Precious things/ 11 The best Christmas present ever

is a bag. Well this bag to be exact:

George Gina & Lucy bag from Yoox

How very materialistic, wouldn't you say. True.
Except it isn't the bag that matters but rather the reason why Mr. C bought it for me. With it or rather before the bag came a job offer.
And because I'll now be commuting to work I'll be needing a bag large enough to hold all my very important lawyer job related stuff ;-P
See, I told you this bag was the best Christmas present. Maybe I'll reciprocate next year and buy Mr. C a diaper bag.

To clarify: the job offer came before Christmas, the bag came just a few days after and I signed the contract today. This post was written sometime in between.

Precious things/ 10 Literary journal

Last Thursday I wrote about the concept of putting thoughts on paper as part of my blogging process.
And I continually write about how happy notebooks make me. Though I've never kept a journal, I do have something that is as close to a journal as possible: my literary journal.

By far the most private thing I've ever shown on my blog. This inconspicuous notebook bound in fake leather holds the key to my personality, my thoughts and inspiration. It's a collage of poetry, proverbs, even jokes along with newspaper clippings and photos.

Every word, every transcription has been done by hand. Looking back on some of the things I've written is like hopping in a time machine. I remember when and why most of these entries were written.

And though I have occasionally shown certain excerpts to several people, I've never let anyone read it.

Precious things/9 Luxury is expensive?

People have alternatively called me a snob, a poseur even elitist because of my penchant for luxury items. Probably because I have discovered at quite a young age the enticing world of high end products and started building my wardrobe based on classic, durable designer items.
It has been interesting to watch how these loud proclamations of my purportedly extravagant behaviour turned into a whisper as years went by. And I'm still wearing the same pair of shoes.
I've worn my old clutch into rags. It was my constant companion for 4 years.

And my coat, oh my darling coat! Purchased with money given to me by my mum has caused such a furore I was on the brink of tears on more than one occasion.
Nowadays when I wear it, though still good as new it's old news to the people that once scorned me. But it remains the most precious thing in my wardrobe. Call me a sentimental fool, but I consider it a dear friend.

Some people talk to their plants. I talk to my clothes. Certifiable? Probably.

I'd really like to hear what was the first expensive item you ever purchased. It needn't be clothes. Something that  maybe marked a  transition in your life. A new beginning?

Precious things/8 Tattoo

Today, nine years ago, I had my first (and only) tattoo done.

It was to celebrate my upcoming 21st birthday. Nine years later, I can definitely say, I don't regret it at all. This tattoo is of very personal as well as symbolic nature. It represents a marker in the passage of time, the coming of age and a life altering realization I had made at around that time regarding my struggle with my depression.

I felt uncomfortable sharing photos of the actual tattoo, instead I'm posting the photo of a T-shirt to which I transferred the copy of the tattoo. I went to great length to position the image as accurately as possible onto the T-shirt. And the actual tattoo is black.

Precious things /7 Ballerina clutch

This particular clutch has been my constant companion for three whole years. I'd carry it all year long from casual outings to formal affairs. It has come to epitomise me. And I've worn it to rags. It was just the right size, the bronze colour of the faux leather was ideal, it went with everything. And it was so easy to care for.

That's not the real reason why I got so attached to this bag. It's the ballerina pictured in the front that had me so enthralled. I came to identify with the image. As you can see, this isn't a very good ballerina: her stocking is slipping off and one of her shoes is untied. I imagined her as a shy, slightly clumsy and not graceful at all kind of ballerina. She probably lags behind in her class, feeling very much like an ugly duckling amids beautiful, graceful swans.
I feel just like this little ballerina most of the time. Slightly klutzy, feeling lost and not fitting in with the dazzling and successful people who instinctively know what to do or say the right thing at the right time.
Even though she might not be the best at dancing, I imagine the ballerina doesn't give up. Ever. And she has a big heart and is kind to all people and animals. And she may not quote Shakespeare or other famous poets, but she does genuinely love and care for the people around her.


