Amsterdam Photo Diary 2016 Part 2

Crooked Amsterdam Canal Houses

Amsterdam in October

Crooked Amsterdam Canal Houses

Bikes Galore Amsterdam

Amsterdam Secret Garden

Luxury Canal Houses Amsterdam

White Bridge Amsterdam

Amsterdam Ceramics

Amsterdam Photo Diary

Empty Amsterdam Streets

Amsterdam Pluk Coffee Shop

Amsterdam Exploring Autumn 2016

Amsterdam Pretty Streets

Plantage Amsterdam

Amsterdam Church Exploring

Beautiful Amsterdam Shop Fronts

Red Citron Classic Car Amsterdam

Amsterdam Lookup

If you didn’t catch Part 1 of my Amsterdam photo diary just click here to take a look. I only got back from my trip a month ago and it feels like forever, I need to book another trip ASAP so I have something to look forward too.

As I said in my previous post I have visited Amsterdam quite a few times now so I have managed to do most of the big tourist things like Anne Frank’s House (which is an absolute must visit!), Rijksmuseum, Museum Van Loon, Red Light District and such like. So when we visit now we just relax and enjoy the beautiful canal streets. We walk so many miles in a day just exploring all the back streets and visiting our favourite restaurants and cafe’s, of which there are so many!

One lovely cafe / shop I must recommend to you is PLUK – there is usually a wait for a table but it is well worth it because they ave the most delicious smoothies, lunches and sweet treats. You can take away if you don’t have time to sit in but its such a welcoming, instagramable space & they have a shop selling stationery and the cutest homewares, if you are able to resist buying something then you have a lot more willpower than me!

Oh & if you want somewhere really nice to go for dinner or just a few drinks then The Hoxton Hotel is pretty damn cool and the food is amazing!

Let me know where you love to visit when you’re in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam 2016 Photo Diary Part 1

Amsterdam Travels 2016

Amsterdam City Break

Amsterdam Shop Fronts

Amsterdam City Centre

Exploring Amsterdam Streets

Amsterdam Canal View

Amsterdam Houseboats

Amsterdam Adventures

Blue Fiat 500 Amsterdam

Look Up Amsterdam

Bikes Amsterdam City

Autumnal Days in Amsterdam

October saw me turn 38 and to celebrate my lovely husband took me to Amsterdam. If you have been a long time reader of my blog, then you will know we have visited Amsterdam quite a few times over the years. We just can’t help going back, its incredibly beautiful, inspiring and vibrant. I always return home feeling refreshed and with a promise to myself that I will live there one day & I am still working towards that dream (6 visits later).

Amsterdam is such a short flight from the UK and you can always get a cheap deal. I know most people associate it with Stag Parties and the Red Light District – which is a part of it and of course what is a visit without visiting the oldest part of the City. That aside there is so much more to see and do there, when people ask me for suggestions I always tell them just to explore the canals, walk, walk and walk some more. You can’t fail but to stumble across lovely independent shops (Amsterdam has very few chain shops, although more are opening each year) there is an abundance of incredible places to eat and drink and the scenery is always breathtaking. The tree lined canals, houseboats and bridges are so romantic especially at night when they’re all lit up. We have covered so many miles just wandering the streets romanticising about living in one of the crooked canal houses.

I would say seeing the city by boat is a really nice way to spend a few hours, I like to use the smaller eco boats that sit 6 – 8 people and have a local guide. You learn so much about the history of the city and about the canals themselves. Its so nice to see everything from a different perspective.

A picnic in Vondelpark is a relaxing way to spend a warm afternoon, I love to people watch in there. It’s such a mix of locals and tourists all having fun.

I could go on & on about this European gem but I know most of you have been before but if you haven’t you must visit you won’t be disappointed, I promise you that. It’s one of the most friendly, beautiful and vibrant cities I have ever visited.

Five Under £5 for November

Five under 5 November

Five Under 5 For November

If you want to get involved and link up your monthly 5 Under £5 finds then head over to Julia’s blog at Rainbeaubelle and join in. It’s a lot of fun & you get to see all of the cute bargains that everyone finds, I always end up purchasing so many things from everyone else’s roundups.

