City seeing: Antwerp

Shopping Walhalla Antwerp, before you know it months pass without paying it a visit. Luckily we made up for that the past week… double.
One day for shopping, one day for sightseeing, but as you could expect that division got mixed up as soon as I was there.

Shopping

Urban Outfitters, River Island, Forever 21 and many more, I love them and they love me.
As you can see, my mission was successful: Aztec print shorts, cute bandeau top, finally a great guide on Australia, pretty jewellery, a fun festival attribute and the new Go Back To The Zoo album.

Australia guide: Fnac
Flask: Urban Outfitters
Shorts, top and jewellery: Forever 21

 

Sightseeing

 

Food

Since you can't shop all day on an empty stomach, we also tested some restaurants and tea rooms.

Tortellini with spinach and four cheeses at the Italien. Yum.

 Relaxing at Starbucks

Lojola
coffee & cake

I truly want a shop like this! So cute!

Cheese- and tiramisu cake

Momade

Unfortunately not tasted since we've already had the delicious cakes seen above, but I will do so next time. Take a moment to look at their site, looks divine!

And just because cupcakes are so cute looking...

 I wanna make these myself!

Two entire days in this city and still such a short blog, but you know what they say... A picture is worth a thousand words.

 And may I say so myself, they look like we had a great couple of days!

Thanks to Krista, Fleur and the city

Love,
Noes

Love birds

Bachelorette party cupcakes, have fun today girls!

Love,
Noes

Dutch 'NY' cheesecake

I must honestly say that I'm not a huge fan of standard Dutch deserts. Things that are typical for Holland like 'vla' or plain 'yoghurt' ar not things I can be excited about.
So after diner at home I usually skip it, but when it comes to restaurants... it's a whole different story.
There they serve deserts like crème brûlée, tiramisu and something I made this weekend. Cheesecake.

It was my first time baking cheesecake so I used a recipe from Hummingbird Bakery as guide towards my own version. Due to the difference in heath of my oven and theirs, I needed more heath and time for the cake to look the way it was supposed to, apart from that I do not advise to cover your cake with household film while cooling because it sticks to your cake and ruins the shiny top.
But now that I know this all, I have a great recipe for home made cheesecake which you can adjust easily by adding fruit or cookie crumbles.
This one is a vanilla cheesecake which I topped with strawberry dressing. Maybe banana or chocolate next time?

Love,
Noes

Indian summer

There's a trend for the upcoming season that completely suits my wishes for the more specific, festival, season.
Feather en bird prints, the so-called navajo, aztec and geometric prints, leather boots, long necklaces and lots of bangels and bracelets.

Wooden bangels: H&M
Gemstone necklace: Shoeby
Leather boots: Airstep
Pants and scarf: Zara

As you can see I've already started collecting a few items but I still have a lot of wishes for my shopping session in Antwerp this Friday.

Feather print tops - Forever 21

Geo print - Forever 21

Bird print - Forever 21

Navajo print - Urban Outfitters

I like combing these tops with jeans shorts or a skirt during the summer time or beige or bright colored skinny jeans during the colder days.

 

Navajo print sunglasses and leather bag - Zara

 

Wing earrings - Pickle Dog Design on Etsy

Let’s hope the weather gods will be kind this year’s festival season, because dressing for it will be so much fun!
Love,
Noes

City seeing: seaside shopping

What better way is there to spend your day off than getting on the road and just visit another city than the usual?
Especially with the amazing weather we've had here the past days.

My day off, Wednesday, was spend in lovely Middelburg.
Some highlights:

HoneyPie

Cute, fun, delicious, making-me-jealous.

We went here for some tea, cake and ofcourse sightseeing. The teashop has pretty wallpaper, only the prettiest floral teacups, the most famous Dutch mushroom (red with white dots) in almost everything and a display like a candyshop.

 An all time favorite, a familiar friend. Dille & Kamille, who could ignore you?

From an old friend to a new friend, Beadle.

As soon as you enter the shop you'll want to buy everything, trust me. I was able to controle myself and bought the thing I loved most, a gorgeous necklace to which the owner (really nice and so creative) added a few pretty things for me.

She sells jewelry she designed and made herself but also tons of different beadles and beads to make something yourself, so very tempting.

