Have you been to a library lately?

I have…

But not the kind you are thinking of. I’ve stumbled upon a fashion library. It’s amazing how you live in a city for ages and still can find hidden gems like this.

LENA The Fashion Library was founded by a creative team of three sisters and their friend, all of whom are passionate about fashion, vintage and sustainability.

LENA is the first fashion library in Amsterdam. The shop caries mostly very well preserved vintage clothes, but has a growing section of new, eco-conscious clothing as well.

What surprised me first is the space itself. LENA is located in a beautiful light building in the center of Amsterdam. The shop’s interior is well thought of with modern concrete floors, beautiful changing booths and minimalistic shelving. There isn’t any musky smell that you’d expect from a vintage shop. And then there are the clothes… I was in heaven! Rows and rows of garments arranged by color. Here I found an eclectic mix of fashion era’s, textures and fabrics.

After browsing through the clothes for a while I was really impressed with the diversity and quality of the clothes. Another pleasant surprise where the prices. In LENA fashion library you can either subscribe and borrow clothes (like in a real library) or just buy them. The subscription starts at just 19,95 euro per month

I’ve spent my time in LENA with the lovely Suzanne Smulders, who kindly answered a few of my questions:

How did you get an idea to start a “Fashion Library”?

We had a vintage (web)shop for 7 years already, where we were busy with reusing of clothing already. We where very motivated to take it to the next level, so we came up with the idea of LENA. We want to stimulate people to consume in a more conscious way through the borrowing system.

When did you open the store?

We opened in December 2014, so only 3 months ago. We had a nice opening party the 4th of December: https://vimeo.com/114662032

What kind of customers do you get? (age, size, etc) We get all kind of customers, but most important is that they all have a passion for good style and high quality items. Our customer base varies from 15 yrs old to 65+.

How do you choose the clothes to sell in LENA? We have a clear vision of the style we want to put together at LENA. Quality is key and we like the combination of vintage items from different eras to be combined with clean and timeless items. Next to that we like the brands that have a similar vision as ours (so no fast fashion)

What are you customers most surprised about when they come to your store for the first time?

I think most of them are positively surprised by the whole look and feel of the shop. They expect some second hand/flee market setting, but we put a lot of effort in hygiene and the presentation of our collection. We think style is very important, which is reflected in our store.

Do you see a shift in people's attitude towards sustainable fashion? Are they more open to concepts like “Fashion Library”?

Fashion is a lot in the media lately, and not with any good news, so yes we definitely see a change in mindset. People care more and more about how their clothing is made and by whom. People are looking for new ways to consume, so sharing is a nice option. But also this is an easy way for our customers to get introduced to sustainable fashion.

What are you hoping for in the future for LENA?

We hope that fashion libraries will become bigger and bigger, and eventually we can open a LENA in all major cities in the world. Our dream is to go on holiday with only some hand luggage and your library card, so you can borrow whatever you need on your trip at LENA!

So… here’s a taste of some of the outfits I’ve tried on. Which one do you think I took home with me?

We all crave new stuff, new clothes, new furniture… but then again, we all have old things, old clothes and furniture. So how do we replace old with the new? Sure, we can just keep on buying and accumulating stuff in our caves, lovingly walking around all our possessions, proudly showing them off to our friends and family. But then a time comes when we simply have too much stuff, when it doesn’t only consumes physical space in our homes, but clutters our minds as well…

In this article I wanted to explore an option of selling our old stuff. The best place to do it in person in Amsterdam (not online) is the IJ-hallen flea market. The flea market takes its name from the massive halls it occupies, once a part of the NDSM shipyard in Amsterdam-North. To get there just take one of the free, frequent ferries that shuttle visitors back and forth over the river. The ride is just 15 minutes, and the views of the IJ River and the architecture on its banks is worth the trip itself. You will find almost everything at the IJ-hallen, and for such bargain prices. Don’t forget to take some cash with you, as they don't accept cards and there aren’t any ATM machines nearby. Prices range from 1 to 5 euros with some things being a little more expensive. This is a place where you must have patience to really walk around, look for the hidden treasures and pay a ridiculously good price for it. There is an entry fee: 5 euro per adult and 2 per child.

I went there on a cold, windy Saturday to see my dear friend Andrey attempting to sell his old clothes for the first time.

Here is Andrey's experience:

How did you get the idea to sell at the market?:

Over a couple of past years I had collected a few plastic bags full of items of clothing that I thought I’d hardly ever have on again because they were either simply out of fashion or I did not particularly like them. I realized that at a certain point it became a burden, both mentally and physically, because those bags occupied a lot space in the cellar… and on my mind. I got to know about this market from a friend of mine, I googled it and watched a couple of videos online, I got inspired and found it a brilliant idea to get rid of my old clothes and... earn on it.

How did the sign up process to sell worked? Was it easy? What did you have to do?

I attempted to rent a stall a couple of times online, but oh man, they are selling like hot pies. They were all fully booked within a couple of days after they went available online. Finally I managed to get a 4-meter long stall, which I found a bit too big for myself alone, that is why I also invited one of my friends to join. You just pay online for a stall (prices vary depending on a size) and a small deposit, which is returned to you at the end of the sales day provided that the place was left neat. A few days before “the big day” you get a letter by post specifying the house rules and indicating the place where you actually will stand.

Who did you go with?:

A friend of mine, who shared the spirit of excitement with me.

What kind of items did you sell?:

Well, you can literally sell there everything, and people will buy it. The only condition is that you are allowed to sell used or second hand items. So I brought everything from worn T-shirts to hoodies, from ties with a spider print to fancy coats. Every item will catch an eye of a certain type of customer there.

Was the day successful? Did you manage to sell everything you wanted?

Definitely, I sold almost everything, and I started with a huge pile of things. When one of the customers just bought wholesale, 6 pairs of jeans and 3 shirts, I was on cloud #9 from happiness. Most of the items were gone by midday.

Was it a fun day for you?

Absolutely, it was my first experience and I totally loved it. You learn a lot about customer behavior, your more experienced neighbors give you tips on how to arrange items and make them look more presentable, you have a nice conversation with your friend (whenever you manage to have a spare moment) over a cup of hot chocolate, which together with other drinks you can buy right on spot.

