Back to reality

Last week, Brett and I snuck off on a quickie vacation to Mexico via Carnival Cruises.

Here we are, still in the Mississippi River waiting to push off.  That's one of the twin spans in pront of me, and I was laying directly underneath the other one.

It was a great trip.  Incredibly relaxing, fun, with nothing to do except lay in the shade (I'm pale, yo!) and drink fruity drinks.  I'm back at work now, with nothing to show for it except a nasty necklace induced rash on my neck and a few cheap Mexican bracelets (20 cents each, kind of a steal).

I'll get around to getting the real pictures off my computer and editing them soon (thank god picnik came back in the form of picmonkey).  I have some frames to fill anyway.

As gaudy as the boat was, there were some things I found inspiring.  The white and royal blue color scheme on the sunny decks and all the smooth wood hand-rails.  The sun-faded wood decks.  The dusty blush, lavender, and gray tiles in our stateroom's shower.  The washed out colors of the Spanish style homes in Merida.  Beautiful.

I finished my book and slept on the deck, and managed to get away with just a minor sunburn on my shoulders from playing minigolf on the very top deck in a tank top.  I learned how to play roulette and won enough money to be a little giddy about it.  And I enjoyed my husband.  But it's over and now I'm at work again, and there's no deck chair in the sun where I can enjoy my lunch break.

I've recently decided I'm taking on a new, big (for me) project for the summer.  I'm going to make my first quilt.  After talking to my grandma who teaches quilting, I think I'll send it off for finishing and binding.  But just making the layers is enough for me.  I'm making a baby quilt, not because I'm having a baby anytime soon.  But because it is small.  And small is good for a first timer.

My inspiration is going to be an abstraction of the color wheel.  I'll start with a few white square in the very middle and move outward from there with colors that blend into one another.  I hope it looks cool and not cheesy?  Fingers crossed.

Like this (from quilter fromthebluechair)

Shopping in Europe

Yeah, yeah, I had a fabulous time spending a week in Europe with my husband.  But let's get to the important stuff.  What did I buy?

Who cares about scenery?

Actually, I didn't do as much shopping as I thought I would.  We were just having too much fun relaxing, first of all.  And second of all, I was a little worried about fitting stuff in our suitcases on the way home - which was probably a good thing because I think our big suitcase was technically overweight and the very nice airline check in people looked to other way.

So we did shop at a little store in Amsterdam that had lots of quirky home stuff, stationery, baby things, and tons of other stuff.  We liked a lot in there, but what we ended up bringing home was our real souvenir from the trip, a small white ceramic canal house that we can put a votive in.  It's really cute, and it will remind us of what we thought was so beautiful about this city.

We want to live in one of these houses

We weren't able to find any art that we thought we could get home or that we wanted to ship.  But we took tons of photos and we'll definitely be having some printed.  I'll be doing a shadowbox as well, and I'm going to do some coins in very small frames to arrange somewhere (we got a London Eye coin to mix in, plus we have leftovers).

This horse is all like "What's up?"

Now, for clothes, I went to the huge H&M in Amsterdam, and just didn't find much.  I was so disappointed, honestly.  There was so little I could see myself wearing, and even their basics just felt so low quality.  There were some things that I loved, and would have bought if they were just a bit tweaked.  Like a red fair isle hooded sweater vest with a hood.  If it had sleeves, I would have gotten it.

As it was, all I got was an orange leather braided bracelet for 2 euro.  I thought the orange would be a good reminder of Amsterdam, and honestly it seems to be really good quality for the price.  I did like the look of some of their bags and almost bought a faux fur collar, but my H convinced me I wouldn't wear it.  I think he was probably right.  Since we went to one of the flagship stores, we got a look at the home line.  I can't find pics online, but I really liked a lot about it.  It was really focused on white, casual fabrics, which I loved.  I think it will be really successful!

In London, we found ourselves arriving at the Tower of London a few minutes after the last guided tower had started, so we decided to come back the next day (totally worth it, the tours guided by the Yeoman Warders are fantastic.  And free!), and we trekked over to the west side of town to a big shopping center to visit the Lego Store (we got a wizard keychain for Brett and a set of three build your own minifigs - one toy soldier to honor our locale and two that we just picked to match some of our collection).

