Live in Levis: my first 501.

When I spent last week-end in Munich, I also paid a visit to the Levi’s store, among other things.

Biggest kudos to begin with:

I was advised by one of the most competent and most likeable sales assistants ever – she had such detailed knowledge of the jeans’ pattern and manufacturing techniques, that I would have bought anything from her.

She explained every seam and showed me why certain cuts can slightly lift the butt, and beautifully shape the waist and thighs.

All that by wearing a pair of jeans!

Magic.

If, additionally, I sense that the sales assistant does not expect anything from me – least of all that I buy something – I’m sold.

In the end I ended up with a classic dark denim jacket (instant love at the first fitting), a denim shirt (always works well with blue eyes), and – totally unexpectedly – a skinny, soft pair of pants that looks like jeans, but feels like leggings=second skin. 

After arriving back home Noelle examined the bags’ contents in great detail, instantly called dibs on the denim jacket and wore it to school the next day.

She does this only to justify the cost, of course.

Very selflessly.

Sharing is caring!

However, I can understand Noelle well: when I was 16 – the same age as she is now – I wore my very first Levi’s 501.

Yes, dear underage reader: I experienced the times first hand, when 501s were cool.

Not cool AGAIN.

It was the summer when I met my children’s father – on a beautiful Croatian island.

One afternoon a group of youngsters went on a cave excursion – please note: not a “field trip”, but something you can describe as follows:

"crawling on your belly in complete darkness and silence for hours, squeezing through tightest openings and commando crawling through the mud, only to safely find the exit.”

Yep, great old trip, that.

I certainly didn’t want to miss out on this – especially as I was the only girl in a group of boys (guess which boy also took part).

The only slightly annoying fact was that I did not have any appropriate clothing – it was definitely too cold inside the cave with just a light summer dress.

Apart from the commando-crawling-through-the mud.

However, I was given loan of a 501 (and now everybody’s guess who gave it to me).

The fit wasn’t that bad with the help of a belt, and I certainly won’t ever forget the sentence: “Wow, it looks good on you!”.

(well, who might have said that?)

Before you drown in tackiness:

Today his jeans would fit more than two of me.

But hey, after all he’s had three children since then …it leaves its marks, right?

Do you also have a story or memory revolving around a pair of Levi’s?

It would be perfect for Levi’s recently launched promotion:

At live in Levis everyone is invited to share their personal story in connection with the cult jeans.

The label was founded 140 years ago and is synonymous with quality denim, which makes for quite a few adventures you associate with the pants or a jacket, true to the slogan:

you wear Jeans, but you live in Levis.

This clip has captured some of them in the nicest way; some well-known celebrities talk about their life in Levi’s – each of them has their own short movie.

If a Levi’s garment is also among your favorites, you can participate in the Photostory and the give-away at the same time:

Upload a picture of your Levi’s to Instagram and write 2-3 sentences why you like them so much.

Add the hashtags #liveinlevis and #levismoments – and you will instantly have the chance to win one of the 100,-€-shopping vouchers or a Levi’s Customizing Kit.

Love,
Joanna


p.s. I only have one year to tease Noelle with the sentence:
"WHEN I WAS SIXTEEN, I met YOUR FATHER.  
So what’s up with you these days?”


I have to make good use of it, of course.



This post was translated by Ginnell Studio.

Hello October + X-SMAS EVENT!

A little September recap:

- we made plum butter following our family recipe (which is, by the way – apart from this granola – Liebesbotschaft’s  most shared and prepared recipe on Instagram. I am very happy that so many of you liked it so much!), we baked plum tartlets, made a light yogurt mousse with blackberries and tested corn bread as a lunchbox inspiration.

- there were 10 back-to-school ideas and a Moschino dessert table for fashion queens like Noelle,

- I decorated our house a bit for fall (HERE, HERE and HERE), and told you about our moving plans and my all-time-favorites, 

- there were, of course, lots of fashion inspirations to mark the beginning of the new season:

I let you in on my wish list for fall, Jil wrote about her personal styling tips, and the latest soft and cuddly Liebesbotschaft Basics sweater  made from highest-grade cashmere was born ;). 


- I wrote the Liebesbotschaft etiquette of good manners and inspirational topics in the series  "what they didn’t tell you in school”.

 

Do you want to know what’s truly wonderful?

T
hat fall has only started and that we still have a whole lot of sun-drenched, rainy, windy, pleasantly warm days ahead of us!

You can show off your boots, walk your coats, envelop yourselves in long scarves and cozy up in cashmere!

Light candles in the early afternoon already, breathe in the fragrance of wet leaves and be grateful that we may live in a country that has October.

The best thing is that the best thing in your life is still waiting for you – even if the very moment is already so beautiful.

(if it isn't quite so beautiful for you right now: it will pass! You’ll see!)

In case you have forgotten how well off you are, you’ve got me – how nice is that, tell me?

The MOST BEAUTIFUL fact is that I will have the pleasure of meeting some of you, live and in color:

X-SMAS-EVENT is going to be held in Essen on Sunday, November 9!

As tickets for the first date sold out in a few hours, I am happy that the organizer decided to host another one.

