Coffee and Cupcakes

Whilst we were in Utrecht the other week, my friend Nikki told me about a new cupcake shop that had recently opened in the area, iBake. At the time they had a voucher available via their Facebook page which offered a free coffee with every cupcake purchased, so naturally we headed over on one rainy afternoon.
Upon arrival I was pleasantly surprised, the shop wasn't just any old cupcake cafe, they sold all kinds of cute and quirky baking paraphernalia; fun shaped molds and cookie cutters, presentation platters, decorating kits, the whole shebang! It took me about 5 minutes to even get to the counter because I was too busy running around saying "Ooh Arjan, look at this! Oh this is even better! Argh I want that!"
Sadly we arrived at a poor time, there were only a couple of cupcake flavours left, chocolate with a vanilla buttercream and (if I remember correctly) vanilla with hazelnut. Both Nikki and I went for the chocolate.
We sat outside under the awning whilst the rain poured on.
The cupcakes were very nicely balanced, the sweetness of the buttercream was not overwhelming when paired with the light, bitter-sweet cake. I would have loved to have tried some of the other flavours advertised on the board; cookies & cream, salted caramel, red velvet. I suppose I'll just have to go back another time!  

Bad Hair Day

I've been dying my hair red consistently for the past 9 months or so, the longest I've had my hair one colour in quite some time. I've tried several different brands of dye throughout this period, all in basically the same shade and I've been happy with most of them. But, as my mother will agree, I suffer from extreme hair boredom. I don't have the guts to try out big changes like drastically different cuts or colours so I make do with subtle dyes.
A couple of weeks ago, I started feeling that same old itch and wanted to try something a little different with my hair. I toyed around with a few ideas and the decision I finally made was that I wanted to try get a little more oomph out of my red. I wasn't quite ready to move on completely,  but I wanted to liven it up a little.
When I was in Utrecht I aired this idea with my friend, Nikki, and she said she'd been thinking about a major change too, going from her natural light auburn to lilac! We figured that the best plan of action would be to bleach and then dye our hair to get the best out of our chosen colours.
After some serious thought we decided we would both take the plunge and have a hair dying day together.

First things first we had to acquire the products. After a short walk we found a hair salon that stocked Directions dye, a brand I had read plenty of good things about and knew was available cheaply online, but when the girl at the desk told us it was €14 a pot, we decided to look elsewhere before making a decision.
Five minutes down the road and we came across a clothes store that stocked Stargazer dye and bleach kits. I'd not read a huge amount about Stargazer but at less than half the price of the Directions we thought it was a safe bet to try it out, so we each bought a bleach kit and a bottle of dye (Rouge for me and Purple for Nikki) and headed home.
Youtube tutorials were the ultimate guidance from this point on. Neither of us had bleached our hair before so we were a little nervous and watched a few videos before even opening the boxes, which was helpful because the instructions in the kit were almost non-existent. We got mixing and helped each other with applying the bleach. It was tricky to work with because of the way the mixture dries out on the hair and having thick hair meant that there were some patches that didn't get as good a coating as others, but I wasn't going for anything more than 'a bit lighter' just to help the red come out brighter so that didn't matter too much to me.
we rinsed it all out after the allotted waiting time and got on with the dye. I started out and quickly realised I would have nowhere near enough, so Arjan hopped on his bike and ran out for another bottle. Then I started helping Nikki, having read up on achieving a pastel hair colour I suggested mixing the colour with a good bit of conditioner, we assumed that this would also make the dye go far enough as Nikki has much thinner hair. We were wrong. Off Arjan went again and brought back more dye.
A bit more waiting and a good rinse brings us to the end of this tale, we both ended up with patchy, multicoloured hair.  I think the problem with my hair was the uneven result of the bleaching and with Nikki's it was a mix of that and the conditioner, on closer inspection I found that Stargazer already has a conditioning agent in it, so it probably prevented enough of the dye getting to the hair.
I didn't actually mind the colour of mine, it was leaning a touch towards the fluorescent side, but it was a fun change. The patchiness though, I could not deal with. I had to wear my hair up every day because there were some very noticeable orangey patches when it was loose.

My hair just before re-dying with the Olia (hence the grossness), you can see the patchy dark/orange bits and just how bright it was! 

