Baby It's Cold Inside...

(image taken from www.thisprettyspace.tumblr.com)

So, the Cat hasn't blogged for quite a while now.
Oh my, it's getting dusty in here.
So. For the two of you out there who have been reading these lines (ok, just for the ONE of you. As I'm told, imaginary friends don't count)... the Cat is back.
She has been thinking about the whole blogging thing for quite a while now. I mean, where is this blog going? It's definately not a fashion blog, or a food blog, or a poetry blog, so...? And a few days ago, a lovely fashion blogger, Maria Kotsari from Go Stylish (www.mariakotsari.blogspot.com) reminded the Cat something she had forgotten: blogging is about being unique. The only direction you need to have, is towards yourself...

And exactly there, lies the problem. The Cat is not sure about the direction her life is taking, not sure exactly about who she is as the years go by. But, the Cat's Mother is a Virgo and if she has taught the Cat anything, is that the only way to impose order in your emotional mess, is to deal with the mess surrounding you. In other words, clean that desk. Rearrange these book piles. Give away all the lip glosses you don't need.

So the Cat has started cleaning up in here. And on her way to writing about what inspires her right now, she started reading blogs again. And she realised that apart from her all time classic favorites like Fashion Architect, LFoF, Soho Symposium, Kataifi, Alecca Rox, Life in Athens and of course her beloved Sara Von from Yes and Yes who is a constant inspiration (for all these links, see left column, the one with the Douglas Adams quote. Yes, the one about potatoes), lately she has discovered a few new blogging fixes (new to the Cat, mind you, not new to blogging). Wanna see?


(photo taken from www.littlestylist.net)
Little Stylist is fresh and honest. The Cat rather enjoys her fashion book reviews!




(photo taken from www.mirrordiaries.blogspot.com)
The Cat actually just discovered Mirror Diaries and she is very pleasantly surprised. I mean, the clothes! The style! The attitude! The girl, plainly, rocks.


(photo taken from www.mimzygirl.blogspot.com)
In Anne's Cake Party, the Cat realised that she shares a passion for sweets and baking with the lovely author. And us baking lovers gotta stick together. Because life's better when it's sweet, and all that jazz.



(photo taken from www.notyourusualwedding.wordpress.com)
And last, but not least, Not Your Usual Wedding. Margarita is a wedding stylist from whom we must expect great things. I adore the way she approaches words and clothes and celebrates uniqueness. If I ever were to marry I would trust her to help me narrate my love story via my wedding dress. Until then, I just visit her blog and sigh over all the lovely girls who dared to defy "rules". Oh, and this particular photo is inspiring for yet another reason: the Cat craves that hair colour.


So, I would like to thank these aforementioned bloggers for inspiring me and helping me write a new post after such a long time.
With a little help from fabulous ladies, it's actually not that cold inside after all...

Peut-etre qu'en Septembre...

...tu reviendras
Maybe, in September, you will be back.
That's a sweet, 90's song by Helene Rolles, the Cat used to listen to all the time.

The Cat had always great expectations of the month we like to call September.
Maybe it's the slight chill that makes the city more bearable, more mysterious even. Maybe it's the fact that, as far as the Cat is concerned, the New Year begins each September with the New School Year.
Maybe it's just that autumn is always so damn somber and melancholic and suits the Cat's moody moods just fine...

Whatever the reason, this September, the Cat will once again hope that:

