Month: June 2014

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World Cup Fever

Image | Posted on by carlybe

World Cup Fever

Im normally not a soccer fan. I find the games pretty boring. Between the players faking injuries, and the low scoring, its not really my cup of tea. Yet, the world cup has still managed to win me over. I think its kind of hard not to get swept up in it all when you’re in a European city watching the games. Walk into any bar, and you will find people decked head to toe in orange rooting for their country. Its actually a pretty special experience. It also doesn’t hurt that the Netherlands have won all of their matches so far 😉 (HupHollandHup) I might not be an every day soccer fan, but right now I’m riding the wave and actually enjoying it. Who knows, maybe the Dutch will win the cup!!

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Bring me to the picnic

Image | Posted on by carlybe

Bring me to the picnic

I really love midi skirts. I find them very 1950’s glam. I saw this on Nasty Gals website for 17 dollars, and I thought to myself, yes. totally worth buying. It fits like a glove, and it is just the right length. As a shorter person length problems have been the number one reason that I have trouble wearing midi skirts. If they end too close to the knee it looks like an over sized normal skirt, and if it hangs too low I look like I have no legs. Luckily, this one did the trick 🙂 Now I’m going to scope out some vintage stores for more skirts like this. Im a little obsessed right now. Plus, this style has been so popular throughout time that they always have a great selection of midi skirts at vintage stores. Hopefully, Ill be adding some new ones to my wardrobe soon!

Summer time style

Posted on by carlybe

Summer time is my fashion butterfly. I like to think that my feminine side is hiding in a cocoon from Fall until Spring. Once the heat starts rolling in, and the sun starts setting later, my fashion butterfly begins to emerge. Gone go the days of all black and grey, and in comes the whites and lace and pops of colour. Its always exciting when summer comes because its my least used clothing items, so they always feel like they are kind of new. You get to familiarize yourself with a bunch of pieces that have been waiting patiently at the bottom of your closet hoping to be worn. Of course, I still wear a ton of black during summer, it is my go to shade; but I definitely push my fashion limits more, and expand into new colour territory. I like simple, easy and comfortable fashion, and I am learning to find the balance between chic and shabby. I think it is a line that can easily be crossed with more comfortable clothing. Here are a few examples of outfits that I think look cute, and don’t leave you gasping for air after a big dinner 😉 ImageImage

My love affair with the Dam

Posted on by carlybe

I have had an amazing time living in Amsterdam so far. Of course every experience has its highs and lows, but I would like to think that the high points far outweigh the bad. Sometimes Ill be biking home from the city, and Ill just take a look around at all of the beauty, and smile to myself knowing that I was blessed to have had the chance to come here. Last week, my friend Eva stopped by my room and let me know that she saw a Facebook event for a rooftop party with vintage, a DJ and cocktails. Naturally, she didn’t even need to finish explaining the details before I said yes. We went Yesterday afternoon, and met the most amazing people! It was just held on the terrace of a personal residence. The girls made their own cocktails and had a few of their friends do the DJing. Eva scored a few great items, and I ended up with some nice jewellery as well. What really sold the experience though was the hosts. Genuinely friendly, and such lovely people. After our shopping extravaganza, we went to find a nice patio to sit on. The sun was on full blast, and we ended up in the Jordaan on a boat bar. The boat sits in the canal, so you have a great view! I was so jealous of all of the people passing by on their personal boats, I wanted to jump in. After that, we walked around, got some ice cream and truffles, and just spent the day browsing little boutiques. It was the perfect way to spend a sunny day in Amsterdam. I was happy as a clam. 

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Illustrations in bloom

Posted on by carlybe

Fashion illustrator Grace Ciao breaths life into fashion with her unique approach to sketching. Sometimes, you will see a little swatch of fabric, or a piece of material that has lent itself to an illustrators artistic vision. However, the illustrations made by Grace Ciao offer something a little more unique, her inspiration comes from flowers. Not only does she use flowers to inspire her work, but she will incorporate them into the illustration itself. Here are a few of the pieces that she has done that I thought were particularly beautiful. I think she does an amazing job fusing the beauty of nature into her work. It makes you look at flowers in a whole new way. Peonies or a ruffled hem? Roses or a scalloped neck line? Maybe flowers hold the secret for the next big trend 😉 

 

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Food and Drink

Comfort food

Image | Posted on by carlybe

Comfort food

Food can be really therapeutic. Ive been having one of those really off days. When you feel like you can’t do anything right, and everything in your life is a mess. Needless to say, I had to do something to shake the feeling, and I knew that some comfort food would really help move things along. Cooking puts me at ease. I can drift off into flavour and spice and forget all of the bad things that were occupying my brain before. I have made this dish once before, and I think its going to join the cast of regulars. It is so simple, and instantly leaves you feeling satisfied and happy.

-All you need to do is make up a quick spaghetti sauce. Cut the veggies more rustic to add some extra texture. (I think next time ill throw in some corn and olives to the sauce as well)
-Then, cut your eggplant into slices or rounds
-Dip them in some egg and seasoned breadcrumbs and put them in your oven to bake for about 20-25 mins at 425 F. Flip them half way to let them evenly brown, and youre all set!

You can drizzle a little oil on top to help add an extra crisp factor to them. I just put some on a spoon and swoosh across. Make sure you coat the other side after you flip. I don’t eat dairy, but obviously some parmesan would make it even more incredible 😉 Once you start eating this meal, I promise you that all of your troubles will temporarily vanish (but I can’t promise they won’t return once the dish is empty!)

Wanna date?

Posted on by carlybe

After I made my raw brownies, I was left with a pretty big box of dates. Im not sure what the shelf life of dates is, but I wanted to make sure that I eat them up instead of tossing them out. Basically, I have been experimenting with putting different things inside of them to make them even tastier. Right now, my go to is stuffing them with peanut butter. The mixture of sweet and salty is so perfect. If I am in the mood for some extra sweet, I break off a little piece of chocolate and wedge that in the date too. If you are more of a salty fan, load a date up with some goat cheese. The tangy salty flavour of goat cheese is a perfect match for the sweetness of a date. Another great option is roasting some walnuts and nesting those inside of the date. I think if you want to go for something a little more fancy, perhaps for a party appetizer, cut open the date, put some goat cheese in, chopped up walnuts and drizzle a little honey on top. It will look beautiful, and taste just as good. I really recommend experimenting with dates. They are pretty damn delicious.