The purpose of this post series is to show you some of the things that surround me. This isn't about bragging in the sense of: look how many pretty expensive things I have. All of these items are important to me out of various reasons. What they all have in common is that they have come to define me and my life in some significant way. In the end it's all about the story. And I love a good story.

Precious things/6 Modern love letters

This red envelope holds a transcript of all the SMS messages Mr. C sent me when we first started seeing each other. Yes they are both cute and corny and sometimes ridiculously over the top.
But each one of them is a little piece of history. I look back on what was written and the words make me smile.


The purpose of this post series is to show you some of the things that surround me. This isn't about bragging in the sense of: look how many pretty expensive things I have. All of these items are important to me out of various reasons. What they all have in common is that they have come to define me and my life in some significant way. In the end it's all about the story. And I love a good story.

Precious things/5 Perfume

Anyone who has ever read Marcel Proust's inimitable description of the now infamous madelene story knows how important scent is to our perception and how inextricably it is linked to our memory. Scientists have proved that smell is the sense most connected to the part of the brain where memories are stored.



So perfume... I consider perfume as much an accessory as a pair of shoes or a piece of jewellery. But there is something very personal, very intimate about perfume. Selecting a perfect scent can take a considerable amount of time. To me it's like embarking on a journey of self discovery. And I am deeply saddened when I see a mass of perfumed advertised on a weekly basis, particularly the celebrity perfumes "designed" by some actress.

I started wearing perfume relatively late, probably when I was 17 but quickly discovered the importance of quality. Since then I've had no more than 5 different scents and all of them mark a certain period of my life.
I firmly believe in wearing only one scent at a time, if it's light enough I wear it throughout the year if not I have a summer fragrance and a winter one. I love the idea of a signature scent!

My current perfume is The Black orchid by Tom Ford. The story of how I purchased it spreads over a period of 10 months. I got a whiff of the sample in a Vogue magazine I bought one day before a doctor's appointment. And it was love at first smell. I never buy Vogue otherwise, because it's too expensive. At that moment I knew exactly that this was to be my new perfume. I have already been considering replacing my current one because I sensed it was time to move on but I had no idea what to buy.

Here comes the snag: not a single drugs store, department store or any store in Slovenia carries the Tom Ford brand. And I went to many many stores only to have the sales assistant give me a bewildered look: " Tom who-ha? No. But would you care to sample the latest Avril Lavigne, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera fragrance?"
Not in this life time, thank you very much! Or the next one, for that matter.

So I went on-line and discovered I could get one in Graz, Austria or Trieste, Italy. The first opportunity presented as I said some 10 months later when Mr. C and I were wisting some relatives in Austria for New Year's.

Good things come to those who wait.

I'd love to read your thoughts on the matter. How many if any perfumes do you currently use? Do you believe in signature scent?


The purpose of this post series is to show you some of the things that surround me. This isn't about bragging in the sense of: look how many pretty expensive things I have. All of these items are important to me out of various reasons. What they all have in common is that they have come to define me and my life in some significant way. In the end it's all about the story. And I love a good story.

Precious things/4 Mortar

This mortar is one of the few really expensive designer kitchen utensils I own. It's designed by a Scandinavian firm Menu. It's made of beech wood and the pestle is made of polished steel. It has a lifetime warranty and boy does it come with a story:
Years (aeons) ago when Mr. C and I moved in together I realized it was high time I learned to cook. Jamie Oliver was all the rave at that time, all my friends were gushing over him and his show. Eventually I bought one of his cookbooks and it did change my life, but that's another story. Jamie has since turned into a pretentious pompous prick, but I have fond memories of his first TV show and consecutive cookbook.
What's Jamie got to do with all this mortar business you ask? One of many things Jamie insisted on was that every cook needs a mortar...



