Never miss the opportunity...

Today's Happy Hump Day post is inspired by one of my very close friends.
Read her touching story here on how her world changed eight years ago (link). Reading it made me, and many other people, reach out to their mums or people in their life - just tell them how much they love them!
Remember, time goes by fast; never miss the opportunity....

Happy Hump Day everyone ♥

PS: Exciting news; in the next day or two I will be changing from Blogger to Wordpress and the blog will have a new look. I am a little nervous about the transfer but I have enlisted the help from people who actually know what they are doing when it comes to web-stuff so fingers crossed it all goes smoothly! 

This is your year!

Hope you are all having a great refreshing start to 2013? I have been keeping it nice and quiet in January; focusing on healthy eating, exercise and just taking a breather after a manic few months! As you know I am a big lover of quotes and I think these are all ones I will aim to live by for the year to come..

Some other New Year’s resolutions and goals I have set for myself this year are: 

• To run a ½ marathon  which is 21km! My training is going well which means I should hopefully survive the The Hague ½ Marathon that I am running 8 weeks.  
• Keep a memory jar (read about it here) 
• Learn how to use Photoshop 
• Give the blog a revamp. I have been working on this already in January and hope I can show you the new look soon!
• and 2013 is going to be my year of YES and putting myself out there :) 

Do you have any resolutions or specific goals for this year? I’d love to hear them! Happy Hump Day! x

Be the type of person you want to meet!

This is one of my favourite quotes! To me, it doesn't mean you should need to change who you are,  because I am definitely all about being yourself and loving yourself, but I do think it is important to sometimes think about the concept of; you get what you give!

"We all want positive influences in our lives and many of us are searching for them relentlessly -foraging friendships and letting those go who don't inspire us - but often we forget to ask ourselves if we are positive influences. We go through life looking for positivity and seeking it in others without really assessing what it is that we're giving back to others.  Cliche as it sounds, you get what you give!

So, take a moment, stop what you're doing, and ask yourself these questions:

• What kind of vibe do I give off? 
• How do I convey my beliefs and thoughts to others? 
• How enjoyable am I to be around? 
• What makes me interesting? Fun? Positive? 
• What am I giving back to those around me?

Honestly, when I stopped and really answered these questions for myself, I wasn't as happy with the answers as I would like to be. There are times when I'm just plain not fun to be around. I'm in a rush or I'm stressed or I'm thinking to myself, "What's next?" And who wants to be around someone who isn't enjoying the moment, but is instead thinking about what she has to do next? I certainly wouldn't want to be around someone like that, and yet, I am someone like that more often than I'd like.

The whole "get what you give" concept is cliche, yes, but it's also true. If you want to be around a certain type of person, you need to be that type of person. If you don't feel as if you are the type of person you would want to spend time with, you must ask yourself: What can I do to make myself the kind of person I want to be around?

Of course, I'm not at all suggesting that you change who you are. At our very core, we have certain attributes and characteristics that make us who we are. We should be true to ourselves. But there are parts of ourselves that we can alter and tweak so that we are more enjoyable to be around. It might sound like this is changing ourselves for others, but, in reality, the more enjoyable you are to be around, the more people will want to be with you and the more enjoyment you'll find for yourself."

Food for thought don't you think! So would you like you if you met YOU? 

Happy Hump Day :)

Source: Positively Present 

New Year: Create a Memory Jar!

A new year = a new start! I personally love the idea of fresh starts and using New Years as a time to reflect on everything that happened in the year and from that set new goals and resolutions for the year to come! 

One of the things I am going to do in 2013 is keep a memory jar :)

Also I love the below for my goals this year. It is a great reminder to always find joy in life :)

Do you have any specific New Years resolutions?

HAPPY HUMP DAY EVERYONE!

Isla Fisher - InStyle Australia December '12

I came across these photos online the other day of Isla Fisher photographed by Troyt Coburn for the cover shoot of the fashion magazine InStyle Australia for their December 2012 issue. How beautiful are they??

