Neon Maria.

280: Walking in a winter wonderland.

2012-02-07T21:13:00.001+01:00

Instead of complaining about the cold and how it is such a pain to drive my bike to work (I just had to say it), I thought I'd look at it from another perspective and I went to explore some places in town, those which I knew would look stunning all covered in snow.

It was so peaceful, I sure have to take more nature walks. At the pond, there was only one spot of water (the rest had turned to ice) so all the birds gathered there, it sure was a funny image, cause the goose weren't too happy with the lack of water.

On a fashion level, I ordered a lovely bag on Etsy and I couldn't resist Miss Patina anymore, so another package will be arriving soon (I hope). Ah, I love online shopping.

Hope you can keep yourselves warm dears. And those who live in warmer sides of the world, enjoy that sunshine!

279: Sugarhill Boutique

2012-02-05T19:26:00.000+01:00

I was chatting on Facebook the other day and a friend of mine showed me this lovely shop. It's called Sugarhill Boutique and offers feminine and romantic clothing with a natural theme all round.

"With intricate embroidered detailing, vintage inspired shapes and hand rendered illustrative prints, Sugarhill Boutique offers limited run, lovingly designed garments at high street prices"

The shop is based in Brighton (United Kingdom), but has a selected number of stockists worldwide. Below you can see my favourites.

the Wonderland dress, the Lulu blouse, the Francine dress , the Rosebud shorts

I really fell in love with a lot of pieces, especially those Rosebud shorts, just look at that amazing floral print and the lace trim, you know I love my lace. As Belgium is covered in snow, I can't find the courage to place an order with spring items, it just seems so far away at the moment and I'm suffering with a lack of inspiration too. My outfits consist of huge jumpers and jeans, not really my cup of tea...

Note: Spring, where are you?!

278: sunlight

2012-02-02T17:03:00.002+01:00

sweater - Forever21; top with zipper detail - H&M; bow - flea market

I prefer to stay indoors these days, as it is absolutely freezing outside. The sun is still shining though and behind glass, it provides this beautiful light. I decided to just snap away with my dear Canon.

Oh, and good news, a camera (for the disposable project) is making it's way back to me as we speak/type. I'll have it developed as soon as possible and show you the results the moment I get them back. I also received the Black Keys t-shirt I ordered (it'll make an appearance on the blog) and apparently I am the runner up in a blog giveaway, I got to choose a lovely pocket mirror from Wallpaper Rose. Thanks so much Louise! You'll find some truly gorgeous jewellery, tees, ... on there. I think I'm going to place an order soon.

Note: my hair is slowly becoming an uncontrollable mess, must figure out what to do with it.

277: a wedding dress

2012-01-29T21:11:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I was invited to a wedding. A friend of mine, Marie, was taking the big step and I must say everything was just right, the couple itself, the location, the music, the people, the food, ... I had a brilliant time.

When we arrived, we had to walk along a path, lit with candles, situated next to a pond and a small castle. It had a British romantic feel to it, which I adore. It made me realise, I really do love weddings. I've never been sure if I would ever get married (still haven't found the right fella), but last night was a real eye-opener.

Today, I started thinking about marriage in general and before I knew it, I was looking for wedding dresses on Etsy and found this one. I'm not going to buy it, that would be a bit weird, but it is how I imagine my perfect dress to look like.

It's an absolutely stunning dress and you can see more of it in the Persephonevintage store on Etsy, plus she sells a lot more lovely pieces, make sure you pop on over and check it out yourself.

Hope you all had an amazing weekend too!

276: another floral skirt.

2012-01-26T18:06:00.001+01:00

Lately, I seem to be obsessed with floral skirts, I've been wearing these non stop. I just love how they can brighten up an entire outfit.

This skirt I got from Etsy from littledeervintage and it was really huge. I think I showed it on here before, but worn as a sleeveless dress. Well, now I shortened it a bit and it functions fully as a skirt now. It has so many different colours in it, ranging from dusty pink to a dark petrol colour, so you can wear it with loads of pieces.

floral skirt - Etsy; top - Urban Outfitters; cardigan - unknown; feather earring - homemade

I have been thinking about altering it a bit more, maybe short in the front, long in the back, but I'm not sure yet, so I'll just see where this goes. And yes, a feather earring, this sure is out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to give it a go.

Off to sewing class now, enjoy your evening dears!

Note: I went to The Black Keys concert on Monday and let me say that is was AWESOME! I had such a good time, they truly are on of my favourite bands out there at the moment. There's this one song, that blew my mind, it's called Little Black Submarines. Youtube it, you'll be amazed too.

275: hearts on hearts

2012-01-22T15:21:00.002+01:00

So here's what I bought from the new Vero Moda collection. I know I'm suppose to dress a bit more like an adult these days, being 25 and all, but collars and cute prints just get me everytime. On this one I went all the way, buying a dress and a cardigan covered in hearts.

The dress itself is multifunctional, you can wear in the summer, bare-legged, and with sandals and in winter layered up with tights, a cardigan or even a jumper.

The cardigan is a bit oversized and I believe it would look lovely with anything, jeans, dresses, shorts, I couldn't resist this one.

I'm still waiting for the Alexa lace short dress, but I'm guessing as it says January-February, some of the collection will be released now and the rest of it next month.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! I had to work, but yesterday evening I had a lovely dinner with my family and as usual ate way too much food. I'll spend my Sunday as relaxed as possible, catching up on some series.

274: burgundy, grey and florals

2012-01-18T21:09:00.000+01:00

I went to Antwerp on Monday to have dinner with a good friend and I couldn't resist a trip to Vero Moda. I went to see if they had anything in store from the collection I told you about in the previous post. I did manage to find some pieces, but more on that another time. I saw some lovely stuff in the sales section as well, this skirt is proof of that. It has this lovely floral print and great shape too.

On the second picture you can see the feather ring I bought at H&M, I absolutely love it. When I saw it, I wanted it immediately, but rings in shops normally don't fit me (baby fingers, yes yes yes), but this one did, so hurray!

cardigan, skirt - Vero Moda; scarf, ring - H&M; top - Topshop, flats - Urban Outfitters

While I was taking these photographs, I saw such a cute cat strolling around our garden, I just had to share this with you.

I'm going to hide some more under my huge blanket and watch Top Gear, how can a car show be so addictive?!

273: Alexa for Vero Moda

2012-01-13T15:52:00.000+01:00

So it's true, Alexa Chung collaborated with Vero Moda a second time and the collection will be available somewhere in January. I'm guessing near the end, I couldn't find a proper release date (if anyone else is more resourceful, please let me know).

I know I will be camping in front of a Vero Moda store for the white and black lace dress below. I'm in love already!

I love every single piece actually, from the cardigan with the little hearts, to the knitted sweater and the white dress with the black collar. There's an item for everyone. It's an absolutely beautiful collection, I hope the quality will be equally good. More pieces can be seen here.

Note: I read an announcement that Google Friend Connect might be discontinued for some people, so I added a small Bloglovin' widget, if you would like to continue following my blog, it's only one click away.

272: a perfect gift

2012-01-11T20:27:00.000+01:00

This weekend I found myself in a perfume shop. I wanted to try some scents I had read about in a magazine, and as I happen to walk by one, I thought why not. I am however a sucker for pretty bottles, for me the perfume has to be pleasing for the eye as well as for the nose.

I tried a couple, but none seemed right. I normally go for sweet and floral scents and my favourite brand has got to be Dior, the absolute number one being Miss Dior Chérie. I just can't get enough of it, but I do like the other Dior scents as well. I was so happy (and still am) when my parents bought me this present. It contains the five key perfumes from Dior in miniature bottles, so very adorable.

What perfume doesn't leave your room, or bathroom shelf, or purse?

271: let's go thrifting

2012-01-07T15:36:00.001+01:00

I hadn't made any special plans for today, and as I had a Saturday off work (they are quite precious), I thought I should spend it wisely, so I hopped on my bike and took a little trip to the local thrift store.

I bought two frameworks, with lovely botanical related pictures inside, two blouses (one lace and one pink), a velvet blue blouse, a black skirt, and a huge pillow. The pillow was so colossal, I couldn't ride my bike home. I just walked home, balancing it on my bike. Now you have to know the strong wind hasn't come down, so imagine a little girl, with a bike, and a huge pillow, fighting the wind, quite the funny sight I guess.

Another crazy thing is, it's January, and the thrift store was having sales as well. I got all this stuff for a measly seven euro's.

Now I'm going to go to my grandparents and eat a bunch of chinese food.

270: cute with an edge

2012-01-04T21:17:00.000+01:00

It's time for the first outfit post of the year! I really adore wearing band t-shirts with cute skirts or shorts, it gives it a bit of an edge. This skirt reminds me of the trip I took to Utrecht last year. I love it when clothes hold certain memories, makes them that more special.

These are also the boots I bought with that amazing discount. I just can't take them off my feet, they are so comfortable.

cardigan - New Look; shirt - Vero Moda; skirt - Monki, owl necklace - C&A; boots - Torfs

Tomorrow they are predicting another storm, so I'm not riding my bike to work, that's for sure. Hope the weather will be sunny again soon, cause I want to go outside more often!! Maybe a trip to the sales this weekend, who knows, so far I've only been to H&M, bought some cute pyjamas and underwear, otherwise I have't seen anything I liked. I think they are saving the best for last or I hope so.

