GREY SANDS

Last Saturday I went to the beach with my family. Of course the beach is not the most thought of place to visit during the month of January. Instead of catching some sun you go and 'catch' some wind. We had quite peculiar weather. There was a soft wind, sunny blue spots of sky and very heavy dark clouds. I think there was just enough wind to blow the rain away. Anyway perfect circumstances for photographing. I love the dramatic feel the dark clouds give the photographs. It almost seems to be taken in negative.  The soft dunes and the patterns in the sand are such a great contrast apposing to the heavy clouds. The captured water after the sea ebbed away creates a mirror that features the colours of the sky and dunes with a shiny texture.

I wore: coat: Dorothy Perkins, Jumper: Steps, skort&boots& scarf: Zara

BLACK BEAUTIES

There used to be a time that I had hardly any black shoes at all. Now I can not have enough of them.
Especially when they have a thick heel. It makes it easier to walk for long hours and just looks good too! Today I'm going to show you a few of my black shoes.


BLACK BEAUTIES from JFD on Vimeo.


1 The first pair are a pair of riding boots. I got them with a huge discount at a thrift store. At first they where 375 and I got them for 60! Yes, I did good. Unfortunately they are not so comfortable because they are made from very thick leather. I prefer to wear them with a short skirt, skort or short. But they are also very nice with a long see through maxi skirt.

2 The second pair I have bought from the Zara. Also in sale for 60 euros. They are made from soft leather and have a rubber sole what makes them comfortable to walk in. They are about 8CM high. They can be worn with almost everything!

3 The third pair are the highest of the lot because there is no plateau sole in this shoe. I really like seeing them from the back because of the hight and the straps around the ankles. These also cost.., 60 euro's from the zara.  They are 10 cm high

5 The fourth pair are one of favourites. I have had them for quite a while. They are very easy to combine and the cork makes them special. These also have a plateau which makes them about
7cm in stead of 11.

4 The last pair I have had for quite a while. I bought them in London from New Look. I think they cost about 20 pounds. Because they have a small plateau they are comfy to wear. So in fact they are not 10 cm but around 5cm high I think .

Also I have a new pair coming. They are already ordered (from Zara) but have yet to come in.  So I'm counting off the days. Here are some pictures from the website:

BIT TO BITE

One of my favourite things is to go out for a bite to eat. Although I enjoy cooking myself, it always makes it a little bit better, when there is an element of surprise. You (almost) never know how it's going to turn out on your plate. This always makes me kind of anxious. What makes it even better is, when you have smaller bites so you can eat more different things. Also known as Tapas. Quite a while ago I went to a new restaurant called "Stan & Co." that turned up in the centre of Utrecht. It has an American vibe with rough brick walls, advertisements, light signs, woods and metals. I thought the food was very nice but also very pricey. Although they work with "green" materials and suppliers a simple caprese from this format should not have cost more than 5 euro's. So my conclusion: fun for once but not again.

 caprese with Mozzarella, fried basil, tomato and flake

 Yakitori with sesame seeds and noodles

 salmon with avocado cream and black sesame seeds

 Flat bread with rucola, pesto and seranoham

Scampi's with lemon

Cod with lentils

steak rolls filled with rice served with mango chipotle

PHOTOSHOOT MONDAY

It's no secret I love photography. Especially when I'm behind the camera but also when I am on the other side of the camera. I always find it interesting how a photograph can portrait the essence of a person or otherwise change it to what the photographer wants to capture. A few weeks ago I went to the school of arts in Utrecht to look at my boyfriend having his picture taken for a project. When a model stood up, one of the students I offered to help out and this is the result.I especially like the vintage feel.

Wearing: Thrifted kimono, Watch: Swatch

CONNECTING ELSEWHERE

Sometimes you need to take the time to reconnect with yourself. Let go of all the worries and limitations.  For me this means taking my camera with me as i'm enjoying nature and the company of friends and family. So a reminder. Don't lose yourself within all restrictions.

Wearing: Dress: Zara, Blouse, hat: Primark, Shoes: Thrifted

TRIANGLE

Today I have a nice DIY to make a nice mural for your room. For quite a while I had one of my paintings hanging but as it hung there since 2010 I got fed up with it. So time for something new.

And here is how you do it:

 STEP 0: STARTING IT

- scissors
- glue
- magazine clippings
- a white canvas
- cutting ruler of Stanley knife
- cardboard
- a marker

 
STEP 1: FITTING IT

Take the cardboard and make a sample shape. I chose this triangle shape with the measurements of 15 to 18.  Once you have the sample you can place it on one of the magazine clippings to figure out which part of the page you want to use. If you really like the page you could use it twice by placing the cardboard sample smartly. Once you have placed it mark the corners as shown below.




STEP 2: CUTTING IT

Take the cutting ruler or a Stanley knife and cut from mark to mark to make the triangle shape. 

STEP 3: PLACING IT

Puzzle how you want to arrange your triangles. Take in mind how you place black, white and colour, or dark and lighter images a posing to each other.  When you have a composition you like and start gluing make sure you spread the glue evenly to prevent bubbling of the thin paper or glue smudges.
You can cut the images off at the edge or you can stick them round the curve. I chose for the last. When you are done you could also spray paint it with lacquer to prevent colouring of the images by the sun. Don't paint it in the ordinary way because you could wipe out the images by painting it with a brush.

 

good luck, I hope you try.

TRUE EXAMPLES

Many of us have admired our mothers or grandmothers while looking at a photo book.  They portrait empowered women dressed accordingly to the time and style of when the picture was taken. But then something happens. Fashions change, children are born, work takes over and style just becomes a thing implemented when special dinners and birthday parties occur. To be blunt and yes I am generalizing. I think this is something many Dutch women suffer from. I like to call it comfort dressing. Attention to style and individuality subtract. What may happen is that clothes are worn that where in style back in the day and often don’t suit anymore, or older women fall into the pattern of what is expected of the particular age group.  As for I can say the typical Dutch granny wears beige sandals, beige/kaki or navy blue stretch pants and a striped shirt with woolen cardigan. Hair firmly done with a perm and makeup or nail polish is out of sight. I have caught myself thinking I will not end up that way. I want to become that stylish granny that has to restrict her granddaughter from raiding her closet and jewel box every other weekend.  So for now some lady’s that certainly set an example.