sisterMAG Christmas Issue N°5 by sisterMAG

Dream Chamber 20 23

Childhood Dreams Blog introduction The Wild Fleur

Your Childhood Dreams

DIY Ideas from Dunja Moralić

We asked our readers

Childhood Treats Recipes from the German cooking book »Anni backt für Kinder«

w n e h c t i K

You don‘t dream as nicely once you have grown up. Wuff – NYC from a dog‘s eyes perspective from Rebecca Baust & Sammy

Mail w m o o R

w l l a H Entr y

w l e p a Ch

Dining Hall w

amb

W or

w p o h s k

m Ch

D re a

Hallway

Mail Room

Workshop 218 Startup Spotlight: aggregift 223 A Jacket For Life

Digital Native Column Communication channels

Tech For Home

A film project about the phenome-

Mobile Gadgets at Fashion For

non of Barbour

Home with the large Vodafone Gadget Feature

228 The Doll Doctor Sivan Askayo visits Naples

Winter Gadgets & Big Giveaway

234 The Crafters – The Designer

Twitter for Beginners

241 Blouses

Startup Spotlight: moped

Brittany Watson Jepsen shows white

Comparing File Hosting Services

blouses in Copenhagen

Portrait of Rike Schön

Dropbox, Google Drive & DocWallet

Dining Hall

102 Sent With Love Christmas Cards Trend Guide

106 Letter Writers Alliance 111 Short Messages in the year 1913 Victoria Kau about the postcard album of her great grandmother

Kitchen 170 3 Wishes For Winter Lovers Food Feature from Svenja Paulsen

120 Lords & Ladies Examining the English Aristocracy

126 Hooks & Eyes Dressing for Dinner in 1912 with Beatrice Behlen

132 White Christmas at Daylesford Tour through English Cotswolds with Charlotte Franklin

164 Startup Spotlight Gourmet Origins

178 Startup Spotlight Foodspotting 184 A digital-culinary pen friendship Talking to cookbook & blog author Lisa Nieschlag & 3 recipes from Liz&Jewels

196 Hannukah Fried delicacies from matkonation

212 Winemaker‘s Column from Monika Abraham

Chapel 270 Startup Spotlight: MARRYJim 280 Webpicks Winter Wedding curated by Nicola Neubauer

282 Lover‘s Guide Berlin 291 A Sunday Kind Of Love Modern-rustic wedding styling in Oklahoma

contributors text & foto

text

translation

Sivan Askayo L

Monika Abraham L

Sabrina Bäcker

Rebecca Baust L

Donaville Herrick L

Kathrin Greyer

Beatrice Behlen L

Victoria Kau L

Sarah Müller

Jan Cawood L

Antonia Neubauer L

Antonia Neubauer

Charlotte Franklin L

Nicola Neubauer L

Donata Proske

Dunja Moralić L Lisa Nieschlag L

foto Julia Cawley L Ashley Ludäscher L

Anna Schmalfuß

set Ernst Löchtermann Evi Neubauer L

styling make-up & hair

Michael Neubauer

Lily Beckett L

models Clara Frost & Albert L

Denise Fickert L Travis Jay Hazzard L Lenore Rosendal L

Svenja Paulsen L

Victoria Kau L

Magali Pettier L

Ji Young Kim

styling

Cris Santos L

Mandy Koster & Marlon L

Deanna Lindner L

Danya Weiner L

Brittany Watson Jepson L

Evi Neubauer L

si st er M AG

hye HaKllüwca

Imprint proof Chinyere Feasey L Virginia Horstmann L

sisterMAG Address

Korsörer Straße 7

10437 Berlin

www.sister-mag.com

Antje Kahnt L Isabelle Koelling L

eMail mail@sister-mag.com l Twitter @sister_mag

Katharina Kraatz L

Facebook

Amie McCracken L

Editor & Art Direction

Ricarda Nieswandt L

Marisa Nöldeke L

Donata Proske Rachna Sahni L Anna Schmalfuß L Christine Wolgast

Claudia Herrmann L

Theresa Neubauer

Conception & Illustration House Antonia Neubauer

Editorial Team

Evi Neubauer

Donata Proske

Anna Schmalfuß

Conception & illustration house

illustration

fb.com/sister.magazin

Claudia Herrmann

Cover Model

Ji Young Kim

Logo Design

Jim Leszcynski

Ads

Antonia Neubauer

ads@sister-mag.com l

TheaNeubauer L

05 /1 2

toni‘s editorial

Dear digital ladies When we think of Christmas, it‘s not about the gifts, elegant Christmas parties or the Christmas rush, we remember this special feeling that crept into the Advent and Christmas time when we were a child. Everything at that time had a special glow, the light of the candles, which reflected in the coloured Christmas balls, the special sweets, which were only available at Christmas, the Christmas wishes, which all seemed possible. Still today we think back at fond memories of October evenings, when Thea already made long lists of her handicrafts for Christmas, at the Advent calendars, which she then built for me - Toni - and announced for

weeks,

the

afternoons

with

Christmas tea and biscuits, that we spent in the kitchen of our dear grandmother Christine: We had a small Christmas pyramid on the kitchen table, listened to a tape about a little witch called Bibi Blocksberg „Where are the Santas“ Illustration Mansion: Claudia Herrmann L

(Episode 38) and looked blissfully into

whole „writing room“ section deals

the camera.

with means of communication.

In reminiscence of that the overriding

December is also the perfect time to

topic of this Christmas edition is

once again create something yourself,

„childhood dreams.“ Some childish

whether it is in the „kitchen“ where we

dreams even come true in this issue:

prepare delicious roasted almonds

In the „dream chamber“ we see New

typical for Christmas markets or in

York City from the eyes of the dog

the „workshop“ where we turn an

Sammy (who didn‘t dream of a talking

old blouse with a few tweaks into the

dog as a child!) and we cook with Anni

highlight of the Christmas wardrobe.

all the dishes that we loved to eat as a child. The „chapel“ is entirely devoted to the probably greatest childhood dream of all girls: the wedding. You will find great ideas to get married in the winter and a lover‘s trip to Berlin. Peace

during

Christmas

time

and anticipation of the upcoming Christmas celebration - we have been Photo: Ashley Ludäscher

thinking about the things that give us as adults this special Christmas feeling again. For Thea and me it means to finally have time again to talk to friends and family and to hear how they are doing. Whether by phone, by letter or by Tweet - the

Toni and Thea

This time you again find many Pinterest Boards for our issue. Whenever you spot the little Pinterest sign on a page, just click to see one of our collections!

Photo: Ashley Lu

däscher

sisterMag Christmas

And of course it‘s all about relaxing,

and a great feature about the area in

reading and watching TV. Our current

which the series takes place.

favourite series, Downton Abbey

Enjoy the Christmas time - we‘ll see

(by the way, every year there is a Christmas Special), inspired us to the „dining room“. There is a small introduction to that time in the UK

symbole

you again in February for the second year of sisterMAG and the anniversary edition!

Yours, Toni

On the first page of each article, jump to the next article = quick-jump through our issue.

External link.

u Internal link.

On the first page of each room (section pages) you can directly jump to the next section.

Shows you a PDF download (e.g. our NEW recipe cards)

A magnifier or a little camera shows you a bigger version of the picture (iPad) or links to the picture on Pinterest (Browser).

Link to relevant Pinterest Board.

Makeup von Denise Fickert L

theaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s editorial Already for a long time I had the idea of a real Christmas tree dress and as the launch of our magazine drew closer, the whole family helped to realise my dream. Firstly, good friends from our hometown supported us with branches of pines for our Christmas title dress (thanks again to Ernst LĂśchtermann for the green splendor). Our parents, Evi and Michael, then turned the workshop at home with old scaffolding planks into the perfect set for our model Ji. When we asked

Ji, who works as a creative director at a mobile agency in London (and taught me as an intern many things on Photoshop), she said yes immediately and burst into a fit of laughter. She couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t completely see herself as a Christmas tree. The underdress consisted of a heavy fabric, which we then covered with pine branches, so that at the end the dress probably weighted several kilos. A difficult balancing act on 10 cm high heels on wobbly planks.

Denise, Ji, Toni, evi, Thea & Ashley

For the layout of the issue I thought back of my childhood: I always spent the Christmas weeks flipping through the old magazines of my mother. Therefore you not only find the old ladies and illustrations on the section pages, but also in the Twitter feature and with the blouses in the workshop. We wish you a lot of snow on Christmas Day - if the snow stays away, simply flip through this issue, there you can browse enough! A Merry Christmas from me as well!

Yours, Thea

.hiv L is a Social Start-up which has taken on the fight against AIDS. It therefore uses the power of the internet and the billions of internet users who look and click on webpages on a daily basis. Instead of using the common .com when typing in an URL, people can use the suffix .hiv and a donation is automatically done in favour of anti AIDS projects all around the world.

Twitter @dothiv

Facebook facebook.com/dothiv

sis

www.dothiv.org

ter

MA G

Hallway

Explain in your own words the idea of your initiative. What are you doing?

The internet users decide on how the

dotHIV is a social business that is em-

can read about numerous HIV pro-

bedding the fight against AIDS into

jects all over the world and their ob-

the DNA of the internet. Our way: es-

jective on an internet platform and

tablishing the .hiv-domain as the Red

then take part in an open voting.

Ribbon of the digital age. The so-called top-level domain (TLD) “.hiv” will be the first and only one worldwide serving a social cause. dotHIV wants to generate funds for HIV/AIDS projects all over the world, raise more awareness for the topic and fight against the stigmatization of people living with the virus. The concept focuses on an innovative form of donation: with every click on an .hiv-website, a micro-donation is made through dotHIV. This way, each visit of an .hiv- website becomes a good deed. The money for the donations is raised by way of domain sales: the digital Red Ribbon has annual costs just like any web address.

money should be distributed: They

What was the inspiration for your idea?

The idea for dotHIV came from the creative team of the advertising agency “thjnk” (formerly “kempertrautmann”). While they were doing pro bono work for an HIV campaign for the Michael Stich foundation in 2009, they felt like they wanted to do something for this topic that wouldn’t vanish from the billboards and from people’s minds after a few days or weeks. Using the letters HIV as a domain name came from the simple fact that HIV had three letters just like .com. Thanks to Philipp, Stefan and Martin, co-founders and active members until this day, and this simple realization, dotHIV was born. 05 /1 2

Knitted dolls on DailyDeal L

9,90 € for a good ca

When does the .hiv domains go live? How do I register my domain?

creating the necessary attention for

We expect to go online on World AIDS

we offer anyone who is interested to

Day (1 December 2013). Before getting a new TLD, our application has to be examined by the “DNS administration” ICANN in a multi-stage process. Since there are over 1900 other

our initiative. Until .hiv goes online, pre-order their address of choice on www.dothiv.org/pre-register. Pre-registrations are of course free and non-binding.

than 200 pages long, it is a lengthy

Are there already companies on board with their own .hiv address?

procedure. It is also impossible from

Several companies have already con-

a technical point of view to let all new

firmed that they will go online with an

domains go online in one day. In fact,

.hiv- website. The biggest success is

only three new domains can go online

by far the confirmation of Google, but

each day – anyone can figure out what

there are also many initiatives and ac-

that means for the estimated 1400 new

tors with pre-registrations for “their”

TLDs. While waiting, we use this web-

.hiv-domains. For them, carrying the

site to prepare launching .hiv, which

digital Red Ribbon will be free. So far,

includes the technical aspects, invol-

we and our sales partners such as

ving the international HIV communi-

the registrar “united domains” have

ty, preparing the domain sales and

over 4000 pre-registrations.

applications for new TLDs, each more

si st er M

Hallway

ause How is the initiative financed?

dotHIV has raised over â&#x201A;Ź400,000 in the seed phase and is largely financed by three different sources. The first source is our team. All of us have

ter the market at the end of 2013, we will focus more on our CSR partnerships and social venture capital. But business angels are always welcome.

invested in the idea and the organiz-

Who are possible partners benefitting from the raised money?

ation dotHIV. The second and admit-

In general, every organization, asso-

tedly bigger contribution comes from business angels, private persons, who are as convinced by this idea as we are. Our seven investors have provided tranches of at least â&#x201A;Ź25,000 for the organizational set-up. dotHIV plans on paying back these investments, but cannot create a financial compensation of risks. The social return on investment is therefore all the bigger. The third source is a loan by the investment bank of Berlin (IBB).

ciation or project that is involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS can profit from .hiv. However, we are focusing on programs that provide information about HIV/AIDS and promote risk prevention, especially for the age group 15 to 29. In addition, the projects have to be trustworthy and therefore have to be able to provide information about how they distribute the money, how their project is structured and about who benefits from it. We are currently

which will be necessary when we en-

creating a group of so-called Policy 05

For the second round of funding,

/1 2

Philipp Kafkoulas & Carolin Silbernagl Advisors who will help us determine

AIDS organizations only work with an

guidelines for project selection.

.hiv-address.

It is important that these guidelines are easy to understand, ensuring that the users can get a good idea of the criteria for project selection.

Who are the driving team members behind dotHIV? What have you done before?

dotHIV is pure team work with a group

Where do you see the initiative in 5

of about 10 people actively prompting

years?

the initiative.

This would be our dream scenario in

Carolin Silbernagl is the brain behind

five years’ time: dotHIV and the TLD .hiv have established the digital Red Ribbon. Many consumer brands use the domain .hiv as a creative marketing instrument serving a social cause and having a broad impact so that many companies follow their example. In the social community HIV/AIDS,

dotHIV. She has been part of dotHIV since January 2011 and is co-founder and chairwoman of “dotHIV gemeinnütziger e.V.”. Carolin studied Political Science and already gained a lot of experience in the non-profit and CSR sector working as a Project Manager for the Foundation of German

si st er

.hiv-addresses are widely known as

Business (sdw).

a new supporting instrument that

Apart from Carolin, Philipp Kafkoulas

brings new funds and attention for

is one of the driving forces at dotHIV.

the basic work. That is why many HIV/

The creative director not only mana-

M AG

Hallway

ges the entire communication and

ty and motivates potential supporters

marketing for dotHIV with his team,

to invest in the social business or to

he is also one of three people who in-

help in a different way.

itiated the idea; without him, dotHIV

This is how we have gradually estab-

wouldn’t exist.

lished a strong international support

Another important member of dotHIV

network of HIV organizations and

is Dr. Michael Trautmann, co-founder

companies that increases the efficacy

of thjnk and one of three managers

of our small team consisting mostly

at the agency. Trautmann is literally

of volunteers.

a business angel for dotHIV and one

If you would like to know more about

of its first supporters. In addition to

who is part of

Trautmann’s own personal and fi-

dotHIV and who

nancial involvement, thjnk has also

supports

made a great contribution: Philipp

please

and his creative team can use part of

the links below.

their working hours for dotHIV. thjnk

We always wel-

itself provided dotHIV with an infra-

come like-min-

structure and network because they

ded

believed in the idea right from the be-

helping hands

ginning. Trautmann himself calls at-

and new part-

tention to dotHIV or spreads the idea

ner organiza-

in his network at any given opportuni-

tions. n

it, follow

people,

Watch the dotHIV image film here L.

You can buy the litt le people (hand-knitte d) on DailyDeal L for 9.90€ for a good ca use!

d l i h

a e m r s D d o o h We love showing you new blogs and we love connecting to our readers. This is why we asked lovely Camille from »The

Wild Fleur« L to answer our focus questionnaire about this issue‘s theme: »Childhood Dreams«. Click through to her beautiful pictures and read what other sisterMAG readers have told us about their Childhood Dreams!

Who are you? My name is Camille and I am a Senior Brand Manager.

Where do you live? Los Angeles, California.

Your dream house? A beach Click to Camille‘s Blog:

house with a white rose garden and a treehouse. This is actually what my childhood house looked like, but I would love to find a home someday

si st

that resembles it.

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What do you do in December for a cozy feeling? I play a lot of Dean Martin, wrap

myself in cashmere knits and drink bottomless cups of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows.

What was your dream job when you were a child? I wanted to be a veterinarian

for butterflies until I realized that profession doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really exist.

Is your job a dream? Yes, most of the time. There

is a lot of creativity involved in my dayto-day work, that keeps me happy and stimulated. 05 /1 2

am ille A u

brey

Did you believe in Santa Claus? Of course! I thought he was my penpal,

so I wrote him letters several times a year, asking him how he and Mrs. Claus were doing, and if the elves went to summer camp like I did. And then I caught my dad writing a letter back to me, so that was the end of it. I still have all the correspondence in a shoebox somewhere.

Is there a present you always dreamed of but never got ? A sailboat!

What is important for you when taking pictures? Finding unexpected details.

In general: your childhood dream was

st er M AG

â&#x20AC;Ś to never grow up. n

Dream Chamber

Your ch ildhood dream? … to become a painter! I suppose writer is creative enough :)

@lostncheeseland

To never be forced to change schools again. Big drama back in the times!

@juli_rott

… to be on Broadway!

@unefemmeparis … becoming a ropedancer (nowadays I have fear of heights)

…to be able to fly over the roofs of Leipzig!

@cl_herrmann @sansanberlin

Even as little girl I was fascinated with

photography (candid-moments.at/about).

Today I am proud to move people with

my pictures!

@candid_moments

r archiAs little girl I wanted to be an interio e, but on e m co be d di I s ar ye y an m r te Af tect. hich is work as a textile designer today, w also really great!!

Izabella M.

them Oh, I had so many dreams! One of build was to own an island where I could is houses and furnish them. I did do th as with my dollhouses! And I still do it ing an adult: I moved a lot and love mov around furniture!

Kerstin Z.

…become an astronaut

An Ne Learn how to fly

Christina v. G.

/1 2

Have a family and be a teacher. I have a great family and I am almost a teacher!

Maria M.

To be a movie director actually especially for science fiction movies – still want to do one in future

S tefanie H.

my f o e n o t u b , y h w I have no idea na w o to s a w s m a e r childhood d om fr th g n le ll fu – t« »gypsy skir nt e r fe if d d n a s u o th patchwork with at I would th w o n k t o n id d I parts. ay I d e n o d n A . w e s learn how to have to ly n o I . m a e r d y m will fulfill pieces! 5 7 9 r e th o n a t c e ll co

Ursula M.

My childhood dream was to become a space

traveller, but then decided to better

become a research

specialist for the

Amazon river

To discover or invent something that makes the world a better place and lets people come closer. That still is a dream.

@littleedition

Hanna S.

So I remember (while building meticulously LE

houses with careful details and features like

balconies and super landscaped gardens) that

wanted to: 1. an architect 2. live with love 3. ow

an awesome house and enjoy life there with my

loved ones / family / dogs {if possible 2 Labrad

ors

or just two super awesome, adorable and cute

a button adopted ones} si st er M AG

Iro Ivy N.

I wanted to be a archaeologist

Susanne A.

Dream Chamber

music tip by Anika Launert nikesherztanzt.wordpress.com L

Sound&Pic

Song: Fairytales of

New York

by The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl

Photographer: Mary Dougherty Title: Winter Wonderland Site: marydougherty.net 05 /1 2

Childhood Treats

m the On the next pages we show you recipes fro er« L German cooking book »Anni kocht für Kind project is th t ou ab e or m – s« kid for s ok co ni An (» make in our Kitchen Section u), which do not only mmy your children‘s eyes glow but where even Mo loves taking a bite!

si st er M AG

Dream Chamber

Berry Muffins 1. Keep aside about 3 tablespoons of oatmeal to. Preheat the oven to 180째C. Wash fresh berries and pat dry. Add a tablespoon of sugar, mix and set aside. When using frozen berries, just mix them with the sugar. 2. Mix spelt flour, baking powder, oatmeal, sugar, vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. In another bowl, mix yogurt with the eggs and the oil. Add dry ingredients slowly to the yogurt mixture and mix with hand mixer. 3. Fill dough in paper lined muffin tray. Spread berries, then sprinkle with the remaining oatmeal and bake 25 to 30 minutes.

125 g berry mix, fresh or frozen 1 tbsp sugar

200 g spelt flour 2 tsp baking-powder 50 g oatmeal 115 g brown sugar 1 pck vanilla sugar salt

200 g yoghurt

2 eggs 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

05 /1 2

Pancakes with Banana Yoghurt 1 banana 200 g plain yoghurt 1 tsp sugar 1 egg 200 ml milk 125 g flour 1 tsp baking-powder 1 tbsp sugar 1 pinch of salt

some butter

si st er M AG

1. Peel and mash the banana with a fork in a bowl. Add yogurt, mix and stir in a teaspoon of sugar. 2. For the pancakes put egg and milk in a bowl. Mix flour with the baking powder, add to the batter and stir vigorously until air bubbles are visible. Stir in a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt. 3. Heat the oven to 50째C. 4. Heat a large frying pan and melt some butter in it. Bake several little pancakes until bubbles form on top, then turn. Fry the other side and keep the pancakes warm in the oven. Serve warm with the banana yogurt.

Dream Chamber

In the book »Anni kocht für Kinder« you can find this recipe on page 14!

Zucchini Boats 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Wash zucchini, cut off the ends and cut in half lengthways. Remove pulp with a spoon to create small zucchini boats and cut into small pieces. Put chopped tomatoes in a small bowl, don‘t use all of the tomato juice, otherwise the sauce will be too runny. Add the corn and season with thyme, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix with zucchini pulp. 2. Brush oil on zucchini boats and fill with the tomato-corn mixture. Fill remaining sauce in a baking dish and put the zucchini boats on top. Top ships with grated cheese and bake for 45 to 50 minutes in preheated oven.