Oh and Happy Hump Day! :)

Box of crayons...

That time of the week again....
(oh and not to freak you out but it's only 13 sleeps until Christmas!)

"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better!" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Hump Day :)

PS: How cool is this crayon art work? I really want to make this myself! It was trending on Pinterest a little while ago and I pinned it straight away to my crafty ideas/DIY board for a future DIY art project. The lovely Milly from Pearls and Poodles actually tried her hand at crayon art recently and blogged about her step-by-step tutorial here (link). Looks cool don't you think? 

One door closes and another one opens...

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Focus...

That time of the week again! 

I feel it is very important to keep a healthy sense of perspective in life and keep focussed on the good :)

Also as you know I was at home in the Netherland last weekend so here a quick collection of pictures:

Attending my sisters PhD ceremony - feeling very proud of her for this amazing achievement! 

When at home I can never resist a delicious piece of traditional Dutch apple pie

Comfy and casual outfit of the day; distressed jeans, leather converse high tops, leopard print scarf

Strolling around the picturesque town of Delft - check out the lean on the church tower ;)

Yes it's that time of the year again; indulging in Oliebollen! 

Showing my friend around Delft

We spotted several 'horse parking spots' for St Nicolas shopping loading zone haha

 My hometown, beautiful The Hague!

Parliament building and Grote Markt square at night

On Saturday we made a little day trip to Amsterdam where we biked around, caught up with friends and walked around the rainy, but still very pretty, canals. Lunch was a grilled goats cheese sandwich with walnuts and honey at Cafe Nielsen in the Nine Little Streets area of Amsterdam (which has lovely boutiques and restaurants). Dinner and a couple of glasses of red were consumed at Boca's in the Jordaan; a fun casual platter restaurant/bar.

On Sunday I took my friend for a walk along the beach but we experienced some crazy winds that day; we almost struggled to move! After being completely blown away on the beach we warmed up again over hot chocolates and poffertjes.....yummmmm!

Ps: If you fancy being friends on Instagram, you can follow me at Dutchessroz

Happy Hump Day everyone :) 

Remember what you deserve...>

Some Wednesday words of wisdom:

Definitely need to keep reminding myself of this at the moment.....

Happy Hump Day xoxo

Tumblr - Life is like a box of chocolates....

I am a big lover of beautiful images and quotes to inspire me in life and I’m already addicted to Pinterest (follow me: link) to collect and organise my favourite things onto mood boards. I also knew of Tumblr’s existence, which is a very popular micro-blogging platform, but I just hadn’t got involved….mainly for the fact that I don’t really need another procrastinating pastime in my life ;) But after someone pointed out the website to me again last week I decided to take the plunge and sign up and it’s now fair to say I am completely hooked! I actually saw this quote on Tumblr today and think it sums the whole concept up quite nicely...

“A person’s Tumblr tells a lot about them. It shows what kind of images they see in their head, who they love, who they hate, even what they think about other people. But most of all – has all the words they never said to people, all the words they couldn’t have said but should have said.”

Check out my Tumblr page here. Are you on Tumblr? If you are, leave me a comment with a link to your page because I would love to find more great people to follow to share the love of images.
 

 

Probably one of my favourite quotes:
"Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you are going to get!"
http://dutchessroz.tumblr.com

And it's that time of the week again. Loving this....

Happy Hump Day everyone :)

Winging it!

Mid-week again already, my days are just flying by at the moment! Winter has officially arrived in London….shorter, darker and colder days (brrr), Christmas lights appearing all over the city and the shops are filling up with decorations, Christmassy foods and presents making the annual Christmas ‘stress’ rapidly creep upon me. Do you get those little freak out moment's once in a while where you wonder where the months go?

Luckily......

 

Also I received my new quilted stud iPhone case that I picked up in the ASOS sale recently (link). 

Not bad for £5.50! Like?

 Happy Hump Day!

A date with destiny...

Well said Coco....

