November-favs + how to behave on a X-SMAS- Event.

We are quite blessed to live very close to several castles: 
It means that just a few minutes in the car take us there and – cuddled up in warm jackets – we can read books or play the ukulele in front of the most beautiful fall backdrop and enjoy the last warm afternoons.

Sometimes I take the children there for just an hour in the early evening , shortly before the sun sets.

Apart from the pictures I took during one of these time-outs, I have to show you two new acquisitions – I am so very excited about both of them! The first treasure is a piece of jewelry that I had searched for for a long time: 
the rosé-gold bracelet is elegant and simple, manufactured at a high level of craftsmanship and its VIP design makes it look sophisticated.

You can add the names of your loved ones – but I already loved the word “Familienbande” (“family ties”) enough to pass on this.

Particularly unusual:
the same design is not only available in gold and silver, but also in snakeskin, something Jil in particular likes a lot.
I like the combination of both! 
The small goldsmith manufactory "Familienbande", located in Munich, engraves their premium jewelry by request with family names, dates or wishes: so if you are looking for a special gift you can go look around their online shop!

(Make sure to take a peek at the jewelry for men!)

And another really pretty and practical idea that I absolutely adore:
notepads to use around the house are usually unimaginative piles of paper or freebies imprinted with ugly logos.
At least we write our shopping lists either on advertising gifts of the local pharmacy or a software company.

I bet you’ve never put your to-do-lists on paper as beautifully as on the notepads by Raumgestalt!
The notes are pinned to a piece of oak wood with a nail featuring a flowery design – they are available in small and XL sizes. 
If the paper is all gone you can order refills without a problem. 

Isn’t this the most ingenious gift idea for parents, in-laws and aunts and above all for people who “already have everything”? 
The notepads are so stylish, decorative and elegant that you can leave them lying around in the open even in a minimalist apartment! 

I will meet some of you live at the X-MAS Event in Essen in two days’ time already: 
I am as giddy as a small child!  
How about you?
Are you nervous?
Really, there’s no need to!

In order to make this easier for you and to ease any tension I was so kind as to write down a few pointers for you to read through with care before the event and memorize for Saturday, if you will. 
This is a service blog after all. 

Some things you should avoid saying to me by all means:


1. "Does your home and everything really look like on the blog?”
(OF COURSE, EVERYTHING HERE LOOKS LIKE ON THE BLOG! Everything is shiny and tidy at all times, my hair is always perfect, the house is fragrant with freshly baked cake, while I open the door for my well-raised children. Just like in other bloggers’ homes.)


2. "Joanna, you are cute!"
(I AM NOT CUTE! I AM DANGEROUS!!! If anyone says I am cute I will instantly look double as dangerous! Just a warning!)


3. "You look much younger in the photographs.”
(Duh?! I use Photoshop after all! In reality I am not only much, much older and shorter than in the pictures, I am also 40 pounds overweight, have extensions, a wooden leg and a glass eye! I’m just telling you ahead of time!) 

Things you should say to me by all means:

1. "Joanna, you have a REALLY small nose.”

2. "Joanna, to me you come across as really dangerous. I am pretty darn scared of you.”
(If at all possible recite both sentences with a spontaneous tone of voice and don’t read from script. It’ll seem a little contrived otherwise.)

3. Both #1 and #2 can be replaced with passionate hugs and/or kisses without the need for further words.

You get the drift:
I AM SOLD PRETTY EASILY! 

By the way: I used a simple chocolate shortcrust to make the leaf-shaped cookies.  The cookie cutter, shaped like a maple leaf, is available at Blueboxtree and MeinCupcake.

My jewelry is by Familienbande.
(Thanks a million, I am over the moon and wear the bracelet nearly every day!) 

The Raumgestalt notepads are available at Inside Living:

large and small.

If you want to use both as a gift, this stylish pen with a Swarowski tip would complement them perfectly. 

And if you spontaneously feel so inclined next Saturday or Sunday: there are a few tickets left at Deinlieblingsladen!

So now you just have to remember those few bullet points and you are perfectly prepared for Saturday! 
Looking forward to it!

Love,
Joanna

p.s.
And if you do not have time to go to Essen: grab a book, a warm blanket and sit under a tree. 

Just for one hour. 

Thank you, Ginnell Studio, for translating this post!