2 small zucchini 1 tin chopped tomatoes

(drained net weight 240 g)

1/2 tin corn (etwa 145 g)

1 tsp dryed thyme 1 tsp sugar

salt & pepper

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

25 g grated cheese

In the book »Anni kocht Kinder« you can find this on page 46!

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Dream Chamber

t f端r recipe 05 /1 2

Dream Chamber

Turkey Steak with Tomato Sauce 1 onion 2 cloves garlic 5 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp sugar 1–2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp tomato puree 2 tins chopped tomatoes

(each 400 g)

salt & pepper

4 turkey steak (à ca. 125 g)

1 Mozzarella (100 g

drained net weight)

a few basil leaves

1. Peel onion and garlic and cut into fine cubes. Sauté in large pan with three tablespoons of oil until glassy. Sprinkle with sugar and caramelize, deglaze with vinegar. Add tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. 2. Wash the turkey steaks and pat dry. Cut into small pieces, season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining oil in a pan and fry turkey pieces until golden brown. 3. Turn on the grill of the oven. Fill tomato sauce in a large oven dish or in several small ones and put turkey on top. Cut mozzarella into slices and place on the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Forms under the grill push until the cheese melts. Top with chopped basil. 4. Serve with rice or noodles.

In the book »Anni kocht für Kinder« you can find this recipe on page 58! 05 /1 2

pic&sound

Willette Mini Session

Music choice from Juli Rott Jules Kleines Freudenhaus L

Song: Daddy, Now That

from photographer Kelly

youâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;re Gone

McWillette L

(Ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t No Love)

from Lukas Graham

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Album: Lukas Graham

Dream Chamber

Christmas – the epitome of childhood dreams and wishes. We all know the wonderful feeling in these days, involving all those plans for the perfect holiday: falling snow which covers the day and turns everything into a soft cloud, an abundance of sweet treats, happy faces of children admiring the decorated tree and the glow of someone you just have given the perfect gift.

text & photos: 05 /1 35

Dunja Moralić ❤ wunderschön gemacht L

In those hours during Christmas time, we potter away and ask for support of our lovely »Wendt and Kühn wooden figures«. The German company primarily sends our their favour Marguerite Angels from their Christmas workshops to lend a hand in your home. These wooden creatures will recreate childhood memories and no one can resist their charm. On the company website wendt-kuehn.de L you can see how much effort and attention to

detail goes into each and every wooden figure. I especially recommend the flash animation »How the flower children come to life«. You can learn everything worth knowing about the »Eleven point angels« and »Marguerite angels« as well as their little flower girls and friends.

1 – Paper Napkins: House Doctor L | 2 – Ribbon and Mini Tags: Casa Di Falcone L

Dream Chamber

Snow Globes

You need: glasses with screw caps little trees (from model trains) hot glue gun snow for snowglobes water & glycerine Glue trees with hot glue onto the bottom part of your glass. Let cool for a good while. Fill in with snowglobe snow and fill with water. To prevent clouding add glyerine. Close the cap very firmly. If you want, you can cut a little bonnet from a paper napkin and tie with a ribbon.

05 /1 2

Cone Trees

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ll need: Pinecones Acrylic paint in White Little beads Stars made form silver foil (confetti) pin

Spray cones with acrylic paint, let them dry. Glue the little beads on top of each cone tip. Put a star on top of a pin and insert into the cone.

Paper trees Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ll need: Wrapping paper Sewing thread (sewing machine) beads

Cut three trees from wrapping paper, align them and sew them together in the middle using a sewing machine. Let a piece of thread hang over at the tip of the tree. Thread a bead onto this piece and fix with a blob of hot glue si

gun. You can use the trees as little

post cards or use them as decoration

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standing upright.

Dream Chamber

Made from my favourite wrapping paper, the angels and I sewed some wishing trees. Here you can see them in front of a wooden box from Ikea. We glued a piece of wrapping paper in the back. The little angel holding a yellow star is just watching over this perfect ensemble.

05 /1 2

y t n e l P f O d n La A dream home in your childhood had to be made of sugar. This example is a prefabricated house from the supermarket. The pieces just had to be assembled using sugar icing. At the end you can decorate it as you like. The tiny angels again assisted working on the house: si

one was making the dough, the other made cut

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gingerbread.

Dream Chamber

05 /1 2

Mini-Etagere: Casa Di Falcone L

Dream Chamber

Cookie Trees Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ll need: Shortcrust dough differently sized star cookie cutters powdered sugar

In the Land Of Plenty you can of course eat the trees as well. These miniature trees are made of five differently sized shortcrust cookies. Staggered in a nicely way they form a little Christmas tree. In the end it has snowed icing sugar and everything is covered in softness.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ll need:

Sugar Apples

apples white melted chocolate sugar beads little branches

Colourful sugar apples are usually only to be eaten on the Christmas Market in town. Today you can make them at home. Remove the stem of little apples and put in a little branch instead. Dip them into the white and melted chocolate and roll them in sugar beads while the chocolate is still /1 43

save any sugar beads that fall off.

warm. Place in muffin wrappers to

New York from a dog‘s perspective

wuff pictures & text Rebecca Baust from A Daily Muse L

Hey there! My name is Sam Wiggins.

I always feel safe so long as I’m with

People think I’m a stuffed animal but

mom and dad. They are my people.

I assure you I am real. I live with my

crazy parents in New York City. The city is a wonderful, frightening, smelly sort of place but I didn’t used to be so optimistic.

I moved here when I was 6 months

old. Still a pup and not quite potty trained. My parents thought it’d be a genius idea to trade in our Tennessee backyard for a Manhattan apartment the size of our bedroom. They even got rid of my car! I had my doubts.

We packed our belongings into

a moving truck and I rode in the front seat. Mom brought my security si st er

blanket to be sure I felt safe, though

M AG

It should be said that I was stuck

in said moving truck for 16 hours. Oh, I had my potty breaks. I went potty in 4 states en route to NYC and I think that’s pretty impressive. I also made a tinkle in the truck.

I knew the minute we had reached

New York City because it has a particular smell. It’s a difficult odor to describe to humans but it mostly involves trash and urine. Delicious!

I was a bit shocked by the size of

our new apartment and I could tell my parents were uneasy. Mom did a lot of pacing and moving and packing and unpacking. I didn’t think she’d ever

Dream Chamber

be finished. I’m a pretty small guy so

it has something to do with fashion. I

I don’t mind so much. Plus the lack

don’t like the click clacks but I trust

of seats means more snuggles since

they are harmless since my mom

we all have to share. I even taught my

occasionally clicks too. Sometimes

parents to share their bed. Suckers,

the ground shakes from the inside

those two.

and I throw on my brakes. Mom says

it’s just the subway but I don’t believe

The bathroom door is ajar so I

come and go as I please even when

her. I refuse to step over sidewalk

it’s closed. Dad keeps talking about

grates.

privacy but I’m too busy barking at

New Yorkers walk like they are

pigeons to be concerned. I’ve made it

always running late and I’ve learned

my duty to guard this teeny apartment

to do my business near the curb. It’s

and pigeons were not invited on my

also mom’s business to pick up my

windowsill. They will pay for this after

business or she could get in trouble.

I take my nap.

Though sometimes she runs out of

bags for my business and we do the

Street sounds can be terrifying

but I’ve come a long way. I know that

no-one’s-looking shuffle.

women have the click clack shoes and

I especially like doing my business in 05 /1 2

Dream Chamber

My 3 favourite places in NYC Sammy

Shake S

on the U

hack

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accessories.

pper W est Side ha s bench es to sit outs ide with dog parking (2 hook s to tie a lea sh thro ugh). They al so have a poochini dog treat on the m the n o enu. Kiehlâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s de i S t s e Upper W sh e r f s a h always ts, a e r t g do water, ar e f o s t Wagwear and lo you n e h w in Union Square is rubs . e d i s n i a teeny store with come stylish dog leashes and collars. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ll get a few dog treats while shopping for preppy

Dream Chamber

our backyard and my parents take me

leaves because they stick to my fur

every day. The humans call it Central

like velcro. I roll in them anyway. She

Park and I have my favorite hangouts.

gets grouchy in the winter and sits on

I like to sit on our bench and smell

the couch covered in blankets. I take

the people go by. Mom just wants to

advantage of this by monopolizing

walk walk walk.

her lap. Around the time we choose

Central Park is always changing and

a stupid Christmas tree, the park

the seasons have a certain smell. I know it’s spring when my eyes get red

is covered in snow. I love the snow almost as much as I love my parents.

and gloopy and the park gets crowded

Please don’t tell them I told you so.

with runners and cherry blossoms.

I’ve made a lot of friends here and they

Summer is the worst – despite the

always come to my birthday party.

haircuts I’m always wearing a fluffy

They bark with a New York accent and

sweater. New Yorkers are on drugs

sometimes I do too. I am happiest

in the fall, which means I can eat

when I’m with my people. I belong to

acorns undisturbed. Mom curses the

them and they belong to me.

05 /1 2

Bild & Ton

Pic&sound

Christmas at Harrods

by Photographer Sam Hart L

via Flickr L

music tip by Lindsey Haskell whatyousowblog.tumblr.com L

Song: Theme From

Blinking Lights

from Eels Album: Blinking Lights &

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Other Revelations

Dream Chamber

05 /1 2

te xt & illustration Thea Neubau

er L

Native! a column

The focus on communication is so overarching that even the Digital Native needed to put some more thought into which topic or problem to pick and expand on. It was only then that she realized that the topic had been staring her in the face all along: the jumble of communication itself.

In the chick-flick »He’s just not that into you«, Drew Barrymore bursts into a tirade about the modern communication channel tangle: »I had this guy leave me a voicemail at work, so I called him at home and then he emailed me on my Blackberry and so I texted his cell and then he emailed me to my home account and the whole thing just got out of control. I miss the days where you had one phone number and one answering machine and that one answering machine just had one cassette tape and that one cassette tape either had a message from the guy or it didn’t. And now you just have to take the time to go around checking all these different portals, just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting.« When I recently watched this film (shot in 2009) I couldn’t help but smile. The forms of communication have changed yet again. Just as Mary had to handle multiple channels in the movie, there are now at least ten channels through which you can reach me.

* from: »He‘s Just Not That Into You«, 2009

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While in the past these channels still were locally separated – think about letters in your mailbox, the telephone in the hall or the fax in the office – nowadays, in the digital age, even the iPhone becomes a cluttered information hub as I have to open about five apps to check my inboxes: email, Facebook messages, iMessage, text message, moped and there may even be something on WhatsApp as well? At the very beginning of a friendship the communication is mostly restricted to a single channel. But there are Facebook-friends who get promoted to a higher level as soon as there’s more to the friendship – docs to be shared, perhaps? Suddenly ‘private’ email-addresses are exchanged. Trust goes even further when phone numbers are exchanged and suddenly tiny conversations are had on WhatsApp. Conversations are being seamlessly transferred and continued on all channels: a friend shares a link to a new jewellery video on Facebook, I then mention her in

a comment about a pin on Pinterest to show her the lovely necklace for xx Euro. She then messages on WhatsApp that she just went past it in a shop and after a long call she finally sends me a picture of it via email. The paradox: this could all have remained on just one platform. The reason for this fragmentation is still a mystery to me. Maybe we shy away from sharing all our private information on a single platform. Perhaps we just like to use different interfaces and feel an inner need or necessity to use different services for different purposes. It seems that the deeper the friendship, the higher the number of channels and social networks on which I am connected to that person. The duplication of my contacts on Facebook, Xing and LinkedIn is breathtaking. In the end it seems likely that every user just picks whichever app or window is opened for pragmatic reasons. Hence, one wants to stay connected with every one regardless of time and place. Humans 05 /1 2

are convenient; communication is not an exception. With regards to the time dimension and real-time communication – these new developments are just as interesting. All channels seem to define different time axes and priorities for messages. Nowadays, an email is comparable to the old-fashioned letter – yet, it has only gained this importance after the popularisation of Instant Messaging and twitter-like services. An email can be ignored. It loses its timeliness much slower and in most cases the sender does not expect an answer in real-time. Nevertheless, the receiver is expected to react in the not too distant future.

This does not hold true for Twitter. Tweeters know that readers will only ever so often and mostly at random points in time sneak a peek at their Twitter feed. An unaddressed message is sent into a black hole hoping that at least some people will access Twitter at this exact moment… or in the next 5. While in the past only SMS made it possible to send quick, short

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messages back and forth this service is now enhanced by iMessage and WhatsApp: real-time communication that feels like a chat and goes via the internet. The communication partner doesn’t even need to be online as the message can be retrieved at anytime. These message services can force their way into our awareness extremely fast or very slowly. In contrast to the SMS which – depending on the provider – costs a more or less painful amount of money, the threshold for an incidental hello is much lower for these services. I realized that send short greetings to my friends a lot more frequently than before. It just makes the day much livelier and helps me to keep track of what is going on in their lives no matter where in the world they are. The information is trivial – that’s for sure. But even in the old days the information shared via postcards wasn’t vital (see Victoria’s article about postcards of her greatgrandmother on page 111 w). Despite all the positive aspects and the increased networking with far

Mail Room

away friends and acquaintances this communication jumble often drives me mad. The opportunity to communicate in real-time leads to certain artefacts such as messages I receive while I am on my way to a meeting stating that my counterpart »can’t make it. Sorry!«. Back in the days a missed call on the landline phone would have implied that I am already on my way to the venue. Nowadays, people tend to let me know ten minutes before the arranged time. This regularly sparks panic attacks – especially when I forget my charger at home. My phone runs on low battery while I’m waiting outside the restaurant 20 minutes before the date. The knowledge that a change of plan might happen only shortly before the appointment drives me crazy. Another phenomenon is the serial acceptance of invitations to events (no term in the very sense of the word but a neologism coined by myself). Facebook enables everyone to create events. The possibility to select ‘maybe’ is ever so tempting for human beings: I don’t have to tie

myself down but don’t obstruct the option for future invitations either. It is the host who suffers the most. It stays up to him whether he takes those on the maybe-list into account when planning the contingents of drinks, snacks and seats. And – let’s say the events starts at 7 p.m. – there will often be about ten messages coming in (via Facebook, SMS & WhatsApp) just before with cancellations as the great-grandmother’s visit had been forgotten about. A cancellation is not condemnable. Nevertheless, I think that one should have the decency to inform the hard-working organiser beforehand. I have acted this way myself and it takes an own party and three baked cakes which at the end of the evening remain untouched until it dawned on me: not even realtime communication releases you from your responsibility to come to a decision and to stick to it. You should keep this in mind for the next Christmas party you are about to call off 10 minutes before. The host will be very pleased with a short hello. There is no need to stay for five hours! n 05 /1 2

With kind support from our partners:

Gadgets & Use-Cases

Vodafone L si st er M AG

Location & Furniture

Fashion For Home L

Fotos: Cristopher Santos L

Makeup & Hair: Lily Beckett L

Styling: sisterMAG

Location: Fashion For Home Showroom Berlin L 05 /1 2

Longchair Derby Creme L

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All product infos from page 72 u 60

phone

Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini u

This is finally the time of year to the best friend Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ve last seen at a summer party. Cuddled up in a warm blanket such a call can easily last three hours and we start sharing those little details of everyday life. Because this is what makes a friendship real! Advent Time is perfect for such a long talk and there is no better present â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not even a scented candle!

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE u

Mayfair Beige L

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All product infos from page 72 u 62

Reading 05 /1

finding inspirations for presents or DIY ideas: I love leafing through magazines on an afternoon in December. Today I don‘t even have to leave my sofa behind because I can rummage through the virtual newsstand, download magazines onto my tablet and view them instantly. Besides sisterMAG (naturally!) my favourite digital mags are »Interview Magazine«, »Kinfolk« and »Artig und Fein«.

Maryland Dresser L

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All product infos from page 72 u 64

Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE u

Just now Robert checked into CafĂŠ Einstein

message and I receive a

that my friend is nearby. He surely

appreciates a little surprise visit! I send him a short notice and he answers in real life that I should hurry up.

05 /1 2

I cannot quite afford the crocheted scarve from Marc Jacobs for over $1600 this year. Luckily the DIY expert – Thea & Toni‘s mom – has found a wonderful pattern in her old Schachenmayr Handcraft Book. They‘ve recorded a video for me which I am now watching over and over again, so I can be sure to have the right combination of chain stitches and double crochets.

Ecksofa Harris L si st er M AG

All product infos from page 72 u 66

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 u

Watching videos

05 /1 2

2-Sitzer Hudson in Beige L

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All product infos from page 72 u 68

Samsung Galaxy S III LTE u

Equipped with crocheting needles and the Winter Playlist from

listen

sisterMAG on my phone, I start crocheting. I

to christmassy tunes and the whole

house smells like vanilla crescents and in-

cence cones. The combination of Dark Blue and Gold of /1 69

like an hourglass perfectly.

my new crocheted scarve matches the comfortable dress formed

Ecksofa Hudson II L

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All product infos from page 72 u 70

This year I am

taking pictures

of my Christmas decoration

with the Android Digital Came-

ra. I can right away edit the pictures

and upload them to Instagram. Maybe there even will be homemade e-Cards sent by me because I have

Samsung Galaxy Cam u

thought about postcards a lot these last /1 71

111 u)

days (read my article about them on page

Furniture Information

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phoning (page 60)

cube L Firefly cube, self-lightened, 40×40×40 cm, 119,00 €

Click here L for trends, background infos about the designers and living ideas from Fashion For Home.

e.de/inspiration

Longchair L Derby in Light Brown, 148×87×89 cm, Sitzhöhe 50cm, 759,00 €

www.fashionforhom

reading (page 62) Sofa L Mayfair in Light Beige, 200×300×79 cm, Seat Height 41 cm, 1339,00 € cushion L Studio Wool Felt in Dark Green, 40×40 cm, 23,90 €

messaging (page 64)

listening to Music (page 68)

Drawer L Maryland, Walnut Wood, 42,3×106,5×72,2 cm, 629 €

Sofa L, two-seater Hudson in Beige, Polyester, 97×224×70 cm, 869,00 €

oil painting L Mystified, 120×120 cm, 89€

bowl L Studio acacia with mint green inlay, 33,3×33,3 cm, Height 4,5 cm, 48,90€

candleholder L Set Studio Ceramic White, 23 cm hoch, 26,90 €

videos (page 67) Corner Sofa Harris L in Grey, 155×310×78cm, Sitzhöhe 42 cm, 1999,00 € carpet L Sethos in Light Red, Polyester, 120 ×180 cm, 429,00 € coffee table L Set Cloud Black, oak veneer, 61×110 cm, 319,00 €

Dekobäume L Set of four, different woods, 8×8×13,2 cm, 59,90 €

taking pictures (page 71) Corner sofa L, Hudson II, 259×324×70 cm, 3499,00 € Oil painting L Terra Incognita, 100×180 cm, 229,00 € carpet L Sethos in Grey, Polyester, 120×180 cm, 429, 00€

05 /1 73

Check out all pieces of furniture on our Tech at Home Pinterest Board.

Fashion

Detail Information

slippers L Grace Glam: Pampuschen

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Mail Room

phoning (page 60)

watching videos (page 67)

Pullover L finely knitted made of angora blend, 19,95€: H&M

skirt L, Bubble Hem Skirt, 99,00€: COS

pyjama pants L in Light Blue made of cotton, 29,95€: COS

Crochet Scarve, handmade with a tutorial how to make it on the blog L after 14.12.2012

scarve, Vintage from London‘s Spitalfield Markets

slippers L, Model Grace Glam in Rich Creme: Pampuschen

reading (page 62)

listening to music (page 68)

Pullover L, Basic Sweater with buttons, 19,99€: Mango

Dress, handmade by Neu4bauer

pants L, fitted Jaquard pants, 39,99€: Mango

Earphones L, RP-HTX7-G1 in Cream, 45,10€: Panasonic

messaging (page 64)

taking pictures (page 71)

blouse, Tutorial in our workshop u

dress L, Gathered Waist Dress, 89,00€: COS

Loafers in blue with tassle: Topshop rings L, Set of five, 5,95€: H&M

watch L, women‘s watch NY8321 made from aluminium, 145,90€: DKNY

shopper L in Brown, 69,95€: ZARA

Check out all fashion items on our Tech at Home Pinterest Board.

All fashion items not mentioned above are privately owned by the stylists.

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1. smart.dock – Docking Station iPhone 5 for Lightning Connector, heldenart via Etsy, €22.22

2. iPhone-sleeve Bubism made from wool felt and leather, FERUTOBags via Etsy, $35.00 3. Sensu™ Brush & Pen for iPad, iPhone & Tablets, via Amazon, $39.99 4. Backup-Battery for iPhone, J.Crew, $39.50 5. iPad-Cover made from wooden pieces, handmade from MINIOT in Holland – you can configure your own cover, from €89.00

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Win

m a C y x a l a G g n u s the Sam G A M r e t s i s & e with Vodafon To enter our giveaway, simply tell us which events or activities you would take pictures of in the next year. You can contact us using Twitter L, Facebook L or eMail L. The winner will co-produce a feature for sisterMAG next year with his/her new camera! Deadline for entries: 31. Januar 2013.

