Amsterdam- Timothy Oulton x 2, The Conservatorium, and Miffy

Our first night in Amsterdam, I learned something about the city; this is a night town. It may have been a unique attribute to the neighborhood, rather than a statement about the city, but the streets were alive until very early in the morning, 3-4am on every day of our stay. The mornings, were quiet and empty. I mean EMPTY!

Here are some pictures from about 8:30am on a Thursday.

Restaurants for breakfast were difficult to find, most places seemed to open after eleven. They still served breakfast items, but opened later. I'm not at all a morning person, so I can get behind this aspect of Amsterdam living.

It was our first full day in Amsterdam, we were well rested, and ready to go furniture shopping. I bet you thought I was going to say The Van Gogh Museum or Anne Frank House...nope, those could wait. One of our top priorities in Amsterdam was visiting the Timothy Oulton stores, both of them.

We are huge fans of the Timothy Oulton brand and have bought several pieces for our home. . Our immediate love for the brand has turned into quite an obsession and in turn, quite the collection. Here is a blog post that I wrote after our first experience with Oulton at H.D. Buttercup in Culver City, CA.

The weather was beautiful and Timothy Oulton was a short walk from our hotel, so we enjoyed the morning. Here are some pictures from our walk.

In Pasadena, we used to have Leonidas Pralines, which made the absolute best hot chocolate. They closed down several years ago and I was happy to see that the store still exists in Europe.

Timothy Oulton on Runstraat is the more intimate of their two Amsterdam locations. The focus is on their smaller furniture pieces, lighting, and accessories. We met with Leon, who showed us around.

We found our latest "must-have" Oulton piece...a periscope!

Although we were warned that it was quite a hike, we decided to push ahead and walk to the other Oulton store, located across town in a repurposed church. Walking is my favorite to explore the city, as I'm not a fan of bicycling, the preferred mode of transportation for locals. I've never seen so many bicycles in my life.

We cut through the beautiful Vondel Park.

In the park, we came across a costume picnic.

And some really lucky preschool kids getting a ride from their not-so-lucky teachers. Later on the trip, I saw a teacher doing this in the rain, the kids all snug under a tarp, teacher drenched.

The main Timothy Oulton store was enormous! We met with Caroline, who gave us a tour.

As a book addict, the "Pillar of Knowledge" was my favorite thing in the store. The Blue Room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club also has the feature as a centerpiece. Can I have one in my house too? Please?

The Aviator Valkyrie Desk is a piece that Dan and I have loved from our first encounter with Oulton. We were talking to Caroline about the practicality of the desk as an everyday office piece and her response- "Women don't wear high heels because they're practical." Sold.

Not only was Caroline welcoming and knowledgable regarding all things Oulton, but she also helped us plan our afternoon. She made lunch reservations for us at The Conservatorium Brasserie and called a taxi to take us.

Located in a former music conservatory turned hotel, The Conservatorium Brasserie was nothing less than spectacular. The restaurant and lobby of the hotel are location in what was once an outdoor courtyard for the school, that has been covered in glass, like a enormous green house. The decor is unexpected and creative, even the bathrooms with their giant stone walls, including the doors to the bathroom stalls. It felt like dining in a modern art installation. An utterly unique and delightful experience.

The meal was one of the best that I've ever eaten, anywhere. Slight problem, each dish looked nearly too beautiful to eat. Nearly. We got over it. Check out these gorgeous plates. It's art.

After our meal, we found two Miffy statues.

Miffy is a character from a popular Dutch children's book series. I'd never heard of Miffy prior to this trip, but Miffy was impossible to miss. As part of an anniversary celebration of the books, Miffy statues were placed all over the city, each statue a unique tribute to the character. I love books, rabbits and Sanrio ( Although not a Sanrio character, she is Sanrio-esque)...so loving Miffy was going to happen. I returned to America with a ton of cheese and a bunch of Miffy products.

Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band

Last Tuesday night, I headed to Hollywood with my friend Julie, to see my favorite musician/songwriter, Josh Ritter, perform with The Royal City Band. This was my fifth time seeing Josh Ritter perform live and he never disappoints. What I love most, is how he uses concerts to play different variations of his songs. The entire vibe of a song changes dramatically when slowed down, sped up, or played with different instruments. Ritter always surprises during his concerts, including this one, where he played a new, never recorded song.

