Life Lately.

                    ♬ Tchaikovsky -Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy ♬ 

   It's been a while. 2017 has been a year of many intense emotions, and I must say that all of them, good and bad, contribute in a non conscious way to the person I am today. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I've evolved into a better person- just the person I am today.

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   'Life Lately' is a way to feel creative again, so here it goes.

 ❤   I discovered the mini marshmallows from Tiger and then, just like that, everyday was hot chocolate kind of day.

  

 ❤   My mum and I made cinnamon cookies and attempted to decorate them also! For a family that consists mostly of foodies, making something of a dessert, trust me, it is a big deal.

 ❤   Lush's massage bars were pretty much of a discovery, about a year and a half ago, when I visited a store in Bologna, I think, for the first time. I went in there just to get a bath bomb and ended up with a 50€ account (I trully am a marketing victim, I know). This year's SnowFairy and Twilight massage bars, other than their great smell, they have a sparkling dust inside which, once liberated, leaves the skin sparkly and shiny. 

<

 ❤  I experimented a lot with glitter and photography. This is actually a very small sample. 

 ❤  Attempted to make one of my beloved gifs with one of my favorite christmas decorations, buuut Photoshop was not cooperative. So here is a less perfect version of it. Still whimsical, though.



 ❤   Spent the last Saturday of the year wrapping presents for my favorite people and placed them under the tree. To be opened tomorrow!

 ❤ After the christmas cookies, 'vasilopita' with ice cream cones as decorated christmas trees, was literally a piece of cake. Idea from Chef Italia. 

 

❤  Aaand, last but definitely not least, this wooden box contains literally my life the past 2 -and counting- months. The contents of it may or may not be the theme of a post to come, but the only thing I can say with confidence right now is that, whenever I open this box, it reminds me that the people that I have in my life right now, are definitely there for a reason and they are meant to be there for a long time ahead. And I can't even begin to express how much this means to me.

   This is my magic box. 

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So this is exactly the wish I am giving you for the year to come. Wherever life finds you, to be surrounded by the people you love. They show their love by actually being there. So, treasure that.

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Relatable moments.

♬ Taylor Swift - Blank space ♬

      

 "...cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream." 

   I know what you are going to say: "Taylor Swift? Really?" and you are probably right. Maybe not the most suitable song to these photos but let me explain what happened...

   I have seen this *beautiful*  dress weeks before it was actually in store- usual stuff, just drooling over it on the site. So, even though I haven't tried it on and in spite of the fact that it's shape would may not be so flattering, I knew that this dress was for me. I guess we've all been there.

   Days passed and the dress was finally hanging in store, yay! Still, no Taylor Swift connection... Well, the minute I saw it worn, this specific lyric came to mind: "...cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream"... After this, I could think of no other song better suited for a dress that made me feel like a daydream but also reminds people that aethereal looks can sometimes be deceiving, hehe :) 

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   I really enjoyed this photoshoot and hey, I also made a new friend: 

dress H&M Trend 
shoes Adidas Superstar 
socks  CALZEDONIA
 backpack Fjällräven KANKEN classic 
brooches Besrhka

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I am gonna follow the Sun.

♬music♬

   

 Do what you love.

 ...and love what you do. 

   Hello there :) It's been some time since we last caught up, but here I am! I must say that, in the light of recent events around here, I got very skeptical about publishing these photos and keeping up with Red Rose Cheeks in general, but after giving it a lot of thought, I realized that nothing can or should prevent me from doing what I love. We should never stop dreaming and do the things that give us joy and hope. Or the things that just keep us going through the hard times. We should never feel guilty for any of that. Even more, we should always (try to) love what we do, not only so we can do it well, but most importantly, so that we can feel good with ourselves and get motivated. 

   We can always find beauty around, even in the ugliest days. Whoever first said that, apparently knew better. 

lace crop top and printed shorts thanks to SnS Athens 

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Italy Photo Diary 4.

♫ music ♫

Hello again :) My Italy photo diary is finally completed today! Here is a quick report: 

Number of cities visited: 5. Rome, Urbino, San Marino, Venice and Verona.

Number of photos taken: 1596

Number of photos edited: 183

Number of frutti di bosco tarts eaten: 3

Number of times we walked Via del Corso in Rome up and down: innumerable

Number of Disney Store visits: 3

Number of  Pope lollipops purchased: 0

Number of times I listened to Mr. Brightside while writing these posts: innumerable

Number of great buys: 3. My pink Vans, Miu Miu round sunglasses from San Marino and a beautiful silk skirt from The Hidden Forest Market boutique, in Verona. 

Number of snow balls purchased: 4

Overall, it was an amazing two weeks vacation :) 

☁☁☁ Parts 1-14 ☁☁☁

☁☁☁ Parts 15-28 ☁☁☁

☁☁☁ Parts 29-40☁☁☁

41. On our first day in Verona we stumbled upon a mini me.

42. Juliet's house was our first stop. The yard with the famous balcony was really overcrowded, people laughing and taking photos. The locket wall really had me staring for a while. All I could think of was that it didn't matter how cheesy or commercial these lockets were- they do represent love and it's amazingly refreshing to know that there is so much love around. 

43. Made sooo many locket close ups.

44. ...and photographed a bunch of love notes.

45. It was a while after that I came to realise that those notes were stuck on the walls with gum. Disgusting... but kind of romantic, too. 

46. We decided that leaving the house without writing down our names, too, would have been a serious omission, and so we wasted no time ♥ Tip of advice: Always carry a pemanent maker with you. You never know when it might be needed ;)

47. Later we enjoyed a beautiful crisp evening in Verona's old town center. It was definitely time for ice cream. Frutti di bosco was yum!

48. On our morning walk the next day, we matched a yellow Osteria with a yellow Vespa.

49.  I took my first Sartorialist-appropriate photo of this man and was so proud of myself. 

50. Made a quick stop outside Juliet's house again at night.

51. ... And then we had to leave. This is my "Can we please stay another night? Pleeease?" kind of look. 

52. Coming back to Urbino, we decided to complete this vacation with the proper movie. Audrey was really comforting. If only we hadn't forgot the popcorn.

My last thought on travelling? Do it. Don't overthink it.  

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