You also notice how customers change throughout a day. There are early birds who already stand at the door at 8 a.m. with large trolleys who are looking for best bargains or items for the whole family (so yes, come early if you’d like to have a big choice), towards midday the market is flooded with hipsters who are ready to fight if they see an item that appeals to them and will make them again and again stand out in the crowd.

Would you do it again?

Already planning my summer revisiting.

As for my experience, as a visitor, I have to say that it was cold. So cold, that I found it hard to concentrate on actual shopping and to take my coat off to try on the clothes. I will definitely go next time (when it’s much warmer) to explore this vast market again.

The market is usually held on the first weekend of each month, but check the web site for exact dates and times.

Aaaaaand a year is up!

Did I run screaming to the shops on first of January? No. That was the first thing that surprised me. I did miss shopping, but for different reasons than I thought I would. I missed the hunt, the social aspect, but after a year of not shopping, I didn’t feel like I needed more clothes.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find enough time to document all my discoveries and experiences and there’s so much I still want to try out and learn about. So I’ve decided to continue the blog. Not as another year of “not shopping” but as a journal where I can document all my finding and discoveries in a world of DIY, upcycling, recycling, and all things weird and wonderful that are happening around me.

So what did I learn this year, you ask? Here it is, the good, the bad and the ugly:

The good:

• Saved money. Yes, well, no point of elaborating on this one. Overall I did save a lot of money this year. But one point I do have to make: the ingredients for DIY products did cost surprisingly more than I thought they would.

• Clearing out my wardrobe and starting to use most of my clothes more. When you have to work with a limited set of tools, you need to become more creative in how you use them. I made my spring and summer dresses work throughout the winter by paring them up with tights and layering with sweaters. I experimented with different color combinations. I learned the importance of using accessories to breathe fresh life into an otherwise boring outfit. With limitations, my wardrobe became more versatile than ever. I look at style and fashion with a new pair of eyes now. I feel like I have more fun, I play more and take more risks in my styling. Here is how I went through my closet

• Use up all the beauty/bath product samples and gifts. We all have little sample–sized bottles litter our bathrooms and bedrooms. Once saved for future use, they lay collecting dust. This was a perfect excuse to use them all. Litter free bathroom: - Check; free stuff: - Check; discovered a few nice new beauty products: - Check.

• Being given a lot of clothes and shoes. This was a nice bonus with this project. The second people heard about what I was doing, they started to bring me their stuff. Maybe out of pity, maybe because they knew I was open to it. I even got to know my neighbors better

• Getting in touch with my community, finding out what’s happening in my neighborhood. Well… I had to get crafty with finding new things, so I’ve learned about clothes swapping parties, DIY workshops, secret knitting groups, etc.

• Being contacted by long-lost friends. I guess when you do something out of ordinary, it generates interest, maybe strikes a note with some people. So many friends and distant family members contacted me with DIY ideas; beauty product recipes, etc. It was so lovely to just reconnect again! Through this project I’ve also met so many interesting people, passionate about recycling, upcycling and environment.

• Learning about how beauty/cleaning products are made; what goes into our food and how/by whom our clothes are created.

The bad:

• Keeping on trend for each season.

• Feeling left out when girlfriends went out for shopping trips. I’ve discovered that for me, shopping, is a social activity. I love to browse a few boutiques with my mom or girlfriend before getting some lunch. This aspect I’ve missed the most.

• Feeling that I’m missing out during sales.

• Missing out on one off collaborations. This year it was Alexander Wang x H&M ☹

• DIY projects did take more time to make than getting the same items in the shops. It’s good to know what goes on into our cosmetics, but I fond it a challenge to make them myself. From finding a good recipe (almost impossible with all the thousands and thousands of them online), collecting all the ingredients to actually making the bloody thing, it did take an awful lot of time with no guaranty of success.

• It’s actually more expensive to make beauty products than to buy them. This point is perhaps not very objective. It all depends on the quality and quantity of the raw ingredients you buy, comparing to the price of ready-made cosmetics. If you buy in bulk with your friends and compare the price to say, Chanel cosmetics, you will end up with cheaper DIY creams.

• Some of my DIY attempts where pure disaster. My husband and I did this experiment, where we had to go 3 month without shampoo or conditioner, substituting them for baking soda and apple cider vinegar. At first we where extremely happy, him – with no dandruff, me – with shiny, healthy hair. About 2 month into the project, things started to change. Nikolai’s scalp became all scabby (yes… really), my hair was dull, dry and sad. Needless to say, we’ve stopped. Another disaster was learning how to knit or crochet. Couldn’t do it… doesn’t matter how much I’ve tried.

The ugly:

• Running out of nice undies and tights… doesn’t matter how many clothes swapping parties you go to, some items are just too personal to swap ;)

But one thing is to like this tradition, another one – to actually being capable of making anything I would hang up on my tree. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long to find that out. A week ago I was invited to participate in a workshop where I would learn how to make my very own Christmas ornaments from Nespresso Capsules. Great… I had a Nespresso machine and a lot of capsules to contribute. The workshop was held at “Olivity", a little deli that was inspired by the Greek and Mediterranean culinary traditions… so needless to say, there was a steady supply of gorgeous dips and fresh bread.

The workshop was being held by very creative Xenia Tombrou. Xenia is from Corfu, Greece, she studied in Athens and became a second officer on a merchant ship. At the moment, Xenia is studying communication management at the university of Applied sciences in Utrecht. Xenia creates jewelry as well as Christmas decorations from Nespresso Capsules, you can find them all here: http://Www.etsy.com/shop/HandmadeByXenia.

I was surprised how easy it was to create something beautiful from Nespresso cups. Although some decorations took longer to make, the steps where easy to understand and to follow. On top of that, we’ve had a lot of fun… which is all that matters.

I’ll definitely be adapting Mandy’s family tradition for many years to come. I hope as years pass by, I’ll not only be making new decorations, but creating and capturing old memories to enjoy with my ever-growing family.

Here are my inspirations for next year:

So it’s been a few months since I’ve cleared out my closets. These few months have been filled with new (long lost, at the back of my wardrobe) clothes. But after some time even my long lost friends don’t seem as exciting anymore.

I WANT NEW STUFF!!!

