This is my ultimate bag dream

Now, of course, we have just been away for a whole month, but for Jon, this was anything but a vacation: the best man has been writing hard day in and day out on a new film script. Now that the first version has been submitted, my husband actually has a bit of free time. Not exactly well-timed, now that I'm back home again a packed schedule I have. But luckily we could plan a mini-break last weekend to one of our favorite getaways in our own country: Vesper Hotel in Noordwijk. Vesper in Noordwijk. Wonderful to blow off some steam on the beach, delicious food in their beautiful restaurant, and Otis slept like a rose in the hotel room. The biggest surprise: the huge steam cabin in our room, where I desperately tried to steam away my cold. Whether it was due to this or the fresh sea breeze: that cold is completely gone.

This coming Friday I get to put on that colorful outfit again and bring out my pink hair: we are performing our performance Female Rappers at CC Amstel. The coming evenings will be hard rehearsing again, as it has been five months since our last show. If you have no plans for Friday evening and could use some female empowerment and great music: this is thé place to be. Female Rappers, Friday, February 1st, 9 PM @ CC Amstel, Amsterdam.

When I was a child, I loved making collages with friends: cutting photos into weird shapes so they fit next to each other, searching for letters from magazines for the title, and you had a beautiful report of your birthday, school year, or vacation. Sometimes I miss that time of crafting, but who said you have to stop? Anouk from Ode Aan Kunst certainly didn't: she makes beautiful drawn collages consisting of special life events. And then I unexpectedly received this beautiful collage as a gift. And a lot prettier than my cut-out works from back then...

If you ask me about my ultimate bag dream , it is undoubtedly the Hermès Kelly Bag. But first of all, you are on the waiting list for years, plus the bag is now equal to a nice second-hand station wagon. But suddenly I saw a vintage example staring at me in a store in Belgium: more than 50 years old, but still in very good condition and for a fraction compared to the current retail price. Should I? In a moment of madness, I bought it and then left it in the closet for two months. Shouldn't I sell it? The corners are a bit worn and the leather is loose at the handle. Then I met the ‘designer bag doctor’ who gives your designer bag a huge makeover with her Claire's Handbag Care: removing stains, polishing corners, repairing leather, and even changing the color of a bag. I couldn't believe my eyes. Now that my Kelly has had a nice spa treatment, I will proudly wear this vintage beauty.