Netherlands Days 2 & 3

We spent most of the second day just wandering around the city and taking in the sites.  We tried to go to the Anne Frank House but the line was all the way around the block so we decided not to go. As we were walking around, we found the Royal Delft Experience. In my research I had found out that Delftware is the traditional porcelain of Holland.  Since I love me some pretty china, we decided to stop in.  The Royal Delft is the only remaining factory that produces Delftware so it was pretty cool to step into that store and see all the lovely porcelain! I even picked up a little dish for myself. That gorgeous blue color gets me every time.

Next, we headed over to the Bloemenmarkt or flower market.  There were so many different kinds of bulb flowers, my mind was blown. I never knew there were so many different kinds of tulips let alone how many different plants came from bulbs. 

     

 

The next day, we decided to stay in a hostel which was very conveniently located in a part of the city we hadn't explored yet. We found the I Amsterdam sign and took our obligatory tourist photos along with everyone else. Van Gogh is my favorite artist so I had to check out that museum. Turns out you can't just walk into the Van Gogh museum without standing in an hour long line. So, we headed over to buy tickets for a specific time. When we were in line, we were approached by a nice Australian man inviting us to a pub crawl. Normally, we wouldn't be up for that kind of thing but when in Amsterdam right?

We found some very fitting graffiti!

To kill time in between when I got my ticket and the actual time to go into the museum, we headed to a famous street market called Albert Cuyp Markt. It sells a wide variety of items and was a fun way to pass the time. I ended up getting a dress and Sheena got a skirt. Then, I headed back to see the Van Gogh museum.

  

 

  

  

A lot of my favorite paitnings of his are in other museums but there were a lot of interesting stories about his life and career to make up for it. I did see a couple of paintings I didn't know that became some of my favorites like the windmill one up top and the wheat field painting above on the bottom right. 

At the end of the day, we headed out to the pub crawl. We ended up deciding between 2 different ones and picked the one that was smaller. Could have been a bad choice but we had fun anyway. That was the end of our time in Amsterdam! We got up the next morning and headed off to Brugge and Brussels! Stay tuned for those photos coming up soon.

Happy First Birthday!

Sorry for the lack of posts but I have been quite busy! I was in Washington, DC this past weekend because my niece turned one! Today is her official birthday so happy first birthday, Charlotte! I love you so much!

Netherlands Day 1

I had so much fun on my trip that getting back to normal life has been a bit hard. I had to go out of town for work the weekend I got back and then I started back up at my second job that same week. Needless to say, this post has been a long time coming. I've been avoiding my photos because just thinking about sorting and editing all 1500 of them is so overwhelming.  Hopefully I can get through some each day so my travel photos don't take forever to post :)

I got into Amsterdam at about 1:00 in the afternoon and spent the next hour and a half trying to get a hold of my friend. We were staying with her uncle and he was supposed to pick us up at the airport. I had never met him, didn't have his phone number and my friend's phone went straight to voicemail. It was a stressful first day! Turns out she had put her phone on airplane mode because it was low on batteries and she had fallen asleep. We finally got in touch, found her uncles and heading to their place near Leiden. That day, they took us to a beautiful tulip field. They drove us around for an hour or so until they found this field. I believe it was just a company that sells tulips but there were a bunch of other people taking photos so we hopped out. Since they had a very long winter and a cold spring, there weren't as many tulips blooming as there should have been. However, the SMELL was incredible from the hyacinth. Made freezing my butt off totally worth it. Every time the wind blew, you got the most amazing scent on the breeze.  You would have to be there to properly understand. Think how good a hyacinth or lilac bush smells when you walk by in and then times that by 10,000 or so and you might get the idea :)  Then they took us into the city to show us around a bit so we weren't overwhelmed the next day. It was so sweet. Her aunt cooked us a huge dinner that night and we didn't eat until about 11 pm. Even though I don't speak any Farsi, it was nice to hang out with her family and take it (somewhat) easy that first day. I was exhausted!

 

   

  

Stay tuned for more photos from our next 2 days in the Netherlands and LOTS more photos from the rest of our trip soon!

Back in the USA

I'm back! I am SO tired! I got home last night around 7 and was so tired, I just stayed at my parent's place. I have a lot of photos (1500 or so?) to sort through so it might be a bit before I get posts up. I really hope to get through 1 or 2 this weekend! What would be more interesting to all of you? Just general stories of what we did or specific place names and recommendations?

I hope you all enjoyed the guest posts and I would like to thank all those lovely ladies one more time for sharing their stories with you. Have a great Memorial Day weekend and I'll be back next week with some new posts!

How I Thrift Shop - Part 2

Back with another installment of your favorite saga, How the World (according to Erin) Turns. This section relates to how I choose what to buy once I get into the dressing room.

1. I look for things that fit perfectly right off the bat. This is more rare than you get in a regular store with standard sizing. I have to be in the mood to thrift shop because it can get discouraging to have item after item not fit. Look for something that fits like a glove and it makes the decision to get it even easier!