Happy Hump Day xoxo

Walls...

Weekly food for thought....

“Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.”

Socrates

Happy Hump Day everyone :)

Headed for sunshine #

Wednesday's Wise Words....

 

Happy Hump Day! I hope you have a great day :) xoxo

Dream big! =

Some weekly Wednesday inspiration...

"Laugh often, dream big, reach for the stars!"

Happy hump day! xoxo

Be!

That time of the week again! A quick quote of the day....

Happy Hump Day everyone! Xoxo

 

Best & Worst: 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards

On Sunday the 64th Emmy Awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles, awarding prizes to the outstanding comedy, drama, miniseries and reality programmes of 2012.

As always it was a great opportunity for the celebrities to shine on the red carpet, some more than others! Blue (in various shades) proved to be a popular colour on the red carpet and also yellow seemed to be a hit with the stars which is a quite a surprising bright colour for such an autumn event. Here are my best and worst picks of the night..

BEST

I loved Cat's scarlet gown and the shape and style fitted her perfectly. Julianne went for the mermaid look and I think she made it look very glamorous. Julie's neon yellow strapless gown seems to be a hit for some or a complete miss with others. I liked it, on photos it doesn't always do it justice I think because when I saw a live shot of her on the red carpet I just felt the fit and colour was beautiful and she looked so radiant, like a ray of sunshine! Emily got a lot of negative comments on this look; yes it is safe, yes it is a little boring because she is young and has a killer body but I personally liked the muted grey gown and think she's beautiful no matter what and she looks very elegant.

Heidi shows off some extreme 'Jolie leg' in this beautiful seafoam green couture gown, but with gams like that she can pull it off. January Jones is always something of a risk-taker when it comes to the red carpet but this gothic-glam gown by Zac Posen suits her beautifully and it shows that sometimes risks can pay off. Claire Danes flaunted her growing baby belly in a bright and bold dress by Lanvin. I think it's an interesting and chic take on a maternity dress and she looks stunning.

 

Homeland was actually the big winner on the night, taking home statues for lead actress (Claire Danes), lead actor (Damien Lewis) and outstanding writing in the drama category, as well as the outstanding drama award. I am completely addicted to this show so think the awards are well deserved!

 

WORST

Hayden looks a bit like she's going to a fancy toga party in this Grecian-inspired dress by Marchesa. I think remove the blue tule and it would have looked a lot better. Juliane; don't get me wrong I am loving the bright colour and it definitely takes a brave woman to wear that much yellow but unfortunately I don't think she shape of the dress is very flattering and it's all little too much with the long sleeves and long skirt. Ashley Judd, not much more to say than serious fashion crime. Ugly dress and the hair...sorry but what was her hairstylist on? Sadly Lena's black and lace Prada number looks boxy and does nothing to flatter her figure.

Lena Headey tries gothic-glam and fails. Kristen Wiig looks uninspiring to me; the hair too messy, the dress too casual and the whole look is just a bit blah! Alexandra of 'American Horror Story' striked some fierce poses on the red carpet but flashed a bit too much leg when her undies were on show! Even so, think the dress is unflattering and 'cheap' looking and not loving the hairstyle with this dress. Lucy Liu looks like a metal disco ball; a case of sequins gone wrong!

I really liked seeing so many bright colour on the red carpet at this event! What were your best and worst picks from the 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards?

Happy Hump Day Everyone! xoxo

New York, New York!

In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of,

There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York!

These street will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you....

Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York......

I had the most amazing week in New York City in September with my friend and London flattie!!

Here a some pictures from our NYC adventure... 

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

A Grays Payaya hot dog; a New York institution!

Drinks and dinner at underground SoHo hotspot Mexican bar La Esquina

Browsing around the beautiful deli that is Dean & Deluca

Walking the NY Highline on the West Side

Indulging in hangover burgers at Bubby's!

