Iva Y

[Book-Tube-A-Thon] TBR pile

2013-07-17T13:25:00.002+03:00

I went to a book fair a few weeks ago and I got quite a few books. I had prepared a list with everything I wanted to get in advance - yes, meet my inner nerd! A couple of them I already read (and have been meaning to post reviews on here!) and the other ones I decided to add to my Booktubeathon TBR List. So here they are:

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger - this is for the "Read a book that has been on your bookshelf for the longest" and partly for the "Reread a book" challenges. I've tried to read this book a few years ago and abandoned it halfway through. I've always wanted to finish it some day.
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann - I already finished it this morning, expect a review soon.
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova - now this book I got the other day for just $3. I was waiting for some friends who were running late, so I went into the bookstore to kill some time. Needless to say, when I saw how cheap this book was I just had to get it. Also, I have read The Historian by the same author and I enjoyed her writing a lot, so hopefully this book will not be a disappointment.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - everyone has been raving about this book, it's been on my list for quite some time.
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - it's short and it was recommended by larainebrotista on YouTube, so I thought it would be a great summer read.
Across the Universe by Beth Revis - I've been wanting to read a good sci-fi book for quite some time now. Will this be it - um, I'm not really sure, but it will probably be a quick read, as most YA are.

I don't think I will be able to go through all of these by the end of the week, which is when the Booktubeathon officially ends, but these are definitely books I will be reading in the next few weeks. So, in case you want to see my review on any of these - stay tuned.

As for the Booktubeathon, it's been going great so far! I have already finished one book and read 293 pages and day 3 has just started. It was my goal to read about 100 pages a day, so this is great I think.

How have you been doing?

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)
If you buy a book from the Book Depository through any of the links above, I earn a small commission. Thank you for your support!

BookTube-A-Thon!

2013-07-13T18:24:00.001+03:00

Do you like books and crazy challenges? Is sitting with a good book and a cup of tea/coffee your idea of a perfect afternoon? Do you wish you read more?

Well, if the answer to any of the questions above is "yes" then BookTube-A-Thon might be just the thing for you! It is basically a reading marathon, which starts on July 15th and ends on July 21th. Your simple goal is to read as much as you can and complete as many challenges as possible. What are those challenges, you might ask - well, here they are:

Read 300 pages per day (yikes!)
Read a book with 500+ pages
Reread a book
Finish a series or trilogy
Read a book that's been on your bookshelf the longest
Listen to an audiobook
Read a classic

Bonus challenge: How many challenges can you combine?

I know, I know - it's crazy! But it's also so much fun! To be honest I'm not really interested in rereading a book. I think there are far too many amazing books out there to spend your time reading something you've already read. I also don't think I can finish a series, since the one I've recently started is The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Claire and that one is huge! And the thing that scares me the most - reading 300 pages every single day for a week! Well, I'm not sure I'm gonna do all of these, but I really, really want to try. Do what you can do and hope for the best, right?

I'll share which books I have on my list on Monday and hopefully we can start together? Oh, come on - you know it will be fun!

The BookTube-A-Thon was created by Ariel and Raeleen on YouTube, which are both awesome and you should definitely check out. This is the official twitter for the BookTube-A-Thon and the hashtag you might want to use is #BOOKTUBEATHON.

Good luck to everyone, yay (myself included)! xo

(Photo: Bige Yılmaz)

Week Recap

2013-07-11T16:00:00.000+03:00

I've been away all week, visiting my parents. I was also working on starting my new business, which I will share with you next week. I think you will love it and I just can't wait to tell you more about it!

I also finished a couple of books and I'll be doing reviews on them tomorrow or during the weekend, so stay tuned for those.

What have you been doing this week? Any fun plans for the weekend? xo

(Photo: Iva Yaneva on Instagram)

Monday Fashion

2013-07-08T15:09:00.000+03:00

It's been a bit chilly and gloomy over here, so I turned to bright neon colors when choosing my outfit. Was it extremely creative - no. But it definitely put a smile on my face :)

(Follow me on Instagram)

Gluten-free and Dairy-free Banana Bread Cupcakes with Berries and Coconut

2013-07-04T12:33:00.001+03:00

I had a few bananas left in my fridge the other day and I was craving cupcakes, so this is what came out of my kitchen. The cupcakes turned out really, really yummy and my boyfriend loved them as well - he ate four in one go before I could stop him! Haha.
And the best part is that these are gluten-free and if you skip the frosting - dairy free too! Who says that cupcakes can't be guilt-free?

