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Spoil your pet…🐾

Published by Christiana

This post started out in the most inconspicuous way possible – me checking out the Jolly Moggy Bamboo Radiator Bed…

… for Ms. Lara (for those of you not in the know, Ms. Lara is my ex-stray, half-breed, 8 month old Siamese baby – who I’m head over heels in love with).

Then it somehow spiralled out of control, to become a designer pet furniture & accessories extravaganza – as illustrated below.

I should start by saying that I’ve never been a ‘pets need to stay out of the house’ kind of person. I know many people think that way (& that’s perfectly OK, if it’s what suits them, of course) but I just could never see the logic behind keeping a family member outside in the cold – instead of inside, all warm and cosy with the rest of us.

That said, I’d failed to realise exactly how many designers feel the same way and how many companies now cater to our furry friends and their needs – designing pieces that make their lives extra comfy, playful and luxurious.

Here’s some of the designs and companies I recently discovered, gawked over and subsequently couldn’t help but share with all of you animal- obsessed, fellow bloggers out there…

Korean designer Seungji Man features some amazing furniture (for both humans and pets) on his website. Case(s) in point:

The Dog House Sofa…

… and the Cat Tunnel Sofa…

… as well as an indoor take on the ‘traditional’ dog house – accompanied by an assortment of brightly colored, specially designed mattresses to choose from.

pEi pod makes the cutest little, egg-shaped beds for small dogs, cats and petite animals (like bunnies). Made from high density polyethylene, these are sleek and stylish and would look amazing in any home.

[P.s. I thought the blurb, on top of their pEi Kitty page was SO funny:

I model for funny photos on your Facebook page. I try to be patient when your niece pulls my tail. I chase the laser pointer all over the house while you laugh at me. All I ask is that you give me a cosy, safe spot to nestle my butt after all this humiliation.

Haha… Class!]

Moving on to Chimère Paris and, what is probably, the chic-est pet furniture I have ever seen!

Their solid oak (!) and aluminum range includes (clockwise from bottom middle) a fishbowl, rabbit/ hamster hutch, rocking bird-cage, dog/ cat sofa and possibly the most gorgeous cat litter box ever!

Pet Interiors also do some pretty great looking pet beds, baskets, pillows and supplies – some of my favorites are:

The Rondo Felt Cat Stand…

… the Bowl Nido Felt Cat Bed…

… and the Bowl Leatherette Custom Cat Bed…

Yet another original and fun design comes from Brooklyn based designer Akemi Tanaka. The ‘Curve’ Cat Bed promises to give your cat the opportunity to watch the world from above:

Haha, love it! You can find it on Mod Pet Life along with many other, fantastic pet beds, feeders, accessories & toys like:

Artisan Wood Feeders…

… a Bambu Hammock…
… the Catissa Cat Tree for hours of fun…

… or the Couchette Chaise Longue by Kittypod (don’t even get me started on Kittypod)…

As you have probably gathered by now, I could go on forever like this… Instead I will leave you with my favorite, whimsical, piece. Dutch designer Erik Stehmann‘s DOG Scratch Post for playful, companionship seeking felines, hehe…

As always, do let me know what you think and whether you might be tempted to (or actually) buy any of these for you and/ or your furry friends…

{Please note that none of the images above belong to me. They have all been “borrowed” from the websites – see links above – of the companies/ designers the post refers to.}

250 followers GIVEAWAY!

Published by Christiana

No, not mine…

Just thought I’d let you guys in on a great giveaway, currently running on ‘Beautiful Breakable’.

Go check it out… And, while you’re at it, make sure you check out Jessica’s other posts (there’s some pretty good ones there!) XOXO

Premio Dardos Award

Published by Christiana

I’m ridiculously behind, and absolutely need to catch up, on award posts – so today will be another one.

About a month ago (on the 10th of March, to be exact) I was nominated for the Premio Dardos award by Jenna from Julla. If you still don’t know who she is, go check out her blog now and show her some love!

Premio Dardos, which apparently means ‘prize darts’ in Spanish and which I’d never heard of before, is awarded ‘in recognition of cultural, ethical, literary and personal values – transmitted in the form of creative and original writing’. Goes without saying that, despite feeling like I don’t quite deserve this, I am hugely honored to receive it. Thanks a million Jenna, for considering me when choosing your nominees!

Now, according to the rules, I need to pass this on to 15 fellow bloggers. I’ll start with the ones that I can think of, off the top of my head – and just label this ‘a work in progress’, adding to it as I go (& discover new, amazing blogs). Keep checking out this space, for more nominees…

For now, the Premio Dardos goes to:

Elena’s Travelgram
Travelling Solemates
Caramelize Life
Incurable Wanderlust
A Vibrant Day
The Baked Apple
Inside the Life of Moi
Mostly Me + Certain Others
History Hiker

Go check these out – they are all amazing!