We will get ready for the coming holiday season together with Dein Lieblingsladen, Villa Smilla, Anja of Butiksofie – with a fashion show, ideas for decorations and, of course, a whole lot of cake.

You can order tickets at Dein Lieblingsladen and Villa Smilla as of now.

For all those who will not be able to make it:

This October I want to cook, craft, decorate, inspire and love together with you.

Well, that’s something, isn’t it?

Oh, and in order for coffee lovers to get their money’s worth there will be a special surprise.

So tune in again!

Love,

Joanna



This post was translated by Ginnell Studio.

A great love story.

The love story between myself and black tea dates back a long time.

I very much assume that I was weaned on black tea – at least they gave it to me as a daily drink, when I was only a very little girl.

Like any pair of lovers we have both developed a few quirks and idiosyncrasies over the years and have gone through highs and lows.

These are, of course, intimate details only relevant to the two of us – but I will make an exception and allow you to partake  in our love today:

1. I start my day with two cups of English breakfast tea – I drink the first one shortly after having prepared breakfast for the children.

I sit on the couch and watch them, as they pack the last items for school (and if I’m very lucky I don’t have to search for this piece of paper that they really do have to bring back today, signed, yesterday it was for sure still in this spot?), the mug warms my hands, the tea has the perfect drinking temperature.

2. Speaking of the perfect drinking temperature:

immediately after the tea is done steeping, it has to cool off – this way the taste will remain very soft and mild.

I find it impossible to wait until it cools off by itself: first of all it takes what seems like hours, secondly a residue might form around the rim of the mug, which is not pretty, and finally it might be bitter by then.

This is why I always need 2 mugs:

Fill cold water into one mug – wait a second – discard water – fill hot tea into cooled mug – fill hot mug with cold water – wait another second – discard – decant tea, etc.  – you get the idea?

After about 4-5 times decanting the drinking temperature will have reached PERFECTION.

Yes, I know, everybody thinks we are freaks now – but you just have no idea!

Tea and I: we haven’t known anything else for decades, and we both absolutely do not want to change it.

Well, at least it has never said anything.

3. Without its company I don’t like any kind of cake, fancy or other – I’m not kidding! 

Even if it is my favorite cake, I cannot eat one morsel, until its aroma enters my nostrils and I taste its bittersweet deliciousness.

Tea does appreciate my faithfulness and rewards me with its pleasantly stimulating effect. 

4. Speaking of faithfulness:

about 1 year ago it had huge jealousy issues – first it hoped that the Italian affair would be of short duration, then it feared that espresso would come between us after so many years of togetherness. In the mean time it has calmed down: while the two of them still don’t communicate, they tacitly tolerate each other.

(when the drama got really out of hand for a while, I assured it that espresso definitely has the smaller…um…cup. THE SMALLER CUP!)

5. To be fair:

I, too, have emotional airs and graces.

The only (!) situation when I act like a bitch from hell, is the moment when my husband picks up my mug and empties half of it without asking (the answer would ALWAYS be “no”!).

NO, he cannot make fresh tea for me – because it wouldn’t instantly have the perfect drinking temperature…see 2).

By the way: despite the fact that I really do get mad, my husband keeps doing this.

For decades.

I should consider a separation.

Not from black tea, of course!

6. As is often the case in a long relationship:

while our love was consistent, excitement wasn’t part of it.

I tried new varieties, half-heartedly, but none of them brought a breath of fresh air to our love life.

And then suddenly lightning struck – our love ignited once again, completely unexpectedly and out of the blue in a small, yet superb department of the KaDeWe in Berlin.

My taste buds experienced one highlight after the other and I realized:

This is exactly what I’ve been searching for all my life.

7. Since that day, no effort has been too big, no price too high:  

full of anticipation I open the beautifully designed metal containers and first bury my nose in them.

I breathe the natural aroma of the organically grown tea and let the whole leaves tumble into the strainer.

While I’m pouring water on top, their fragrance already starts filling the kitchen.

I try a different kind of black tea every afternoon – none of them has disappointed me since.

I enjoy, and allow myself to be pampered by it, we both experience intensive moments like never before – the taste compensates for the effort of brewing “lose tea” by far!

I feel like a teenager head over heels in love, who would like nothing better than to post an hourly selfie with her honey, and at the same time I feel like a missionary on a crusade, who has to convince everybody that drinking tea of this particular brand is the one and only truth.

(And those who do not agree simply have not discovered salvation.)

In conclusion I can say:

I associate with black tea what many others associate with coffee:

Extreme pleasure.  

Time-out. 

A lovely ritual I look forward to every day.

A faithful partner of many years by my side.

And at this point I would like to thank Kusmi, who – unknowingly – reignited the fire of our long love affair.

Sources of supply:
Tee glasses (they have perfect grip and don’t alter the tea’s taste like ceramic mugs sometimes do, they keep the perfect drinking temperature for a long time): Räder
Tea strainer with China embellishment: Räder
Tea: Kusmi



Love,
Joanna



p.s. 
I have so far tried several types of Kusmi black tea – they are fantastic without exception.
Their quality is so superior that you will never be able to drink tea from the grocery store anymore.

If, however, you prefer green tea, I would recommend Lov tea, it is the same standard of quality, but both my daughters prefer it.

This post was translated by Ginnell Studio.