269: NYE's adventures

2012-01-02T21:43:00.000+01:00

New Year's Eve was spent in the company of some of my closest friends. We had a lovely dinner, played crazy games on the Playstation (it seems I'm a pro at arching and disc golf). Around midnight we headed out to the centre of Mechelen and watched the fireworks.

Then something really weird/funny happened, we saw some people dancing on the second floor of a building and they noticed us too, and we started waving and just danced for two hours long with them, but they were still in the building, and we were outside. It was crazy, and they threw all sorts of decorations towards us, it was so much fun and pretty hilarious too, especially for people walking by.

We ended the night in a bar, drinking Pecheresse beer, which is the best. I hope 2012 will be as good as this night!

prepping the veggies

Milka, loving the veggies, not to eat but to play with

outfit; wearing a velvet dress, faux fur collar and lace tights

THE cake; or a part of it

just before midnight

some of the people in the building came outside after a while

cute light at the bar

Hope you all had a lovely time!!

Note: I also came across Aladdin, Jack Sparrow and Popeye that night, and nope I wasn't that drunk... ^^

268: the year 2011

2011-12-28T23:45:00.000+01:00

I've never done a recap post before, but I thought it would be fun to show you dears an overview of my year. It was a good one I might add, I found a job, hallelujah, which was such a relief. I had been looking for months, but couldn't find a single one in the field (tropical biomedical sciences) I graduated in, so I turned my whole life around by choosing a job in retail, but I'm actually glad I did it. That also meant I could concentrate more on sewing and making my own clothes, which will always be my true passion.

I. my sewing adventures

I made two dresses, floral shorts, a floral skirt, and had a lovely photoshoot. Currently I'm working on a blouse, and the next project will be another dress. I'm thinking about making an entire collection, that's something for the future.

II. life on the road

In February I went to London, I finally went to the Natural History Museum and ohmy was it amazing. I also went to Utrecht two times, first to visit a friend a mine who was on tour and the second visit to go see the lovely Bon Iver. I made local trips in Belgium too, to the sea and to the Ardennes.

III. Music and food

I made a list of my favourite albums and gigs for Indiestyle and you can view it here. My highlight of the year was discovering the amazing band Trophy Wife and off course the second album of Bon Iver, which is an absolute beauty. Rock Werchter was great too!

Foodwise I discovered The Eat House, a lovely English restaurant in Antwerp, as well as Patty Cake, who serves the best cupcakes!

IV. Treasury

I love roaming Etsy and Ebay, as well as flea markets. I love finding unique things and had quite the luck this year.

V. Outfits

Last but not least, I wanted to show you my favourite outfits of the year. My "style" is still evolving and I'm not quite sure if I can define it yet. I know I love fairytale dresses, pastel colours, high waisted shorts, lace details, tote bags and boots.

If all goes well, I'll get a promotion at work next year. I'll also hope that I get to travel some more and maybe, who knows, find a place on my own, but there are no plans yet. I'll keep sewing too and I'll see where that takes me, just go with flow I assume.

Hope all of you had an amazing 2011 and all the best for the new year!!

Love.

267: christmas day

2011-12-27T20:39:00.000+01:00

Christmas day, I just spent it at home with my parents, very cosy. We cooked together, gave eachother presents and ate loads, once again. I love eating, it's one thing I just can't get enough of, haha. Our entire living room was decorated with candles and christmas lights. Below you can see a glimpse of our tree.

I got trousers, a blouse and highwaisted shorts, all from New Look. You''ll see them making an appearance on the blog later.

Yesterday I had to work, we are getting ready for the sales. Just a couple more days and it's that time again. Hope I'll find some bargains. I actually already did, cause I went shopping with my parents today and managed to get a fourty-four euro discount on some lovely boots, hurray! Gotta love sales!

Enjoy these holidays dears!

266: a very merry christmas!

2011-12-25T18:03:00.002+01:00

I wish you all a very lovely christmas and off course all the best for the new year! May all your wishes come true, dearies.

Yesterday evening was one filled with family, food (my tummy is still full) and loads of warmth and laughter. Those are the times you have to cherish and never forget. We also listened to christmas songs and I just have to tell you about the amazing dessert I had. It resembled a black forest cake, but it wasn't a cake at all. The bottow layer were crumbled brownies, then you add icecream and cherries and a bit of liquor, you finish it with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, it was so tasty!

Hope you all enjoy these days, I'm off to eat some more!

265: the prettiest dress

2011-12-21T18:34:00.001+01:00

I found one of the prettiest dresses I've ever seen on Ebay last week. It was trough Rebekah's blog actually, she posted some items from her closet on it and this dress just happened to be one of them. I always get very nervous when it comes to Ebay auctions, I always seem to forget about them too, but this time I prepared! Twenty minutes before it closed I opened the screen and waited til the last thirty seconds to place a bid and luckily nobody else did, I was so happy when the words "You have won this auction" appeared on the screen, and I paid a measly fifteen euros for it (including postage).

I think I'm going to wear this beauty either on Christmas eve or on Christmas day itself. If I dare though, it's a white dress, the chances of me spilling red wine, or chocolate sauce on it, are very huge, haha, we'll see.

264: christmas lights

2011-12-19T17:31:00.002+01:00

I decorated my room with some christmas lights, and had a lot of fun with it. When it's really dark and I just put on the lights, you get a really lovely atmosphere. I think I'll just leave them up there; they are too pretty.

God, I love this season and oh yes, I bought new bedsheets too, they're covered with cute birdies and branches. I'll just let the images speak for themselves.

It seems I'm quite the sucker for pretty dresses lately, they seem to pop up everywhere and I just can't resist, nothing beats a cute frock. I'll show you some pictures later!

Other news, I got a tetanus shot today (every ten years you have to get one, to boost the antibodies, that's my medical knowledge talking...) and my arm hurts, so not a lot of typing today.

Lots of love!

263: creating layers.

2011-12-14T22:30:00.000+01:00

I just love this time of the year. As I am writing this, I'm sitting on the sofa with a blanket and a nice cup of tea, plus there's a very lovely christmas tree shining in the background. We went to get ours last weekend and I always have so much fun decorating it. We always go for the classic red/golden combination. I especially like the smell of a pine tree in our house, it's makes home feel even more like home.

Allthough it's such a nice season, it also brings cold weather along. I always ride my bike to work, which is a lot of fun in the summer, in the winter though it's quite the challenge, today I even mastered a wind storm. So, it's time to get those layering skills out of the closet again... Here are some pictures of an outfit I wore last week.

cardigan - Vero Moda; sheer long blouse, boots and bag - thrifted; scarf and hat - H&M

You can't see it properly, but below the long black blouse, I'm wearing a sleeveless black bodycon dress and a black longsleeve, perfect to wear underneath all kinds of garments. You also can't go wrong with thick cardigans, instant warmth guarenteed! When it gets superdupah cold, you can always wear two or three layers of tights and I always wear an extra pair of socks too.

My secret item is a faux fur hat I bought at a market last year, it's so warm you have to wait to wear it till it's absolutely freezing, otherwise you can't even bear it.

Do any of you have any special tips to keep warm?! I can always use more.

Note: a while back I told you I was photographed by a streetstyle photographer, well, click here to see the result!

262: with the Minolta

2011-12-11T00:51:00.001+01:00

First off, I would like to thank all of you for the lovely things you said on my previous post. It meant so much to me, you can't imagine what strength it has given me to keep pursuing my dream.

I got another roll of film developed. It contains pieces of my life from September up to now and I must say, I'm very happy with it. I'll just share my favourites.

I - the Ringo Starr vinyl (first edition) I bought at the Arlequin record store in Brussels; II - Maarten and Tessa in Utrecht when we went to see Bon Iver, it's a very beautiful city; III - The church that was actually a bar, Utrecht; IV- a train back to Belgium; V - the band To all my friends, playing a gig at JH de moeve in Lier.

I love seeing the result of a developed film roll, always brings back memories. I find it quite important to capture parts of my life, so many things happen and I can't quite remember them all. Like today, I was asked to write a top ten list of my favourite albums and concerts of 2011 and I couldn't even remeber the beginning of the year, it seems like such a long time ago already. I found it quite difficult, but thank god we have Last.fm.

261: a summer photoshoot

2011-12-06T23:17:00.001+01:00

Some of you might know that I'm learning how to sew. I've already showed you a few of my creations. It is however my dream to make my own collection and if I could choose what I could do my entire life and money wouldn't matter, I would buy a chalet in a forest, away from everything and make garments all day long.

Last summer I gathered with a friend and we had a small fashion shoot, to portray these pieces of clothing that I made. Here's the result. I've been wanting to share these photographs for a while now, but I was quite nervous on showing the result.

click on the images to enlarge them

These pieces were created just for fun, so they don't belong together. What you can extract from it is that I like prints and cute details, such as bows, lace, florals. The polka dot blouse was the first piece that I made, it was first a dress, but I liked it more as a blouse. The floral skirt is a piece I made for sewing class, as well as the shorts. The dress I made all on my own, I just drew the patterns and somehow it made sense.

I hope that one day I can create a collection, that tells a true story and feels absolutely right.

260: I love these.

2011-12-02T23:19:00.001+01:00

A couple of months ago I walked into Urban Outfitters and saw a pair of shorts that were just perfect. I couldn't take my eyes of them, but at that moment I was kind of penniless, so with pain in my heart I walked away and didn't look back.