Ingredients (makes about 12 cupcakes):

1 cup chickpeas flour
1/2 cup coconut flour (or shredded coconut)
1/2 cup rose hip flour (I believe you can substitute for almond flour)
1/2 cup melted coconut butter
1/2 cup raw cashew nuts
2 ripe bananas
1 egg
100g berry jam
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
vanilla extract

For the frosting:

200g cream cheese (I used one pack of Philadelphia cream cheese)
4 tbsp coconut cream (that has been hardened in the fridge overnight)
100g berry jam

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Do not try the batter - it will taste disgusting because of the raw chickpeas! But it will change taste when baked. I am speaking from experience, haha.
Pour in cupcake form (with cupcake liners) and bake in an oven heated at 200°C. Check if cupcakes are ready by poking with a toothpick - if it comes out relatively clean - they are ready to be taken out of the oven.
Set aside and wait for them to completely cool before adding the frosting.

For the frosting:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Put in the fridge until the mix hardens a bit and then spread on each cupcake. Keep in mind that coconut cream melts easily, so I would suggest adding the frosting right before serving.

I hope you enjoy this easy, healthy-ish recipe and please, let me know if you make it! xo

p.s. The beautiful mug with hand-painted flowers I got from Raklata at Etsy Craft Party a couple of weeks ago. Not only is it one of a kind, but it's also made by a really sweet lady. You can find her work here.

(Photos: Iva Yaneva for Iva Y)

Monday Fashion

2013-07-01T20:30:00.000+03:00

I saw this collage on Tumblr and couldn't help but share it with you. I love the style, especially for a colder, rainy day.

See all the items here. Via The Polyvore Collection on Tumblr.

Weekend Insta Collage

2013-06-30T20:42:00.000+03:00

Some highlights from my weekend:

Brunch, cappuccino and my favorite salted caramel ice-cream while the weather was still nice
I went to see a couple of exhibitions with a dear friend, including one about Greek Graphic Design, all part of Sofia Design Week. I always look forward to SDeW and I will be so sad when it's over.
Discovered a couple of shops - one that sells gorgeous antiques at a very reasonable price (I've been looking for one for years!) and another one with handmade and Indian things.
Saw both Jamiroquai and Jessie J live. Jamiroquai were amazing - one of the best concerts I've been to! Jessie J was great as well and she managed to make me cry - such a fantastic girl!
Lots of sweets, magazines and discovering the Ticket to Ride game for iPhone (I kick ass!).
Went to see Monsters University in a cinema full of kids. It was so not worth it - even the kids didn't laugh! The first part was SO much better! Looking forward to seeing Despicable Me 2, though, because minions!!
And finally, I also managed to finish a project I've been dragging for weeks. Whew!

Tonight we'll probably just stay at home and relax, watch an old movie perhaps. If you have any recommendations, please share, because we love watching old black-and-white movies and we're always on the lookout for new ones.

If you're not following me on Instagram already - my name is @iva_y

So how was your weekend?

Rainy Afternoons

2013-06-28T11:46:00.003+03:00

The weather has been crazy here. Last week it was almost 40°C and for the past couple of days - around 10°C. And it has been raining on top of that. But I don't mind it - I love rainy weather!

So yesterday I took an hour break from work and sat on my balcony. My necessities for a rainy afternoon: hot green tea with lemon, fuzzy socks and blanket, homemade brownies (healthy gluten and dairy-free ones, I promise!) and a book.

How do you like to spend rainy afternoons? xo

(Photos: Iva Yaneva for Iva Y)

Design Bazaar

2013-06-25T18:48:00.000+03:00

To those of you living in Sofia, especially if you are a designer, you probably already know that Sofia Design Week is happening right now. But what you might not know is that on Sunday there was a Design Bazaar in the yard of the National Art Academy, showcasing some of the best Bulgarian designers out there.

