Outfit of the week

Wow, temperatures are really rising last weeks.. This weekend (easter) we reached 27 degrees with a lot of sun! This is the best weather you can wish for in Holland, so it was immediately high summer in all the heads of the Dutchies..

Luckily i still have some nice sandals i bought in Mexico, so i was very glad to wear them again.. With some goldish nail polish and a good amount of spf30 i was ready to let the sun warm me up and hopefully giving me a nice tan;)

My outfit of the week contains a blouse i bought at H&M. I like this kind of blouses to let it hang nonchalant, or being more sophisticated and put it in your trouser. My pants are from pull and bear, which i also have in white. They are perfect for this kind of weather.. Not to cold to be walk in around all day, plus you are able to get some tan on your lower legs:)

  

Blouse: H&M

Pants: Pull and bear

Belt: Men @ Work

Sunglasses: D&G

Enjoy this perfect weather for as long as it lasts! 

' Sunshine puts a smile on people's faces and the world seems to be much more prettier'

Pilates and running, my work-out schedule!

Since being in Mexico my perspective about the world, people and mind have changed. But also my taste, preferences and interests..

One of them is exercise.. My father is addicted to running; well, now I am too.. 2 times a week I take a run around the area I’m living in and for 45 minutes I clear my mind and feel so much more energetic when returning home!

The secret of a good running start is: Listen to your body and take it easy.

Don’t expect yourself to be able to run 4 km in a row suddenly.. You have to adapt the situation and start by running for 3 minutes, then walking 3 minutes.. It totally depends if you are in good shape and health, but that is how I started and the results were noticeable quickly, by running 4 km non stop 2 weeks later! I started running when I lived in Mexico with temperatures, let’s say, we don’t have here in Holland!

Good way to train your body and sweat out all of those Mojito’s, Piña colada’s and whatnot..

But that’s aside.. I continued running here in Holland with opposite temperatures but it doesn’t matter.. During running your body seems to be very good in keeping you warm or, in tropical conditions, cooling you off.

One other exercise addiction of me; apart from running, is pilates.

This is a good way to learn how to breathe and really strengthens your muscles in a nice and relaxing way. Not like yoga, but in my opinion, more active.

It’s all about the way you breathe during exercise and you will notice you strengthen your muscles when practising a few times a week.. I try to do the pilates exercises everyday, simply to clear your mind and the good feeling it brings you.. 

I’m not a yoga person, because I have to move my body more while meditate..

Pilates makes you relax, but keeping your body active at the same time!

I followed some pilates classes in Mexico, that are (in my opinion) better than over here..

In Holland they seem to be more old school with it and are trying to define those classes with the whole meditation world! Attending one of those classes, I figured out I was the youngest one of the group and the other woman were only chatting about their husbands, movies, food and other mid-aged subjects..:P

I decided to stay with my own pilates routine once a day which I followed in Mexico.

I have found a similar work out pilates lesson on youtube which is perfect to start with and keep on doing next to your normal work out.

I follow this routine once a day and those 7 minutes of pilates really makes a difference to keep your mind clear and your body in shape!

Fashion alert: spotted!

Spotted on the Internet: A few items that are according the latest trends!

I selected some of them and there should be at least one item that you love.. First, lets get a perspective on the shoes.. To buy shoes i still prefer on trying them on, but since the coming of a few good online shoe-stores that have perfect terms of conditions, it is very easy to order online..

The biggest and most selling online shoe stores in Holland are: Zalando, Shoemixx and Omoda that all sells shoes according the latest trends and have well known brands in their collection..

The terms of conditions are very important to me, as well as the customer service..

Ok, lets see what my favorite kind of shoes are, i spotted at these stores..

Wedge ankle boots are very hot this summer, especially peeptoe! (Bronx 'Jucca')

And for fall, ankle laced boots! (Bullboxer)

An absolute favorite.. The natural colour and feathers are very bohemian and romantic..(Bronx 'Sylja')

 These brands are very popular and being sold in most retail and online stores.. Keep an eye on how much they have in stock and what kind of specials they are offering their customers.

For example, Shoemixx.nl has an exclusive own magazine that comes with every delivery according to the latest trends!

Some other items i spotted last week:

A lovely leather jacket by Mubaa. (Photo: fashionchick.nl)

Big buddha bag by Steve Madden..