But what's a girl with a shopping ban to do?
… Steal, beg or swap!. And needless to say, I've chosen the latter… (for now… a few more weeks of the shopping ban and I might result to begging or stealing).

And swapping I did! I was invited to check out a swapping party held at “The Novel” in Nieuw-West, Amsterdam. These clothes swapping parties are held every 3 months, but the shop is open for customers 5 days a week for a few hours. The Novel swap shop is part of the Bookstore project. The Bookstore is a project in the Kolenkitbuurt, Amsterdam-West, initiated by The New Collagists and the housing association Stadgenoot. More than a dozen artists from six countries have been given the opportunity of living in the neighborhood for affordable rent. In return for this, they are expected to make a contribution to the development of the area. Some of them volunteer at “the bookstore”.

The rules of the event are simple, all you have to do is bring a minimum of 5 items (clothes, shoes or bags) in good condition. This part is similar to the other swapping parties. What sets the “The Novel” apart is this: you don’t have to choose the exact amount of items to replace yours. You can take as much or as little as you want. The clothes that are left behind after the swapping events will stay at the store. I really love this concept as it also allows people with fewer means to find wonderful clothing. The store is open for a few hours 5 days a week, so it, in essence can be treated as a “clothes library”. Swapping clothes, instead of disposing of them can be more in line with our desire to see items recycled and reused. We are a generation more and more concerned about the world we live in, eager to reduce our carbon footprint where we can. We are more conscious of the effects we have on the environment, but these are often ideals that conflict with today’s disposable and ever-changing fashion trends. Whilst we are used to recycling glass, cans, paper, and plastic, clothes are often thrown out without a second thought about the environmental impact this has, with only a small percentage of used clothes even reaching charities. Ensuring clothes enjoy a longer life is one small way of reducing the environmental impact of the clothing industry.

When I came to the last swapping event, I had quite low hopes for the outcome. I have a very specific taste in clothes and didn’t plan on taking something for the sake of “swapping”. I was fully prepared to leave all the items I brought behind. What I wasn’t prepared for is what happened next.

I was greeted at the door by "The Novel" coordinator, Olga Ganzha. She was so lovely and welcoming that I felt like I’ve known her forever. After a brief chat I’ve handed her the bag of clothes that I’ve brought and went to browse around the store. After my initial round I was a bit disappointed with the findings so I’ve decided to settle for a cup of tea and to soak up the store’s atmosphere. The swapping was in full swing. What really surprised me is that there was no rivalry you often see during sale time in the shops. The comradery was overwhelming, complete strangers where recommending clothes to each other and complementing on good “looks”. More and more girls where arriving for a swap and suddenly I saw more clothes that I liked. After understanding what kind of clothes I was looking for, Olga started to personally recommend me some items she though I might like. She was spot on and I came home with waaaaay more clothes than I thought I would. This is what I got:

The next swapping event is this coming Sunday, November 30th, from 14:00 till 17:00, Ernest Staesstraat 7. All you need to do is to contribute 2 Euros for tea and cookies. I’ll definitely be there!

Thought you'll never see me out of the house before 9...(ok, 10am?). Wrong! There's one thing that will get me out and about this early - dancing!

I've been to my share of after-parties, so when I heard about the "Morning Gloryville" party I was a tad skeptical. Being a new mom, drugs and alcohol are not part of my life any longer... so what's the point of going to an after-party?

The point is: This is the party, not the after-party. The concept is simple: "Morning Gloryville ~ Rave your way into the day!" is an immersive morning dance experience for those who dare to challenge morning culture and start their day in style! It's a soul-shaking mission to turn clubbing upside down and transform mornings into something truly remarkable!

So.... basically, it's like going to a club on a mid-week morning without any drugs or alcohol. With me so far?

I was graciously invited to attend the party by the event organizer, Sarah-Jane Threipland. I was curious about how this event came to be. So here's a bit of history for y'all:
"Morning Gloryville (formerly named ‘Morning Glory’) was born when Samantha Moyo, an experienced event producer and creative, and Nico Thoemmes, a professional body-worker, came together to create an experience for London city-dwellers that would shift their perceptions of mornings, and clubbing, and increase their wellbeing.

Morning Gloryville has since evolved, and received worldwide media acclaim hailing its unique concept that demonstrably boosts the positivity, happiness and productivity of its attendees, and the community as a whole. It encourages child-like fun and wonder at events, a sense of being in one place in one time and with one purpose; to experience the morning in a totally different way.

Morning Gloryville has already launched in New York and is set to launch in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, Paris, Tokyo, West London and Zurich this summer, and in more cities across the globe by the end of the year. By the end of July it will be in 10 new cities. Over 200 people from 85 cities have been in touch, inspired to bring the all-inclusive movement to their home."

When I asked Sarah-Jane how the whole idea started, she told me:
"When I visited the London rave, I went in a bit of a grump, not being a morning person at all. Within minutes of arriving and being hugged while in the queue by a ‘welcome angel,’ I perked up, and then entered the hall to be hit by a wall of colour and sound, a mix of people from all walks of life enjoying dancing crazily themselves, or taking part in the more relaxed activities (yoga and massage) around the outside of the dance-floor. I left wondering if the same thing could happen in Amsterdam, and after a few friends asked me about it coming here, I decided to work with London and see how the Amsterdam experiences takes off!"

So here's my lowdown on the first Morning Gloriville:

1. What did I wear?

This was a hard one. You can of course come as you are, but knowing that most people who go there do make an effort made me want to dress up as well. Looking at the London party I broke the outfits into a few main categories:

• Crazy
• Sporty
• PJ’s and sleepwear
• Office clothes

So... crazy was out of the question since I had to catch a bus to the party. My PJ's are so worn out I wouldn't inflict them on strangers (just on my poor husband). I don't work in an office, so the choice was pretty simple: sportswear.

I guess the choice of an outfit would reflect your personal view of Morning Glory. For someone it can be a great work out, or a place to chill with friends and have breakfast in your PJ's.

So this is what I wore:

2. How was the music?

Sarah-Jane and her team organized one very cool thing: they live streamed the party online, so when I woke up I could check out the party before heading out there. I was pleasantly surprised that the music was good quality house & electro, skillfully mixing hits with lesser-known tracks. These are the DJ's that rocked my morning: Du Chatinier, Jesse Green, Rens V Mackelenbergh (rmack) & Larry Appiah (Lauwrenxe). I actually found that I've paid more attention to the music in my sober state. If I didn't like one song - I just sat it out.

