Places in the Netherlands: Amsterdam

Have you always wanted to visit Amsterdam but never had the time or money to do so? Or have you been there before or maybe even loads of times? Either way, this blogpost is about my experience in Amsterdam during Christmas break! Here's how my day went!

There's only one way to start the day well.. and that's with a tall mocha apple crumble and some cheesecake at Starbucks! The cheesecake was delicious and extremely nourishing.

Feeling the tourist-y vibe, I went over to see the I Amsterdam sign, which is a famous place to take pictures. The letters measure over 23.5 meters wide and are set in front of the Rijksmuseum at the Museumplein.

Source: http://thisisnotadvertising.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/i-amsterdam-museumplein.jpg

I've walked through the streets of Amsterdam since I was a little girl. Therefore I remember the following scene from when I was younger. It's another interesting place, but this one is less known than the I Amsterdam sign.

It's called the 'Max Euweplein', where people come everyday (rain or no rain) to play chess in memory of the Dutch Chess Grandmaster Max Euwe (who died in 1981).

Standing there, watching them play, a tourist approached me and said, clearly surprised; "They're really playing a game?" Which made me smile, because "Yes, they're really playing a game of chess in the street!"

In front of the Rijksmuseum, which I wanted to visit, stood a very long queue! Sadly I wasn't brave enough to tackle it... Skipping the Rijksmuseum, I decided to walk down the most expensive shopping street in the Netherlands; P.C. Hooftstraat, located in the south of Amsterdam.

Exclusive and international brands like Chanel, Diesel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss are located in this street among the most expensive apartments in the city.

It has to be one of the most talked about stores on YouTube; Brandy Melville. I felt it was time to visit the, currently, only existing shop in the Netherlands and experience the hype for myself. This originally Italian brand is located all over the world with its unique stores and alternative style.

The store was literally packed with people which made it a real expedition to shop, but after a lot of patience and more than an hour later I walked out with some cropped t-shirts, a sweater and an amazing bag!

The vibe you get when you walk in is creative, unique and defenitely interesting. I associate it with festivals, the beach, California, summer, creativity and vintage. Which is certainly my cup of tea!

Walking down the Kalverstraat I alternated between window-shopping and going inside some of my favourite stores like Lush, Vero Moda, Sissy-Boy and 'de Bijenkorf'. I also made a stop to buy some new lipbalm at Kiehl's and to visit the Apple Store.

The Apple store is located in the Hirschgebouw at the Leidseplein and opened March 3rd of 2012. This is currently the only retail store in the Netherlands. I love Apple products, but even the building itself was so beautiful, I had to take some pictures!

To end this amazing day I picked out my favourite sushi. And for dessert I ate some frozen yoghurt with lychee's, mango and 'kletskoppen' (a Dutch cookie, mainly made of sugar).

Leave a comment below, or send me a tweet @catiemccartney with your thoughts about Amsterdam!

Party Snacks: Brownies

One of the reasons why I love baking cupcakes is because of the awesome and fun cups you can use. Since Christmas and New Year's involve a lot of parties and eating I decided to try out something new to bake. In this blogpost I'll show you my way to make delicious party snacks.

I started with making a brownie mixture using a brownie set (you can make the brownies from scratch if you're up to it) and added a spoonful of the mixture to small cupcake cups.

To make the brownie even more special I put one bigarreaux on each brownie. After you're done with the bigarreaux, put them in the oven for 20 minutes (at 160 degrees celsius) and let them cool off for a while when they're done.

 

Since it's winter I sprinkled some icing on top to imitate the snow (sadly, there's no snow here right now, so I'm using icing instead!) .

The purpose of a party snack is to be a delicous food, but they're also an easy way to perk up the party area. Therefore I've put my brownies onto an étagère, which is also a good way to show them off!

Have an awesome New Year's celebration! And I wish you the best for 2013!

DIY: Easy Christmas Decorations

Are you guys ready for Christmas? I sure am and I'm extremely excited!

You might've realised by now that I love decorating for Christmas (I love decorating in general, but Christmas decorations are my favourite)! I've put up a Christmas tree and my gingerbread house and advent calander are joining the white branches I made. It's all looking very cozy and festive.

With that said, I've shown you a couple of ways to decorate your living space, but I'm not yet done! I've collected some ideas in this blogpost that you can try out as well! 

The first option is a great idea for when you have some leftover baubles that don't fit on the tree anymore. Take a basket, fill it with Christmas baubles (if you don't have enough; add some newspaper first) and put a bow on the basket to make it look extra festive.

If you're not the 'glitter and sparkle kind of person' (or you already have your house filled up with glitter) this idea might be your cup of tea. Take some chopped wood, pinecones or chestnuts and fill a basket with a variety of the items mentioned.

It doesn't scream 'Christmas' but it's warm, cozy and fits in with the winter theme. Besides, it will make your house smell like you're in the woods on a winter day!

If you have some more pinecones you can use; the following decoration might be perfect for you. I've added pinecones, some special Christmas ornaments, a little bit of moss and a candle to a plate to make a beautiful decoration.

As for the final decoration idea, I've added some conifer to a bowl with tangerines. When I was little every year at school I got an orange. Therefore tangerines and oranges remind me of Christmas!

