...portugal...

...the Portugal post is here....finally!  We embarked on a grand roadtrip with my brother & his girlfriend to Portugal while they were here a couple weeks ago....venturing down to the very southwest tip to Lagos & then up to Lisbon....what a magical country with tons of inspiration!

I was totally in awe with all the tiles, which were everywhere...mostly on the exterior facades of buildings in both Lagos & Lisbon.

I found some great type & old doors- obsessed!  If you ever get to Portugal you must try some of the regional specialties...my favs were the patatas bravas, vino verde, & the piri-piri sauce.  And if you make it to Lagos eat at Cafe Xpreitaqui, it's an awesome local tapas & wine bar with a great vibe.

...I had to take away some souveniers of course....There were some great street vendors in Lagos selling all sorts of fun seed bead jewelry- I walked away with handfuls for gifts...as well as a tile cheese plate & a boucherouite style rug & mini soaps (fell in love with the patterned packaging)...x mvg

...dublin days...

...I just returned from a quick little journey up to dublin & back...what a cool city!  It felt nice to get all bundled up for fall & I had a blast bopping around with my friend Katie- she knew just where to take me!

I totally fell for the concept store Avoca- similar to Anthropologie in a way but rooted around Irish heritage & their iconic throw blankets (think cashmere, mohair, & lambswool) that have been around since 1723- Irelands oldest weaving mill!

The store had levels & levels of carefully curated products & even a cute little cafe.  I loved it & everything in it, but unfortunately I had no room for throws in my tightly packed suit case, so delicious smelling soap had to do!  I definitely plan on stocking up on throws from their online store though- their cookbook looks pretty good too! 

...more on dublin to come soon! x mvg {images via here & here}

...island life in Ibiza...

how amazing is this Ibiza escape?!?  I came across this while thumbing through the latest issue of Dwell...(the last of my US mag stash by the way).  This gem is tucked into the quiet corner of the island & is owned by spanish rug designer Nani Marquina & photographer Albert Font- no doubt it's stylin!

And that rug is to die for!  You can watch more about kilim technique here...magnificent! cheers to friday! enjoy your weekend! x mvg

....have ticket >>> will travel....

...how snazzy are these worldly bus tickets?!? definitely worth keeping as travel mementos & using for craft projects and/or inspiration. x mvg

...my gals...

...a night out in san seb with these two ladies...jeeeezzz...the cava kicked my a*s!  One of my favorites for pintxos is bar zeruko in the old town...tapas hopping is the best! {photo by my gal ebb} x mvg

...I want to go here...

...how beauteous is this place?!?  Located in graz austria- not too shabby...hoping to get back to austria real soon for some spaetzle...it's soooo good! x mvg

...to the beach...

...we're finally having some beach weather here in the south of france so that is exactly where I'm headed for the afternoon!  Then off to sanseb to hang with a couple of my california ladies for the weekend.  Have a good one! x mvg

...barceloneeee...

... I had a rather rapid (36 hour) trip to barcelona the week before last- my husband was there for work & had a day off...so what did I do?  I hopped on the soonest flight I could find to explore barcelone with my babe.  It was "speed sight seeing" as we like to call it- & we absolutely ate & drank our way through that city! sooooo...here is a mini guide to the must see's & must eat's of barcelona...

Definitely hit up the eclipse bar at the W- the views of the city from here are amazing (the photo above).  If you want a taste of the old city,  4gats would be your spot- this is where pablo picasso & other bohemian types used to hang back in the day- it feels frozen in time- how cool is that?  I also highly recommend bar lobo- amazing tapas & some serious sangria- we may or may not have over served ourselves...whoops!  Not to mention the interior decor of this place is super fun...

There are lots of markets around barcelona- most of them were closed since it was a holiday, but this one below had some cool graphics so I had to snap a pic...

The most ridiculously absurd cathedral I have ever been to in my life- this is a must must must- it feels like something out of candy land...la sagrada familia

...and how great is this guy? yes, that is love written with empty spanish beer cans!

..and us...say queso! what an amazing day...

...spanish finds...

...while in Barcelona last week I saw tons of little shops selling these spanish ceramics...I naturally fell in love with the sangria pitchers & tapas plates & ended up picking up a couple as gifts.  Regretting not  buying any for our home I coincidentally found the vase above at a french flea last weekend with my mamma....5 euros- score!  Then my babe came home from his Barcelona mission with the largest sangria pitcher ever- totally in love with the pitcher....& him...Anyways, you can score some of your own spanish ceramics here....x mvg

...elle es...

...in route to Barcelona earlier this week I was flipping through Elle Espana at the airport while eating a bocadillo & sipping on some coffee (I know I fell off the spring detox wagon temporarily) I loved this editorial spread from the may 2012 issue taken in the Mediterranean...ummm yeah, & I also seriously loved Barcelona!  More posts to come on that soon- promise! x mvg

...lets go...

...I could use a little primitive getaway right now...no internet, no phone, just me & my man...the blue atelier is in trancoso, a quiet fishing village on the coast of brazil.  The small beach cabana has been modeled after the traditional fisherman's huts of bahi with a rustic & artistic vibe inside...how rad is this place? can we go now, please?!?! {images via designtripper & boutique-homes}

...festival of lights...

...NASA satellite photo over india of the festival of lights {image via design you trust}

...liberty london...

...while in london last week I visited Liberty, an iconic london shop known for their printed fabrics...what an amazing exterior, interior, & designer product assortment.  Tons of lustworthy items to adorn yourself or your home with....the store was an experience in itself...

..the home textile collection was to die for as was the collection 

of astier de villatte dish ware...

...my purchase of the day was this kelly green satchel from zatchel, love! x mvg

...liv x jackson...

...spring is creeping in & I'm not sure if I'm ready to be honest...I feel like I missed winter- not enough time spent in the mountains I guess...I'm daydreaming of a trip to visit the fam in Jackson Hole.  Love these photos from a 2004 InStyle shoot of Liv Tyler in Jackson...x mvg

...munich love...

...just a few photos from the museum brandhorst & pinakothek der modern in munich- super inspirational...the museum brandhorst also had an exhibition of cy twomblys work (one of my faves, but no pics were allowed)...we're in the mountains of austria now...more updates to come soon...x mvg

...spandorra...

...we trekked to Andorra this weekend for some sun & snow....Andorra is actually it's own little country, smack on the boarder of Spain & France in the Pyrenees mountains.  It got quite confusing as the locals speak catalan, while many of the tourists speak french or spanish....what we spoke became a quick mixture of french, english, & spanish....si...oui,...yes...ahhhhhh- my brain was doing backflips trying to keep up with which language I was supposed to be speaking....we had some good snow & lots of sunshine & a last minute stop at a castle in Foix France on the way home...we'll definitely be going back there again...x mvg

...jura lodge//scotland...

...in search of boutique hotels for an upcoming trip to Munich & Innsbruck I stumbled across this gem on the Isle of Jura- situated off the western coast of Scotland.  The Jura Lodge is a former distillery house & the area is known for it's scotch, deer to person ratio (5,500 to 200), & difficulty in getting to.  It definitely has an eclectic, vintage french, old world vibe that I just fell in love with.  The entire lodge is for rent, but it's pricey (2,500 british pounds a night)...shooting, fishing, lobster eating, sailing, & whisky drinking....sounds like a Velte vacation....I'll keep dreaming for now...{images via jura lodge}

The lodge is available for

...biarritz...

One of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to -situated conveniently on the sea- waves, baguettes, cheese, wine, & brimming with interior & architectural inspiration- doesn't get much better- can't wait for our adventure!