Monday, August 31, 2009

Delightful Delft in The Netherlands

Delft, Vermeer's home town


we were lucky enough to get a market day!



We had some bagels to eat in this cool Dutch Franchising Bagels & Beans

Bagel fusion with Vermeer's art :)

Say Cheeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


You always find out the coolest personalized bikes! in my favorite color!

Simply delightful,


Thursday, August 27, 2009

Simple and delightful household appliances

Dille & Kamille is a delightful shop to visit is you are looking for simple and functional household items. In this shop you find really traditional kitchen accessories in wood as all the appliances you might need in a kitchen! At a really reasonable price which is even more appealing!

By their own definition, The concept of this store is this eclectic mix of products that go well together and yet the natural simplicity remain anchored. An emphasis on a common product that makes life enjoyable

I simply love their pic styling for the picnic items



Picnic time!!!!!

That number 14!! Organic Syrups


(all pics from Dille&Kamille)

They have the nicest baking gear, i just look at this pic and feel like starting baking. That red scale has been in my shopping list for so long!

What I really like about this shop is their social responsibility and awareness trying to minimize as much as possible the impact in the environment, buy selling reclined glasses or using fair trade products.

If you come by Belgium of the Netherlands its worth a visit!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Remembering Beautiful Croatia...

Men! time does sure fly! Almost two years ago i went one week to Croatia, by car! yep it was a long drive for a shot stay. But definitely worth it! Its just beautiful.

We were in between going to the south of France or Croatia... and it did pay off Croatia. Definitely much cheaper and less crowded, at lest in the beginning for September.

When driving from Belgium to Croatia we stopped for the night in Salzburg Mozart's birth place and the scenario for The Sound of Music.


If found this pic really interesting, how cute are the Austrian traditional clothes? , removing the weapon the lady has :)

I knew H&M has a big marketing power.. but i never expected to see some of their publicity in a church!

We did another little stop in Austria for a swim in this beautiful lake Faaker See


In Croatia we first stayed in Opatija,


our view from the hotel room, simply priceless!

After we continued our stay in the beautiful island of Krk



I specially love this pic, the cat looks so relaxed taking a sun bath!

When returning back to Belgium we did a stop in Fussen the town right next to the gorgeous Neuschwanstein, the castle that inspired the Cinderella castle in Disney land!




Bavaria in Germany really has some of the most beautiful landscapes...

Monday, August 24, 2009

Etsy Love

Not so long ago i discover Etsy a wonderful platform that allows people from all over the world to sell their handmade crafts, prints, clothes, jewelery, bags you name it Esty has it!
Etsy has everything!!

If you are looking to give some one a unique present for a reasonable price! look no further Etsy is the solution :)

Recently i bought this really cool clutch from Etsy seller and blogger saidosdaconcha


For my humble art collecting i bought the following prints from a wonderful artist named Yellena

Some more of my favorites are:

(Beautiful clutch from redrubyrose)

(sweet print to add in the kitchen from evajuliet)

(happy necklaces from Joannarutter)

This is just the tip of the iceberg of really cool things you can find in etsy!

Mucha, Mucha and Mucha!

The past month i had the opportunity to do a short city break in Prague. I was told many times that Prague was beautiful but you only really realize it when you are crossing the Charles Bridge.

Was in this visit that i discover in more detail the wonderful artist that Alfons Mucha was.
Not only did he do some really beautiful posters for brands like Moët & Chandon.

But he was a great painter, as we can see in his paintings at Prague's Municipal House



or in the stained glass window at the St. Vitus Cathedral.

Of course i couldn't resist and bought two prints which are Seasons 1896

and Moet and Chandon Cremant Imperial. This print is with out any doubt my favorite, you can see how he captured the elegance and an imperial look.


For my next trip! i need to see Mucha's Slav Epic paintings.




Sunday, August 23, 2009

Lets jump!!

When taking pictures we are always trying to get the best angle the best pose etc etc.. but have you considered capturing pics while people are jumping?
if not you should definitely try it! Its a lot of fun plus you end up with some really awesome pictures!

Lets jump in the Netherlands in Kinderdijk!!

In Mont Saint-Michel!

Jump, like King Louis XIV probably did in Versailles


no better place to jump that Dominican Republic!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

A soap is just a soap right?

Well! not really :) These ones are simple a visual aid pleasure. With their beautiful art deco designs, the packaging is simple a delight.
And plus they are from my country Portugal :).
Searching more about them i ended up finding that the soaps from Claus Porto are one of Oprah's favorites. As we say in Portuguese "O que 'e nacional 'e bom" translation would be something like "the national product is the best"


The most well know brands of Portuguese soap are Claus Porto , Confianca

(image from Wallpaper*)

This image is simple a feast for the eye, i don't think i would dare to turn down the packaging :P

Here are the current soaps from Claus Porto:

(images from Claus Porto)
and their latest one, personal favorite:

(image from Claus Porto)

Another Portuguese soap brand that not only has soaps but also really nice candles is Castelbel

(from oportocool)

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Fun in the kitchen!

I was not much of a cook before. Back then cooking was a need to avoid jumping and eating cookies and other junk food. That was until the moment i bought for the first time a Jamie Olivers book. I'm an enthusiastic of his cooking books. They are simple straight to the point and it has easy to achieve recipes! Here is my first cake ever with the help of my petit ami.
From the Jamie Oliver books the best book for beginners is with out any doubt the Ministry of Food. Has a lot of easy recipes and really tasty! Followed by really nice pics. Here is a veggie lasagna i did inspired in the recipe from Jamie. In this case the meat was replaced by aubergines, courgettes and mushrooms.
Another cooking book author that i love is Rachel Allen! Her best book for me is Bake
These are some nice chocolate muffins i made from the book. Next to some really beautiful peonies if got that day in the Brussels Gare du Midi Market. Another really simple and tasty afternoon tea treat are the scones recipe you can find in Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food:

with some jam and cream cheese, they are yummy!

Before i had never used the oven ever ever :P even the pizza was made in the microwaves. I know is a true disgrace. Now since is started baking i cannot stop! i just to much fun to bring all the ingredients together following the recipe meticulously and seeing them grow in the oven :)