05 /1 77

Veranstalter dieses Gewinnspiels ist sisterMAG, Theresa Neubauer, Korsörer Str. 7, 10437 Berlin. Die Teilnahme erfolgt per eMail, Facebook oder Twitter und ist unabhängig von dem Erwerb von Waren oder Dienstleistungen. Mit der Teilnahme an dem Gewinnspiel werden diese Teilnahmebedingungen akzeptiert. Zur Teilnahme berechtigt sind Personen, die mindestens 18 Jahre alt sind. Eine Gewinnausschüttung bzw. -übertragung an nicht teilnahmeberechtigte Personen bzw. Dritte sowie Barauszahlung, Auszahlung in Sachwerten oder Tausch der Gewinne ist nicht möglich. Mitarbeiter von sisterMAG sowie deren Verwandte ersten Grades, sind von der Teilnahme an dem Gewinnspiel ausgeschlossen. Die Auslosung findet unter allen Teilnehmern statt. Der Gewinner eines Preises wird zeitnah nach Ende des Gewinnspiels per eMail, Facebook oder Twitter benachrichtigt. Der Gewinner hat den Erhalt der Gewinnbenachrichtigung innerhalb von 48 Stunden zu bestätigen und die benötigten Angaben zu machen. Andernfalls ist sisterMAG berechtigt, einen neuen Gewinner auszulosen. Mit der Annahme des Preises willigt der Gewinner ein, dass sein Name ggf. von sisterMAG zu Werbezwecken ohne Vergütung verwendet werden dürfen. Der Rechtsweg ist ausgeschlossen.

Twitter has been one of our key communication, information and marketing channels since the beginning of sisterMAG. Initially we had of course no idea how Twitter works and there were only few practical guides that easily conveyed the most important things. Our guide should provide you with that information. We asked Jeanny from the wonderful blog »Zucker, Zimt und Liebe« L as someone new on Twitter to gush out her questions.

Questions: Jeanny Horstmann | @zuckerzimtliebe L Answers: Antonia Neubauer | @sister_mag L

What is Twitter?

cableof n io ut rib st di e th r fo rm fo at pl a is Twitter up to 140 type short messages that can be scheme, so characters long. It works like a Ponzi millions ad re sp n ca «) et we »T (a ge sa es m a that s a few ha ly on r ite wr ws ne e th if en ev , es of tim her Twitter hundred followers. Since you can add ot so a social users to your network, Twitter is al en to the op e ar s ge sa es m l al h ic wh in k, or netw

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public.

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What can Twitter do, ? ot n n ca k oo b ce a F t a th

s, a Tweet ge sa es m er itt Tw l al of ity ic bl pu e th Due to than ct fe ef al vir er gh hi ly nt ca ifi gn si a e can achiev various privacy e th of e us ca Be . ok bo ce Fa on st po a book to view ce Fa on le ib ss po er ng lo no is it s, ng setti l people. al t ac nt co to or ne yo er ev m fro s message can ne yo An . er itt Tw on d te ric st re un e ar Both things contact anyone.

Which channel do I use?

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s a very good question! There are so many social media tools that you need to come up with a strategy. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s not just us, but also well-known brands that have problems playing the social media keyboard right. They spend loads of money on social media consultancy.

Twitter may be called the hub where all your channels come together, whereas Facebook is used for the really important messages (at least this is what we do at sisterMAG). To built an interesting Twitter profile you should also start posting articles and ressources of the field of your expertise. All other Social Media activities (such as Instagram, Loopcam etc.) can be posted on Twitter without your followers being spammed. 05 /1 2

What do you do on Twitter?

Like? Share? Surprise? Recommend?

I’m definitely surprised, I often share (it’s ca lled retweeting), sometimes I like and I always tweet!

? e g a s s e m a t s o p How do I

many e th f o e n o n o r e h it e e g a ess By typing and sending a m or th.) tc e s, p p a t le b ta , e n o h p art Twitter clients (website, sm site. b e w a n o n o tt u b re a sh in rough a built-

? n o s r e p r e h t o n a How do I mention

to one or k n li I t a th st ju t, e e tw le p m Same procedure as for a si Twitter d e ll a -c so e th rt se in y: b re the more persons. Procedure r handle(s) te it w T @ l: o b ym -s t« a » e th @sister_mag Now you Handle after ‘ve mentioned sisterMAG and we get a notice.

How do I send a Direct Message (DM)? Either I click in one of the Twitter apps on direct message or I write in a normal Twitter message »d @Twitter handle« at the beginning. Only the addressed person can read such a message.

d @zuckerzimtliebe We via share secrets with Jeanny Direct Messages!

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How do I forward a message to my followers?

There are several levels of complexity. If I’m logged in on the Twitter website and see an interesting tweet in my feed, I’ll just click the »retweet« button and simply a »RT« is set in front of the message and sent to my followers. If I use one of the many useful Twitter apps (see below) I can even edit the Retweet: shorten, add, and comment, address to specific Twitter users.

Why and how do I favour a tweet?

Much like retweeting, I simply click the »Boo kmark« button below a tweet (it is a little star symbol). If I favou r a tweet, it’ll be saved in my collection of »favourites« in my person al account and can be quickly recovered later. Moreover the author of this favoured tweet ge ts a message, that I did so. It is therefore comparable with the »Like «-Button on Facebook. I tell the other one I liked it without having to share it by retweeting.

? s ic p to or s er s u r itte w T w o ll fo I o How d

a Twitter handle in a ck cli I g. (e. le ofi pr eir th ing ss ce ac by s er I follow us ow« is oll nf »U for s es oc pr e Th . n« tto bu ow oll »F e tweet) and clicking th ys »Unfollow«. pla dis en th n tto bu e th at th pt ce ex l, ica nt ide n be found and ca ct bje su is th on ts ee tw e th all . i.e , led nd If a topic is bu want to see all the I If . ed fin de be ll wi ) pic to (# g ta sh ha a displayed, Twitter In ic. op #t for ch ar se t jus I’ll , pic to lar cu rti tweets posted on a pa arches perse ial ec sp e es th ve sa to e ibl ss po en ev is it apps (see below), manently. hind the »#«-Symbe rd wo of d kin y an ing typ by ed fin de ply sim is A hashtag rs they te let or rs be m nu of ion at bin m co y an th wi bol – anyone can do it want.

How do you keep track of Twitter? The easiest method is to set up e-mail notifications. We receive an email for every new follower and any mention. Although these might pile up, in this way you can be sure not to miss anything. I go through these emails regularly and respond directly to every received message.

In addition, Social Media Dashboard applications like TweetDeck L or Hootsuite L are helpful in the management of Twitter. They allow you to monitor multiple Twitter profiles at once, to set up searches by #topic permanently and they make retweeting much easier.

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Mail Room

How do I use Twitter on the computer?

Which app for my smartphone?

For Desktop and Tablet I like using Tweetdeck (it has its own desktop application. Hootsuite works very well as well. Even Twitter has a little Mac Widget for Desktops. There are endless possibilites!

There is a huge number of Twitter apps and tools. Twitter‘s own app works very well on smartphone. Below a few more suggestions from us:

•Is Flipboard a good tool? Flipboard L is a social network aggregation service and a very convenient way to showcase all your Twitter, Facebook messages, etc. in a kind of Magazine style on smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android). However, no solution for PC / Mac and other operating systems is offered. We also find Paper.li very convenient for Twitter. Paper.li assembles your tweets and the tweets of your followers daily or weekly, depending on the setting, in a personalized newsletter. A tweet promotes this summary again to your own followers.

Official Twitterapplication for iOS (iPhone & iPad) & Android Tweetdeck is not only Toni‘s favourite tool for desktop, but also has an app for iOS (iPhone & iPad) & Android Hootsuite is Thea‘s favourite tool, also available for iOS (iPhone & iPad) & Android Tweetbot with its special and renowned user interface and many little functions hidden behind a Swipe or Touch – for iOS (iPhone)

05 /1 2

What is #ff? Anyone who has ever looked on Twitter on a Friday, will have noticed the many #ff tweets. #ff thereby stands for #followfriday and is through the use of an hash tag also a topic summary. If you use #ff with one or more many @Twitter handles, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll recommend them to your followers.

? y t r a P r tte i w T What is a

t at c je b u s r la u c ti r a p ed on a iz n a g r o is ty r a p r A Twitte ts theree s ty r a p e th f o r e organis e h T . e m ti d e ifi c e p as ct date a x e e th e c n a v d a blishes in u p d n a g ta h s a h by a e orgath ty r a p r te it w T a During . s n o ti s e u q f o t s li and a ipants c ti r a p e th d n a s n t questio n a v le e r e th ts s o p niser The . g ta h s a h d te a n ig d the des n a t e e tw a h it w d respon pa u g in tt e s y b . .g e , s r e answe s e th e e s ts n a ip c ti r other pa cussion is d d ie r a v a d n a d n beforeha e it u ts o o H n o h c r a se runch L b g lo b # e r a s e ti r a Twitter P r fo s le p m a x E . s e aris f blogo s ic p to t u o b a th n f the mo o y a d r tu a S t s r fi y r (eve rties. a p L t s g lo b # n a m r r the Ge o ) ia d e M l ia c o S d n ging a which , b e w e th d n u o r a f parties o e r o m y n a m e r a There r Guide. te it w T r u o f o t r a p t the nex in e c u d o tr in l il w e w

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What comes after Twitter and what should I eat for lunch? :) Nothing big has emerged after Twitter. There is an exciting project called »app.net«, which has collected $500,000 in financing from the Internet community in a very short time. The functionality is similar to Twitter, but it is not free. What at first glance appears strangely makes sense if you consider that other than Twitter they have put thought in their business model. Twitter is used by millions but still does not earn money. A somewhat different service, but using the Twitter communication logic, we introduce in this issue: moped w

If you have more questions – even about your favourite cookie recipe or Twitter emergency cases – send us a message on Twitter L (@sister_mag, #tweetguide), eMail (mail@ sister-mag.com) or Facebook L Or you‘ll tweet us suggestions for Jeanny‘s next lunch! In the next issue our Twitter Guide will continue with all you have to know about lists, scheduling and building reach!

05 /1 2

Moped L is a communication service, which calls itself ÂťRich real-time messagingÂŤ. It is buildinga private digital messaging service on the Web, desktop and smartphones. Without the limitation of 140 characters you can send text messages to friends. Furthermore links and media (e.g. Dropbox files, Soundcloud links etc.) are integrated into the message and previewed right in

Twitter @moped

moped interface.

sis

www.moped.com

ter

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Explain in your own words the idea of your company. What are you doing?

someone else. It was sort of a soci-

Moped lets you message others for

others in this list of to-dos you were

free, from desktop and mobile. You

building.

don’t need a mobile number to sign

One day we took the word »owe« out

up, and you can access your messa-

of the equation, and we had this be-

ges anywhere. So if someone sends

autifully simple messaging app. You

you a message on your phone, you can

could create these short notes and

read it and respond from your desk-

messages, and if you tagged someo-

top, or another mobiledevice.

ne else, it would show up in their stre-

We also connect with other apps. For

am, too. I immediately got excited by

example, we integrate with Dropbox,

the thought of all the use cases for

letting you quickly send files to others

simple, web-based, private messa-

via Moped. And we have a Google

ges.

Chrome extension that makes it super easy to share web pages on your desktop. When there’s media in a message, say, a link to a YouTube video, you can view that video right inside the message without having the leave Moped.com. What was the inspiration for your idea?

At first we were building an app that let users owe other users nothing. You could »owe« someone 10 bucks,

Who are you targeting with your service?

Moped is ideal for people who travel and use multiple devices. No matter where you are, your messages get to you. And, you don’t have to give out your phone number to receive mobile messages. How do you finance your company?

We have a few angel investors. More recently secured funding from SV Angel in California, Lerer Ventures and

or a phone call, or an introduction to

al to-do list, because you could tag

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moped Teammeeting Betaworks in New York and Earlybird VC in Germany.

just your circle of friends. What have you done before?

How do you earn money?

I worked for a telecommunications

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not focused on that right now.

company. We built an open source

Fortunately, our investors are pretty

call control software stack and the

exited about our vision, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got

hardware that connected that to pho-

some runway to build that.

ne networks. I mainly developed our

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Running Moped, seeing it do well. As a company we want to make communication between other people simpler. Who do you see as your main competitors?

SMS, email and other messaging apps. Facebook has a pretty popular

distribution channels in Europe and the Middle East, spending lots of time on the go. Who was your most senior team member (in which department?)

outside the founding team? That would be Martins, who builds our backend and API. A friend at Gidsy, another Berlin-based start up, introduced us. Martins is originally from

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messaging app, but we see Moped

Riga, and had lived in Berlin already

being something you can use beyond

for a few months before we met.

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Outside of moped off

ice

What is the meaning of your company name?

I wanted a word that that was quick, easy and mobile; Moped came to mind. How did you come up with your company colours?

Black? Probably because I like black. Black jeans, black coffee black iPhone, black notebook... In which city are you located?

Berlin Most often used software?

Moped, Foursquare, Cheddar, Instagram and Twitter. Main food during starting up phase?

Frozen pizzas n 05 /1 2

Dropbox, Google Drive & DocWallet

Comparing filehosting services Ad

text Antonia Neubauer L I can still remember exactly the moment when ÂťemailÂŤ failed the first time, i.e. some super important sisterMAG document was too large to send via email. Since then we have been thinking again and again about the perfect system, with which one could manage a large project like sisterMAG. Not only that Thea and I often work from different places, but also our contributors, photographers and supporters are scattered all over the world. A classic virtual file system, as most companies work with, is not suitable for several reasons: 1.) We work with many, changing contributors. A fixed file system does not cater for this case. 2.) We do not own servers or IT infrastructure. 3.) Such a system would be too expensive and complicated for a start-up like sisterMAG in this phase of the project. Luckily, since the rise of cloud computing more and more providers of so-called file hosting and file sharing systems are available on the Internet. With the experience from our search, in which we have tried out several systems, we want to give you an overview of the market and then make some recommendations for different work scenarios.

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What exactly are file hosting and file sharing systems? If you search for »file sharing« or »file hosting« on Google, results range from photo-sharing platforms to illegal BitTorrent sites. Generally file hosting is defined as service that allows users to store various types of files to a central repository over the Internet. Thus, conversely, access to these files is possible from any location that has Internet access. File hosting services, which also enable the publication of the files, are labelled as sharehoster. Hence the name file-sharing platforms. In our study we focused on file hosting systems that allow collaborative working on documents. This also requires a little bit of file sharing, i.e. making data available to third parties. However, we have excluded for the article platforms such as photo communities or video portals. We have also left out systems that are part of a contract package e.g. with a wireless provider and rapidshare platforms for a single exchange of large amounts of data.

05 /1 2

What are typical work scenarios for sisterMAG? Our ideal system provides the classic functions of a file hosting system but also works offline. I’m spending many hours sitting on a plane working on documents and translating texts. Thereby of course, I don’t want to overwrite any changes that Thea has made in the meantime in a document. In addition, the memory limit should not be too small, so that we can save all our sisterMAG files in one place and do not have to work with multiple systems. Furthermore, the uploading of documents shouldn’t be too complicated – ideally as simple as saving files on the hard drive of my computer. Not to forget the safety aspect. Neither do we want to place our documents unsecured in a virtual space, nor dispense of the copyright for our documents (and ideas) to the file-sharing provider. We have studied the most common platforms on these criteria and a few more. Selection was thereby entirely subjective: what does a simple Google search come up with, what sites look inviting and self-explanatory, who has already many Facebook / Twitter supporters, i.e. a certain degree of credibility in the Internet community. And of course we added some new players with interesting approaches.

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Firma Website Design & Usability

Gadgets Free Space Limit File Size

Deutsche Post

Independant

docwallet.com L Different design, which takes security aspect into account

dropbox.com L Very clean design with nice illustrations, easy handling

PC, iPad

PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Kindle Fire

2 GB none

Version Tracking Multiple File Synchronisation Media Streaming

(PDF)

Collaboration of files Public File Share Password for files

Very good encription, highly secure computing centre. End-to-end encription of There were some safety gaps data, dedicated servers in Security in August ‚12, but Dropbox Germany, Password Security want to introduce new sefor the app on your gadget curity and authentification measures Target Group Business usage Private usage Specialties

Elaborate security concept

50GB – $9,99 / month, 100GB – $19,99 / month

05 /1

First month free, afterwards pricing scales: Price 1 month – 5,99 €, 3 months – 14,99 €, 1 year – 49,99 € und 2 years – 89,99 €

Very good API – many apps can enter and use Dropbox

Firma Website Design & Usability

Gadgets Free Space Limit File Size

Google

Independant

drive.google.com L

sugarsync.com L

App Design unspectacular, Typical design of Google with witty description clear icons, easy handling of functions PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, Chrome OS, iPhoAndroid, BlackBerry, Symne, iPad, Android Gadgets bian, Windows Phone 5 GB 5 GB 10 GB none

Apple

apple.com/i

Typical Apple works very in

Mac, iPhon

5 GB none

Version Tracking Multiple File Synchronisation Media Streaming Collaboration of files Public File Share Password for files

Solid computing centres, files are not used for adver- Highly secure computing Security tising purposes, however centres, very good encoGoogle‘s terms of use do not ding forbid the usage Private and business Private and business Target Group usage usage

Specialties

Price si st er M AG

Access to Google Docs to edit files

25GB – $2,49 / month, 100GB – $4,99 / month plus options up to 16TB

No encoding of secures its acce in the terms of u

Private u

Special business offer, Micro Management to select files which should be synchronised

Rudimental se usage in the Ap cosm, different iSync fun

30GB – $4,99 / month, 60GB – $9,99 / month, 100GB – $14,99 / month, 250GB – $24,99

additional 10G year, additional / year, addition $100 / y

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Microsoft

LaCie

Independant

skydrive.live.com L

wuala.com L

box.com L

e Design, ntuitively

Typical Microsoft Design, good usability

Functional, very technical, without any design knickknacks

Clear design, easy handling

ne, iPad

PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone

PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android

PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone

7 GB 2 GB

5 GB 100 GB

5 GB 25 MB

icloud L

B e

data, Apple Software with automatic Highly secure computing Fulfills high security staness to data data synchronisation, good centres, very good encryp- dards, very good encryptiuse encryption tion of data on of data Business usage, also private usage

ervice, good pple microt apps with nction

Very good integration with Microsoft Office

Only provider (except DocWallet) outside US, that means no Patriot Act (access to data)

Elaborate admin and access system for business users

GB – $20 / 20GB – $40 nal 50GB – year

additional 20GB – $10 / year; additional 50GB – $25 / year; additional 100GB – $50 / year

20GB – 29 € / year, 50GB – 69 € / year, 100GB – 119 € / year

private users: 25GB – 8,50 € / month, 50GB – 17,00 € / month

usage

Private usage

private and business usage

/1 2

From all these systems we have chosen three competitors for a detailed study, so to say for a body search. Dropbox is thereby the indeAd

pendent but established provider, Google Drive the system, which belongs to an Internet giant and DocWallet the newcomer, as an offshoot of the Deutsche Post (German post) backed by a big company, but that is active in another field.

How do Dropbox, Google Drive and DocWallet stand in the sisterMAG practice test?

The sisterMAG team is always very fond of new services! Therefore, we are examining three of the systems in a self-test on three typical usage scenarios: 1) Installation on desktop, smartphone and tablet 2) Storing and synchronising files 3) Collaborating as team.

1. Installation Installation

With Dropbox installation on all 3 platforms is very easy. After clicking ÂťDownloadÂŤ nearly everything is done automatically. Registration takes place with your chosen email address plus password. We especially like that the Dropbox folder is found at different locations on the computer and you become quickly accustomed with how the system works. Google Drive is similarly easy to install directly from the website or through the respective apps stores for the mobile apps. The only difference: To register a Gmail address is mandatory. The new product DocWallet pursues a different approach. Here security is paramount. After download, installation and registration, activation is done via an activation code that is sent to the specified

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email address. If you want to install DocWallet on a second device, you have to generate a TAN on your first device, which then activates the second device. A rather more complex, but very safe procedure.

2. Storing and synchronising Dropbox is a separate folder in the folder structure of your computer and precisely as such it should be used. If I want to move files to the cloud, I just store them in this folder (and sub-folders the synchronisation is completed successfully. Now the file can be opened from my Dropbox iPad app. Google Drive is also using a special synchronisation folder in the folder structure of my computer. When I open my test document in Google Drive over the browser, I see the advantage of the system to others: With Google Docs I can edit the document immediately without having a text-editing program installed on the computer. Unfortunately, this only works with file types that are compatible with Google Docs. Our sisterMAG text editor Smultron is unfortunately not.

storing and synchronising

therein). A small green tick on the Dropbox folder indicates when

With DocWallet I can only access documents via the apps (i.e. permanently installed programs on my devices). It is therefore not included in the folder structure of my computer. You simply Âťdrag & dropÂŤ the file in the DocWallet. At the moment PDF documents can be directly opened and commented.

05 /1 2

3. Collaborating Ad

Next, I‘m sharing the sub-folder »sisterMAG Unpublished« with Thea both on Google Drive and on Dropbox. After a little Skype call accelerated the acceptance, the folder shows up at Thea’s

collaborating

computer and the testing can start.

First I save the sisterMAG Master Excel-spreadsheet so that we both can add our already completed work. Duplications, i.e. both working on a non-synchronised document, are (usually) displayed as an automatic copy. So we can see what the other has done. However, merging only works manually. Another important point: If a shared folder is moved into a non-shared folder, it is possible that it will no longer appear in the folder structure. Collaborating is (still) the biggest flaw of DocWallet. Currently, DocWallet cannot be shared with others. If you want to work together in a team, the other members have to install DocWallet with the same account on their iPad or PC to access the account. n

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sisterMAG Spotlight on

After our test we wanted to know more about DocWallet, as it pursues a very different concept than the well known, established platforms. As clear as DocWallet no other provider has emphasized the security aspect and the use on the iPad. As electronic document folder for the iPad PDF documents can be read, saved, managed and synchronised with DocWallet (www.docwallet.de L and for download at the Apple AppStore L). Since a PDF reader is included in the app, the problem of opening is no longer there. PDFs from all apps that support the »Open with ...« (Safari, email, photo to PDF, etc.) can be stored in DocWallet. In the Windows version the PDFs are stored simply via drag‘n‘drop. The PDF reader enables direct working on the iPad, adding text notes, highlighting passages or even freehand drawing. Within DocWallet an own folder structure can be defined. The Sync button initiates the synchronisation, so that the most current data are stored on all devices.

