How to pimp a t-shirt? DIY

Last Wednesday my little niece (the cutes niece ever) celebrated het first birthday! And since I am her favorite aunt I had to make something special for her.

I already bought a present for her but I also wanted to make something unique for her. So what I did is I bought some Iron applications and 2 shirts and made something pretty cool for her to wear. 

Here we go!

Craft Challenge May: Wall Art

Finally I found the time to show you my project for this month's Craft Challenge! I already finished it last week (yes that's right! It wasn't last minute work this time) and I must say I am pretty pleased with it.

Like my previous projects this one is also very affordable and it can be made in an afternoon.

DIY: Multi-colour scarf

A while ago I made this colourfull shirt for which I used some left over fabric. Since I still had some fabric left I decided to make a scraf. 

Below you can find a description on how to make one for yourself.

1). What do you need:

• Fabric 80x140cm
• Ribbon 40 cm long (2x 20cm)
• Sewing machine
• needle + thread

April Blog Angel - And I was not bored!

So this time I have been the worst Blog Angel out there.... and it is such a shame because the blog I tried to help out this month is simply awesome!!!

Fresh start of the day - Deluxe

A think you probably don't know about me is that my dream is to one day open my own sandwich shop or lunch room.....

So when ever I have the time I make my boyfriend a nice sandwich that I came up with as a test case. And today I am going to share one of those test cases with you. Here is the sandwich that I made yesterday:

Fresh start of the day - Deluxe:

• Italian bread roll. (Here in Holland we have all sorts of bread rolls! This one is white bread with Italian Herbs in it. You can just buy it at a local backery of grocery shop.)
• Yoghurt based mayonaisse
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Cheese
• Avocado
• Boiled egg
• Some thinly sliced bacon

Just put it on the roll in this order and you have this result:

Smakelijk eten! Which is Dutch for Bon Appetit!

April Blog Angels half-way post

As you know I have been participating in Rosie's Blog Angel 'program' for a while now. But what is a Blog Angel? 

If you look up the following 2 words BLOG and ANGEL you will find the following definitions:

Blog: a Web site containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc.,and often having images and links to other Web sites. (http://dictionary.reference.com)

Angel: a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness. (http://dictionary.reference.com)

So if you combine the 2 words you know what being a Blog Angel is all about! It is about helping an other blogger by:

- Commenting on posts
- Button exchange
- Helping with the lay out 
- Guest posting
- Writing a post about them
- Following them on other social media platforms
- etc, anything you can think of will work!

For this month I haven't been the ultimate blog angel.... But luckily the blog I am trying to help is a blog that already has all the features and qualities of being a great blog! So I feel there is not much I can add.... But this blog does give back by inspiring me! So being a blog angel is not only about helping someone else it is also a great way to get new inspiration and to make new friends!

At the end of the month I can reveal to you which blog I am talking about, but I will try to find some way to end this edition with a special something. Not quite sure what it will be... but I am working on it.

April Craft Challenge 2013 - Vintage Hat Rack

So are you ready for my masterpiece?

 Well before you get all excited I must admit one thing... well actually two things...

1) I spent € 10 instead of $ 10... so basically I overspent € 3....

2) My dad helped me.... well actually he made the whole thing.... It went like this: I brought the knobs to my parents to show my plan and to ask how to do it and if I could use his drill. So I decided to leave my stuff at my parents for when I would come back to make it. And before I knew it my dad finished the whole project....

To be honest I am gald he did, because it looks amazing and perfectly finished! A real masterpiece if you ask me.

I hope you like it as much as I do!

Colour up my life!

So I just wanted to share with you guys this lovely painting me and my boyfriend recently purchased. We bought it through a colleague of mine who's father painted it. Isn't it wonderful?!!! I am absolutely in love with the colours and it really brightens up the room.

Enjoy your weekend!

Out of the blue into the new

Do you know that feeling that all of a sudden you have to have a specific item? Well it happened to me (again)... All of a sudden I had to have a denim blouse.

And voila! Here it is!

What is your must have item of the moment?

Preview: April Craft Challenge 2013!

Here is a little preview for this months Craft Challenge! I already have to admit that I didn't really follow the rules on this one.... The idea is that you make something amazing for less than $10... But mine is €10... which looks the same.... but of course this is like €7! So I went slightly over budget, but as you might know I am no mathematician (my boyfriend will be glad to confirm this to you) so what else can you expect.

