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A Christmas Story

A note before I begin: This will be my last post until February because the next six weeks is going to be a whirlwind…

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Hi, I’m Steph.

I’m a freelance social media strategist, content creator, and photographer who loves to support and promote small businesses. Born in New York, I currently live in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain (after 16 years in London) with my husband Jorge, our kids Emilia and Sebastian, and our lazy cat Oakley. Beyond work and family, I love to travel, read, take long walks with my camera, bake, try new restaurants, and drink lots of tea. Read my story here!

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Hi, I’m Steph.

I’m a freelance social media strategist, content creator, and photographer who loves to support and promote small businesses. Born in New York, I currently live in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain (after 16 years in London) with my husband Jorge, our kids Emilia and Sebastian, and our lazy cat Oakley. Beyond work and family, I love to travel, read, take long walks with my camera, bake, try new restaurants, and drink lots of tea. Read my story here!

Shop Photography Prints on Etsy

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littleobservationist

Back in May, I met up with my mom in Athens for a

Back in May, I met up with my mom in Athens for a week. We ate delicious food, had some memorable cocktails, popped into all the independent shops, and wandered, explored, and relaxed.

I love the way the city becomes more familiar with each trip, how different layers come to life. This was probably my 6th visit to Athens.

I’ve realized more than ever since moving to Tenerife that I am, hands down, a city person. I appreciate the countryside and of course some fresh air, but I love a city most of all: the grittiness, the diversity, the freedom, the anonymity, the street art and creativity, the fast pace, the markets, the cacophony of sound and smells, the galleries and museums, the bookshops, the cafes, the street food, the assault on the senses, and the beautiful parks for balance.

There are a handful of cities I feel drawn back to time and again. Athens is one of them, along with London which will always have my heart, Amsterdam, Edinburgh…and there are many others I’d love to re-visit one day.

What about you? And if you’re a city person, is there one in particular that you’d return to time and again?

#athens

Back in November, I met my dad in Greece and we sp

Back in November, I met my dad in Greece and we spent a week picking olives with a lovely bunch of people on the island of Kythira. Here’s a look back at our days spent harvesting the trees and our visit to the mill.

@sadlergardencollections @christinahuisman @bakkerhanneke @marjaruisenderokken @agreekisland @wia4429

Have you ever been olive picking?

On the tail end of our olive-picking adventures on

On the tail end of our olive-picking adventures on Kythira Island back in November, my dad and I spent two days in Athens. We’d both been quite a few times before, so this wasn’t so much a site seeing trip as a visit for me to get my big city fix. (If there’s anything I’ve learned since moving across the street from a herd of goats in Tenerife, it’s that I am much more of a city person than I ever realised.)

Athens is one of those beautifully gritty cities, oozing character with its ancient architectural wonders, buildings coloured with scribbled graffiti and impressive murals, jumbled flea markets, and bright yellow taxis. We sat outside at tavernas eating octopus and olives, went hunting for bookshops where I could find some English language books for the kids (difficult, though not as difficult as in Tenerife and I did find a gem where I stocked up!), and just enjoyed chatting and exploring as we wandered through the criss-crossed streets of the Plaka.

Mainly, I basked in the cacophony of city sounds and city smells and city sights. The talented (and not so talented) buskers, and the impatient horns; the stench of the meat market, roasting corn in carts, and the sweetly scented lotions in Korres; the diversity of the commuters rushing for the train, the prowling street cats, and the unexpected glimpses of the Acropolis. Then it was a quick farewell Athens…Until we meet again.
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#athensgreece #athenscity #thisisathens #discovergreece

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to have a s

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to have a second early 40th-birthday adventure (still 10 more days in my 30s!). Jorge took me on a kid-free long weekend trip to a surprise destination: Madrid!

Since swapping London for a quiet island, I desperately miss city life, so I appreciated the opportunity to be swept up in the beautiful chaos of the capital for a few days.