05 /1 2

Two aspects make DocWallet special: Firstly, Ad

the comprehensive safety concept. Any data is exchanged via a secure end-to-end encryption in the SSL protocol, so that only the users himor herself (and not even the DocWallet provider itself) can read the documents. The app can additionally be protected by a password against unauthorized access. If you do not want documents from DocWallet to be exported, you can turn this feature off. The second aspect is the built-in reader. Especially on the iPad you may have the problem that you cannot edit documents. This does not apply with DocWallet.

Topics such as email sending or collaborating in teams will be added or extended in the near future. The same applies to the availability on other platforms such as Android, Mac or Linux and readers for more file formats (doc, txt, jpg and ppt). n

Test DocWallet with sisterMAG for free for 60 days! Just enter »sistermag13« while registering.

We would like to hear from your experiences with DocWallet @sister_mag – #testdocwallet L

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Valid until 28.02.2013.

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L Cli

hristmas C C e s e th p o h s to re tu ck on the pic

ards

Holiday Card Trend Guide

Sent with love Little Paintings

3 | Blustery Brownstone Card from Rocket Ink, from $ 4.00

They almost look like you‘ve been sitting with

4 | Snow & Sled Ornament Card from Rifle Paper, $ 4.50

your watercolours all day to create this special greeting.

5 | Skiing Sheep Card from madgeandmabel via Etsy, $ 5.00

Handmade charm all over!

6 | First comes the stocking notecard in indigo, from The Paper Menage via Etsy, $ 3.00

3 5 2 1 | Winter Reflections Christmas Cards from eastashleystudio via Etsy, $ 10.00 2 | Winter Berries Handdrawn Card from Kate & Birdie Paper Company, $ 4.00

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Curated by Donaville Herrick L, Anna Schmalfuß & Thea Neubauer

1 1 | Letterpress Holiday Cards from 9th Letterpress 2 | Holiday Cards »Cheers« & »Holiday« from Dahlia Press, $ 16.00

Letterpress … has been a trend in the stationery scene for a few years. It is therefore no

3 | Seasons Greetings from Ink Meets Paper

wonder that we see an ex-

4 | Glass Ornaments Cards from Presse Du Four, $ 20.00

section at Christmas Time.

plosion of creativity in this

5 | Couple with Tree Card from Moon Tree Press, $ 16.00 6 | Coffee Christmas Cards from maidavale, $ 17.50

L Cli

hristmas C C e s e th p o h s to re tu ck on the pic

ards 1 | Christmas Card in Paper Cut Design, from cardmakingandmore, € 2.40 2 | Card with Fairisle Pattern A4, from sarahlouisematthews via Etsy, £ 10.00 3 | Girl Baking Silhouette, from simplymadescrapbooks via Etsy, $ 0.80 4 | Christmas Tree Card, from Holler And Whistle via Etsy, $ 5.50 5 | Folk Inspired Letterpress Christmas Cards, from Bobalong, £ 2.50

paper cut The simplicity of a silhouette,

cut with big scissors – this little selection of paper cut cards nicely shows this trend

we‘ve been following on Pinterest or Dribbble over the

last months.

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Typography Swirls, handscript and sans-

serif fonts: these are the design specs we can also notice on this year‘s holiday cards. The message can be as simple as »Cheers«, but the materials are luxurious and rich.

3 1 | Noel Christmas Card from Sass & Peril, $ 5.00 2 | Holiday Wishes Engraved Card from Parrot Design Studio via Etsy, $ 4.50 3 | May Your Christmas be Merry and Bright-Blank Note Card Set of 4 from Stone and Feather Paper, $ 7.50

Find more christmas cards on our

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N°5 Pinterest Board!

4 | Letterpress Printed Holiday Cards from In Haus Press, $ 28.00

An Initiative against the death of physical communication

Letter Writers Alliance

si st

Tell us a little bit about yourselves! Where do you live and what do you do in real life?

Since when does the Letter Writers Alliance exist? How did you come up with the idea?

We like to think that the Letter Wri-

The Letter Writers Alliance exists

ters Alliance L is our real life and the

because we grew tired of hearing

rest is just what we do to pay the bills.

people say that they loved letters, but

We live in Chicago, Illinois. We are lu-

that nobody writes them anymore. We

cky enough to be in the same neigh-

heard this a hundred times in one day,

borhood called Ukrainian Village and

for two days straight while participa-

are only about a 5 minute walk apart.

ting in a craft fair. A light bulb went off

Donovan works as an administrator

for both of us: what if we could link up

in a medical clinic full-time. She also

these people, who participate in a so-

assists part-time at Challengers Co-

litary art, and connect them so they

mics and Conversation, a local comic

don't feel like the only ones anymo-

book store and part-time at GREER,

re? That was in 2007 when we deci-

a stationery and livestyle shop. Kathy

ded to start the Alliance. We created

works as a librarian for the University

the Alliance to network those letter

of Chicago and also works as a free-

lovers together. We formed a website

lance graphic designer.

and came up with a concept for what

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Bilder: 16sparrows.com L

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a membership would entail and what

Donovan & Kathy || Pic: Isabel Gonzal

kind of perks would come with it.

How many members do you have?

have

As of today, 3234!

a special currency that members can

What are the benefits of being a LWA member? Do you write eMails? Out of all the modern communication possibilities, what is your favourite one (WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, eMail, â&#x20AC;Ś).

and the turn in for free things. Mem-

We offer free downloads of stationery

formed on the latest postal news, etc.

and cards, members only products and projects, and we run a blog three times a week open to the public with all the goings on in the letter writing world. We also offer a pen pal swap between members, run mail art contests, and

earn through community involvement bership is free with purchase of our Letter Writers Alliance stationery or can be purchased on its own through our website. We use tools like Twitter and email to keep our members inWe always tell people that we aren't anti-email; we're just pro real-mail. Mainly, we just want people to write more letters. Our goal is to give you the tools you need online in order to get offline and writing letters. 05 /1 7

of history. I wonder a lot about what is being lost with the advent of email and text and Twitter and how much history is sacrificed to the delete key. What is the appeal of writing a letter? Do you always properly sit down or can you write a letter »on the go«?

Donovan: For me, letter writing is a way to relax and I do it whereever I can. I write in bed, I write in cars, I What is especially fascinating to you in the history of letter-writing?

write on the bus, I write on my lunch

If you reach back and remember the

rough a problem, by writing about it

joy from receiving a letter, something

break. Often, if I’m trying to work thto someone else, I’m able to come to

si st er

to hold, to reread, to treasure and

a decision.

then imagine passing that feeling on

Kathy: I tend to write on the go, but in

to someone else. A letter means even

the quite moments of moving about,

more today than it used to. They beca-

like on a plane, during lunch, or while

me mundane, but are now almost

wating for the bus. I take advantage

sacred artifacts. It's a small, very

of those moments of waiting to »pro-

small, price to pay to touch someo-

perly sit down« and write. The aspect I

ne the way that a letter can. Also, let-

most enjoy of leter writing is the sen-

ters are extremely important primary

se of connection you have with a per-

sources for our collective experience

son who is not even there. There is

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Telegramm-Briefpapier von LWA also a sense of connection with your

me are things that organize them. My

own thoughts that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally

official L.W.A. bag, pencil pouch, and

get when talking or writing an email.

stationery folio. I use them everyday

There is more of a journalistic thought

and keep them well stocked. I also re-

process occuring when writing a let-

ally like a clear, hard plastic case with

ter and it is amazing how many times

a handle to hold all of my stamps.

I write things I had no idea I was fee-

Kathy: I need to have one of my fa-

ling or even solve issues I was havign just by writing it out to a pen pal. That type of connection coupled with that fact that you can write a letter on your own time and start and stop as needed makes letter writing extrememly appealing to me. What are your most important tools for letter-writing?

Donovan: Basically, I have a lot of supplies; so the most important things to

vorite fountain pens (right now I am loving my Kaweco Sport with fine nib), my address book, and som stamps. Other than that, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll write on much any paper or scraps. My letter writing style is much more simple/classic than Donovan. She is more mail arty while I lean more to the classic letter writing style. All thaty means is that her bag has way more cool art supplies in it than mine does! 05 /1 9

Analoge Mail in einer digitalen Welt What is the most important and dear letter you’ve hold onto?

are releasing next year. Donovan and

Donovan: I have a cookie tin some-

all just got on like wildfire. Our fri-

where that is full of the letters I recei-

endship has grown quite close, so it

ved from pen pals, friends and family

may be odd that my »dear letter« is

in my youth. Now, I tend to save tho-

actually a short note she enclosed

se letters that tell a meaningful story,

in a journal she made and mailed to

something I’d like to read again. My

me. It simply wished me a great &

father wrote me a poem for my birth-

fun honeymoon, but her words were

day, and I’ve stashed that away safe.

so peotic and sincere that I keep this

Kathy: There are certain letters that I

note taped into the journal where she

keep in a special place for years and years I never lose my love for them, but letters that I consider »dear« change every year. Right now my most dear letter is from Carolee from Good Mail Day, who we are collaborating si

with for a series of projects that we

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I met Carolee through letters and we

originally placed it. That is what is great about mail – there are no rules. You can include any physical objects you wish or just send a short note. Either way, it will show the recipeint you care about them and will make their day, even their year. n

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»I couldn’t have a pleasant sleep if I hadn’t written a card to you every evening.«

short messages from the year 1913 text Victoria Kau L

One of the first words I usually learn in

though the actual text on the card is

the language of the countries I travel

of secondary nature because people

to is stamp. I imagine to put a smile on

have already told everyone about the

the kiosk owner’s face who must be

nice weather, the great food and the

confronted with questions concerning

beautiful beach via the internet. All a

stamps a hundred times a day – even

postcard needs is a nice drawing, a

with WLAN in every h ostel! Indeed,

funny slogan or the signatures of the

digital messages – such as emails,

fellow campaigners – after all, the

facebook or WhatsApp messages –

thought counts!

don’t seem to have displaced the good

When I was little I sometimes w rote

old postcard. Whereas letters have mostly been replaced by electronic, computer generated mail.

over 20 postcards from wherever we spent the summer, and that m eant spending a big part of my holiday

A postcard is still a very important

cash. I drew little suns and starfish

holiday accessory, even if it often

with glue and sand on the space next

arrives after the writer’s return. But

to the address box. And I paid good

then it usually hangs on the fridge for

attention to the writing! Whereas it

months, reminding the receiver every

was totally fine to write the same text

now and then of beautiful places far

to my grandma and my classmate (as

away – and of the fact that some

they would never meet and compare

one took extra time to write it. Even

their cards) it was forbidden to use 05 /1 1

the same words on postcards to two

When my late grandfather showed

close friends. After all, each friend

me an old postcard album that had

should see that he or she was treated

belonged to his mother I started

individually. Today I still write post-

to think about postcards again. My

cards, at least when I don’t forget to

great-grandmother Victoria Gilliam

put the addresses in my smartphone.

and her friend and future sister-in-

The first official postcard was intro-

law Clara Kau wrote each other post-

duced in Austria-Hungary on October

cards from Aachen to Bonn in the

1rst 1869 as a correspondence card.

early 20th century.

By the end of the 19th century they

There are about 100 postcards in the

had become popular. In countries like

album my granddad gave to me, all

Germany, England or France post was

written between 1913 and 1919. They

delivered at least three times a day, in

are filed in neatly and sorted according

larger cities even more often. During

to the motive: quite often there are

World War I postcards – as part of

up to eight motives out of one series.

the army postal service – were the

Either

most common form of communicati-

beautiful landscapes or virtuous sil-

on, whereas in World War II prefabri-

houettes. But even prettier than tho-

cated motifs and texts were used for

se pictures are captions, stamps and

propaganda purposes.

postmarks on the backside of the

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showing

elegant

women,

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05 /1 11

Click on the card to see the picture enlarged. Click on the little turning symbol (bottom right) to see the back of this postcard.

card. Beautifully written in cursive,

willing, and my father – I shall see you!«

either with fountain pen or pencil, my

»So can you take the responsibility for putting me off yet another time?« written lines to my great-grandaunt great-grandmother devoted narrowly

Clara. The content of the texts as well as the short intervals of the postmarks indicate how often they both wrote to each other. They discussed their daily activities, their illnesses and their weekend trips. But most of all Clara told Victoria about her plans to visit or welcome her in her home again. The major part of the postcards expresses the desire for a reunion:

»We will see each other in 10 days! Who is more looking forward to that, you or me? Ahoi, my love!« si st er

»I assume you are writing a little letter to me. I hope I’m not erring. In three weeks – God

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Also they would ask many questions, for instance about health (Victoria seemed to be ill quite often) or the weather. When Clara had visitors, she reported on that. And often the pretty motive on the card was the reason for writing:

»Isn’t this a most delightful spot?« »Do you like this maid from elsewhere?« »Today I’m sending you a flower greeting. Do you find that charming?«

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Back then, postcards were just one

banality. Both Victoria’s and Clara’s

form of communication. People also

tone in writing was polite, caring, but

wrote letters, sent parcels or tele-

sometimes also cheeky and ironic –

grams. Writing a postcard was all

and that without any emoticons.

about the compliment and collecting beautiful motives. The linguist Heiko

»I hope we shall see each other in three Hausendorf from the University of weeks, I hope you will have recovered by Zurich writes about the combinathen? Lissy is looking forward to seeing you! I tion of text and picture: A postcard, am not, of course!« he says, has no real front or back as picture and text are equally important

and complement each other. He talks

As Victoria and Clara wrote to each

about a dual textuality. The receiver

other out of habit, so did many friends,

spins and rotates the piece of carton

siblings or lovers back then – to keep

and recognizes its authenticity – how

in touch, to tell the other about life,

the card smells, how the card feels.

to create joy. Writing, it seems, was

The postcard communicates both

an everyday activity. People q uickly

haptic and visual impressions.

wrote a card, sometimes a second

To me, these postcards leave a plea-

one. They admonished the receiver if

sant feeling of friendship, style and

nothing came back, but forgave them 05 /1 5

just as quickly. Today, messages like

our digital messages. And how many

these are mostly communicated via

words could they even understand?

email. Whereas nowadays we send

But most of all: Will our great-grand

postcards from a holiday trip only,

children be able to read our corres-

people at that time usually wrote from

pondences in a hundred years time?

home – a little compliment from door

On large screens in digital archives?

to door.

Postcards – today as in the past –

Many expressions from a hundred

are one of the most vivid types of

years ago have died out. Such as

communication. Written in passing,

»methinks«, »pursuant to my pro-

sent without an envelope, cheaper

mise« or »such dreadful cold we-

and quicker than a letter. Their date

ather«. I wonder what the young la-

expires as soon as their content. What

dies Victoria and Clara would have

stays is the thought. A thought you

to say about our postcards, or about

can touch! n

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Mail Room

05 /1 7

Examining the English Aristocracy

Lords und Ladies

text Antonia Neubauer L

A category of books and movies that never seems to go out of fashion is the group of historical romances set in the UK in the 19th and early 20th century.

Often working with strong oversimplifications, they mostly only portray members of the upper class and do not contain complex character studies, yet they paint a colourful picture of that time and make you want to learn more about the era: the fashion, the noble titles and styling as well as the social rules and the political situation, which transformed significantly over these 100 years. And of course, those books and movies are the perfect treat for dark December evenings and cold winter days.

May I introduce The Right Honourable Robert, Earl of Grantham, Lady Mary Josephine Crawley, Mr Matthew Crawley, the Duke of Crowborough â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all names from the TV series Downton Abbey, all members of the British aristocracy and yet they are all differently addressed. For some, such as Mr Crawley, the name does not even indicate that he is a si st er

The Rt. Hon. Robert, Earl of Grantham

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member of the nobility.

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Behind-The-Scenes Downton Abbey during Christmas Special 2011 | Image: Giles Keyte

This is because within the British nobility typically only the eldest son inherits a substantive title like Duke, Earl or Viscount and only those are referred to as peers or lords and form the ‘peerage‘. The rest of

Lady Mar y Josephine Crawley

the nobility, also younger sons and daughters of Dukes & Co., belong to the ‘(landed) gentry‘ and often do not hold an own title. Thus, at Downton Abbey only The Right Honourable Robert, Earl of Grantham (his wife Cora is only married to a peer, not a peeress in her own right) and the Duke of Crowborough are peers.

Mr. Matthew Crawley

Where did Lady Mary‘s interest to marry the Duke of Crowborough originate? Quite simply, she would have claimed as Duchess of Crowborough one of the highest ranks within the peerage hierarchy: ǷǷ Duke & Duchess – Address: The Most Noble or His / Her / Your Grace Duke of Crowborough 05 /1 1

The Peerage

»» Duke & Duchess – Address: The Most Noble or His / Your Grace »» Marquess & Marchioness – Address: The Most Honourable »» Earl & Countess – Address: The Right Honourable »» Viscount & Viscountess – Address: The Right Honourable »» Baron & Baroness – Address: The Right Honourable As the daughter of the Earl of Grantham she only holds the title of »Lady Mary Josephine Crawley« as a courtesy title, which she is allowed to use as unmarried daughter of a Duke, Marquess or Earl. Another courtesy title is »Dowager« for widows of peers. The Dowager Countess of Grantham bears this title, since her son became the new Earl of Grantham and found his Countess in Cora.

May I inherit?

Speaking about Matthew Crawley the term »heir presumptive« is often used in the TV series Downton Abbey – again a small technicality within the British nobility rules. The »heir presumptive« is the person currently entitled to inherit a peerage but whose position can be displaced by birth of an heir apparent. This is exactly what would have happened if the late pregnancy of Cora, the Countess of Grantham had not ended so tragically. In this case, the newborn son would have become the »heir apparent«, because there would have been no way that he would have been excluded from the succession line.

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May I be part of them? Other ensemble members such as Sir Anthony Strallan, Lady Edith‘s admirer or Sir Richard Carlisle, Lady Mary‘s fiancé are no peers, but belong to the gentry. Some of these landed gentry have a similarly long history as landowners as peers. Even though they do not hold high titles, they are still respected members of the upper class.

Sir Anthony Strallan

In the second half of the 19th Century yet another group joined the scene. Many wealthy industrialists like Sir Richard Carlisle were looking to join the upper class. This involved a title, the marriage with a daughter or son of the peerage and the purchase of a prestigious country estate. Sir Richard Carlisle

05 2

Image: Giles Keyte 3

May I marry them? The second half of the 19th Century was also the time when British nobility impoverished by social and economic changes (industrialisation!). They owned large estates, but rent revenues fell and they had to look for ways to protect their heritage. A practice known for centuries was the marriage with a rich heiress â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what was new,

Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham

however, was to look for them in the New World of America. American heiresses like Consuelo Vanderbilt, Mary Head, Nancy Astor or Cora in the TV series Downton Abbey married into the British aristocracy, and thus saved the impoverished families with their inheritance. For those who would like to read on, we especially recommend for the UK: the Harlequin Mills and Boon Regency series L and for the US: the Harlequin Historical series L

Here are some of our favourite books::

My Last Duchess (UK). L Daisy Goodwin

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American Heiress (US). Once and Always L L Daisy Goodwin Judith McNaught

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Produktcollage Downton Abbey 33

44 1

– Old Jewellery Box made of glass, from WhiteBarnVintage via Etsy, $14.00

2. Freshly served tureen, Anthropologie, €137.00 3. Metallic Mary Jane Heels from ASOS, €48.62 4. Earrings made from Baltic amber from BHLDN, $120.00 5. 1920s blouse made of 66 55

white lace from WhiteBarnVintage via Etsy, $58.00

Downton Abbey DVD-Set Season 1&2, Original UK Version, via Amazon, $34.35 05 /1 5

Dressing for Dinner in 1912

Hooks and eyes text & pictures Beatrice Behlen L

How long does it take you to get ready

mould your body into ‘the correct line’

for a big night out? I am not talking

is the function of your next layer: the

about the days, or even weeks, you

corset.

might have spent deciding what to

Predominantly functional, corsets

wear, but about your preparations on the actual day. Maybe 20 minutes to put on your clothes – assuming you might have to squeeze into some tricky shape-wear, 30 minutes for your make up – particularly if false eye lashes are involvedvand 15-30 minutes for your hair? Now imagine you are an upperclass woman dressing for dinner (maybe at Downton Abbey?) in 1912.

were usually made of light-coloured, densely woven and often subtly patterned fabrics, with few decorative features. They were stiffened through ‘boning’: the insertion of long, narrow strips originally of so-called whalebone but now more commonly of celluloid or steel. Encasing your body from below your breasts to your upper thighs, the corset is responsible for shaping you

si st er

Assuming you start off in the nude,

into a high-waisted and slim-hipped

you will probably first put on a pair of

being in preparation for your outer

drawers and a sleeveless chemise,

layer. A split metal strip or busk, at

both reaching to around your knees.

the centre front holds hooks and eyes

Or you might wear ‘combinations’:

for fastening and also helps to make

a camisole with knickers attached –

your belly disappear. The laces at the

very modern! These garments, made

back of our ready-to-wear corset can

of cotton or silk, might be decorated

be used for minor adjustments. Now

with embroidery, lace and ribbons but

attach your silk stockings to the two

are relatively loose and shapeless. To

or more long, elastic suspenders or

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‘hose supporters’ sewn to the bottom

obviously produced by a professional.

of the corset and slip into a petticoat

See how the ivory net with its floral

that is narrow enough not to spoil your

pattern has been edged with three-

fashionably slim silhouette. Maybe

dimensional lace flowers and petals

put on your satin shoes? It will be

to reveal the layer of dark pink silk

more difficult to button up the straps

satin underneath? Further shades

when you are wearing your gown.

of pink are introduced with the silk

Until now you might have been doing

taffeta lining and a flounce of silk

fine on your own, but you probably want to call in your maid for the next stage. Let us pretend Mrs Burgh de Miller has lent you her beautiful gown for one evening before giving it to the Museum of London where

crepe near the hem inside the gown, which will only be seen on the rare occasion when the train is turned over accidentally. Gold beads and silver spangles have been sewn onto a triangular piece of flesh-coloured

it now resides. We do not know the

crepe mimicking a deep décolletage.

name of the dressmaker who made

Once you have found your way through

this rose-coloured garment but it was

these layers with the aid of your maid, 05 /1 7

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05 /1

You want to save Beatriceâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s pictures? You can just repin them from our boards.

she will fasten the hooks and eyes

as patience on both sides. Lastly,

of the sturdy silk ribbon waistband

the small, embroidered panel at the

that helps to keep the gown in place.

top of the gown needs to be hooked

She will then match the small metal

into place and you are fully dressed,

hooks on one edge of the lining with

although not quite ready to dazzle.

si st

the small thread loops on the other

Being used to arranging your long,

side before closing the dark pink

wavy hair yourself, you might still

outer gown in the same way. The next

want to enlist the help of your maid

procedure is the most complicated:

for a special evening like tonight,

because the edge of the outer layer

particularly if false hairpieces have to

of lace has been cut following the

be pinned into place. Having to avoid

shapes of the flowers and petals,

obvious signs of make-up, you just

the little loops are not arranged in a

carefully apply a little face powder

straight line. Made of thread in the

and maybe a dab of rouge. Put on

same colour as the lace, they are

your ornaments, button up your long

also almost invisible. It might take

gloves and you are ready to go.

your maid a little while to match

If you often get dressed this way

each hook with the correct loop.

with your trusted servant by your

Nimble hands and good eyesight are

side, getting ready for dinner would

important for this procedure as well

probably not take you much longer

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than it might take a woman today, a

messages, their soft appearance

hundred years later. Besides, what

belying the very hard foundation

else is there to do? Dresses like Mrs

underneath. Seemingly made to

de Burgh Millerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speak of a time when

appeal and attract they also cover

women were supposed primarily

and shelter the body within multiple

to be seen and only seldom heard.

layers that require knowledge and

The gownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shape and the fragility

determination to peel off.

of some of the materials demand

Would I like to wear one of these

careful, gracious movements or,

beautiful confections? Maybe for an

ideally, complete immobility, turning

hour or so. For an entire evening I

the wearer into a beautiful statue.

would prefer a little black (green/

Playing

and

gold/fuchsia) dress. Something that

revelation, gowns from this period

allows me to climb onto the tables for

often seem to give out conflicting

dancing. n

with

concealment

Beatrice Behlen is Senior Curator, Fashion & Decorative Arts at the Museum of London. Read her Blog here L.