Since the popular American designer Steve Madden found his way to Europe, I had to take a look at his website..He started with designing shoes in 1990. Since then the company has grown into a successful business which owns 185 stores worldwide. Recently Steve Madden has opened in Holland and also sells their collection online on stevemadden.nl. Although this big buddha bag is made of imitation leather, i still like the design and size of it.. Again, a musthave for summer to carry around your items for a relaxing sunny day!

During my stay in Mexico, i often visited the well known Zingara stores in the shopping centres. Zingara is a Mexican swimwear brand, that sells swimwear, accessories, shoes and handbags. I was absolutely crazy about this exclusive brand that has beautiful designs and uses fabrics of high quality.. 

Unfortunately this brand is not available in Europe, which i understand because of the difference in climate, but still.. I would love to have a store here in Holland where i can shop my summer wardrobe and all the nice sandals and accessories.. Well, who knows.. Until now we are only able to buy it in Mexico what still makes it exclusive! 

Some items from swimwear collection 2011:

Photo: Zingara.mx

Webshop challenge..

I've always liked leather goods like bags, jackets, belts, etc.. I like the con-structure and quality of this fabric and it has an exclusive look. The funny thing with leather is that when you buy it, it doesn't  fit you, it feels quite stiff or the look isn't the way you want it yet.. Thats why you have to use and use it until one day it will look the best and the quality lasts for years! If you have read my blog about bag-madness (it's in Dutch though..) you know i like to buy bags with a special story behind the purchase.. That's why i prefer to buy leather bags and wallets for good quality and exclusive radiation.

In my opinion, a bag tells me something about the girl who owns it.. Is it well taken care of and purchased with a good sense of fashion? Or did she just buy the bag for handy carrie- on and facility.. 

For some time i am thinking on producing my own line of leather goods like bags, wallets, clutches and organizers made from good quality leather and an luxury, trendy and exclusive look. Some products are nice to buy as a present. For example, an organizer with a unique say that contribute to the person you want to buy the organizer for.

To realize that, i first want to explore the needs and wants of Dutch woman concerning leather goods. I found a challenge with a Dutch fashion website where you can be in the running for owning your own webshop.

I decided to take the challenge and made my plan clear on the website plus designed my own logo for the company and eventually the brands' name: Mink.. The webshop will sell different leather goods like bags, wallets and organizers made from the best leather, quality and by trendy brands.

Also, there will be offered some accessories like romantic and feminine jewelry where the collection will be changed quickly because of the high speed in trends.. That way you can combine a nice piece of jewelry with a just purchased leather bag or clutch..

The thing with webshops is that its easy to manage and start because of the low cost maintenance.. However, when i purchase a bag or anything fashionable, i like to feel the quality, size and, not important, color.. That always seems to be wrong when a delivery eventually arrives at my home. Thats why i want to organize some exclusive personal events where ladies can feel the quality of the goods and are able to take their purchase home right away, after a nice evening of fun, bites and shopping.. How to realize this event, I will keep it for myself for some time because of the exclusivity..;)

Of course this is all a plan that has been on my mind for a long time on paper, but it's a start right? Every good idea start with some random thoughts which you have to write down on paper!

Please support me, by voting  HERE 

Once you voted, you are in the running for €500 shopping money! 

Always worth a try, right?

Review visit 'PINC' sample sale

Sample sales.. One of those things you get a ton of invitations for, but are they worth travelling and do they sell up to date pieces, or collections already a few seasons old.. Only a few are worth visiting for in my opinion. You have to search the web or get invitations, but that’s the exclusive thing about sample sales!

For example.. the invitations most people get trough email or groups like 'welovesamplesales' on social networks are from not very familiar brands, or even if they are, the collections seems to be quite old.. If its the style you coincidently like, you are lucky! But I am more a kind of person that wants to see fashion according to the latest trends and my kind of style..

I recently discovered a not very familiar sample sale that seems to be rising because of the popular brands and the huge number of pieces they have.. I saw some pictures on their site where people were wearing different Supertrash pieces that are full priced for sale in stores at the moment.. I talked about it with some friends who noticed the sample sale as well. They were all a little bit curious how it could be that those items are mostly all half priced during this sample sale.

I felt a big curiosity rising in myself as well and decided that I had to pay a visit to Amsterdam for some sample sale shopping and writing about it in my blog..

