that will make you dream...

Turquoise Dream

Turquoise and copper is a combination full of tension. One completes the other to bring out the own beauty. I used crystals and handmade Czech beads in nearly the same color to achieve a dazzling and bright finish. This chandelier looks gorgeous combined with long skirts. I can´t think of a summer without any accessory in turquoise, it always looks fresh.

Green Leaves

Here is one of the bracelets I made. I decided to combine different materials like vintage jade, handmade Czech beads and sweetwater pearls to get a very special effect. So I knitted them using the colored copper wire and I think the result is stunning, because those different beads have different sizes and it is very challenging to knit them.
At the end I have to say that this bracelet reminds me of leaves in different shades of green.
The combination of creme shades with greens is kind of royal, but absolutely wearable for any occasion in my opinion.