Owl Things Considered

I tend to love bird statement necklaces that show off a lot of wing. I think it looks cool and makes for an interesting shape that is incredibly eye catching. Especially so, of course, when they are owls carrying Hogwarts letters...

These cool laser cut necklaces can be found at RichardsonRichardson on Etsy. They have a few owls; one with letter, and a couple without. Some are made from plastic, and others from actual wood. And a few different sizes too.

There are plenty more witty items in the shop, as well as some Halloween designs. So follow this link to see more.

Mood & Music Mosaic #14

Better Man - Leon Bridges

cardigan - notebook set - tea - watercolors - scented candle

Fall is here! Though I love the warmth of summer and am sad to see it go, I also adore the coziness Fall brings. It is perfect for creating your own bubble of music, tea and something creative. And I discovered Leon Bridges just in time!

What are you looking forward to about Fall?

Sanrio Strawberry Chocolate

Quite a while ago I placed a fun order at Blippo. I originally came for something else, but -having really enjoyed Japanese strawberry chocolate before- I also ended up adding two little boxes of Sanrio chocolates to my cart.

The packaging was already adorable, but the real magic happened inside… All the chocolates were shaped like Sanrio characters (even my favorite: Pom Pom Purin!) or the Milky girl! And luckily they hadn't melted on the way over here.

From what I recall from eating Meiji's famous strawberry chocolates a few years prior, I think they compare pretty well. A tiny bit less tasty maybe. Or maybe it was just bittersweet munching on those adorable little faces, haha!

Plans & Goals: September

Just when I'd almost given up on a proper summer, the sun decided to come out again. And I hear it should stick for most of September! So that gives me some extra time to do the summery things I hadn't gotten to yet. I really hope to:

• Visit my favorite street of the city.
• Get together with some friends before my hibernation starts.
• Wear a fifties dress.
• Go see Kubo and the Two Strings at the cinema.
• Send out some fun mail.
• Read outdoors.
• Get creative with some new craft supplies.
• Start a new type of journal.
• And enjoy the last of the summer fruit.

What do you still hope to squeeze into your summer? And how has it been so far?

My Tukoni Owls

Tukoni Tribe is a shop I always keep my eye on, as it only ever sells beautiful and cute things. Some time ago I bought a brooch of a guitar playing creature (that I somehow still haven't posted about!) and of course I also ordered the owl stickers.

I held onto them until I found the absolute perfect place for them, which ended up being my wardrobe. I have one of those big Ikea wardrobes, very plain and very white. It looks so much cooler now that it has a row of owls on it!

Anyway, the stickers (sold as two different sets) are still available in the Tukoni Tribe shop, as is a poster of the same design. But there are some other owl items too. And all the other creatures are definitely worth checking out too!

Snail Mail >> Outgoing

It occurred to me that, despite putting quite some effort into my snail mail, I hardly ever show pictures of my outgoing parcels. However, I do tend to take pictures while I put them together. So I've decided to finally post some of them.

 Anyway, this was a little surprise for a lovely mom-to-be. I went with something cute, as well as something very Dutch. The illustrations on the cutlery are the literary characters (Jip & Janneke) every single Dutch kid grows up with!

Of course I also had to sneak an owl in there. And I could not resist color coordinating everything either.

More snail mail coming soon! Including some absolutely wonderful incoming parcels...

In the Mail: alleluja

It has been a rough and uncertain time. So much so that, despite previously having been so excited about my new layout, blogging never even crossed my mind. Anyway, to cheer myself up I ordered something adorable from alleluja that was bound to make me smile. Which it did! And now that I'm back, I thought I'd show you what I picked out.

It's a porcelain kitten brooch inspired by the shape of old-fashioned cookie molds. And it has such a sweet face!

I was so excited to receive this little creature! And I hope to be wearing the brooch a lot. I also loved the colorful and careful wrapping, the cute postcard, and even the tiny business card (which I'll keep and use as a bookmark).

I've blogged about alleluja twice before. And though it had been 5 years since I last treated myself to one of Sawako's creatures, the shop is thankfully still up and running; sending out gorgeous creatures to brighten people's days.

Owl Things Considered

Ever since I "became an adult" my dad has found it hard to pick out birthday/Christmas presents for me. However, every once in a while -and completely out of the blue- he will surprise me with something small that is absolutely perfect!

I actually received this owl tin with chocolates (that are now long gone!) quite a while ago, but I am still so happy with it!

Goodbye Old Look, Hello New Layout!

I finally did it! I gave my blog a makeover! The former one actually lasted me the better part of six years. I still like it quite a lot, but I wanted something fresher and cleaner. It took a while to get all the elements right, but today I did it!

It's a slightly narrower page, with a similar triangle theme and color scheme, only a little milder and sleeker. Instead of cork I went with a subtle woodgrain (yes, it is a picture of my own floor!). And though my faithful old owl is still making an appearance, I'm also introducing a new mascot. Oh, and I made all my own social media sidebar icons to match!

Funny story… this new layout is actually a mash-up of two layouts I made but never installed. The banner is from one I made one or two years back, but didn't like the background of. And the background is very recent, but was hard to find a proper banner for. However, last night it all came together wonderfully. Like it was made for each other.

I might continue to add a few elements or do some minor tweaking these next few weeks. Since my editing software is failing me, it's actually quite hard at the moment. That, however, is a tale for another time… Today we celebrate!

(mtb) Joining the 21-Day Decluttering Challenge

It's been a while since I did one of these! But whenever you see a (mtb) post you can be sure that I am very motivated and busy making changes. Currently, I'm focussed on minimalism again. I just started the minimalism game (which I might blog about later) and as luck would have it, I found a 21-Day Decluttering Challenge today that only just went live.

