Dutch streets covered with snow

Two things that don’t go well together are 'the Netherlands' and 'snow'. Although I love waking up to see the world covered in the white substance we call snow, it seems like the entire country is in chaos.

Yesterday morning, on the news, they warned people that if there wasn’t a real need to go onto the streets, they should stay inside. However traffic jams were already arising and together created a length of a little over 1000 kilometers. Which is incredible, since the length of our country is around 300 kilometers. Oh and before I forget, we’re talking about approximately 10 centimeters of snow..

Since the whole country is in turmoil and I enjoy the snow, I’ve taken some photo’s that will give you an idea of how the streets look. 

 

So, what's your opinion about snow? And what's the weather like where you live? Tweet me or send me a picture on instagram!

Keep Calm and Carry On

In spring of 1939 the British Ministry of Information ordered to make propaganda posters that would reassure the people in the upcoming battle against Germany. The first version of this propaganda poster read ‘Your courage, your cheerfullness, your resolution will bring us victory’ and the second ‘Freedom is in peril, defend it with all your might’. Both were distributed around the country and placed all over the railway stations and shops.

However, there was a third poster made and this one we all know... Its simple and timeless design together with the request to ‘Keep calm and carry on’ easily stands out. The iconic symbol used to support the message is the crown of King George the 6th. It was supposed to be used only in dire emergency, in times of crisis. Over 2,5 million copies were printed... However, it never got displayed.

Source: http://archaeosoup.com/keep-calm-and-carry-on-the-secret-history/ (Creative Commons).

Until about 50 years later, a book store owner and his wife found an old poster in a box they bought at an auction. They liked the poster and decided to hang it up in their store; Barter Books. The customers where extremely enthusiastic and began offering the owners money for the poster. Reluctant to sell it, they started making copies and began selling those. Right there and then the process of giving this poster a second chance at life had begun..

Currently there are hundreds of versions floating around the world wide web and posters in every colour can be found around stores all over the world. I think it’s beautiful and interesting to see that a simple yet reassuring message from a time long ago still works, still touches people, stilll calms us down and makes us smile. To me it shows that although our world has changed and people have evolved and developed, our essence hasn’t changed, we still need to feel secure and reassured.

Source: http://www.embowman.com/2011/keep-calm-and-carry-on/

The one hanging in my room is light pink and reads: ‘Keep Calm & Have a Cupcake’. Which is, offcourse, the best advice a girl can get!

What is your favourite 'Keep Calm and..' poster? Let me know in the comments, send me a photo on instagram (CatieMcCartney) or on twitter!

Happy Memories Jar

The beginning of 2013 has inspired a lot of people to establish their personal goals or resolutions for the upcoming year. I’ve never really been into making them for myself before, but I’ve always admired the people who do. I think it’s a healthy way of living; to create goals, guidelines and maybe even a roadmap of how to get there. By doing so, you’re giving yourself expectations, things to live and work for, which means you’re growing and developing.

This year I would like to become healthier, happier, complete my third year at college, strengthen the relationships I have and experience loads of things that life has to offer. Since I absolutely love projects and I want to keep developing myself into the best version I can be, I’ve created my own twist on new year’s resolutions (inspired by the internet).

Being happy, enjoying life, making the most of it; that’ll be my focus for 2013. So I thought to myself, how do I focus on happiness, on the awesome things in my life? I have to make myself realize that they’re there, that eveyday will contain at least one little thing that made me smile or feel a little better.

So I’m starting this year with writing them down on little pieces of paper. Maybe not everyday, but I’ll atleast try to. I will collect the papers in a jar to keep them and to make sure I won’t forget all the great things that happened to me. And won’t it be awesome to, at the end of 2013, have a jar full of happy memories?

I’ve already started and I can tell you that it’s working, it’s great! I’m more concious of the experiences I have, I start looking for the things that make me smile, make me feel good. And I’m remembering them; I remember the toddler who waved at me in the subway with its cute smile, the boy who held the door open for me like a gentlemen, the co-worker who gave me a compliment, the message I got from a family member..

I guess the moral in this blogpost isn’t that you have to keep a ‘Happy Memories Jar’, but to start realizing, start looking for the little (and big) things that make you happy!

In the comments below or @catiemccartney tell me what made you happy today! I’m looking forward to hearing your stories!

Music: Hugh Laurie - Let Them Talk

I've been watching my favourite male actor since the first episode of the TV serie House MD. It should come as no surprise that I was excited to hear that Hugh released his debut Album 'Let Them Talk' in May 2011.

Since then I've listened to snippets of the numbers that are in the album on Youtube, but recently I stumbled across the Special Edition CD! I couldn't walk away without buying it, so I did, and here are my thoughts about it.

Let Them Talk consists of 19 classic blues songs. Some are collaborations, with artists like Tom Jones and Imra Thomas. Laurie's role in this album is playing piano, guitar and... providing the lead vocals, with his amazing and unique voice! Which is just fantastic for every fangirl- or boy.

I love listening to his music whilst reading, sitting in the living room, having great talks with my family or while driving a car. The songs are diverse, but in a nice way. It's not like listening to one sound over and over again. They're clearly amazing blues songs, with thoughtful lyrics and great harmonies.

The music makes you feel like you're listening to a story being told. A couple of my favourite songs are You don't Know my Mind, Swanee River, and St. Jamer Infirmary: 

I clearly love this album, whether it's because of Hugh Laurie's voice and charm, remains a question, but I am sure it has something to do with the way he can play a long and beautiful piano piece in St. James Infirmary as well as sing like nothing is holding him back in They're Red Hot. 

Any House MD fangirls or boys reading this? Let me know below or @catiemccartney!

Favourite lip treatment: Lush and Kiehl's

Winter makes my lips extremely dry and chipped, which makes them look really unhealthy. Luckily I've found two products that help me maintain soft and healthy lips, even if it's really cold outside!

I start of with, this may sound weird, licking my lips with my tongue, making them a little bit wet (to make the scrub stick). When they're a little wet I take some lip scrub on my index finger and massage it into my lips.

The lip scrub I've been using and loving is by Lush. It's called 'popcorn' and it comes in a cute little pot. I've seen other flavours, like 'Bubblegum' as well.

This is the description on the Lush website: "Coconut and jojoba oils, sugar, sea salt and polenta are the perfect mix to buff your lips to perfection and leave them smooth and moisturised." After you've scrubbed your lips, you either lick or wipe of the scrub.

To moisturize your lips and to give them a shiny glow I use Kiehl's Lipbalm #1. It helps to soothe dry lips and it shields your lips from the 'drying effects of wind and cold weather'.

You'll only need a tiny bit of the lipbalm, because Kiehl's lipbalm goes a long way! And then you're done! Enjoy your soft and healthy lips during winter!

Which products do you use to battle those dry lips? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @catiemccartney!

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!