While running I was reminded of one of my favorite Beatles' songs, 'Run for your Life'. Who said The Beatles were all love, peace, and harmony?
Laetitia from the popular French lifestyle blog Vert Cerise asked me to put together a small city guide for my hometown Utrecht (the Netherlands), and share my top ten tips with you, which I happily agreed to do. My tips and illustrations are now live on her blog, and you can read it here in French, or here in plain old English (or just skip ahead below and read all about my city)!
STRAND WEST
Oudegracht 114
Utrecht Strand West is design paradise. Situated in the age old city castle of Drakenburg (12th century), this beautiful concept store sells both expensive, brand-name design furniture and work by young and upcoming designers, a lot of them local. Upstairs you’ll also find a design agency, and an exhibition space. Worth a visit, but leave your wallet at home.
www.strandwest.nl
LEVEBVRE
Neude 2, Utrecht
Being nearly 30, I’ve reached this sad place in life where I can’t really afford great wines, but I’ve certainly grown out of supermarket plonk. Fortunately, there’s Levebvre. Located on the big ‘party square’ of Utrecht, this stylish winebar is fun and affordable, but has a great selection of wines. My friends and I love to meet up here after a long week, drink wine, nibble on the vegetarian kroketten (!), and pretend we’re all grown up.
www.wijncafelefebvre.nl
STAN & CO
Ganzenmarkt 16a, Utrecht
Stan & Co is popular amongst local bloggers, and as soon as you walk in, you’ll understand why. The decor is hip, in a New York kind of way, and they serve any kind of lattefrappomacchiato thing you want. They also have good food, though, and it’s a relaxing and informal place to just hang out with friends, or by yourself with a book. The staff will take care of you.
www.stan-co.nl
MENEER SMAKERS
Nobelstraat 143, Utrecht
Everyone knows that simple yet stylish Meneer Smakers has the best burger in town, and the place is always packed, especially on Saturday night. The burgers are named after the fictitious family Smakers, and my favorite is the Mevrouw (Lady) Smakers – tasty tasty! Also, if you can handle it, order some fries on the side, with mayonnaise, of course. PS: There is a delicious vegetarian option on the menu as well.
www.smakers.nl
EMMA B
Oudegracht 218, Utrecht
Emma B is a cute little store along the Oude Gracht (the main canal), home of Scandinavian Design. Every time I walk in there, I want to just rent a truck and buy everything there. Another place to go into sans wallet, but oh so pretty. Also – once you’re on the canal, take a look ‘downstairs’, where the old store houses along the water have been turned into houses, shops, and cafes. Makes for a fun, cool, walk in summer and a romantic stroll in fall.
www.emma-b.nl
LEPELENBURG
Lepelenburg, Utrecht
When the old city wall was torn down (for the most part), the area was turned into a city park. My husband and I love running along the many footpaths, but even more than this, we enjoy hanging out in the bit of the park called Lepelenburg. What was once home to Utrecht’s main defensive towers, now is a lovely sun-flooded stretch of grass in the middle of the city and in summer you’ll see students, families, and circus folk (no kidding) light up their portable BBQ and sip on beer and rosé.
Google Maps
HOOI
BurgemeesterReigerstraat 25, Utrecht
Local, fresh, and organic – that’s what’s on the menu of Hooi. A great place for breakfast or lunch, I personally absolutely adore their high tea menu full of home made sweets, glutenfree bread, great coffe, and salty little pastries. A great bonus is the fact that much of the art on the walls, and fun interior design details, were done by local artists!
www.hooiutrecht.nl
CENTRAAL MUSEUM & NIJNTJE MUSEUM
Nicolaaskerkhof 10, Utrecht
Even though I could do an entire city guide on Utrecht’s cultural wealth, I just couldn’t go without mentioning the Centraal Museum and, the adjoining, Nijntje (or Miffy) Museum. Whereas the Nijntje Museum mostly draws in kids and Japanese tourists (and ok, me), the Centraal Museum has a fascinating collection of historical art (and especially Utrecht masters), and a great variety of contemporary exhibitions on fashion and industrial designers.