Deciding to save the museums and galleries for another trip when we have more time to dive deeply into their treasures, we focused on exploring and eating. We walked more than 50,000 steps, covering a good stretch of central city streets and a bit of El Retiro Park. We enjoyed lots of decadent delicious meals and some crazy cocktails, took in rooftop views, and of course I got my shopping fix in and indulged in our huge bath tub with the heated floor bathroom 👍

Definitely a place to return to as we’ve only just grazed the surface! (If you’ve been, leave me some comments with your best recommendations for next time.)
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#discoverspain #madrid #madridspain #madridespaña #madridcity

As a slightly early 40th birthday adventure, my da

As a slightly early 40th birthday adventure, my dad and I spent a memorable week on the small Greek island of Kythira (just across from the Peloponnese peninsula) and a few days in Athens.

Even in November, the fields baked under a strong sun. We spent three days laying down long green nets, raking small olives from the tangled branches of gnarled trees, picking out debris and sorting them into crates.

We stopped for tea and sweet biscuits in the grass each day and later simple lunches of tzatziki on bread, tomatoes and feta, homemade cakes, and tangerines.

We worked to the laughter and chatter of our new friends (all of them Dutch!), and the bells of sheep and goats clanging in the distance. One of the goats even wandered over to eat some olive leaves. The air carried the scent of nature and of olives accidentally crushed under shoes.

Every morning that week, we enjoyed a delicious cooked breakfast with the whole group and our amazing hosts Albert and Anita from @agreekisland - eggs cooked a myriad of ways, fresh fruit with thick Greek yogurt and honey, different cheeses from the island, a traditional portokalopita (orange syrup cake), and spinach filo pastries.

They also cooked us dinners of moussaka and pasticcio with fresh salads and beetroot. We finished the evenings with plenty of white wine and some local cinnamon liquor. Other evenings, the whole group went out for dinners (and live music one night).

There was a small crop this year, but enough to visit the olive mill where we watched as the olives we picked were poured from our crates and processed into olive oil—which we tasted straight from the spigot on sliced bread with a sprinkling of salt. Delicious!
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#kythira #kythiraisland #kythira_greece #greekislands #olivepicking #pickingolives #discovergreece #theconstantlycurious

📸: Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife And an unrelate

📸: Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife

And an unrelated ramble…

October was always one of my favorite months…crunching through fallen leaves, vibrant colors, cozy sweaters, sweet nostalgia, hot drinks, pumpkin carving, the autumn “re-fresh”, heat from the summer (my least favorite season) finally lifting….

But here, we’re dragging ourselves through the middle of a heatwave that kicked of 12 days ago and has broken new records every day since…(with no air con)…topped off with ongoing wildfires and another visit from the cough-inducing calima (Saharan dust storm that doesn’t seem to be moving on any time soon). School’s now closed the rest of the week. 😭

Cheer me up and transport me with your favorite snippets of autumn in a comment please…🍁🍁🍁🍁
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#tenerifefelicidad @tenerife_now #islandsofspain #Photographize #puertodelacruz #puertodelacruztenerife #tenerifenorte

🌟INTRODUCING…🌟 …NEW printable retro-sty

🌟INTRODUCING…🌟

…NEW printable retro-style destination posters!

I’ve always loved the look of retro travel posters. I made this one, and a few others for my Etsy shop, from my original photos and a bit of photoshopping.

So far, I have:
- 🇬🇧 London, England
- 🇬🇷 Santorini, Greece
- 🇮🇹 Florence, Italy
- 🇺🇸 Buffalo, New York
- 🇮🇨 Tenerife, Canary Islands

They’re easy to download and print.

🛍️ Help me get them into the Etsy algorithm with some first sales? Here’s a 50% intro discount code (Valid through end of September only): SEPTEMBERWANDERLUST

🔎 Find them in the RETRO TRAVEL POSTERS section of my shop athttps://littleobservationist.etsy.com.

