Shoes, oh how I love thee.

Since the weather is getting warmer I've been in a bit of a shopping mood. Last week I managed to buy a new pair of sandals to update my wardrobe. I think that I spent too much money on them but am convinced that I will have them for years to come. Actually I often spend what most would consider to be "too much money" on shoes. I think it is important to invest in quality objects in this area, plus I am the queen of taking care of my shoes and still have a few pairs that I bought at the end of the 90's... and wear regularly.

So here is a photo list of all of my summery summer shoes purchased over the years. I'm wondering if most people update their seasonal shoe wardrobe yearly or keep old favourites throughout the years. I guess I do a bit of both.

Pantanetti for Ricardo Cartillone (bought in 2010)

APC (bought in 2008)

APC (bought in 2009)

Birkenstock (bought in 2002)

Camper (bought in 2009)

Tonight I'm heading out to see Wooden Veil play a show at Kim and Gallery Weekend Berlin kicks off today. Nothing better than 40 openings in one weekend!

Sandra Juto had a cute post yesterday that really brightened my day.

Happy Friday.

Back at it. I think.

Ach! Many apologies for my long long long absence. Things were pretty crazy around our place for the past couple of weeks. We had a visitor for a couple of weeks and then our place was bombarded by poor stranded air travel passengers that needed a floor to sleep on. My schedule is getting busier, the sun is staying in the sky longer and all of this has contributed to me playing catch-up for the past three weeks. Oh and last weekend I went to visit some lovely friends in Karlsruhe.

So here's to a short and sweet update! The weather has been beautiful in Berlin... just like summertime. Last weekend in Karlsruhe I ended up going to the media museum ZKM to see an exhibition of symmetrical art from Hungary. ZKM had such a vast array of interactive pieces on view. There was so much that I only got around to seeing about half of what was actually there. We also spent a day in Baden-Baden where I experienced playing Roulette at a casino for the first time, and even won a pretty penny to take home! The casino was quite beautiful and reminded me of something out of the past. Afterwards we spent a couple of hours in a thermal bath (with saunas) nearby. I have since then made a vow to treat myself to a thermal bath once a month. We took a hike to check out some castle ruins and even spent some time in Cafe Brenner, an old school cafe with doily table cloths that has been around since 1896.

There are a couple of things in Berlin that I plan on checking out soon, namely the Olafur Eliasson exhibition at Martin Gropius Bau, Modern Times at New National Gallery and Gallery Weekend Berlin which is this weekend.

Plus... we're off to a wedding in Switzerland in May and I've been in the process of making a dress for it. I need little challenges like this to get some regular sewing in. Stay tuned for some photos in the next weeks. I'm in the process of making my demo dress out of some old Virginia Johnson fabric that I bought on sale a couple of years ago in Toronto. Oh how I love that little shop.

Happy Thursday.

Music and other great things.

No Kids is playing with Mount Eerie in Berlin tonight at Festsaal Kreuzberg. If you're in the city you should check it out. I'm really looking forward to this show tonight, so much so that it almost feels like a Friday night. Alas, we still have the rest of the week to get through.

Here is a mish mash of photos to represent my mish mash weekend.

Graffiti to end all graffiti, in Weißensee, Berlin.

Water, it's everywhere in Hamburg.

I'm a sucker for old fashioned signage. In Hamburg.

I'm also a sucker for strange things... this is ice cream shaped into a hamburger and fries. Yes... I know.

Happy Tuesday.

Surprises.

Yeah for surprises in the mail. Yesterday a lovely little package from my friend Gemma arrived. She's been experimenting with embroidery lately and has had a love for jewelery making for years, and has recently decided to combine the two. I was so excited to see this beautifully embroidered necklace when I opened up the package! Thanks Gemma I don't ever want to take it off!

In other news we went to see A Single Man last night. It completely swept me away into another world. What a beautiful film.

Happy Sunday.

Anu Tuominen.

I came across Anu Tuominen at Sautter + Lackmann in Hamburg last year. I love the simplicity of her work. I can't believe how beautiful that string of beads made out of shaved pencil bits is.

If you're in Hamburg I would definitely pay a visit to this amazing bookstore. It focuses on art books and has an amazing selection. Give yourself an hour or two!

Happy Tuesday.

Catching up.

Walking around Feldkirch, Austria.

Schattenburg Castle in Feldkirch, Austria.

In Malbun, Liechtenstein.

The Liechtenstien Parliament Building.

Sorry for the long silence. Our lovely friend Niki has been visiting from Canada, so it has been hard for me to even look at the computer. Plus I've been working extra hours... and we just got back from an Easter weekend getaway in Liechtenstein where we hopped over to Feldkirch in Austria for a slight change of scenery. Feldkirch is quite beautiful but my favourite part of our adventure there was eating dinner in the Schattenburg castle which was built in the 1200's. We also spent an afternoon in Malbun, Liechtenstein eating cake and taking in the scenery. Oh that cake. I probably put on 10 lbs this weekend alone.

There are lots of exhibitions on my wishlist this week... like the Mark Brandenburg show at CFA, and the Carl Blechen show at the Alte National Gallerie. I would also like to get to the Bauhaus archive to see the exhibition on japanese design.

Last week I saw Berlin. Symphony of a Great City at Arsenal about Berlin before the second world war. It was pretty amazing seeing the city in the late 1920's untouched in all of its glory. The best part was the live piano accompaniment.

Happy Monday.