oak and the willow

While I am taking a break from direct quotes posts, I can’t quite quit them altogether. The love I have for quotes started way back in the day with a love for myths, fairy tales, folklore and more importantly fables. I can still visual my beloved children’s fable book with its red hardcover, gilded lettering and the first story being the tortoise and the hare. Not that I identify with the tortoise (with a need for speed). But that particular fable is from Aesop, as is ‘the oak and the reed’. There are countless variations to the tree theme, but for me it’s the oak and the willow as I fancy myself a willow and not a reed. What can I say, a willow is way prettier than a reed.

I have strength, the brute strength the oak typifies. I can stand upright, by myself, on my own feet, on my terms, as strong and tall as an oak.Yet even with the recent discovery of that strength, I most recently realised that I have so little bend.. confidence in  myself and in others. I don’t trust in my abilities, my beauty (inside and out), my strength and absolutely not in others. Result being; one strong breeze, one gust and I tremble, shudder and fall like an oak in a open field.

I am only now realising that being an oak is great but sometimes it’s even better to be a willow. Funny that what seems like such frivolous exercises; bending forward in my running stance, trusting others to catch me and to simply move my arm for me, to keep my balance with physical or mental strength, reminded me that therein also lies a strength.To me the bending of the willow is confidence and trust..humility and humanity. Trust that my back doesn’t always have to be straight and that people will not let necessarily let me fall. 

Give a little, bend a little, trust a little. Lightness and elasticity add to strength, not subtract from it. Today, in this run, I am going for roots and air. Back straight, stance forward, facing into the wind..

What's missing?

Quotes, Friday quotes are M.I.A.

While racking my brain the other day for one I wanted to post, I remembered this my blog and it is supposed to be fun, supposed to happen when I have something that excites me that I want to share. Not a formula that must be followed and so no quote because I'm all quoted out at the moment. And no post when I'm all posted out, though at the moment that is not quite the case with a backlog of subjects that excite me.

You know the saying: change is inevitable.. because it's a blog for crying out loud.

Have a great weekend!


P.S. Tomorrow's post might contain a quote or two, for combating withdrawal purposes :-)

Strut your stuff

The saying is “trends come and go, classics remain”. Just such a classic is the string shelf from Nils Strinning. Scandinavian minimalism at its finest and therefore it never dates. The thing is…that is just not my thing, not completely. I love mid-century modern and adore Scandinavian interiors but I can’t live in them. I love colour, I love adaptions, I love new takes and spins on classics. I love new design even more than established design.

On the flip side older homes usually have built-in storage while new built home seems to forget that modern living doesn’t make you less messy. It simply means you are better at hiding the mess in sleek looking storage. I live in a home that was built last year and so I need more storage, especially in my living room. And so since moving in I have been contemplating how best to utilise the blank wall space off the TV cabinet. Lots of ideas and lots of products passed the review but the one that really stuck, that really got me excited was..

The Strut Shelving System from Souda. The company’s name roughly translated from Japanese means "Oh, yeah!". That’s what I am talking about. Fresh, young, innovative and fun. I love this shelf. It’s like a cool new take on the string shelving and brings that classic bang up to date. Modern minimalism. Adaptable; add as many as you need and want. Architectural; inspired by the Manhattan Bridge. For me the rose gold version is the way to go but they have different colours and finishes (boards and hardware), including cool white. This is the shelf for me.

Funk soul teddybear

What’s life without fun? So what’s an interior without fun accents? I spotted this funky cool bear when researching options for my remaining art credits after purchasing my beloved pretty face. I think it would be so much fun to add this to the floating sideboard in my living room.

This with a lightbox in my window..I already can’t some smiling. This is the only teddy bear a girl, ahem woman of my age, need have. No plushies allowed and sorry but forget pooh, this is the funkiest bear around town. From O.A. and available here.

Sporty chic Wang

If I like something, I like it a lot, I like it almost into obsessive compulsive disorder. My 2014 squinty eyed, fingers itching, swallow breathing love..is everything Alexander Wang. I love, adore, covet his designs. It doesn’t matter that that one pair of shoes had me wearing flats for the rest of the week. I still love them, soak my feet for a week straight, give them pride of place in my collection and wear them again, albeit several months later. And even more than the shoes I love his bags and so I went from none to three in the same amount of weeks. I promise all were super sale finds and double-pinkie swear no more..for now (while secretly still on the lookout for a Rockie or Rocco).

