Terribly Nice · 2012

Archive | July, 2012

TRAVEL DIARIES VOL. 1: CRETE

Posted By Paula Maso / July 30, 2012 / Places, Travel / Comments { 6 }

I know this is probably a general feeling everyone has, but I’m having the hardest time getting back to my usual routine after going on vacation. I came back to Barcelona last week from Greece and I’m missing it so much! I’m really sorry it’s taken me so long to update, I’ve been crazy busy these past few days and I couldn’t find a spare minute to post my travel pictures until now.

It’s kind of a bittersweet feeling to look back at these fantastic moments, and although I’m really happy to be back in the city –I’m a concrete animal- I can’t help but miss the crystalline beaches, the total disconnection and yes, the feta cheese. Anyways, I’m dividing the pictures into two posts, since I feel there was a before and after of my trip and here’s the reason why:

Our dear friend Elli was getting married in Crete, but that wasn’t far away enough for the bride and groom. As athletic and adventurous as they are, they decided to get married in the remote location of Agia Roumeli, a charming, tiny town only accessible by either walking almost 17 km from the top of a mountain or taking a ferry. I, obviously, wanted to take the ferry, but Andrés gave me the puppy eyes and I finally gave in and ended up walking for 7 hours, downhill, through a place with a horrifying name, as if walking for 7 hours wasn’t bad enough: Samaria’s Gorge.

I have to say that regardless of the pain I was feeling the day after (and the day after that, and the day after the day after that) I don’t regret it. It’s one of the most beautiful, breath-taking places I’ve ever seen. I would do it again and again and again and I recommend it to everyone who’s planning on visiting Crete, you will not be disappointed.

The pictures I’m showing you do not represent one bit what the place is actually like, for many reasons. Firstly, I couldn’t really walk and hold the camera at the same time since the road was very rocky and I had to have my hands free in case I fell down (which happened about 467 times) so getting it out all the time was a bit fussy, and secondly, the lens I brought was completely improper for landscapes and scenery. If you want to read a bit more about the Gorge, just click here.

The first set of pictures are from a little trip we took to the Nostos Winery in Chania. We had a taste of 6 different varieties of their wine and then had a traditional Cretan feast. Wow. No words. Delicious wine, delicious food and amazing people, we even brought home 2 bottles even though we were only carrying two small pieces of luggage… Shame on me! If you’re heading to Crete, this is a perfect, romantic plan and I absolutely recommend it! After indulging in scrumptious Greek food, we had a good night’s rest and at 5 a.m. we were headed to the very top of the mountain, where our little trip downhill began…

I really do hope you like the pictures and I’ll come back later with our second part of the trip: shorelines, coastlines and beaches.

chania greece crete hotels

vacaciones en creta

nostos winery crete chania

fotografia paisajes grecia creta

garganta de samaria chania grecia creta

samaria's gorge crete greece chania

samaria gorge crete greece hiking trail

vacaciones creta chania heraklion grecia

samaria gorge crete greece hiking trail walking

garganta de samaria caminata grecia creta chania

chania samaria's gorge hiking trail

chania samaria garganta

beer crete chania greece agia roumeli

This was the most well deserved beer I’ve ever had. The taste of glory.

All pictures property of Paula Maso.

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2 DAYS LEFT

Posted By Paula Maso / July 24, 2012 / Travel / Comments { 2 }

I’m in the ~~beautiful~~ incredible island of Crete in Greece. We came with the excuse of a wedding but we also took a little time to relax and get away from reality for a while, and what better place to do so than gorgeous beaches, rich food and perfect weather? I took so many pictures I think it might take me 3 years to go over them!

This quick post (I have to go to another beach! Poor me) is just a reminder for me and you: I’m coming back to Barcelona in 2 days and that also means you have just 2 days left to participate in my very first giveaway!

In the meanwhile, here’s a little inspiration for us all… The breathtaking beach of Balos.

balos beach crete greece

You can see more previews of my trip to Crete on my Instagram feed :)

All pictures property of Paula Maso.

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MY FIRST GIVEAWAY: PRINT BY PATRICIA PRESTIGIACOMO

Posted By Paula Maso / July 18, 2012 / Design / Comments { 35 }

Patricia Prestigiacomo is a graphic designer from Caracas, Venezuela. I follow her on Instagram.

For the past few months she’s been uploading screen captures of her own designs under the hashtag #thingsidowhenimbored. They are intricate, nostalgic compositions that made my day every time she shared one. I sent her an e-mail asking her what the purpose of those little squares of awesomeness was, and to my astonishment, she said they were just that, things she did when she got bored. They had no purpose but to just be.

What the hell, right? I wish I did stuff like that when I got bored! I urged her to make a website, a tumblr, a blog, anything that could show the world the amazing artist she is, and she listened. I also told her that I would love to do a post on her and that a great way to do so was to organize Terribly Nice’s first giveaway: a Patricia Prestigiacomo Original (and she also has a killer name!).