One day while shopping for a birthday present I saw this mortar. Swoon! Love at first sight! I was so enamoured, I grabbed the mortar on display and hauled it to the cash register. The very lovely and considerate sales assistant returned it on display and got me one in it's original package. I've made a complete fool out of myself!
And then the horror of horrors: the price! As it turned out, the mortar came with a hefty price tag, roughly the equivalent of my week's wage at my student job. For a moment I thought I was going to pass out.
Then Mr. C, in one of his most gallant manners, produced a credit card and paid for it.





The purpose of this post series is to show you some of the things that surround me. This isn't about bragging in the sense of: look how many pretty expensive things I have. All of these items are important to me out of various reasons. What they all have in common is that they have come to define me and my life in some significant way. In the end it's all about the story. And I love a good story.

Precious things/3 Franzi, the balcony gnome

For the record: Franzi is not a garden gnome, he's a balcony gnome. So what's the difference, you ask? Well the difference is quite simple, we don't have a garden. So Franzi resides on my balcony shelf.
He was a gift from my step father. And yes, my step dad sculpted Franzi himself! He's so incredibly talented and too modest about it. He always said it was his great wish to start making garden gnomes once he retires. He spends at least 20 hours of work on an individual gnome over a period of up to 4 weeks. He sculpts them in phases, because each layer of clay has to be completely dry before he can move on. After the gnomes are dry they go to a local ceramic factory, they are kind enough to burn the gnomes in a kiln for a small provision.
The final stage is applying colours. Oil based paint is used to protect the gnomes from the weather elements.



A cute little button detail on the back of the vest.

As for the black cat sitting in front, you guessed it! It's supposed to represent Rufus. I mean what self respecting cat person would have a catless balcony gnome?



The purpose of this post series is to show you some of the things that surround me. This isn't about bragging in the sense of: look how many pretty expensive things I have. All of these items are important to me out of various reasons. What they all have in common is that they have come to define me and my life in some significant way. In the end it's all about the story. And I love a good story.

Precious things/2 Teddy bear

This teddy bear was a mourning gift from Mr. C. Today, six years ago our first kitty Norbert died. I was devastated. This teddy was of great comfort to me during the mourning period. His name is Mr. Scrumpy.

Even though Mr. Scrumpy is now quite old and scrumpy looking (hence the name), I'll never part with him.

This is a photo of Norbert. Forgive the lousy resolution, this one was taken by an ancient camera (before digital technology was readily available).

Update: I also forgot to mention that teddy was made in Sweden and is partially filled with barley. (I'm trying to support high quality plushies)

The purpose of this post series is to show you some of the things that surround me. This isn't about bragging in the sense of: look how many pretty expensive things I have. All of these items are important to me out of various reasons. What they all have in common is that they have come to define me and my life in some significant way. In the end it's all about the story. And I love a good story.

Precious things/1 Ferdi

I thought it fitting to begin this post series with an item that changed my life, my sewing machine. Meet Ferdi:

Ferdi (of course I named my machine, what else did you expect) is a basic model Elna sewing machine. It was a gift from Mr. C who took a tremendous leap of faith in buying it, because to that point I had never used a sewing machine in my life. Though Mr. C was a bit wary at first, the purchase really payed off because I now sew most of my wardrobe. He's now the first one to complement me to anyone who'll listen.

This is a photo of me sewing at my desk in our previous apartment.

Ferdi is a very basic machine and has some limitations: too thick or too flimsy materials are a challenge. Buttonholes on sturdier materials are a no go. But all in all this a very versatile machine and it's perfect for a beginner or as a basic household sewing machine for hemming pants, curtains, etc.

At this point I have no need for a better machine, because I'm still a beginner/intermediate level seamstress. As my skills advance I will of course purchase a better machine but for now I'm sticking with Ferdi.


The purpose of this post series is to show you some of the things that surround me. This isn't about bragging in the sense of: look how many pretty expensive things I have. All of these items are important to me out of various reasons. What they all have in common is that they have come to define me and my life in some significant way. In the end it's all about the story. And I love a good story.