Nikki messaged me a couple of days later saying she'd gone and bought a pot of Directions dye and it was much better now, but I decided I couldn't bare waiting for delivery time (having no places nearby that I could get hold of it) and bought a pack of Olia in Intense Red. I've used this numerous times before and always found it came out a little darker than I liked, but with my hair already lightened I figured it was worth a try, plus it's far better for my hair than most of the other permanent dyes available.
I'm back to my usual red again and I'm happy enough, what I actually quite like about this shade now is that because of the bleaching and the other red beneath, there are some little glimmers of brighter red that shine through and make the colour more multidimensional.
I'm pleased that I had my little dalliance with super bright hair and I'll probably try again some time in the future, but for now I'll stick with what I know.

(p.s. this is no reflection on Stargazer products, it is based solely on my experience and it probably would have gone a lot better if I'd had some more practice with these products.)   

Falling For Autumn

This may seem a tad premature to those of you in other parts of the world, considering we're still in August, but here in Limburg the weather has definitely begun to turn. There is a near-constant threat of rain in the air, the temperature has dropped a good few degrees and the days are growing noticeably shorter.
As I type I am sipping a cup of hot tea, wearing leggings, socks, a long sleeve top and yet I'm still considering going upstairs to grab my big, slouchy cardigan that I pulled from the back of my wardrobe recently. Yesterday I even picked up my knitting again for the first time since early this year (a scarf that I might actually be able to wear this winter!).

If someone were to ask me what my favourite season is, I would have a hard time making a choice. Not only because I'm possibly the most indecisive person I know, but because I fall in love with each one all over again when the changes start to occur. Spring is so crisp and fresh and with the promise of new life all around and a new year full of possibilities, it's hard not to love. Summer brings the hot sun, ice-cream, gauzy dresses, the smell of suncream and days spent lounging at the beach. Winter feels like a time for family to me, I am a big Christmas girl and find it going past way too quickly every year. Snow, colourful lights and spiced everything? Yes please!

And Autumn; golden crunchy leaves, a chill in the air, sweaters and warming meals that would have been far too heavy only a few weeks before.
I think a lot of people dislike Autumn, it's the end of summer, blue skies are traded for grey and tans begin to fade. It means going back to school and long days and barbecues become just another happy memory.
But I'm looking forward to it so much. Maybe it's the American in me, but I love the sight of changing leaves, meals packed with pumpkin and root vegetables, and of course, it means that special festive time is just around the corner!

I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest the past couple of days, salivating over stews and roasts, seasonal veg and, of course, all manner of sticky, rich, warming desserts.
Not only does the food seem to get better as the weather cools, but the fashions change as well. I'm not talking latest catwalk trends here, it's that snuggly, layered Autumn uniform of skinny jeans, oversized sweaters, boots and chunky scarves. The clothes worn in that sweet point, where you need some protection from the nip in the air, but you don't yet need to cover up a carefully put-together outfit with a big, heavy coat buttoned up to your nose.

My guess is that we'll have a warm spell again in the next few weeks, one last indian summer, but I'm looking forward to the first frost. There's nothing more magical than waking up to find everything around you enveloped in glistening silver.

What's your favourite thing about Autumn? Is there anything special you do at this time of year that you're looking forward to?

Whistle While You Work

Arjan and I are house/cat sitting for friends in Utrecht again this week which is always so nice. Not only do we get some much needed alone time, but we also get to see our lovely friends Pablo and Nikki. This visit we also get to be useful!
Pablo is in a band, Dewolff, and they own a recording studio where we recently recorded our new EP. This week he is recording songs for two bands and Arjan is helping him out with technical stuff (I won't go into the details, it all sounds like gibberish to me anyway!).
Nikki is a fashion designer with her own label, Satellite June, she makes beautiful tailored pieces and having recently made Pablo suits for both a TV appearance and their wedding, she has had loads of orders coming in from both individual clients and bulk orders for shops.
With the suits piling up and a few other projects that needed working on, Nikki needed an extra pair of hands to help out.
The last bit of textile work I did was probably at the age of 13 in class at secondary school, but we figured it doesn't take too much know-how to pin patterns onto fabric and cut around the edges, so that's what I've been doing!