Now, few weeks ago there was a sale and I was browsing the Urban Outfitters website and well, yes, what did I see, the gorgeous floral shorts, in all their glory. I immediately clicked on the buy button and a few days later they were delivered at my doorstep.

Yes, I love it when things like this happen.

Note: the last picture shows that the new polaroids aren't as good as the old ones.

259: Clothed Chameleon

2011-11-30T22:28:00.001+01:00

To end an evening, I mostly make my way to the Lookbook page. It gives me tons of inspiration and somehow leads me to all kinds of lovely blogs.

This time I came across a blog called Clothed Chameleon and I just couldn't stop reading. I love it when that happens. I gazed upon all those wonderful outfits and couldn't believe my eyes. She has a very unique style and mixes prints like I've never seen before. I can't quite name the style she has, it's a bit of everything. I can sense a touch of bohemian, a bit of grunge, ... but most important, she has that certain something. She can definitely wear anything she wants.

The outfit below is the one I adore the most. That jacket is such a beauty and I love the way she put everything together. I find it very challenging to mix certain prints, cause most of the time it just doesn't work, but occasionally you end with something brilliant. I guess it all depends on what colours you use to tone it down a bit and how you accesorize your outfit, like here the neutral grey colours and the burgundy belt to match the trousers.

I must admit, I've never liked those Jeffrey Campbell shoes, the Lita's. I don't know what is, can't quite put my finger on it, I just don't find them flattering... These however made me change my mind, I fell in love with that tapestry print.

I guess you either love or hate this style. I love finding quirky and eccentric looks, but it's not something everyone would like.

What's your favourite look you came across lately?

258: I found it.

2011-11-25T21:37:00.001+01:00

I told you lovely peeps I was looking for the perfect winter coat, a cape to be more precise. I knew in my head what it looked like, but it seemed impossible to find. I went through many online websites (Asos, Zara, Urban Outfitters, Pull&Bear, ...) but no coat matched the description in my head... I was about to give up, but then decided to take a little look in some stores near to where I work. A new shop had opened and I thought why not. And yes, this beauty was hanging there.

cape - L&L, bag - The unicorn (second hand) ; tights - Asos; boots - thrifted; owl necklace - C&A

I'm so glad I found it. It has a nice fit, lovely buttons, cute details and off course pockets! The faux fur collar is detachable too. Hurray!

Have a lovely weekend.

Note: capes make me think of Noel Fielding (click), no other creature on Earth looks as great a he does in a cape.

257: a birthday review

2011-11-21T14:04:00.001+01:00

Last Saturday it was my birthday. I turned twenty-five, but still feel (and look) like an eighteen year old. I thought turning twenty was a huge step forward, but turning twenty-five, ohmy... They always say it marks becoming an adult, but I'm not sure if I agree. These days you have to fullfill so many goals before a certain age, get married, buy a house, have an amazing career, children, I don't want to take part in those reasonings. It's not that important for me, I'll see where time takes me...

Now what did I do for my birthday. I gathered a bunch of my friends and we had a lovely dinner at the Eat House. It's an English restaurant, loacted in the centre of Antwerp. It makes you feel like you've crossed the Northern Sea and are having dinner in a small British town, which off course I adore. I ate fish&chips (decorated with a real newspaper, the way it has to be) and drank pear cider. For dessert I had an apple crumble with custard, so very nom.

I got so many lovely presents (you problably recognise the dinosaur totebag), I was overwhelmed, lovely bathing products with an eucalyptus scent, chocolates, homemade cupcakes, tea, a set to make mini cakes, a collection of hats, a Harry Potter towel and a Justin Bieber necklace, the last one being a joke off course. I'll explain, Annelies (my sewing buddy) and I always sing Justin Bieber songs in sewing class, just to piss everyone off and have a good laugh, so she bought me a necklace saying "I"m a belieber", couldn't stop laughing...

The photographs above represent the view from room, on this very foggy and cold day. I love fog though, it creates such beautiful pictures and has a very mystic feeling about it. Don't care about the cold... I'm still looking for the perfect winter coat, I would like to find a cape, with long sleeves, but it seems to be impossible, anyone got any tips?

Hope you all had a very nice weekend!

256: a peek into my closet

2011-11-15T19:51:00.001+01:00

I regularly spent an afternoon cleaning out my closet and tidying everything, I quite like it and always find things I forget about. The reason why I have to do it so often is that when I have to go to work, I always set my alarm clock to late and have to rush to find an outfit and I try on several things and then throw them back into the wardrobe (bad habit, I know)...

This time I decided to really go for it and take everything out and make three piles, one "to keep" pile, one "maybe" pile and one "to give away or sell at flea market" pile.

An empty closet (don't mind the camping gear).

Above you can see all my clothes (without coats and jackets), it sure makes one big pile. And below are some of my favourite dresses, the one on the left is from Camden market, the floral one from Zara, the first lace one from H&M and the second one I bought on Etsy.

And this is the finished result, all clean and lovely. Hurray! I don't like to sort by color, I pare dresses with dresses, cardigans with cardigans, shorts with shorts, shirts with shirts and that's it. It does seem that I'm a "print" freak, loads and loads of prints.

What is the trend in your wardrobe? Also a print lover?

Love.

255: Ohh Deer

2011-11-12T16:01:00.001+01:00

I was reading Sandra Dieckmann's blog (brilliant illustrator) and discovered Ohh Deer. It's an online store, filled with the lovely work of all sorts of amazing artists, including Sandra.

Ohh deer was founded by Jamie Mitchell and Mark Callaby. It just launched and wants to be a platform for creative people. I love that it gives illustrators a chance to spread their work, cause it's not easy these days to make a name for yourself. The offer is immense at the moment, so it's through these websites you can find some really cool stuff.

These are my favourites.

the "Deer ohh deer" shirt by Jamie Mills

the "White Bison" card by Sandra Dieckmann

the "Mo-saurus Rex" totebag by Jamie Mitchell

It's my birthday soon, so I'm going to put all of these on my wishlist. I've been wanting a dinosaur totebag for ages, so thank you Jamie Mitchell for creating this, it's too brilliant for words.

You can find loads of fun christmas presents on there too, as it seems Christmas isn't that far away anymore, I'm already looking forward to it, the smell of the pine tree, cinnamon flavoured cookies and thick leak soup with garlic bread, omnomnom.

So I'll leave you to it.

254: I won!

2011-11-10T14:39:00.002+01:00

I got some very lovely news last week, it appeared I had won a blog giveaway, hosted by Amy from Wolf & Wood. I wasn't the official winner actually, as she had picked someone else but the girl never answered back, so she chose another person and well, that was me.

I have won a dress from the online store In love with fashion. I really liked this one, cause I thought it would be nice to go for a simple dress. I can wear it with so many things, and as I'm in love with everything burgundy or aubergine at the moment, that was a bonus too (thank you Amy and In love with fashion, you made my day!).

It arrived this week and it matches perfectly with a vest I found at the vintage market. The print just struck me and I knew I had to have it. Couldn't believe it was still hanging there, as all my friends seemed to love it too, so I believe I was quite lucky, once again.

dress - In love with fashion; vest - Laura Ashley (vintage market); scarf - H&M; tote bag - Oxford

I have so many other things to show you, my Urban Outfitters sale order arrived too (their shipping is fast!), plus there's some other stuff from the vintage market too.

As you can see my month of not spending anything is over. It has been for two weeks already and let's say I couldn't control myself for three days (three out of thirty, not that bad...). I'll give it a go again soon.

Now I'm going to take a little nap and get ready for the sewing lesson this evening.

253: what's in my sewing box

2011-11-06T21:48:00.001+01:00

Everybody knows the "what's in my bag" posts, well, I thought I'd do it differently and show you what's in my sewing bag, it's a small summary of all the essentials you need for making your own clothes.

The first things that you need are pins and needles, without it you won't get very far. Scissors are very important too, you need one for cutting the pattern paper, another one to cut fabric, and one to cut the little bits of thread from your garment. Next up is thread, I have a range of different colours, you can use the one that fits your fabric the best (you need a special type if you are using a sewing machine, one that's more firm, Gütermann is a very good brand). Safety pins are very usefull too and last but not least pencils, a normal one for drawing your patterns and coloured ones that leave no marks when you machine wash the fabrics, so you can make notes on the inside of the fabric. The long red shaped thingy you see at the top is something you use to remove thread from a piece of clothing, when you've done something wrong, it can be very usefull, trust me, I use it quite a lot, haha. That's the base I guess.

Other things I have in my bag are leftover fabric, a collection of buttons and black lace ribbon, which I adore. I used the last one to "pimp" my black shorts, they now have cute lace details. I also used it to finish the hem of a dress, it's very multifunctional.

In other news, I had such a lovely Sunday afternoon. It was time for another vintage market (every first sunday of the monday at K-NAL in Brussels) and I found quite a few things, there were a whole lot of people there, then we just wandered around and went to Arlequin, a second hand record store. I got a lovely original vinyl from Ringo Starr (I love him so much). Afterwards went back to my friend's place and ate chinese food, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies and she made us all tequila sunrise cocktails. I love Sundays like these, hope you all had a good one too!!!

252: the Monki loot.

2011-10-30T14:21:00.000+01:00

Here's what I couldn't resist in the Monki store in Rotterdam, I bought the Emma dress, the Mimmi singlet, the Jasmine top and the Pam Skirt. The last one was on sale, hurray! It flows perfectly.