Stories shares would also be wonderful and appreciated. ❤️

✈️ Where’s next on your wanderlist?
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#retrotravelposter #tenerifefelicidad #tenerife #buffalove #buffalony #florenceitaly #santorinigreece #londontravel

Earlier this month, my parents were here in Teneri

Earlier this month, my parents were here in Tenerife, visiting from New York. One morning, we all ventured up to the northeastern corner of the island, tracing the winding highway through the steep rugged mountains, laurel forests, and lush valleys of Anaga.

Anaga, one of the oldest parts of the island, is a protected UNESCO biosphere reserve, a misty verdant green space with jagged rocky peaks and sharp drops. It’s a place of wild beauty, full of birdsong and the scent of fresh earth and eucalyptus. Stop on the roadside and you can often touch the clouds, or open your car windows and they’ll flow inside.

There are tiny traditional villages with stone houses and cave dwellings dotted throughout, the biggest of which is Taganana where we stopped in a guachinche (a typical Canarian restaurant with homemade local food) for lunch.

At the edges of Anaga are several stretches of black sand beach that contrast stunningly with the deep blue of the Atlantic. (See the first and second photos here for a shot of Benijo beach I’ve added to my Etsy shop as a print - link in bio.)

There are points where you can look down on the capital Santa Cruz and the UNESCO World Heritage city of La Laguna in miniature, and we were also lucky to have a clear enough day to see the outline of Gran Canaria in the distance.

We went by car, but there are many different hikes - some family friendly - so you can explore certain areas by foot too. Plenty more to experience on our next visit.
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#anaga #tenerifefelicidad @tenerife_now #tenerifenorth #tenerifenorte #islandsofspain #discoverspain #canaryislands #tenerife_paraiso_canario #tenerifetag @voyagevoyagemagazine #ig_canarias

📸: La Laguna, Tenerife, July 2023, at the Romer

📸: La Laguna, Tenerife, July 2023, at the Romería de San Bonito.

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I’ve been working on some downloadable, printable resources for my Etsy shop. They’re for travel lovers, study abroad students, and expats.

If you’re an expat parent, scroll for a new one, released today - a creative journal specifically for expat kids.

I’ve been working on this one for a while. It’s 129 pages full of activities, covering 31 different topic. Each topic spans four pages with journal prompts, quick-fire questions, drawing/painting prompts, family activities and colouring pages.

Want to be one of the first to trial it?

Here’s a 50% off introductory code valid until end of Friday only: “EXPATKIDS50”.

My Etsy shop is littleobservationist.Etsy.com

I’d love it if you could help me spread the word to other expat parents. Story shares appreciated! ❤️
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#expatfamily #expatmom #expatkids #expatmums #expatcommunity @tenerife_now #islandsofspain #photographize @photographizemag #ig_canarias #streetianity

How’s everyone? Time for my monthly check in. (I

How’s everyone? Time for my monthly check in. (I like this once-a-month grid posting and tossing the random daily stuff into stories…)

Anyway, thought I’d share something I’ve been chipping away at over the last few months.

Since we moved to Tenerife in January, I’ve delved back into journaling. Not every day, but whenever I can fit it in. There’s a lot to process when you move countries, languages, lifestyle, etc…especially with kids in the mix.

I couldn’t find any journal prompts specifically aimed at expats, so I thought I’d create some of my own. These are now available as instant download pdf printables in my Etsy shop for a few €/$/£. (Link in bio or littleobservationist.etsy.com)

You’ll find three different versions:
1.) For expats, generally
2.) For expat parents
3.) For expat teens

I’m working on some other printables for expats too, so stay tuned if that’s you!

Pics: The colourful architecture of a town not far from us called La Orotava. The last one of the beach umbrella is a quick snap I took last weekend in Puerto de La Cruz.

