Friday favs

This week’s favs are still based on my interests; food, design, fashion and kids. But with a twist and a wink to my little cool dude.

Food
Not food as such, but something from which to eat said food. Bye bye sippy cup. Bye bye plain plastic food containers. Hello, fun, funky and beautiful dishware!






Pictured: because kids play with their food and this face plate is just too much fun to resist. & for picnics, trips to the park, for daycare, find a reason to use this tractor lunchbox.

 Design
When planning his room, we debating,  without conclusion. on a focal point.  Everything from custom graffiti to 'stoer' wood paneling to giant aviator sunglasses mirror from Domestic to neon lighting. The neon lighting letters from Seletti still grab my attention and get me fantasizing again about that feature wall.

Pictured: Seletti Neon lighting letters as hung, for which a transformer is needed.

Fashion
OK, my guy now has his new kicks and some new cool shirts, but he’s had a bit of growth spurt so there is still more updating to do. You know pants that don’t look like capri’s and longsleeves that actually reach the wrist. My go-to for basics is baby Zara, followed by H&M, with the occasional splurge. A fave splurge spot is Smallable with its collection consisting of every kind of cool brand including Stella McCartney, Bobo Choses,  Kidscase and Talc.     
                                                                                                                                 
Pictured: Billy boom shaded jumper from Stella McCartney, super subtle shading. & arrow print 'leggings' from Zara, that emphasize is his skinny little legs.

Kids
Mika loves, loves cars, trucks, tractors and anything else on wheels. He now has a fully loaded car bay since his birthday on Monday, but since we can still dream bigger, how wicked cool would these toys be? 










Pictured: pedal car from Baghera, for zipping down sidewalks and scaring pedestrians. & still obsessing about this bike and trolley combo from Ruskasa.

Blocked

I love Mika’s room as it quite small meaning pretty  much everything is custom to make use of the available space. One thing that came later and never made it into the overall scheme are the baby books as Mika only started appreciating reading a short while ago. The books got plopped down in no particular fashion. To neaten this up and be able to easily find and select the desired book, I wanted a pair of book holds. But what would be appropriate for a little boys room? 

Something with a good dose of fun. I first envisaged transforming a couple of dinosaur toys I bought specifically for the job but the kids love playing with them too much. Then I thought toys cars but those are pricey. So I ended up rethinking the idea of what kids toys I could repurpose as a book hold. I decided to go for blocks. A discounted container from the local toy store, a bit of glue and we’re done.



And since we’re busy with blocks I changed out the decor on his windowsill. Just a little reminder of whose space it is. Hopefully he won’t start practicing his pitching with these..
 

Take the cake

I laid down the gauntlet here to take the time to make and not buy a birthday cake for Mika's second birthday. And because bowing out is not an option, here is the cake I made for Mika’s second birthday. Vanilla layer cake with  creamcheese & buttercream frosting, tons of sprinkles, more candles than his years and a homemade banner so it’s clear whose cake it is. OK, it's not professional, but still I'm quite happy and Mika ate four servings!

And since Mika is way cuter than the cake, here is a pic of him seen through the cake. Happy second birthday to my favorite (and only) son.



P.S. This week's post are all inspired by Mika Dylan Jagger Art.

Friday favs

31 Candles

There comes a point when you want to stop celebrating birthdays and just let the passing of yet another year go unannounced... I’m not there yet. I still adore birthdays, including my own. I promise to share the goodies, otherwise known as gifts, later but I wanted to at least share pics of the sweet treat and some thirties wisdom that keeps me from feeling too old (I hope).
 My fav cookie is the macaroon, especially plain vanilla and Pinkie Patisserie makes some lovely ones.  These went smack dab right on the top of a butter cream frosted cupcake as my daughter insists on weekly cupcake baking. And also on using the Hello Kitty stand..

























Can you spot the ones that got a glossing of the silver food spray I ordered from The Deli Garage? 

 As for the pearls of wisdom...

  • The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
  • Everything I know, I learned after I was thirty.
  • Your thirties are when you figure out who you are, what you want and how to get there ( I said that).

Eventful

So I decided to stop waiting and postponing and start doing. I have signed up  for several workshops regarding that which I am passionate about, basically anything to do with the beauty of living and sharing in that revelry. Starting with a masterclass video and personal branding from Meet the Blogger, then a dessert workshop and rounded out with a spring flower arrangement class.
 Add to that the moments to snuffle and shop and I decided I better start writing it down. And where better than this blog, because this is where I share. There is now a BB&B calendar to remind me to keep learning and growing... and not forget to go. 

Lazy weekends are made of these...

...Mini blueberry and caramel bread puddings

I missed two weeks of beloved sweet treat weekends and I wanted to play catch up this weekend but... bam I was still feeling under the weather from earlier in the week. Making me not so hot to trot or willing to do too much. But still I longed for something sweet, but quickly made and with a bit of nostalgia.

So I whipped up some individual portions of bread pudding made from a leftover loaf of rustic french bread, soaked in a vanilla custard and then topped with dried blueberries or drizzled in salted caramel sauce. All things I keep op hand, easy to make, fun to do with the kids and so yummy and heartwarming. Instantly starting feeling better.The blueberries got a dusting of powdered sugar and the caramels got of course an extra dousing.


Friday favs



This is what I’m loving this week..


