The Happy Turtle

10 Things to keep you sane during Covid-19

2020-05-25T01:08:00.000+03:00

Being scared is OK. It means you are human, which I hope you are.
People look glamorous on Instagram, baking cakes and planning their next adventure. You can, too.
If you don't do glamorous, it's OK, too.
Take it one day at a time. It's the only way to swim through it.
Do breathwork (try Mindvalley ). It makes you feel more conscious and less self-conscious.
Talk to God. The view is better from above.
Keep a diary. For you, for those you care about.
Skype. FaceTime. Whatever. Look at your tribe in the eye.
Keeping safe is loving yourself and loving others.
This too shall pass.

Folk into Fashion

2020-05-22T02:18:00.002+03:00

Love of all things folk, is a longtime passion of mine. It links me to my roots, it provides me with inspiration, and almost always speaks of tried and tested good taste in the most daring of ways.
This summer, dresses in traditional folk patterns and techniques make for a strong presence in our wardrobes.
Here is inspiration from the most individual creators, to the High Street.
Enjoy!

ANCIENT KALLOS
Designed and manufactured exclusively in Greece

RIANNA+NINA
Loukoumi dress, named after the sweet Greek delight

RIANNA+NINA
Kendina (i.e. embroidery in Greek) white Broderie Anglaise dress

HM
HM Broderie anglaise dress

RIANNA+ΝΙΝΑ
Kendima Volant Skirt, designed of different reused, vintage tablecloths, handpicked in the South of France.

ZEUS+DΙΟΝΕ
Signature crafted silk made in Soufli, a small town in the northern part of Greece

ZEUS+DIONE
Absolute elegance

Will you give it a go this summer?

xoxo
Rena

Happy World Bee Week!

2020-05-18T10:50:00.000+03:00

If Lions are the kings of the jungle, Bees are the queens of Nature. They are also the queens of human kings, including the French Merovingians, and most famously of all, the emperor Napoleon.

Because a honeycomb is naturally made up of hexagonal prisms, it was considered by philosophers to be the manifestation of divine harmony in nature. Its construction was associated with insight and wisdom: “My son, eat thou, honey, because it is good… So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul…”(Proverbs 24:13-14)

Did you know that...

-Bees fly the equivalent of three times around the world to produce a kilo of honey
-Bees need to collect nectar from two million flowers to make a kilo of honey
-The bees communicate with each other by dancing
-A bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection

In Greece, cosmetics and wellbeing company Apivita, is using the wisdom of the bees to offer its clients products of high quality answering to strictly ethical criteria.

Have a bee-eautiful day!

Love,
Rena

Welcome to my cave

2020-05-13T20:38:00.000+03:00

If I were to believe the doomsayers, we are about to embark on a road of no return towards savagery. I do feel optimistic, though, about the immediate future. Humanity longs for a restart. If we end up in the caves to keep ourselves safe from The Big Eye, then may this be my cave with a view of blue skies, lots of pink salts and comfortable space for lounging, reading, drinking mint tea, and planning the next kingdom.
Rena

7 Things You Shouldn’t Share with Anyone, As Per Hindu Philosophy

2020-02-19T13:36:00.003+02:00

For those who’re not aware of the term Hinduism, it’s a religious body of people, primarily in living India. It is deeply immersed in philosophy and spiritualism. Hinduism has taught people to develop an ability to share emotions and feelings with each other—especially love. At the same time, it restricts people from sharing certain other thoughts. It’s not as if these emotions are something that people should be ashamed of. It’s only a way of life that Hinduism hints at which is equally applicable to even those who don’t strictly follow the religion.

1. Don’t impose your spiritual beliefs and knowledge on anyone

Each person’s journey is unique and so is our spiritual education gained in the process. So while it is alright to discuss it with someone, imposing it on anyone else isn’t the best way to go about it.

2. Don’t advertise your ideas before executing them

We love to share our ideas and plans even before we act upon them. It’s a risky thing to do because you don’t know if someone close to you sees that as an opportunity to cease the plan and make it their own. Let the results precede the words.