Although I love Monki and all their clothes, I found the shop to be not so organised, I didn't know where to look first, as it's just one big space. Maybe it was the excitement and the lack of time... I will definitely go back though. Had a lovely chat with the sales persons, so that's a real plus.

I just had to wear that skirt immediately. I paired it with a floral jumper (Berschka), a woven belt and polka dot tights (Asos) and the amazing wedges I can't take of my feet.

I'm going to listen to Bon Iver all day now, as I have been doing all week and as my closet is about to explode, I'll have to sort that out too.
Enjoy this grey Sunday dears!

251: Bon Iver.

2011-10-28T21:07:00.000+02:00

On Wednesday I left Belgium to go on a little trip to the Netherlands, the exact place being Utrecht. Most of the Belgians might know that Bon Iver was playing in Brussels on Thursday, well, I couldn't get tickets (cause it sold out so fast) but a friend of mine managed to buy a few for the Utrecht gig, yes yes yes.

We went by train and had a stop in Rotterdam, so off course I had to go to Monki! I'll show you peeps later what I bought. Then, we went to Utrecht and it is such a beautiful city, I loved every single bit. The food I had was so amazing too. NOM! But the main event off course was Bon Iver. I was very nervous, cause Justin Vernon is such a genius and the new album is one of my favourites so far. I just knew it was going to be amazing and it sure was, I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

The next day, we walked around Utrecht a bit more, had scones for breakfast and did some vintage shopping. It was a very lovely trip and I can't wait to go back! (massive picture overload coming up!)

Tessa and Maarten

sandwiches with salmon, bacon and tzatziki

Mr. Vernon!

best breakfast ever

this was actually a bar.

lovely beer

It's weekend once again, I think I'll have a quiet one.

250: the flow-y jumpsuit

2011-10-23T23:00:00.000+02:00

I bought this really soft and smooth fabric at the fabric store (in the sale section, hurray!) two weeks ago and I couldn't just leave it lying there. So I started thinking what I could do with it. Inspired by the last rays of sunshine (remember that tropical week at the beginning of october) I decided to make a playsuit/jumpsuit/romper, whatever you call it...

It took me about a day to make. Once I get started on something, I can't seem to stop and want to finish it as soon as possible, might have to do with my lack of patience, wish I had it.

Note: went to a very lovely gig last night, I watched To All My Friends perform and they were so amazing. They're from Sweden and play a sort of folky indie tunes. They are sweethearts too.

You can listen to them here.

249: virus in the fall

2011-10-21T13:08:00.000+02:00

walking through leaves at a nearby park

I'm sick, haven't been doing anything else than coughing, sneezing, drinking loads of tea and watching all five seasons of The Big Bang Theory. Did manage to go to sewing class and I'm making progress with the blouse.

I hope I can share some pictures soon.

That's all for now I guess, just wanted to let you know why I haven't been posting. Have a lovely weekend dears!

248: TDP - Esteban III

2011-10-16T16:06:00.001+02:00

Here are the final pictures from Esteban for the disposable project. These represent some sights of Guatemala city.

I studied pharmaceutical science and it was so nice to see a pharmacy appear in one of the shots. It's very interesting that loads of the products are being displayed in the window, that's definitely not the case here in Belgium.

I also adore the picture of the pigeons, loads of people dislike pigeons, I think they are superb. They have this funny way of jumping of steps, it's pretty hilarious actually.

I wasn't going to include the one with the finger in front of it, but it's so classic for disposable camera's that I just had to share it. The building is very lovely too.

I'm waiting on a few camera's to get back to me, so I can't say when the next one is going to arrive. So exciting though!

247

2011-10-13T17:36:00.001+02:00

I couldn't control myself, I just had to have these. I've been looking for ages for the perfect wedges and off course, just when you can't spend any money, they fall into your lap... That's the way it always goes, but I see myself wearing these through the entire fall/winter period. They go with everything and are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn (see how I'm trying to make excuses for breaking my promise not to spend anything on clothes this month, shhht, it's our little secret).

I made another garment today, but I'll show it to you later, it needs some finishing touches. I'm off to sewing class now, enjoy your evening (or morning, afternoon, ...) dears!

246: Wish I had butterflies.

2011-10-10T20:53:00.000+02:00

I went to another flea market this weekend. It was drizzling outside, trees were loosing more colourful leaves and I intended to stay inside with a good cuppa, but then I changed my mind, called my nephew and asked if he wanted to go on a little adventure to a flea market in Antwerp Expo, called Rommelant.

I must say, although it was a big one, the loot was smaller than normal. I think it was the overload of stalls and items, plus the fact some people were asking outrageous prices, 20 euro's for a dress that is clearly worn loads of times and has a tag on it from a highstreet fashion store...
That's what makes a flea market so interesting though, you never know what to expect and what you are going to find. I did manage to find some lovely lace ribbon, two Beatles dvd's and a butterly framework, loved the colours so much.

This weekend I went to our local fair as well. Ate loads of sweet stuff and spent time with friends and family. Now another week is upon us.

245: with pins and thread

2011-10-07T15:21:00.001+02:00

On Monday I went on a little trip to the fabric store. I needed some new material to work with, cause sewing lessons started again and we're going to make a blouse.

I managed to find four lovely fabrics, one for the blouse, one to make trousers from, one with a destination unkown and one to make a brand new dress from.The fabric I used is very soft and stretchy, perfect to make a comfortable frock.

It took me about half a day to make this dress, it's really easy. I cut up an old top to use as a pattern for the upper half and one from a skirt I made last year, to make the bottom (tip: use old clothes to make patterns!). Then I sewed everything together and voila, here's my new dress.

Can't wait to make more garments, it is my true passion and I wish I could do it more often.

Note: I'm currently freezing, it sure did get a lot colder, time to bring out the huge scarves and woollen coats.

244: TDP - Esteban II

2011-10-05T19:57:00.000+02:00

As part one of Esteban's pictures was all about architecture, the second part is all about the people. He took some lovely shots of a few random individuals on the streets. I personally think they turned out really good. It would be awesome to visit Guatemala, but I don't think that's going to happen in the near future... Thankfully we've got these pictures, so we can experience a bit what it's like over there.

I love this project so much, so I'm thinking of expanding. So far we had Belgium, Singapore and Guatemala.

(spoiler alert: Canada, The UK and Germany are already on the go). If you live in another country and want to participate, just e-mail me and let me know why.

243: granddad's birthday dinner

2011-10-02T21:53:00.000+02:00

Today, my family and I went to celebrate my granddad's birthday. We had a four course dinner at a chinese restaurant in town. Once again I ate way too much, my favourite dish had to be the shrimp in a mango cream sauce, very tasty!

I wanted to wear one of the dresses I love the most, this cream lace one. It fit the weather and occasion perfectly. It's still burning hot in Belgium, quite the summery vibe, let's enjoy it while it lasts.

lace dress - H&M, vest - thrifted; bag - selfmade

The whole week just flew by, I had to work fulltime and sewing lessons started again , so it was quite busy. It was also the beginning of my "I'm not going to buy any clothes for myself" month, already made it to day 7 and still haven't bought anything, quite proud of myself, haha. It was necessary though, was buying too much stuff I didn't need at all. And well, I think I need to think about my purchases a bit more.

Enjoy this sunny Sunday (hope it's a sunny one for everyone out there) and have a lovely week!

242: Another flea market.

2011-09-26T17:12:00.000+02:00

Oh how I love flea markets. It's much more satisfying than going to any other clothes shop. I have no idea why, maybe because the clothes are far more unique or the fact you really have to look through all sorts of things, cause it's never certain you'll find a piece you really like.

The one I went to yesterday was just perfect. Sun was shining, I was with lovely friends and there was soooo many stuff, I didn't know where to begin. Here's the loot.

What I bought: two plastic dinosaurs, a book about John Lennon, a vinyl from Queen, sunglasses, a burgundy sweater, a printed vest, loads of cards about Belgium, three tops (one lace, one with a collar and a knitted one), lace like sneakers and a small bottle with flowers in. I'm massively happy, haha.

Oh and the Harry Potter marathon was really fun, we didn't got far but it really is something watching those movies with a bunch of friends, the things you notice, just brilliant and we ate tons of cupcakes, brownies and apple crumble. I wish I could could go back, the weekend went so fast.

Hope you had a lovely one too!

241: MoMu and F21

2011-09-21T23:06:00.000+02:00

granddad trousers - Zara; loose shirt - Urban Outfitters; knitted vest with faux-fur collar - Zara; boots - flea market

I look like a leprechaun in this photograph (damn being little) but don't let that distract you, focus on the clothes. I really love these trousers, they are so comfy and have the loveliest gray-green colour.

The vest is perfect for those days where it's warm and cold at the same time, if you know what I mean, the sleeves are short and the wool isn't that thick, but it has this very warm collar, which functions as a scarf and keeps yr neck warm. I'm so glad I found it last week.

I went to the Walter van Beirendonck exposition at the MoMu in Antwerp and it's quite brilliant. I couldn't stop looking at all those perfectly crafted pieces, I kind of like fashion where you can play around and be humourful but still carry a message. That's what he does best. It was also nice to see where he gets his inspiration from. The expo runs till February next year, so if you have the time, be sure to take a look.

Being in Antwerp, I couldn't help myself, I just had to go to the Forever21 store. I heard that is was big, but wowza I didn't expect it to be massive. I was running around like a little kid in a candy store. At one point I got a bit frustrated that I wouldn't be able to look through everything, but there were so many people there, I'll probably go back when it's a bit more peaceful (did manage to find two lovely dresses, JEEJ).