1) She will stop postponing and start actually doing the things filed under "willdothatsomeday"
2) She will declutter her bathroom shelf, her beauty case, her wardrobe, her desk and her mind.
3) She will take better care of her self and use those beauty products. Well, some of them.
4) She will not skip yoga classes and she will find a way to have ballet back in her life.
5) She will lose the weight without going crazy about it. And then keep it off.
6) She will learn how to be a good student, and study History and do her assignments on time.
7)She will learn how to be a good sister (kisses from Greece all the way to Norway if you just read that), and a better friend and an even better aunt.
8) She will stop burdening the boyfriend with each complicated work issue and domestic drama and mood swing. In sort, she will hopefully stop nagging.
9) She will continue reading books in Spanish and learn some Norwegian.
10) She will find the Cat of her dreams and make it the Cat of her reality.
11) She will find a Home to furnish with bright colours and floral patterns. And with an old desk. And an old painting. And a brand new fridge. A humongous pile of books and shoes, artfully thrown on the floor. A dog. And a few cats who will think they own the place.
12) She will start writing again, until the file in her PC "book attempts", is renamed without the "attempts" part.
13) She will figure out what to do with her life, and her work and her future.
14) She will sleep more, drink less coffee, laugh more and worry less.
15) She will shop less. And she will not buy any more shoes unless something terrible happens to the ones she already owns.
16) She will have a third tattoo, and it will be of a more optimistic spirit than her two previous ones.
17) She will find a meaning in Life, the Universe and Everything.
18) She will find a meaning in this blog.

What's your September resolutions? Shall we keep them together?

Shoe Mood of the Day III

"Sometimes, I may look like something the cat dragged in. But I will stay close to you and keep you safe and comfortable, as long as you wisper in my ear tales of forgotten lore..."

Shoe mood of the day II

"Drinking tea with the taste of the Thames, sullenly on a chair on a pavement. Here you'll find, my thoughts and I...". (Morissey, Come Back to Camden)

Shoe Mood of the Day

"I want to escape in a better world, full of cupcakes and retro dresses. I want to sing along with Lenka and Zooey Deschanel and believe in the fairytale. In other words, I want to sleep a good night's sleep"

Mirror, mirror on your feet

"I don't know what is it about me, that makes people think I want to hear their problems. Maybe it's because I smile too much. Maybe it's because I wear too much pink"... (said Pam, in True Blood)

So, they say eyes are the mirror of your soul.
The Cat beggs to differ.
Lately, she seems to think that shoes might reveal more about you than your sense of style, the amount of money you're willing to spend on trends, or your need to feel taller:p
Maybe a woman's shoe, is indeed the mirror of her soul.
So, what would your shoes say about you? Would they say...

(asos.com, Vivienne Westwood for Melissa) "I defy conventions. I am a fierce, fun woman who loves to be the center of attention and can handle sticky situations and criticism very well, thank you"



or more likely... (asos.com, asos sandals) "I am simple, but not plain. I like to be comfortable, but don't kid yourself boy: I know how to take care of myself. See how great my pedi looks?"


The Cat has gathered some of her shoes and tried to figure out what they're saying about her.Ready to find out?
"I can be a Lady. But ok, only if I let my freak flag fly"


"I will try being sexy, if you will try to notice it more. Also, hold my hand. Can't really walk on these things".

"Stay with me and I will take you places. Mess with me, and you mess with Chuck Norris".

But right now, the Cat is not in the mood for flamboyant statements and big words.
The Cat is in the mood for "what you see, is what's you get".
And of course, there is the perfect shoe for that.
jelly shoes, bought in Barcelona for 8 euro.

So if the Cat feels a bit naked and exposed, it's OK.
She is not going to hide behind a shoe.You can't really do that, anywayz.

"Trust I seek, and I find in you"
Because, in the end, Nothing Else Matters.

Strawberry fields for ever

(photo taken from www.imdb.com)

So, the Cat hasn't blogged for a while.
Maybe she wasn't so happy with the way her No Sugar Project is going.
Maybe she wasn't so happpy with the way her life is going.
But maybe the point in blogging is not bragging about the things you feel happy about. Maybe the Cat needs to remember that when she started doing it back in 2005, it was because she had things to say.
Sad things and terrible even and funny at some points.
What is she saying now?
Well, the short version would be "here, have a strawberry".
It is low in carbs and high in fiber.
It is sweet and yummy and has a vibrant colour that is bound to make you happy.
You can make a lot of things with strawberries.
Even if you're trying your best to stay on Atkins.