Courtney Carver is a name I'd come across before. Her "project 333" is something I'd heard many people talk about, but had no intention of trying myself. However, I am really liking this decluttering challenge so far!

I like that it begins with laying a solid personal foundation of why you're doing it. It doesn't dive into getting rid of an x amount of this and an x amount of that. Instead it starts you off with a very clear motivation that will (hopefully) help you stick with the challenge (and your own decluttering project) until you are exactly where you want to be.

Defining and visualizing "the why" is also covered in the set-up of the KonMari book, which I'll admit I kind of skipped there. But because this challenge is paced, I actually wrote down what I want from this experience.

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The challenges should only take about 15 to 30 minutes a day, and Courtney also stresses that you work at your own pace. So this sounds like a very doable project! Even if you're low on energy or are busy with work/other things.

Like I said, this only just started, and since there hasn't been any decluttering so far, it would be very easy to still catch up. Are you planning on joining? Or do you maybe have some other project you love?

~

In "making things better" I share what is helping me better my life while hopefully inspiring others in the process. It might include things that either don't apply to you, or that you disagree with. That is fine too. Read it, think about it, and decide for yourself whether it can also make things better for you.

Plans & Goals: June

I'm not so sure how I feel about May… Lots of mixed events, mixed emotions etc. But I am sure that I feel very excited about June. Keeping my fingers crossed for great weather and for cool impromptu stuff to pop up. Also, I plan to:

• Install a new blog layout! Which is nearly done!
• Get ice cream from my favorite shop for the first time this year.
• Sit down and journal.
• Start blogging about games I played or have my eye on.
• Go to my first concert in ages.
• Visit a Japanese market full of tasty treats and goodies.
• Do something creative with a friend.
• Whip up another batch of my homemade deodorant.
• And go late birthday shopping with my mom.

How would you like to kick off summer? Any fun things planned?

Owl Things Considered

Today I'd like to show you something that combines three of my favorite things! Owls, stationery and pretty tins…

I just adore these little sets of memos. Of course, the owl is one of my favorites, but I also love that adorable hedgehog. And I really like how these little notes fold over to create a tiny moving animal. So simple, yet so very clever.

Anyway, there are also tons of birds available, as well as a panda, and -to complete my top 3- this adorable bunny.

You can find the whole collection here on eBay, but there are also a few designs available at this Etsy Shop.

Lovely Movies: The Amazing Spider-man

When I heard The Amazing Spider-Man was being made, I was not so excited… I loved the Tobey Maguire movies (except for that awful third…) and did not see the point in an extra Spider-Man at all. That is, until I actually watched it.

First of all, it's thankfully not the exact same plot. Second of all, it was such a blast to watch! I loved the sense of humor, the fact that Spider-Man acted his age, and just the overall pace of the scenes. I do find myself getting weary of the endings of movies like this though. They tend to be so quick and action-packed that my brain just zones out.

Now I hear that the sequel was very, very bad. But after the set-up created here, I actually would like to know what happens next. So if I get the chance I will definitely give the second one the fair shot I now finally gave the first.

Mood & Music Mosaic #13

Paris Nights/New York Mornings - Corinne Bailey Rae

cardigan and pants - sunglasses - earrings - backpack

It is getting warmer and all of a sudden it is wonderful to be outside again. There is little I love more than exploring the city when the weather is nice. To not be in a rush, not be carrying a heavy coat around, but to just relax and go wherever I please. To lose track of time as I walk through unfamiliar streets and discover little gems along the way.

What do you like to do on those glorious warm-yet-not-too-hot spring days?

Lovely Movies: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Now I wouldn't exactly call this a "lovely" movie, but it's a very good one that tells a very important tale. I still remember being very shocked the first time I saw it. Less so when I saw it again this week, but I still cried.

I'd actually be a little worried if you could watch this movie without crying at all. Granted, it didn't pack quite the punch that Grave of the Fireflies did, but it still hits you were it hurts. And that's exactly what it should do.

Now, every year in May we have memorials for the war victims and a celebration of freedom and peace, and I have to admit that some years I dodge all the war movies and pop in a dvd of my own, but this year I decided to watch this powerful story again. I have not read the book, so I can not recommend that, but the film is absolutely amazing!

Birthday

So my birthday was quite recently. I had an adorable little birthday party that involved pastries, rose lemonade and a wonderful card game. And through the magic of snail mailed gifts I also celebrated with a dear friend from overseas.

Let's start with cake! Since I had a little party I decided to go with fancy pastries... One of the best decisions I've ever made. I got these adorable pastries with red fruit and chocolate mousse. They were as divine as they were adorable!

But my day started with opening some amazing birthday mail that was beautiful inside and out, so let's take a peek.

I received these amazing animal hair pins and brooches. The three cats I've had in my life so far have been black, grey and kind of white, so it seems this set was pretty much made for me! I also adore the wooden bobby pins.

This amazing owl package held an Alice in Wonderland coloring book! I already did one page, which I posted here.

I also received a gorgeous monogrammed journal I'd been eyeing. And some pencils that are a perfect match for it!

This golden package held a stunning book called the Vintage Tea Party Treasury; which I'm sure I'll show you soon.

One of the friends at my party gave me these adorable stamps. There's an owl, a penguin and a cute little heart. I also received an ink pad in one of my favorite colors, so I'm good to go and can start stamping whenever I want.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of my birthday! There are actually still a few more things I hope to show you later...