3. Do not share everything about yourself with strangers

Each of us have a story about our life expereiences. Don’t share each and every detail with everyone. It’s best to reveal a bit and to reserve the rest to yourself.

4. Don’t gossip

Talking about others in an inappropriate manner isn’t the best way to evolve. We should try to circulate positive energy around us rather than partake in thoughtless gossip.

5. Don’t boast about your kindness

If you confer a favour, do not boast. If you feel the need to overstate your kindness then probably it was a selfish act disguised.

6. Don’t broadcast your worries

It’s true that we look out for help and suggestions when we discuss our problems with anyone. But it’s best that you keep it within your inner circle to avoid anyone misusing the power that you’re granting them.

7. Keep your sexual experiences private

Keep the details about your sexual experiences to yourself. If you’re facing any problems or want to talk about it, do so with your partner. Respect your partner’s privacy as much as you respect your own.

{Source: http://soulsofsilver.com/}

100 years of Greek Fashion: A special exhibition in Athens

2019-11-03T00:53:00.000+02:00

The Foundation of the Hellenic World, in collaboration with the PeloponnesianFolklore Foundation-Vasilios Papantoniou, are organising in Athens the exhibition “Greek Fashion – 100 years of inspiration and creativity” displaying fashions from the 1920s to the day.

The exhibition is taking place at the Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Center. It includes 140 exhibits from the PFF’s permanent collection, both urban and popular, with distinct hellenic traces from shape to pattern to colours and materials.

Furthermore, in a specially designed area, selected companies from the fashion industry, showcase their contemporary creations inspired by the Greek civilisation.

During the exhibition, a series of educational programs will be available for kindergarten and elementary school students, as well as guided tours for high school students run by the Department of Education of the Hellenic World.

HELLENIC WORLD: 254 Piraeus Street, (tel: 0030-212 254 0000)

General entry: 5 euros.

Spring and new beginnings

2019-04-15T01:46:00.003+03:00

Were it not for flowers, we'd have no idea where time goes. And seasons. Rain and sunshine. Peace after the wind blows. And the interim. Where you don't know whether you are alive or not, whether breathing is enough, when there is nobody to tell you if you must wait or if you must push.

This photo was taken on a winter. Last winter. When life felt like Spring. When everything seemed possible. When I could be as vocal as I wanted, and as alone and as together as I pleased.
Till life pushed me to my current state of prison. Where home is not home. And all I craved and escaped for, seems so close and so gone.

The window that opened that summer morning in Provence, lead me to my freedom. And my freedom taught me my limits. And my limits taught me that my life is not infinite. That breaking free gave me hope, and a new lease for life.

I travelled. I loved. I am so thankful for the sweet taste of freedom and love

I am loved. And that's all that matters.

International Woman's Day 2019 and Feminists on Netflix

2019-03-13T01:29:00.002+02:00

Today we honor all those women who worked hard for us to enjoy the freedom to speak our minds.
We honor those who kept their head high, ad wrote, gathered, fought, for the right to be human.

Let's embrace and empower ourselves on this International Women's Day

And to teach my daughters and myself, I am watcing Feminists on Netflix. Netflix's documentary takes a look into the women's movement in the 1970s . Watch the trailer and join me!

This week I am in pre-Christmas mood (tbt and recipes)

2018-11-25T09:01:00.000+02:00

Last night, on my way home, I put on the radio EASY FM , a Greek radio station playing -did you guess?- easy listening music. But during the Christmas Holidays, it plays all day Christmas music, which helps put me to the mood!

Saturday was spent prepping up home, and in between reading some interesting posts over the web. Like this modern Australian ranch from The Design Files.

I realise I have not done a Christmas Home Tour in ages. Many!

Have a look at years past

2016
A White Christmas

2015
Christmas in Athens

2014
Christmas in the bedroom

2013
A thoughtful Christmas
(One of my most meaningful posts allover, go read it)

2012
Last family Christmas

This year, though, I think I am going to show you around my new beach side abode, so stay tuned!
And while at it, have a look at some traditional Greek recipes, right here!

