Enchanting Firefly Forest in Japan

Oh boy! This enchanting forest in the Chūgoku region of Japan, is the home to gold fireflies that charm the area regularly with their blinking sassiness. Doesn't this place look magical? (I'd love to see it in person one day). xo

P.S: My darlings, Happy Halloween! Have a spooky and fun night. Balazs and I are off for a scary movie night with friends. What are you up to tonight?
P.P.S: Firefly forest in Germany.

(via LiveJournal)

Man And His Elephant Best Pal

Le sigh! My heart swells just looking at those photos. Honestly, what can be more heart-warming than sharing bananas with your elephant-best-buddy while strolling through the water? Nazroo, the 58 years old gentleman and Rajan, the 60 years old elephant both live at Radha Nagar Beach in Havelock, Andaman Islands. They've been best friends for decades. Rajan is one of the few swimming elephants out there who used to work for logging companies on the Andaman Islands. Since logging was banned a few years ago, Nazroo fought with the authorities to keep his friend from being sent back to India. At last with the help of locals and a few companies he succeeded and nowadays they spend their time eating bananas, swimming and chilling. And if you're lucky enough to stumble upon him on the beach, he might even take you for a little strool as well:)

Interesting fact: The relationship between the mahout and his elephant usually lasts for their entire lives, creating an extremely strong tie between the animal and the human being. Amazing! Darlings, isn’t that lovely?

P.S: A few years ago I fed apples to an elephant in our local zoo. It was super fun! xo

P.S: Swimming elephant in India.

(via Telegraph, photos by Cesare Naldi)

Wellies: Thumbs up or down?

I had a Skype-date with one of my friends in London over the weekend. She told me that wellies are the it shoes for gloomy, rainy, snowy and plain cold weather nowadays. I totally agree with Sofia as I'm a huge fan of wellingtons myself! It's so fun to see how those once unloved rubber boots became totally fashionable and oh-so snazzy! (And they are super comfy as well if you wear thick, cozy long socks with them). Darlings, what do you think about rain boots? Are you wearing them this season? Will you? xo

P.S: I have those and this pair with rain level is pretty cool too.
P.P.S: Pants made of wellies.

(Photos by Wendy, Elle, Bee, Emily, The Sartorialist & Garance Doré)

Giveaway Winner

Drum rolls, please!!! The winner of Elisabeth Michael pillow GIVEAWAY is Vintch.

Ps: Thank you all for playing...New awesome giveaway is coming on Wednesday!

Have a sweet weekend!

My darlings, what are you up to this weekend? On Sunday, Balazs and I are going over to friends for a spooky party, so tomorrow I need to find cool costumes to wear and bake something yummy. Any ideas? Have a sweet and fun weekend! Here are a few great links from around the web. Enjoy! (Those pears above look totally scrumptious, don't they?)

Another cutie who is sporting the animal instinct trend to perfection.

Miss Moss have nailed it, again!

Ring perfection.

How awesome are those scarves?

Hats and pretty girls.

Scrambled eggs with gravlax.

I'd love to be sitting here right now.

Tips for baby's arrival.

This dandelion sky is stunning.

Happy feet!

Autumn, I love you so much!

Ten cool fixes for messy kitchen mistakes.

Two more days left to enter our pillow GIVEAWAY! Don't miss it.

My sweet darlings, see you Monday morning. Love! xo

(Photo via That Kind of Woman of honey cardamom caramel pears)

This Week's Gems

What a fantastic and oh-so cozy-looking autumn knitted snood. I just want to bundle up in it!...

Perfect Halloween set: skull earrings & fractured skull necklace. Aren't they super cool?...
My home needs this poppy-butterfly cloche. Love!...

I love the look of this tee. Sweet!...

Need any last minute Halloween ideas? How fun are those eyeballs containers & spooky treat bags?...(bags, containers here).

It seems that everyone is wearing those awesome bracelets nowadays. They are great for stacking...

I'm over the moon with this blazer! It has such a great cut...

I can't get enough of tiny retro robots. Aren't they lovely?...

Both of those tops look super pretty. Perfect for autumn days:)...

How sassy and charming are those cards by Michelle Baron? I simply adore them...

I just got those two beauties as a gift from a friend. I love autumn!...

Necklace perfection! I want to wear it with chambray shirt & skinny jeans!..