I have to say that after attending the lectures during the weekend, I couldn't help but face the fact that Bulgarian design isn't very well known, even in Bulgaria. I know this is common for most Balkan countries but I really do feel these talented people deserve a place among other, more famous designers. And I realize that they do not have the means to compete with large international brands, but I couldn't stress enough how important it is to support local creative entrepreneurs nontheless. So, naturally, I took out my camera, snapped a few pictures and decided to share some of my favorite finds with you.

Beautiful and practical tote bags from PlatForma (Plat or Плат in Bulgarian means fabric)

Gorgeous ceramics by Ekaterina Lachova.

The graphic T-shirts from Dushman have been a favorite of mine for a long, long time. And they are made from organic cotton!

Beautiful jewelry, made using traditional techniques by Jenya Adamova.

There were also a lot of handmade dolls and toys for kids. And I am not ashamed to say that these were probably my favorite shops!

Cute dolls and fabric badges from YoYo Fabric, painted with environmentally friendly dyes.

Just look at all this cuteness! I have nothing to add, except that these are all made by ToeMoe.

Do these mugs by Minushka look familiar? Haha, yes - I couldn't resist! I was eying their printed cushions too.

Rabotilnichka za Chudesa (Работилничка за чудеса, or in translation "tiny miracles workshop")

Photos: Iva Yaneva for Iva Y

A Story About a Mug

2013-06-24T11:02:00.001+03:00

When I was little, I was one of those skinny kids, whose parents always had to trick them into eating their food. Except for french fries - that I could eat every day!

But I had this porcelain set with pretty drawings all over it, including on the inside of the mug and bowl. And every time I ate just half of my soup and refused to eat the rest, my mom would say "Come on, there's just a little bit left until you see the pretty picture at the bottom!" And I had seen this picture many times when the bowl was sitting empty in the cupboard. But for some reason, this little trick worked every single time and I would always eat the rest of my soup.

The minute I saw this mug on Minushka's stand, while I was at Design Bazar yesterday (another post, dedicated to it is to come) all those memories came back and I knew I just had to have it. That's what good design does to you, right? It brings a bunch of feelings and memories back.

And now, I am sitting on my balcony, sipping tea, with a goofy smile on my face, looking at the tiny fishes at the bottom of my mug.

Minushka's website/ Velikan Mug (It means "a giant")/ The designer, Victoria Knysh's website
Photos: Iva Yaneva for Iva Y

Redesigning My Blog

2013-06-21T20:15:00.000+03:00

Long time no see, huh? Well, I've been thinking a lot about what I should do with this blog, since I am not really writing in it any more. Researching and writing every day has been a bit of a hustle, especially if I have a deadline coming up. I've wanted to write about books for a while, about places to go in my city and of course my photography. There are so many things that I wanted to share, but none really fit into my "theme". That's why, I decided instead of not writing at all, I should just change the theme of my blog. So, from now on, you can read about pretty much anything that I find interesting here, my photography, a new creative business I'm starting with my cousin (I can't wait to tell you more about this!), books, movies, food, design and so much more.

And to celebrate that new beginning, I have changed the design of Iva Y. I've gotten quite sick of that dark old theme and I really wanted something simple, bright and with big photos. I hope you like it :)

xo

My Sweet Valentine

2013-02-15T11:35:00.003+02:00

I hope everyone had a lovely day yesterday, whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not. For me, it was just like any other day - staying at home and working. But I still wanted to do something sweet for my boyfriend (literally!) so I spent a few hours in the kitchen. He loves combining sweets with salty things, so I made him chocolate covered pretzels. There really isn't a recipe, you just melt chocolate and dip the pretzels in it. It's not really fast, but it's easy and if you like to multitask, just like I do, then you'll find this a pleasant thing to do. I used white and milk chocolate and added some colorful sprinkles on top. The result was pretty good I must say! I definitely recommend trying it out. I made a huuuuuge bowl, so we ate some last night while we watched our favourite TV shows and I packed the rest so he could take them to work the next morning.