Here are some pics of the items I bought, the complete project will follow at the end of this month so don't miss it!!!

Hope to see you soon!!!!

This is my Gym and I wear what I want to!

Today's post has a bit of a twist... It is about me giving advice on what to look for when you go out to buy running gear. Not that I am an expert but I have been running for a couple of years now and I do know some do's and dont´s when it comes to running clothes.

Since the running season is starting again I will mainly be focusing on spring and summer gear. I feel that most people run more in the spring and summer than they do in the winter. Which is A Okay with me! I try to run all year round but once it gets dark at 5 o'clock in the afternoon and it weather is getting colder and wetter I do have the tendency to stay inside where it is nice and warm... So during this period my running is mainly limited to the weekends, during the day... when it is light... and dry (hopefully)... 

Ok back to the running essentials, before we start I must make clear that the following is only based on my own opinion and has nothing to do with facts & figures nor am I getting to paid by any company to publish this (I wish I was though).


1). We all need some support
Before you start you (and with you I mean all my female readers) need to have a good support system for the  'girls'. A good sports bra is essential! You need to get one that is suited for heavy sports. Most of the labels show the kind of support a sports bra gives. Make sure you try it on first to make sure it is not too tight and fits you well.

Make sure you try it before you buy it!!!!

2). Stay warm - Keep cool
So here where I live (the land of the Dutch) the weather changes continuously. One day it can be 14 degrees Celsius and the next day it can be -1 degrees!  This makes it difficult to dress in a proper way. You can either wear too many clothes, too warm clothes of not enough clothes which result in not getting warm at all! An example, this week we had this nasty North-East wind which was freakishly cold! But the sun was shinning, and if you were out of the wind it was actually really nice and spring was finally in the air! But when running the wind keeps on changing so what to wear..... Well in these cases I can only suggest 1 item... This amazing running jacket with sleeves you can take off!

This jacket is amazing and the best purchase ever! You can basically wear it the whole year! In the winter with a thermos shirt underneath.

And in the summer with just a sports bra underneath and without the sleeves!

And maybe the best thing about this jacket is that it has this pocket at the back which I always use to put the sleeves in. So when I am running and I am hot I just zip of the sleeves and put them in my pocket!

3). Show off those legs!
If you really want to be a part of the running culture you have to show off your legs! A true runner runs in shorts as soon as the temperature is above 10 degrees Celsius. Of course there are all sorts of running pants, I prefer to have a short and a capri. The short of course for the summer and a capri for the days you are not quite sure what to wear... It is like an in between pants.

Short, shorter, shortest.

I love to wear this short during the really warm summer trainings! It is ideal for those trainings because the short is a bit loose but has a tight short underneath.

I love my Capri pants!!! It is Dri-fit so it keeps you dry when you are all warm and sweaty, and it has a pocket in the back. This is something I find essential and I can´t go without! I always use it for my keys or Ipod.

Again a short, with pocket. When you buy a short make sure it has like a band at end of the legs to prevent it from creeping up when you are running. That is like the worst thing!

4). To-shirt or not To-shirt
Again it all comes down to the weather and the performance. A long sleeve if perfect for the winter, a t-shirt for in between and a thin breathable top for the summer. But I think the most important thing are layers. Pretend that you are in San Francisco where the mornings can be chilly due to the fog that rolles in from the ocean but in the afternoon it is all nice and warm. The same goes with running. When you start you will be chilly or maybe even cold. But once you hit the 5K your body will become warm and before you know it you will be sweating like a monkey. Therefore it is always best not to dress to warm. And make sure you have something warm and dry that you can put on after your run. This to prevent you from getting cold and even sick. So here are a few of my favorite running shirts.

This is a top that would wear now. At the moment here in Holland it is not too warm.... And there is this cold strong wind. So I like to wear a long sleeve to make sure my body and arms are warm and over this I like to wear my black jacket. This combination is warm because of the layers, but I can take something off and it is breathable and has the Dri-Fit technology.

And another one of my favorites! A light airy shirt with a small pocket at the back. Also Dri-fit and very comfortable.

Last week I bought this summer running top. It is really thin and airy so ideal for the hot summer trainings. Oh and it is pink, also very important.

It is so thin that it is almost see-through, but when you wear it is does not show anything you don´t want to show.

 Super summarize it please:

- layers
- dri-fit
- short, shorter, shorts
- Get warm, stay warm


And there you have it, my running essentials! If you have any favorites, please let me know! Because we all know sharing is caring!