At the same shopping center, I stopped in the French Connection when I noticed they were having a big sale.  They're supposedly having the same sale online, but all I got was this bird skull necklace, which I paid 15 pounds for (roughly $23).  So why it's on "sale" for $49 online, I'm not sure.  That's even more than the original price on my tag of 30 pounds.  I've noticed some big discrepancies between UK prices and online US prices at Topshop as well.

Cute, yes.  Worth $50, no.

Ahhh, Topshop.  Brett found a little info guide and let me know this shopping center contained a Topshop, so we hotfooted it right over.  I LOVED it.  Such a great store, and I loved that there was a wide variety of prices.  The wall of tights was incredible - so many colors and patterns.  Honestly, I would have bought way more if I'd had room for it, but I was worrying about packing space at this point.

So here's what I bought.  This cream sweater with a black beaded motif, for 50 pounds.  Sorry for the crappy picture.  I loved this when I saw it, plus it's insanely soft and not too heavy.  I think it will look great layered with another shirt underneath.

These sleeves look super long, but it's just kind of short, not belly baring, but not the long shirts I'm used to.

I also got a tee shirt that's knit on the back and a silk type material on the front (although I seriously doubt it was silk for the price I paid, I think 18 pounds).  It's hot pink and orange, with a little pocket on the chest, and a great sillhouette.

I also got this pig cuff bracelet.  Again, I didn't pay this much but I don't remember exactly what I did pay, closer to 15 pounds/20 bucks.  I also got a snake wrap bracelet for around the same price point that I can't find online.  And I got a pair of opaque tights in a gorgeous mustard color.  I'll take pics of all the items when I wear them.

Now, here's what I strongly considered but didn't buy.  This t-rex print sweatshirt in gray was so adorable, and a great price, but they didn't have it in my size.  I also seriously considered this fox sweater, and part of me still really loves it, but the other part is happy that I left it on another continent.  I also loved their jeans, they offered them in fabulous colors.  But I wasn't sure about the sizing and I had a husband waiting for me so I knew it wasn't the time for jean shopping.

What I loved, wanted, would have bought if I'd had unlimited suitcase space of course included a pair of shoes.  I saw so many girls wearing brogues or ankle boots with slouchy socks over tights, leggings, or skinny jeans.  It was so cute.  Now this is a look that I'm unsure about on myself.  I'm very happy with my feet and ankles, okay with my calves.  But I'm afraid this could take away a lot of the shape in my legs.  Honestly though, jeans do that anyway.  So it's something I want to try.

These (I think they're the ones I was looking at) were exactly what I was looking for, but the pic online doesn't show how great they looked in person.  They were slightly distressed and the leather looked great.  They're about $20 higher on the US website, so I'll have to decide if that's worth it.

I also loved, loved, loved this navy leather satchel, but I know it didn't cost nearly that much at the store.  I remember doing a quick conversion and thinking it was just over $100.  I also loved this navy and cream leather bag at a little lower price point (roughly $60 in store, 38 pounds).  I would have bought one of them if I thought I had room.  And in hindsight, I could have moved things around, worn my heavier shoes on the plane and made it work.  But I just didn't want to deal with it at that moment.

I wish the price discrepancy wasn't so big, but I'm sure there are costs for them associated with selling in the US.  There are definitely some things I think are worth it.  I think soon enough I'll be making an order for a bag (not sure which one yet), the brogues, a pair of jeans, and a pair of velvet slippers, among other items.  I'm really glad I got to try it out, get an idea of sizing, and have a great time shopping!

We're in love

Brett and I are leaving Amsterdam tomorrow and we've fallen in love with the city. I'm completely obsessed with the canal houses, especially the black ones. Brett loves all the architecture that comes with it being an old city-brick streets, the arched bridges. It's all so gorgeous. Plus, there are so many great shops filled with products that show great design. If we weren't limited on space, we would have some new lighting! And there are so many amazing, adorable baby and children's products here. It's a good thing we don't have one yet, but I've been tempted anyway!

We're sad that tomorrow is our last day in the city, and we've really enjoyed our time here. But we're also excited to see London tomorrow night!