As for him, he showed up on my doorstep with some beautiful flowers. I haven't been feeling well in the past few days, so they really cheered me up. Also, we'd decided that we would stay home and perhaps order some food. But the sweet and thoughtful man that he is, he actually went to all of my favourite restaurants and picked up my favourite things from each one. He got me soup from one, a salad from another, 2 different desserts, pizza and sushi. He spent almost 2 hours going from one place to another. It was so sweet!

So yeah, that's my Valentine's story. I really hope you had a wonderful day and if not - I hope today is one! xo

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

Happy Birthday to my niece!

2012-12-26T15:54:00.000+02:00

Teenagers are hard to shop for. Haha, I sound so old right now!

My niece has a birthday today and here's what I got her: a cosmetics bag, a Clean & Clear Morning Energy facial scrub (I've heard great things about this one), a bunch of tiny travel-sized goodies - Balea deospray, a Rexona deo stick, a Balea young face cream, a Balea feet softening cream; and a very cute floral notepad.

I really hope she likes these!

(Photo: Iva Yaneva)

Merry Christmas!

2012-12-25T17:32:00.001+02:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful time with your families, just like me. I'm visiting my parents' house for the holidays and it's lovely!

The holidays are always hard for those who try to eat healthy. This year I tried to stick to chocolate covered nuts. They were so yummy! What is your favourite dessert around Christmas?

Lanterns outside my window.

When I came my mom had already decorated the house. Every room is filled with snowmen, Santas and whatnot. Me and my dad decorated the tree, which you can see at the top. I love that some of the ornaments are over 50 years old! So pretty!

There is a tradition in my country to eat vegan on Christmas Eve. We also have an uneven number of dishes - homemade bread (with a lucky coin hidden in it), beans, stuffed cabbage and peppers, baklava. Everything is so delicious on this day, I just love the tradition and all the homemade meals!

And of course on Christmas day we have turkey stuffed with rice and pickled cabbage for lunch. It's so delicious and also healthy.

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely time with your loved ones and found everything you wanted under the tree. xo

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

Kids in the Park

2012-12-17T12:06:00.007+02:00

A while ago I took my nieces and nephew in the park for a short photo shoot. Needless to say when you have a bunch of kids and a big lawn inevitably there will be a lot of running, laughing, laying on the ground and generally - a lot of fun!

I hope I can take them out to play in the snow now that it's winter and take more pictures. It's been a while since I last made a snow angel or a snowman, lol.

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

A Free Gift

2012-11-23T09:50:00.002+02:00

Hey guys!

Every year I envy those who can take advantage of the Black Friday sales (well, I don’t really envy the lines and all the pushing, lol). So this year I wanted to join the fun! I’ll be including a present with each order placed this weekend (starting today till Monday). You will get a free pack of 5 postcards with my original photograph, which you can see in the photo. Envelopes will be included.

Click here to visit my shop.

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate and happy shopping! xo

Drugstore Haul

2012-10-18T17:34:00.002+03:00

If you've been following my blog for a while, you probably know I have very sensitive, dry skin. Because of it I am constantly worried about products I use on my body. I was running out of body shower, which my boyfriend doesn't really like, so we went out and looked for a new one.

I got one from the brand Uriage. I haven't used it on my body yet, but I've used it to wash my face and so far I like it. It doesn't dry my skin but I'm still undecided as to how effective it is at cleansing it. The packaging says it's suitable for dry, sensitive skin, for washing your face or body, as well as for babies.

Boyfriend got a Klorane one that smells really good! A lot of products for sensitive skin have no smell at all, which to be honest I really dislike. I need my yummy smells, lol. So I'm really eager to try this one out and if it doesn't irritate my skin, I'm probably gonna switch to it.