Reflection and remembrance at the 9/11 World Trade Centre Memorial
NYC Skyline at sun rise after a late night out in the city that never sleeps...
Tennis at the US Open Quarter finals
To-die-for eggs at The Dutch. Egg's benedict with a difference because served on a cheese biscuit and covered with a spicy hollandaise sauce. My flatmate branded these as one of the best egg she's ever had for brunch and coming from her, that is a BIG call, trust me ;)

Visiting Brooklyn

Strolling around Central Park

Death by dessert at The Gramarcy Tavern...but what a way to go! ;)

The Dutchess at The Dutch - great place for Brunch in Soho!

Out in Midtown - Empire State of Mind! 

Brunch at La Bottega

DUMBO Park in Brooklyn

Delicious dinner and drinks at Aria in the West Village - prosecco shots anyone?

More highline walking..

Me and the 'wife' out in town! 

Photobooth fun at the Ace Hotel Bar!

 

As you can see our week in New York was filled with shopping, exploring, partying and lots and lots of eating. But more on that later because I will do a 'food diary' post to show you all the delicious food we ate and fabulous places we visited. After such an amazing week we really did not want to leave this incredible city but we both knew that it was probably the best for our credit cards and waistlines to return to our London home! My flatmate was the perfect NYC partner in crime and I am truly so lucky to have found such a great flattie and friend. Therefore, returning home wasn't so bad after all because.....

Thanks MiMi for a brilliant holiday - Love you lots.

Happy Hump Day everyone :) 

Can money buy happiness?

Haha I love this quote ;) It's a bit silly but also true, well in my case anyway. I will confess that shopping in New York made me a very happy girl! There are just so many amazing shops; varying from high street brands, designer shops, department stores to boutiques and even great little street stand shops where they sell the most funky jewellery.

For example check out these awesome two wrap around bracelets I got from a NYC street stand....

On the left a pinky nude leather long strap with a gold chain stitched on that wraps three times around the wrist. You can simply wrap it and click together or knot/twist them like I have done here. On the right is a grey leather strap with little gold studs that you tie (like a shoelace) before connecting together. The lady sold these in so many amazing colours, from bright neons to purple and blues. However in the end I settled on a grey one for me and I got a friend a bright blue one as a birthday gift. The bracelet in the middle is my Cinderela B Neon Luxe bracelet, as seen here (link).

So maybe sometimes money can buy you happiness? ;) Happy hump day everyone! Xoxo

 

California Love

I hope you are all having a fabulous week! After an amazing week the Californian sunshine I have now arrived in New York City for some serious shopping and eating girl time adventures with my London flatmate! A lot of you have been saying how you have enjoyed my holiday updates so here a little collage of pictures to summarise my week in Cali!

Pinkberry PEANUTBUTTER frozen yoghurt. Uh-mazing!

Driving around 90210. Yup Beverly Hills :)

Thirsty anyone? Buffalo wing or Bacon soda....uh no thanks!

Delicious lunch, felafel wrap, at Toast bakery in LA

'Slumming' it at the SLS Beverly Hills hotel. Loved this place, felt like a Hollywood starlet staying there. We had a bit of a celeb spotting when Drake walked past us in the lobby!

Sunbathing time at the SLS rooftop pool....so relaxing!

Feeling very Baywatch at Santa Minoca beach!

Cool art display called 'Urban Lights' at LACMA museum.

Tandem biking along Venice Beach :)

JUMP!!!

Paddleboarding in Mission Bay by San Diego

Pacific Beach in San Diego.

Starbucks Drive-Thru, only in America!

Pre-wedding day drinks in Carlsbad with friends

What a lovely moment. The bride walking down the 'aisle' with her proud dad

Such a beautiful ceremony on the beach & they both look incredible in white!

Me on the beach after the ceremony. It was such a great day.

I will do a full post on the wedding showing the makeup I did for the bride.

I really can't believe it's Wednesday already, I only have 5 more days left in NYC before I fly home to London again. I don't want this holiday to end....

Happy Hump day everyone! Xoxo