What are your thoughts on the F21 store?

240: Han-sur-Lesse

2011-09-19T22:23:00.002+02:00

What a busy weekend it has been, on Saturday I went to Mechelen, cause it was "braderij" there (don't know how to properly translate this into English). It's some sort of festivity, where you can eat stuff and get discounts in shops. I finally found the floral velvet shorts from H&M (addiction much, yes). I was so happy, I just had to wear them the next day on my trip to the "Ardennes". It's the more southern region of Belgium, filled with hillsides and cosy villages. I went to the town called Han-sur-Lesse. It's so small, you only have a few restaurants, hotels, a bakery and that's about it... It's the perfect getaway though.

H&M floral shorts; burgundy longsleeve from Topshop, flea market boots, Vero Moda cardigan and Zara circle scarf

I went for a walk in the forest and somehow managed to walk 17 km in one day. I was exhausted when we got back, but it was all worth it, the sights, the forests, the animals, and most of all the peace and quiet. At one point I just sat down and listened to the wind rushing through the tree tops. And I got my energy back later in the evening when I ate my whole weight in food, especially loved the dessert, warm apple pie with rum and icecream, NOM.

PS: the little cow at the end was soooo adorable, quite the poser too.

239: TDP - Esteban I

2011-09-12T16:00:00.000+02:00

Hurray, another disposable project is all finished! I was being rather mysterious about the location of the third camera and I can finally share it with you. It crossed oceans and mountains and after a couple of months (I think something went wrong with the airmail) it arrived in Guatemala.

Now, I want you to meet Esteban Arredondo. I met this guy online through Facebook. Due to a similar taste in music, we started talking and I checked out some of his photo albums. I really liked the way he photographs things, so I asked him to participate and the rest is history.

Esteban lives is Guatemala city and the first part of the pictures are all about architecture. I'm extremely happy with the result.

The fact sheet

Name: Esteban Arredondo

Age: 19

Occupation: Student

What camera do you normally use? Yashica Electro 35 is my beloved one.

What do you like about disposable cameras? Spontaneity. They require guts.

What dream would you like to realise? Travel around the globe.

What's your favourite tea blend? Mint tea.

You are hosting a dinner party, who would you invite (dead or alive)? Luis de Congora and Francisco de Quevedo.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be? Tojnim

Thanks again Esteban!

238: Mr + Mrs Tweed

2011-09-09T15:53:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I went to the opening of a new shop called Mr + Mrs Tweed. Let's just say it was magnificent. The shop is located in Mechelen ( in Belgium) and it offers basic pieces for women and men, with loads of accessories too. The decoration was so lovely too, they even had real birds in the shop! Something I'd definitely hadn't seen before.

Here are some shots of the evening, warning: picture overload.

I really fell in love with that long dusty pink blouse, the aztec cardigan, the parka and a black lace dress, but I spent too much money this week already, another time maybe!

If you live nearby (or far away), I suggest you take a little looksie. It's really worth it, the shopkeepers are such nice and friendly people too, they'll make you feel right at home.

Have a great weekend y'all!

237: new

2011-09-06T16:39:00.000+02:00

Posting two days in a row, woop woop! I've been rather busy the last two weeks, hence the long breaks between posts, but I'm back now.

I wanted to show you the things I bought at the vintage market on Sunday. I've been looking for a pair of black lace-up boots for a very long time now, but couldn't seem to find them at all. They had to fulfill a long list of requirements though, that's probably why it took me so long (the leather had to be soft, they had to have a small heel, the right tip at the front, blablabla). I had a picture in my mind and wouldn't give up before I found them.

So when I saw these babies, I knew they would be perfect. I looked at the size, tried them on, squealed a bit from happiness that they fit me, and the mission was accomplished. Major happy times!

The blouse is also a market find. The print sure is something special, I couldn't stop staring at it (those colours!). I was in love with it straight away and for 5 euro's, I didn't had to think twice.

blouse and boots - thrifted; shorts - made from olf black denim jeans; cardigan - Kirilove by Vero Moda; heart tights - Asos

This morning I went into town to post a disposable camera and had a little looksie in a rather new shop. I'd seen it before but hadn't had the time to check it out. I was amazed, cause they were selling some pieces of the Kirilove collection by Tiany for Vero Moda (people who don't know Tiany Kiriloff, she's a Belgian stylist and recently had a collaboration with VM). This oversized cardigan is beautifully made, it's very thick and soft at the same time. I love the dark grey colour too. It'll definitely be worn a lot this fall!

236: Brussels vintage market

2011-09-05T11:30:00.000+02:00

sweater, hat, shoes - H&M, shorts - Vero Moda, backpack - thrifted

Yesterday I went to the Brussels vintage market at K-NAL. A lovely location, right next to the water, and an amazing warehouse filled with vintage clothes and selfmade creations. The best part was that I could share it with some of my best friends. It truly was a perfect afternoon.

The top floor of the building was packed with stalls where you could buy vintage and second hand clothes, I didn't know where to look first, so many things caught my eye. I eventually found a pair of black lace-up boots and a printed blouse (show you dears later).

The weather was so lovely we went to sit outside for a while and eat cake. Then suddenly a guy came up to us asking if he could take some streetstyle shots. I felt a bit awkward, I'm used taking pictures of myself, but this was something different, still fun though!

Afterwards we took the metro and wandered round the streets of Brussels.

For the Belgians: this market is held every month apparently, so I you have the time, be sure to check it out!

235: the english coat

2011-08-29T20:30:00.000+02:00

coat, hat and shoes - H&M; top - pins and needles; necklace - market; bag - Natural History Museum London, gift shop

I really love H&M at the moment. When I saw the shoes on the online site, I just knew I had to have them, they are quite perfect. I can't stop wearing them. Today I just went to have a little look and saw this lovely English inspired coat (for only 30 euro's), so once again I couldn't resist...

The totebag is one of my favourites. I bought it in London in the most amazing place ever, the Natural History Museum, I could spend hours and hours there, it's absolutely brilliant!

Nothing more to tell, except that I went to this crazy party last Saturday, called Kissinger and it was held in a museum. They had all sort of different rooms, with such good names as The Stanley Kubrick room, the David Lynch room and so on. I was a quite eventful night and apparently I look like a drugsdealer cause somebody came up to me asking if she could score some XTC... Hmm. Crazy indeed.

What did you dears do last weekend?

234

2011-08-24T20:25:00.000+02:00

coat - thrifted; blouse - thrifted; skinnies - BDG; boots - thrifted; bag - from a second hand shop in Oxford; hairbow - gift; necklace - Kruidvat

This blouse was hanging in my closet for oh so long and I thought it was time to wear it. I also wanted to try out the new coat, it's too warm for this time of the year, but I wanted to show how it looked. I'm ever so glad I found it.

The hair ribbon just magically appeared on my bedroom floor, no idea where it came from, I think I got it with an Etsy delivery, not sure, but I love the print and had to try it.

I'm tired from work and my stomach hurts from eating too much icecream. Don't mind, it was NOM.

Have a good one!

233: thrift finds

2011-08-21T21:20:00.001+02:00

1. a cape-esque coat 2. a huge backpack 3. a lace like black shirt 4. highwaisted denim shorts 5. a printed scarf

I found all these lovely items at the thrift store last week. When I saw them all together, it made me realise they would make one great outfit together. Hopefully it'll be a while before I can wear that coat though...

Life can sure surprise you from time to time. As Wednesday was quite perfect and fun, Thursday was just terrible. The Pukkelpop festival got hit by a storm and five people died, loads more people got injured. It seemed unreal when I saw the images on the news that night, couldn't believe what had just happened. I had the best times there and this year I couldn't go due to work and such... Loads of my friends were there and I'm very glad they are all ok.

My heart goes out to everyone who was there and much strength and love to the families and friends who lost someone.

232: the long button-down shirt turns into a dress

2011-08-17T18:40:00.000+02:00

I recently came across a lovely blog with a bunch of sewing tutorials. It's called Schwurlie and you can find it here. One tutorial I just had to try, it's the one where she turns a long button-down shirt into a dress/tunic. It's such a lovely idea. I had one shirt just hanging in my closet, and I'm gutted I didn't wear it as often, but it was a bit too big for me. So this was the perfect solution!

I just followed what she said you had to do and it's in fact super easy, took me about an hour I guess. (just click here to go the tutorial)

I'm real happy with it and going to try some other shirts as well. I hope I can go the fabric store real soon too, so I can try some other tutorials on her lovely blog.

I had a rather succesful trip to the trift store as well, will show you lovelies soon.

231:

2011-08-15T20:30:00.000+02:00

Gerlin and I went to visit a friend from Canada last night. We hadn't seen him in over a year and it's always super nice to catch up. The city of Utrecht (the Netherlands) was the place to be this time. It's such a beautiful city, especially the centre.

We stayed in a very lovely B&B (this one) too, it was cosy and the girl running it was so friendly. The room was decorated with frameworks and old furniture. The duvets had an amazing print too, as you can see.

My body is still recovering from the lack of sleep, but it was a night to remember, so it was all worth it.

Note: yeah, three days of sunlight coming up.

