Merry Christmas!

Dear Family, Friends and Followers,

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, in the company of your loved ones,

with nice music, good food & wine, lot's of gifts, maybe even some snow, but most of all... happiness!

Tara

Affordable Holiday Gifts

It's almost Christmas... did you get all your holiday gifts yet? If not, here are some last minute and affordable... and original ideas!

Christmas ornament by Starbucks:
http://www.starbucks.com
Notebook by Museo del Prado:
http://www.museodelprado.es/en/ 
Christmas ornament by Violien:
http://www.violien.nl
"The Jungle Paintings" by Henri Rousseau:
http://shop.tate.org.uk
Christmas Tea by Blond Amsterdam:
http://www.blond-amsterdam.nl/en
Mostarda by Lazzaris:
http://lazzaris.com/en/
"The Soul Sessions vol. 2" by Joss Stone:
http://www.jossstone.com
Lip balm by L'Erbolario:
http://www.erbolario.com
Guest soap by Marjolein Bastin:
http://www.marjoleinbastin.com/en/webshop
Mini Panettone by Le Tre Marie:
http://www.tremarie.it/en

Christmas Pudding

I’m usually not a big fan of (heavy) desserts… let alone Christmas pudding. But today I went grocery shopping at one of my favourite organic supermarkets… and this tiny version just looked too cute! I bought it for aesthetic reasons, but ended up eating it and loving it! Thanks Marqt & Maass keuken.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.marqt.com

Holiday Wishlist

This holiday season I fell for everything exotic... bright colours like pink, yellow and blue. Now that's something else than the usual Christmas colours (red, gold and silver), don't you think? With all the (pre)spring collections already in the stores, it won't be hard to find any of these candy coloured items. So Santa, will you make me happy and give me that spring feeling?

ps. Gentlemen... you may think that most of these items are for ladies only, but we all know, when she's happy... you'll be happy too!

Watch by Orefici Watches:
http://www.oreficiwatches.com
Blue tango shoes by Comme il Faut for Lisadore:
https://www.lisadore.com
Bag by H&M:
http://www.hm.com
Blue felt fascinator with feathers by Eudia:
http://www.eudia.nl
Lingerie by H&M:
http://www.hm.com
Pink kaftan by The Muzungu Sisters:
http://muzungusisters.motilo.com
Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Champagne:
http://www.moet.com
Elystan Californian Sunset Ring by Robinson Pelham:
http://www.robinsonpelham.com
Shorts by H&M:
http://www.hm.com
Green fascinator by Eudia:
http://www.eudia.nl

Green lotus earrings set with pear shaped peridot and diamonds in yellow gold by Robinson Pelham:

http://www.robinsonpelham.com
"Take me to Saint Barth" candle by Memo Paris:
http://memofragrances.com/en/
Bracelets by Barong barong:
http://www.barongbarong.com
Phillipe Model sneakers at Paul Warmer:
http://www.paulwarmer.com

Photos courtesy of SO PR for Orefici Watches, Lisadore for Comme il Faut, H&M, Eudia, The Muzungu Sisters, Moët & Chandon, Robinson Pelham, Memo Fragrances Paris, Barong Barong and Paul warmer for Philippe Model.

Christmas shopping in The Hague

Last week I went shopping in The Hague during the Résidence de la Mode... and couldn't resist buying lot's of stuff.... A new pair of shoes at Paul Warmer, a handmade hat at Eudia's pop-up store on the lovely Denneweg... Christmas gifts at Spekstraat 5, de Bijenkorf and Rivièra Maison.... ahhhh!

On Saturday, December 1st, there was a special event, where shoppers were given a red heart shaped balloon, special offers and discounts. The theme was love... so there were red shoes, hats, lingerie and more... perfect Holiday gifts I would say. Oh and many stores had real life models replacing mannequins in their shop windows!

Another pop-up store that instantly became one of my favourites, is Le Magasin de la Mode, with collections by Jessica Joyce, Marcha Hüskes, Conny Groenewegen and People of the Labyrinths among others. The cream of the crop of the Dutch fashion scene is sold here.

Shown from top to bottom:
Shoe store Paul Warmer:
http://www.paulwarmer.com
Christmas decorations at De Bijenkorf:
http://www.debijenkorf.nl
A hat by Eudia:
http://www.eudia.nl
Dresses by Jessica Joyce:
http://www.jessicajoyce.nl
Shoe store Paul Warmer:
http://www.paulwarmer.com
Lingerie shop Madeleine:
http://www.madeleinelingerie.nl

For more information on Résidence de la Mode, please visit:
http://www.residencedelamode.nl

Christmas decorations... some inspiration

Are you still undecided about the Christmas decorations that you are going to use this year? Here’s some inspiration. Whether you’ll opt for total red, all white, traditional gold and silver, or the latest colour combinations… anything goes! Personally, I prefer old school Christmas decorations, but I do looove the pink flamingos in the third photo!!!

Decorations in photo 1 - 2 by De Bosrand:

http://www.tcdebosrand.nl/

Decorations in photo 3 - 5 by De Bijenkorf:

http://www.debijenkorf.nl/

Decorations in photo 6 by Rivièra Maison:

http://rivieramaison.com 

All photos taken with Samsung Galaxy S phone.

Gold & Blue Musthaves

It's December... so it's time to go shopping for your Christmas or New Year's Eve party outfit. I love these gold and blue items that I found at vintage Salon Heleen Hülsmann in Amsterdam. The salon is open by appointment only (how chic!), but you can reach Heleen by e-mail, facebook or phone.

A blog about the salon will follow soon! If you want to buy one of these musthave items, you better be quick because next weekend there will be a Little Black Dress Sale... with all the cocktail dresses, shoes and accessories you can dream of!

For more information, please visit:
http://www.salonheleenhulsmann.nl/contact-2 

Eudia hats store opening, The Hague

Friday night Evelien Gentis-Smit, the designer behind Eudia hats opened up shop in The Hague. Her second store is part of the Résidence de la Mode, a fashion event that will last until the holidays. Hopefully Eudia's pop-up store will remain at the lovely Denneweg after the event has ended. I'm sure all the ladies at the local ministries, foreign embassies and posh hotels in the area will appreciate her handmade hats! Did you know Eudia hats were featured in Dutch Vogue and worn to "Prinsjesdag" (Speech from the Throne)?

To read more about Eudia, please visit my previous blog:

http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2012/04/eudia-hats.html