Year: 2021

It seems this summer is for those who love colorful decoration. Be a maximalist! Set your imagination free and bravely mix colors, pattern and textures. Stylists’ only advice is to add one or two grounding common tones to pull all sensations together.
Painted walls are extremely popular – use wallpapers with big watercolor flowers on the wall behind your couch, but don’t forget to add one of two contrast pillows on the couch to add even more color and accent to the whole room.
Or choose two of your favorite patterns and play with them, implementing them into different textiles and furniture. Stripes and checks are great for example. Geometrical and floral patterns are also fun.
Play with colors – pick two main colors and use them as accents in the premises. This will give a specific artists edge to your home. Outstanding lamp, wall painting or unique vase – the vibrant color will make the piece of art stand out from the crowd.
Add character to your home with accents from different parts of the world. Tropical leaves and floral prints, inspired by distant shores offer a calm and relaxing living space. Multi color patterns from Africa carry deep feeling of hot days and romantic sunsets.
Do you plan re-decorating your home this summer?

The Bulgarian cousine is extremely rich in flavors and recipies. We use lots of herbs and spices, fresh or dried.

Here we share with you some basic herbs that we use in our traditional recipies.

Please share have you tried any of these dishes?

Well, we already decorated our homes for the Easter holidays and chose the Easter dinner menu. Now, let’s move to the most joyful and colorful part of the preparations for the holiday – dying the eggs!
The tips for decorating the eggs are thousands, the market offers different paints, techniques, accessories, or you can also try natural paints from herbs and vegetables. Whatever you will choose, the most important thing is to use your imagination and to follow your art call.
Here, we will present you our 10 most favorite ways to make beautiful Easter eggs:

1. Marbled Easter Eggs – To get the beautiful marbleized effect, all you will need is a whipped cream and food coloring. Get a small tray and spread a 2cm layer of whipped cream on the bottom, then add several drops of food coloring. Be generous — the more you use, the brighter your eggs will be. Then use a toothpick to swirl and marble your food coloring droplets. Pick us a hard-boiled egg and roll it in the cream, coating it completely. Leave it on a paper towel for 20minutes to dry and then wipe off the remaining cream with clean paper towel. The result is magical!
2. Ombre Easter eggs – You can create this dramatic result with one color, dividing it into several bowls with different intensity of the paint. Then, submerge a hard-boiled egg in each bowl. Steep for five minutes, or until you’re happy with the hue, then remove and place in an empty egg carton to dry.
3. Gold Leaf Easter Eggs – you will need gold leaf sheets and adhesive, paint brushes, and of course hard-boiled eggs and a pencil. You can cover all your egg with the gold leaf, or just a small part in the form of bunny, heart, or whatever you wish. Just scratch it with the pencil and start creating  When you are ready with the design, use the brush to put some glue and place a sheet of gold leaf over the top. Lightly tap on it to fix it. This technique needs more time and effort, but the result is always stunning! You can also do this on wooden eggs for a decoration that will last a little longer
4. Decoupage Easter Eggs – this is one very simple, yet extremely stunning technique. You need s napkin or fabric, paint brush, Mod podge glue and eggs  You can use white eggs, or paint them in the color you want. Cut the part or your napkin/fabric that you want to use and put it on the egg with on a thin layer of glue. Let them dry for an hour and then you’re done. These eggs do great for home decoration – on the table or on the Easter tree.
5. Mosaic Easter Eggs – paint some eggs and leave some of them white. Peel the painted and keep the shells. For this design we use small pieces of egg shells and glue it to a whole egg. We like to use different color shades on the top and white egg as a base. Here the variants are numerous, you just need a little patience and imagination 
6. Natural-Dye Easter Eggs – use ingredients from your kitchen and make natural colored eggs. Here the secret is to soak the eggs for longer, if you want brighter and deeper color. Leave for at least 30 minutes, some delicate colors like orange even for overnight. Put water and vinegar in a pot, bring it to a boil and then add your dye ingredients for the egg color of your choice. Lower the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool, strain and add the eggs for at least 30minutes. For red color, use beets, for yellow – onion skins or turmeric, for blue – purple cabbage or blueberries, for green – spinach leaves.
7. Crystal Easter Eggs – whatever technique you choose for coloring your eggs, marble effect or solid color, you can easily make them look cooler by covering them in small crystals. To make, paint one part of an egg with craft glue and sprinkle with clear iridescent glitter. Let dry. You can make this way the whole egg, by and repeating this on the two sides.
8. Nail Polish Easter Eggs – the secret to the perfect mélange? Swirl some nail polish in water and dip the egg in the mixture. Or take a paint brush and let your imagination do the rest! Don’t forget to use these eggs only for decoration!
9. Cotton Multi color Easter Eggs – use a cotton roll and sprinkle it all over with different colors of egg paint. Mix the colors freely to get beautiful combinations. Then put the hard-boiled egg still warm and pack it with the cotton roll. Leave for 20minuts and then unroll to see the stunning results.
10. Watercolor Easter Eggs – this is great technique to try with your kids. All you need is a set of watercolor paints, water and a brush to paint great eggs
Did you learn something new? We will be happy to hear your favorite techniques for decorating Easter eggs!