Fashion
1. This peplum-sweater-floral combo from Markus Lupfer is so fly and alas for the hesitant sold-out. 2. Totally wicked is this Helmut Lang asymmetric skirt. 3. Love this open back and sheer hoodie with blouse like front.





Foodie
1. I already have a mortar and pestle but OMG this glass and oak version would rock the heck out of my kitchen counter. 2. The knife pot has space for knives plus all the utensils cluttering up my drawers. 3. These copper-lidded storage jars would make even the contents of a bag of plain old rice look good.

         



Kids
1. How fun would these balloon lamps look in a kids room? 2. Been looking for a cheaper big girls bed for my princess and fairy crazy daughter. Found it in this Parisian pink version. 3. A great replacement for the fading space invaders wall stickers in Mika’s room is this comic print to go with his comic tees.



                            

Design
1. I am so into brass and copper tones, that I´m digging this minimal wall valet. 2. A true duh moment, how simple and effective can a custom curtain rod be? 3. Same lines as the valet I love the color but also the scale and basic form of these nail shaped hooks.

Another story

Last year I posted about the launching of &Other Stories. Almost a year later and I got to thinking how do I feel about this brand?
It definitely has a different vibe to Hennes & Mauritz and to Cos, despite being under the same umbrella. It falls between the accessibility of the first and the minimal lines of the second. Kind of a tossup between the two, actually. The clothes are less somber than Cos and also less directly trendy than H&M. The accessories are more polished than H&M and also a larger collection than that of COS.

 What I like best? The… accessories, hands down. I like the clothes as well and just recently bought a few duds but the shoe, bag and especially accessory line are what always gain my interest and sway me to purchase. The shoes have a slight edge to them that I rarely see in high street shops.  I have two pairs that I love, all leather right down to the sole and beautifully made, albeit they run a bit small and I wear a half size! And the accessories, everything from the bags to the jewelry to even the hair elastics make me sing. The things I have bought fall almost entirely in this category. My latest purchases are all jewelry including the cool cuffed ring on Instagram and jewelry edit. 






















What do you think of this brand? For me &Other Stories is my go-to when it comes to accessories. They ship really quickly but I still can’t wait for them to open up shop in Antwerp and then Amsterdam, because sometimes a girl just needs to try stuff on.

Divining rod

A question that keeps popping up in my thoughts is What are the keys I live by? Not where I want to go, the goals I want to achieve, but the markers that define the way that path is travelled. The character behind the actions, the drivers behind the thoughts. 

 The major key for me is effort. Any and everything worth doing, is worth doing well. If you say you will, do so. Don’t half-ass it, drag your feet or worse yet never try. Leads to marker number two; show some passion, show your passion, in everything you do. So in tribute, here are some prints that say the same, albeit a bit more directly..



1. MM House design, 2. GFDA & 3. Paperchat.

Friday favs

All the lovelies that caught my attention in week 6.






  1. Because you, or me then, can’t have enough heels. A pair that feel like Saturday night fever meets Oxford.
  2. Since the demise of the play tent, I have been on the lookout for a new kids hide-out? I think I found the inspiration I was looking for. Cushions, a lamp, a thin shelf for books. It’s starting to come together.
  3. The mirror house is the  I've seen that truly disappears into the background, whatever that happens to be. 
  4. I love design, I love James Bond, so of course I love this piggy bank titled Miss Monnipenni. May cost a few pennies, but the cutest way to start saving after that.
  5. I do love my retro kitchen scale, would not trade for anything less than digital, or so I thought till I saw this even more old-school balancing version.
  6. Wood, minimal design, colorful fabric cord, sign me up for the Tipi lamp from Designstudio Vandaag.

The jewelry edit

I mentioned both in my goals and birthday edit posts tackling = downsizing and rehousing, my jewelry collection. So I figured why not share what else I want that freshly rejuvenated jewelry collection to contain. I mean let’s be honest, my three year old knows it and I know it... Jewelry is the crowning glory of dress-up. When you’re three, it’s an actual crown. For me though, jewelry plays mostly an understated and supporting role. I pretty much stick to pieces as a finishing touch. What that touch is, depends on the outfit. Here are a few pieces that would lend the right touch, from the delicate to the fun to the edgy.

Rings & things I adore this cuff with attached ring from &Other Stories (you can see it on my Instagram) and just in today this Fashionology bubble ring which I plan on wearing asap. Both are such great sale scores. Long on the wish list is a set of delicate midi rings in rose gold, which is my new favorite tone.


Studs & danglers I rarely wear statements earrings but I do like changing it up from studs every now and
again. And why now throw a statement or two into the mix? An Ear cuff to peek out from behind my streak of Kool-Aid brightness or just one long dangler from Loren Stewart for rock goddess appeal. These simple yet stunning exclamation point earrings and organic studs are for the more minimal and day-to-day needs.
Whips & chains There is always something dangling from neck. Whether long, short, thick or thin, necklaces are where it’s at for me. Hardly a day to day piece, but I love the idea of body chain over a plain t-shirt. And when there are as pretty as this one, I say go for it. I like a bit of cheek, so I am so digging this neck rudeness. And to balance the rude we need a bit of sweet and this little arrow necklace I bought at Label in Eindhoven reminds be of V-day (I also have the pistol bracelet in cause I don't catch him with Cupid's bow and arrow).
Powered by Blogger.