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a delicous dinner or other meal. I've created three ways of setting the table. Two for a Christmas dinner and one for a Christmas breakfast.

This is a classic and simple, yet elegant, way to set the table. I've used all white dishes and kept the glasses simple as well.

Here I've used the same dishes and glasses but with some red decorations. The bow on the wineglass adds a special touch, as well as the bauble with the name card. 

And finally, for Christmas morning I've used a patterned table cloth with red and white dishes and a red striped bowl to create as much festivity and cosiness.

I hope I have inspired you in any way to for decorating your living space and I wish you a merry Christmas and happy Holidays!

If you use any of the ideas shown in my blogpost, let me know and send me a tweet to @CatieMcCartney. I'd love to see them!

Recipe: Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows

Today I am sharing my way to create the best hot chocolate ever! I'm not lying, it's the best!

Before you begin adding ingredients, don't forget the most important step; choose your favourite mug! It might seem unnecessary, but research has shown that drinking hot chocolate from your favourite mug makes it taste three times better! Just kidding, but it is more fun drinking hot chocolate from a n awesome mug! 

After you've chosen your favourite mug, it's time to collect the ingredients. You'll need milk (any kind you like), hot chocolate powder, mini marshmallows, cinnamon, whipped cream and a spoon.

Fill your mug with milk, but remember to leave room for the whipped cream. Then add two spoonfulls of hot chocolate powder. Stir it all together and put the mug into the microwave for about 2 minutes. You can heat up the milk on the stove instead of the microwave if you'd like to.

Take the mug out of the microwave and add a small handfull of mini marshmallows.

Now you've come to the fun part; add the whipped cream! But don't forget to shake it first! Add as many or as little as you'd like.

Grab the cinnamon and sprinkle a little on top of the whipped cream and take a few marshmallows and add them as well.

You're done! Enjoy your hot chocolate and sent me a picture @catiemccartney if you try this out!

Lipstick inspired by Skyfall

Lipstick inspired by Skyfall

The new James Bond movie (Skyfall) is a huge hit. Almost everyone has either seen it or heard about it. One of the cast members, the beautiful Bondgirl, made some people especially excited! In the movie she was wearing a dark red lipstick which looked amazing. You might've asked yourself: "What colour is she wearing?"

She is wearing this beautiful burgundy coloured lipstick by MAC.

I've been on the hunt for a dark red lipstick that I can wear around Christmas and New Years for a little while now. Hence I am extremely excited I found this colour that will look festive and will look great with my skintone.

Viva Glam III is a burgundy coloured lipstick with a matte finish. It's not a classic red, I would describe it as a warm red colour.

This is how it looks with just little dabs of the lipstick on, but you can put as much on as you'd like.

Red lipsticks are slightly more difficult to work with, since every mistake will show up on your skin. Therefore it might be a good idea to use a lipliner. The lip liner I got recommended was Mahogany by MAC.

Do you guys like wearing red lipstick? And which one is your favourite?

Christmas decoration: Gingerbread House

Gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 by a monk called Gregory Makar. He taught French priests and Christians in Bondaroy the cooking of Gingerbread. In the 13th century it was brought to Sweden by German immigrants. There it became a custom to use them as window decorations.

Gingerbread became widely available in the 18th century. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread).

I've never made a gingerbread house before but I've always liked the idea of making one. I associate gingerbread houses with scandinavia and an idyllic Christmas with snow and delicious food.


The gingerbread I used for my house I bought at IKEA and came in a little packet. It said you didn't need to add anything and that you could just put it together, but that wasn't the case.

I added two egg-whites and 500 gram icing and mixed them togheter to make 'snow' and glue for the house.

I decorated the windows, the door and the roof with green and white icing and added some colourful sprinkles to make it even more festive.

I used a piping bag for the white icing and made it seem like the house was covered in snow.

Finally I glued the different parts of the house together and supported it for a minute or so with my hands.

And there it is, the final result! I'm incredibly happy with how my first ever gingerbread house looks!

If you try this out, sent me a picture @CatieMcCartney or leave a comment below!

Cirque du Soleil: Alegria

Yesterday evening I had my first ever experience with a circus, and not any ordinary circus.. I went to see Cirque du Soleil, and they performed their show Alegria. 

Source: http://0.tqn.com/d/montreal/1/0/s/C/-/-/cirque_du_soleil_alegria_8_mjk.jpg

Cirque du Soleil is a global troupe of acrobats, contortionists and daredevils. The show surprised me with its live music, amazing costumes, humor and talent.

Source: http://content.eventim.com/static/uploaded/at/osix_source.jpg

Going to Cirque du Soleil will give you an experience you'll never forget. It's almost unbelievable how people (the cast of Cirque du Soleil) can make you laugh, excited, surprised and speechless in one show without it feeling unnatural or forced. 

Source: http://www.bu.edu/today/2009/joyful-physicality/

I am so impressed with how detailed, structured and professional it felt and looked like. Everything was thought through, everyone was working together, every costume looked amazing (and some even reminded me of the movie Alice in Wonderland!).

Source: http://www.theguideistanbul.com/agenda/detail/293751

Cirque du Soleil took me away from the real world, made me laugh, made me excited, made me feel like everything is possible and defenitely touched my heart!

If you are ever able to go and experience Cirque du Soleil; do it, take the chance, go and see it! You'll never forget it!