Photo by Francine Nagata

3. Is it just dancing?

No. The party started with yoga (which I missed ;). Then the yoga peops moved next to the dancing area but kept going pretty much till the end. There was also face painting, massage and some sort of holistic crystal healing available free of charge... which is always nice. Sarah-Jane told me that they have a lot of surprises planed for the future parties, such as guest artists and such. I like the idea of being surprised each time; I miss that at the conventional clubs.

4. No alcohol... So what are we drinking then?

Honestly... this was the cheapest outing for me yet! I just bought mineral water. I ate my breakfast at home, but there where a lot of yummy things on offer, such as smoothies bar and a breakfast cafe. The cafe was tucked away in the back of the club so it took me a while to find it. Don't miss it!

4b. So how was it to party without alcohol or drugs?

First 5-10 min where hard... Part of the club was totally light and it felt weird to just dance. But after these initial minutes I actually really liked it. I could dance by myself and no one came to hump me from behind. No guy tried to hit on me while slurring his words. When someone bend down I didn't think: "oh no, he's feelling sick", I thought: "mmm, this yoga pose looks nice!". If the music was bad - a sat it out, if a conversation was dull - I left it. I knew what was happening around me - and I liked it.

5. Who did I go with?

Alone... really, that turned out to be the best decision ever. I was planning to go with a friend, but it didn't happen. I'm glad that I went alone. It was almost therapeutic to enter a room full of people and just to let go and dance. I don't think my friends would ever judge me, but I think they would, and that might make me more self-conscious. I'm planning to bring my husband to the next one. But honestly though, if no one wants to ever come with me - it's fine, I've had so much fun by myself that I can see this becoming my guilty, once-monthly pleasure.

6. Who is this for, anyway?

It was a very mixed crowd. Mostly 25-35 years old, but also a lovely 72 year old lady, who was last on the dancefloor. There where some young mammas with their babies (kids need proper ear protection & kids under 7 go free). I found the main dance area to be a bit "basey" for my 20 month old baby even with the ear muffs, but other parts of the club where less loud. Overall the atmosphere was really relaxed and kid-friendly.

7. Anything I didn't like?

... Not ""didn't like" exactly... more of an observation. With parties like this there are expectations and not all of them are positive. You expect it to be "hippy" heavy, all "rainbows and unicorns" and it does look like that at first, just as you enter the room. But when your eyes adjust to sparkly leggings and tutu dresses you see the "normal" folk, just like you and me. I saw the loveliest woman in suit and red heels, totally dress for the day ahead in an office, dance all morning. She really put a smile on my face. My hope for the future of these parties is that as more and more people from different walks of like attend them, the more rich and unexpected they'll become.

This year, during my experiment, I will continue to search for anything new, "out of the box" and unexpected happening in my city. This experiment is not just to learn how to live without shopping but to expand my horizons, see what my neighborhood has to offer and to meet people who do things just a little bit different. See you at the next Gloriville?

https://vimeo.com/100658857

The next event is on July 30th (then end of the month monthly after that) at club Lite, Jan van Galenstraat 24, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Every girl is familiar with this concept: "my closet is full to the brims and still nothing to wear". Since I can't buy anything new I was thinking: "Could there possibly be anything "new" in my closet? Do I even remember what is hanging in it's far corners".

To go through my closet in some sort of organised fashion I've decided to do this:

1. Wear everything in my closet. I'm not talking about evening, summer or sport clothes. I think we get in a rut, combine our outfits the same way, this way you are really forced to go through all the closet from beginning till the end. You might look a bit silly by the end of your experiment, but you might come up with some unexpected and beautiful combinations. So wear each garment once and then put it in one of the 3 piles: "to keep", "to swap" or "throw away".

2. Wear it for one whole day. To understand if I love something or if it fits me I must wear an outfit for 1 whole day. Sometimes i'll wear something for a few hours, it starts to pinch or ride up or flap open and I'll be like: "Ahhh.. that's why I didn't wear it for a year"... and I'll hang it back where it'll stay for another year or until I forget how uncomfortable it was to wear it.

3. Take photo of an outfit. To me, this is the best way to see how the outfit looks. Even better than a mirror, I'm not sure why it is... Even if you cringe at the thought of taking a "selfie", just try it.

4. Sort all the cloths in 3 piles: to keep, to swap and tho throw away.

Right now we are just talking about your everyday clothes. All the evening gowns, summer sandals & dresses and sportswear were not included in this. They all will have to go through the same process, it might just take longer :)

So here are some of my outfits. I'm only showing 11 but I've come up with different outfits for more than 2 month. Of course there will be more tops than bottoms (or vice versa), but the point is to wear every item once and document it.

Here's what I did:

Here's what I've ended up with:

So the next step is to find people to swap with... watch this space!

P.S. Things to keep in mind:

• Plan your outfit from the night before: This way of getting dressed takes time so there's nothing worse than panicking and running out of time in the morning.

• Don't wear your "best" or most comfortable clothes first: Think about your week ahead. Do you have an important business meeting in a few days? Then don't wear your nice suit tomorrow. Since you can only wear each item once until you go through your closet, planning will help you to avoid looking like a crazy person towards the end of the closet challenge :)

• Don't neglect sentimental garments. Everyone has an item or two (or 10) with sentimental value in our closets. It may be something you are thinking of passing on to your daughter, or your grandma's gloves, etc... Should they be crumpled up at the back of the closet? No. Think how you can store them properly so they won't spoil and mix up with your clothes. Or you might want to display them on a mannequin or in a picture frame in your bedroom. These items should be celebrated and seen, not stuck behind your clothes.

P.P.S. What I've learned from this

• I was only really using about 60% of items in my closet.

• I was getting lazy and combining the same outfits. So certain top with skirt and not experimenting with different combo's anymore

• In the last 3 months of last year I bought 4 nearly identical black tops. Really...

• Through this experiment I've received so many compliments from my husband. Every day... which is nice :)

Quite often I need to use a light table for some illustration work. Using a light table can save a lot of time and paper, but most of them are bulky, expensive and difficult to assemble. If you don't have space in your office, a large budget and a lot of time on your hands keep reading... Here's my invention of the week (drum roll please...):

DIY LIGHT TABLE

Use a glass-oven dish as a base. Mine is almost A4. If your dish has a lid - use it, it's flatter and easier to use.