230: LIGHT

2011-08-13T19:07:00.000+02:00

hat and top and trousers - all H&M

Having an H&M open right next door to where you work isn't always a good as it sounds, cause during my lunch break I always tend to pop over and have a look... Bought too many things already, the throusers are one of the pieces I couldn't resist.
I'm absolutely in love with their fall collection.

229: Velvet Feather

2011-08-08T16:51:00.000+02:00

I've been following Ella's blog (click!), a very talented lady I must add, for a while now and today she posted something that I had to share with you dears! She just opened a brand new online shop, called Velvet Feather (click!) and the pieces in it are absolutely lovely. Here's a few.

Lavender dome necklace

Copper charm bracelet

Muddy stag dome necklace

She's still working on it and can't wait to see the finished result, the preview is already amazing. Hope you guys have a little peep and all the best with it Ella!

228: I like caramel

2011-08-04T17:38:00.000+02:00

floral blouse - thrift store; trousers - BDG; boots - Torfs, necklace - Etsy

When I saw these trousers, lying on a shelf in Urban Outfitters, I knew I had to buy them. Such a gorgeous colour, it's called caramel and I like it. (hence the title)

227:

2011-08-02T21:09:00.000+02:00

I got another camera developed, one of my own this time. I always love the moment when I open the package. Are there pictures inside? How do they look? The excitement gets me everytime.

I'm feeling a bit uninspired at the moment. Tomorrow I've got nothing to do, no plans or work, so I'll see what this town has to offer me and if I can find some undiscovered places. Always nice to stroll around yr hometown. Mine's a bit boring though. I'd love to hear from you guys, where are you from? And do you like it there?

226: Alexandra Grecco

2011-07-28T22:34:00.000+02:00

spring 2011 collection

I can't quite remember how I discovered the work of Alexandra Grecco (click!), but I sure was amazed and added it to my list of favourites straight away. She's got a whole lot of talent, from designing, to choosing the material and prints, right till the finishing of the garment.

The picture above are just a small representation, I quite like/love/adore everything that she makes. It's all so dreamy, like a fairytale, and that's exactly how I imagine my dream wardrobe to be like. The story on her website says it better,

"clean, feminine, ethereal elements whilst paying attention to practicality for today",

who could want more. Another fact that drew me in was the fact she uses soft colours (think mint green, baby blue, dusty rose, cream,...), I really am a sucker for anything pastel!

If I only had a heart dress

But what I really want, is this beautiful dress, isn't it perfection?! I'm saving up money as we speak, but it'll take me a while.

I hope one day I can create clothing like this, with superb detailing and finishing. I'll definitely keep practicing and it's nice to have someone to look up to.

Note: I've been rather busy these last few days, hence the small (very small) blog break. We're painting the house and everything's turned upside down. Plus, I started watching True Blood (yes, I'm a little late, but now I watch season 1 to 3 all at once) and I think I'm addicted, what a brilliant show. I sure can't get that intro out of my head... Off to watch another episode! Bye.

225

2011-07-24T19:32:00.001+02:00

floral shorts - Urban Outfitters

I'm currently investigating my wardrobe, organising all my clothes and trying to determine what "style" is really me. I think this is quite the task as I tend to wear all kinds of diferent pieces. I'm influenced by all sorts of styles, from very romantic, to bohemian and a bit of rock as well...

I read in a book that you must choose ten items from your closet that you can't live without. Those items will form the base for your wardrobe. These floral shorts are definitely a key item, I love them so much. They do seem to go with everything and that's what's an essential is all about. The others that I chose are a pair of dark grey skinny jeans, a floral dress, highwaisted denim shorts, a blazer, my olive green trousers, a black leather jacket, a lace shirt, an oversized cardigan and a lace dress. The funny fact was that all the items went great together, this was definitely a start.

What item can't you live without?

224: my new love

2011-07-21T19:08:00.000+02:00

dress - little deer vintage on Etsy, cardigan - H&M, scarf - Zara and the prettiest bag ever - thrifted

Say hello to my new favourite bag that I found in the thrift store the other day. To me it's quite perfect. The reasons why: it has different colours, it's suede and I can jam all my stuff in there as it has like four different compartiments.

Yesterday I had drinks with two people which I've known since highschool, and it's always a blast. Tonight will be a quiet one, probably curl up under a blanket and watch a movie or two. I kind of like nights like these, yes I do.

Have a good one y'all!

223: just a simple one.

2011-07-19T19:31:00.000+02:00

blouse - thrifted, shorts - Vero Moda; shoes - H&M

The weather here just sucks at the moment. No sunshine, just rain all day long and it's starting to affect my wardrobe choices too. I'm all for fall colours at the moment and pro tights and warm blouses. I do felt like adding a summer touch with these sandals. I like them so much, they are actually the highest pair of shoes that I own, I'm still a little baby when it comes to heels...

Today was very busy. I went to the photography shop to get a roll of film developed, popped into the charity shop around the corner (found some lovely stuff). Handwashed some clothes in the afternoon and went to do some more errands. Busy, busy, busy.

I hope the sun will come out in the next few days, and otherwise more fall-like outfits will be appearing on the blog (I do love those rusty colours though!).

222: TDP - Maarten II

2011-07-16T15:09:00.002+02:00

It's weekend once again. I thought I'd share with you part two of Maarten's pictures for the disposable project (here's a link to part one). These are about friendship and just having a good time. One of the most important things I do believe. Enjoy!

This is the end of the second entree for the project. I got the pictures developed of the third camera and they are stunning. I'm not revealing the location just yet, but here's a tip, the country is located somewhere in the central part of America...

I'll share them with you soon.

Have a lovely weekend. I'm off bowling later tonight, should be fun.

221: a new camera, well yes.

2011-07-13T13:36:00.001+02:00

Oh, I finally gave in. I actually wanted to buy an Olympus EPL1, but the shopkeeper told me it wasn't the best of cameras and that I could easily buy a Canon EOS 1000D, so I did and I'm so happy with it. Still learning what all the buttons are about (seriously, never seen so many buttons on one camera before, haha).

I'll figure it out one day.

I already went to the sales twice and thought to practice my camera skills I'll show you lovelies some of the things that I bought.

The sandals are from H&M (not in sale), the short is from the Lily shop, the third picture contains a dress from Zara and one from H&M, some trousers, a knitted vest from H&M and floral harem pants from some unknown shop (didn't see a name). I also bought a leather vest from Zara, been searching for a perfect fitting one and well, this was definitely it!

Did you guys bought loads of stuff yet?

220: Harry exhibition and cider.

2011-07-11T15:20:00.002+02:00

Many of you may know that the last Harry Potter movie will be released on July 13, and well, due to that occasion there was this exhibition in the central station of Antwerp. yesterday I went to take a "peep" and I expected a lot more, but the images that were there were indeed amazing to see.

There were loads of people and everyone was enjoying the magic. Afterwards we wandered around the city and bought lovely stuff at a baking store, came across some markets and went to eat at an English food house. The food was soooo tasty and I had some delicious apple cider. So glad we went there (for the people of Belgium, it's called the Eat House and is located near the Groenplaats).

We ended the night at the docks where we saw the sun set.

Another weekend, happily spent with good mates.

219: the green lens

2011-07-08T22:09:00.001+02:00

About a year ago I found an old camera in a relative's house. It didn't work anymore, but it was such a beauty, so I decided to keep it and give it a nice little spot in my room. A while later I discovered a lens in the bag that came with. I decided to see what it would look like if I held it in front of my digital camera.

It's a green lens, so you get a bit of a "greenish" colour effect on them. The green effect is even stronger when you hold it in front of the camera lens, but once you click, it fades a bit, too bad, but I quite like these, so I think I might try it again.

I wanted to show you lovelies my outfit too, plus a better view at the camera bag. I can use it as a purse too, it can just hold some money and my phone. I found the floral shorts in the thrift store last week, they are huge, but very comfy.

Have an amazing weekend! I might be buying a new camera, not sure yet...

218: more Werchter

2011-07-06T15:26:00.001+02:00

Here are some more outtakes from my day at Rock Werchter. The highlights of the day were eating very tasty falafel, singing along with Jimmy Eat World, watching Matt Berninger from the National go insane during the last song, drinking pink beer and dancing (sometimes very mental) to Arctic Monkeys and Kings of Leon.

Ah, may summer never end.

217: Rock Werchter streetstyle

2011-07-04T21:29:00.001+02:00

On Friday I went to the Rock Werchter festival. It was such a lovely day, with great weather, good music, nice company, and ... well, everything was just right. I'll show you some shots later, but first (after loads encouragement from my friends) I took some streetstyle shots. I only took a few, cause most of the time I was too busy getting from one place to another... there sure was a massive amount of people, I always seem to forget that part...

You can click on the images to view them in a larger size. I loved the short blond hair on the first girl, it suited her so great. The second girl (with the Lennon glasses) had such a nice backpack too, but unfortunately you can't see it on the picture (still need to practice, haha). And look at that amazing lace dress the third girl is wearing, she was so sweet. Loved the colours and boots on the last shot, great hair too, such lengths I will never acquire.

I wanted to show you my friend's outfits as well. I included myself too, so you can see what I was wearing that day. I had no idea it would be so warm, so such a wrong choice. I was prepared for everything though, rain, mud, but sunshine, nope, not on the list.

The first two, Tessa and Louise, might look familiar, cause they have been featured on here before. They always look so great. The last two are Maarten and Alex. Maarten took part in the disposable project (previous post), both great dudes.