Nice collection of handbags, notebook bags and wallets by Fab., Ibana rouge and Goosecraft

The space they use for this sample sale is absolutely huge and you really get some ‘iwanttohaveeverything’ feeling when entering the room.. The leather bags, wallets and belts are organised by sort and presents brands like Fab.and Goosecraft, as well are the leather jackets from Goosecraft and DNA or the huge number of clothes from Supertrash.. I payed a visit at the last day of the sample sale, but couldn’t notice empty spots.

It is because of the refilling they do every day during this sale, why it doesn’t matter what day you come, the collection is updated every single day! Which is very different at sample sales I have been before..

All sorted by color and article

I spoke to Barbara, an ambitious girl who loves fashion and started PINC sale by just letting people into her own living room.

Pinc sale stands for ‘prijzig is niet cool’ what literally means ‘high priced is not cool’

During her job at different fashion brands, friends were asking her to bring them good priced sample items.

She noticed people were very enthusiastic about these sample items when, after this, she started to buy clothes and popular items in bigger amount of pieces were she also needed a bigger space for. The result is marvellous. Because of the rising in popularity she is expanding to Rotterdam and Eindhoven to make those Southern fashionistas happy;)

So, now my treasure item i found at pinc sale.. I have a thing for leather goods, especially handbags and jackets. Especially jackets from Goosecraft are very comfortable to wear and the quality lasts for years.. Unfortunately the prices are quite high, but I think, worth it. Lucky me, i found a taupe colored leather jacket from Goosecraft which fits me nicely and is very comfortable to wear.. For spring/summer it will look very good with white or light washed jeans and some sandals.. 
I decided to wear the jacket immediately and was suddenly in a spring mood.. Bought a smoothie at Albert Heijn and chilled myself away in the sun at the Amsterdam park;)

Barbara told me she will update the collection soon, with some new exclusive and popular brands. I won’t tell, you have to pay pinc sale a visit next time you are around and shop till you drop!

Register yourself at the website www.pincsale.nl and get invitations every time the sale will start. This way you will be the first to get those fashionable clothes for a ‘pincy’ price!;)

Being creative with.. Goat cheese!

One of the many delicious things in life is cheese.. Camembert, Gouda cheese, Feta, Brie and goat cheese are just a few that pop into my head and are my favourite kind of cheeses.

One in particular, goat cheese is something you can use in many dishes. Especially when you are a vegetarian or don’t like meat like me, it is a good way to finish your food.

When im at a restaurant having dinner or lunch and my eye sees the word goat cheese I’m always ordering that kind of specialty because of the delicious taste with almost every kind of vegetable.

For example in a salad combined with some honey, apple, croutons and nuts. Or what do you think of a vegetarian carpaccio made of goat cheese with beet, rucola, alfalfa sprout and walnuts?

Happy goat, delicious cheese!;) (Photo:mamaenzo.nl)

As a replacement for meat, you can also be creative with goat cheese in pasta’s or pizza’s.

I recently discovered this heavenly kind of sauce/grating recipe on smulweb.nl, which you can combine with lams meat or, like I did, being creative and make it as a well- filled pizza sauce..

Yes, the result did actually look like this! And it was good...(Photo:smulweb.nl)

What you need for the 250 gr of tomato sauce, which you can also use as a delicious base for homemade pizza:

• 3 sp. Olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 pieces of chopped garlic
• 2 thin slices of dried orange peel
• 2 sp. Balsamic oil
• 600 gr. Chopped tomatoes
• 1 tiny spoon of tomato pulp
• Sugar, salt and pepper by taste

Put the garlic, onions and orange peel in a pan after heating up the olive oil. When the onions are soft but not colored yet, add the balsamic oil. Once the oil is mixed with the onions and garlic add the chopped tomatoes as well as the tomato pulp. Stir all together and let it boil at a medium heat source for about 10 to 15 minutes. After this remove the orange slices and add sugar, salt and pepper by taste.

You can keep this sauce best in the fridge for 2 days, or deep frozen for 6 months.

What you need for the grating on top:

• 250 gr of the tomato sauce
• 2 tiny spoons of thyme
• 4 medium size tomatoes
• 200 gr goat cheese
• 16 pcs. Black olives

Start heating the oven at 170 degrees Celsius.

Put 2/3 of the tomato sauce in a pro heated platter. Distribute 2/3 of the thyme on top of it.

Cut the 4 tomatoes into slices, as well as the goat cheese and put them on top of the tomato sauce and finish it with the olives and the remaining tomato sauce with thyme.

Put the platter into the over for 10 minutes and after a few minutes underneath the grill to get a crispy looking top!