Set your phone on a "flashlight" setting and place it under the glass dish.

Place the photo you want to trace on top of the dish. You can use maskingtape to hold it in place.

Place a paper on top of the photo and trace it.

You can move the glass dish around to get a better light source.

Ta-daaa!

We have never really celebrated Valentine's Day. It's just too easy to go and buy some flowers, chocolates or a card. Too standard and not unique or personal enough (for me :).

This year my experiment actually inspired me to make a present. I always look for DIY ideas on the web and more so, romantic DIY ideas. I think the longer you are together the more effort should go into romance. I've decided to try the sharpie method for customizing a pair of his + her mugs (this blog post was my inspiration, but there are literally tons more online). The directions listed did seemed too easy to be true... so I did a little testing. I even tried running them through the dishwasher and here's what I found out...

1. Do get special porcelain marker. I happened to have one already, they last for a very long time and they are cheap (mine was 4.95 euro). Don't try to draw with a regular marker; it'll wash off (when you wash in a dishwasher or scrub with sponge).

2. Practice what you going to draw. It's harder to draw on a mug then on paper, your hands will shake and you won't be able to rub the drawing off. Practice the design on paper many times, it'll help.

3. Keep it simple. If you don't know what to write or draw, look online. There are so many cute drawings there. Think of an idea, say a "cat" and Google it. You'll easily find tons of nice drawings for inspiration.

4. Get a practice mug and draw on it if you can. It really will make a difference.

How to draw on a mug

1. Make sure your mug is clean.

2. Come up with design and practice it a few times on a paper.

3. Open your marker (sharpie) and press it a few times on a piece of paper to get the ink to flow to the tip of the pen.

4. Try resting edge of the mug on a table so you can draw more comfortably

5. When you are happy with your design place the mugs in a normal kitchen oven and turn up the heat to 150°c. Leave the mugs there for 40 min.
   - Do not pre-heat the oven. A quick change in temperature might cause mugs to crack!

Enjoy! Let me know how your mugs turned out!

A few weeks ago our neighbor came over and brought Maya these beautiful rain boots. Her little girl outgrew them and, after hearing about my project, she decided to give them to me. The boots where brand new, with the price tag still on.

Often we don’t know what to do with our old things. Giving them to the Salvation Army seems like a hassle, a lot of charity shops don’t come to pick up the clothes so they end up sitting in bags until we remember to take them to the shop. Giving old cloths to friends can be embarrassing. Why? Maybe we are afraid it will make them feel like "they are poor"? Maybe they’ll judge our cloths style. What did I use to do? Wait till the nightfall and bring down a beanbag labeled “clothes” and hope someone who needs them will pick them up.

Part of this experiment is to leave these hang ups at the door. It’s about asking your neighbor or friend: “Hey, does your kid need these?”

I was making a batch of body scrub for us and I made a pot for them. After all, what are neighbors for?

I am so inspired! I've been having a bit of a hard week... really wanted to shop, felt a bit sorry for myself. And then... and then I've stumbled upon an article in the British Telegraph. I'm going to highlight the parts that I found most interesting.

Sickened by the whole whirl of 'kiddy consumerism’, eight months ago Hattie Garlick did something radical and decided to opt out altogether. This is her story:

"You don’t expect to be faced with an existential crisis at a children’s birthday party. Yet there I was, in early January, cake half way to mouth, when one of the fathers asked me, 'So do you think the way we’re raising our children is evil?’

How had I got here? A fortnight before, I’d blithely started a blog, Free our Kids, that would chart a year-long personal challenge: could I go a whole year without spending any money on children’s products for my son? In retrospect, I hadn’t thought a great deal about it.

I published the first entry, went to make a coffee, and came back to a small storm of online interest. One hundred messages, five hundred new Twitter followers and 10,000 visits to the blog by the end of the day.

By the end of that week, it had had international coverage from Australian breakfast TV to the Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton.

I’m not an eco-warrior or a socialist. I don’t, as that father suggested, think 'we should all just weave our shoes out of palm fronds, go live in the hills and sing kumbaya.’

Neither am I another self-appointed expert on other people’s parenting techniques. I’m just a working mother with limited time, patience and funds.

This became critical three days before last Christmas when I was made redundant. It was terrifying. Every area of unnecessary spending – new clothes, eating out, magazine subscriptions – had already been eliminated when our two-year-old son was born.

But I began to notice something: my wallet was stuffed with receipts for toys, 'Tiny Tots Tumble Classes’ and cute little trousers from Baby Gap. Every supermarket shop included at least £15 of 'children’s food’ such as mini pots of yoghurt, special squash and fish fingers. It all added up.

And it wasn’t just about the expense. According to UNICEF’s well-being reports, British children’s happiness lags well behind many others in the developed world.

The reason? We, their parents, are trapping them in a cycle of 'compulsive consumerism’ that makes them miserable. Meanwhile, parents are wracked with guilt, partly because we can’t afford all the things we think our children want and need.

I thought of Johnny’s overflowing toy box and of how rarely he actually played with anything in it. Apparently, there are 474 million unused toys gathering dust in British homes – seven for every single person in the country.

Was I accidentally teaching my son materialistic values? I made a New Year resolution to cut out all spending on 'kiddy consumerism’: no more new toys, no more new clothes, no kiddy snacks, paid-for activities, disposable nappies or professional haircuts.

Our mothers and grandmothers managed without them, right? There must be alternatives.

But points that had felt clear, typed onto the glow of a laptop screen, became clouded with emotion as I looked at the room of presents and cutely-outfitted children. Would I be depriving Johnny? Was I prepared for him to stand out from his peers?

Before I could think about clothes and toys, however, I had to tackle food. Johnny has always been fussy. I’ve relied on organic toddler lasagne and mini-rice cakes to coax him into eating.

**Heading to Tesco for the new, 'real’ food we would be eating together, I was suddenly aware of the vast range of children’s products on offer. Infant ready meals didn’t even exist as an industry category in 2006. Now they’re worth £25.8 million in this country and are growing by 23 per cent every year.