Hope you’re all well! If you know any journal-loving expats, shares to help get the word out would be 👍👍😊
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#expatlife #expatfamily #expatblogger #expatmom #expatwoman #expatkids #americansabroad #britsabroad @tenerife_now #islandsofspain

“This is a city of shifting light, of changing s

“This is a city of shifting light, of changing skies, of sudden vistas. A city so beautiful it breaks the heart again and again.” - Alexander McCall Smith

On Friday, I walked 24,000 steps through beautiful streets of Edinburgh. I stopped for tea (good, proper tea that I haven’t enjoyed in many months) at Wellington Coffee and the Milkman. I walked on cobblestones, admired the architecture, was awed by the history and creativity that’s everywhere in the city. I browsed the shelves of Armchair Books, and Golden Hare Books and Paper Tiger. I wandered through Dean Village, past the Castle, around the floral circuit of Circus Lane and St. Stephens, through the independent shops on Cockburn Street and to the top of Carlton Hill where I sat in the grass and looked out to the horizon. I wandered into art galleries, tasted raspberry gin, got some shopping in, and enjoyed speaking English with the friendly strangers I met along the way.

It’s rare that that the thought “I could live here” pops into my head when I’m anywhere but London, but it crossed my mind many times during my solo escape from Tenerife to Edinburgh last week. It felt like somewhere a full and creative life could be lived, inspiring, warm (in a welcoming sense, and even, on that day, a temperature one) and familiar and, even though I’ve never spent so much time in the city, it felt somehow like coming home.

(If you know the city, throw me some suggestions for the next time I visit!)

P.S. - The first photo here is available as a print in my Etsy shop (littleobservationist.etsy.com). I also recently released some downloadable travel and study abroad related downloadable journal prompt if there’s any fellow journaling fans here!
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#edinburghstory #edinburghscotland #edinburghphotography #edinburghlovers #discoveredinburgh

I’ve just launched a few new prints on Etsy, now

I’ve just launched a few new prints on Etsy, now shipping from the U.S. Have a look at littleobservationist.etsy.com if your wall could use a shake up!

[Use BRIGHTENMYDAY for £3 off 💕]
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#figaro #etsyshopownersofinstagram #photographyprint #pinkaesthetic #pinkpinkpink #pinkaesthetics

📸: Mesa Del Mar in the north of Tenerife

……..

Hello from Tenerife, four months in.

I’ve re-opened my Etsy shop (prints are now shipping from New York because the postal system here is not so reliable - thanks Mom & Dad!). If you know anyone who needs a print, head over to littleobservationist.etsy.com. DM me for a £3 off code!

What else… It’s hot here in the Canary Islands - high 70s (mid 20s C) and sunny this week. (Too hot for this cold-loving Buffalonian, but I’m sure some of you would consider it perfect weather.)

We had our first visit from London friends this past month. They filled the house with the giggles of two extra small children, lots of stories and tea, and a night of nostalgia playing our favourite card game, shithead.

In four months, the kids’ ability to communicate en español has pretty much surpassed mine. I am learning plenty of new vocabulary related to pirates, insects, and space though thanks to their homework.

Sebastian turns three this weekend, and asked for an insect party so we (mostly I) had fun making a beehive piñata for him, and on Friday, I’ll be holding up in the kitchen to construct a bee cake and insect cupcakes.

The week days here pass in silence or podcasts while I work at home, Oakley curled up next to me, the volcano and the goats out one window and the ocean out the other (when there’s no calima from the blanket of Saharan dust that occasionally stifles the islands.) And then the evening chaos. Weekends usually involve visits to the grandparents’ house or some activity with Jorge’s friends.

Not sure what else to update you on, but open to questions and requests if there’s anything you want to know or see! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a long update, but I am posting to stories, so stick around. 😊
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#tenerifefelicidad #mesadelmar #tenerifenorte #tenerife #expatsinspain @tenerife_now #islandsofspain

Hello! Thought it was time for an update. If you m

Hello! Thought it was time for an update. If you missed it, we moved to Tenerife on December 31. Life in the Canary Islands is, as you’d imagine, vastly different from the lively streets of London where I spent the last 16 years, and the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, where I spent my first 23. It’s very much a new chapter.

From our porch, we can see El Teide - the volcano, often tipped white with snow, the sea that looks calm from here, but up close bashes the north coast of the island in a fury, and eight goats who live across the street. Roosters crow in the distance throughout the day while I’m working. Everywhere, there are palm trees and cacti and colourful houses with traditional curved tiles. It’s been fun exploring so far, and I hope to venture to some places I haven’t been before, including some of the other islands, whenever we have the opportunity.

