July 29, 2013

official business.


for the past week or so i've been wondering just which country i'm living in. falling asleep with a sweaty forehead and waking up feeling like i've had approximately 19 minutes sleep doesn't scream rotterdam summer to me. this however, is the kind of (mid 30's) weather holland has been braving. i should be leaps ahead and better off braving these temps than anyone i know in holland, but i remember one of the things i WASN'T going to miss about brisbane and that was the humidity. yes, i have a few more freckles and a semi good colour going on here, yes my legs are loving the fresh air being freed from months of tight wearing and yes of course i'm loving the sun hitting the horizon around 10.30pm. to make this weather slightly more bearable, we've been indulging in regular icecream fixes, evening walks around the lake, bbqing behaviour by the river, drinking iced coffee, visiting colourful markets that flourish in the sunshine and enjoying watching the storms roll in from the comfort of our bed. the bright blue skies are keeping me inspired with only a small sidenote of homesickness. i'm partaking in my first wednesday night skate event here in rotterdam this week and am beyond excited. my inner former speedskater is looking forward to sharing this event with you later in the week, hopefully minus any injuries (touch wood). i became an offical resident of rotterdam on friday and in the same morning struck gold at the tweedehands winkel. i'm still on the job hunt but the free time is allowing me to develop some new designs that will be hitting the online shop very soon. the weather looks to be sticking around for the remainder of the week, so i best be off to track down several buckets of ben & jerry's. 



the gorgeous summer colours of the swanmarket.


iced coffee served from a beetle. yes.


a perfect blue beer tankard purchased from the swanmarket.


 a happy little tablecloth for the collection.


we rode to the lovely delfshaven for an icecream and cute house fix.


this was beyond good.


some 50c pillowcases from the local market.


some of the fabric gold i struck last week.


found a couple of these beautifully painted coasters.


the house has been flowerless lately as it's just been too hot but the memory of these beauties lives on.


after dinner walks around the lake, the stuff of fairytales.


i swear i just buy icecream to photograph them.  


our little bbq rockin'it by the river.


the rotterdam cityscape turns to dreamscape with these skies.


very welcomed rainfall. 


snapped up these second-hand beauties for fun skate time.


and pimped them up good.


July 22, 2013

the pretty cities.


of course i'd have to be talking about the stately den haag and the historic food-filled streets of haarlem. last week i had the pleasure of visiting both, but on seperate occasions. after much chat and excitement about visiting the beautiful bloem, it was agreed upon to head back to den haag on a super sunny monday. bloem hit the carrot cake well and truly out of the park and can be read about here. with the weather being so well behaved we took advantage of it and spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering the city streets. the last time i was in den haag there was snow on the ground. the sunshine made her even more beautiful and i fell in love for sure this time around. den haag is known for it's palatial embassies and mansions with a strong air of elegance. it boasts it's own nearby beachfront they call scheveningen which well and truly put on a summer show for us when we were there a couple of weeks ago. this city is the dutch seat of government and home to the royal family. unknown to many non-dutchies, den haag was the capital of holland prior to 1806 and still carries a regal maturity about her today. the architecture alone is worth an afternoon visit and i was constantly charmed by the art noveau influenced doorways and shop fronts that led us out of the city. we stumbled across the australian embassy, admired the beauty of the vredespaleis and finally settled with a cold beer in hand on one of the many flower adorned terraces. this city definately takes the cake. 



so many picture perfect moments down every street. 


the streets are lined with colour and patterns that make me weak at the knees.


hello beautiful tiles.


a lovely city to bike. 


amazing type adorned most surfaces.


more tiles, need i explain?


yes, yes and ummmm, yes. this place rocked my cake loving world. 


one of my favourite dutch words.



we hit haarlem on an overcast tuesday on our return from the emerald city of zaandam. described as a classic dutch city with cobble-stone streets and grand churches, i was soon getting a strong gouda/leiden vibe from this decorative city. haarlem's origin dates back to the 10th century and it's clear that this city is crawling with history. after a spanish invasion and finally a stand from willem van oranje, haarlem soared into the prosperity of the golden age, attracting artists from throughout europe. the train station itself is a sight to be seen and has been featured in several blockbuster movies. as we made our way into the shopping district and out towards the windmill we were confronted by an eery silence, with many businesses shut for the summer. photo opportunites were still a-plenty and we stumbled across some beautifully designed houses and bridges. haarlem is a thriving city just soaked in history and as you turn each corner you are instantly reminded of this. haarlem is a living movie set crediting the great artists and architects of the 14th and 15th centuries. a true historic gem on holland's map of must-see cities. 



so pretty, even when skies are grey.


so arty.


where at?


from harlem, nyc to haarlem, noord holland. did you know the new york neighbourhood's name derived from our historic dutch city? 


the dutch know how to colour code. 



gathered.


on friday the 40th issue of mollie makes' online magazine 'gathered' was released and i was lucky enough to be featured in it. i have been a long time fan of mollie makes and have been known to label their delicious 'home' edition as my bible. featuring the creative spaces of the inspiring danielle, selina, allison, penelope and lotta...this magazine rarely leaves my sight. so of course i was incredibly humbled when i received an email asking me for an interview. below is a snippet of the images and info they used to describe the pastel adorned world of kit & nancy. a big thank you to the girls behind gathered and the beautiful comments left on my instagram feed. go take a peek! 

















July 19, 2013

emerald city.


if you're promised a handful of working windmills, rows of little green houses and a town that boasts the quirkiest international hotel...you'd be keen, right? thanks to NS and la place ticket deals we made our way 50 miles north to zaanse schans and then onto zaandam on tuesday for an absolute steal.  i won't forget the beautiful haarlem which we made our last stop that day, but it's a city that deserves her own post. the windmills situated in the little industrial town of zaanse schans were the very first factories in the zaan region. a handful of them still press oil, grind dyes, saw wood and make paper. it was a beautiful sight but tainted slightly but the number of tourists that had flocked to see them that day. the weather was warm but a little overcast so we made our way quickly to the paint mill, the most favoured mill for me. we climbed the dizzy heights of the narrow ladders that elevated us up to impressive views of the area. i saw for the first time the working components of a windmill and i was suitably impressed. these charming buildings aren't just there to adorn holland's landscape, so my love for them has now doubled in size. we saw the very first albert heijn (holland's primary supermarket) contained within the most quaint emerald green house that i would just die to live in. it reminded me of my days as an 8 year old wandering perth's pioneer world, still a treat for this fast approaching 30 year old. once i'd taken a mere 80 or so photos it was time to move onto the nearby town of zaandam, a word i just love pronouncing. i'd seen photos of the famous inntel hotel and was prepared for the squeals i would be ejecting as the train pulled into the station. as we exited the brightest station i had ever seen the quirky design of the inntel stood right before me. it was like being inside a theme park, and i'm only talking about the main street. giant red, white and blue tulips adorned fences, every tone of green was used to decorate building facades and were highlighted with a brilliant white scalloped trim that really made the colours pop. i was in heaven. i'll let the photos speak for themselves and will be back shortly with a post about the beautiful cities of den haag and haarlem. it's definately the dutch life for me.