DIY | Transparent Neck Cuff

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The transparent obsession continues. After making these DIY cuffs with perspex and finding out how easy it was, a million ideas for making more things with this material effortlessly came to mind. One of them was the neck cuff which is now a reality! Choosing between gold or silver metal details was too hard so I made one of each. Instructions below, and if something isn't clear, leave me a comment, I'll answer all questions!

Take measurements: The length of your clasp should be how wide the gap between the plexiglass parts is. Measurements that I used were: outline of necklace 36cm, width 4cm, gap between two transparent parts 4 cm.
Cut the plexiglass: Making an incision with a stanley knife by letting the knife glide along a ruler. Then lay the plate of plexiglass on a table with the slit just over the edge. By pressing down you´ll be able to break it off with a nice and clean cut. Now you should have a rectangle which you can again break into smaller pieces until you have two rectangles that are 16cm long and 4cm wide. Using any kind of drilling machine (It is recommended to use a drill for metal. As I didn´t own that I used one for wood and it worked just fine.) make a hole in each rectangle.
Bending it into shape: Heat your oven to 150 °C and put your rectangles inside one at a time on an oven plate. After 3 to 4 minutes take it out with oven mittens and bend it into shape by laying it over a round object with an outline of apx 36cm (sauce pan? plant pot?).
Finishing: Now you can add the hardware. I used a tiny metal hinge and a clasp to connect the transparent parts. The hinge is attached with epoxy glue but if you have more time on your hands you could also use small screws. Good luck!

ACCESSORIES | Alexander Wang Shades

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Got these black sunglasses from Alexander Wang for Christmas. They are very basic yet shaped a bit differently than the usual black wayfarer. I love that they have nose pads which I think makes them a bit less sleek and a bit more 1990s. A great addition to my wardrobe, thank you mommy Santa!

NOVELTY | CO - TE, Nude leather details

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My three favorite looks from CO-TE´s lookbook where they have combined nude colored leather with crispy white garments. My heart stopped. Will be posting more info about this brand soon soon soon!

LIFE | Many Blessings

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1990s Calvin Klein sweatshirt

I hope that Santa checked off everyone's Christmas list(Carine will sell alot of books this month), that you will stuff yourselves with delicious food at all the family dinners, that you won't spill any of it on your fantastic outfit, that there's a layer of snow outside your door, that there will be good champagne at all the parties but foremost that you spend the coming days with the people you love. I wish everyone many more blessings, have a Merry Christmas!

DIY | Not Too Late To Find The Perfect Gift

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Leather Envelope / Two Tone Shirt / Jewelry from the hardware store

A piece of leather and a bit of glue is all it takes to make a leather envelope. You could also give your bestie the other half of your shirt. Or you could run down to the hardware store to find a jewelry gift that is actually unexpected.

REPORT | A Black-White story called TWO

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Giuliano Bolivar; mastermind behind 2 , Elisabeth Schaduw; cutest DJ you'll ever meet, Malou Tan; Talented photographer and employee at Sketch
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I bet you too have had an overdose of words like 'selected' or 'handpicked' -vintage. I know I have. It's usually just the regular old secondhand clothes but on fancier hangers and with expensive tags. With Giuliano Bolivar's project '2' (yep, it's called Two) which is built up from secondhand clothes it was an entire different story.

Three racks of Giuliano's carefully curated used clothes awaited the visitors of the small luxury department store Sketch in Den Haag last Saturday. Accompanied by classic 1990s songs played by a long haired beauty on platforms, people were going through the black and white used garments.

TWO is a project that came together with things that already existed, clothes that were already there. Small alterations and adjustments are made to them and they are curated and arranged so well that these old and forgotten garments look fresh and valuable again.(Though the prices are still what you'd expect when buying second hand; tops under 35 Euro, jackets under 100 Euro) A long wide shirt suddenly looks much more valuable and modern without its pointy 1970s collar and hung next to a leather quilted sleeveless jacket.

Giuliano Bolivar is not afraid to say that it is all about branding and the way you present a product. 'These are just secondhand clothes. But arranged and styled in a way that they make sense with each other. The clothes weren't made by me. I just altered them and I chose them.' Yes he did, he created an entire vibe of which every customer wanted a piece and which was quickly referred to as a collection instead of a selection. The boy has style.



note: See that white ripped denim jacket hanging on the right side of the rack? I took that baby home! Already looking forward to the next TWO event! For more info about TWO and to see the look book click HERE

Happy Holidays!

My kids are out of school for two weeks and we have family coming into town for the holidays. I have decided to take a break from blogging - I am going to kick back, hang out with my kids, relax in my new home, eat old recipes (that don't need to be photographed or written down), and celebrate the holidays with my family. I hope you all, my amazing readers, have a Merry Christmas; Happy Hanukkah; and/or Happy Kwanzaa; and a very Happy New Year!!!!  

I'll be back in a couple of weeks... here are a few recipes to keep you busy until I return:


Breakfast:











Cookies:











Italian Food:











Mexican Food:











Side Dishes:











Soups:















LIFE | Tiny Button Up Shirt

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The girls sections are stuffed with sugary sweet dresses, tulle, gold, silver and lots of glitters for the hollidays. Of course I can´t deny my kid from some of that (gold glitter socks are in the bag) but I also couldn´t deny myself from stopping by the boys section. Which is now filled with tiny button up shirts and little tuxedos.