05 /1 1

White Christmas

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in Daylesford

text & pictures Charlotte Franklin L

Charlotte from Anknel & Burblets L takes us on a tour to an idyllic farm in English Cotswolds and brings back culinary delicacies (page 143 w).

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Daylesford cookery school

Daylesford Organic Farm Shop

Daylesford Organic Farm is situated

is well established and supplies the

20 miles North of the village of Bamp-

Daylesford restaurant and their three

ton, now famous for being a Downton

farm shops. They have a team of se-

Abbey filming location.

ven gardeners out in the fields ten-

We spent a week in Honeysuckle, a Cotswold stone cottage just five mi-

ding the gardens and picking seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs.

nutes walk from the Farm Shop. It

Winter vegetables are a delight. We

comes wonderfully equipped with all

spent a week cooking with the pro-

the Daylesford dinnerware and cutlery

duce from the Daylesford garden and

as well as lovely white and cream li-

with the variety and lovely sweet win-

nen interior furnishings. The 20 acre,

ter flavours, a whole new world of

organically managed market garden

taste opened up to us.

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Getting ready for Christmas at Daylesford We took along the VitaMix to ensu-

beaten. Add to that a fresh winter sa-

re a steady supply of fresh breakfast

lad to take home and eat in front of a

smoothies – but also found it brilli-

roaring wood fire and life in the Cots-

ant for blending gorgeous fresh win-

wolds really can’t get any better.

ter soups – and fresh fruit frozen yoghurts.

Afternoon tea time calls for cake. In winter time the classic Victoria spon-

The deli counter at the Daylesford

ge with blackcurrant jam and cream

farm shop is a haven for the tired, wet

really comes into its own. Or bring

and hungry Cotswold adventurer. Af-

out some preserved organic apri-

ter a long morning walk through our

cots from summer to make a winter

favourite woods, foxholes, a hot pie

almond cacao energy cake – easily

or a hearty lasagne for lunch can’t be

tucked into a walker’s rucksack for 05 /1 5

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My tour guide Matt and our little mini-truck

05 /1

You want to save Charlotteâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s pictures? You can just repin them from our boards.

Honeysuckle Cottage tucking into with a nice warm cup of

More than that Daylesford also has a

tea fresh from the thermos.

cookery school and an organic farm

Daylesford farm is one of the most sustainable farms in the UK, set in

school – as well as a beauty spa with treatments and classes.

si st er

what I believe to be the most pictu-

Their ethos shines through in ever-

resque corner of England. The fee-

ything they do. Good proper food.

ling of community around Dayles-

Simple good living. Inexpensive fresh

ford brings us back again and again

seasonal fruit and vegetables – there

to stay at Honeysuckle Cottage. For

was no need for us to buy anything

our family, having a good local food

that wasn’t fresh from their farm. They

place where people can meet, shop,

bake their own bread fresh each day.

share a meal, wander around – is one

The white milk loaf is a firm favouri-

of the most important things in life.

te with us. You can pick up a bunch

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Winter at Foxholes

Daylesford Organic Farm Shop

of fresh flowers, buy a gift for young or old or mix and match dinner set pieces named after local villages. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a peaceful place, calm and tranquil. A place I might dream of moving to one day.

daylesfordorganic.com L To book a stay at Daylesford Honeysuckle Cottage visit

manorcottages.co.uk L 05 /1 1

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1 punnet fresh or frozen raspberries (little basket) Handful of strawberries 2 fresh English apples 1 banana 1 cup freshly pressed English apple juice

In the VitaMix or blender, blend all ingredients together on high for 30 seconds Consistency should be thin enough to drink with a straw but thick enough to eat with a spoon Makes approx. 500ml â&#x20AC;&#x201C; enough for 2

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This button lets you download the recipes as print PDF.

This button shows the original picture in large size.

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1 frozen organic pineapple, chopped into small cubes (or equivalent frozen fruit) 600g yoghurt

In a VitaMix (or in a blender) blend the frozen pineapple for 60 seconds. Add the yoghurt and blend until smooth. You might need to switch off the motor and mix with the handle of a wooden spoon while the pineapple is still quite chunky. Your mixture will now be a bit melty so you need to freeze it for 2-3 hours. Each hour remove the mixture from the freezer and give it a stir with a spoon to aerate the mixture. After the final stir (hour 3) return to the freezer for an hour (this will depend on how cold your freezer is) to set.

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2 small leeks 2 large chicken thighs, skin and bone in 1 large swede chopped into 1 inch chunks 750ml water Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot (or pressure cooker if you have one) on a low heat, heat the oil and gently sweat the leeks. Once the leeks are semi-transparent add the chopped Swede, turn up the heat to medium and cook until just golden brown. De-bone the chicken thighs by cutting the meat off as close to the bone as you can. Remove leeks and Swede from pot and set aside. In the same pot brown the chicken (yes all of it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; skin, bones). Once browned and cooked through add the vegetables back in. Add the water and put the lid on the pot. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove skin and bones and blend in food processor or VitaMix. Serve hot with black pepper to taste.

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Recipe inspired From the Daylesford Kitchen

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1 small Cauliflower 1 small Red onion, finely chopped 1 red pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced into 3cm strips 1/4 Cup Raisins Small bunch of coriander, chopped 1/4 Cup flaked almonds

Dressing 1/2 Cup Olive oil 2 tbsp White wine vinegar Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp Ras el hanout (middle eastern dry curry spice mix available from arabicafoodandspice.com) 1 tsp Mustard seeds Salt and pepper to taste

Break the florets off the cauliflower and cut the big ones into manageable bite-size chunks. Put chopped red onion, red pepper and the cauliflower into a medium bowl, add the raisins and set aside. To make the dressing whisk the olive oil and vinegar. Add the lemon juice and Ras el hanout and whisk again to mix well. Add the mustard seeds and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the dressing and the salad ingredients to mix together well. Marinate in the fridge for 3 hours minimum or for a better result marinate overnight. Just before serving toss in the flaked almonds and chopped coriander. Serves 4

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Recipe inspired From the Daylesford Kitchen

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1 good sized celeriac, peeled and either julienned or grated on the biggest grater option 1 stalk of celery, finely sliced 2 small winter apples, chopped into half centimeter chunks 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1/2 cup crĂ¨me fraiche 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp caster sugar 3 sprigs french parsley, roughly chopped Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl mix the celeriac, apple, walnuts. Whisk together the crĂ¨me fraiche, lemon juice and sugar and add to the salad ingredients. Mix together well without overhandling the food. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley. 05 /1 1

Recipe inspired From the Daylesford Kitchen

There are only three things you need to know about lasagne; lasagne sheets, white sauce and meat sauce. Oh, and always make loads of white sauce because it never goes far enough. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to add seasonal vegetables to the meat sauce and serve with a lovely fresh winter green salad.

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500g fresh lasagne sheets

For the white sauce 4 tbsp butter 4 tbsp white spelt (or plain) flour 1L milk 3 cups grated cheddar cheese Extra cheese for sprinkling on top

For the meat sauce 1 tbsp olive oil 4 medium red onions 500g beef mince 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 carrots, grated 1 celeriac, grated 1 600ml jar passata (or 2 tins chopped tomatoes) 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon for 1 cup hot water

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius) Meat sauce: Use a large frying pan to heat the oil on medium heat. Cook the onions until soft Add the mince and cook, stirring well, until well browned. Add the garlic and grated carrot and celeriac. Stir well and cook a further 3 minutes. 05 /1 3

Add the passata (or chopped tomatoes), vegetable bouillon and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. White sauce: In a medium saucepan gently melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Add the milk a little at a time and whisk sauce until smooth. Continue whisking until the mixture begins to boil. Add salt to taste and reduce heat to low. Put the lid on and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in grated cheese and heat gently until cheese has melted into the sauce. The sauce should be fairly thick. If it is too thick add a little milk at a time and whisk. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too runny add 1 part boiling water water to 1 part flour in a mug and whisk into a paste before adding to sauce. Remove from heat and set aside but keep the lid on so it stays warm. Assembly: Grease a medium (eg 28cm x 20cm) ovenproof dish and line with a single layer of fresh lasagne sheets. Spread a third of the meat sauce over the lasagne sheets. Cover with lasagne sheets and spread over a third of the white sauce. Repeat for three layers and finish with white sauce on the top. Sprinkle with cheddar and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. si st er M AG

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Recipe inspired From the Daylesford Kitchen

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We re-created these delicious pies at home but because we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have single pie dishes we made a nice big one in a big pie dish. 1 x 375g pack of ready rolled shortcrust pastry 1 tbsp olive oil 6 red onions, cut into quarters then sliced 750g organic beef mince 4 leeks, sliced 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 cup red wine 1 cup passata 2 tsp vegetable bouillon 3 tbsp corn flour 1/2 cup water Salt and pepper to taste 1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius) Heat the oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook for 5 minutes until soft and semi-transparent. Add the mince and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, wine, passata, vegetable bouillon and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. 05 /1 7

In a mug add 3 tbsp of water to the cornflour and beat with a single beater of an electric mixer until a smooth paste is formed. Add the rest of the water and beat until mixed and smooth. Add the cornflour mix to the simmering meat and stir in well. Continue to stir until the meat mix thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer a further 5 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. White the meat is cooling turn the pastry out onto a dusted kitchen surface and roll to 4mm thickness. Lightly grease a 20cm pie dish and line with 2/3 of the pastry. Trim the edges and keep pastry remnants. Press the pastry edges gently around the rim of the dish. Blind bake the pastry for 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Spoon the cooled meat mixture into the pastry-lined pie dish. Roll the remainder of the pastry with the pastry remnants to form a 4mm thick pie lid. Place on top and press pastry edges together around the rim of the pie dish. Brush the top with egg and make several slits with a sharp knife. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown. si st er M AG

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When I was a teenager I would whip up a Victoria Sponge in the ad breaks for Twin Peaks and serve it with whipped cream, mandarins, kiwi fruit and jam. As I become more English I prefer to keep things simple and pure. This is the gorgeous sponge from Daylesford, served with their Blackcurrant jam and farm fresh cream.

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6 eggs 1 cup caster sugar 1 1/4 cups spelt flour 1/2 cup almond meal (finely ground almonds) 2 tsp baking powder 100g melted butter, slightly cooled Whipped cream for filling Blackcurrant jam for spreading Icing sugar

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees (C) Grease and line 2 deep 20cm round cake tins with baking paper. In a mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale and doubled in volume (2-4 minutes).

Fold in the melted butter. Pour half the mix into each cake tin and bake for 20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 minutes or until the cakes feel springy to touch and is a light golden brown on top. The cake at the top of the oven will probably be ready first. In which case take it out and put the other cake on the higher oven shelf a further 5 minutes or until golden brown as above. Leave the cakes in tins for 5 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool. To make the filling, spread the top of one cake and the base of the other cake evenly with jam. Top the base with whipped cream and place the top piece, jam-side down onto the base cake. Dust lightly with icing sugar.

In a medium bowl sift or stir baking powder into flour.

Add to egg and sugar mix and mix in for 5 seconds.

/1 1

180g butter, cubed 1 1/3 cups sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs 2 cups ground almonds (almond meal) 1 cup white spelt flour 3 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup cacao nibs 1/4 cup apricot juice (from the jar below) 1 jar organic apricots Sugar for sprinkling

Add in the walnuts and cacao nibs and mix until combined.

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees (C). Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until white and fluffy.

Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown and firm. If the cake is still wobbly in the middle it’s not done.

Then, slowly – one at a time, beat in the eggs, beating well after each egg. If you add them all at once or too quickly the mixture will curdle. In a separate bowl mix together the flours and the baking powder with a wooden spoon.

Add the flour mix to the butter mix, and add the apricot juice. Mix on low for 5 seconds until just mixed. Pour into a lined 23cm or 9“ shallow tart tin (paper lining must be higher than tin because cake will rise). Arrange the halved apricots nicely on top. Don‘t be shy about including a little bit of juice but don‘t go overboard. Sprinkle evenly with a thin covering of sugar.

Test for readiness by inserting a skewer or knife into the cake. If it comes out with only a few grains of ground almonds it’s ready. This cake is better a bit undercooked. This cake is good warm, served with fruit and yoghurt.

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GourmetOrigins.com L

is a marketplace where you can order artisan and high quality foods from small independent producers from all over Europe. A place to discover products of outstanding quality, explore new flavours and specialities, products you would hardly ever find at your usual supermarket. As the name implies, it is not only about the shopping, but also about the stories, the places

Twitter @gourmetorigins

foods come from and the people that make them.

Facebook fb.com/gourmetorigins

s i st

www.

erM

4 6 1

gourmetorigins.com

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Explain in your own words the idea of your company. What are you doing? GourmetOrigins.com is an online marketplace for high quality and artisan foods and beverages. We aim to uncover Europe’s amazing food heritage and diversity, facilitating the purchase of unique and hard to find products and telling the stories of all these specialities. What was the inspiration for your idea? We like to travel and to taste original products of the places we visit. This made us aware of the huge food diversity that we have in Europe, an amazing heritage, a real »long-tail« of unique foods that, with a few notable exceptions, remain in obscurity for the general public. We wanted to facilitate access to these products. How do you finance your company? We started with our own savings and some support from family and friends, then seed capital fund The Openfund

(www.theopenfundL), a startup incubator, got on-board and supported

us not only with capital but also with mentoring. How do you earn money? Mainly through the commission on the sales that happen through our marketplace. We have also closed some advertising and sponsorhip deals. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? We would like to be the destination of reference on the web for all foodies that are looking for unique treats. A sort of repository of Europe’s food heritage, the place you go to when you wish to get the best and most authentic food from every place. Who do you see as your main competitors? We are competing with other online food retailers, with traditional delis and gourmet shops and, more broadly, with everyone selling »experiences«, because we think of our products as »experiences« rather than everyday functional shopping. What is the difference between your products / producers and the goods

Alex Wareing

available in local food speciality shops? We are not constrained by physical space, so we aim to become a repository of all the best foods out there, including those that are really unique and hard to find. Plus, being online, we can add many layers of information, that guide the client through the purchase process and share the experience with friends. How do you find new products / producers?

There are many different ways: some we learn about through trade fairs, farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s markets, etc. Some others hear about us and contact us directly. Some others through referrals...If you know of any great products or producers, do not hesitate to drop us a line!

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Miquel Ros What have you done before? I (Miquel) am an economist by background and have previously worked at a financial services company in the City, I have also some experience in consultancy and international/trade. My partner Alex has always worked as an independent digital media professional. Who was your first team member (in which department?) outside the founding team? We have kept the team with its original team (the two founders), we are deliberately avoiding overheads in order to be more flexible. We have collaborated with a number of free-lancers and independent professionals to cover specific areas of the project and complement the skill set we have in-house,

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for example, design is made in the island of Minorca and we had people helping us with business development and administration at some points in time. How did you find your company name? When we started the project, we first called Finefoodmaps, because it was basically a map-based food guide, we then pivoted to the current marketplace model and started looking for a new name. We found that most obvious food-related names were already taken so we had to choose between an abstract and shorter name or a more descriptive (but longer name), we opted for the latter after thinking long about it. How did you come up with your company colours? We had a brainstorming process with our graphic designer, Joan Pons, and we liked the warmth of this shade of red that we use, most sites related to agriculture or food use green or brown, we wanted something warmer, something that stood out.

In which city are you located? We are based in London and this is where our main activity is, however I am originally from Barcelona and I try to leverage the local connections too, so I travel there frequently to liaise with the many of our producers and supporters that are based there. Most often used software? We use mainly open source software and also all sort of apps in the cloud to cover many of our corporate functions: for example for CRM we use Highrise, for invoicing we use Tradeshift, etc. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing how user friendly and flexible these type of corporate tools have become. Main food during starting up phase? People might be surprised to learn that our food is a lot more mundane than they might imagine...after all we are a small startup that invests practically everything in the project :-) but, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say we are keen consumers of olive oil (denoting my mediterranean origins) and sweets (which give us energy for the long hours of work!) n 05 /1 7

Wishes For Winter Lovers We know about the magic of the number three since our early childhood. There are three wishes in the fairytale, they symbolise the beginning, middle & the end. Svenja Paulsen interpreted the number on the following pages in a culinary way. Enjoy our cozy-rustic recipes with your three senses: smell, taste and feel the atmosphere of winter coming around. styling & photography: Svenja Paulsen L

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Pan fried Mushrooms hand-made linen placemats by Tuchmacherin L

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Garlic Dip Ceramic by Melanie Follmer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3punktf L (dreipunktf.de) si st er M AG

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Roasted Crusty Bread Ceramic by Melanie Follmer – 3punktf L (dreipunktf.de)

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Grog with Cinnamon & Clementines si

Ceramic by Nana Yamaguchi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; available at Mailaden L Berlin

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Roasted Almonds Wooden Board – Die kleine Werkstatt L handmade linen towel – Tuchmacherin L ceramic plate – 3punktf L 05 /1 5

Pan fried Mushrooms with Garlic Dip & Roasted Bread Garlic Dip 300 g Greek yoghurt

Pan fried Mushrooms 300 g brown champignons

1 big clove fresh garlic

2 medium sized onions

1 small sprig of flat parsley

sea salt

olive oil

black pepper

Dice onions and braise in olive oil at low heat. Meanwhile slice mushrooms. When onions are cooked well, turn up heat and briefly fry mushrooms. If neccessary, add olive oil. Remove pan from heat and fold in parsley.

1 tbsp olive oil Finely chop garlic and mix with yoghurt. Season with sea salt. Top with finely chopped parsley, pepper and olive oil. Keep in fridge until served.

Roasted crusty bread 4 slices crusty bread

1 half clove fresh garlic

Arrange mushrooms with roasted bread and garlic dip on two plates and serve.

olive oil Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and roast in a pan until crispy. Let cool and rub well with garlic. Keep warm in oven until served.

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Grog with Cinnamon & Clementine

Roasted Almonds

180 ml water

200 g whole, unpeeled almonds

200 g sugar

3 cl dark Rum (54%)

3 tsp brown sugar

1 pck / 8 g vanilla sugar

1 clementine zest

100 ml water

1 cinnamon stick

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Add almonds and stir constantly to keep them from burning. When sugar caramelises and almonds are shiny, set pot aside. Spread almonds on a baking tray lined with parchment, separate with a fork and let cool.

Bring water to a boil. Fill rum and sugar in a cup or glass, pour in hot water and stir. Season with zest of clementine and a cinnamon stick.