She made this piece especially for Terribly Nice and she guaranteed exclusivity: meaning no one else in the world will have this but you, dear winner of this giveaway.

All you have to do is leave a nice comment on this post and I’ll announce the winner next week.The picking process will be completely random and I’ll show proof of this! Unfortunately this giveaway is for my continental european readers only, since shipping goes from Terribly Nice Headquarters’ pocket, a.k.a me.

The measurements are 30×30 cm and it’s a digital print on cotton paper, printed by The Private Space, my favorite printing company in the whole wide world. Due to the huge ocean that separates Venezuela and Spain, the print is not hand signed by the author, but Patricia sent us a digital signature and a certificate :)

hands poster

ocean print

designer prints

I’m hoping you didn’t notice that I’m holding the print upside down, but I think it’s pretty obvious. Please cut me some slack. Here are some other of Patricia’s prints:

vintage retro print

caracas diseño gráfico

vintage poster

I’m going to be away for a week since I’m going to a wedding at a top secret destination. More details coming soon :)

All pictures property of Patricia Prestigiacomo.

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SYLVIA’S FAMOUS PASSION FRUIT MOUSSE

Posted By Paula Maso / July 16, 2012 / Food / Comments { 21 }

First of, I have to start this post by saying that it is dedicated to the author of this recipe: my dear friend Sylvinha.

We met a while ago in London when I accidentally crashed at her place for about two months (but that’s a very long story), and it was one of those friendships that you would never thought you would have, but you do and you’re thankful for it. Sylvia is a natural-born fashionista/self-taught interior designer/mother of two/loving wife/floral designer/business woman and traveller extraordinaire. There’s not a single thing this woman can’t do!

She has an extremely busy life (super busy, as in insanely busy) yet she somehow manages to host an amazing number of dinner parties. At one of those beautiful dinners she served us an incredibly simple dessert that I have now stolen and now I serve it at all of my dinner parties: Delicious, sweet, fluffy passion fruit mousse… sorry Sylvia! It’s too good not to share!

As the amazing friend that she is, she even gave me a jar of her special touch: edible rose petals from Disneyland for adults Fortnum and Mason, which actually taste like grass but look beautiful, and we all know that it doesn’t really matter how food tastes but how good it looks on Instagram, right?

All kidding aside, this dessert is so easy to make it’s ridiculous, and believe me, it will leave your guests wanting more!

postre facil de frutas

mousse de maracuya

passion fruit dessert

simple fruit dessert

edible rose petals

Here’s what you will need:

- 1 cup condensed milk.

- 1 cup double cream.

- ½ cup Passion Fruit concentrate.

- Juice from half a lemon.

Here’s how to do it:

Mix everything in a blender, pour into pretty cups, shove it in the fridge and wait for about an hour. That’s it. Seriously.

If you’re wondering where I got my unbelievably gorgeous set of vintage tea cups, you’re looking at Meublé. As soon as I saw them I fell in love! How can anyone not love iridescent, pastel, gold lined tea cups? I took a set of four but they have a couple more left, so hurry before anyone else gets them!

Have a lovely, sweet week :) ♥

All pictures property of Paula Maso.

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THINGS I’M AFRAID TO TELL YOU

Posted By Paula Maso / July 13, 2012 / Living, Photography / Comments { 10 }

The other day my friend Laura commented on a picture of mine and told me it looked like as if I lived in a fairytale world. I’m looking back on the pictures I’ve posted on my blog and on my Instagram feed and I’m very surprised because everything looks so clean and pastel… so pretty.

I just came across this post on Creature Comfort’s blog -my post title is a homage to her post- and I was in awe. I too am part of this mega trend of taking pictures of cupcakes and only posting tiny, spare moments of my life that are seemingly perfect. I look at fashion bloggers and feel admiration and a bit of envy: how are they so fabulous? I would really love to know how they really live, because I actually doubt that anyone’s life is that amazing, but perhaps it’s because my life is far from being terribly nice.

After reading Creature Comfort’s post, I understood that it’s just not me who struggles to find the time and effort (and let’s not talk about inspiration!) to make a beautifully crafted post, and right after we took pictures and uploaded them on our pretty little blogs we have to go to work, wash the dishes, do our beds and pay our bills. I had a particularly hateful comment the other day in which someone who doesn’t know me called me privileged and told me to get a life. I was outraged at first, and then I thought that she was right; in her eyes, who only knows me from my pictures, I am a privileged, spoiled brat.

In reality I am an immigrant whose family are also immigrants and we are struggling to find a life in a country that is also struggling to survive.

I find my life is much more beautiful when I create something inspiring, but some days are just very mundane, yet I still try to find the beauty in them.

paula maso