Hope you all had a great Easter weekend! Wishing you the best of starts to the new week… XOXO

Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award

Published by Christiana

A few weeks back, I was kindly nominated for the Sisterhood of the World, Blogger Award by the lovely Jenna, from Julla. She is a great new, blogging friend and was sweet enough to include me in her list of people who are “sweet, supportive, and generous to their fellow bloggers” and to whom this award is geared towards. Thank you sweetie! If you guys get a minute, you should really go check out her blog – she’s relatively new to the blogosphere and features some lovely posts. And now, without further ado, here’s:

The Rules

– Thank the blogger who nominated you (linking back to their site)
– Answer the 10 questions sent to you
– Make up 10 new questions for your nominees to answer
– Nominate 7 fellow bloggers, link them in your post & let them know

My Answers to Jenna’s Questions

1. What is your favorite TV show?

That’s a tough one… I watch (and enjoy) so many! Just because it’s the one I’ve been binge watching lately, I’ll go with “The Americans”.

2. Where would your dream holiday be?

Again… So many places I’d love to visit (check out Some Insight if you’re curious). I guess the US (in the form of a tour around L.A., San Fran, Chicago, Washington and – of course – N.Y.C.) tops my list right now (with tours of Australia and Italy being close seconds).

3. Have you ever done something really unbelievable, only to have no one around to see it?

I don’t think so… No matter how hard I think about it, nothing really comes to mind – sorry!

4. How many languages do you speak?

Well, I obviously speak Greek (1). I also speak English (2) and, despite needing to brush up on it big time, Spanish (3). So, I guess the answer is three. I do understand a bit of French and Flemish as well (comes with living in Brussels for so many years I suppose) but couldn’t really speak either to save my life.

5. Is there anything you wish would become trendy again in fashion?

Once again, nothing really pops to mind (jee, I suck at this – don’t I?)

6. If you could have any feature from an animal what would you want?

Considering how many hours (and buckets of sweat) I’ve put into trying to improve my running times, I’d have to say the speed of the cheetah (from 0 to 60 miles in only three seconds? Eat my dust Usain!)

7. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

Funnily enough, even though I would describe myself as an introvert most people around me actually say the opposite. Go figure…

8. Which of the 5 senses would you say is your strongest?

Have to go with my sense of smell here. I can take a single whiff and tell people what perfume they’re wearing (with 99.99% success rate, might I add). I also often sense smells that other people can’t (it can be a blessing and a curse, believe me).

9. Has anyone ever approached you thinking you were someone else?

Not really. Couple of my friends have told me that my quirks and voice remind them of a famous (now deceased) Greek actress – Jenny Karezi. (I’m honored but still) Have to say, I disagree…

10. What three things do you think about most each day?

Like it or not, I have to think about work. Other than that? I guess my family & cat (Lara), my friends and… chocolate (hey – don’t laugh, been on a diet for a month now, hehe!)

My Questions

1. When and how did you get into blogging?
2. What’s your favorite beauty product of all time?
3. What are you reading right now?
4. If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?
5. What’s your biggest indulgence and your simplest pleasure?
6. What are the 3 blogs you can’t go a day without checking?
7. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done for love?
8. Lipstick or mascara?
9. Write the first sentence of your autobiography.
10. What are the top 5 songs on your ‘recently played’ list?

My Nominations

Jacqueline of A Vibrant Day

Nicol of Nicol Gomez

Soph of HunnyBunnySoph

Jaanethough

Aimee of Sincerely Aimee

Arielle of With All my Affection

Jen of Dorkchops

Hope you enjoyed this post (and getting to know me a bit better). I really look forward to all of my nominee’s answers… Have a fantastic Easter Sunday 🙂

Use #YourPower!

Published by Christiana

Truth be told, even though I’m still personally involved as ever, activist posts have taken a bit of a backseat here on Lifestyle Counter. This, however, is something I am really passionate about & wanted to share with and, hopefully, get all of you lovely people involved in – so here goes…

Many of you may have heard about Earth Hour before, some of you may have not. In the words of WWF:

Earth Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement to unite people to take action for the planet. Engaging a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage hundreds of millions of supporters, individuals and organisations alike, in more than 7000 cities and towns in over 162 countries and territories worldwide.

And since images always speak louder than words, here’s the official campaign video for 2015:

Now, I’ve been a part of this since the very beginning (of it going global, back in 2008) and have ecstatically watched it grow bigger and bigger in size and impact. Climate change is far from the “extreme environmentalists’ fable” by now. It’s a harsh – and soon to be irreversible – reality. As Obama so simply put it “we are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it”.

Earth Hour is all about hope. It’s about using #yourpower, being the change you want to see in the world, taking individual action & multiplying it. Every person can do their part, no matter how big or small. In this spirit (and in the hope that our current mess of a government does not revert to not participating this year) I urge you all to re- post this, spread the message and turn the lights off with me for 60 minutes, at 8.30pm (your) local time sharp.

P.s. Should you wanna know more about Earth Hour you can check out the official website.