The first I shared here, the second is well documented on my Instagram and here is the third. I call this one sporty chic because of the cleanness of the white, the geometric shape and the way the perforated leather looks like mesh. Sporty and simple expect way more posh. Perfect size for the office as I carry quite a bit of tech gear with me. And more importantly life outside the office, because this beauty is too good to just use for work and also way too much fun.

Lightbox love

Mika has neon lighting from Seletti in his room and the three of us (kiddos plus mom) flipping adore it. And every time I see those cool giant letters with bulbs I think amazing. Then I wonder where the heck would I place such a sign and how long before I get bored and want to change it up? So how much do I adore the idea of a cinematic lightbox? Loads and loads. 

Because it’s the perfect size to place on a desk, windowsill or sideboard without swallowing the rest of the space whole and it provides more possibility for changing up the text. Today’s statement isn’t necessarily tomorrow’s. I’m a girl, I change my mind like I change my bag..and if you have been paying attention, I change those alot. My motto is Bitchin  but there are so many thoughts, emotions, moods, I’d like to express. I’m a mix and this allows me to mix it up. Vying for top spot is Own. Own; my own style, my life and owning it. This is what my box would say right now.  Now I’m off to go get me a lightbox.. from Aussie company Page Thirty Three. They come in two sizes and four colours.

Inspiring quotes; fun & cheek

I couldn’t help myself and had to do a quickie weekend quote post. This is my quote and I use it for a multitude of sins, I mean things. From how sloppy I look when in full-on lounge mood at home. Really I was asked to ‘please clean it up’, esp. in front of the windows. Apparently XXXL freebie t-shirts with popcorn in the creases and uncombed hair frighten even the passers-by. 

And some others, but I definitely use it for working out. Don’t get me wrong, I love good-looking gear. But outside of the gear, I don’t really care how sweaty and dishevelled I end up looking. In fact, I revel in it. I’m proud I sweat, sometimes like a bloke from the North unexpectedly dropped in the Sahara. I rocked that work-out. To the best of my abilities. So I might as well look it. I can look pretty, darn pretty..later!



P.S. Super happy and excited that I not only made my 30 min. run but felt comfortable doing so. You never know I might get closer to looking pretty after all..

Inspiring quotes; love

I said I’d follow up with the why. I think this one coins it perfectly! It’s about happiness and is it not happiness you feel when you have love.

Is it not warmth you feel when you hug someone you love, say a cute two year old with a head full of auburn brown ringlets and sticky ice-cream fingers or an exuberant four year old giving you a nosey before heading off to class...

Frietje, alsjeblieft!

How can you not smile when you see this french fry shed, especially if manned by a couple of cute kids. Say kids with super cool names like Zoe Isobel and Mika.

I love kids playhouses, kids tree houses, kids tents, kids wigwams and kids lean-to’s. Anything child-sized really and I would have loved to have had a lemonade stand as a kid, if I had been alot less shy back then. I love modern takes on fun favourites. I love the quirks of living in the Netherlands, quirks like french fry shops on like what seems like every street corner. So you know I am loving this Frietkot from Humade. I see my kids (and probably me) manning this bad boy on Kings day selling what.. else french fries. For me extra thick, extra crisply with loads of satésaus. Yummy!

 The fact that it’s made of recycled materials leftover from the advertising industry just makes it that much more cool. I think it’s time to get the fryer out.

Rosy glow

I wrote about my fashion goals, ahem wish list, here. The one that I have been most looking forward to is the designer bag. I even expressed my (now undying) admiration for Alexander Wang. In all honestly, even though it’s stated as a maybe it was always gonna be an AW bag. I just love his sensibility; innovative, edgy but understated enough to not end up as dated as the eighties. 

And so while I’m thrilled with my Pucci Marquise, which is my first big bag purchase in years and which is perfect for a night out, for everyday I need something bigger. My wallet is more purse than coin holder. Add to that my phone that never leaves me and a headset you can’t miss in size or colour and you can see why it got’s to be bigger. Sorry guys, but in some things, sometimes, sizes matters…alot. And to me bags is one of those categories. You’ve got to fit the essentials if you want more than one appearance. And while black will always remain the staple, I love a bit of pop. Bada boom, baby… the Brenda chain shoulder bag in rose gold.

