flowers and fleamarkets.

something holland isn't short of. last weekend was a fleamarket frenzy of sorts. we hit two big markets, one on saturday (at my boyfriend's football team's stadium) and the other slightly hungover (at a favourite snuffel markt) on sunday. both were fruitful trips and my pocket was lighter by only a tidy 11 euros. we appear to have become magnets for west german pottery and with the prices just right, we've collected three over the past week. i remember admiring their colourful textures back in australia but the price, Larry, was definately not right. now i border the country where the beautiful vases are made, so they flourish happily at my local markets and thrift stores. my local flower markets have also provided me with a myriad of pastel beauties as of late and as spring is fast approaching, the incredible ranunculus, tulips and hyacinths are becoming a necessary weekly purchase. 

our third west german find of the week with a side serving of marimekko.

these guys are incredible.

powder pink carnations. filler flowers, yeah right.

i could dive right in.

a flemarket at the football stadium. the boy and i were both in heaven.

for 80c, these two were coming home with me.

as soon as the seller found out i was from queensland, he was bagging these babies up for a euro. bargain.

bright beauties.

a cute collection for 2 euros from the local thrift shop.

staffordshire potteries and pastel plates, come to me. 

perfect sunday behaviour.

my 9 euro treats. 

design perfection for a euro.

i think i took a photo every half an hour of these blooming beauties.

tulip perfection.

so affordable and so beautiful.

winter.

first day of winter. feeling as unaustralian as they come. LOVING the chilly air, the gezellig cafes, my new winter coat and boots, a cinnamon scented kitchen, thermal sheets, cups upon cups of tea, early morning frost and the promise of some new year snow. i've been embracing the dutch life with arms wide open. my job is going swimmingly, i'm feeling settled, loved and i'm busy building my own rotterdam network. the scariest decision of my life is proving to be the best i have ever made. hello winter, come on in. x

winter blue.

frost!

sleeping in.

strolling the city.

christmas tree gathering. the dutch way.

bauble love.

our tree. she's chubby and beautiful.

our new hang out. gezellig, vintage and delicous.

my partner in crime.

my other boy. chubby and gorgeous.

grey skies don't dampen this girl's day.

baking some spicy goodness.

i'm ready. come on christmas!

snuggly scarf weather. favourite. 

saturday.

the weekend started off super sweet with a pink ombre cake order for a talented lady. the boy and i decided to roll with or rather ride to a gorgeous little bakery for our long awaited cronut fix. if you're not already familiar with the cronut craze then please, get on this delicious bandwagon and hunt one down immediately (if not sooner) as the photos speak for themselves. as the afternoon rolled around we made our way to the north to sample the many offerings of the northern flavour festival, which included the ever popular instawalk. we joined the talented bunch for a wander around the street art adorned/vintage shop filled/cute boutique laden, design loving streets of the noord. we got backstage passes into an amazing old heineken brewery with roof top views all whilst i networked my IG adoring butt off. although an area i've visited many times over the past few months, the company, creative offerings and contacts made yesterday another experience that makes me realize why i live here.

naked cake.

dressed cake.

i could barely contain my excitement.

2 seconds after this photo was taken it was in my belly.

instawalking the north.

kopje thee anyone?

can i interest you in a cake?

one of my favourite places to ferret.

this guy always makes it more fun.

this girl loves her new city.

cutie pie cupcake stand.

love this guy.

roffa from the roof tops.

paste love at & designshop. 

get your skates on.

for 6 wednesday evenings in summer, the wednesday night skate takes over a 13km route of rotterdam. when i first heard about WNS last year, my inner speedskater was beyond excited about participating in such an event. so with this year's skate fast approaching, it was time to find some skates and get back on the rink/road. i picked up a pair of 30euro beauties at a vintage store and pimped them with purple laces a day later. the boy dusted off his in-lines and we took the skates for a test run around our local lake. it was awesome to say the least but oh boy did i underestimate the endurance needed to skate for longer than 5 minutes at a time. obviously my long break from skating (ummm, like 10 years) had taken it's toll but i was still eager to participate. so last wednesday we rode into the city, greeted by thousands of rotterdammers on skates awaiting the 7.30pm departure time from the market square. i was nervous but with the music pumping and energy at an all time high, we soon got rolling and it was just as fun as i had imagined. i was a sweaty but happy mess after the hour and a quarter skate through and around the city. it was an incredible sight, and one you should check out here. once completed we headed to a favourite hang-out for a much deserved beer or three. rotterdam, you sure know how to show a girl a good time. see you next wednesday!