As someone who wouldn't have the first clue as to how to make a suit, it's amazing (and frankly slightly magical) watching these oddly shaped scraps of fabric get pinned and stitched into full, wearable garments.
Nikki is currently rebranding (having previously been known by her maiden name Nikki Beulen) and has a new website in the works, after this order of suits is done and dusted she'll be on to a new Autumn/Winter collection. I can't wait to see what she comes up with! Keep an eye on this one, she'll be going international before you know it.

MAC Lipstick: Diva

One of the birthday presents I received this year was a new MAC lipstick in Diva. I got my first one at Christmas, from the Rihanna collection, Riri Woo, which is a retro matte finish and I absolutely love it. Because it is so dry it can be a little tricky to apply, but once you've got it on it does last very well.
I knew that when I was to get a new MAC lipstick (and I knew I would eventually, I was sold on them completely) I would want to try the regular matte finish to see the difference in texture and comfort.
So when my sister-in-law was asking for birthday suggests I hinted fairly strongly that a new lipstick would be well received. (I'd ooh-ed and aah-ed over the website so many times and asked Arjan's opinion on them and amazingly he remembered one of my favourites and was able to help his sister with the selection.)

Diva is a wonderful deep burgundy shade in a matte finish that will be perfect for Autumn and winter, we're in Utrecht at the moment and the weather is leaning towards the cooler, wetter side so I thought I could give it a test run.

I think these pictures actually make Diva look a little lighter than it really is 

This is Poes (Puss), we're looking after her right now, we were enjoying a spot of duck-watching

Unlike the retro matte, the matte finish is very creamy to apply and it does have a lot more of a sheen than I was expecting. It definitely isn't as drying as the retro matte, but you still want to make sure your lips are well moisturised before application as it does pick up any flakes. I haven't actually tested its staying power as I did eat lunch shortly after taking these pictures and it needed reapplying but I'm sure given the chance, you would get a good few hours wear out of it.

I am a huge fan of MAC lipsticks now and I know I will get more in the future, I strongly suggest to the few of you out there who have not tried them out to do so, they may well change your view on regular lipstick wearing.

Outfit: Palm Tree Dress

Yesterday we went to the Drielandenpunt and I was wearing one of my favourite purchases of the summer, so I thought I'd do a post about it.

I found this dress in a H&M sale and instantly knew I had to have it. The palm tree print is just the right amount of tropical (without straying into Hawaiian Shirt territory) and the black and white keeps it classic and perfect to pair with a bold lip. I also love the length of this dress, almost every casual dress I own is either a short skirt or maxi, this one falls at a really nice calf length and is perfect for those days when I want to wear something cool but don't want to be completely exposed.
I wanted to wear a bit of jewellery with this outfit, but I couldn't find the pieces I was looking for and everyone was waiting for me, so it's a pretty simple one today.
The sandals were also from H&M but I got them years ago, they are literally glued together because I've worn them a lot, however I think they've done some this year that look almost exactly the same.

Dress - H&M
Sandals - H&M

Drielandenpunt

What do you do when you live in Limburg and have a friend visiting from the UK? Primarily drink lots of beer, but after that you take them to the Drielandenpunt (three lands point), the point where the  Netherlands, Belgium and Germany all converge. Who wouldn't want to be able to say they've been in 3 countries in one day?!
So that's exactly what we did the with the lovely Sam today.

At the Drielandedpunt there are several restaurants and food vendors, two viewing towers, a maze and, coincidentally, the highest point in the Netherlands.
First up we did the maze, which was supposed to take us around 30 - 45 minutes to solve. We decided to make a race of it, Sam went one way, Alex (Arjan's dad) went another and Arjan and I went together down the third route.
We walked that maze to and fro for a good long while, it was very tricky! There were a lot of twists and turns, evil water traps and three bridges that rose up above the maze just to tantalize you with how close you were to the centre.
Arjan and I made it to the middle first after nearly giving up from hunger and bladder fullness, then came Sam, and after no sign of Alex for a while we made our way out to the exit and gave him a call.
We then stopped for a quick refreshing beer before walking the 100m to the actual crossing point.