This bag is me, no ifs ands or buts about it. I’m quiet, sometimes extremely so, making it even more important to me, that you see my personality, at least till you get to know it. This bag says ‘edgy if not downright 'attitude’ what with the snake-chain straps and metallic colour. Yet the model is simple enough to not make it over the top or a one venue item. All together, downtown street chic. Or bitchin, as I like to say!
And while I have yet to wear this baby, I know exactly what I want to wear it with; my fav black jeans, just a blazer and killer heels. The perfect dark backdrop for this stunner, you never know that just might appear on my instagram someday soon..

Keynotes

New hall, new lay-out and I love it. Wouldn’t change a thing. Would add one thing though...
A place for my keys. At the moment these get throw on whatever free space is still available on the kitchen counters at the end of the workday. And with 8 keys for my house alone and three more for garages and gates, it’s a mini avalanche of keys. Clutter drives me bonkers, so that has got to end as I’m bonkers all by myself.

There are several shelves and things I like. Just take a look at my favourites posts if you need proof. In the end though they are not quite right because the wall is dominated by multiple wackily placed dots, leaving little space for a shelf, even a little one. And if I’m honest a mirror in a hall kinds of freaks me out on the midnight juice run. Plus I can just pop my head in the loo if I really need a last minute check.

I just want a hook to fit in with the rest of the talking heads and gym hooks. Something small, wooden and wonderfully shaped. A quest of epic proportions until now. In comes the Spindle hooks from Dino Sanchez. Small, check. Wooden, check. Wonderfully shaped, check.

And while we’re talking keys, my beloved and super handy Fossil keychain broke. So since we’re talking keys, this keychain from Renske Versluijs please too..perfect for the keys to my soon-to-be new ride. Minty and python and one. Bingo, we found a match!

Inspiring quotes

I have quite a few quotes about love. Hey, i’m a girl, deal with it. This one makes me chuckle because for me it’s all or nothing, which can be a curse, a blessing or both. 

Apparently as having a nice, warm snug home is great. That I can attest for after living in a unheated apartment through my first four Holland winters, with snow!

But one so enflamed that it  burns down, not so much. But that’s the risk and one worth taking. Why..that I’ll share next time.

Kitchen duty

One of the few spots that required absolutely no work upon moving is, was the kitchen. No work is a positive, no input less so and being a whole lot smaller than I’m used is a downright pain. That being said it is still a very functional kitchen and by far the nicest rental kitchen I’ve worked in. So nice, that three months later I still think it deserves ironed tea towels..

 And while I’m still learning to cope with less space, I love the look and feel of my kitchen. You can never go wrong with black and white. Throw in some fun details and we’re there.

Print Love

I mentioned the fabulous prints form Therese Sennerholt in the post about the suite (nickname for my space). There stands a great bit of blank space under the window where I keep my trainers. A few ideas have crossed my mind about how to best utilise this space; leave as it with just my beloved trainers, add a George Nelson platform bench for donning and removing said trainers or install an installation of felt pebbles that act as a visual divide between desk and bed. 

But the idea that keeps coming back is an art installation. Partly because it’s lower wall space, partly because I just like the look and largely because my kids are not allowed up here, making this a safe haven.. I want the art casually leaning against the wall. I want to layer the wall with art pieces in a muted palette in keeping with the rest of the space. I’m liking the idea  of a canvass painted in a lighter shade of the anthracite behind my bed as a backdrop to the pieces.

1. This X marks the spot print from One must Dash is made even better by the name; ‘Kiss me right here’. Please do plant one smack dab and center. 2. Colour downpipe from Farrow & Ball is pretty close to the colour I have in mind for the backdrop. 3. I said cheeky, so it has to be this print from Therese Sennerholt. 4. The almost iconic “don’t grow up” print form Mini & Maximus and quite difficult to find online.

 All in all the prints are fun, flirty and tongue-in-cheek. Art reflects live and what’s life without a little cheekiness, right?

Running shoes

So no surprises here, this is a post about running. Something I might stick to posting about every now and again because it’s my new love. Funny to say, funnier to realise, but the truth none the less. 

Running, with my string of bad luck (think car trouble, accidents and adult chickenpox) and all the changes in my life of which none easy, might seem to represent running away but it’s not fear-driven. It’s about running towards something, even if you don’t know what that is yet. Driven by dreams, even those not yet formed. And I won’t lie, it’s definitely not easy on my 31 year-old and seriously uncoordinated body. Really I have the coordination of a newborn giraffe. All legs and no clue what to do with them.

Someone told me it when I started that it’s never without effort, whether it be 1 or 5 kilometres. And it’s not. I worry when I’m getting ready that I might not make it through the training. Or the time I did a badly timed sprint, felt wonderful and then had my legs near buckle under me. But I get my butt out and keep moving. 