Why had I been buying them? Yes, I had a picky toddler who screamed at the sight of a cucumber. I was short of time. But, I'm realising, I was short of self-confidence too. I was easily lured by promises of brain-boosting omegas and balanced diets. Not this time.

That night, instead of cooking two separate meals, we sat down to a family supper of shepherd’s pie. And… nothing happened. Well, Johnny picked out the carrots and built a tower with them.

But there was no tantrum. Later in the week, he threw his ratatouille at the wall and I momentarily pined for Jamie Oliver’s fish fingers. But, instead, I spooned what was left onto my plate, took a deep breath, and got on with the day.

It’s meant compromises for my husband and I – fewer spicy curries, more pedestrian pies – but I no longer dread my son’s mealtimes and spend much less time in the kitchen.

And, because I haven’t spent extra time and money on Johnny’s meal, I’m more relaxed if he refuses it. He just has a banana and usually eats the next meal.

As the months wore on, I began to see that a lack of self-confidence was behind a lot of my spending. My husband and I don't have any family within an hour’s drive of our home. Without the advice and support of relatives to lean on, there were times when I felt scared, incompetent and alone.

I was easy prey for product marketers. I remember standing in the baby aisle of a department store jiggling a screaming, colicky infant, my eyes and mind blurred by a rainbow of pastel-coloured goods promising to 'soothe’ and 'comfort’ my angry child, as I had failed to do.

Exhausted, and desperate to do the right thing, I’d fallen for the idea that I wasn’t enough on my own. To be a good parent, I needed all these props – educational mobiles that played Beethoven sonatas, baby sign language classes and purees put together in a factory.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the annual cost of raising a child in Britain hit a ten-year high this year of £1,307 - 58% more than a decade ago. Over £500 a year goes on clothes alone. Partly to combat this and partly to reach out to my neighbours, I decided to hold a swapping party for local parents.

I posted an invitation on a community Facebook page inviting parents over to exchange unwanted kids’ things. Having done that, I panicked: an unspecified number of total strangers was about to descend on my home. Then the doorbell rang.

Three hours later, I’d passed on a bag of old baby toys and acquired three pairs of trousers, two T-shirts and some books. And I’d gone from knowing only two people on our road to suddenly having a dozen new friends to call on for help, company, activities and swaps.

A recent National Trust report noted a 'pay to play culture’ across Britain – the prevalent feeling amongst parents that, with expensive classes and entertainment all around us, simply leaving your child to play outside with a stick must count as lazy or, worse, uncaring.

Over the months, we’ve found that most of the activities that we enjoy doing together are, in fact, free: cooking, gardening, foraging, even just getting together with neighbours for coffee and 'music lessons’ (everyone brings whatever instruments they’ve got, or even just pots and pans, and we turn the music up loud).

There have been times when turfing Johnny and his friends into the garden has resulted in tantrums and tears (mine as well as theirs) and I can’t just let him play on our busy London street.

Work deadlines mean I often don’t have time to plan inventive games of my own. But we can just turn up to the park now and, instead of Jonny playing on his own, he plays with his friends from the neighbourhood.

There’s just no need to pay for soft play sessions and classes when your child has a social life on his doorstep.

One challenging moment came when I realised I’d forgotten all about children’s toothpaste and no-tears shampoo. Surely those were non-negotiable purchases?

I called Dr Chris Flower, a cosmetics expert, who told me that while some children’s products are less concentrated, many are just brightly packaged, appealingly fragranced versions of adult cosmetics.

Sure enough, I uncovered industry reports bragging about the success of 'character licensing’ (the use of cartoon characters) in fostering 'pester power’ in children as young as two, thereby boosting their sales.

I wrote a triumphant blog post about my discovery - I love a bit of myth-busting - and I wasn’t prepared for the reaction of other parents. “How can you scrimp on your child’s safety?” asked one mother. No matter how much research you’ve done that always hurts.

But the real test was when Johnny grew out of his shoes and the podiatrists I spoke to disagreed on whether or not new shoes are essential at his age. Realising that there are no hard and fast rules is liberating but also frightening.

Without the security of expert advice to follow, I was on my own. A virtually unscuffed pair of second-hand leather lace-ups was offered to us by a neighbour. I accepted them with mixed feelings. The reaction online was, unexpectedly, one of interest rather than condemnation.

Many of my greatest fears have gone unrealised: cloth nappies, for example. On the first day of using them, I laid out what I imagined were the essentials: pair of marigolds, nose peg, industrial bin liner. When the big reveal happened, it was a bit of an anti-climax.

The nappies snap on with poppers or Velcro, have a flushable liner and the rest goes into the machine. Huh. Hanging them out to dry and making my tiny stand against disposable culture, I felt a deep and unfamiliar sense of satisfaction.

It just about made up for carting bags of dirty rags around with me whenever I went out.

And Johnny doesn’t stand out from his smartly-dressed peers at all. Toddlers grow so fast that their clothes barely get worn. Some of the 'second hand’ items I’ve acquired still have the tags attached.

And, you know, maybe London did host the world’s first Kid’s Fashion Week this year - but two year olds really don’t care about trends.

There are times when that old materialistic hankering rears its head. At the moment, there is a craze in London for a particular brand of micro scooter. Johnny seems to be the only child in our neighbourhood without one.

He’s happy and content. He hasn’t asked me for one. And yet I want him to have one. It’s made me realise that not wanting Johnny to stand out isn’t always about Johnny – sometimes it’s about me.

We’re now six months into our project and people keep asking what we’ll do when the year is up. Will we buy Johnny a massive present? I don’t think so. He hasn’t even noticed the change. Will we carry on?

I’m pregnant and recently found out it’s a girl. The thought of the consumer clarion calls my daughter will have to resist as she grows up is quite daunting: the princess dresses, the fashionable clothes, the expensive make-up.

I want to do everything I can to help her see through the notion that she 'needs’ those things to feel truly feminine.

When our year of free parenting is finished, I won’t be devoting days of my life to hunting for the perfect anorak on online swapping sites like Freecycle when there’s one going for £3.50 in the Oxfam down the road - it’s just not sane. But I hope we'll keep hold of some of the lessons we’ve learned.

It turns out Johnny will happily spend hours building something out of a cardboard box but only be amused by a new toy for a few minutes.