Best of all , I found a recipe for authentic Austrian hot chocolate from none other than Demels in Vienna. We took a trip to Vienna at Christmas when my kids were little. Vienna is one of my favorite cities in the world!

Here is the recipe:

Remember to check my Instagram feed for my

Christmas on the go

right here

xoxo

Rena

October: Renew in the womb

2018-09-30T10:32:00.002+03:00

I welcome the rain.
I welcome the night.
The darkness.
The need for warmth.
I accept that I need you, and I surrender to Fate.
I am tasting all of the goodness of life.
The chestnut. The caramel.The liquid of life coming together with the solid.
I welcome life, my love

xoxo
Rena

September: I am ready, honey. Let's go!

2018-09-04T19:27:00.002+03:00

luggage

I feel hesitant. Alot.

every step carrying the weight of an eternity.

though life goes on and it goes fast.

i am already through half an eternity.

and i know that i must take the step to set me free

to set me moving

let's take that step together,

honey,

there is a reason we are here

there is a reason we can set each other free

tomorrow

will be

today.

I am ready

i know you are.

luggage

Darling, let's carry on being open to the life we both deserve. let's dance and make music. when we love each other, life is a feast.

and now, together we go....

xoxo

Rena

Capricorn in July {Boy, have I felt the eclipsis!}

2018-07-18T22:51:00.001+03:00

You've got major shifts happening in close partnerships this month, both business and personal. A Solar Eclipse on July 12 will land in your relationship sector, offering the potential for a fresh start in at least one major alliance. This eclipse, however, will demand that you learn how to correctly use your power by empowering the relationship rather than trying to control or manipulate the other person involved. If you can do this, then you can count on this connection to be indomitable. If you are more focused on what you can get from the other person or are trying to push an unhealthy attachment in this dynamic, well â¦ it's not going to be pretty. Let go of control issues, Capricorn. Plain and simple. Pluto is in your sign and will oppose this eclipse point, making certain that you learn this lesson one way or another. As long as you choose to take the highest road possible and avoid doing anything underhanded in order to ensure that your personal needs are met, then you are initiating what could be a very solid and mutually empowering relationship. In terms of business, you and this person could be unstoppable! But remember, you need to check yourself. This is not the month to allow yourself to be seduced by any unsavory motivations. This is not the month to be an opportunist. That will backfire in your face. This IS the month to nurture the potential you have with someone else and lay the foundation for something that can truly stand the test of time. In other news, you'll need to be extra patient this month when it comes to your money. Mars will be retrograde in your earned income sector through August 27, making it seem as if your money is leaving to pay bills faster than you can make it. In fact, a Lunar Eclipse on July 27 in the same area of your chart might lead to you losing a source of income. Either way, your security buttons are sure to be pushed, making you extra anxious about financial matters. Do what you can to keep it in perspective and know that this too shall pass. Mercury will turn retrograde in your 8th House of Joint Finances and Investments on July 26. This might actually be a good time to take a look at where you have money socked away. If you need to take a chunk of cash out of an investment in order to get through a financial rough patch, the good news is you'll have the money to do so. Again, it's all temporary. And in the end, it's only money.

{via Huffington Post}

Wearing my pearls with pride

2018-07-11T01:12:00.002+03:00

Pearls... Do I love pearls!

My mother tought me this. She was super stylish in a very simple yet striking way. She would wear the simplest of outfits, a white shirt, a navy skirt, high Charles Jourdan heels and Chanel handbag, and accessorize with one of her classic real freshwater or stunning faux strings of classy rows of pearls, and lovely earrings, sometimes a pearl ring, and be the talk of the tea, as it were.

Nothing spells "class" and "elegance" like pearls.

So many colors and sizes to choose from, so many price tags, too,
in which case, a good offer is always a good thing. I love this one from Zales:

And these!!!

Or a lariat, so NOW!

Which is your favorite pearl item?

A choker?

Peard studds?

A ring?

xoxo

Rena

What will happen next?

2018-07-10T14:56:00.001+03:00

Image credit: Paolo Morello, Paestum

Surrender to the way things want to happen next, even though this often involves a vast and terrifying loss of control. Trust the magic that was born into your soul.