I bought a Turkish bread, called “pide” and sliced it horizontally in two pieces.

After sprinkling the bread with olive oil, chopped pieces of garlic and some dried rosemary leaves I putted it under the grill for a few minutes with a crispy light pizza base as result!

Grilling bread will take not long before its done, so please keep an eye on the bread before it gets burned;)

You can purchase this bread at big supermarkets or, best of all, Turkish bakeries! (Photo: frogfood.peace.net)

To have some delicious options to vary, put some pesto, cream cheese on the Turkish bread before applying the tomato grating.. For the extra cheese lovers: Some parmesan cheese flakes on top of all seems to be really good according my friends.. Enjoy this healthy and heavenly dinner! I will make it for sure many times more!

P.s Good to combine with a red cabernet sauvignon;)

The world of healthy food: Avocado's and guacamole!

Avocado’s, in my opinion the most delicious and healthiest fruits on earth.. because of its nutrient contents such as vitamin K, dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, and reasonable calories in it. Especially for people who don’t eat meat that much, it’s a perfect source of vitamins that normally only exists in pieces of meat..

Compared to other fruits or vegetables such as carrots and spinach, just a slice of avocado improves your body's ability to absorb carotenoids.

Mexico is a country with a huge amount of the best avocados and of course the country is known by its famous guacamole! During my stay in Mexico I was addicted to this nice mix of avocados, tomatoes, onions and some lemon juice.. I usually made it at home with a salad and some bread or ordered it as a pre appetizer to share with my friends combined with some nacho chips.. I still make it here in Holland for friends or family. Even though the avocados are in a high minority and much more expensive, they still taste great! But they have to be bought at the Dutch supermarket Albert Heijn and it has to be the original Hass avocados..

Homemade guacamole for dinner! My usually healthy shot..

Only then you can make a delicious guacamole that is great as a side dish with quesadillas, burritos or other Mexican dishes.. I like it with a mixed salad and some whole grain bread, or at a home party mixed with nacho chips..

Homemade guacamole in Holland, almost just as good;)

Other ways to eat this fantastic fruit is to slice a halve of it and place it on a slice of bread with some sliced tomatoes.. No weird preservatives but only the nutrition’s of the avocado and tomato.

Also a great lunch or small dinner idea, is to slice the avocado in 2 pieces, take the pit out and fill it with some chopped tuna, or salmon.

Avocados with vegetables combined with Mexican tortillas..

The best guacamole in Mexico on the beach at our favourite restaurant..

Because avocado is rich in calories, I tend to get breakouts if I eat them everyday, just like nuts and other seeds.. When I returned to Mexico a few months ago for just vacations, we had lunch with guacamole everyday because we Dutch girls just love them.. But we don’t like breakouts so next time I will slow down on the guacamole to keep an even skintone;) Even though, ¼ avocado a day, keeps the doctor far far away!

5 favourite pieces at the moment..

Did you already heard about the 5 piece French wardrobe?

What it means is, you buy every season 5 must haves that you like. For example, this season it's maxi dresses, jumpsuits, flower print dresses, harem pants and wedge heels ankle boots. You obviously don't have to buy them all if they doesn't suit you, or you simply don't like them! The must haves for coming season are so bog in variety, there must be 5 items you like!

What about the nude trend, (my favourite) or the famous color-blocking trend..

You definitely cant spend summer without a leather jacket, light blouses, or fashionable ruffled flip flops!

I collected 5 items i like at this moment.. It's not my French wardrobe because i haven't collect all the must haves i wanted yet.. I am still looking for a jump suit and nice dresses! If i found them, ofcourse, i will shared it!

But ok, back to my  5 favourite items.. This little wardrobe contains a silk top i bought recently in Mexico.. I like the shape and quality of it.. I also picked the silk blouse i bought at H&M a few weeks ago which is perfect for this weather with a blazer.

What cant be missed is the natural coloured boy friend blazer with ruffles and the leather jacket! These items are very wearable at this moment.. The last items had to be my new shoes from river island.. Not everybody's favourite, but it has to come with your style. I like them to wear with light washed jeans and a blouse on top.

They are also very comfortable i noticed after a long day of work, so thats a huge plus as well! Not the most important thing for fashionistas, but it only makes our feet feel better;)

I guess in one month my 5 favourite items must have changed again because of the season and, my huge interest in fashion ofcourse..;) You will be updated!