Gone snowboarding...

... and this is the first time i've ever said that! But tomorrow is my Birthday (i know Happy Birthday to me! :)) and what better way to celebrate than trying a new sport out. Ok, i did try it before, but that is a whole different story, which ended up with a lost snowboard, the rescue team "rescuing" me and turned out to be the mot expensive vacation  ever...  and afterall i did not spend more than 10 minutes on the board, Anyway BF says i have the "ideal body" for snowboarding so he invested in snowboarding gear (birthday and xmas present) and i invest in trying not to break myself! Wish me luck! I'll be in the Alps....

P.s: check out my skiing near Barcelona roundup!



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Have a sweet weekend!!!

Baking anything good?



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Barcelona Gift Guide - Handmade Presents by Etsy

Two weeks left till Christmas. It's hightime we start thinking about what to put under that Xmas tree and i think this really is the last week i'd dare to order anything online (Especially from the States)! I'm just getting to know Etsy (i know i'm quite late), the web's nr 1. website to buy/sell all things handmade but it seems to be a great place to buy original gifts which are one of a kind and truly unique. Not surprisingly Barcelona seems to be a source of inspiration for many amateur and professional artists so here is my handpicked Barcelona gift guide by Etsy.



For Her

Barcelona Necklace by JustaGirl27



28.5 USD (shipped from Germany)

A large brown carved horn leaf, an aged copper ring, light blue sea glass nuggets, buri root beads, facetted black Onyx rounds, filigree copper and last but not least - wooden components - all teamed up via brass links to create this fantastic OOAK long necklace.

Hanging from antiqued brass chain, closing with a decorative antique brass toggle clasp.









 Barcelona Copper Filigree Necklace from Vintage Tooling by chinacherie

16.5 USD

This dramatic filigree pendant was made from vintage toolings. It has a spanish moorish feel to it. The brass stamping was copper plated and oxidized to highlight the rich details for the filigree pendant. It measures 2 1/4" across and it stands 2 7/8" high. It is hung from a fancy copper chain with toggle clasp











Vintage Lucite Silver Etched Beads - Barcelona by bythebead

18 USD

Beautiful intricate silver etched lucite beads are the centerpiece for these earrings. If you didn't know, you would think they old metal beads, but they are wonderfully lightweight The are accented with a rustic silver plated lucite teardrop dangle and hang from sterling silver ear wires. They will easily go from glam to casual.





 For the New Mommy

Barcelona Baby Bag by loveleestudio

119 USD

This super chic Barcelona Baby Bag is a beautiful combination creme and black foral. The exterior of this bag is a combination of creme and black floral accented with elastic side pockets in the same material for easy access of bottles, keys and wallet. The interior lining of the bag is adorned with electric royal blue dupioni silk fabric. The six interior pockets are floral cotton for easy access of contents and storage. Black grosgain ribbon completes the look of the bag. Fabric straps are floral on the exterior with electric blue on the interior for an extra pop. The bag has a magnetic snap closure to keep everything inside. This bag is truly fabulous!



For HIM

Barcelona Moleskin Pocket Cashier Ruled Notebook by Acreativesoul

10 USD

This Moleskine cahier is embellished with a lovely frame and assorted vintage button. The frame is a recycled slide frame (outer dimensions 5X5 cm i.e 2X2") covered with cork contact paper. It displays a photograph of Barcelona (Spain) taken by my boyfriend (Damien Lacroix) and computer-edited. Both the frame and button are durably glued to the front cover with archival gel medium (no stitches).

Each journal is handmade so that the journal you will receive can slightly differ from the one you see here (particularly the vintage button).





Handmade Leather Barcelona Photo Album by leathermaps



14.9 USD

HANDMADE, HAND TOOLED AND HAND PAINTED PHOTO ALBUM - This album is entirely done by hand. The front is decorated with one of my designs and my initials are burned on the back. The album becomes more beautiful the more it is touched. It is a work of art and it makes unique gift, unforgettable souvenir of your travels or handsome decoration. Enjoy it.

 For the whole Family

Barcelona painting by marmas

350 USD

(my absolute favourite!! :)

Oil on vintage, un-stretched canvas. 20x16 inches. Unframed. Will frame on request.









To be continued tomorrow with the Barcelona Gift Guide - Books!

The Barcelona Day Bed - Made of Chocolate

Lately i've been mad about Mad Men, the US series about Madison Avenue advertising executives set in the '60s and i spotted the gorgeous sofa/bed that Betty is lying on while at the psychologist.... Well turns out it is a famous piece of furniture called the Barcelona day bed!

My other addiction lately.... Chocolate! Hmm so comforting to buckle up under a blanket and open up one of those Santa chocs!  :)

But look at that! Someone crafted the Barcelona day bed entirely out of chocolate!

Created by Leandro Erlich and Guido Mogni it's a piece of art to die for!

"Walking closer, one realized that the couch was made of chocolate, each pleat, button, and stitch lovingly rendered with a thick coating that looked (and felt) eerily like leather. As the maid brandished serving utensils and sliced into the couch, she revealed the glorious truth: a moist, buttery layer cake with hints of cream, coffee, and liquor buried inside. The pillow was even softer, fashioned from an airy angel food cake spiked with vanilla. Viewers had difficulty deciding whether to stare or eat, but quickly settled on the latter."