I'm posting from my phone, so the only picture I have is the view from our hotel room. Our hotel is amazing too! I'll post tons of pictures when I get back.

I've honestly not been all that impressed by the clothing yet. We went to the flagship H&M, and all I bought was a little orange braided leather bracelet. I wasn't even tempted to try anything on.

I'm definitely more looking forward to London shopping. I think it will be super fun!

Let's Go Shopping - London

In just four weeks, I'll be hopping a train from Amsterdam to London to start the second part of our Epic European Vacation 2011!

I am so excited for so many reasons.  I can't wait to share this experience with my husband, who's never been overseas.  I can't wait to spend an entire week with him uninterrupted.  And I can't wait to see London again, and spend more time in Amsterdam - this time for pleasure, not business.

I'm also really excited about the shopping.

We'll probably do a little bit of shopping in Amsterdam, just because we like to have a reminder of places we visit.  We bought this plate from Fish's Eddy as an addition to our kitchen plate wall, and a reminder of our honeymoon in NYC.  So we would love to have a piece of art or something small from Amsterdam.

But in London, I'm planning to do some damage.  We don't have Topshop, H&M, or Zara in Louisiana (well, pretty much in the South).  Although I can go to Zara in Houston and do a couple of times a year, so that's at the bottom of the list.  I feel similar about H&M.  I'd really love to go in London, and I'm sure I will if I'm near one and I have time, but with a new one in Dallas, I know I'll have an opportunity to go sometime.

Topshop is a definite must for me.  Even if I just stop in and shop accessories, I have to go.

This shirt shows as out of stock. but I hope that's just online.  It would just blend right in with my clothes.  I think the chances of finding it in a London winter are probably slim to none, though.  I also assume the prices will be different over there, so this shirt probably isn't the equivalent of 36 USD in pounds.  Probably more expensive!

Topshop Tribal Print tee $36

I love this top too.  I think it would look so great with tons of stuff.

Topshop Oversize Spot Tee $75

I love the silhouette of this tank (vest!) and it comes in a million colors, but I'd have to see the fabric in person before deciding whether to spend the money on it.

Topshop Zipback Vest $56

They also have what look to be pretty great basic tees.  But here is the problem that I have with European clothing manufacturers (read:  Zara):  I don't want to have to lay all of my clothes flat to dry.  I LOVE Zara's linen tee shirts.  But they're not linen, they're viscose or polyester or something.  So I invariably end up putting them in the dryer on accident and they shrink.  They still fit, but now they're just like regular tees, not super awesome long and drapey tees.  It's just a conspiracy to get me to buy more since they cost $10.  And it's working.

Where I'll probably really go crazy at Topshop is in the accessories.  I really don't need a new bag.  My gray leather satchel is just fine.  But I love this color blocking.

Color Blocked Doctor's Bag $160

Jewelry is definitely my weakness, and I will buy some there.  These two bracelets are just SO lovely.  I would pick them up in a second if I saw them.

Lamb clamp bracelet $30

Swinging Monkey Bracelet $35

And just for fun, some leather driving gloves.  Why?  Why not.  The color of that leather is reason enough.  I think these are out of season though, sadly.

Tan leather driving gloves $???

 Outside of the megastores, though, I do want to hit some smaller places.

Like Kabiri, a jewelry store that has plenty of expensive stuff, but showcases up and comers for those with smaller budgets.  Like this simple red braided bracelet.  They also have some skull bracelets really similar to the one from Bhati Beads that's on my Christmas list, and at a similar price point.

Bracelet by SCOSHA

Another place I'd love to check out is Aria for home decor.  Their prices tend a little higher, but I think this tray would be a really great addition to our plate wall.

Colorful London Tray by Maria Holmer Dahlgren

And these salt and pepper shakers are so funny.  A little spendy for me at 70 pounds but so great,

Salt and Pepper Shakers by David Shrigley

Liberty and Selfridges could be great places for us to get most of our Christmas shopping done.  I'll be nervous leaving it to the last minute, but I think our family would prefer that we pick stuff up over there.

And before anyone asks.  Yep, we're bringing an extra suitcase.  I'll be posting about packing light sometime in the next couple of weeks.