Mertha Beck,

~ Finding Your Way in a Wild New World

Monday Visaulisation-Weaving my life

2018-07-09T13:33:00.000+03:00

Weaving my Life again

Choosing my new cup

Sharing a new dream

Swimming all I can

The Power. The Positive. The ME.

xoxo

Rena

My summer reading list

2018-06-20T09:00:00.000+03:00

Summertime reading is undeniably one of the greatest pleasures in life.
Every summer I get me afew books, one to read on the beach,
one to keep by my bed
...
one to inspire me
...
one to cuddle and keep me company
...
one to help me get better on the outside
...
one to hemp get better on the inside
.....

My beach bag currently hosts:

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

and

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

I read them both, starting with one or the other according to my mood, more gentle for Big Magic, in need of focus and support when reading Lean In.

My favorite quote:

Waiting to be read:

{By Mr William Norwich who has a most interesting Instagram account here}

An optimist? Tick! Wants to let go=Tick!

Written by Ann Mah, another Instagram found author, The Lost Vintage is heiled as

“this season’s essential female-centered adventure”

by @hollywoodreporter.

Besides, Ms. Mah is such a beautiful soul!

What is in your reading list?

where do you like to read?

xoxo

Rena

Monday Visualisation-A touch of God

2018-06-11T12:09:00.000+03:00

I need to move into my own shade of life, a lifestyle that suits me and brings me outside the box and into My Life

I trust in God to lead me through and into my new venture, the new chapter of my life

Sweet luxury of living life together

Of sharing my life and my fence in roses planted by my man

Living my life in the open of my own forest

A love that is a blessing and a treat.

Amen!

Happy new week,

xoxo

Rena

Monday Visualisation: Seeking White

2018-05-28T01:13:00.000+03:00

Wow!

What a week we've had.

What a lovely wedding.

What a couple, so much in love.

As I look in the pictures, I can think of all the releasing we have to do

in order to move forward into life.

For some it is death, for some a divorce.

And yet,

we find the strength to move forward

in hope,

in dream,

in believing

that all will be white bright again,

and that life always goes on.

Let's take the scenic route to happiness.

xoxo

Rena

Monday Visualisation-A Pink kind of week

2018-05-21T11:06:00.000+03:00

I open my eyes and I hear my voice.

I'm real. I'm Me.

Coming out of a long long silence, hushed again and again,

but no more.

I embrace my feminine side, my pinks and blues and the ivories... ah the ivories... and the golds!

Posie

I am who I am

via

My cake

My flowers

My sweet lemons

My girly pink

My life's love

Delicate and Strong

Blooming pure again

House of Valentina

Loving

Be-coming

xoxo

Rena

Feel the open door~

2018-05-17T19:36:00.000+03:00

ART: NANCY HOLT “SUN TUNNELS”

“Close your eyes and turn all the way around, slow-w-ly. Sense or feel the open door, the one that offers you ease, that welcomes you to a new homecoming.

“Walk up to this doorway, still with your eyes closed. Feel the grain of the threshold under your feet, the doorjamb beneath the palm of your hand. Feel the life pulsing on the other side, offering itself to you.

“When you’re ready, step through. Breathe this new air. Feel who you are, in this unknown, deeply familiar place. Feel how you stand, how your feet hold and are held by the ground here.

“Feel yourself welcomed, embraced, in all your beauty and timidity, your power and grace. Feel all this place holds for you and with you.

“Ask those questions that glow steadily in your heart.

“Here are the ones that arise to my lips in this liminal space.

“Why am I here?

“How do I truly love?

“What is yearning to be born?

“How do I serve now?

“How do I love my world now?

“Stay here for as long as you wish. When you feel complete, for now, ask this place for a talisman, a reminder that the door is open for you, that welcome and belonging await you there, as they do here.

“Turn around, and step back into the present moment, bringing the gifts of this place with you. Place your talisman on your altar, or in the altar of your heart. Kiss it, bless it, be blessed by it.