www.centraalmuseum.nl
LOUIS HARTLOOPER COMPLEX
Tolsteegbrug 1, Utrecht
Most Friday nights, you’ll find me here. The Louis Hartlooper Complex, named after a local guru in Utrecht film history, is my favorite art house cinema in town. I love having a quick bite inside the remarkable building (the old police station), or if weather permits, outside overlooking the Tolsteeg Square, before heading off to see a movie. Don’t rush finishing that beer, as you’re allowed to take your drinks with you into the theater, where one of the staff will give the audience a quick introduction about the film you’re about to see (questions are allowed).
www.louishartloopercomplex.nl
URLAUB
Briljantlaan 5, Utrecht
Urlaub is a concept store by Ellen Vesters, illustrator, entrepreneur, and all-round inspiring lady. Though located just outside the city centre, this illustration and art-filled walhalla is worth the detour. She’s filled the place wall-to-wall with work by young designers and artists, and you’ll see creative folk sprawled about, working on their latest project. Urlaub also hosts workshops (www.immerurlaub.com) on illustration, screen printing, design, and on how to set up and run a creative business. PS: Klein Berlijn downstairs offers refreshments and food in a great, Berlin-esque atmosphere.
www.immerurlaub.nl
A big thank you to Laetitia!
Be sure to check out her blog here, and follow her on Facebook here!
You may have spotted it on my illustrated journal page back in December, but I got A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers for Sinterklaas. I apologize for not reviewing it earlier, because let me tell you: if you haven't seen this book (or own it!), you're missing out! Big time.
I LOVE me some maps, and the good folks over at Gestalten collected more than 500 of them, done by artists, illustrators, and designers. Boy, oh boy, oh boy! The maps are from all over the world and range from abstract to sketchy, from highly detailed and realistic, to utopian and imaginative.
Some of my favorite maps were done by Oliver Jeffers (OMG This Man. I LOVE him), Antoine Corbineau, Zoe More O'Ferrall (such a pretty website!), Marlena Zuber (who did a very inspiring personal map called 'lovers lane', about the neighborhood she lived in and cycled through to her lover!), Borgarmynd, James Gulliver Hancock, and many, many more. I had a hard time selecting pictures for this post, as each of the maps tells a different story, it makes for hours of fun. This is NOT one of those coffee table books you'll buy and never look at, I promise you. You can leaf through it, put it back, pick it up again, get completely lost in a visual story, again and again.
You can buy a copy on Amazon (and if you do, please use that link :-)), or support your local bookstore and get it / order it there (even better)!
I was in London last week for work, which sounds great and is really great but for different reasons than why it sounds great.
See, most people seem to think that when you travel for work, you get to do some sightseeing, lots of shopping, and expensive meals. And while that's certainly a possibility, that's usually not how it goes down for me.
See, I kind of adore my job, and on top of that, I'm one of those annoying people with an overactive conscious. So, when I'm in London for work and the company's paying, I go straight from the airport to the office and work. I eat cheap cup-of-noodles in the little studio we rent out, and work some more. I do get out - to meet with partners, or to hang with colleagues, but usually this doesn't involve expensive restaurants or clubs (what would I even wear?). To be honest, I kind of love it that way. It gives me time to focus on the job at hand, to work on the problems we're trying to tackle. It allows for some me-time (did anyone say nail polish?), and watch the Olympics while gazing at a spreadsheet.
Yeah. I told you I was fancy.
Mo Move, Mo Moe
January rushed by like my grandma on roller-skates. Faster than you think, but kind of crazy. We came back from Israel, picked up the keys to our new house (exactly a year after we first re-met! Yay!), and started cleaning, painting, and moving. Awesome and exciting, even though in the end, we had so much more stuff (and a lot less money) than we had hoped. All in all the move itself went smoothly, though, thanks to the help of my family.
Unpacking and getting settled took most of the remaining weeks of January, but we've managed to make it feel like 'home'. We're trying (and failing) not to get too attached to the place, as the house is actually for sale, and against all the odds (or, the odds as described by our landlords), there are actually some serious candidates looking at the house. It's kind of nerve-wracking, but there's not much we can do.
Hand Lettering
In between unpacking boxes, I bought a Pentel brush pen and started experimenting with hand lettering. It's much harder than I thought, but it's a very relaxing thing to do. The poem on the left is by a Dutch writer, Martin Bril, and I read it to Jochem on our wedding day, as part of my vows. It's hard to translate, but the sentiment (to me) is the desire to go at it, on adventures, everywhere, together.
