Be a Yoga Goddess


Yoga doesn't take time, it gives time.
Ganga White

I love doing Yoga! Yoga practice is part of my life since the age of 18 and has stayed with me since. I haven't become perfect in the poses, i'm not yet enlightened and not over-ambitious, yet the practice and i have established a steady relationship, that helps me get through the ups and downs of life and stay sane. Stretching the body is also stretching and relaxing the mind and each pose teaches you different things. 

Also, and maybe most importantly, there is meditation, which i do every morning before i start may day. It feels so good to let go of everything and just BE - breathing in, breathing out, connecting - with your own higher self and with the world. I feel, that meditation gives me a lot of energy and makes it possible, to stay present during the day.

In that way, Yoga also makes me sparkle - like a shower for the soul. Do you have a little ritual, that you love? I'd like to hear about it!


Paris in the spring

... because Paris is always a good idea!

Especially when combined with a wonderful person - like gorgeous Anita, from Castles, Crowns & Cottages, who won my Valentines Giveaway.

This is her fashion portrait in the city of LOVE, and she's wearing a  greige tutu along with a chic little sweater and white blouse to dance  beneath the blossoming trees.

I could also envision her as a  fabulous lady from the belle époque, someone who has a salon where artists and writers meet op to discuss their new work. More about this another time.

Have a bright and lovely start to your week -  can't wait to come visit and have a little chat with YOU!

A bit of art & a bit of fashion





The sweet smell of spring is in the air ...

and on my way to do some groceries i see white and pink and yellow, so fragile and so pretty! I smell something like honeysuckle and cherry blossom and the sky is baby blue. It makes me feel happy, but also a little off my usual tempo. Like i just want to sit and dream and let myself float along with the fluffy white clouds. You get it - kind of a difficult day to get some work! done 
The little painting above just swings in this mood, although it was done in the winter.

Am glad the weekend is almost here, although it's supposed to bring rain. I plan to have a stroll over the flea market and the farmers market, work on some drawings i started, meet some friends i haven't seen for a while and dive into the pages of a fabulous new magazine called Scarlet Pink. Fashion, Art, Music, Culture - just love that mix. And am doubly exited because a lovely and talented blogfriend of mine is one of the contributors - do you guess, who it is? 

Pictures: 1: Martine Voigt-Schmid, 2+3


a weekend in Paris ...


...would be just the ticket, non?

I, for my part am traveling by the means of art - using the magical powers of my sketchbook to take me, wherever i want to go. 

A new fashion sketch - a black & white story in the streets of Paris - just while i work on that portrait for Anita- hopefully over the weekend.

Do you have anything planned yet? I left it quite open, to have the space and possibility to work on my art a little - besides exploring the outdoors and looking for all these little signs of spring everywhere. This fresh, crisp green of the first leaves is one of my favorite colors in the world!

Have a fubtastic weekend ahead and see you all soon!.

Drawing: Martine Voigt-Schmid

3 hot spring trends, a portrait and a winner






Welcome to a brand new week flowers! 
Has spring started already where you are? In our little corner, i see so many signs of the seasons turning, the earth waking up. And as i got in from the garden yesterday, i also wanted to shed my old skin and revel in a sense of renewal. Am thinking of a little spring cleanse for this week - and also - about putting together some new outfits.

3 hot trends for the coming season i just spotted and instantly loved: 

Two-pieces with Caribbean Flair
(This is something i wouldn't like seeing on myself, as bold patterns don't suit me. But I'd LOVE to see this on a lot of other women as i walk through town, like on my friend, the painter and well known fashion icon Barbara von Enger - see portrait on top. At the time i did this portrait sketch of hers, she was dressed just this way and it looked awesome - and very inspiring to the artist in me.

Artist gear
Now - this is good news for me, because it means i can go out, wearing my working clothes - the ones that i paint with. My working jeans are covered in little dots of paint and so are many other things in my studio. Some accidentally ... but i can make good use of that now ;)

Comfy shoes
Tee hee - how about a pair of these covered in paint? Because that is what i wear in my studio too. And why not give those heals a break more often and stroll around town in one of those? It means, we can do more walking - which is so good for pretty legs - and beside -s i love walking!

But the main thing is: Be yourself and wear, what makes you feel great -
because that is also, what brings out the inner beauty best!
Like - the lovely winner of my Valentine Giveaway.
I'll be doing her fashion portrait very soon - so look out for it here in the next 2 weeks.

Actually, all the women and dear friends who participated in this are worth painting and i loved to read, what makes them Sparkle. More about that in the next post.

Drawing: Martine Voigt-Schmid. pix 123: elle.com