The last thing I got is a hand cream. Now, I am not really someone who uses hand cream. I got a Soap & Glory one when I was in London, which had great reviews on youtube, and I really loved it. But after I read the ingredients I decided to stop using it and haven't really purchased another one since. That's until I was at a friend's house and something was smelling incredibly yummy, so I asked her what it was and she said "Oh, it must be my hand cream - everyone comments on it." So of course I had to buy it, especially since it was like $1, had no questionable ingredients and is by a local company. The texture is a bit thin, but does moisturize a lot, which I find great. I know some people like really thick hand creams, but I personally don't like to feel the product on my skin, I just want soft, yummy smelling hands.

Do you have any products to recommend, especially for dry skin? I'd love to try them out!

(Photo: Iva Yaneva)

Girls Night Out

2012-10-17T10:19:00.001+03:00

I went out with my girlfriends last Friday. I took them to my favorite Italian restaurant, where we talked, drank wine and ate delicious food. Ah, I've missed hanging out with them!

OOTD: Top: Mango; Jeans: Fox; Belt: Mango

What do you like to do with your girlfriends?

Existential Crisis

2012-10-12T12:06:00.001+03:00

Yup, the title says it all. I've always had goals, often very bold ones, and I have always managed to achieve them, no matter how much effort that has cost me. But now, I feel like my life is totally meaningless. I never in a million years would have guessed this is where I would be after graduating. And yes, I know, the economy is terrible worldwide and I know that at least I am lucky enough to have a roof over my head. But still, I need something to do, something I am good at, in order to feel complete. I am so not the type of person to stay at home and do nothing all day - I get bored so quickly. Being busy, challenging yourself and doing something that actually matters is the only way to go, at least for me.

On a more cheerful note, a dear friend came back to the city and we've been hanging out a lot this week. It's been great to be around friends, especially ones that are in a similar situation and know what you are going through.

After having a tiny meltdown on the phone yesterday, my boyfriend was so sweet to organize a night out. He brought me adorable tiny plants that I hope I'll manage to keep alive. And we went out for dinner. He took me to a restaurant that was way too expensive in my opinion so we argued in the car for a while when I realized where he was taking me, haha.

I had a Caesar salad (of course) and salmon. The desserts were not worth it at all, except for the sesame and mint ice-cream. After that we came home and watched Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly's debate. We are both huge Jon Stewart fans and the show was really awesome.

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

Woods in the Fall

2012-10-11T12:13:00.002+03:00

Hey guys! I know I've been missing a lot this week, I will do an update post soon. But now I want to share some photos from our hike in the forest last weekend.

Some of you might know that I used to do crossfit regularly (I say used to not because I've given up, but because I'm taking some time to treat some back problems). Last weekend instead of a workout we went hiking. I love walks and I absolutely love the forest, especially in the fall, so I decided to join.

It was amazing! Everything was so beautiful, it was like a stress therapy. Ah, I wish I could do this every week!

On our way back we stopped at a local restaurant, called Vodenitzata and had some traditional meals. Everything was very yummy, especially after this long walk.

I hope you've all been well!

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

Job Interview

2012-10-05T17:42:00.004+03:00

I'm back from my job interview. It went really well. I'm not sure I'll get the job because they wanted someone to work on weekends and I'm not totally okay with that. But they said they really liked me and the girl that was interviewing me was very sweet! So overall, I had a positive experience with my first ever job interview, which is great!

Shirt: H&M; Jeans: Fox; Blazer: Bershka; Belt: Bershka

p.s. Is it just me or my photos here look much more greyish than the originals?

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

It's Fall

2012-10-05T09:26:00.000+03:00

It's Friday! Wohoo!! I know I don't have a Monday - Friday job but the weekend really is the time for me to socialize and I am always looking forward to that. It's strange because I am someone who appreciates having space and time for themselves but having lived all alone for a few years now I feel like I could use some more time with people.

On my way to the office yesterday.

Today I have a job interview for an art gallery! It's my first real one ever and I'm both nervous and excited. Wish me luck?

At the office.

The time to have warm tea with friends all wrapped up in a scarf is finally here. Ah, so cozy!

I'll be posting the outfit I picked for the interview later.

What are your plans for the weekend? Going out tonight?

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

Blogging About Nothing to Blog About

2012-10-03T10:19:00.001+03:00

Since I finished my project I've been doing pretty much nothing. Just sitting at home watching TV shows, reading, sending job applications, spending time with boyfriend and helping him find an apartment. Okay, that last part is quite time-consuming, but everything mentioned is so b-o-r-i-n-g to blog about!