Products A sip of dark grog tastes best from the handmade ceramic mug that Svenja found for this feature. Here is a short list of all the manufacturers.

ceramic (bright) Nana Yamaguchi,

available at Mailaden L Berlin linen handmade products von Annette

Schmidt: Dawanda-Shop L and store in Neunkirchen-Seelscheid: Dorfhaus.net L

Ceramic (dark) 3punktf â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

wooden board Die kleine Werkstatt by

Ceramic by Melanie Follmer: 3punktf.de L and in Bardowick

Stephanie Hesse: Dawanda-Shop L and in Rheine 05 /1 7

Foodspotting L is a platform

which lets you find food nearby. You see whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s good at any restaurant and learn what foodspotters, friends and experts love wherever you go. You simply share dishes and food using the photo function in their smartphone app (iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry) or by tagging food pictures with the Hashtag #foodspotting L on Instagram.

Twitter @foodspotting

Facebook fb.com/Foodspotting

sis

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ter

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odspotting.com

Kitchen

Explain in your own words the idea of your company. What are you doing?

that not only helps people learn about

Foodspotting is an app for finding

the world, like Okonomiyaki, but also

great food nearby, only instead of

makes it easy to find and share where

rating

to find those dishes.

restaurants,

foodspotters

recommend dishes. You can see what foodspotters, friends and experts love wherever you go, and you can recommend a dish by snapping a photo of it or by simply saying you »Loved it!« on Foodspotting. We started Foodspotting in 2009 when we realized that there were many restaurant review apps, but there was no easy way to find or rate specific

interesting new dishes from around

Are there dishes / cuisines that are rated most often?

While our user base is pretty diverse (almost 50/50 male vs female), according to Quantcast at one point, we had 100% more Asians and AsianAmerican users than average (myself being one of them). So dumplings, noodles and curry are all popular.

dishes.

That said, just about any dish you can

What was the inspiration for your idea?

Salmorejo (Spanish) – a chilled soup

Foodspotting was inspired by a

find on Foodspotting somewhere in

trip to Japan where I discovered

the world!

foods I’d never heard of before—

think of, from Dosas (South Indian) to I just learned about today – you can

like Okonomiyaki. I tried to find

How do you finance your company?

Okonomiyaki in San Francisco only to

When we first started working on

realize that there was no easy way to

Foodspotting 3 years ago in Sep

search for a specific dish that you’re

tember 2009, I actually kept my day job

craving. So I wanted to create an app

at Adaptive Path for nine months and 05 /1 9

Alexa & her technical cofounder Ted Grubb

Cofounders Soraya, Ted & Alexa

worked on Foodspotting the »other

you. Today you can discover dishes

half of the day« after I got home from

recommended by foodspotters and

work. I was able to cover the costs of

friends, deals from our partners like

the earliest versions of Foodspotting

ScoutMob, and golden ticket prizes

by doing so. By May 2010, when we

from our brand partners like Sony.

had launched our web and mobile

But as our user base is growing,

apps and had about 50,000 users, I left

we’re developing tools that will enable

my day job so that I could spend more

businesses and brands to reach

time talking to angel investors. We

current and potential customers in

were able to raise $750k from angel

even smarter ways. We‘ll be testing

investors like Dave McClure of 500

these tools in the coming months.

Startups and Dave Morin from Path by summer. We later raised an additional

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

$3M from Blue Run Ventures.

Our mission is to catalogue the world‘s

(Feel free to drop all the names if that bores people. ;-)

food and be the first app people turn to when they‘re looking for great food and where to find it. We have a big map

si st er

How do you earn money?

on the TV in our office and success

Foodspotting makes it easier to

will be when we‘ve covered the earth

stumble upon good things around

with great food sightings!

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Who do you see as your main competitors?

mobile and physical products through

Out of food apps that have emerged

able to help everyone from medical

in the past few years, Foodspotting

device companies (like Johnson &

is perhaps one of the most well-

Johnson) to rail travel companies (like

known and has become the leading

Rail Europe) to mobile companies

app focused on dishes instead of

(like Nokia and Twitter) create better

just restaurants. That said, when it

products by doing field research,

comes to learning about restaurants

designing mockups and wireframes

and deciding where to eat, people do

and visualizing the future.

have quite a few alternatives: They could just walk into a place that looks decent. They could simply look up a place on Google Maps or even their car GPS. Or they could use one of the incumbent restaurant review apps like Urbanspoon or Yelp. While we see ourselves as complementing many of these approaches, we hope to become even more essential to making dining

strategy, research and design. I was

Who was your first team member (in which department?) outside the founding team?

My background is in user experience and design, my cofounderâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s background is in web development and our other cofounder Sorayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s background was in partnerships and marketing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so a major missing piece when we

decisions than we are now!

started was a mobile developer! We

What have you done before?

because it was so hard to find mobi-

Before Foodspotting, I worked for some

le developers (so much demand!), but

of the most awesome user experience

were lucky to be able to hire a full time

consulting companies where I helped

mobile developer soon after.

hired consultants out of pocket at first

other companies create great web, 05 /1 1

How did you find your company name?

organizing ideas and keeping track of

When we started Foodspotting, we

to dos, and while we still use plenty of

realized a lot of people already were

sticky notes at Foodspotting, when I

taking pictures of their food. So we

discovered Trello, I fell in love. It is the

wanted to give a name and identity to

perfect adaptation of sticky notes for

this thing that so many people were

the web! You can create any columns

doing already. We wanted a name that

you like and create cards in each of

could be used as a verb (»I‘m spotting

those columns. We use Trello to keep

my food«) and an identity (»I‘m a

track of what everyone‘s working on

foodspotter«). Foodspotting fits all of

(which begun with a board with 4

these criteria!

columns – Ideas, Planned, Doing and

How did you come up with your company colours?

Done – and let us visualize where each task was in the process), to track bugs, to brainstorm, to organize ideas, to

We noticed that there was a LOT of

make a master list of all the features of

Red and Blue going on in the food

all our apps, and even to manage our

apps space, and we wanted to choose

partnership and recruiting pipeline.

something different. Our very early

It‘s the best thing that‘s happened to

mockups used a wood background

Foodspotting this year!

because it suggested a table top, but we‘ve since adapted it to be brown (to

In which city are you located?

suggest a warm restaurant interior)

We‘re headquartered in San Francis-

and green (to suggest fresh and

co, but have had team members in

delicious food).

New York, Japan and Chile. Our users

Most often used software?

are located all over the world!

I used to think that you couldn‘t

Main food during starting up phase?

beat sticky notes for brainstorming,

I‘m not sure of the main food, but the

most memorable meals have been the

put out pretty easily, but the entire

meals weâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ve prepared at our offices.

office smelled like scallopy fish. The

While we were still sharing the office

vegetarians were not impressed and

of some friends who were gracious

we began looking for our own office

enough to let us use a few desks,

with a full kitchen. n

I bought my cofounder a desktop yakitori grill for cooking skewered meat. One day, our iPhone developer, Marc, decided to make scallops with it. The scallops and grill ended up catching fire, which we were able to

Talking to cookbook and blog author Lisa Nieschlag

a digital-culinary pen friendship text Thea Neubauer L

They have already gained reputation in

it didn’t go anywhere for a while,

the German blogger and food scene:

because they didn’t have a dazzling

Liz & Jewels L alias Lisa Nieschlag

idea. It took a rainy vacation in the

& Julia Cawley. But apart from their

mountains to come up with the idea of

charming blog, the duo as well as author

the challenges, the logo and the first

& illustrator Lars Wentrup are also

recipe. Today, Liz & Jewels pursue a

behind the successful cookbooks L

unique concept. Lisa (Liz) lives in the

»Anni backt in Münster« (Anni bakes

Westphalian city of Münster while

in Münster), »Anni kocht in Münster«

Julia (Jewels) works as a freelance

(Anni cooks in Münster) and the latest

photographer in Brooklyn. They take

release »Anni kocht für Kinder« (Anni

on challenges on a regular basis,

cooks for children). SisterMAG had the

meaning they both cook or bake

opportunity to meet graphic designer,

using the same recipe, add some

cookbook

style to the finished dish and upload

author

and

workshop

organizer Lisa Nieschlag.

pictures for direct comparison to the

si st er

At the beginning of our interview,

blog. The concept »Two girls cooking

Lisa tells me that the food blog was

on two continents« works. It reminds

actually created a while ago, but

of two pen pals exchanging letters

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Kitchen

and having a public readership. They

the cookbook series Anni. Together

communicate via Skype and e-mails.

with co-author and illustrator Lars

They exchange ideas, create posts

Wentrup, Lisa runs an agency for

and send each other recipes. They

communication design (nieschlag-

wanted to focus on the traditional

und-wentrup.de L) with their office

German and American cuisine in

in M端nster. But their conceptual skill

the beginning but today they have

and design background becomes

fun choosing the dishes they want to

visible in the three-part cookbook

prepare and discovering new recipes.

series, too: They created the character

When one of them tries a new recipe,

of Anni who leads through the book

the other does the same if there are no

with endearing illustrations. She is

insurmountable obstacles regarding

the grandmother everyone is longing

the ingredients. Because sometimes,

to have and shows us how to combine

there is no 1:1 equivalent for indicating

traditional Westphalian cuisine with

the quantity of flour or baking powder

modern and contemporary style.

in English and German, Lisa tells us.

The history of the book sounds like

They have already proven since 2010

every authors dream: After coming

to be a good team by publishing

up with a concept, the three of them

Julia Ca wle y

four weeks after its publication. For

and Julia locked themselves up for a

their latest book, Anni kocht für

week at Lisa’s parents’ house, used

Kinder (Anni cooks for children),

all kinds of accessories and tableware

they were able to get dietician Prof.

they borrowed from helpful friends

Ursel Wahrburg on board to provide

and created the photo gallery off

professional expertise. She checked

their own bat. They also gathered the

all the recipes for their suitability for

recipes with the help of friends and

the young eaters.

family. Especially Lars’s family who

Lisa, who by the way is half-American

has lived in Westpahlia for generations

and grew up bilingually, never seems

was able to contribute many old

to run out of ideas. She constantly

recipes. The production in the self-

mentions new projects and plans

publishing company had already

during our interview. For example, they

been calculated and planned when

have organized two food styling and

one week before printing the local

photography workshops in Weimar and

publishing house Aschendorff took

New York this year, she runs her own

notice of the project. Today, all three

label for t-shirts (lizzawest.com L),

books are available there, provided

and then there is the daily business

they are not sold out. This was actually

at the agency where they develop

the case with the first cookbook only

the design of websites, catalogs and

started to work on the project. Lisa

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Kitchen

Lisa

Nies

chla

u r t n e W Lars

leaflets. Despite of all the projects and

wood and sewing. We are certainly

a distinct digital affinity, I just had to

looking forward to hearing what Lisa,

ask her in the end, which craft she has

Lars & Julia are up to in the future.

really mastered. Apart from cooking,

Until then, why don’t you have a look

in which she becomes more and more

at some blog and book projects on the

of an expert because of her job, she

following pages.n

tells me that she enjoys working with

Anni backt in Münster. L Aschendorff-Verlag, € 16,80

Anni kocht in Münster. L Aschendorff-Verlag, € 16,80 05

Anni kocht für Kinder. L Aschendorff-Verlag, € 16,80

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Jewels

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Kitchen

ookies with

ulled Wine

Liz

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Jewels

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s n o o r a c Liz a M e l

Kitchen

Tipsy PlumsJewels &

t a Go

Kitchen

Liz

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p m Du

s g lin 3

recipes

a nd J z i ewe L ls out cookies. If you want to hang them later on, cut little holes with a straw. Place cookies on a baking tray covered with parchment and bake for 8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10 minutes until they are golden brown.

Cookies with Mulled Wine

cookies 250 g flour 125 g cold butter 1 pck vanilla sugar 75 g sugar 1 pinch salt 1 pinch cinnamon

2 egg yolk

filling 100 ml red wine 100 ml orange juice 2 tsp brown sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 tsp granular gelatine 1. Mix flour, butter, vanilla sugar, sugar, salt and egg yolk. Knead first with a hand mixer with a dough hook, then with your hand. Let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 180Â°C. Roll dough on floured surface and cut

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3. Boil up red wine, juice, sugar, cinnamon and gelatine, simmer for a few minutes, and let cool. Warm up the jelly and spread on half of the cookies. Top with the other half.

Little Macaroons 100 g almond flour 75 g powder sugar

1 egg white

1 tsp almond (or orange/cinnamon) extract 1. Mix almond flour and powder sugar. Add the egg white and almond extract and knead all together into a dough.

Kitchen

re l l Download a

2. Preheat the oven to 180째C. 3. Form nut sized balls and put them on a baking sheet. Pull up each ball up with your finger a little bit so that you get the typical shape of a macaroon. This part is a little sticky and tricky. Bake for 12 minutes.

Goat cheese dumplings & tipsy plums Two handfull of fresh plums 1 tbsp starch 150 g goat cheese 400 g dumpling dough salt 150 g cantuccini 2 tbsp butter coarse sea salt pepper

e ip

1. Wash the plums, cut out the pits and cut into slices. Put them in a pan and caramalise. Deglaze with redwine. 2. Cut the cheese in little pieces. Roll the dumpling dough into round balls and stick a piece of cheese into each. Put dumplings into boiling salt water and let them cook for 15 minutes. If you make the dough yourself from cooked potatoes, they only need to boil for about 5 minutes. 3. Put the cantuccini into a zip lock and crush them with a roller. Fry in butter for a couple of minutes until they are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Once the dumplings are done, roll them in the fried cantuccini. Serve with plums.

05 /1 5

Hannukah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday celebrating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jersusalem in 2nd century, BCE. Like most Jewish holidays, food plays a central role in its celebration. Symbolizing the olive oil used to light the ÂťmenorahÂŤ (candelabra) in the Holy Temple, Hannukahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s menu is characterized by its fried foods, both sweet and savory. Traditionally, the two main foods which are eaten are fried savory potato pancakes, and jelly filled donuts. We decided to go a little further this Hannukah and take fried foods to a different level.

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Danya Weiner & Deanna Linder

Photography

matkonation Food Styling

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These donuts remind me of my childhood in America. These are best when served warm. Good luck keeping them around for any longer.

Cinnamon

& Sugar Doughnuts

For the dough:

3 tbsp active dry yeast or 2¼ tbsp instant yeast 1 cup whole milk, heated to 43°C

2½ cups bread flour, plus more for the work surface

2 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

Vegetable oil for frying For the topping:

½ cup sugar

3 tbsp cinnamon

1. Dissolve 2 tbsp of the yeast in ¾ cup of the warm milk in a medium bowl. Add ¾ cup of flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes. 2. Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine remaining milk and yeast in the mixer bowl. Add the risen flour mixture,

Sugar Donghu /1

along with the sugar, salt, vanilla and egg yolks. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds. Add butter and mix for another 30 seconds, until combined. 3. Switch to a dough hook and, with the mixer turned off, add remaining flour, about 1/4 cup at a time. On medium speed, knead the dough between additions until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and not too sticky. The dough will be soft and moist, but not so sticky that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t roll it out. (You may have flour left over.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. 4. Line a baking sheet with lightly floured parchment paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to Â˝-inch thick. Using a donut or cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes. You can re-roll the scraps and cut out additional holes. 5. Place the doughnuts at least 1-inch apart on the baking sheet and cover loosely with a clean dish towel. Let rest in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, 5 to 20 minutes, checking every five minutes. To check whether the dough has proofed, touch it lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly, it is ready.

6. While the doughnuts are proofing, heat a heavybottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a

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Cinnamon

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deep-fat thermometer registers 360Ë&#x161;F (182Â°C). With a metal spatula, carefully place a couple of doughnut holes or doughnuts in the oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and let cool slightly. Repeat with the remaining donuts and holes, keeping the temperature consistent. 7. In a bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Place mixture on a flat plate, and roll the warm donuts in the mixture until covered on both top and bottom. Serve warm. 05 /1 20

& sugar

Zucchini Feta Fritters

2 large zucchinis

1 tsp c coarse salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

These fritters can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. To reheat them, simply place them in a warm oven for about 10-15 minutes, and they will remain crispy. 1. Trim off ends of the zucchini and grate them

either using the large holes of a grater or the shredding blade of a food processor. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini with the coarse salt and

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

set aside for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, wring

½ cup all-purpose flour

at a time, to get rid of the excess liquids.

½ tsp baking powder

Fresh ground pepper Olive oil for frying For the yogurt dip:

1 cup greek yogurt

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

out the zucchini, squeezing out small handfuls 2. Return zucchini to the bowl and add egg and

feta cheese, stir to combine. In a small bowl mix together flour and baking powder and add to zucchini mixture. Season with fresh ground pepper.

3. Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large

heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Using a large spoon, drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet, making sure not to over-crowd the skillet. Flatten each bunch with the back of your spoon. Cook until

For garnish:

the edges are golden, about 3-4 minutes, and

1 tsp coarse salt

then flip and fry them on the other side for another 2-3 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. 4. Prepare yogurt: mix together yogurt, garlic

and mint leaves until combined. Drizzle on the olive oil. Serve warm topped with sea salt and

alongside yogurt.

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Curried Beer Fried Vegetables This dish can be served as a side dish for an Indian themed dinner, or simply as a really tasty afternoon snack. If you want to make these a little spicier, simply add more dried chili flakes. Like most fried foods, these are best when served warm, but allow to cool right after frying as they will be scorching hot. 1. Lightly dust all vegetables with all-purpose flour. 2. Prepare the batter: in a large bowl mix together the self-raising flour, curry powder, dried chili flakes, fresh ground pepper and salt. 3. Gradually add the beer and whisk, until the batter is smooth. It is ok if little lumps appear in the batter. 4. Heat the oil into a deep saucepan and heat it to about 180ºC. If you are not using a thermometer, then just drop a piece of cauliflower into the oil, when it floats to the surface and starts to sizzle, then you know that the oil is at the right temperature. 5. Shake off the excess flour from the vegetables. One by one, dip the pieces into the batter, and then carefully place them in the hot oil, making sure to stand back so you don’t get splashed with oil. It’s best to fry the vegetables in batches, so you don’t overcrowd the pan, but make sure to keep the oil temperature steady. Once the pieces are golden brown, remove them with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels. 6. Serve warm and garnish with sea salt. si st er M AG

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1 small head of broccoli, broken into small florets

1 small head of cauliflower, broken into small florets

1 sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small bunch fresh parsley leaves, stems removed

1 small bunch fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves, stems removed

¼ cup all-purpose flour For the batter: 200 g self-raising flour 1½ tsp curry powder ½ tsp dried chili flakes ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper ½ tsp salt 350 ml cold beer Vegetable oil for deep frying

Curried vegetables

For garnish: 2 tsp sea salt

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We used fresh anchovies that were caught the same day, but you can use any small fish you can find. Just make sure you have the filets cleaned before working with them. We added a fresh herb salad of fresh parsley, lemon juice and olive oil to add some freshness to the fried fish.

Fried Anchovies with

Lemon Aioli

For the dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

½ tsp fresh ground pepper

120 g fresh anchovy filets (about 8-10 filets), cleaned

Vegetable oil for frying For the Garlic Lemon Aioli:

1 egg yolk, at room temperature 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 garlic clove, minced

Pinch of salt

¾ cup vegetable oil

1. In large bowl, mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Heat the oil into a deep saucepan and heat it to about 180ºC. 2. Dredge half of anchovies in flour mixture, tossing to coat well and shake to remove excess flour. Place anchovies in oil, stirring frequently to separate, until golden, for about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining anchovies, returning oil to 180ºC between batches. 05 /1 7

3. Prepare the aioli: Place egg yolk in a large bowl and whisk rapidly until it is thick and sticky, 1 to 2 minutes. 4. Add the lemon juice, garlic and salt, and whisk again for 30 more seconds. 5. Gradually add oil to the yolk mixture, drip by drip, whisking all the while. It is important to whisk continuously and vigorously at the beginning. Continue pouring the oil and whisking until the mixture thickens into the texture of heavy cream. Once youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve reached this point, you can relax a little, and start drizzling the rest of the oil a little faster, while continuously stirring. The aioli should resemble the texture of mayonnaise once you are finished with the oil. If it becomes too thick, add a little more lemon juice to thin it out a bit. 6. Serve fried anchovies warm, with a side of lemon garlic aioli.

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Fried

05 /1 20

Anchovies

Matkonation Lâ&#x20AC;&#x192; is a bilingual (English and Hebrew) food blog, run by Danya Weiner, a food photographer and Deanna Linder, a food stylist. Based out of Tel Aviv/Israel, Danya and Deanna work together commercially for magazines, newspapers, advertisements and cookbooks.

They started their blog project M at k o n at i o n over three years ago as a way to express their love for their professions (food photography and food styling), and their love for cooking.

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While finding the time to shoot and post a new recipe once a week, working full-time and being mothers to four boys (Danya 3, Deanna 1), Danya and Deanna also

teach food p hotography and styling courses, at Danya’s studio in Jaffa, Tel Aviv. n

05 /1 1

Winemakers Column What grapes dream of … before they are picked. Monika Abraham L once again dedicated her column to the topic of our issue and talks about the lifecycle of grapes.