(strawberry low carb muffins, strawberry unmilkshake and the real, fresh stuff)

Like strawberry low-carb muffins:
1 cup Atkins Bread Mix
2 eggs
1 table spoon baking powder
1 cup sucralose, splenda or the sweetener of your choice (the Cat uses Limodiet sucralose)
1 tea spoon vanilla
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup dark, low-carb chocolate, chopped (the Cat uses Green & Black organic, with only 16 net carbs for the whole bar!)
1/2 heavy cream
50 gr. melted butter in room temperature

Stir together flour (atkins bread mix), baking powder and sucralose.
Add the cream, eggs, vanilla and butter - stir until just blended.
Add the chopped strawberries and the chocolate chips and stir until combined.
Put in muffin trays.
Bake for 20 minutes in 200 degrees.


And, the strawberry unmilkshake:
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1 scoop Atkins Vanilla shake mix
1 cup soya milk
icecubes

Blend all materials together in a multi, until you get a thick, frappuccino-like texture.
If needed, add more icecubes.
Serve on a tall glass.

Also, you can have low-carb chocolate-dipped strawberries on a stick.


The inspiration for that one, came from my dearest @LizCupcakes, http://cupcakesgringreek.blogspot.com/2010/05/blog-post_22.html

1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1 low-carb, dark chocolate bar (see above)
1 stick of butter
Skewers

Put the strawberries on the skewers.
Melt the chocolate with the butter, on low heat, stirring constantly.
Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate.
Put in a tall mug (that was actually the Cat's mother idea. The Cat could have never thought something so simple and practical).
Refridgerate.


Look how pretty they turned out to look!
Ok, so Liz's look better.... Ok:p
But the Cat promises you, they taste divine for the sugar-deprived ones.
And the mug isn't bad, either.


So, maybe the bottom line is this:
Life is hard. Don't make it harder.
Here, have a strawberry.

The Not Sugar Project (Day 4)

(Banana and double chocolate cupcakes, made and baked by the Cat, on her birthday)

The Cat has been toying with the idea for quite some time now.
In other words, the Cat knows that sugar is bad for her, and she knows she is addicted. And although having been on Atkins for almost a year now, the Cat always found an excuse to break the pattern and eat some sweets and then gain some weight and then start again and then... Oh, I think you get the picture.

To be honest, the inspiration for this were two fashion bloggers: the lovely Thalia from Life in Athens (who as we all know started the Not Shop Project) and Nina Malvada aka kataifi from Las Ninas y Los Ninos, who is a fellow sugar-worshipper and suggested the name "The Not Sugar Project"!

So, here it is, the Cat has started it.
It's been 4 days now, and she has not eaten ANY sugar! (maximum sugarless period EVER has been two weeks. By then, the Cat wanted to eat like, an entire army of chocolate soldiers)
But now she's sharing it with you guys, she's got an extra reason not to go back and eat ALL of these!



Well, ok. Life without sugar does not equal an eternity in bacon and eggs hell. She does have the Atkins bars to help her get through these really tough afternoons at the office.
(remember this picture? It's the one the Cat took for her Atkins Article, on LoveCooking_GR, http://www.lovecooking.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=831:2010-03-12-14-57-18&catid=34:scientific-articles )

But the Cat needs something more, in order to live sugarless and happy.
She needs this.

(Sugar Free Diabetics Cupcake Hummingbird from Liz's Cupcake Bakeshop in Nafplio, Greece, opening soon. The picture was taken from her blog, www.cupcakesgringreek.blogspot.com)

And thanks to lovely Liz, the Cat realised that it's possible to bake beautiful staff without sugar. So the Cat has searched the market for the appropriate sugar substitute and...
Well, she will let you know in following Not Sugar Project posts!

Until then,

Books, the Universe and Everything

(The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy, Douglas Adams. Don't panic and don't forget your towel)


So it's no big secret the Cat has a thing for books.
Books about anything, really.