I'm wearing a hat from H&M, shorts I made out of trousers from my mum, a velvet thrifted belt, a sweater from Urban Outfitters and boots I found at a flea market.

I want to go back, it went by so fast...Anyone got any festivals they went to already or are looking forward to?

216: the short short

2011-07-02T11:32:00.000+02:00

Some time ago I was contacted by Kavita from the IOU project (click) and I've been meaning to write a post about it, cause it's truly amazing what they are doing.

They want to create pieces that are unique, not one is like the other and .. well, to get the complete picture I think it's best you watch this video.

And here's one example of what they are making, I love these so much and would gladly wear every colour (yellow, blue, light pink and coral red), they are just too cute, right?!

I just got back from the Rock Werchter festival and these would've looked brilliant there.

I love it that every item has it own story, so you see the thought and work that has gone into it and you know you are buying good quality clothing.

I wish them all the best and I'll be keeping an eye out for more beauties like these. You should definitely check out their website, to explore some more (like a reversible blazer, yup, how great is that).

215: TDP - Maarten I

2011-06-28T20:35:00.001+02:00

Allright, time for another disposable camera. For those of you who aren't familiar with this project, I suggest you read this post (click). In short: I send disposable camera's all around the world, the people who receive them take pictures with it and when the camera's full, they mail it back to me and I get the pictures developed.

I gave this one to a friend of mine, Maarten, and he's from Belgium (so it didn't go as far as Singapore this time, but it's nice to show you dears a bit of Belgium). I got to know him through a similar taste in music, cause we always seemed to go to the same gigs. He's got some great photography skills too, you should check out his blog (click).

So here's part one, most of them were taken at a festival here in Belgium.

I also asked him to fill in some questions (just as Melly did).

Name: MAARTEN

Age: 24

Occupation: Freight Forwarder

What camera do you normally use? Nikon D90

What do you like about disposable camera's? It's easy, trashy and compact.

What dream would you like to realise? To see as much of this globe as possible.

What's your favourite tea blend? Earl grey and a shot of gin.

You are hosting a dinner party, who would you invite (dead or alive)? Felix Timmermans (click)

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be? I kind of fell in love with Melbourne.

Note: the third camera just got back to me last week, it made quite the journey (it had to cross mountains and a very big sea), so I'm anxiously awaiting the results. Hope I get to share them soon.

214

2011-06-25T21:40:00.001+02:00

Today was all about comfort wear. After a week of working and an eventful party last night (inventing new dances, catching up with friends, ...) I needed some rest and my go to outfit, a simple blazer, a top, some shorts and a pair of tights, you can't go wrong with that.

After seeing that lovely post about backpacks on Marijke's blog (called Goesting) I thought it would be nice to show you guys the one I found at the thrift store about a year ago. I definitely need to bring it with me more often!

I also received these black woven lace shoes that I ordered from the Generation thrift store (click) on Etsy! They are absolutely perfect. And the cd was in the mail too. I met James (the brains behind Idiot Glee (click)) last year in Amsterdam and he makes the most amazing music. He was in Belgium a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn't go, so I asked Gerlin to buy his cd Paddywhack for me. It's looks really good too. I just love cd cases and artwork, nothing better than that!

lace top, skirt, hat and blazer - H&M; backpack and bow - thrifted; shoes: from Etsy shop Generation Thrift; glasses - Cutler and Gross

213: Silent Sundays

2011-06-22T20:31:00.000+02:00

It's been on a lot of blogs already, but I just had to share this gem of a shop with you. Even if only one of you didn't hear about it yet, than it was worth it.

I don't know if you read Rhiannon's blog, Liebemarlene vintage (click). It's definitely a favourite of mine, she always has the most amazing looks and finds the loveliest things at flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores and so on. Well, she opened up an online shop called Silent Sundays (click). She sells designer pieces, as well as vintage garments. The design of the shop is so beautiful and I think I love every item that there's to find. Here are my absolute favourites:

vintage pieces

the Secret Squirrel reckoner dress and the TBA sinitta dress

I already discovered Secret Squirrel (click) through my friend Gerlin (click), it's a brand that's completely my taste. I wish I could afford that reckoner dress, maybe one day, a girl can dream, right?!

212

2011-06-19T17:12:00.000+02:00

I still had to show you dears the loot from last week's flea market. So, well, here it is.

a coral red ring

a locket

a lace dress, I'll feature it in another post soon

a floral dress (with pockets!)

More jewellery. I found another fly brooch, I already own one, but it broke and I had to wear it as a necklace, which was great too, but I love a nice brooch on a jacket...

and the boots you saw in the previous post.

I watched a bunch of movies this week, but one really stood out, it's called Easy A (click). I believe it was released in 2010 and it features Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes and Penn Badgley. It's a romantic comedy, but definitely not your typical one. It's about this girl in highschool, who tells a lie to her best friend, but someone overhears and spreads the rumour and the whole thing just escalates. Definitely a must see! Emma Stone is an amazing actress, the things she does in this movies are absolutely crazy.

Bonus: it has this eighties elements in it, from music to movies like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles.

Gonna watch it again now, for the fourth time or so...

211: Deathly Hallows totebag

2011-06-16T15:41:00.000+02:00

A couple of days ago I had the idea to make another totebag, I had one left and some black textile paint was just lying around in my room too. I was thinking about what I could do with it and I don't know why but I suddenly thought of the Deathly Hallows sign. I think it would look very lovely.

So I gathered some paint brushes, textile markers and paint and started creating, and here's the result.

I also styled an outfit around it. It would be perfect to wear to a festival, or a day on the beach. These are the boots I bought at the flea market last Sunday. The socks I bought in London a couple of years ago, they are from the Beatles store and have little yellow submarines on them, love them so much!

denim playsuit - Bel&Bo; boots - flea market; socks - Beatles store; totebag - selfmade; owl necklace - flea market

210: Keller

2011-06-14T19:22:00.000+02:00

I know summer is coming and we all want to wear floral dresses, denim shorts, lace tops, straw hats, playsuits and so on, but that's not how fashion works. So I stumbled upon a fall/winter collection and I just had to share it with you!

I found this collection through the Honey Kennedy blog (which is quite brilliant, click). These images are part of the f/w 2011 collection of Keller. I've never heard of the brand before, but I'm glad I now do.

(those shoes!)

Let's say this is how imagine my wardrobe would look like in a couple of months.

209

2011-06-14T01:09:00.000+02:00

What I hope to find this summer:

- the perfect blazer, may it be black or pastel coloured, long or short, I'll know when I see it;

- a lovely lace tee, preferably cream;

- shorts, in a green colour, dark or mint;

- a bottle necklace, inspired by Alice;

- black loafers, these are quite amazing, they are from Topshop;

- loads of notebooks, to make sketches in or write down memories, inspirations and more wishlists...

Anything on yr list?!

208: the floral shorts

2011-06-12T15:46:00.001+02:00

I finally finished my floral shorts yesterday. They are light and flow-y and quite perfect for those hot summer days. In spring or fall, you can pair them with tights and a thick cardigan or blazer.

This morning I went to a huge flea market, close to my home. It was absolutely amazing and I couldn't believe my eyes from the amount of people that were selling things. It was lovely weather too, so I really took the time to stroll along every stall and take in all the goodies.

I found two dresses, a pair of boots, loads of quirky jewellery and two amazing vinyls (one from the Kinks and one from the Rolling Stones, that stall was incredible, this guy had all these old vinyls from the 60s and 70s and in top condition, loved it). I'll try and show it soon.

Have a lovely weekend dearies!

207: grain-y

2011-06-09T21:28:00.000+02:00

lace textured blouse - Vila; skirt - Urban Outfitters; shoes - My ohm (second hand); bag - flea market

In the last week I listened to some pretty great music (Bon Iver is stuck on repeat), walked on an imaginary catwalk at a ladies event; received a Karl Lagerfeld coca cola bottle (it's nice to finally have one); gave my hair a bit of a trim and worked at the clothes store.

Tomorrow I'm walking on a catwalk again, a real one this time. We have to show our garments that we made in sewing class and receive our diploma, pretty excited about it!

Note: I'm not used to wearing lipstick. I quite like this colour, don't know if it suits me though. I'm such a make-up newb.

206

2011-06-06T20:42:00.000+02:00

Last friday was spent at the zoo. I love walking around for hours on end, looking at all those magnificent creatures. I saw a baby gibbon, heard a lion wroarrr, fed a whole bunch of fish, ate a very tasty lunch and made a new mongoose friend (picture number 6).

The bird cage reminded me of Jurassic Park. It made me wonder how things would be like if they still existed and were our pets or something. I'd definitely would fly to work on a pterodactyl!

(crazy talk, yes yes)

205

2011-06-04T21:25:00.001+02:00

Friendship is...

eating cupcakes together;

or have late night talks on a bench;

or eat a delicious, big breakfast on a Sunday morning.

These are some moments that I captured with my disposable camera during the last couple of months. Here's hurray to friendship, let it be in real life or through the internet, a lovely place to meet new people too.

204, the floral dress

2011-06-02T14:29:00.000+02:00

floral dress - at the market; bag - got it a clothes swap; sandals and hat - H&M

This is one of the huge floral dresses I told you about. I bought it at a market in Antwerp. Well, it didn't need that much adjusting after all. I just shortened it (a lot, cause it was floor lenght) and tadaah, it surprisingly fits like a glove. I am madly in love with the print, such lovely colours, and the neckline has a very nice shape too.