So a few weeks ago I went to Amsterdam for my birthday (which was magical) I have been to this lovely City on many an occasion. One of my favourite things to do is visit HEMA, which is an affordable, very cool shop and they sell a little bit of everything. I tend to stock up on stationery, mainly because its easy to get home in my suitcase. If you’re not heading to Amsterdam anytime soon fear not, there are a few HEMA stores in the UK & you can order online (yipeeee).

HEMA Happiness Planner Notebook

New Planner Notebook

Happiness Planner

I know they have spelt it Happyness but lets just ignore that. I am going to use this for notes, lists and blog ideas, I can’t see me using it to record my ‘good things about today’. It has a sturdy hard pink and gold cover, which I really like and the pages are nice quality too. I am terrible at keeping up to date with a journal or a planner so this is somewhere in-between and if I keep it on my desk it should prompt me to use it.

HEMA Planner Sticker Sets

Planner Stickers

HEMA do to the best selection of stickers, I bought 2 packs and you get 2 sheets of stickers in each pack. I am thinking of using these in my notebook to make it look a little more colourful and give it more of a planner feel. I am a sucker for stickers and could have purchased so many more sets but I am trying to use the the massive stash I already have so I limited my self to 2.

HEMA Hand Cream

Hand Lotion £2

I 100% bought this because I loved the packaging, I haven’t used the hand cream itself yet but I am not expecting it to be amazing, but the HEMA beauty and toiletries are pretty good quality.  I have very dry hands, especially in the colder months and I’m THAT person with one on my desk, in my handbag and by my bed. Otherwise I forget to apply it, this one is going on my desk.

HEMA Writing Set

6 Pack Letter Writing Set With Envelopes £1 

This is for my 8 year old niece, I buy her one each year. We write letters to each other as she lives in Scotland (600 miles from me) and its a lovely way to keep in touch. Of course I call her and we facetime but writing a letter is more exciting and its nice to keep the letters to look back on, also we use technology so much now that letter writing is something that feels more special and keeps us connected in a slower, more whimsical way. It also worries me that Alyvia won’t have ever known a world without technology, crazy.

HEMA Festive Washi Tape Pack

Gold Festive Themed WASHI Tape

I know I do not need any more washi tape but I just can’t resist and hear me out, I have every intention of using these lovely selection to wrap my Christmas gifts. Its really great quality and the gold sparkly one is super pretty and textured. I may have already started wrapping my Christmas gifts already, that is me trying to be organised, so far so good.

I feel I was quite restrained, especially if you take a look at my HEMA Haul from a couple of years ago.

Exploring Cornwall Week #13

Beach Cafe Newquay

Beautiful Ocean View

Beach Cafe Newquay

Classic VW Car

Beach Life

Charlestown Bead and Breakfast

White Wash Cottages Horse Box Farm Shop Newquay Second Hand Bookshop in Truro

Secret Garden Cornwall

How the weather can change in a short space of time. I took these photos just over 2 weeks ago, it was so warm and sunny. I have been in Scotland for the past 11 days & I think we have gone straight to winter. I am hoping that like last year in Cornwall October is beautiful and warm, like an Indian Summer, fingers crossed because I’m not prepared for it to be this wet & windy.

Cornwall is really beautiful in Autumn as the leaves change colour and the sunsets are more intense, so it’s not all bad news. There is something I find romantic about having a walk along the beach when the weather is rotten, getting all wrapped up and braving the cold.

As I said a couple of weeks ago we were in the middle of a heatwave, our local village is beautiful and when the weather is good we very rarely venture any further afield. I am sad to say that the beach bar has closed now for another year, which is sad but it was so much fun whilst it was there.

I did discover the cutest farm shop in the back of a horse box, they are over in Porth most Sunday’s and have a great selection of fruit & veg, I also bought some artisan bread (I couldn’t resist that warm bread scent).

Are you excited for the change in seasons, are you more of an Autumnal person? I think I am, but that might be because my birthday is in October and I’m excited to be heading to Amsterdam to celebrate this year.