Books about Maths and Parrots
See, the Cat is trying to understand Math, as she is trying to understad her parrots. So far, the Cat is failing at both subjects.
(The Parrot's Theorem, Denis Guedj. Parrot earrings, Accessorize. Mother and baby parrots, hiding. Father parrot, wondering what the hell is the Cat doing with that camera)

Books about Chess
Chess is the Cat's favorite game. Although she's a bit of a terrible player.
(Katherine Neville, Eight. The Flanders Panel, Arturo Perez-Reverte. Chess board, a gift)

Books about the Far Eastern Culture
The language, the martial arts, the food... And Haruki is a league of its own)
(Nicole Mones, The Last Chinese Chef. Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Tony Parsons, My Favorite Wife. Miso bag, momiji box and Accessorize floral bangle, all gifts)

Books about Vampires
The Cat had a thing about Vampires, even before they started to sparkle. Well, as Damon from The Vampire Diaries would put it, "that Stephenie chick has got it all wrong. In the real world, we vampires burst in flames in front of the sun". Still, it was a fun read, especially as far as a certain teenage werewoolf was concerned.
(Charlaine Harris, Dead until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead. Skull necklace, no idea. Stephanie Meyer, Twilight. Scary notebook, a gift. Bathroom mat from Bed & Bath, a gift)

Books about a girl named Alice, who sometimes believes in six impossible things before breakfast
(Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass. Top and headband, Stradivarious. Bangle from Accessorize, a gift)

Books, well, about Cats.
In fact, the Cat went to a book sale today, to support the organization that helps stray cats, www.ninelivesgreece.com
(William Burroughs, The Cat Inside. Ευγένιος Τριβιζάς, Η τελευταία μαύρη γάτα. Cats, ,a scrapbook. Black and white photos of cats, from an old notebook of mine. Photo frames, Ikea. Reading glasses case, Octopus. Kitty themed dress, a gift. Small decorative cats, all gifts)

Books about self-destruction and bad habits (and a mean sense of humour)
Told you there was a dark side to that, as well. And it wasn't Vampires.
(Nick Cave, The Death of Bunny Munro. David Sedaris, When you are engulfed in flames. Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides. Havana Club and Jose Cuervo Especial, old friends. Gaulloise red, an acquaintance)

Books about her favorite place in the world.
London. A city that, by definition, is magic(J.K.Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Ben Elton, Inconceicable, Blind Faith, This Other Eden. WallPaper City Guide, London. The Magical Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and The Beatles, gifts. London snow-globe, a souvenir)

What are your books about?

Well, hello Spring!

There's an old greek saying "a swallow alone cannot bring spring".
Nevertheless, this is a pigeon - and it looks quite determined, the Cat thinks!
So Spring, indeed is here and all the Glamour girls in the Cat's office have greeted it in their own personal way!


(My friend Kelly, is with the Cullen family. Boho, yet Vampire Cool)


(My friend Alexandra, in her usual rock chick awesomeness, combining two leopard prints)


(Eliana, in full bloom!Don't you just love the colours?)
(Eliana again, the following day, proving that brunettes can do both colours and nudes - without looking like ghosts in the latter!)


(My boss, wearing jeggings and high-heeled sandals)
(notice the old school tattoo detail on the sleeve- which is basically not a sleeve but a legging, worn as a sleeve!)


(Christiana, aka The Glamour Top Model, wearing a fabulous green jacket)



(Sasha, our fashion stylist, is in the army!)



(Lisa always finds a way to turn something cute, cue polka dots, into something cool, chic and quirky)

So...what's a Cat going to wear this spring?
After spending a good amount of time nagging about how I don't have any clothes, my fairy god mothers, also known as besties, took me on a shopping spree for my birthday.
Want to see the results?

(floral dress, H&M)

(This is what the Cat wore today. Fucshia strapless dress, H&M. Trench-coat, Bershka. Fluo heels, Oasis, bought in London)

(And thanks to Kelly and her lovely gift, this is what the Cat is wearing tomorrow! Top and floral skirt, Zara)

So, Spring can officially begin.
The Cat has the clothes and some days, she even has the mood.
But you know, what?

NOTHING SAYS "SPRING" LIKE THIS LADY HERE!