I'm so glad that I decided to take sewing lessones, cause it makes buying clothes even more interesting. I can buy oversized pieces of clothes and adjust them to my shape or just take all the little bits apart and start from scratch. I wish I learned it years ago, I sure left some very gorgeous dresses behind in a lot of thrift stores, cause I had now idea what to do with them.

I'm recommending it to all of you, it gives you loads more options and it's not that hard, once you get it, you're set for life.

203: May's girl crush

2011-05-30T20:34:00.000+02:00

A couple of months ago I saw the commercial for the new Nina Ricci scent (click) and I was just overwhelmed by the performance of the model. Those who have seen it, might remember a tall, short haired girl. Well, her name is Noreen Carmody and she's my girl crush of the month.

She's from Switzerland and also has a bit of Ireland and Argentina in her. So far, she has done a couple of editorials and runway shows. She hasn't been on the radar much, but since she's the face for the Nina Ricci perfume (L'air), things are looking very positive for her. She has modelled for H&M, Topshop, Chloe, Benetton, D&G and more.

Another plus, she reminds me of Twiggy, with the short blond hair and the dark eyes. I do think she will be huge some day and will do great things. Let's hope so.

202

2011-05-28T19:48:00.000+02:00

Just wanted to share these architectural beauties with you. They were on the last film roll.

So, life took over a bit. I've been working loads the last four days and it got pretty hectic, but I'm so glad I can keep busy and make some money and most importantly save for my own place, somewhere in the future. I always fantasize about the building or house I'm going to live in. Can't wait!

I hope I can make some decent outfit shots tomorrow, cause the last few days my outfit was nothing more than a pair of jeans and a white shirt (we all had to wear the same thing, since it was the opening of the shop), I 'd love to wear some of the things I bought.

Have a lovely weekend y'all!

201

2011-05-24T15:29:00.000+02:00

The loot from Saturday. I bought two second hand dresses, which I hope to transform in something that fits me.

I saw the lace top appearing on several blogs, but couldn't get to a H&M, so I'm happy they were still selling these. I also purchased two pairs of comfy shoes, I desperately needed these.

Urban Outfitters was on the shopping list too. I always buy my jeans there, but I couldn't find a pair I wanted this time, so I went for a burgundy sweater, an orange bodycon skirt and a floral wallet. I'll hope to show a better picture of the burgundy jumper soon, cause it's so soft and a bit sheer and oversized, but still tight around the arms, if you know what I mean, I really like it.

Lots of love. I'm off to see The OC. I suddenly felt the urge to start seeing those series again. Let's admit, we all fell in love with either Ryan or Seth. For me it was both actually, couldn't choose, haha.

200: cupcakes & Lombardia

2011-05-22T13:31:00.000+02:00

Is this my 200th post already? Time sure flies when you're having fun...

Well, yesterday I spent the entire day in Antwerpen. First I went to the market and bought two lovely second hand dresses (they are too big, but I'll put them on my project list!). Then I had lunch with my grandparents and afterwards I met up with Tessa. We shopped, ate cupcakes, shopped some more and ate at Lombardia (click), a very nice eco foodhouse. Apparently Moby really likes the food there, as they even have a "Moby Juice", they have such a funny menu. I tried the Pulp Fiction juice and Tess had a homemade Ice Tea with loads of mint leaves. At the end we went to sit near the central station, and some really weird guy started talking to us and well, let's just say it was an odd conversation. We said our goodbyes with photobooth fun, as we always do! Yes, quite the fun day. I'll show you later what I bought...

Enjoy yr sunday my dears!

199

2011-05-17T22:03:00.000+02:00

I told you guys that the shop where I get my film developed had lost my photographs... Well, yesterday I got a call and they found them! I basicly jumped in the air when I heard the good news. I'm so glad I can share these with you, here's the first load.

I just ate my weight in Asian food and now I'm going to sleep cause every muscle in my body could sure do with some rest.

198: Fashion Fucsia

2011-05-16T20:29:00.000+02:00

I'm so happy Fashion Fucsia (click) sent me an email telling about their spring sale. Otherwise I would have never discoverd them.

FF is an Etsy shop and is run by a very inspiring woman. She lives in Spain and loves to draw/create characters to star in her stories. She sell such cute things like pocket mirrors, magnets, prints, ... I love all the bright and vibrant colours, they all match so great together. Just take a looksie!

So let me tell you about the spring sale. if you buy two items, you get 25% off, you do have to like them on Facebook and enter HAPPYSPRING25 as a code to the discount.

I love discovering lovely shops like this on Etsy.

197: all about Dodos.

2011-05-15T12:41:00.002+02:00

I'm wearing a floral dress from the clothes shop where I work, rust tights from H&M and second hand burgundy oxfords

1. blur or no blur

2. The Luyas

3. The Dodos

I went to Les Nuits Botanique last night. It's a festival hosted by my favourite venue and it lasts for about three weeks. The line-up is pretty amazing, just check out those names: Caribou, Twin Shadow, Wild Beasts, Deerhoof, Gang Gang Dance, ...

Last night the lovely Dodos (click) played, their music is something I listen to on a quiet Sunday afternoon, but their latest album is pretty energetic. They truly amazed me with their live performance. One really drunk dude almost ruined the whole atmosphere by shouting really dumb things at them and off course he was standing right next to us.

The support act was called The Luyas (click) and were so fun to watch, their lead singer is really something, they had these amazing instruments and brought something to the stage I hadn't seen before. Lovely discovery.

It was good to see some faces I hadn't seen for a really long time. My good friend Gerlin was there, it's a shame I don't get to see that lady often. The main reason we went that night, was to see our friend Chris. he's from Canada and is currently touring with the Dodos. It was a truly amazing night and I miss them already.

I've got some busy but exciting times ahead of me. How are all of you doing?

196

2011-05-11T20:31:00.000+02:00

This is what I purchased last week. The floral print you see is a new dress, I bought it at the shop where I work (must learn to control myself, haha). The bag I found at a flea market, it's sure had been a while since I went to one and ow, how I missed it.

Every year there is a "world music" festival, called Mano Mundo, in the town where I live. There's an amazing atmosphere, due to the tons of great food, lovely shops (where I found the cute owl necklace) and especially some good tunes to dance too. It's not the music I usually listen to, but it sure makes you move.

Now that the subject is on to music, I wanted to share this song with you. It's called Beat and the pulse and it's by Austra (click). I love this song so much, can't stop listening. Enjoy!

195

2011-05-09T19:09:00.000+02:00

Here it is, the Marc Jacobs top, or so the label says.

(don't mind the wrinkles, I had just washed it and hadn't had the time to iron it)

After I found it, I was of course extremely happy, but after a few hours reality kicked in... Could this really be true, a real Marc Jacobs in a thrift store? So I searched the web for clues and tips on how to spot a fake.

Number one is to check the quality of the fabric. That seems to be allright, it's a very strong fabric and it's in good shape. The sewing is done perfectly too.

Number two is the label. I saw images of fake labels and they all seem to have cut-off ends and are typed in a bigger font than the real ones. This label resembles the real one, but I'm still not 100% sure... and I probably never will. I'm still hoping it's the real deal though. Haha.

If anyone has any tips, they are all welcome!

knitted cardigan - H&M; top - Marc Jacobs?; high waisted shorts - H&M

194

2011-05-07T20:45:00.001+02:00

Preview of the floral skirt I made in sewing class, I finished it this week. I'll show you a better picture later, cause I haven't had time to take a decent picture. Next project: floral highwaisted shorts.

I've got some good news this week involving the disposable project. One camera (a Belgian one) is almost full, so I hope I can show you the results soon. Another camera has finally reached its destination (after two months of travelling). I'm so glad, cause I thougth it got lost at sea... I'm not going to tell you where it is, let's keep that a secret for a bit longer!

Have a lovely weekend my dears.

193

2011-05-05T13:46:00.000+02:00

What I wore last Sunday.

dress from Zara; shorts from Vero Moda; a jacket from H&M; thrifted shoes and a selfmade totebag

The totebag says Bazinga, the famous quote from Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory. I absolutely love that show and last week's episode made my day. Anyone else saw it? I'm talking about the girls night out with Sheldon, the dancing, the kiss between Sheldon and Amy, the disagreements between Priya and Sheldon, ... Just brilliant.

Note: I found a Marc Jacobs top in the thrift store the other day! I went to drop off five bag of clothes (I meant to sell them at a flea market, but had a big clean out instead) and couldn't resist looking around a bit. And there it was, just hanging between all the other tops, looking all pretty and in great condition. I'm so happy, I never found something like that before and I've always been a big MJ fan. Jeej! Pictures will follow.

192

2011-05-02T16:15:00.000+02:00

This is the floral skirt I received in the mail last week. I still have to alter it, so I wore it as a dress. I'm madly in love with the print, just couldn't leave it lying in the closet.

floral skirt, worn as a dress - Little Deer Vintage; lace cardigan - H&M; boots - flea market

Last week has been so busy with work, a reunion with friends from high school, making cocktails for an entire day, dining out, watching Harry Potter movies for the 10th time and so on.

This week will be rather busy too, but today will be all about relaxing and clearing out the wardrobe. I'm also making a list of things I really need, so next time I'll go shopping (when I get my first paycheck, exciting) I won't just buy every gorgeous thing I lay my eyes upon. Currently it says: black denim jeans, a pair of black sandals and a pair of black brogues.

What's on your list?