We’re tending to tadpoles and vegetables in the garden now, and Johnny takes it really seriously. He takes his grandparents out there when they come round and they watch the birds and butterflies and talk about how plants grow.

I wouldn’t swap it for a million micro scooters."

• By Hattie Garlick, 7:00AM BST 05 Aug 2013

Last week I've been invited to a crocheting group... A week before that I couldn't even tell you the difference between crocheting and knitting.

So when the lovely ladies from that group sat with their advanced projects, I got my "Crocheting for Dummies" out. After a while they've taken a pity on me and showed me a thing or two.

Am I a pro? No.
Will I ever be? Remains to be seen. I don't have the best record at following things through till the end. I get bored. But so far I do like it. I'm so inspired by amazing clothes our nanny Lora makes for Maya. I think it's a beautiful skill to have.

My first project? Something for Nikolai for St. Valentine's Day maybe? I’ll keep you posted.

Can you believe these cost $ 72.00?

Last year a friend of mine has posted on her Facebook wall a post about a dinner guest she had over, Simon. Simon is a regular guy... except... except that he took upon himself a challenge: 365 days of eating dinner with different people. At least one of them has to be a stranger; in return Simon will do a small house chore, tell a story or do something else the host wished him to do. And if there's no one to have dinner with?... Well.. then there is no dinner :)

This idea has stuck with me for a long time. I'm very shy with new people and the idea of sitting with a stranger at dinner table, stuck for sometime, terrifies me. What if we have nothing to talk about? What if they won’t like me... or I - them. This year is not just to try to make things myself, but to learn how to use resources around me creatively... to meet people that can show me different way of connecting to people, to challenge myself. That's why I've decided to invite Simon for dinner... my request from him - this interview:

How old are you Simon?

• 28 years old

What is your profession?

• At the moment I don't work, I'm a butcher by trade, 6th generation butcher to be precise. My last working place was in a slaughterhouse. Right now I'm looking for work after I’ve lost my job a while ago.

What made you decide to start this project

• The project got started on Christmas 2012 as a joke. I've been eating at different friends houses for quit a few nights in the row, since I couldn't go back home because I had to work. A friend teasingly suggested I continue doing so for a year. After that I've created the Simon's Social Experiment page on Facebook.

Where you drunk when you've agreed to this challenge?

• No no no. He was actually just kidding, but I thought "Hey, I can keep it up for a year". I thought it will just going to last for a week, but it just kept on going. More and more people liked the page and invited me for dinner.

So if you had no one to have a dinner with would you really have no dinner that night?

• Yes... So I would try really really hard to meet people to have dinner with. I didn't approach media because I really wanted people to invite me to have dinner with them, not because I've been on a radio or in a newspaper, not because of the hype, but because they really want to meet a new person... me.

Are you a confident person? Do you naturally love meeting new people?

• This experiment did put me a bit out of my comfort zone. People say I make contact very quick, but a year ago, when I've just started this experiment, you could never say that about me. If you've told me I would do this challenge for a year, I probably wouldn't believe you.

People must ask you the same questions over and over? Are you not sick of talking about same things every night?

• Yes! Haha... People do tend to ask the same questions, but it only takes a fraction of the evening. We still manage to have pretty interesting conversations after all that :)

Did you ever find any of your female hosts attractive?

Haha, yes. I'm really bad at that. I'm not some Don Juan and I never take action...

What kind of people invite you for dinner

• All kinds, all ages, mostly young, but sometimes older. I've met a 64 year old guy who wanted to take me canoeing, for example. People really open up to a stranger. When they know that you are a passer by in their life, they tell you their story, knowing that there will be no judgment. I've heard some amazing stories.

Lets talk about the food, what was the nicest meal you've had?

• It was right at the beginning, 3rd week of the experiment. A friend of mine I haven't seen in a long time has cooked me an amazing 4 course dinner. But the thing is... he always cooks like that, he just likes cooking...

What was the worst dinner?

• Also at the beginning. This lady invited me for dinner; she found my experiment trough thuisafgehaald.nl were there was an activity you could earn a badge with. She's barely talked to me... really made it clear that the only reason I was there was to help her out with her computer in return for dinner.

What was the most memorable dinner?

• The most memorable experience was the dinner with a group of asylum seekers that got rejected in their request for asylum. The group has lived on the streets for 5 years and when they finally got an apartment through a help organisation, they've invited me for dinner. We've eaten a very simple dinner of rice, potatoes and chicken. The fact that these people, who didn't have very much, shared their dinner with me was very humbling. In return, I've told them some Dutch as a way to thank them for their hospitality.

What was the most weird thing you had to do as a "pay back" for dinner?

• I got invited for a large dinner with students from a hotel school. After dinner I've asked them: "What would you like me to do?". They've replied: "You are tonight’s entertainment." I had to sing Witney Huston's "I will always love you" on karaoke machine (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=588104764551500&set=vb.393574047402146&type=3&theater (min 5.50)

So people don't always tell you want they want as a "pay back" for dinner?

• Not always... sometimes it's a surprise ;)

Did anyone ever ask you for a sexual favour?

• Haha, not directly... but in a way they did.

Would you write everything down that happens during an evening?

• One thing I would never do is to write something about personal subjects, sensitive conversations. I'm not after sensationalism. I'm not after fame. If a person opened up to me I will never publish that on my Facebook page... then no one will ever invite me for dinner!

Did you discover anything unexpected during this experiment?

• Yes! I never though I would be invited by strangers to their homes. I thought I'll go through my friends, maybe friends of my friends and will finish the experiment.

Also, you would think that this project would save me a lot of money, not having to pay for dinners for a year. Well, that was not the case. A lot of times I had to bring some ingredients for a dinner, maybe a bottle of wine. Sometimes I had to travel pretty far, spending 20 euro that day. I can have 3 dinners for that amount!

My goals where: To meet as many new people as possible, to go to as many new places as possible, eat things I never make myself. I could have never imagined that all this could be possible.

So what's after all this ends?

• First of all, I'd like to organize a meeting with all the people who invited me for dinner this year. Maybe a giant "pot luck". Then, I'd like to write a book about my experience.

Besides all this I'm just happy to see my friends, maybe date a girl. I still would like to meet strangers for dinner ones a week though.

