Today's 5 pinterest favourites

Cari-Jane at Hybridhandmade started to publish her last 5 pins on pinterest. What a great idea! The only problem is that I do not go on pinterest as much as I used to (happened with facebook - I get bored really easily), but when I do go on the site I pin like crazy... So I am not sure I can do my last 5 pins, but I can certainly do my favourite 5 of today's pinning session.

1. Can we start getting excited about winter yet? Guys, if you thought (rightly) that I loved the Autumn, you have no idea what will hit you with Winter. It is my favourite season (and my birthday)... Love this cozy interior...


2. The Art of Upcyling...The only problem is that I have an idea, I find the material and ... that is it. We bought a couple of weeks ago a coffee bean bag and I need to turn it into cushion(s)... This is a gentle reminder of what it could look like..

3. Photography... I thought this was a beautiful shot, the colours, the sparkling.. Would make a great birthday card..

4. Mittens, embroidery and colour coordination. Not sure about the felted mitten effect but love the embroidery work on the light grey medium.

5. Stylin'it Blair style. I want a cape, I do, I do, I do. And this is great styling lesson out of Gossip Girl..

So what are you last 5 pins or your 5 favourite pins of the day! Would be great to see them! Mine are available @noaslibellule.

One year (and a bit) on - in pictures

Hi guys! Happy Wednesday. How are you all doing? Do you remember me telling you about the photoshoot we booked for our first year anniversary (+ 3 months by the time it came round). Yesterday, I received all the photos... SO exciting! Here are my favourites of the couple ones..

I don't usually do what I wear posts - but I will make an exception for this post - although it will be quite poor on the details..

So I am wearing: Jeans: Diesel, Top: Asos Dress changed into a top (by me - email me for more details), Shoes: bought on sale in Leiden (the day before), Jewellery: Noir Jewelry (my obsession of this post), Belt: bought ages ago at Warehouse (I think), and in the first picture leather cropped jacket: Gerard Darel, Pashmina bought in Bangkok airport. Who knows what M is wearing, jeans and a blue shirt??

Just a few words about the location. We did it all in one location - although it does not seem like it. In the North of France you can still find the old coal mines buildings and machines, and we were lucky enough to have access to them for the shoot. This is next to woodlands and a coupd of fields - and next to the Church and the Mairie (town hall) where we got married. All very easy.

Finally the photographer, his name is Benjamin Brolet, he lives in Brussels - and is just brilliant. He covers wedding as well as commercial events. He also travels if your wedding is not in Belgium ... Highly recommended.

Noas' Libellule Tuesday {13% Mondays}

Hello hello my lovelies! Happy Tuesday! We are back - and we managed to do it all! Drive through 3 countries (without missing ferries etc), see friends, shopping (new and thrifted), see family (mine) and do a photoshoot (pictures by the end of the week, cannot wait!).

Here is the picture of the weekend - I could not resist... This is the windmill (in Leiden) I used to pass on my way to work and uni everyday when I lived (briefly) in the Netherlands.


I thought I would keep the Dutch theme going and introduce you to the Dutch Delight serie of photographer Frank Van Driel. I love the composition of this picture - how we managed to make a modern picture out of a traditional outfit.


So guys, what have you been up to? Anything excited to report? We are off (again) to France this weekend - 3 more days to go! But tomorrow is back to work.

Noas' Libellule {13% Mondays}

Hello hello my lovelies! How are you all? Did you enjoy your weekend? It was great being on my own (loved M coming back too, of course), and chilling at home. I managed to almost finish my to-do list, yeah! More to come on this in the course of the week...

The weather is beautiful today, and to be fair it was all written in the sky yesterday when we went for a walk on the common...

Sometimes it is all about being at the right place, at the right time; I am not a plane-spotter, but I could not resist showing this picture... I never thought about it but living near an airport can be a photographic opportunity!

Finally... there are facts you cannot deny on Mondays.. and here is this week's...

Happy Monday guys! Hope you will have a great week...

PS: If you want to know why I keep calling my Monday posts {13% Mondays} check out my first {13% Mondays} post.

Home Alone

Hello everyone! It is Friday, yeeeaaahhhhh! It may have been a short week at work, but I still cannot wait for the weekend. M is going to spend the weekend with his mates in Wales, climbing and sleeping in a tent. Definitely not my thing - so I am glad he has friends who go with him and does not force me to do it ... And I am looking forward to a weekend at home, alone. I have been making a to-do list for the past week of what I want to do.

1. Making a bathmat

M has now requested it. I said some time ago I would make one '- Me: They are so easy to make, saw so many amazing projects on pinterest, we cannot possibly buy one?, M: OK', and then we went on holiday, on weekends away, too tired in the evening... My bathroom is still mat-free and one day one of us will slip on the travertine tiles. So this weekend, this is my priority no 1. Here is my inspiration (via pinterest)...

2. 10K

Sometime ago I decided to run a 10K in October. May not sound like a lot to some of you, but I am yet to have run 10K in one go. Plus, one of my colleagues has just done one and she managed to run it in less than an hour - so I decided that her timing would be my benchmark (M is mildly convinced this will happen - he is a former athletics county champion...hmmmm, so I have not a lot of chance right)! I will not be defeated, just need to get on with some serious training. So if you see someone resembling a sweaty lobster panting - do not get scared, it is probably me...

