Ukraine Remixed

The beautiful Black Sea during a sea storm

Probably one of my favorite shots I've ever taken -- I almost lost my camera to the wave for it but so worth it :)

Absolutely the BEST produce you'll ever have

Sweet, juicy peaches! 

Flowers from my mom's garden -- she's quite the gardener, business woman, and fashionista!

Ukrainian Churches are among the world's most beautiful 

A lonely rose

Red caviar crepes -- traditional Russian/Ukrainian dish

Four Ukrainian cities will be part of the Euro2012 cup and McDonald's there is BETTER! :)

Love this sweater...too cool!

Stunning, young, newly married couple.  Love that dress!

Love him!

Anton Chekhov is one of the most famous and talented Russian short-story, playwright and physician.  This is one of his famous quotes (my bad translation) -- "a person should have everything wonderful -- his face, his clothes, his soul, and his thoughts".  Sounds much better in Russian ;)

Our family dog, Rex.  I call him my sweet beast! :)

As we get ready to embrace the wonderful fall season and all its perks, I wanted to share the long overdue post of my trip back home to remind us once again about how incredibly fun the summer season is.  All of these photos were taken in my home town Gurzuf, and the city where I was born Yalta, Ukraine (15min away).   Neither of these two Crimea coastline towns are as well known as let's say...Santorini or Monaco (well Yalta probably more so because of the 1945 Yalta Conference between the "Big Three" powers), but it truly is a little piece of heaven for those who have been there -- like me!  Aside from some minor post Cold War, Communist era leftover issues, this area is incredibly beautiful and with a lot of potential for tourism.  I love spending my summers there because I feel totally FREE!  Free of worries, free of stress, free of the types of pressures we experience here in our busy, fast-pace lives.  When I'm back home, I rarely wear make up, do my hair, or wear heels (actually i'm pretty much barefoot the whole time), and it feels incredible!  The fresh produce, incredible Mediterranean climate, Black Sea only a few steps away, and being home with my family are my favorite parts of the trip, but there is so much more.  This area is full of culture, history, and believe it or not, fashion too -- just check out the Shutz booties I haven't been able to take off for weeks in previous posts :)  Hope you enjoy the post -- I certainly feel like I just took the trip all over again.  You gotta love photography and its ability to transport you into a place or time you truly treasure.

XO

Katya

A View From the Top

(Wearing:  H&M jumper & belt, Urban Outfitters hat, vintage clutch and Nine West shoes)

Yesterday my mom and I went to visit a few of our friends for dinner and she kindly agreed to play photographer.  They own a wonderful local vineyard near by (we make a lot of great wine in this area), so we stopped by to take a few photos on our way to their house.  The views from their property are amazing -- they overlook all of Gurzuf and surrounding mountains.  Thankfully I brought a pair of shoes to change into though because most of our transportation is done by foot and I quickly realized that walking around in heels on mountains is not a good idea ;)  

Wishing you a lovely rest of your week...

<3

Katya

PS: StyleCaster partner up with Sebastian for this amazing contest! Dont forget to enter, 6 winners will travel to NYC to have a photoshoot with NYLON!
Enter the Contest HERE!

A little lovely town called Gurzuf

(Wearing:  Free People cover up, Vix bathing suit, Soda sandals, and H&M sunnies)

One of my favorite beaches - Artek

Before you get to the beach, you can stop by a little cave that takes you to the most beautiful views...(see below)

Here is the view :)

So many artists get inspired by the local landscape...but how can you not when you have the sea on one side and the beautiful Crimean mountain range on the other!?

Hello loves.  So after about five days here in the motherland, I finally got around to a quick post so I could share with all of you the beauty of this little town called Gurzuf.  Gurzuf is located in the south of Ukraine, in the Crimea area on the Black Sea.  Most people around the world haven't yet discovered this little gem...but I was born and raised here so to me, this is the most wonderful place on earth (and trust me, I've traveled quite a bit).  There is something very charming about this practically untouched place.  The air is intoxicating, the views are breathtaking, and the feeling of being 'home' is inexplicable.  I spend most of my days here running around barefoot and wearing well ... pretty much nothing since we're 5min from the beach, but today I figured to snap a few photos while wearing my new Free People cover up.  I love how light it is & the crochet design is beautiful!

Hope all of you are enjoying the rest of your summer :)

xoxo

Katya

Random, Beautiful, Fun

After a long & exhausting 24 hour trip back home....I'm finally back in the States and getting ready to go back to my normal routine.  In a way, as much as you may hate it at the moment, the routine is not all that bad...it's familiar, it's comfortable. Anyway, somewhere between laundry and catching up on Entourage, I decided to post some random photos from my time there.

Hope you're having a wonderful Sunday!

Kisses - Katya

The farmers market has got to be my favorite place ever...I couldn't get enough of all the fresh, truly organic fruits & veggies

Our local church

Random street artist...I love oil painting

Love the Ukrainian inspired McDonalds add :)