This concert tour is in support of his latest album, Sermon on the Rocks, which was recorded last year in New Orleans. He played a majority of the new album, but also pepper the set with many favorites, like Girl in the War and Good Man. His encore included two of my all time favorite songs, The Temptation of Adam and To the Dogs or Whoever. As with his previous shows, Ritter performed with an enthusiasm and joy that is simply infectious.

The opening band was a folk band called Elephant Revival from Colorado. They had a woman playing a washboard, and another playing the fiddle. Good times! Admittedly some of their songs were a bit artsy and experimental for my taste, but others that leaned towards rock and singer-songwriter, appealed to me. The lead male singer has a wonderful, rich voice.

Normally, The Fonda Theatre is one of my favorite concert venues. It's small enough to feel intimate, not a bad view in the house. It's stylish ( if not a bit unusual in its art work) and the sound is excellent. This was my first time that I had a negative experience at The Fonda Theatre. We had tickets for seats in the balcony, which are first come/first serve. Arriving early, we secured great seats, not that any spot in the balcony would have provided a bad view.

The problem was the security working the balcony. One of the guards that was stationed to patrol the front of the balcony had his radio turned up high. Many songs in Ritter's set were quiet, and the guard's radio kept going off, interrupting the performance. Although concert goers in the balcony complained and shot him dirty looks, he did nothing about the noise level on his radio. He was also intrusive when it came to people sitting in the reserved section at the front of the balcony. Instead of waiting between songs to check their tickets, he would loudly barrel over and communicate with them mid-song, no matter how quiet the nature of the song. It was incredibly distracting and rude. Never once was his noise a necessity or something that couldn't have waited to take place between songs.

What I admire most about Ritter, is how within the economy of a song, he is able to tell a complete story with vibrant characters and unusual phrasing. His writing is emotional, honest, and surprising. Frustrating security guard aside, I left the concert feeling energized and inspired to get back to writing my novel.

Trivia- Julie, who is German, told me that Ritter means "Knight" in German!

Rocksbox- Box Nine

After a few disappointing boxes, I was pleased with Rocksbox box nine. It arrived in less than a week, faster than any other shipment and it contained pieces that I seriously considered keeping. I took a look at the stylist on my previous boxes and although I'm only given their first name, it seems like "Lisa", who styled box nine, also styled two other boxes. The "Lisa Boxes" have been notably better than the ones sent from other stylists.

Kendra Scott is a hit or miss brand for me. Over the years, I've purchased a few pieces from Kendra Scott via Nordstrom, but often I'm not drawn to the brand. I was sent the Kendra Scott Rayne Silver Necklace in White Pearl.

Out of the box, I wasn't sure about the necklace. It's clunky. However, when paired with a green sweater, the appeal factor shot up. It's complimentary and I like the long length.

I gave thought to how it would work in my wardrobe, trying to pair it with several outfits and ultimately, I declined the necklace, because I didn't think it would get frequent wear.

The Sophie Harper Pave Square Studs in Silver are very pretty.

l love the sparkle, size, shape, feel, et...nothing to dislike. However, I have several similar pairs from other brands.

The most unusual piece was the Nakamol Mixed Green Wrap Bracelet. This bracelet comes in several colors and I had it on my wishlist.

Green is my favorite color. I have tons of green in my wardrobe, including mint, which this bracelet would perfectly compliment. The bracelet has a spring/summer vibe and aesthetically fits with the style of my warm weather wardrobe. The bracelet seemed like a keeper.

The problem was the way it clasps. It's one giant beaded string with knots and loops to keep it tied. This creates an excess of material that needs to either hang loose or be tucked. I tried both options, both were awkward and itchy. It looked nice from the top, but messy underneath.

Although I didn't purchase jewelry from this set, I feel a renewed hope that Rockbox is starting to understand my preferences. Originally, I was going to give my Rocksbox experiment a ten box try, so let's see how they do with box ten. If they knock it out of the park, I may need to keep going! Truthfully, when the boxes arrive, I still feel like a kid on Christmas morning. It's a sunny spot among the bills and junk mail.