A friend of mine once told me that

You’ve often heard how grown adults

the best age of a person was until five

become children again when they get

years and above eighty. Those were

older. But is that really true? Do we

the years where you didn’t

find our way back to our childhood

have to worry about burping at

the

and

table

everyone

else thought that it was adorable and even cute.

dreams, as we grow old? Well, I haven’t (yet). When I was a kid, I had pretty presumptuous dreams. Brought up in a loving and intelligent environment where everything was well provided for, I dreamt of wealth defined through my friend’s new

Despite of the lack

and truly pink Barbie doll, glitter

of significance of

headbands and vacation in far-away

the conversation

countries. Crystal-clear blue water

that led to this

and white sandy beaches, like I’ve

comment,

seen them on advertising posters,

I couldn’t help but think about it during the following weeks.

were distant luxuries to me. When I started junior high, my idea of luxury changed. It was now a thorn in my side to see my classmates read Seventeen all the time while I

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had to settle for an edition of Hannah

flat layers can be planted with a

Montana every once in a while. I also

planting machine. It pulls a furrow

wasn’t allowed to go to birthday parties

into the ground and a gripper arm

at McDonald’s, let alone celebrate my

places the seedlings into the desired

own birthday there.

spot before it covers the spot with

And you can’t entirely shake off this

earth again. The wine grower simply

phenomenon of always striving for the supposedly better, except now it occurs in the form of daydreams of the perfect kitchen. On happy days, the country style wins and on more moody-depressed days, the stainless steel with matte finish scores hands down. And yet, you become more mature. I am well aware by now that these are all pipe dreams no one needs to find happiness. What is more important are

interpersonal

relationships,

stability and incentives.

sits on top of the machine and has to hand the seedlings to the gripper arm. Teamwork. In areas with steep vineyard slopes, it is necessary to plant by hand. It takes at least three years until a vineyard is at full production. During this time, the wine grower takes care of a toddler whose ability to stand (the roots) has to be strengthened and whose teeth (the foliage) for an independent nutrition still have to appear. The vines literally shoot from the ground in the first years. It seems as if the grapevines want to touch the sky as quickly as possible. They

And yet, and yet …

begin to sprout shoots of enormous

During my viticultural career, I have

length and with leaves of remarkable

planted a new vineyard several times. After the fallow soil had been treated,

size. If grapes develop during those first years, they usually grow like 05 /1 3

Topsy. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t taste good yet but

wrinkled. The dry bark peels off the

they are large, crispy and have

thick and crooked grapevines and only

a youthful freshness. But

isolated shoots developing a few small

the vineyard changes

grapes sprout from the head of the

throughout its life.

vine. But those are worth their weight

The older it grows,

in gold. As if the vine would put his

the less it cares

entire life experience into developing

about mass growth.

particularly aromatic grapes. This is

Especially

where you taste the terroir, the origin

France,

you can find vineyards that are almost a hundred

of the grapes. Growing wiser with age â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is true for vines.

years

And what about the grapes? When

old. They usually

they blossom, they stretch towards

are

particularly

nourished

the sky but as soon as they reach

and

maturity through insemination, they

cherished being

change their direction and drop their

the

best

tip towards the ground where their

its

kind.

roots are. They are still young and start

vineyard

to gain weight and volume, become

really looks

fuller and larger until the little fruit

old a

little

stems are not visible anymore. Now, they begin to store sugar and minerals, they ripen. And even after all the sugar is stored, its development is not finished. They create the best aromas nature has to offer and often seem to imitate other fruits. If on top of that the skin appears in a rich golden yellow, it is almost time for the picking.

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What may a grape dream of before it

with which one can differentiate and

is picked and made into wine? Their

savor a particular thing.

aroma is quite promising, shows signs

I have to admit that I only sometimes

of fruitiness, flower fragrances and earth. In the wine cellar, the grape gets its once-in-a-lifetime chance to show what it wants to become. The metamorphosis from a young grape with big plans to a wine with character begins with gentle pressing and clear juice. A single plan that will eventually be implemented is extracted from all the other plans during fermentation. Not only that: It will be improved.

dream of the perfect bourgeois bliss with its colorful Prince Charming and a successful career with all its status symbols. You learn the importance of differentiating when working in agriculture. Everything starts out so big and massive but over time you acquire sensitivity, delicacy and quality. And this is what makes life so much easier and carefree. And since I have already learned how good a

This is how the vine, the grapes and

glass of Chardonnay can compliment

even the must embark on an incredibly

a nice dinner, I am more than allowed

human path â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from big dreams and

to feel like a five-year old when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in

high spirits to a long way full of doubt

fact eighty years old. n

and decisions to the true maturity

05 /1 5

With Aggregift L people can pitch in to give someone else a present. A certain amount of money or a special gift is agreed on and afterwards friends can be invited via Facebook or Twitter. This way even people far abroad can work together giving someone a special present. Twitter t @Aggregif

Facebook facebook.com/aggregift

sis

www.aggregift.com

ter

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8 1 2

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Greg

Austin Explain in your own words the idea of your company. What are you doing?

millions of daily Facebook wall posts

Aggregift enables people to start and

tons of other people felt the same way.

contribute to crowdfunded (group)

What if there was a way for everyone

gifts for friends and to easily share

to put in a little effort, then have those

those gifts via Facebook or Twitter,

efforts combined into something great

prompting others to participate and

for the recipient? Aggregift was just

share as well. When many people

waiting to happen.

chip in small amounts, the recipient has the unique experience of seeing his/her friends from different social circles and different parts of the world come together to make their special

for peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthdays showed us that

What kind of gifts are the most common so far?

Gifts that cost more than one person would spend, but are achievable with

occasion great.

contributions from 5-10 friends, like

What was the inspiration for your idea?

sports jerseys are the most common.

We were looking for a way to do

recipient are always the best; we saw

something meaningful for friends on

a deluxe cupcake stand for a chef and

their special occasions, but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have

a waterproof iPod for a swimmer that

a good way to do so because of monetary

were each completed in less than two

and geographical restrictions. The

hours.

bluetooth stereos, sunglasses and Gifts that reflect the personality of the

How do you finance your company?

though they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t facilitate group

We closed an angel funding round

gifting. Since most people first see us

earlier this year and are currently in

on social media, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also competing

the process of raising more money to

with any negative experiences they

grow our team and scale.

may have had involving invasive or

How do you earn money?

spammy content.

When a gift is created, we add a

What have you done before?

percentage to the total gift price to

Greg

cover payment processing fees, our

investment bank and Austin worked

4% service fee and to help the recipient

at Microsoft developing their mobile

cover shipping costs.

operating system.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Who was your first team member (in which department?) outside the founding team?

We envision a world where everyone receives an aggregift from their friends for their birthdays and other special occasions. In five years, Aggregift plans to grow its team, expand to an even wider range of products, and partner with retailers to give people

previously

worked

Jeff, our first additional developer, worked at a missile defense company integrating

and

error

checking

advanced radar systems. He now manages integration of third-party

gifts they love.

technologies and is currently focused

Who do you see as your main competitors?

testing our product.

Once they release publicly, our primary

How did you find your company name?

competitor will be Facebook Gifts,

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on building automated systems for

We played around with dozens of

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different names but decided on

In which city are you located?

something that people can quickly

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re located in the heart of New York

recognize and associate with our

City, where thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a ton of different

service.

industries and personalities from

How did you come up with your company colours?

Our design inspiration drew on different types of stationary, watercolors, and stickers. We chose to use a palette of colors with a handcrafted feel that

which to draw inspiration. Most often used software?

Photoshop, Excel, a dozen different web browsers, Skype, and Spotify. Lots and lots of Spotify.

new gifters will feel familiar with. We

Main food during starting up phase?

use a number of different textures to

Turkey sandwiches and Ovaltine.

add depth and strategic accents to help guide people through our site. What inspired you to your very distinctive website design?

Most people end up on our site by following a link from Facebook, so we have to engage them and built trust at first sight. Our design has to be fun and inviting to reflect the feelings associated with group gifting, simple enough to be quickly understood, and professional enough for people to enter their payment information. 05 /1 1

A film project about the phenomenon Barbour

a jacket for life text & bilder Jan Cawood L & Magali Pettier L

The Barbour story began in 1894 in the Market Place in South Shields. Today the 5th generation family owned business remains in the North East, with Barbour‘s headquarters located in Simonside, South Shields. Although it sources products from around the globe, Barbour‘s classic wax jackets are still manufactured by hand in the factory in Simonside and each year over 100,000 jackets are processed via the central, subsidiary and local customer service operations. Documentary film-makers Jan Cawood of Tin Man Films L and Magali Pettier L specialise in teasing out the heart and soul of their subject matter with intimate narratives. Their new co-production ‘A Jacket for Life’ captures the emotional attachment some owners have for their Barbour wax jackets, and the corresponding care taken by the expert team who look after them at the Barbour Factory L in Simonside, South Shields. Here they explain their inspiration for the subject and how they came to make the film.

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We’ve always admired the fact that

As documentary film-makers it was

Barbour’s classic wax jackets are still

too tempting a story and so we decided

hand crafted at Barbour’s factory in

to find out more. We began by reading

South Shields near where we live in the

Barbour’s blogs and then went to visit

North-East of England. The 118-year-

the factory and talk to the staff.

old family business is well known

Although neither film-maker owned

for producing beautifully functional clothing and the quality of their jackets means that for some customers it’s a relationship that lasts a lifetime.

a Barbour, Jan who studied Design History

University

loved

the

authenticity of this quintessentially British brand. »It’s a family owned

Reading Barbour’s blog about the

brand that has evolved and adapted

work of their Customer Services team

over time with quality, durability and

at South Shields (who repair, reproof

fitness for purpose being its guiding

or alter over 14,000 items a year)

principles for more than 100 years.

made us wonder why some customers

The fact that it has remained true to

prefer to keep repairing rather than

these values and so close to its loyal

buy new. Who wears a Barbour that’s

customers over generations is very

over 30 years old?

inspiring«. 05 /1 3

Location filming with Barbour jacket owners in Aldeburgh To find out more about this unique

‘get inside the jacket without anyone

relationship between Barbour and its

knowing you’ve been inside it’ and a

customers we spent a day with the

lifetime of experience which allows her

Customer Services team and factory

to bring them back to life. Unlike the

workers to see how Barbour wax

factory floor, a single operator based in

jackets are made and repaired.

Customer Services will work on all the

There’s a great atmosphere of people

necessary repairs for each garment.

who know what they are doing at

On the factory floor it takes over 40

Barbour’s South Shields factory. As

pair of hands to produce one new

well as making new wax jackets,

jacket. The process starts in the

about 14,000 jackets are also repaired,

cutting room, with rolls of 55 metre

reproofed or altered by the Customer

long waxed cotton, which are cut into

Services team of 11 people each year

4.6m lengths. Each length makes

and demand seems to be growing.

three jackets.

It’s an intimate relationship watching

With over 150 people on the factory

one operator like Denise trying to

floor dedicating time to each part

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Location filming on South Shields waterfront of the process there’s a rhythm and

had found in jacket pockets over the

sound which appeals to us as film-

years when they came in for repair.

makers. It’s also a feast for the eyes.

The contents hinted at customer

Generations of people have worked

lifestyles – from dog biscuits to toy

for the Barbour brand and those skills

cars, party poppers to plane tickets.

have been passed down from one

With Barbour’s support we put a

generation to another. Many of the

call out on Facebook and Twitter for

staff have worked at South Shields for

customers with old wax jackets to

over 20 years and the dexterity of these

tell us their story and we then met up

highly skilled workers is impressive.

with three of them.

Barbour jackets have a wide appeal,

Our location filming included some

as they are beautiful and functional

beautiful British landscapes from

so you can never really be sure who

the South Shields waterfront as the

wears them. One of Barbour’s new

sun rose to a day on an allotment in

retro lining fabrics L was based on

Beverley and walking on Aldeburgh

what the Customer Services team

beach. 05 /1 5

Location filming at Barbour’s Simonside Factory in South Shields Magali Pettier who shot the film

about- so we wanted that to come out

said »The texture and tone of the

in the location, mood and texture of

locations are more than we hoped

our film too. The duo also loved the

for and create a lovely mood for our

factory sounds, the contrast between

quintessentially British story as did

factory and landscape, the production

our Barbour owners«. We also felt

versus the weather and so focused on

there’s a texture to the wearing of

that to add an extra dimension. »We

Barbour wax jackets – a sensory

hope it’s a ‘seamless‘ edit that weaves

feeling our three owners talked

together our particular story«. n

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‘A Jacket for Life’ is an online hit, attracting the praise of Barbour, top style bloggers and customers for the quality of the content and production values alike. You can read reviews and watch the film online by going to the film-makers blogs at www.tinmanfilms.co.uk L and www.magalipettier.

Magali & Jan

com L w here you can also read a diary of the film-making process and view links to other 05 /1 22

location photographs.

The Crafters is a new portrait series in sisterMAG where we interview and write about men and women who are creative and show true skilwl in what they do. What better time to start this series than with our Christmas issue.

The Doll Doctor text & pictures Sivan Askayo L

I was always curious about Naples, Italy. Perhaps it is my penchant for Mafia movies or my photography project 'Intimacy Under the Wires' L that prompted so many to urge me to pay Naples a visit, where I can find endless laundry opportunities. I had also heard that the pizza in Naples is so good that even people like me (who are not terribly fond of pizza) would instantly fall in love at the first bite. It was for these reasons that I promised myself that the next time I visited Italy, I would go and see Naples â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if only for one day. When I travel to new places, I always want to know it as the locals do. I hardly read travel guides but prefer to follow some bloggers I know or get recommendations from someone who actually lives there. When I last visited Naples in September, I was lucky enough to have Marina L, a born and raised proud Neapolitan woman, as my si st

personal tour guide. It was great watching

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D o l l d o c to r Th

s e c r rafte

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Click on the pictures to see them enlarged

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her walking in the streets of the old city, knowing every corner, every courtyard, every building, and hearing her great stories about her family and her

D o l l d o c to r Th

e cr f a

s r te

city. Marina wanted to make sure I would discover the real Naples. Of course, there is more to Naples than Mafia stories,

Pizza Napolitana or a Port city with all its variety. Naples is like a magical maze you have to discover and you are sure to come across some real gems along the way. One of these gems is Ospedale delle Bambole L, a hospital for dolls. 'I want to show you something very special' Marina told me when we were walking along Via San Biagio dei Librai. I followed her into a courtyard and then into a staircase that took us directly to a magical tiny shop which operates as a hospital for dolls from all over the world. I was fortunate to meet Titiana Grassi,who happened to be the owner of Ospedale delle Bambole. Titiana is the 4th generation in the family business, which was established in 1890 by her great grandfather, Luigi Grassi. Titiana is a beautiful blonde Neapolitan woman and in her work uniform, a white doctor gown, she could easily be mistaken for a real doctor and not necessarily the hand craft artist that she is. I was looking at Titiana while she was sewing a broken neck of a porcelain doll and I could tell how her hands knew what to do, even without looking. I had noticed si

some old pictures on the walls and assumed the

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Worksh op people in the pictures were her ancestors. 'This is Luigi Grassi, my great grandfather'. She pointed to a picture of a young man holding a marionette. Luigi Grassi was making marionettes for Teatro Di San L Carlo in Naples, where he had a small laboratory

with hanging marionettes. Back then, dolls were made in porcelain and were easily breakable. They were quite expensive and mostly Aristocratic families could afford them. One day, a woman passed by the laboratory and saw the marionettes and asked Luigi to fix one of her dolls. One thing led to another and more and more women came by and asked him to fix their dolls or their daughters' dolls. Luigi recognized an opportunity and â&#x20AC;&#x201C; due to the high demand among the Aristocratic families in Italy and in other parts of Europe â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he decided to change his laboratory into a hospital for dolls. Under his guidance, it became a highly skilled family business passed down from one generation to another. It was great touring the little shop with my camera, listening to Titiana stories about some of her special clients or seeing her comforting a worried family who stopped by to fix an old doll. Watching her in her doctor gown, I felt as though I had been privy to a scene in a real hospital, watching a doctor tending to her patients. This is a charming place and a magical journey to discover the great toys of the past. n

Here L is a mo vie about Titiana Grassi and her father, Luigi Gr assi Jr.

Ospedale delle Bambole Via San. Biagio dei Librai, 46 Napoli 05 /1 3

The Crafters is a new portrait series in sisterMAG where we interview and write about men and women who are creative and show true skill in what they do. What better time to start this series than with our Christmas issue.

THe Designer photos Rike SchOEn L | text ThN

»From my kitchen«, a mini-»What to Do«list or a simple »Hello«. Henrike Schoen’s stamps succeed in managing the difficult balance between adorable and plain, between ornate and reduced. This is certainly the reason why her stamps sell by the thousand. Who is looking for her on the Internet, will find her under the name »bastisRIKE L« – Basti is thereby not her »bearded man«, but the hairy, four-legged companion for cold December walks. I catch her in the middle of the preparations for the holiday sales season in her Siegburg home, which doubles as her studio and she takes half an hour to answer my questions. That the main focus of her work today is on the production of stamps was actually never her intention. She sees herself more as a »designer«: »It annoys me when I‘m just perceived as that ‘stamp girl’.« In the si

future the trained media designer, who has

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05 /1 5

also studied photography at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig, hopes to develop further towards stationery and fabric design. Initial projects have sprouted on her blog – such as the wonderful stamp blouse L with Christmas fir trees. The work with the stamps initially started out from the dissatisfaction with her studies. She never really felt comfortable at the Academy of Visual Arts and in the subject of Photography and instead of changing her course, she used the studio for anything but taking pictures. »I think it was around 2009 when I noticed blogs the first time on a design basis. I started following American blogs. There I found many suggestions to make something with my hands again and to think more freely in my design work. I met an artist who brought me with her stamp work to stamp carving. That was the beginning.« Slowly her blog and her shop (Etsy L & Dawanda L) filled its own market niche with the distinctive style. Over time, she says, she also became more relaxed towards competition and copycats. »I believe when you realize and accept the significance of your own work, it gets easier. « To realize your own ideas, and not to bend yourself but to stay truthful to yourself, is important to Rike. She also takes on commissions, e.g. for wedding stamp sets etc. but is very happy that usually the requests fit with her design approach. She takes this work very seriously; she likes to design something new and personal for the client. si st er M AG

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»After all, my customers pay a certain price and thus, they shouldn’t get something that person XY has already in an identical form at home.« We speak on Skype without video and yet I have the feeling that I get a sense of Rike’s world from her creative works and the pictures on her blog. Also when she describes her work environment to me, which takes up due to a lack of space most of the working and living room in her two room apartment in Siegburg – understandably Rike misses her studio in Leipzig very much: »Strictly speaking I have two work spaces, an old little desk where the computer is positioned and so to speak replaces a library. There only paper and ink pens lie in addition at most. The second workspace consists of two large worktables with cutter, typewriter and bookshelves. Here I keep my scissors, the paper collection and everything else.« Although her stamps are mostly sold in the digital world and the online world plays an important role, Rike works and estimates especially the non-digital work process: her designs are created solely in an analog way. They are merely scanned and scratches are retouched. This imperfection – the analog nature of the stamp – makes the stamps so attractive. Initially, it was not easy to find a flexographic printer (printing plate manufacturer), who took on the graphics and who did not demand polished vector files. Precisely this return to simplicity is important to Rike in her work: »I‘m currently working a lot with silhouettes. This correlates well with the feeling that this work technique pushes me into imperfection. I often si

notice that I’m overly meticulous, terribly perfectionist

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05 /1 9

and unhealthy demanding. With the silhouettes I can work against it: deliberately taking the big scissors, instead of using the small ones and simply

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see what happens.« At the end of our amicable conversation filled with laughter and small anecdotes on both sides, I of course ask Rike, what her childhood dream was or still is. After some thought, she tells me about the

‘little house on the edge of the forest‘. »This has much to do with where I come from: a small hicktown at the Lower Rhine: more cows than inhabitants, no baker, many tractors and a cigarette machine.« We hope for her house wholeheartly, so that she can continue to work on the stamps, stationery and fabrics there. Above all, we wish her strength for the upcoming holiday season. Rike calls herself critical of consumerism and hates the fact that as early as September cookies are offered for sale in supermarkets, but sees through her little nieces Christmas again in a more romantic light: the excitement before the Christmas Day, the anxious waiting for the bell ringing ... everything we remember from our own childhood days. And other than that it also applies to her Christmas: Eat, eat, eat! n

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photos: Ashley Lud채scher L hair & makeup: Lenore Rosendal L styling: Evi Neubauer L

05 /1 1

For

this

shooting

photographer Ashley L and Thea made their way to Copenhagen to meet a good blogger friend of sisterMAG: Brittany Watson Jepsen of »The House That Lars Built« L. She was brave enough to take the icycold temperatures and rainy conditions in the Danish capital and to pose for us in six white blouses. Every woman should possess at least one white blouse. Therefore, we have prepared for you the pattern for a universally usable example: modern in A-line shape, so that it can also be worn over jeans, as we did with Victoria in the »Tech at Home« feature u. It is joined by five models – handmade or purchased – which we embellished with different craft techniques. Thus, each blouse is unique. Inspiration for our blouses often came from the collection of old fashion magazines, Evi stores si st er M AG

Embroidered page 250 u

Smocked page 258 u

Cross Stitch page 266 u

Painted page 262 u

Printed page 254 u

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on the attic of our workshop in large cabinets sorted by year. »A Blouse for Everyday Life« or the »Dashing Blouse« put a smile on our face. Thus, we layouted the following pages in the style of the magazines of the 1950s. We found the perfect setting for our shooting in Copenhagen, because we were allowed to visit Brittany in her studio, which she shares with other creatives – amongst them two wedding photographers and our stylist. Stepping down the three steps to the front door, the feeling to enter Brittany‘s blog arises immediately. The windows are decorated with oversized paper flowers, pennant flags fly around the room and her work space is filled with colorful scraps of paper and scissors of all kinds. 05 /1 3

Model 1. Blouse in A-line shape.

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Model 1 A dashing modern blouse – easily washed and ironed – is what we want for everyday use: high-necked with a small triangle collar. Easy to pimp with a nice necklace. BlOUse – handmade with pattern for Download L Skirt – handmade from brocade fabric Shoes – Prada

My new blouse

Click on the pictures to see them in full size and colour!