Winter Must list review!

Officially the winter is over... but still it feels like winter :( But I thought it is time for my "Winter must list" update! 

Did I manage to reach all my winter goals? Did I get all my Winter Must-Haves? Let's go and find out!

______________________________________________________

So this Summer I made a 'must list', this is basically and overview of things I feel I need to do, get or feel for this season. Since the Summer is long gone and Autumn has started I decided to make a new list:

Must do:

- Stick to my budget! I spend way too much money and I need to stick to the budget! No excuses!

Since I am terrible at sticking to any budget it is not surpising I didn't reach this goal..... 

- Finish my yoga mat bag that I am making. It is a fun project but I need some time to think it through and to make sure it is perfect! Here are some picture of what I am up to:

The strap

The outside + pockets

The outside + tunnel to close the bag

I did finish the bag!!! But.... I wanted to make a full extensive tutorial... but I waited too long with writing it so when I decided to put it all on paper it was just too hard, too long and too confusing... So I ended up not posting it... Sorry!!!

- I really need to get my ice skates sharpened! I tell myself that every year but for some reason I keep forgetting each year to do it. Until it is ice skating time of course! But by then it is too late because you have to wait for like 2 weeks before it can be done due to the large amount of skates that need to be sharpened.... Pfff mental note to myself, must not forget to do this....

Ahhh I can remember this like it was yesterday! The start of winter, looking forward to ice skating.... and in the end up getting my skates sharpened! We did have some really nice days for ice skating but I had to work so there was no point in having them sharpened anyway.

- I also want to make 2 skirts. A year ago I bought this amazing fabric in Istanbul which will be gorgeous for a skirt.... And I found this amazing pattern for which I have the perfect fabric!

Haven't started in this one yet....

Haven't started on this one either... But this is more of a summer fabric. But I did make some other pieces! Which you can see in this post and this post.

- I need to run at least 1x per week! No matter what weather it is outside need to do this!

Yep! I did manage to keep with the running... sort of anyway. Okay so I did not run every week for the whole winter but I we had a lot of snow! Which is always a good excuse.

Must have:

- Comfy flat boots/booties

Republic

Done and done! I found amazing boots! And they were on sale so that is pretty amazing. You can find an image of the boots I bought here.

- Ear muffs

Also done! You can see me wearing them in this post!


- Warm soft knitted sweater!

New Look

So I actually saved money on this part! I  raided my boyfriends closet and wore some of his warm sweaters! And I found some nice sweaters at Primark for only € 5 per sweater! Amazing I know!

Must feel:

- Healthy

http://www.kiwifamilies.co.nz

Hmmm I tried, but I have been ill and had 2 terrible colds this winter.... oh and I ate quite some chocolate.....

- Fit

Yoga

Well to be honest I feel that me getting 2 colds and the flu this winter is a direct result of working out too little! Because in previous winters when I would run every week on Saturday morning I never was ill! So coming winter I will run every Saturday morning and continue to go Yoga once a week.

- Happy

Happy Advocates

I have been pretty happy this winter! Except for the part where we were informed that the company that I worked at was going to be closed... But I found another amazing job so that boosted my spirit.

So there you have it! Doesn't sound to difficult now does it? Do you have items that you must do/must have and or must feel? I look forward to hear what you items you have to add to this list!

This is it! Next up my Summer must list! But first we have to wait for spring!

Craft Challenge March!

It is almost the end of March and therefore it is time to show you what I made for this month's Craft Challenge.

I like to make easy, simple things that basically everybody can make without spending too much money.

For this challenge all you need is a basic t-shirt, I bought mine for only € 2.99 at Zeeman. The shirt is very affordable and also very comfortable! The fabric panel I used was something I had as a left over from last season.

  You just need to cut the panel in line with the shirt, but keep in mind you need to stretch the bottom of the shirt all the way out. This is the width of the panel you will need, then you just cut a square. You first finish of the top part of the panel with a small zig-zag stitch or an over-lock stitch. Then you crinkle/wrinkle the top part about 5 cm below the top. Once you have done this you can stitch the sides to the shirt and finally the bottom. It is pretty easy but you do need a sewing machine...

And here is the result!

I wanted to post a picture of me wearing the shirt with a cute outfit, but my boyfriend is in Sweden for a conference so there is no one to take cute pictures. But once I have cool pics I will be sure to post and share them with you!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!