The Team in the Broom Closet
Oh, and not only did I move house, at our office, we moved into a new space. My colleague lovingly calls it "our very own piece of broom closet", and although I'd argue that it is a bit bigger than that, we're happy to be in it either way.
Also: Winter in Holland + visitors! My colleague from Germany spent the week with us in cold, windy, Amsterdam, which was awesome. Working remotely is definitely a blessing and a curse, but having people come over (or being in other offices, as I'll do next week - yay travel!) always reminds me how much I love working and being part of a team.
How did the year start off for you?
Whenever people ask me who most inspire me (which is, like, all the time, duh), I never have to think for very long. For me, it's my two (younger) brothers. Both of them, in very different ways, are very special human beings and it's been a privilege to grow up with them and learn from them. It's the reason why I asked the two of them to be my witnesses at my wedding. I have such deep respect and love for them both.
This spring, my brother Peter is getting married to his high school sweetheart, Lisanne, and I not only have the honor of being one of their witnesses, but I also had the pleasure of designing the invites for their special day. I must admit, though, I was a bit nervous. It always feels like a tremendous responsibility, but in this case, even more so. Peter and Lisanne as individuals and as a couple are amazing to be around. They treat each other with such love, mutual respect, and absolute honesty - it's refreshing and it goes a long way in explaining how they've managed to grow together these past eleven years, instead of growing apart, which so often happens. Bringing love, respect, and honesty (!) to the table is something I strive for in all of my relationships and mostly my marriage, and I think of them often as an example.
Long story short: this invite needed to be perfect. And while I'm not sure it is as perfect as it could be (am I ever sure?), it seems to have done the job for them :-)
Stella (6), Lisanne's niece, made the drawing of the wedding pair, I added the design and park bench illustration. The exact shade of green was the focal point of our discussions (everything else pretty much stayed the same from the first version), which is funny because I just painted my kitchen wall green. And bathroom wall. And bedroom wall. Which may or may not have been a coincidence.
If you're interested in getting your wedding invite done, check out my Etsy shop here, contact me here, or check out more images and examples here.
Hello my name is Anna Denise and I'm lactose intolerant. 75% of adults worldwide actually stop producing the nifty little enzyme called 'lactase' after childhood, and it's not really a big deal, but to Dutch people, not being able to eat dairy is almost like a death sentence. A dinner party death sentence, mind you, because it will turn any good, gezellige Dutch dinner party into a pit of despair and loss.
First, there's the obligatory fun little run through of all the foods you can't digest. Cheese? Mostly, no. Butter? Nope. Milk? Neh. Yoghurt? Nee. OHMAHGODCHOCOLATE? Yeah, I know. No.
Then: confusion. "Well, at least you can have goat cheese". No, that would be alright if I had a cow milk allergy. Lactose intolerance is an enzyme deficiency, not an allergy - different causes, different symptoms. I especially love it when people tell you you're wrong about this and insist they know someone who's sister has it and can eat goat cheese. while people can have different levels of deficiency, of course, I'm pretty sure that for me, it's a no go. I mean, it's ok. I didn't really care either, until my bowels exploded.
And finally, depression sets in, "but I was planning to cook you this really nice meal of butter, cheese, melted butter, cream, topped off with chocolate!". I know. I'm sorry. It sounds amazing, really (this is why it's best to give the host a heads up way in advance, and give them a list of things that are ok).
And while everyone in my life has since ran through all of these stages (sometimes twice), and have actually been very very kind and have cooked me totally lactose free meals since I was diagnosed, dessert remains an issue, as most desserts are traditionally dairy heavy. I myself have come to very much enjoy coconut/almond/soy replacements, but I understand not everyone does.
So! On to the internet I went and found me a little recipe. This vegan lactose free banana ice cream recipe is a life saver. Not only is the banana surprisingly creamy, it's also super easy to make (if you remember to freeze the banana on time). I wish I could remember where I found the recipe, so I could thank the authors for their awesomeness.
Enjoy, other 75% of the world, apparently living outside of Holland!