2.  I look for items that I like and can be easily changed. Is the pattern on a skirt great but it is just too long? Is the top really cute but just a bit wide? If it is something that I know right off the bat how to fix, I will buy it. I end up with a mend pile but that's ok with me. :)

3.  I will not buy something if there are things I can't fix. This may be a no-brainer to you but this took me a while to figure out.  I would buy anything and everything and never fix it. I have a really cute robe type thing that I thought "I'll just shorten it, take off the sleeves, add elastic, etc" Still hasn't happened. This also applies when the garment is ripped, stained or has holes. Even thought things are less expensive, if they need a lot of work, leave them behind.

Take the 3 shirts below.

  

My favorite is the blue and white checked one. However, it was too wide and the poof on the shoulders was way too low. It looked huge. I could take in the sides but I have no idea how to fix the sleeves. So, I left it there. The pastel shirt was wide at the top and a bit tight on my hips (story of my life), so that got left behind there as well.  I ended up getting the shirt on the top left. Do I need another plaid shirt with a navy base? Nope but I liked it and it fit so I picked it up! It has a lot of colors that aren't in my other shirts so that was enough for me to pull the trigger.

4. Check the tags.  This is where I contradict myself. I don't normally check the tags before I try stuff on but I do check them before I buy. What is the item made of? Is it worth the price that's on it? Is it vintage or just a new shirt pretending to be vintage? Does it have a cool brand that would be fun to brag about?

If it is a good quality material, vintage or a brand name I recognize... I will pay a bit more for that. If it is lower quality material, new,etc. I will put some of those away if they are priced too high. For some reason, the thrift stores seem to be charging more for "vintage" these days. Also, things from Target seem to be more than if you got them on clearance. Thrift store pricing can be baffling so just keep these things in mind!

Hopefully this information has been helpful! Let me know if you have any questions!

Vacation Guest Post - A Wild Tonic

While I'm away, I've lined up some lovely ladies to tide you all over until I get back! Today we have Lauren from A Wild Tonic. She not only has a great blog but also runs an Etsy shop! I had the pleasure of meeting her in person while I was in NYC and she is the sweetest! Please pop by her blog here and her Etsy shop here and say hi! Thanks again Lauren!


Hello there, lovely Babes in Thriftland readers. I'm Lauren, a blogger and vintage & handmade shop owner on Etsy. You may recognize my work from right here on Erin's blog. My handmade work is a series of prints on upcycled maps. The quotes on the prints are mostly inspirational and travel-related, so I call them my Wanderlust Prints. Each print is completely unique as they are printed right on the map paper! I had the idea one day when my dad was cleaning out his car and found some old maps. I feel like not many people use paper maps anymore in this age of GPSs and map apps on our phones. Instead of throwing his maps into recycling, I decided to start the print shop. I LOVE traveling and having new experiences, and my prints are a celebration of the wanderlust spirit.

Erin has a collection of three prints that she loves (right, Erin?) and to celebrate Erin's birthday and big trip...I'm here today to offer a print to one lucky reader! Read below for how to enter. Happy Travels, Erin! :)


To enter the giveaway:
1. Be a follower of A Wild Tonic
2. Be a follower of Babes in Thriftland on either Bloglovin' or GFC
3. Leave a comment with a way to contact you.

For Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each) :
1. Follow A Wild Tonic on Twitter
2. Follow Babes in Thriftland on Twitter
3. Share the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or your own blog!

Good luck! Lauren has been generous enough to open the giveaway to all readers!

Vacation Guest Post - Two Birds

While I'm away in Europe, I've lined up some lovely ladies to write posts for all of you! Today we have a guest post from Megan and Nora of Two Birds. I know both of these lovely ladies in real life and I am proud to call both of them friends. Enjoy their post and pop by their blog here and say hi!

hi there! we're megan and nora of two birds. we are happy to write a little post for erin while she is on her amazing trip! while we are not huge jet setters, we have had a few chances to take some amazing trips, so we thought we'd offer our most sage advice on traveling.

1. if your boyfriend's favorite movie is moulin rouge, go to moulin rouge...even if it takes you seven buses and miles of walking to find it. never mind that you decided to wear your cutest heeled boots while in france, keep walking cause it's his favorite movie. you can question why moulin rouge is his favorite movie later, for now, just take a photo.

2. always wear comfortable shoes. seriously, do it. i didn't and i paid the price. i wore 4" heels almost every day. and there were days that we walked miles and miles of cobblestone streets. and honestly, when i go back to europe, i will most likely do it again. call me stupid, but i like me some heels.

3. when in rome, eat some good italian food. but also, eat some indian food. i ate both, and i have to tell you, it was the best indian food i have ever tasted.

4. visit all the popular landmarks, but also just walk around and enjoy yourself. don't try to fit too much into your vacation, you don't want it to feel like work. so walk around, snap some photos and have a glass of wine. that's what it's all about!

we hope you're having a blast erin. take lots of pictures and drink lots of wine!!!

xoxo,
two birds