There are definitely challenges. My Spanish is slowly improving, but navigating everything from school comms to restaurant menus to everyday conversations takes a lot of focus. I started experimenting with the buses this week (which seem to function well, but infrequently) but otherwise there’s a lot of sitting around in cars and traffic. And yes, what they say about Spanish bureaucracy is true; everything will always happen mañana (and many mañanas thereafter). There are also a LOT of things I miss about London, but that’s for a different post.

At the moment, our house is full of boxes; about 180 of them arrived with our container last week, but we unpacked the books and I’m thrilled to have a little library wall that I’ll share in stories once some of the mess has been cleared!

Let me know what else you want to see here…
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#tenerifenorte #tacoronte #somostenerife #tenerifefelicidad #expatsinspain #tenerife_es_asi @tenerife_now #islandsofspain

Lunch & a walk in the fishing village of El Pris i

Lunch & a walk in the fishing village of El Pris in the north of Tenerife.
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#tenerifefelicidad #tenerifenorte #elpris #tenerife_love #tenerifeisland

For anyone who didn’t see the news on Facebook,

For anyone who didn’t see the news on Facebook, after 16 years living in the beautiful chaos of London, it is time for the next chapter.

Today was our last day in London. Tomorrow we are chasing new adventures and moving to Spain!

The kids will have the opportunity to grow up with a bilingual education near at least one set of grandparents and enjoy the beaches and delicious food where we will be in sunny Tenerife in the Canary Islands. We’ll be living near (and eventually in) the colourful UNESCO Heritage city of La Laguna in the north of the island (just off of the coast of Morocco, about 2.5 hour flight from mainland Spain).

Happy New Year to all of you! I’ll check in once we are settled!
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#igersspain #leavinglondon #tenerifefelicidad #canaryislands #canaries #tenerife #tacoronte #tenerifenorth #tenerifetag #somostenerife #tenerifephoto @tenerife_now #islandsofspain

Backing up to my last post, the news I was going t

Backing up to my last post, the news I was going to share with you in this post will be in the December post instead. Suspense. For the next few months at least I’m still posting around once a month, giving myself some space from social media outside of client work to focus on some other priorities and projects.

This is a photo from Buffalo, NY. It’s the start of Elmwood Village. We went home for a month over the kids’ summer break - four years since our last visit - and it was fun to spend two of those days with Jorge—child-free for a change—exploring this vibrant city that I grew up so close to but never really got to know apart from our occasional trips downtown for Sabres games.
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#elmwoodvillage #elmwood #buffalonewyork #buffalo #716 #upstateny #buffalony #travelbuf #buffalove #explorebuffalo #risebflo #featuremeigersbuffalo #buffaloforreal #buffalove16 #capturebuffalo #yeahbuffalo #igersbuffalo #viewbuffalo #buffalonewyork #iamsobuffalo #buffalodigest #backyardbuffalo #onlyinbflo

Just checking in with a quick hello! And a pink fi

Just checking in with a quick hello! And a pink figaro. How’s everyone?

As for me, I’ll be continuing to post about once a month for the rest of 2022. I do have some exciting news to share (hopefully very soon, and hopefully in my next post), which is where I’ve turned my energy to recently. I’ve also been fully booked with client work since Sebastian started full time nursery last month and, though I miss our long afternoon nap walks, I do really love having the space for my work again. I’ve also added a few new prints to my Etsy shop (link in bio) if anyone’s getting a head start on the xmas shopping!

Hands up if you’d like to give this car a spin! 🙋‍♀️
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#figaro #carsoflondon #prettycitylondon #prettylittlelondon #london_is #mylondonfairytales #londonbylondoners

After a month away, flying over London into Heathr

After a month away, flying over London into Heathrow is magical. As always, no matter how much fun we have wherever we’ve been, it’s good to be back. ❤️💙

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