Saturday, August 31, 2013

Teddy


IMG_9445, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Kenzo the cat is our living Teddy Bear.

Boxes and Roses


IMG_9448, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

I bought these adorable storage boxes from Ikea and they perfectly match our plastic rose "tree", which was found near the garbage. In the Czech Republic, people will put anything that somebody might want near the garbage to indicate that it's up for grabs - really smart.

Tiles


IMG_9440, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Our bathroom tiles have this funny wet-look pattern. I thought it was really ugly at first, but it's grown on me. The toiletries are from Malmaison Hotel in London, where I recently stayed.

Armchair


IMG_9442, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

We found this super-comfy armchair next to the garbage cans and took it home. Yesterday we bought this cheap bed spread from Ikea and voila, we have a really comfy chair for next to nothing. Mostly the cats sleep on it, but we get to use it sometimes too.

Monday, August 26, 2013

City


IMG_9383, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Ostrava, seen from the New City Hall.

View from the Top


IMG_9407, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Ostrava, Czech Republic, as seen from the new City Hall observation tower. The city is very green.

Pink Corner


IMG_9434, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Lovely pink building in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Kumar


IMG_6243, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

This is Kumar, the sad elephant. He is named after our driver in India, who became a good friend. Kumar is now waiting for us in our storage space in Finland, so I can imagine that he is very sad indeed. One day we will be reunited.

Leather Look


Mimipienenä, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

This must have been my first leather outfit. I am guessing I may have been about 4 or 5 in this photo. My Mom made this vest for me, I believe out of a leather vest of hers. Very cool look.

Flower Detail

Detail from the Taj Mahal. I am not sure if these particular ones are gem stones or not. Hard to tell from the photo.

Blue Glass


IMG_9215, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Detail from the Blue Church in Bratislava, Slovakia. Reminds me of the Taj Mahal, actually, but in the Taj, the decorations are not glass - they're precious and semi-precious stones.

Let the Sun Shine


IMG_9197, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

I love the way this sun has been painted. It's a detail from the shutters a few posts ago in Bratislava, Slovakia. This sun is so bright and cheerful, I wish I could copy it and have it on my wall.

Castle View


IMG_9200, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Bratislava street scene. The old town is really gorgeous.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Posing for the Camera


IMG_9327, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Our cats, Kenzo (left) and Chanel, posing for the camera.

I Love Pizza


IMG_9202, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Adorable - and affordable - mini pizzas from "I Love Pizza" in Bratislava, Slovakia. They were really yummy.

Blue Church Interior


IMG_9245, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Clean Linen


IMG_9348, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

I happened to set down this pile of linen I was folding and putting away and noticed just how nice it looks.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Boxes

I absolutely love this decorating idea. I was looking at cute boxes on sale yesterday at our local dime store. I think I'll go back and get a bunch. I also love how they're labelled clearly, so you can actually find what you're looking for. Beautiful, practical and cheap.

As a kid I used to do something similar. I would buy scraps of pink patterned wallpaper (maybe I even got them for free?), and I would cover shoe boxes with them. I would then label them with stick-on gold letters. But what I love about this home is that all the boxes are in different colours - and yet it looks great!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Green-Eyed Monster


IMG_9199, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Detail of the painted shutter from the previous post.

Shutters


IMG_9197, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

This was some sort of gift shop in Bratislava - really cool painted shutters. I especially love the way the cat and the sun are painted.

Very 80s


IMG_9321, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

A photo from our kitchen this morning. We found this very 80s looking suede-covered chair near the trash. The suede is in bad condition, but our cats love it: they use it as a scratching post and they love to climb up the back, which is fully covered in suede.

Classical Style


IMG_9097, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

The same building as in the previous post.

Colourful and Classical


IMG_9097, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

This is a building near the Bratislava railway station. It's unusual in how colourful it is, I'm not sure I've seen a building painted in quite this way before.

Grey


IMG_9076, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

A local girl in Bratislava with hair dyed completely grey - very cool. My husband took this photo.

Souvenirs


IMG_9094, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

The orange bag is another souvenir from Bratislava, Slovakia. It was from the same Asian store as the others and it was also on sale. It was around 4-5 euros. I'm also wearing the necklace from a previous post. The tank top is from Orsay (on sale for 4 eur), the denim skirt from Henri Lloyd (from an Outlet store in Helsinki, years ago), the shoes were from one of those wonderful stores in Italy where all the shoes in the store are for 10 eur. They are leather and super comfortable. They were from Trieste.

Peek-a-boo


IMG_9343, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

This little guy was a souvenir from Prague.

Mug Shots


IMG_9345, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

I found these cute mugs at a local dime store. They were just over a euro each.

Thai Cat


IMG_9340, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Another souvenir from Bratislava, also for 1,99 euros.

Pink Snake


IMG_9337, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

This necklace was a souvenir from Bratislava, Slovakia. It's from an Asian shop, perhaps made in Thailand. It was on sale for 1,99 eur. It's made of wood and very light.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Architectural Wonders


IMG_9296, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

There are many really amazing buildings in Bratislava. In many ways it reminds me of Prague, Vienna and even Paris. And yet, as soon as you leave the historical center, the style is mostly Soviet. The contrast is quite amazing.

Lego


IMG_8757, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

The ceiling of this building (probably the Bratislava town hall), is very interesting. It looks like it's made of lego blocks.

Fountain


IMG_8747, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

A perfect little courtyard in Bratislava. I have a thing for courtyards; I love the idea of the privacy of having one.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Miracle of the Roses


IMG_9230, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

The Blue Church (as it is known) of Bratislava was built in 1911. The real name is the Church of St. Elizabeth. She was the daughter of King Andrew the second and was born in Bratislava in 1207. She married Prince Ludwig of Thuringia and moved to Germany. She was a very charitable person, always giving alms and bread to the poor. Her in-laws did not like her charitable activities, so she continued them secretly. Once, she was confronted and told that she must not keep giving bread to the peasants (she had hidden the bread in her apron). She lied and said that it was not bread for the poor but roses that she was hiding. When forced to show what she was hiding, a miracle happened and the bread actually turned into roses. This is why she is Saint Elizabeth. She eventually became a Fransiscan nun after the death of her husband. However, she died already at age 24. Soon after her death, people started reporting miracles of healing at her grave and she was canonized. It's a lovely story and the church was built in her honour - it's as pretty as the story behind it.

Light and Shadow


IMG_9229, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Blue Church, Blue Sky


IMG_9207, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Going to the Chapel


IMG_9235, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Feelin' Blue


IMG_9253, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

The Lonely Planet guide book says that the Blue Church of Bratislava is like a giant wedding cake, and I tend to agree. Apparently it's also one of the most popular places to get married. We visited it on a Saturday, but there was no wedding in progress. But perhaps they were planning one, because the inner doors were closed. I was able to take photos through the bars, but was not able to go inside.

Back to School


IMG_9271, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

This is perhaps the most attractive school I've ever seen. It's right next to the famous Blue Church of Bratislava. They look like they might have been designed by the same architect. They look Gaudiesque, but are not by Gaudi.

Observation Deck


IMG_9310, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

An unusual park bench design in Bratislava, on the banks of the Danube.

Bratislava


IMG_8746, originally uploaded by Pink Lady on the Loose!.

Just got back from Bratislava, Slovakia. It was my first time there and I liked it very much. For us, it's easy to go there, because it's less than 3 hours by train. And there's some very cheap hotels. So could be that we'll be going there again.

I love little details like the ones shown here: the traditional park bench and the grid under the tree.