Brussels & Amsterdam

Last week I took a long overdue break and went on holiday with my sister to Brussels and Amsterdam. It was my first time in Belgium and the Netherlands and also my first time using Airbnb. The Airbnb was a fun experience and I was really pleased with the place that I found in Brussels. Similar places in Amsterdam were way out of budget, I'm glad I went to the hostel that I found instead. The Brussels hosts were really lovely and relaxed the dates that we booked meant though actually in residence I thought it be a little awkward saying somebody's home but it worked out fine. 

I did enjoy Brussels the highlight was the Museé Hergé as I'm a big fan of Tintin but I have to say overall I'm not that taken with Brussels. On the other hand I completely fell in love Amsterdam, unlike Brussels I will definitely return to Amsterdam. I had the same feeling that I got when I was in Japan that I could easily live here but I'm sure lots of people leave that thinking the same thing. 

In Amsterdam I went to the Van Gogh Museum I wish I had time to go to the Rijksmuseum but travelling with my sister she's not as interested in arts and culture as me we had to make some compromises on this trip. Being in Amsterdam also give me the opportunity to meet my long time pen pal Chanou or @gnoe as she is on Instagram. We hit it off straight away as I've mentioned before I've been really lucky with meeting up with people from Instagram in real-life everybody's been fantastic. 

It was great spending time with Chanou and my sister we had a great first day in Amsterdam together. The stuff that we got up to was really fun we started at a cat cafe Kopjes and then to the Miscellaneous stationery shop followed by walking to central and then dinner. I've written about Kopjes and Miscellaneous in separate posts. What I loved about Amsterdam is that it had all the feel of somewhere like Shoreditch  but without being over priced and the pretentious. I will definitely be making a future trip it as probably the best place I could've gone to for a break. 

Write On

New Year is always best the time to start a fresh, yes I know the month is almost over but I have actually made a start. I don't usually make new year resolutions but I do have some new habits I want to keep this year. Me blogging again is one of those habits and I have started with Christmas and Caravan Notebook posts.

Writing is the main habit that I want to keep up this year, with one key difference writing not to others but for myself. I still intend to write letters to the few pen pals I have left. I do however, want to put all my notebooks are journals to better use. I want to fill the pages and have something to show for the year to come track my progress, goals etc. archive my thoughts and memories.

I want to make the pages worth reading and rereading in time to come, I see many examples of this on Instagram, which is very inspiring. However, and I have mentioned this before but as much as I love Instagram for it's inspiration but I can also find it very intimidating. This has put me off sharing before. I want to be better at sharing but my writing will be for me and I will only share what I feel comfortable with.

I actually struggled with writing a blog before it still doesn't sit well with me. But I'm going to try my best to keep up putting pen to paper for myself and the occasional. I also want to keep being creative and making things hopefully that will fill some of my blog posts. I'm busier now so I hope to utilise my MTN refills better including the 2016 calendar refills. I'm happy with the decoration which is the easy bit! I have already started to use my Caravan Notebook from the Traveller's Notebook event at Ace Hotel which I have written about here and the start of my new hashtag #rehanajournals.

Traveler's Caravan Company

This a very bleated post and had I not become lazy with blog this is definitely something I would have written about at the time.

So, imagine my delight when I heard that the folks in Japan behind my beloved Traveler's Notebook were coming to Europe and that London would be one of their stops. A pop up shop and make your own notebook event was held at Ace Hotel in Shoreditch. Not only was this a hardcore stationery fix but it also meant that I got to meet Stephanie or on instgram @weepingwillow84 and writer of The Paper Explorer. Here I found my stationery soul sister she gets me. This made it doubly worth going.

At the event we were able to chose from a variety of different papers lots of different colours, weights and textures. They had a station for customising your notebooks and stickers and stamps. The event took place in Amsterdam and Berlin too. I arrived late and little out of start I wish I had brought my Traveler's Notebook and spoke more to the guys there and made a bit more of an effort but oh well.
  

 You also had a choice of different covers

A paper buffet

 Mr Ishi binding my notebook

I really hope they do something like this again or at least try and have more stockists in Europe particularly the UK. The people from the The Journal Shop provided the stock for the pop up shop. However, while they do offer a wider range of Japanese stationery including other Midori products I find them overpriced. If you are able to get there JP Books just around the corner from the Japan Centre is much better bet though their range is limited.

Only now have I started to write in my notebook. As much as I love to admire it the paper and notebook is too good just to sit on my desk and admired. I'm going to make use of it and do my best to fill all the pages. I have even started a new instgram hash tag #rehanajournals This year I wanted to write more for myself not just to others in the form of letters. The notebook is part of that as well as my Traveler's Notebook I hope to put it to better use. Writing more got for my blog too so hopefully you will be hearing from me more in future.

 Customising section

Loved all these stamps

 My purchases and notebooks

Christmas

I love Christmas not just for the giving but also for all for the making. Christmas provides lots of opportunities to get creative even if you're not naturally. Last year I had lots of time but little money this year I have a little more money but not much time. This meant I'm still making stuff on Christmas Day. I am really glad I managed to bake make and decorate this year.

I only forgot a few people off my Christmas card list this year and only a few of the ones I did send arrived late but the majority got there before Christmas. This year was the first time I bought Christmas craft paper but I hope to make better use of it this year but it was worth getting. Combined with Cavallini rubber stamps and Carla Craft punches I'm pleased with the result. I've been quite organised for salvaging all the scraps I'm storing things from this year for next year as well as buying lots of Christmas things in the sale to use for Christmas 2016 which I didn't do last year.

I tried my hand at making crackers for the first time please I personalise sort my family in setting family photo is funny jokes and quotes that would suit them and memories I hope to make this a tradition for every year but I might pass on my cracker to my mum and my sister for them to do for me it makes it a little bit more fun.I so glad that new traditions are being made whilst being creative. 

Baking Mad

My first blog post in over a year!! So much has happen in the last year now I am back in the UK and more settled hopefully I should be able to keep this blog this up again and more regularly. I miss Japan loads and it has been a bi adjustment. Mainly I have washi tape withdrawal. Without all my stationery goodies that I had access to Japan. I've had  to turn to other means to be creative.

Baking has been  has been a fun way of me enjoying my kitchen again and actually making something. Also I didn't have an oven in Japan and away from me to spoil my family and friends and thank people festival no money coming back to the UK.Weddings and birthdays are a good opportunity to do this. Luckily there have been a few of those seems I've been bake. Baking is also very therapeutic and the one the cheapest (sometimes) ways for to give something home made.

Of course I've also uploaded picture to my instagram using the hashtag #rehanabakes. I've been given books before but I bought for myself Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth bakery book. l've tried a couple of recipes, Chelsea buns and the beetroot cake from it I cant wait to try others. 

 My cupboard of delights

Banana cakes

Peach and almond muffins

 Peach and almond muffins recipe here

 Christmas gingerbread

  Christmas gingerbread

  Christmas gingerbread particularly proud of these

 Rose cupcakes

 Valentines biscuits

 Sister's birthday cake

 Lily Vanilla Chelsea Bun recipe

 Chelsea Buns

 Wedding favours hand packaged

Gluten free beetroot cake