Merry Christmas

Dear Family, Friends and Followers, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you so much for your support this past year! I hope you will have a wonderful Holiday Season, surrounded by your loved ones.
Love, Tara

Affordable Holiday Gifts

Yeah Christmas is coming... and even sooner than you think! You still have two weeks left to get those Christmas gifts, so in case you have no clue yet what to buy... here are some affordable suggestions for everyone in the family. All gifts shown here are under €10 / $11 and some even under €5 / $5,50!

Lips keychain by Fab for Hema:
http://www.hema.nl
Santa mug by Sostrene Grenes:
http://sostrenegrene.com
Mini panettone (cake) by Chiostro di Saronno:
https://www.chiostrodisaronno.it
Santa salt shaker by Zara Home:
http://www.zarahome.com
Santa chocolates by Lindt:
http://www.chocolate.lindt.com 
Spritz candy by Pastiglie Leone:
http://www.pastiglieleone.com/en
Barbecue sauce by Jack Daniels:
http://jackdanielsbbqsauces.com
No show sports socks by Adidas:
http://www.global.adidas.com
Cactus pot holders by Suma Tessuti Ostuni:
http://www.sumatessuti.com
Vogue UK and Vogue USA by Condé Nast:
http://www.condenast.com

Photos al rights reserved.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Party

Last week I attended the Johnnie Walker Blue Label cocktail party at the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam. I am not a whisky drinker, so I didn't really know what to expect. Well... they sure knew how to surprise me! There was a presentation of the new Johnnie Walker film "The Gentleman's Wager II" with Jude Law, Giancarlo Giannini and Zhao Wei. There's no lady who wants to pass up on a movie with Jude Law, right? It even got better when I found out the movie was shot in Italy! It certainly looked like "La Dolce Vita" to me!

In fact, Johnnie Walker's marvellous Blue Label is equivalent of La Dolce Vita. This very precious blend is made from some of Scotland’s rarest and most exceptional Scotch Whiskies. Only one in every ten thousand casks is considered good enough to be included in the Blue Label blend! The Johnnie Walker ambassadors gave a brief presentation about the Blue Label and then the whisky tasting could begin. Of course I have had whisky before... but this one was mindblowing!!! Pure, as well as mixed in a cocktail.

The cocktail that was served, was the Gentleman's Wager. Delicious I must say! Want to try it at home? Here's the recipe:

45 ml Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky
10 ml Pedro Ximénez sherry
5 ml Poire Williams eau de vie
2 dashes of Peychaud's (or Angostura) bitters
Plenty of ice cubes
Some orange zest

Stir well, pour into a tumbler full of fresh ice, squeeze the orange zest a little into the tumbler and rub the peel around the rim of the glass. Cheers!

Besides the drinks, there were delicious canapés, by the chef of the Conservatorium Hotel, Schilo van Coevorden, that matched the Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky perfectly. Of course we all know wine and food pairing... but how about matching whisky and chocolate? Simply divine....
I know what I will put on my wishlist this Christmas!

The best part of the evening -sorry Jude- was when we all got a personalised bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label...!

Photos (without logo) courtesy of Johnnie Walker.

Flashback to... Vogue Fashion's Night Out Amsterdam

What better to do on a rainy day than dreaming of tropical holiday destinations, sweet cocktails and sexy bikinis? My thought exactly! Vogue Fashion’s Night Out was celebrated already a while ago, but I didn’t want to keep these lovely pictures from you.

I think Vogue Fashion’s Night Out is always so inspiring! Fashion stores show their new collections, DJs are playing everywhere, beautiful people are literally dancing on the street, champagne is flowing, canapes are served and people really make an effort to look their best!

This year unfortunately I had very little time, since I had to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch a flight to Italy… that didn’t stop me from going of course! The most important stop of the night was Kabana Resort Wear, an amazing new store located in the Conservatorium Hotel.

I felt like I walked right into the tropics…there were fresh coconut cocktails, beautiful models wearing the latest swimwear, there was a DJ and then there were all those lovely new clothes and accessories.

Want to know more about Kabana Resort Wear? Please read my previous review here: http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2015/06/kabana-resort-wear.html

Other highlights of VFNO 2015 were the Tunes Bar and Skins Cosmetics, both at the Conservatorium Hotel, Zara Home, American Vintage and the P.C. Hooftstraat. Too bad VFNO is held only once a year!

Ps. The stunning flower arrangements were made by LM Flower Fashion.

Christmas decorations trend... Food!

I know it’s still early to talk about Christmas decorations, but I’m not saying you have to buy anything… yet! Personally, I love preparing for the holiday season in advance, so last week I went to my favourite stores, to take a look at the various trends in Christmas decorations. A big trend this year is food! (Blame it on all those foodies posting food pictures on instagram!)

There are macarons, donuts, cakes and ice cream for the sweet tooths among us; camembert, caviar, sake and Chianti wine for gourmet lovers; and there are chilli peppers, garlic, salami and even an espresso machine for those die-hard made-in-Italy fans!

You can keep it healthy with green beans and corn on the cob, or go for junk food, such as hotdogs and a bottle of beer. Either way... food and drinks are a must in your Christmas tree this year!

Christmas decorations in picture # 1, 2, 3, 9 by De Bijenkorf;
in picture # 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 by Sissy Boy.

For more information, please visit:
De Bijenkorf https://www.debijenkorf.nl/international-english
Sissy Boy http://www.sissy-boy.com/nl_NL/homeland/kerst