I'm meeting a few friends this week and I'm really excited! I haven't seen some of them for a couple of years! But you see, social life always gets better at the end of the week. Monday-Thursday - nothing.

My pretty flowers are starting to die. I need to get some more of them because I love having fresh wild flowers around the apartment. They brighten up your mood so much, don't you think?

I hope your week is more exciting than mine. And if not - there's always the weekend, right?

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

Lavanda

2012-10-01T13:54:00.001+03:00

Am I the only one who doesn't love Sundays? On Saturday you have the whole weekend ahead of you and there are so many things you can do. But on Sunday, it's almost over and you are left with so little time to do all the things you planned.

Boyfriend and I are always looking for cool new cafes and restaurants to visit on weekends. My love for interior design and our shared love for (healthy) food meet. This time we went to a newly opened restaurant called Lavanda. It is so new that there weren't even any signs. We first though this might be on purpose, but considering the place was empty, we agreed they should correct that mistake as soon as possible. For those of you who wonder, the place is on top of One More Bar, the entrance is through the garden, at the back of the building.

Their Caesar salad is called "The Best Caesar Salad", haha. Well, I don't know about "the best" but it was pretty good. There was a generous amount of dressing, which I like and the size was huge!

We ordered some tapas that we both thought missed some spread, like hummus or something.

The interior is by KuMar Office, so needless to say it was lovely.

Boyfriend ordered ribs that came on top of mashed potatoes. Well, they were divine. I don't know how they made them so delicate and juicy but they really did a great job! We have an excellent ribs recipe that we put to good use every week, so our expectations are pretty high and we've always been disappointed when ordering it at restaurants. But these were really, really good.

I had salmon with Caesar salad (I can't miss my favourite salad) as a side. I wanted to order the salad separately and get the fish with pasta, but they didn't have any pasta, so the waiter recommended I got it as a side, since the portions were pretty big. We've been known to wow waitresses with the amount of food we can eat but we did not expect so much food! The portions really are huge - I ate just my main course and I could barely finish it.

The check was pretty cute, brought along with some dessert in little bowls that I have at home, ha!

After that we went to get some ice-cream and I got some flowers from a lovely old lady, who was selling them on the street. I now have two lovely bouquets to brighten up my apartment. Best spent $1 ever!

Shirt: Koton (I think), Jeans: Fox; Shoes: Zara; Bag: Six; Sunglasses: ASOS

My day also included 1 1/2 hours of yoga and a movie. We went to see Dredd 3D with a couple of friends. It wasn't the best movie, extremely graphic and violent (although well made). Two people against a whole city and guess who wins?

I wanted to see Savages but I guess next time. Has anyone seen it already? Is it good?

Well, that's about it. Did you have fun during the weekend?

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)

Working on Weekends

2012-09-30T13:20:00.004+03:00

Saturday was a working day here in Bulgaria. I think we can all agree days like this suck. I managed to do all of my work till noon, so I had time to go out for a walk and get coffee. No ice-cream, even though that was the reason behind my walk, haha. But I decided to skip it this time and stay on the healthy side. Yay me!

Now be prepared to be flooded with pictures of food! Ready?

Omelet (almost) with blue cheese and a peach for breakfast.

Baked potatoes with butter (my all-time favourite!); feta cheese and soup with salmon for lunch.

Mint green pants: Zara; T-shirt: Pull and Bear

We're still having great weather over here. It's a bit unreal how hot it is but I'm embracing it and wearing my favourite summer pieces for one last time.

After that I met with boyfriend who got off work early and we went to Spaghetti Kitchen for dinner.

He had a Caprese salad and Pork with sweet potatoes, a flat bread with minced meat.

And I had a cheeseburger with fries and a barbecue sauce. That's my kind of McDonald's - a real burger with real minced meat - fresh, yummy, enough to fill you up and much healthier.

What did you do this Saturday? Any plans for the rest of the weekend?

(Photos: Iva Yaneva)