“Write a note, a promise to yourself, to your soul, to your world: This is what I will do to live where I’m being called, to live where I belong.

“Then, gather your allies and resources. Make a plan. Put it into motion. Begin today.”

From Hiro Boga’s new book To Be Soul, Do Soul: Adventures In Creative Consciousness via MysticMamma

Cate Blanchett in Mary Katrantzou at the Cannes Film Festival 2018

2018-05-15T09:29:00.001+03:00

I was thrilled to see the mythical Cate Blanchett wearing a specially crafted Mary Katrantzou number at the Cannes Film Festival.

Ms. Katrantzou coming from an illustruous retailing family in Greece, has shown, after the distruction of the family business by terrorists in the 1980s, that there is hope in the Future when you are talented and work hard (a blessing by goddess Luck always helps!).

The dress came from the Spring-Summer 2018 collection, and after the show both Mary and Cate expressed their pleasure in working together.

As British Vogue reports,

From the initial design to the final embellishments, the Mary Katrantzou dress Cate Blanchett wore to the Cannes Film Festivalpremiere of Cold War took six months to create. Three solid weeks were spent on hand embroidering the custom creation with sequins, bugle beads and Swarovski crystals alone.Look closely, Katrantzou says, and you’ll see the paint by numbers story from the collection, which was inspired by nostalgic childhood pastimes. “The dress evolves from this black and white linear print on a racer-back bodice into an explosion of colour and texture in a voluminous asymmetric skirt.Blanchett was involved in every step of the process, from OK-ing the silk faille base to the intricate beadwork.

(Read the full story here)

I love to see happy collaborations with inventive, talented Greek designers.

They struggle so hard in the current world environment and they make it!

So proud of you!

xoxo

Rena

A Royal Visit (and Greek fasion house Zeus+Dione)

2018-05-13T18:32:00.000+03:00

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall

visited Athens from May 9 to May 11, 2018,

on an official visit, the fιrst official visit since the 1950s.

Camilla was dazzling, as only love and contentment at the side of her man, can make a woman feel.

The saw all the people they were supposed to meet, and they venture to Crete, where the indulged in traditional (no syrtaki!) Greek dancing.

Beautifully dressed on the spot were Marianna Vardinogianni, the wife of Greek oil tycook Vardis, and Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotaki, the wife of New Democracy opposition leader, dressed in Zeus+Dione

Mrs. Grabowski own fashion house clothes and shoes.

Mareva wears the silk HERA blouse, DOKOS trousers and SPARTA sandals

while Marianna the MIRA blouse.

xoxo

Rena

Monday Visualisation-New Life Bliss

2018-05-07T19:33:00.000+03:00

The adoration of the great pleasures of life that God has blessed us with

The fidelity of my life partner and the blooming of the mystery bonds that bring us freely together

Love of the pretty things

Apreciating every mouthful in great style

Being playful and accepting my playful side

Creating my home sanctuary

Allowing myself to be successful and appreciated

Coming home to a bed well loved and desired

So what is bliss, May?

xoxo
Rena

Monday Visualisation-A Hope Do List for May

2018-04-30T00:40:00.001+03:00

Best of Luck

Inspiration
{via Anna Spiro Design}

The sweetness and fullness of a creative life taking over every moment

Gates opening to mystical places where the Future is blooming

A new Life being brought forward for me

The Guide of a Destination for Life

Dreams and hopes becoming real

The stamina to get things done

And reaping the fullness of a life well shared and well spent

May is about to come about

and

I want to say a

Big Thank You

to April

and

I want to welcome

May

with all the goodness that

May

can bring forth

The Sun

The Hope

The Bloom

Welcome, May

xoxo

Rena

Crisp Blue

2018-04-22T00:00:00.000+03:00

As in Greek seas

As in summertime

As in the Greek flag

Sunny skies

Perfect harmony

Open mind

Aerin

"Persa" from Greek eco-company COCO-MAT

via
{Make sure to watch the video, too!}

Fluffy pillows

to lie on

after a day's soak at the beach

Crisp

and smelling divine!

What comes to your mind with Blue and White?