My thoughts

Could I do this? No.

1. I'm too lazy. I cancel dinners with friends sometimes 'cos I'm too lazy to go out.

2. I'm just too shy to force myself to meet new people every single night

3. My friends would hate me. This project would make me not being able to see them for a year for dinner.

...BUT :

... and this was Nikolai's idea (so I can't even take a credit for this):

• We would like to try and invite someone for dinner every Thursday. Maybe a friend we haven't seen for a long time, an old work colleague, a neighbour, a stranger, a lonely person from the neighbourhood, someone who can't afford a warm meal that night. Simon told me to push myself out of my comfort zone... One Thursday at a time, Simon :)

Simon's description of our dinner (in dutch).

So... I was invited by my lovely friend Merel to the first birthday party of the year. Normally (and I'm ashamed of it), I'd buy something on the way to the party and not even make a separate trip to the city for the present. I love my friends dearly... I'm just lazy. So this time, instead of a usual trip to the "Body Shop" or "Rituals", I've made:

3 x DIY Lemon Body Scrubs

I went to the local natural shop to stock up on the ingredients. They were all easy to find. I think in time I'll build a stock of ingredients at home so making products will take even less time. I've already cleared up a shelf in a kitchen to pile on my natural ingredients :)

All the scrubs make use of the same concept, but different ingredients, I'll list all the recipes below. The important order is first to mix the oil with salt or sugar (which coats the salt so the other ingredients won't melt it) and then to add the rest of the stuff.

The steps are:

1. Mix salt or sugar with oil
2. Add other ingredients
3. Add essential oils if required
4. Test on husband ;)
5. Pour into sterilised jars (put them into a pot with boiling water and keep the lid on the pot, 'till water cools down. Let the pots air dry overnight)

1. Dead Sea Bath Salt with Olive Oil & Lemon

The waters from the Dead Sea are unique in that they contain 27% of various salts as compared to 3% in normal sea water. Further, while sodium accounts for approximately 80% of the salt content of normal sea water, it comprises much less of the salt total in water from the Dead Sea. The balance of the salts in Dead Sea water are magnesium, potassium, calcium chloride and bromides. To make it short, its good stuff!

Ingredients

• 5 t/l spoons Dead Sea Salt (3.24 euro per bag, used about 0.20 euro)
• 1 t/l spoon Good Olive Oil (about 7.00 euro per bottle, used 0.30 euro)
• Lemon juice (from 1 lemon, about 0.10 euro, used in some way in all 3 pots)
• 1 drop mandarin essential oil (bottle costs 6.99, used about 0.05 euro)

2. Sugar Scrub with Jojoba and Olive Oil

Jojoba oil is an amazing, versatile substance. Jojoba oil is especially well suited for treating skin problems, likely because of its similarity to the sebum that occurs naturally in our own skin. Jojoba oil aids in the healing of sunburn, chapped skin and other skin ailments. Jojoba oil helps the healing of wounds and may help lessen the appearance of other skin lesions such as stretch marks.

Ingredients

• 5 tbl spoons Sugar (1.34 euro per bag, used about 0.05 euro of sugar for 2 jars)
• 1 tbl spoon Jojoba Oil (9.99 euro per bottle, used 1.00 euro)
• 1 tbl spoon Good Olive Oil (about 7.00 euro per bottle, used 0.30 euro)
• Lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 1 drop mandarin essential oil (bottle costs 6.99, used about 0.05 euro)

3. Sugar Scrub with Almond and Olive Oil & Lemon

Almond oil is a rich source of Vitamins A, B and E which are great for your skin’s health. Pick up any expensive skin care product and I am sure they will claim to have these Vitamins as ingredients.

The biggest reason to use almond oil instead of these chemical-laden products is the fact that it is really mild on your skin and suits all skin types. It helps in maintaining the moisture levels of your skin and gets absorbed in a jiffy without blocking your pores which we all know is one of the most common reasons behind a number of skin problems. It particularly helps if you have extremely dry or sensitive and irritated skin.

Lemon contains vitamin C, citric acid, B vitamins, carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. Lemon juice may aid in diminishing the appearance of scars and age spots. It may also reduce the appearance of scars left behind from acne lesions.

Ingredients

• 5 tbl spoons Sugar
• 1 tbl spoon Almond Oil (7.99 euro per bottle, used 0.50 euro)
• 1 tbl spoon Good Olive Oil (about 7.00 euro per bottle, used 0.30 euro)
• Lemon juice

Total Price:

• Ingredients: 2.85 euro
• Jars: 3.00 euro
• Packaging: 0.10 euro

Total: 5,95 euro

Not only was this present cheaper, I actually had fun making it, had some left over scrub to use for myself, learned a lot and enjoyed the fact that now I can eat my bath products, I know what are they made of.

Now... I didn't stop here. I've made the dried lemons for packaging myself as well :)

Very simple. Cut lemons thinly, lay them on a baking paper in an oven on the lowest setting for an hour. My oven (lowest setting was 100c) was too hot so I had to keep it on for 10 min and then turn it off and let it cool down. I've done that over about hours. I've burned the first batch, lemons darken very easy if the temperature is too high!

That's it. Merel has promised me to report back with suggestions. Husband asked if he can use the scrubs again today... Result!

Yesterday I got a parcel from my mom. It was meant to be for the New Year (we celebrate that instead of Christmas). It was full of new things for the husband (t-shirts), baby (dress and pyjamas) and me (sweater and lipstick). The parcel was late... so I'm in a pickle:

Did I cheat already by accepting new clothes?

Not sure where I stand on things gifted to me (within this experiment), but I did learn one surprising thing already:

I enjoy gifts more! Yes, i know it's only been a few weeks into the experiment but I did feel more joy from this gift. I suppose it's the same feeling when you are on a diet and have a very occasional piece of cake at a birthday party. So I guess gifts are ok. This year is about learning things about myself and my environment so if this teaches me something, then so be it :)

I like the sentiment of receiving a gift. Someone has thought of you, spent time choosing it... I don't think it's the same as just mindlessly buying things without any need or purpose. And I do hope that's a true statement. In the past, I've been guilty of quick present buying myself. Rushing last minute to a shop to just buy something... anything... for a friend. I won't do that again. I really want to give something special. Homemade for now, shop bough (maybe) next year.