Spring is already here and feeling its vibes, we become eager to celebrate the Easter holidays! Easter is approaching, and with it – the excitement about the preparations to welcome our family and friends on the traditional Easter dinner. What should Easter table include? Which recipes to bet on and how to turn the holiday into a culinary feast? The recipes are thousands, great in ingredients and origin.

This year we decided to present you some of the traditional Bulgarian Easter dishes, present in each home during this holiday! The traditional Bulgarian Easter table is rich in flavors, aromas and symbolism. Diversified over the years with recipes and decorations, it preserves the color and originality of our folk customs and traditions.

At the center of the table, of course, are Easter eggs, beautifully painted and decorated. In Bulgaria, various techniques are used for coloring the eggs – wax painting, writing, herbal paint, etc. The eggs are a symbol of the revival of nature and spirit, of the victory of life over death. Traditionally, several of the eggs are  red and one of them is placed next to the family icon of the Mother of God as the protector of the home. The Easter dinner starts with Egg fight. The hosts and guests choose one of these eggs and measure their strength by knocking them into each other. The stronger – the “fighter”, is believed to bring health and luck to the one who chose it.

Then, we move to the salads. The spring green salad is typical for the festive Easter table. Lettuce, radishes, spinach, fresh onions, parsley are used for its preparation. The salad is most often seasoned with olive oil and lemon and decorated with chopped hard-boiled eggs. Another good option is the Classic potato salad. For its preparation you only need boiled potatoes, green onion, sunflower oil, lemon juice and salt. The right drinks make good company to these salads – most often traditional Bulgarian grape or plum brandy, called “rakiya”.

The traditional main dish on Easter is lamb. The lamb is a kind of sacrifice, a sacrifice in honor of the holiday. It can be prepared in different ways: baked in the oven with herbs and garlic, or garnished with spinach, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables, or roasted with spices and stuffed with onions, tomatoes and parsley. Another very common lamb dish is the “drob-sarma” – it is baked in the oven and is made of rice and trifles. In some parts of Bulgaria people make soup from lamb trifles. Everything is seasoned with salt, black and red pepper, beautifully decorated and served with love and wishes for health and prosperity.

Traditionally, the sweet Easter bread, called “kozunak” is present on each Bulgarian Easter table. It is inherited from the Easter ritual breads that our mothers and grandmothers made, and some still make at home today. Kozunak, a mixture from flour, milk, sugar and eggs, has different modifications depending on preferences and capabilities – you can add raisins, almonds, Turkish delight or chocolate.

We will be more than happy, if you try some of our traditional dishes and share photos from your holiday!

Spring cleaning feels great … once it’s finished 
But getting there takes time and efforts and isn’t always so much fun. To make this whole happening less boring, we have put up some tips and tricks to ease the process and leave you with more time to enjoy your fresh and tidy home.

1. REMOVE THE UNPLEASANT SMELL FROM YOUR FRIDGE
If you’re planning to start from the kitchen, clean the fridge first. Clean every part of your fridge with sponge, dipped into mixture of baking soda and hot water. In the fridge, different food smells mix and this could impact on the ingredients’ taste and smell. It’s also subject to spills and overcrowding, and it’s the one appliance that never gets a rest. You should always wipe up all spills immediately, before they get dry. Also, regularly check your fridge for spoiled food. Always keep a small cup of baking soda in your fridge. It will absorb the smells and the feeling after the deep cleaning will stay longer.
*If you need to defrost your freezer quickly, simply put a bowl with hot water in it and you will be ready in a minute! But first, unplug the fridge or freezer unit and remove all frozen foods. Then put some paper towels on the bottom to absorb the melting ice.

2. CLEAN YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSAL
Cleaning the garbage disposal is important and should be done once at a time. Simply drop in cut lemons, some salt and a few ice cubes and any unwanted odors or built-up residue will be eliminated.

3. CLEANING STAINLESS STEEL FAUCETS
The stainless steel faucets will shine again with some lemons. Just cut the lemon in half and start rubbing to remove hard water stains and rust from any stainless steel in the bathroom or kitchen. As bonus, you will get a fresh, pleasant citrusy scent.

4. CLEANING THE DISHWASHER
To work best, dishwashers need to be cleaned regularly. All you will need is white vinegar and baking soda. First, remove any foreign material you can find from the drain. Then, place a bowl full of white vinegar on the top rack and run a complete wash cycle on the hottest setting. Then sprinkle a handful of baking soda across the bottom of your dishwasher and run for a short hot water cycle. Follow the above steps and you will avoid any drainage problems with your dishwasher, and you will get sparkling clean dishes,

5. CLEANING THE WINDOWS
Choose a dry, cloudy day. Sunshine will cause your windows to dry too quickly, leaving streaks. Before you get started, sweep dirt from the window frame with a brush or vacuum cleaner to prevent dirt from turning into a muddy mess when mixed with a cleaner. Then spray generously the chosen cleaner and wipe with a cloth until all dirt is dissolved. For best results, use a microfiber cloth.