Happy Friday, darlings! What caught your eye this week? Any great finds? xo

P.S: Have a you entered our pillow GIVEAWAY already? Don't miss it:)

How To Make Homemade Marshmallows!

Lovelies, have you tried making marshmallows before? Yesterday, Ann Marie wrote a delicious ode to the homemade version of the fluffy goodness and guess what? Now, I can't stop thinking about a hot, creamy cup of cocoa and s'mores! She used Deb's recipe (which is totally easy-breezy) and she put a sweet twist on it by using flake shape cookie cutters. Yum! xo

P.S: Also, chocolate covered beer marshmallows.

Travel Fantasy: Madagascar's Stone Forest

Crikey! Have you heard about this stone forest before? It's located in Madagascar and it spreads over 666 square kilometer region and it rises up to 70 meters from the ground. Incredible! Beneath and in between those mesmerizing stone trees there is a hidden, extraordinary world of forest canyons, caves, beautiful plants and incredible animals including wild birds and lemurs. Visiting a place like that would be an adventure of a lifetime, wouldn't it? (It looks almost like a labyrinth to me). xo

P.S: Magical blue bell woods.
P.P.S: You can read more about the stone forest here.

(Photos by Stephen Alvares for National Geographic)

Autumn Trend: Tomboy

Gasp! One of my favourite trends this autumn is the tomboy style. According to Brits even the most style-savvy ladies are borrowing from the boys this season, embracing all things cozy, comfy and understated with a hint of masculine vibe. I know that each time I nick Balazs' sweater or a tee for the day, I feel all adventurous and a bit rebellious :). My darlings, what’s your take on the boyish trend: thumbs up or down? xo

P.S: More autumn trends: sexy red, elbow patches and geek-chic glasses.

(Photos by Street Peeper, The Sartorialist & Pinterest)

Chocolate Caramel Tarts

Mmm! How is it that every time there is caramel, chocolate and sea salt mixed together, the dessert is bound to be mouth-wateringly delicious? Jamie made those tarts the other day and she even said that she guarantees that one bite will knock your socks off! Sounds irresistible, doesn't it? They would make a scrumptious holiday treat. Yum! xo

P.S: If you are looking for a last minute Halloween dessert idea, check out this awesome haunted graveyard cake!

Wednesday Giveaway

Today’s giveaway is from Elisabeth Michael, one of my favourite home décor boutiques. It's full of cozy decorative pillows, custom drapes, awesome shower curtains and adorable Christmas stockings. Liz, the designer is offering you a chance to win one of her pillows. It's totally up to you to pick the one you fancy the most from her shop. I love both of those striped beauties and this zig-zag chevron one would add such a beautiful accent to any sofa. You know what they say: No need buying a new sofa, just get an awesome pillow to complement it:)

For a chance to win you should be a follower of exPress-o, please visit the Elisabeth Michael shop and let us know which pillow you fancy the most. As always the giveaway is open worldwide.The winner will be chosen at random on Sunday night. Good luck! xo

For extra entries:
Follow exPress-o on Twitter, follow Liz's blog, join exPress-o group on Facebook, subscribe to Elisabeth Michael email offers (bottom-right of the page) or tweet about the giveaway and please make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

Also, exclusively for exPress-o readers Liz is offering a whopping $30 off all shower curtains in her shop. (I'm lusting over this one). 

Bivouacking On The Edge Of A Mountain

Holy smoke! Recently I read that mountaineers get a huge thrill of bivouacking which is pretty much sleeping while being suspended in the air. While climbing for days with no solid ground under them they simply don’t have a choice but to set up their night shelters while hanging in the air. Crazy, right?

Supposedly, there is a whole routine that goes into it. Something that really stuck with me was what Yvon Chouinard, a famous rock climber said about it: " For me the most fun of climbing was bivouacking: getting up on a wall and sleeping in god-awful conditions, in hammocks or just hanging from your ropes all night trying to sleep. You really get into the rhythm of the wall. It’s all about the process, not the goal.”

How interesting and brave, don’t you think? Just looking at those photos makes my knees wobble. xo

P.S: A beautiful Wednesday GIVEAWAY is coming up!
P.P.S: Cliffhanger.

(Photos via Patagonia’s Holiday catalog via A well traveled woman)