Oh how i wish i could rip that button off with my teeth!

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Salvador Dali + Walt Disney = Destino

Oh what a fabulous find! Salvador Dali and Walt Disney started to work together on a cartoon back in 1946 called DESTINO. The six-minute short follows the love story of Chronos and the ill-fated love he has for a mortal female. The story continues as the female dances through surreal scenery inspired by Dalí's paintings. Someone picked it up and dusted off and the short version was released in 2003. I love love love it!! It's truly one of life's little known treasures! The official press release states:

Destino began in 1946 as a collaboration between Walt Disney and the famed surrealist painter Salvador Dali. A first-hand example of Disney's interest in avant garde and experimental work in animation, Destino was to be awash with Dali's iconic melting clocks, marching ants and floating eyeballs. However, Destino was not completed at that time. In 2003 it was rediscovered by Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney, who took on the challenge of bringing the creation of these two great artists to fruition. In addition to the completed Destino, this exciting addition to the Walt Disney Treasures line also includes an all-new feature-length documentary that examines the surprising partnership between Dali and Disney plus two new featurettes; "The Disney That Almost Was," an examination of the studio's unfinished projects; and "Encounters with Walt," which addresses the surprisingly diverse group of celebrities and artists who were attracted to Walt Disney's early work.

The DVD is due to be released in 2010, until than, enjoy:

PapaBubble - Caramelos personalizados

For me December = lots of sweets! Have you heard of PapaBubble? They are a fantastic store making the dreams of thousands come true with personalized handmade caramelos! Si si!!! Their first store opened in Barcelona in 2004, and since than they conquered Tokio, Amsterdam, New York, Seaul, Lisbon and Taipei. I love the way their store look, their creativity and this is one of those great and unique Christmas gift ideas for someone special! :) Yummyyyy

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Happy December!

this is my december
this is my time of the year
this is my december
this is all so clear

this is my december
this is my snow covered home
this is my december
this is me alone

this is my december
these are my snow covered dreams
this is me pretending
this is all i need

Linkin Park: My december lyrics

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So you wanna rent a place?

Here is a tiny post I wanted to put together for ages! A list of the best/most known immobiliaria websites in Spain /BCN. Let me know if I left out something you feel should be on the list!

http://www.idealista.es/

http://www.loquou.es/

http://www.bornliving.com/

http://www.segundamano.es/

http://www.mundoanuncio.com/

And I recommend this article on how to get a flat in Spain...

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Christmas season in Barcelona

Where did this year go??? December already? Winter? Really? I hope you're all ready for the big holiday season with all the shopping, family visits, long travels and endless hours of eating included!

If you ask me... Christmas does not belong to Barcelona. Period. I refuse to see it and i juts can't imagine it! Nevertheless it does look like the city vamps up pretty well for the holidays...

Christmas Markets

The feria de Santa Lucia runs from early December until Christmas Eve and can be found outside the Cathedral, in Plaça de la Seu and Plaça Nova. (nearest Metro: Jaume I). Here you will find all sorts of hand made gifts, intricate nativity scenes and the Caga Tió log (something you'll struggle to find anywhere else!) and of course Caganer, a porcelain gnome figurine dressed as a peasant farmer squatting with his pants down and a stream of excrement connecting his bare buttocks to the earth.

Well, excuse me. What? Is really a shitting man (and excuse my language, caganer =pooper in English) is one of the most typical Catalan accessories of holy Christmas? Wikipedia does have several explanations:

Possible reasons for placing a man who is in the act of excreting waste in a scene which is widely considered holy include:

• Tradition.
• Perceived humor.
• Finding the Caganer is a fun game, especially for children.
• The Caganer, by creating feces, is fertilizing the Earth. However, this is probably an a posteriori explanation, and few cite this reason for including the Caganer in the Nativity scene.
• The Caganer represents the equality of all people: regardless of status, race, or gender, everyone defecates.
• Increased naturalism of an otherwise archetypal (thus idealised) story, so that it is more believable, taken literally and seriously.
• The idea that God will manifest himself when he is ready, without regard for whether we human beings are ready or not.
• The caganer reinforces that the infant Jesus is God in human form, with all that being human implies.

OK. I need to digest this....

Christmas Eve in Barcelona

Midnight mass as Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day is very important in Spain. The biggest 'misa del gallo' is at the Benedictine monastery at Montserrat near Barcelona.

Three Kings Procession in Barcelona

On December 5, as is the case throughout Spain, the Three Kings lead their procession through the city. In Barcelona the procession starts shortly after five o'clock at Portal de la Pau and finishes around nine at Montjuïc. You can expect large crowds, so arrive early. On the night of December 5, children leave a shoe out for the Three Kings to fill (stockings clearly aren't so common in this Mediterranean climate!)

Nativity Scenes

There is one obvious nativity scene that every visitor to Barcelona should see - the permanent natvity scene at Sagrada Familia. There is also a big display at the Cathedral. The Catalan word for 'nativity' is 'pessebre' while in Spanish it is 'belén'.

To be continued....

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