Run when it’s hard to run and boy it’s hard when it hot and humid out, despite the Caribbean genes and all. I guess I’m just a cool weather kind of girl at heart and so I set my alarm for 5.30am. Night owl becomes early bird..at least on training days. Why? I don't run to come home the same, I run to come home stronger. Stronger is not superhuman, superhero, or never failing, it’s about getting up, showing up and trying (again). 

On the good days, on the easy days but more importantly on the bad and hard ones and I’ve had some really bad ones. Victor Hugo said “People do not lack strength, they lack will”. I concur. I read somewhere “God has given me the ability. The rest is up to me. Believe. Believe. Believe.” No matter what you believe, after the ability it’s on you, it’s on me. Guess what? I passed the 1 and the 5K and that’s on me.

Get your shoes on and run,With your head and your heart,Whatever the race, whatever the distance,Just run..forwards and towards.

That’s what my running shoes say! And yours? 

P.S. I am growing a fondness for kicks..who knew that would happen? And while I won't be replacing my Pegasus 30 (also Nike) any time soon as they are by far the most comfortable shoe I have ever owned, I heart these pretty pink ones with their origami sole. They're the Nike Free 5.0 in Berry. 

Inspiring quotes

I love coffee. I love sugar. I love sugary coffee. So of course I love this Turkish proverb. One of the things I miss most about my old home was the built-in whole bean coffee machine (sad face). My morning cup of Joe was actually two cups of espresso with a nice heaped spoonful of sugar. 

While I now use, mostly for convenience, an old coffee pad machine I literally found abandoned in the garage, I'm hoping to pull out the cafetiere on weekends. And while I have that much tastier cuppa I’ll be dreaming of sipping some real Turkish coffee while on holiday in Turkey. Two flies in one go..Turkish coffee and a vacation, because a girl can dream.

Dutch Design @ Onderstroom

I love my little cold country for many different reasons. Dutch Design definitely being one of them. So much so, I would love to go back to school and study it. In the meantime, say in reality.. I breathe it, exhale it and collect it. 

And now I have found a new spot showcasing brand new, unique design in numbered series: Onderstroom. Gone is the risk of having the same as everyone on the block. For as much as I love big brands with big design budgets like Hay, Ikea and Ferm Living, I love small, special items even more. Items I find in cool shops like Puha (no, they don’t pay me) and Graphic Playground. Onderstroom seems like a great way to crowdfund  a new product into production and kickstart turning a talent into a livelihood for the next generation of Dutch Designers. All while getting your hands on some unique products before you’re outpriced.

Pictured are the three products currently on offer and I love them all! 1. Oma’s lampje (granny lamp) for the use of an industrial material against the traditional take on a lamp. 2. Lichtzit (light chair) is classic scandi style but with the crazy creativity of Doctor Seuss. 3. TubeChair is simple and sleek yet warm. Perfect for my type of outdoor space; urban. I would love this for my furniture-less outdoor space.

Geometric meets silver

The pendulum seems to be swinging more than usual to the side of fashion. No excuses here, but with this post I am hoping to bring the two together by tying the minimal interior look I love to the land of shiny accessories; jewellery. These pieces are not flashy or large but all the more stunning and statement for it. Minimal, sharp, crisp geometricity in silver.

I love all the pieces in the new sterling silver line from Cos, so much so that it's what inspired this post and where all the pieces can be found. I love the circles, bars and squares best, but the collection also has (tri)angles. Go check em all out. 

Homes for toys

I have a slight obsession with house-shaped kids things. There is the kids desk from NinetoNine, the house-shaped chalkboard and house-shaped tent in the playarea. The desired house-shaped custom bed was next on the list. 

To these I am now adding these stellar storage boxes from Compagnie. I can definitely see them in the kids play are. There they would look "totally wicked" to quote from the Incredibles (yes I have this DVD and yes since before I had kids). As it takes a village to raise a child, I’ll take a village of these to house all my kids toys!

Inspiring quotes

This quote makes me smile every time. So cheeky and fun for a writer born in 1802. I love his work as his quotes are the only ones in my favourites by the same author. But back to the case in point, this one hits it out of the ballpark.

Imagination is what creates, what gives fresh breath, new energy. Electrifies, stirs the..mind J.  Imagine it, then use reason to make it real.

Remember, your imagination is your own and it zings. I know mines does.