6. CLEANING THE CARPETS AND SOFA
If you try to avoid expensive, chemical based cleaners from the market, we have the right offer for you! Freshen up your carpets and sofa, using essential oil and baking soda. Just spray several drops of essential oil, then scatter baking soda and leave for 5 minutes. Then use the vacuum cleaner to clean everything away and you are ready! The same thing does great results with your mattresses!

And what are your favorite cleaning hacks?

The winter is coming to its end and with each day we become more and more eager to welcome Spring with all its colorful beauty and joy! Our homes will fill with delicate flowers and green freshness. We also start to think about Easter and the great ways to decorate our homes.
Decorating for Easter is fun and easy. To give you some inspiration, in the gallery above we have collected our favorite Easter decoration ideas.
What are your favorite Easter decorations?

This five letter word can represent the most important item in your winter accessories wardrobe. It can also be a great gift for a friend or family, or just a quick purchase made as a step up your stylish outfit.

With the vast variety or models, shapes, patterns and styles, scarves are always modern! You will never be wrong if you choose warm blanket scarf for the cold months, pleated scarf over your blue jeans and monochrome shirts for spring, or delicate cashmere shawl for the cold summer evenings.

The scarf can be styled in various ways, creating different looks. You can wear it to keep you warm and cozy in the winter, or add it to your outfit just as an accessory.

Stylists say in 2021 large scarves are fashionable, especially if you wear them on your hair or over your coat.

For the cold months scarves with heavy fabric are on line, textured and fluffy, creating a sense of coziness. The preferred material is pure wool or wool blend yarn. If you choose fringed model, you will never be out of fashion. You can wear it in numerous ways, even adding a belt. Infinity scarves are another great option. They are beautiful and cozy, fitting perfectly with any top, and much simpler to style.

For the warm months scarves are still preferable accessory. We choose them in lighter, delicate texture and in our favorite summer colors. The best materials are silk, satin, chiffon. Here the variety of styles are unlimited. As to patterns – stylists say you should choose floral, patchwork, leopard or painted in joyful colors.

Which is your favorite pattern?

Decorating your home with pillows gives you the freedom to change the décor quick and easy according to your mood, season, or just to experiment with new designs. Living room, family room, or bedroom, every room will shine in a new way with several pillows added.
So why limit ourselves with just two or three solid color pillows, instead of letting our fantasy free in the great variety of patterns, textures and sizes. The good news is that pillows actually don’t have to match perfectly. Often great results are achieved when you experiment. Here are some tips from experts for mixing different patterns and colors, and still have stylish and beautiful result.
First, think about the idea you want to present. Are you fond of more neutral looks, then combine various earth and pastel tones, adding subtle textures or patterns. Or you are looking for something bolder? Then choose brighter colors and extravagant patterns and shapes.
If you start with colors, choose a general color palette, taking into account some basic furniture or wall color or curtains in the room. 3 to 5 colors would be great. In case you would like to add different patterns, the overall vision will still be cohesive if they at least share the same colors.
Here are some examples of color combinations that always look great together:
• Orange, green and purple
• Pale pink, navy blue and sky blue
• Deep red, orange and deep green
• Deep blue, pale peach, pale mint and orange
• Shades of blue and gold
• Magenta, navy blue and mustard
• Different tones of one color
Different patterns can also be mixed and matched. Here the rule is that each pattern should incorporate at least with one of the colors in the chosen palette. Choose your main pattern first, which is generally the largest pattern and the one that contains the colors in your color story. Then, the secondary patterns you select can contain just one or two of the colors. The size of the pattern also matters: choose a scale with different pattern sizes allowing one pattern to dominate. The main pattern should be the largest, and the most subtle – the smallest, like a solid color pillow.
Here are a few pattern mixing ideas for start:
• Geometric, floral and a solid color pillow
• Floral, stripes and a solid color pillow
• Animal print variations
• Dotted, floral and stripped pillow
Mixing textures should not follow strict rules. Play with your imagination and follow your sense for comfort, smooth touch, rough accent texture, softness and fuzzy look. Great number of variations here: faux fur, and velvet, linen, knit wools, playful pom poms and tassels. If you keep your color and pattern theme in mind, you can get creative with touch and feel.
In regard to numbers, odd numbers look modern, white even numbers look traditional. Even numbers give more balanced look, especially on your bed or couch. Sets of similar pillows, such as two or four, give more clean and orderly look.
When buying pillow inserts, you should look for a size bigger than the size of your cover. Inserts have the tendency to deflate easily, especially with extended use, and a larger size keeps them looking fuller longer.
Having this guide in hand, you can easily re-arrange your home, but never forget to follow your inner sense for fashion and comfort.