I love Instagram. Ever since I signed up almost two years ago, it has knocked all other social media apps right off of their dusty little pedestals and has gradually turned me into a food-photographing d-bag. But, seriously, what's not to love? It has great creative potential, it's fun, easy, and if you follow the right people, pictures of food and kitties have replaced vague status updates and duck faced selfies (except for the 'ironic' kind, of course).
This month, as I'm working on my hand lettering skills, I'm loving Annings' Instagram feed to bits. Annings, who outside of Instagramland is called Anna Ignacio, is an artist and designer from Manilla, currently located in Singapore. Her feed is a delicious and bright concatenation of coffee, hand lettered quotes and wisdoms, and breakfast.
Oh, I so love the idea of mornings.
The fact that I have not recently enjoyed any mornings myself where I was both conscious and not in terrible agony, longing for caffeine, doesn't change this. I love the concept of mornings.
Quick links: You can follow Annings on Instagram here & you can find my duck faced selfies and complaints about the weather here.
I'm not saying you should buy this card. I'm saying you should probably buy five :-) (for the price of four).
One can never show too much love on Valentine's day, 'est pas?
PS: I also do custom printable cards and portraits! Just contact me via my Etsy shop!
After a week of packing and painting, we've finally moved into our new home!
We're not sure how long we will be able to stay here (the house is for sale, we're not buying), but it's so nice to have a bit more room. Well, in theory, because to be honest, we haven't been able to unpack very much in between work and getting very addicted to sleeping in our new(ish) bed. Ahhh. Bed. I love you bed.
This month's Etsy crush for Oh Marie! Magazine is all about the kittens. Because everything actually is about kittens. And things your kittens will mind control you to buy for them. Like gorgeous kitten furniture by Vurvdesign. Absolutely stunning.
January has started off with a blast for us - exactly one year after Mr. Floor and I met, we picked up the keys to our new apartment. This weekend and next, we will be painting, packing, scrubbing, and dragging our way into the new place, which we have yet to see by daylight (ah, Dutch winters are so awesome).
But first! An overview of December!
Office Awesome
My colleague and I flew out to London to attend the office Christmas party, which was amazing, especially since my very international team (1 Brit, 1 Kiwi, 1 Turk, 1 Dutchie) won the gingerbread house(boat) competition. Documented here. Booyah.
Fire & Friends
In the days leading up to Christmas, I hung out with friends and family, winding down from the year.
Festive Food
Christmas was full of food (of course) and very relaxed. We don't usually do gifts for Christmas, and not having to do any last minute shopping is... well, not awful. Both our families did a potluck style dinner and we baked a lemon meringue pie and a poached pear tarte tat in (no pics, unfortunately), and one appetizer (on the right). The awesome breakfast bread was made by my sister-in-law, who is pregnant and has started baking her own bread (I'm not saying there's a relation, I'm just saying, you know).
Israel
Right after Christmas, we left for Israel, where we consumed shitloads of humus and pita, where I rekindled my love for Turkish coffee, and generally just had a very relaxing fun time - not in the least thanks to our lovely hosts (two of our friends from college) who proved excellent guides.
Hope you all are happy to be back at work and are looking forward to this new year. I sure am!
© Anna Denise Floor
Happy New Year, folks! It's not too late, right?
I hope you all had an amazing holiday break (if you had one), and that the new year has been treating you well.
We spent new year's eve in Israel, where we traveled around for little over a week (which was amazing, and more on that later). Today, exactly one year after my husband and I met, we're getting the keys to our new apartment, so 2014 is looking good already! I mean, the place has a garden (yes, I know my excitement is remarkable considering my track record of killing even the most robust of cacti, but wharves) and ROOM FOR A KITTEN! EEK!
Anyhow, 2013 has been the most life-changing year in my life so far, and I'm working on a longer comic to sort of digest it all, but with the traveling, moving, and baby-explosion (7 people I know produced a total 8 babies in Nov/Dec!), it's still in the works. I promise to get that done before my 30th birthday comes around, though!
I'm off to work - hope you all have a good time getting back into the daily grind as well!