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Pattern 1. Blouse. Up to 96 cm bust size. Material: 0,90 m, 1,40 width

Download Pattern l Size:

Germany, France, Scandinavia: 36 / 38 UK: 10 / 12 USA: 8 /10 Italy: 40 / 42 Spain, Portugal: 38 / 40

Cut: Copy the blouse pattern including the pattern for the pocket from our download pattern. Place pattern onto fabric and cut out all parts with seam allowance (edges 1 cm, hem 2 cm). Cut yoke twice and pocket once (3 cm seam allowance at upper edge). For armhole edge cut 2 diagonal stripes 3 cm wide, 20 cm long.

05 /1

Sewing: Iron lining fabric onto one collar and one collar band. Place upper and lower collar pieces with right sides facing and sew together. Cut back seam allowance at collar corners, turn right side out and iron. Stitch together open lower edge and if desired topstitch along the collar edge.

Put the open lowe r collar edge between the upper coll ar band edges, stitch, turn right side out and iron. Place pleat as sho wn in pattern in th e centre back, iron an d stitch. Stitch pleat at waist level as in dicated in pattern. Place yoke parts w ith right sides facing, put the back part between the yoke parts and sti tch, turn up yoke parts and iron. Stitch front bodice s right sides facing onto the top layer o f the yoke part. Iron and hand stitch th e edge of the lowe r yoke layer with sma ll invisible stitches, then iron. Iron along the fron t edge according to pattern.

Place collar onto neckline edge right sides facing, stitch and iron. Now sew by hand (with small invisible stitches) the inner lower collar band edge on the inner neckline edge. Close side seams and overlock the edges. Turn over armhole edges with diagonal stripes. Stitch buttonholes and sew on buttons. Hem bottom edge close to the edge. Iron down the edges of the pocket and tack, if preferred. Tack the pocket onto the left bodice of the blouse as shown on the pattern and stitch. n

Download Pattern l

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05 /1 9

Model 2. Blouse with self-made beads.

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Model 2 »Here are the darlings of this year‘s blouse fashion: The small delicate white«, but modernised with self-sawed acryl beads à la Prada. The elegant wrap skirt comes along with a series of sewn flowers made of acryl. Instructions u. BlOUSE – Vintage blouse from Grandma embel lished with beads (handmade & bought) WRAP SKIRT – handmade from heavy, red wool gabardine Pumps – ZARA 05 /1 1

Invitation to saw

Worksh op Please Note! For the preparation of the

beads, a fretsaw to cut wood or acryl was used. When using this equipment caution must be paid. A finished bead kit

can also purchased from sisterMAG here l.

The beads are easy to self saw: print stencil and transfer to cardboard. Transfer form with pen or pencil to acryl panel – allow as little space and therefore waste as possible. Saw out the form. Polish the edges of the beads. It‘s best to first place abrasive paper on a smooth surface and polish acrylic bead edges there. Grind edge thereby lightly at a 45° angle. Repeat with fine sandpaper so that edges are smooth and silky. Drill holes with a thin driller at the top and the bottom of the pearls (this works best on a drill bench, but you can also use a power drill – then fix the beads well). Use transparent nylon thread to embroider so that the attachment of the beads remains invisible. Embroider beads by scheme.

d a o l n w Do o l f e g r a l r o f l i Stenc l s d a e b 3 wer 25

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Model 3. Printed Blouse with earring motive.

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Model 3 A lovely blouse for all digital ladies. It is embellished with ironed pictures of earrings. Download L. Blouse – H&M with ironed earrings Striped Skirt – Instruction in sisterMAG N°3 Wedges Buffalo Tights Falke Earrings fleamarket in Puglia / Italy

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Clic k see on the t colo hem in picture ur! s full s i z e to and

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A Blouse in White

Either download the sisterMAG template (download print pattern here L) or photograph the earrings on a white surface with good lighting conditions. Load image in Photoshop and edit as follows: 1. Set background in white (Curves layer and click with white dropper on background). 2. Possibly remove fractures or dust in background with stamp. Flatten level. 3. Insert hue / saturation layer and colour image in brown. Adapt contrast, brightness and saturation. Print image on transfer film in high quality. Lay blouse flat on an ironing board and place transfer film with top down. Iron on transfer motif (thereby turn off the iron steam) for about 2-4 minutes. Observe the instructions of the transfer film manufacturer. Cool briefly and then carefully pull off the back of the transfer film. Done!

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d a o l n w Do l n r e t t a P Print

Model 4. Smocked menâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s shirt.

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Model 4 And here is a pretty blouses that works well for a day at your desk. An used men‘s shirt was fitted with tuxedo details in front and back. Instructions u. Blouse – Used men‘s shirt by Hugo Boss JEans H&M Squin in Dark Blue Necklace private

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g n i h s a D e s u o l B

the ee n k o to s e c i l C res ull siz u t pic nf ! i m the colour and

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a h t i w â&#x20AC;Ś Jeans!

Plot a point grid at the specified location with a pencil and ruler. The distance between the points and the distance between the rows must be equal. The points must be exactly aligned. We have taken a distance of 1 cm. Now row threads are put in in every point row. You should take stronger threads, so it does not tear during tightening. Pierce in at point and right in the middle between 2 points out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; repeat. After all row threads are entered, string together the fabric evenly to desired width and knot. Now embroider the wrinkles. We have cross-stitched an elastic honeycomb pattern. 2 rows are over-stitched in one operation, i.e. sew together the first two wrinkles with a back stitch, pierce the needle at the 2nd wrinkle and lead in wrinkles downwards in the 2nd row and pierce out. Now combine in row 2 the 2nd and 3rd wrinkle with a back stitch and pierce in again upwards in the 1st row and pierce out. Now combine in row 1 the 3rd and 4th wrinkle with a back stitch and continue. Note that, in this type of smock an even number of rows must be plotted. The type of stitch is elastic and offers easy movement. 05 /1 1

Model 5. Painted blouse.

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Model 5 ÂThe deliberately simple summer blouse, which is hand-painted with a Frankfurt apple wine pattern, is very effective. Pattern for download L. Blouse from Grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s wardrobe by Esprit. Feather Skirt handmade. Fabric: Idee Berlin Gloves privat Pumps ZARA

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Click on the pictures to see them in full size and colour!

pain

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a s e v o l y d o b y r e Ev nted blouse We discovered the pattern of the Frankfurt apple wine pubs on a napkin in a Frankfurt souvenir shop. You can also download L the pattern.

First retrace the pattern with a pen clip. Then place with top down on the blouse and iron. The contours should now be visible on the white fabric. Blue and black fabric paint is used for colouring.

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d a o l n Dow l n r e t Pat

Model 6. Blouse with chest cross-stitch pocket

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Model 6 The hand- embroidered chest pocket with rose motif makes the simple short-sleeved blouse special. Motif for reproduction L. Blouse from Grandma‘s wardrobe, handmade Rose Skirt with petticoat: private Wedges L Zalando, €39,95 05 /1 7

Download L embroidery pattern and print cross stitch pattern. Insert AIDA fabric (for this blouse we used fabric with 5 squares per cm) to hoop and embroider design in cross stitch. At the end embroider the entire background with black embroidery thread (see margins in the pattern). If a chest pocket is already sewn on, detach. Trim AIDA fabric with about 1,50 cm seam allowance and turn over. Sew chest pocket and sew on (maybe by hand) on the white blouse.

Downl oad Embro idery pattern l

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MARRYJim L is an internet platform for wedding dresses. You can find young or established Fashion Labels. MARRYJim offers designers, private sellers or bridal retail stores the possibility to sell once-worn wedding dresses, vintage dresses or samples from fashion shows. r e t t i @Tw

le d n Ha

Twitter @MARRYJim

Facebook facebook.com/marryjim

sis

www.marryjim.com

ter

MA G

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Explain in your own words the idea of

to-be at their store. Private persons

your company. What are you doing?

can arrange a meeting amongst

Our goal for MARRYJim is to be the

themselves. The possibility to limit the

best international website for finding beautiful wedding dresses. Even with the growing market of online shopping, a woman will still want to try on her wedding dress, touch the fabric and get the feeling that this it is the »dress of all dresses«. Buying

search geographically and view the location of the dress on Google Maps helps to look for a dress close-by or to combine a holiday with looking for a dress in a different city. The number of possibilities is tremendous, but the emotional experience stays the same.

the dress and sharing this emotional

What was the inspiration for your

experience with her friends will

idea?

continue to be an important ritual,

It was Ulli who came up with the idea.

even in the 21st century. That is why MARRYJim sees itself as a virtual

In 2009, she was looking for her own wedding dress in Germany and the US

showroom where people visiting

and found that the search was very

the website are directly linked to

difficult. After a long shopping spree

designers, bridal stores, stores with

through New York bridal stores, she

vintage clothing and private persons.

found the dress of her dreams, but

After the initial contact, the designers

was treated in such an unfriendly way

or salespersons meet with the bride-

that she couldn’t enjoy the moment. 05 /1 3

Nina Dautzenberg, Andrea Gadesmann & Ulrike Adler Stev ens

Disappointed, she began searching

private persons per dress, €15 – 60

for the dress online and found a

per month for shipping for business

website with used dresses. Ulli was

clients). We intentionally set the fees

lucky enough to find the same dress

low, especially because we wanted

in her size. The best part – after the

to establish successful business

dry-cleaning, the dress looked as if it

relations with a number of designers.

were new, it was only one fourth of

MARRYJim is particularly interested

the retail price, could be tried on and

in new labels and wants to offer a

had a story to tell. The former bride

variety of dresses (marketability,

was now pregnant and passed on her

styles, price range etc.).

happiness to Ulli through the dress.

At the moment there are no investors. We as the founders have provided the

How do you earn money? How do you finance your company?

start-up funding. We want as much freedom as possible

si st er

Our website is funded by listing fees

as to how to conduct business

and fees charged for every dress

with a proof of concept. By now, we

offered on the website (€20 for

have gotten several inquiries from

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Chapel

potential investors, but have decided

for (-> detailed search filter). The

on not taking up outside capital at the

woman of today loves a bargain and

moment.

will be alerted to reduced prices (->

Who is your target group? What is your market potential?

price-alert). In addition, she can get information on any topic surrounding wedding dresses (history of the

Our target group consists of women

wedding dress, advice for her body

who want to be taken seriously, who

type, dress encyclopedia etc.).

are strong, sophisticated and confi dent. MARRYJim’s goal is to meet their needs and expectations right away. Women of today know and can clearly say what they want. Our homepage allows narrowing down the selection of dresses so that they can quickly

The market potential is big. It seems as if the wedding market only waited for a beautiful online showroom. The growth is only a question of womanpower – but even our day doesn’t have more than 24 hours.

find what they are looking for. But

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

even those who don’t know yet what

In the last three months, our main

kind of a dress they want can have a

focus was on the German-speaking

look around and get inspiration.

world. However, we have already

The concept behind MARRYJim is the

planned expanding to bigger wedding

functionality of the homepage, that is

markets like the UK and the US and

to say the content responds exactly

already have the first business partner

to the target group and the product:

to do that.

the dress. We offer an individual

We can already give away our next

search that helps the brides-to-be

product feature for our brides-to-be:

to quickly find what they are looking

co-shopping/browsing. Because our 05 /1 5

Who do you see as your main competitors?

At the moment, there isn’t really a lot of competition in the market. Of course there are many fashion start-ups, but we don’t know of any other website – and all of the designers confirmed that – that exclusively shows wedding dress designers and their collections in a professional way. Let alone in combination with vintage clothing and pre-loved fashion. In the market of second hand buying, things are a bit different. European competitors are hard to find, but three platforms have been established in target group is very communicative

the US/Canada:

and loves sharing experiences with

www.preownedweddingdresses.com

friends, we will make it possible to

www.recycledbride.com

talk about dresses and give or receive

www.smartbrideboutique.com

advice in real time while window shopping. The daytimes when you sat

What have you done before?

there alone in front of the computer

After

are over.

Design at the Parsons, the New

studying

Communication

School of Design, Nina worked as a si

graphic designer for renowned New

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Chapel

York agencies such as ‘frogdesign’

and working for startups. In 2001, she

and ‘Karim Rashid Inc’. In 2001, she

launched ‘bigart.de’, an eCommerce

moved to Berlin to start working for

platform for art (the original idea

‘Sony Europe’. In 2006, Andrea and her

included design – a platform for

founded the agency ‚jungeschachtel’.

unique art made by creative people).

Their first project ‘poo poo bags.com’

The gallery ‘Adler’ developed from

attracted worldwide attention.

this platform in Frankfurt in 2003

Andrea studied Product Design at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. She worked as a graphic and package designer for international agencies such as ‘frogdesign’ (Berlin) and ‘DesignBridge’ (Amsterdam).

and in New York in 2006. In 2008, Ulli sold ‘BigArt’ because the gallery demanded all of her time. Who was your first team member (in which department?) outside the founding team?

In the IT department. Without our

Ulli studied business economics and

sweetheart Thomas, we would be lost.

became part of the New Economy at

We couldn’t have imagined a better

the end of 1999, writing business plans

colleague – he is our rock.

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and distance ourselves from roses, flourishes and kitsch. So we chose blue, turquoise and green as the primary colors. These colors can also be found in our beloved ‘Jim’, the fictional man without a face, who is only represented on our website by the bowler hat. Jim stands for all the fiancés who visit our website. He is the perfect man. Who designed your company logo, someone external or internal? How long did it take?

Since Andrea and Nina are both graphic designers, it was clear that they would create the logo. For one week they put all of their heart in the

si st

How did you come up with your company’s colours?

development of our CI. They started

We think that a successful corporate

up half of the living room’s walls and

identity is essential for the success of

then, full of inspiration, began the

our website. That is why we wanted

creative process. It was important to

different colors than others. In the

us that the corporate identity would

wedding business, the corporate

include

the

identity often includes pink, red

young,

fresh,

and violet. We wanted to stand out

emotional and professional.

er M AG

out with a huge storyboard that filled

following

attributes:

individual,

loving,

Chapel Kapelle

In which city are you located?

Andrea: dark chocolate

Although we are originally country

Ulli: (microwaved) marshmallows. n

girls from a beautiful region called Taunus (close to Frankfurt), we now live in different parts of the world. Andrea enjoys the stunning nature in and around Zurich while Ulli walks the streets of New York and Nina smells Berlin air. Most often used software?

Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator, Microsoft Word / Excel and Skype Main food during starting up phase?

Nina: Haribo candies called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sour beansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Curated by Nicola Neubauer L

Winter Wedding

real Weddings

Woodsy Winter Wedding L

Inspirational Shoots

Winter Wedding Decor L via 100layercake.com

via ruffledblog.com Diamond Cake Photography

Probably it was too cold for a wedding outside for this Canadian couple. That might be the reason they brought trees, moss and deers into their event location.

This is what Canada dreams of: taking the horse slide to the church, drinking hot chocolate with heart formed marshmallows and sit in the snow!

Glamorous Vintage Winter Wedding L

The New Modern: Winter White L

via whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com

via bklynbrideonline.com Tory Williams Photography

The Scots know how to handle winterly cold: put on the kilt, enter the castle and warm yourself with a good whiskey.

Attacking any kind of kitsch: How to decorate a winter wedding in a modern way. The wedding blog from New York City shows how to achieve stunning results.

Austrian Winter Wedding L via stylemepretty.com

Snowy Winter Wedding L

Birgit Hart Fotografie

via weddingchicks.com Lane Dittoe Photography

Powdery elegance meets a snowy cabin in Tyrol / Austria.

Indian patterns are a trend and turn this snowy wedding into a cozy setting.

Chapel

Fashion ideas for the bride

Suede Shoes for the Winter Wedding L

For the table

Holiday Guest Table L from rubyju.com.au

from shopbop.com

Feminine pumps from Badgley Mischka made of luxurious suede & leather sole.

Vintage Winter Wedding L via prettychicblog.dk

A table full of yellow, white and silver sweets is what Miss Katja from German wedding blog fraeulein-k-sagt-ja.de suggests.

Simple Christmas Ideas L via blog.heylook.fi

A lace dress – check! Fur stole – check! Hat and horn-rimmed glasses – check! All you need as a vintage couple in winter times.

Winter Wedding Accessories L via intimateweddings.com

From the fur hat to lacy stockings: all you need to be warm as a winter bride.

A Scandinavian idea through and through: the design experts from Helsinki show how to make wintery place cards.

Christmas Atmosphere on the table L via life-is-delicious-weddings.com

If your wedding is just before Christmas you can go all out with your stationery theme.

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The Lover‘s Guide Berlin is a co-produktion with the British wedding magazine Rêverie Magazine L. We show you some of the best places in the German capital to enjoy as a couple. Thanks again to our 2 couples Clara (blog.clara-frost.de L) & Albert and Mandy (mandykoster.blogspot.com L) & Marlon.

Photos: Ashley Ludäscher L Styling (Hair): Travis Jay Hazzard L Dresses (Mandy): Soeur Coeur L

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Originally published in November 2012 in the Fall edition of RĂŞverie Magazine.

A walk through Monbijou Park, along Berlin Dom to Oranienburger StraĂ&#x;e in Berlin Mitte to visit C/O Berlin.

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First coffee of the day at Pure Origins L at Litfass platz, where you can meet not only Clara & Albert, but also the sisterMAG employees!

Clara & Albert visit C/O Berlin L to see the works of the best photographers in the world. Until 13th January 2013 you can admire the Joel Sternfeld Retrospective. Mid of January a new exhibition about Christer Strömholm starts. All information about the gallery is available on the Website L.

Berlinische Galerie L is one of the newest galleries in Berlin. Art from the times of Dada Berlin, New Objectivity or East European Avantgarde are shown. The subÂdued atmosphere of the white cube invi-

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tes you to take a break and to enjoy art together. In contrast the building appears futuristic with curved steel sculptures and a long open staircase â&#x20AC;&#x201C; perfect to steal a kiss.

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Get an idea of Berlin in the 1920s at Ellington Hotel L near Kudamm in Berlin‘s West. »House Nuremberg« is also an architectural highlight with its originally preserved, elegant facade.

Photo: Ellington Berlin During the 1920s the rich and beautiful spent their nights at the ballroom »Famina«. Today you can drink a cocktail, listen to Jazzradio 106.8 which is produced there and think of past times.

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Photo: Concorde Berlin Dress: »Camille«, Soeur Coeur

Photo: Concorde Berlin

Close to Bahnhof Zoo the modern design hotel Concorde Berlin L is situated. After an extended shopping trip on the Kudamm you can relax in one of the comfortable sofas in the »Suite Blanche« – the white suite – and enjoy the French flair of the hotel.

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Our second couple – Mandy and Marlon – are originally from The Netherlands. We spent a very funny day with the engaged couple in Berlin Mitte, e.g. dancing along Auguststraße. Before we were able to marvel at the decorated tables in the ballroom of Clärchens Ballhaus L.

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At the end of our walk through Berlin we enjoyed a cocktail at Torstraße. The Odessa-Bar is always well attended and and the Moscow Mule tastes especially well in the bar with the striped walls. Dress: »Loreen« by Soeur Coeur L

Many thanks to all the locations who allowed us to take photos: Berlinische Galerie L C/O Berlin L Concorde Hotel L Ellington Hotel L Clärchens Ballhaus L

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Thinking about the perfect wedding – a childhood dream of many little girls – they are usually set in the bright sun of a hot summer. What we found much more enthralling was to show you a winter wedding theme with a modern spin. We found the most perfect styling production »A Sunday Kind Of Love«, styled by Wednesday Custom Design L and photographed by Ely Fair Photography L, who let us show you their pictures. We hope you‘ll enjoy the ideas and dreamy setting as much as we did. A plus: there are many ideas for any winter celebration you might have to decorate in the next months! 05 /1 1

Flower arrangements in White & Orange from Rebeccaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s Silver Rose L.

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A fairytale wedding gown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; dress, earrings and garter from Meg Guess L. Originally designed 05

by Harper Henry.

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Concept, styling and all paper ideas come from the design studio Wednesday Custom Designs L.

At White Dog Hillâ&#x20AC;&#x2020; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a restaurant in Clinton / Oklahoma the stylists did not only recreate a winter storm by hanging 180 marshmallow garlands from the ceiling. The buffet had little sugar donuts and oversized snowflakes as crullers in store. A childhood dream come true: the colossal mountains of pancakes from Beverlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s Pancake House.

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Adorable DIY idea: little pompons

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attached to the folded tea bags

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The design concept: textures and structures. Different tableclothes were combined to a whole new look, garlands made from string and cord hanging from the walls and chairs. Wool, lace and damask work together in perfect harmony.

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left:

Little turquoise coloured packages

hold the favours for guests. Beautiful detail: the tags designed in modern typography. bottom left:

The wonderful wedding gown

with wrapped top by Meg Guess. bottom right:

Little orange details work

especially well in front of the blue fireplace – fresh and unexpected. right:

»Mrs« and »Mr« signs at the back of the bridal chairs – made from wire and wrapped in string. Below: All paper ideas from

Wednesday Custom Designs L

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The list of Oklahoma Wedding vendors that made this such a lovely event. Photos: Ely Fair Photography L

Original Dress Design: Harper Henry L

Concept, Styling & Paper Goods: Wednesday L

Wrap Cover-up: Bhldn L

Flowers and Milk Glass: Rebeccaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Silver Rose L

Table Settings: Pottery Barn L

Bridal Veil: Collected Thread L

Hair: MaKenna Estes

Dress, Earings and Garter: Meg Guess L

Make-up: Sarah Roark

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sisterMAG Christmas Issue N°5

Articles inside

Blouses

Dressing for Dinner in 1912