As there is a time for shopping, there is one for a break with some lunch. Outside in the sun.

Apart from these highlights, the city has many more things to offer such as well known names in fashion, shoes, electronics and others included in bigger city centers.

A thing not every center is able to share is the iconic sight of the town, especially looking like this at the start of spring.

It was the perfect day off, away from the daily routine and surroundings. The first day being able to wear sunglasses all day long, stroling around town and not thinking about time.

Middelburg, you are lovely.

Love,

Noes

Springtime improvements

I've been reading a whole lot of interior magazines lately and had (and still have) some projects up my sleeve.
Now that the sun showed its face again, I got new energy to turn these ideas into actual plans.

First of all I bought a small table to replace the Ikea model beside my bed, its a 'brocante' varnished wooden table with a second shelf besides the table top. The legs are vaulted, gracious which gives it a classic look.
I bought some colored varnish (a light taupe) to redo the whole table but after some consideration I decided to stay with the original color and use this varnish on a cabinet that actually did need some attention.

The dark varnish of this 3 drawer cabinet wasn't quite a match with the other colors in the room in the first place, but the model is so beautiful that I decided to used it as it was until I had a better idea. Which I did have now.
So I started taken of the ironwork, sanding the surface and prepping it for the new varnish. I knew it would need two layers of varnish because the new color is much lighter than the original, but I must say that for a first time solo furniture make over... the result is amazing. Isn't it a beauty?

While I was at it anyway, I also provided the frame of my moodboard with a bit of this pretty color and rearranged the room. I'm really happy with the result and the make over skills I seem to have!

Here some pictures of the current look of the room.

My desk with the Mexican cabinet which does not look that Mexican anymore.

The wardrobe and my renewed cabinet.

My newest acquisition, the bedside table with moodboard and pretty ranunculus.

Now that I've started I'm considering new projects in everything. The contents of the bookcase have already become a victim of rearrangement but it's not a drastic enough change for me yet. Luckely I still have some more magazines to read so who knows, maybe there will be a new project post soon...

Love,
Noes

Che cosa mi può consigliare?

That's a good question.
A while back I decided I wanted to learn Italien. Speak, write, the lifestyle... dolce far niente.
Unfortunately I haven't started a course yet but I do have this guide that I use to learn a few new words or little sentences everytime.
Tiny sentences like 'la mia pasticceria'. Yes, so far I am able to tell an Italien guy that I own a pastry shop. Next stop? Making it true.

So reading the title of this blog in my guide I was inspired to write. So what do I recommend?
Ristorante 'De Markt' in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

My sister took me to this restaurant a while back and yes, the food is amazing but that's not all.

The open kitchen with all the fresh vegetables on display, the pizza oven on full speed, the pretty tiles...

The restaurant itself is charmed by beautifull and truly huge chandeliers but above all my favorite thing, the walls.

Several parts of the walls are decorated with all kinds of pictures that remind you of Italy. Scenery, wine, Italien people, little cars, olives, oranges, the sun, the market. I could go on forever. The result of it wants you to book a ticket right away and escape to Bella Italia.

My sister and I ordered Antipasti Mercato to try a bit of everything and a delicious tiramisu to top it off.
I'm already saving up every pretty picture I see to be able to create such a wall myself one day, until then we will still have 'De Markt'. If you are ever near Utrecht, you should really go there and 'prova'.

Arrivederci x,
Noes

All pictures used are property of restaurant 'De Markt'.

The right mood

Since you simply can't have everything, because you should always have dreams and wishes and because some things are just so pretty or cute the way they are... I love making mood boards.

Right now the weather is grey-ish and rainy but my current mood board makes me think of my favorite spring flowers, cool festival outfits and pretty interior ideas.

Feeling down? Looking forward to the new season? Or is there anything you want so bad but can't have it?
Follow my lead and pin everything onto an old school board of cork.

Guaranteed that it puts a smile on your face every time you look at it!
Have fun

Love,
Noes

Jeez Louise

Well jeez Louise a love roulette
Yeah we got good times rolling in a red corvette
You and me in silhouette
We're gonna hip shake escape
Do the things we never dared





Turn it on, volume up and dance!

They're awesome :)

Love,
Noes