© Anna Denise Floor
So then my colleague Ingrid and I had an epiphany and decided to wear matching sparkly tights to our office Christmas party and even though no one actually said so, everyone was of course very jealous. It is also probably the reason why my team won the gingerbread house making competition (we made a boat), and why our snow globe had dinosaurs in it and looked sparkly and badass. No, actually, I think that may have been my colleagues doing, as I was too busy laughing at my boss who glued his fingers together with superglue (he's alright, although he probably hasn't been able to access finger print protected iPhone for two weeks).
Anyways, I included the snow globe making tutorial in my drawing as it was AWESOME and super easy to do - big thanks to my colleague Jane, who was the mastermind behind the amazing party and this tutorial!
Did you have an office party? Any good gossip?
As I mentioned before, Christmas comes early in Holland, and it's actually not Christmas, but Sinterklaas and despite the crazy and probably true things you've about it, it's actually an awesome tradition.
© Anna Denise Floor
This year, we celebrated Sinterklaas a day late, as Mr. Floor was traveling for work, but actually that was fine as I think holidays should always just be on Friday evening, so the elderly amongst us (including myself these days) have at least two days to recover.
Overwhelmed by all the awesome shoe action, I felt like I had to do better than just buy a book and be done with it, so I bought two books, a wintery sweater, and made a date night out of it. Snacks included. I drew a 'map' with numbers on the floor with washi tape, indicating the order of the gifts. It was awesome, and yes I am aware that I'm bragging so I'll stop now. I think the man enjoyed it.
© Anna Denise Floor
Times be crazy these days, in the run-up to Christmas and finishing up work before we head off to Israel, but I managed to squeeze in an Etsy crush post for the Oh Marie! blog.
We decorated our Christmas tree last weekend, so I was in an ornamental mood. Read all about it here. It's absolutely fascinating, honestly.
I've only JUST discovered her blog 'French Fries and Waffles', but I'm already hooked on Luchie's (or Lucie Bryon) blog. She's a French gal studying comics in Brussels (aaah, I miss you BXL...) and I think she can just stop studying.
Her comics and sketches are crisp and absolutely delicious. She has an English tumblr and a French page with roughly the same work, but for all you Frenchies out there - voilà! She also has a shop that desperately needs restocking (as I very much want to buy a copy of her 'Introversion' comic).
© Anna Denise Floor
Sinterklaas is here! And what a perfect night it is. Dark and stormy. I can just picture all kids all around the country are hopped up on adrenaline and sugar, tearing open their hard earned gifts as we speak.
Even though Sinterklaas was kind enough to move our share in the festivities to the weekend (he's such a flexible old man), my shoes have been doing some serious overtime these past few weeks. And by that, I mean, my mysterious Sinterklaas has been filling my shoes with the most amazing gifts, as illustrated above.
Hope you're all enjoying your Sinterklaas, Dutchies! I know I sure had enough speculaas for the year, already. Bweurgh.
I ate, I ate some more, made another attempt at skiing, and am completely enthralled by the gorgeous book 'A Map of the World', Sinterklaas gave me.
© Anna Denise Floor
Oh em gee, ef em es, it's December.
I can't even believe how fast this year has gone by, it's scary.
So, in order to keep track of time at least a little bit, I decided to do one of those 'Picturing November' posts this time around. I am totally stealing this from my infinitely more talented photographer, artist, designer, super mother and blogger friend Sabra, but I'm sure she doesn't mind.
Fall Came (& Went?)
No comment. It's pretty, yes. But still. No comment.
Breakfast
I really did enjoy my breakfast this month, especially when traveling. Left: breakfast at Cornucopia in Dublin - most amazing vegan food, we ate there three times that week. On the right: breakfast at Bistrot Bruno Loubet in London. Very good croissants (for London), and just the prettiest menus and place mats.
Hair Don't
Then, I decided it was time for a hair cut. I decided wrong. Here's the before & after. I am not a fan. I know everyone else in my tiny universe seems to love it or is kind enough to lie to me, but I am not a fan. Just can't get used to the bangs, man, you know? Ya feel me? I just can't handle it, dude.
Doodling
There was a good amount of doodling this month. Left: my doodle. Right: my husband's more poetic doodle. Oh, just so you know: the man speaks perfect French and then does jokes. In French. Illustrated French jokes. I know. I love him, but I kind of hate him, too ;-).
If this didn't satisfy your appetite, more Instagram pics can be found right over here. Enjoy!