These passages had little fountains that were triggered by motion sensors, you had to run through before they went off again! 

The pavilion in the centre

Silly mirrors

Congratulations! You found the middle...

Sam was a little jealous that we got there first

"I've got one foot in Germany, one foot in Belgium and my balls in Holland!"

The little green lines in the ground show the borders, left is Germany, Netherlands in the middle, then Belgium on the right 

A quick stroll into Germany

The highest point in the Netherlands....

It was a really fun day out and we got a lot of exercise! If you're ever in the area I would recommend a visit, we never made it up a viewing tower, but the view from the road was beautiful as well.

In to the Studio

Those of you who have been reading my blog may know by now that I'm in a band, Southern Sunrise.  We released our first EP last year and have spent a lot of time since moving to the Netherlands gigging our butts off. We wrote a few new songs recently and released our second single just before Christmas(?) so we decided it was about time that we put together a new EP.

Arjan used to be a roady for his friends's band Dewolff and they now own the Electrosaurus Southern Sound Studio in Utrecht where they all live, so Arjan booked some time with them to record our songs.
Just a day after getting back from our holidays in the UK, we packed our bags again and got the train North. I've mentioned Utrecht a lot recently with our stays there etc, it's a fantastic city so it was great to be able to spend some more time there again.

On the first day it rained. A lot. The studio (and a couple of the guys's homes) is right on the canal just above water level and there were reports of flooding in other parts of the city, so everyone was a little nervous until it stopped. We also recorded drums!

The studio records almost everything analogue on tape, this used to be how it was done by everybody before digital methods became readily available. A lot of purists still only record on tape and claim it gives a warmer sound than digital.

It's really great to work with a musician like Pablo, he was able to come up with so many new ideas to really change up the songs and take them from 'good' to 'awesome'. I'm so pleased with how the tracks progressed and grew whilst we were there. As the primary song writer (I do the lyrics and come up with a melody then Arjan works with me to translate that into something) it can sometimes be hard to have other people making changes to songs you've written because it's such a personal thing, but when you give it a try and know it's for the better, it makes it worth while.

Left to right: Remco (our keys player), Arjan, Pablo

Pablo is an incredible guitarist, he added some wonderful stuff to a couple of the songs.

I can't wait for you to hear the new material, I'm so proud of what we all managed to achieve in that short week. We also had a visit from the lovely Melissa who has shot a music video for our new single and done the cover art for the new EP! I've already seen a first edit of it and it's pretty cool. Keep reading the blog as I'll be doing an exclusive sneak peak (if I can convince Arjan to let me) in the near future!

Summer Loving: Part 2

After all the excitement in York and Wales with my family, it was time to head south to Chichester for our second wedding of the summer. This time it was our lovely friends, George and Leah, from Brighton tying the knot.
It was incredibly hot that day, Chichester is a beautiful city and it was heaving with people out enjoying the rare British sunshine. We made our way to the hotel and freshened up before leaving for the venue.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was wonderful to see old friends and it was a pleasure to do it at such a lovely place on such a brilliant occasion.
I remembered to charge my batteries this time, so here's a few pictures from the big day.

Leah was so beautiful in her dress, there were buttons running all the way down the back. 

Ice-cream van?! Uh yes please!

Arjan and Sam, the Best Man

Pimms by the jug during cocktail hour!

Somebody's a happy boy

George is a graphic designer and created all the invites etc himself, it looked amazing! 

They had a polaroid guest book! How cool is that?!

The dinner hall.

Sorry guys, we had to steal this polaroid, it's the only one of us two where Arjan isn't pulling a face!

After dinner the evening guests came as well and they had a brilliant band doing awesome covers of hits through the ages. I was too busy dancing to take any pictures.

The next day Arjan and I had a walk around Chichester and got to see what a wonderful little city it is. There are beautiful parks, an amazing cathedral and lots of little alleyways and nooks to explore, we had a really nice day and it was good to be able to relax before our flight back to the Netherlands the next day.

What the city looked like 914 years ago

What the city looks like now, that is the same hill that the fort stood upon 

Bishop's Palace Gardens for a sunset stroll

The Cathedral

So here's to Leah and George, I wish you a life together full of laughter and love.