Caffè shakerato!

Have you ever tried a caffè shakerato? It's so delicious and refreshing! And so different from the premixed ice coffees you buy in the supermarket!!

Caffè shakerato is made with espresso coffee, ice cubes, some sugar and a little bit of vanilla or whiskey based liqueur. (I opted for an alcohol-free version though.)

Pictured here: caffè shakerato by Hotel Brufani in Perugia, Italy.

Chocolate to break the ice...

Chocolate is on the top of the list of romantic gifts... right after red roses and lingerie... but this type of chocolate gives it a whole new meaning! "Pleased to meet you" or "Is it me you're looking for?" are easy ways to break the ice!! 

For more information, please visit:

www.lindt.com 

Latin vibes in Delft

 

Last week I had a great time in Delft during the annual Musouk festival! There was food, drinks, gadgets and music from all over the world... Cuba, Colombia, Greece, Italy, Iran, The Netherlands, you name it. I especially loved the Cuban band Adalberto Alvarez y sy son... they heated up the place by playing some amazing salsa!

Right after Adalberto, Dutch trumpet player Maite Hontele took over the stage!!! She is a big star in Colombia, playing salsa, son, cumbia, rumba and more. The crowd went crazy! It was a little piece of South America in The Netherlands.... too bad I didn't bring my dancing shoes (it didn't keep me from dancing some serious salsa though). Thank you Maite & friends for a wonderful afternoon; please come back soon!

For more information, please visit:
Musouk festival:
http://www.delft.nl/delften/Tourists/Nieuwsmap_Engels/Festival_Musouk
Maite Hontele:
http://www.maitehontele.com

Catch of the Day... bracelets

I absolutely love these (friendship) bracelets by Italian brand Cruciani!!! Cruciani bracialetti comes up with new figures, forms, patterns and colours every season and they always look so fresh! This summer i will be channeling Pirates of the Caribbean with my Pirata bracelet. Like it?

For more information, please visit:
www.cruciani.net

I Looove... Stripes

Stripes... they're perfect. Nautical in blue and white, beach style in white and gold, narrow, regular-sized or wide stripes, vertical or horizontal... I looove them all! (NB. wide stripes are a big theme for the resort collections 2013, especially by Dolce & Gabbana)

Pictured here from top to bottom:
1. Sweater by H&M:
http://www.hm.com
2. Sweater, light blue, white, gold by H&M:
http://www.hm.com
3. Shirt by Zara:
http://www.zara.com
4 & 5. Shirt, white and gold by H&M:
http://www.hm.com
6. Long sleeve t-shirt by Quicksilver:
http://www.quiksilver.com
7. Long sleeve t-shirt with pink print by Judith Osborn:
vintage (company no longer exists)
8. Skirt by H&M:
http://www.hm.com

With a special thank you to my girlfriends from Umbria Jazz!!!
Annika, Erika, Marija, Sandra, Maria Cristina, Marta e Elisa.

Addicted to nailpolish!

It's officicial. I'm addicted to nailpolish. And judging by the numbers... the same goes for the majority of women. During the financial crisis nailpolish sales went up by 60% to 70%.
Apparently people can afford a new bottle of nailpolish...
A new dress? not so much.

[Sources: Reuters; InStyle.com; NU.nl]

Vitamins... June

  

1. African collar necklace by Anita Quansah London
2. Thai chicken dish by Phonsawan, The Hague
3. Swiss salad by Chalet Suisse, Zürich
4. Coloured table by Sol Beach, Scheveningen
5. Multicoloured Shorts by Monitaly, SS14
6. Shorts by MC2 Saint Barth, SS14
7. Clothes by Salon Heleen Hülsmann, Amsterdam
8. Red pants by Siviglia, SS14
9. Caprese salad by trattoria I Quattro Leoni, Florence
10. Cherries and Louis Vuitton bag

Anita Quansah London:
http://www.anitaquansahlondon.com
Phonsawan:
http://www.phonsawan.nl
Chalet Suisse:
http://www.chaletsuisse-zrh.ch
Sol Beach:
http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2013/05/more-of-sol-beach-scheveningen.html
Monitaly:
http://www.monitaly.com
MC2 Saint Barth:
http://www.mc2saintbarth.com
Salon Heleen Hülsmann
http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2013/02/salon-heleen-hulsmann-amsterdam.html
Siviglia:
http://www.siviglia.com
I Quattro Leoni:
http://www.4leoni.com
Louis Vuitton:
http://www.louisvuitton.com

Would you like to see more "vitamins" or inspirational images?
Please visit one of my previous articles:
http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2013/01/vitamins.html
http://tarasdolcevita.blogspot.nl/2013/05/vitamins-may.html