3. Necklace

I have loads of necklaces. But somehow, I always have the feeling that I need a new one, for an occasion, a dress, any excuse... I saw this tuotorial and tried it before going to Brittany. The necklace looked great, but it did not hold, I messed up somewhere, so this weekend I am going to do it again. Hopefully will have something to show you next week!

4. Photo shoot

So you know how I hate my picture to be taken, and there are very few pics of me on the blog. Well, despite my better judgement, I decided that M and I should have a photo shoot celebrating our first year of marriage.

I may need to give you some background here. Before I got married, I contacted a few photographers - as you do - and I found one that I loved... The pictures were quirky, fun, not posed - exactly what I wanted. We signed the contract and I sent the deposit. Two weeks later he sent me an email saying that he would not cash the deposit but that he could not be our photographer anymore - no more explanation (What!). In the end I got my second choice of photographer, who was really good and we have great pictures. But that story got to me a bit, and when all my friends started to talk about photographers for their wedding, I googled my first photographer - just to see if he was back on the scene. I found out on a forum that he had copied all his pictures from another photographer in Belgium - so actually the person I hired was not the photographer. Contacted the Belgian photographer - and here we are having another photoshoot with him! Have you followed all of that? By the way, I have never heard anyone else having problems with their photographer, so don't freak out.. (Oh there is ONE picture of the wedding HERE)

So I need to get prepared for the photo shoot. I bought this dress from Asos - I loved the mesh/lace detail. I put it on - and honestly I look like an elephant in it, I am probably quite offensive to the elephants. Noooo... what to do? I love the top part so much... Well the dress is now deconstructed and I am hoping to make a top out of the materials - this weekend... Stay tune (there will probably be updates on twitter @NoasLibellule).

5. Catching up

With you guys... I have been rubbish this week, and I have not really reading all the blogs I wanted to, so me and my new Ipad (how did I live without one before??) are going to stalk you, and that is a promise - expect a lot of comments!!!

Well all of that in addition to catching up with some beauty sleep (yeah), washing and cleaning (nay)... and probably be 'forced' to go for a couple of drinks with friends...

So guys, have you anything planned this weekend? Any crafty project on the go? Whatever you do, have a fab weekend!!

Noas' Libellule {13% Mondays}

Hey... Monday again guys! How are you all doing? Did you have a good weekend? I hope so! We drove to France for a wedding (our fourth one this year, one more to attend), and managed to fit a visit to my parents.. We had an amazing time (wedding and parents)! It was SO worth us getting really lost on the way back and wasting two hours before finding the right motorway...

Also this weekend, I finally worked out why men have suit pockets: to hold M and my sunglasses! Genius! I am sure you know, it is not easy to take pictures with glasses... but now I have it all figured out.

On another note, I thought this humour post should be about mothers as it is my Mum's birthday this week. This label (via pinterest) made me think of her... I wonder why?

PS: If you want to know why this is 13% Monday, check out the first {13% Monday} post I wrote.

Noas' Libellule {13% Mondays}

Hiya Guys... Just come back from a long weekend away with Mr. M. This morning was really hard work for the two of us (3 snoozes on the blackberry-cum-alarm clock). And to be honest, I am still not really awake.

Made me wondered about Monday posts - what would like to work on? Clearly I love remembering the best bit of the weekend, but I need a bit of humour for the week ahead. You will remember my coup de coeur pictures of Mamika by Sacha Goldberger. They make me smile every time I look at them. And this is exactly what I need on Mondays, something to make me smile!

The post is called 13% Mondays, because of this quote:

'I always give 100% at work: 13% Monday, 22% Tuesday, 26% Wednesday, 35% Thursday and 4% Friday'.

The best bit of the weekend is the wedding of friends of ours in the Peak District.

Today's humour is quite topical, and I suppose, only for Harry Potter's fans.

Has not happened to me yet, but it may do!

What have you been up to this weekend?

Happy Monday everyone!

PS: This week will feature another new type of posts, involving shopping (I LOVE shopping) and making.. Stay tune, or follow me on twitter (@NoasLibellule) for sneak peeks at what's coming up.

{3 Ways to the Vintage Effect} Noas' Libellule Photography How-to

Hiya, happy Wednesday!! This is when my week ends and my weekend starts (well at 5pm tonight). Off we are to the Peak District for a wedding and a romantic long weekend away. Cannot wait!

Today I thought I would do a very quick tutorial about vintage-looking pictures. This is something I have been trying to do for a while (although considering how easy it is, clearly I had not tried really hard in the past). And I think I have made good progress.

For those who are baffled by photoshop (me, me, me!), these tips do not require photoshop (phew!) - although check out the blogs that will tell you how to do with photoshop for people much more advanced than I am!

Two of the ways of achieving the look are free! The third one is not ... But not too expensive.

There are other ways to do it, I am sure, but I am probably not registered with the sites - there are so many sites a girl can manage.

So here we are, my original picture is the one I took at the wedding last weekend.

It is alright but a bit boring.. let's shake things up a bit.

1. Using Phixr and The Cross Process effect

This is really simple. You log onto Phixr (free), you upload your picture (very easy), choose the color effects option in the menu on the left handside (sepia picture), and choose the cross-effect in the sub menu. Ta Da! You can adjust the contrast and the brightness as well as the opacity of the picture. In the example above I only used the cross-process effect.

2. Using Picnik and the 60s effect

Log on to Picnik (through your Flickr account) (it is free for some effects), upload your picture, select 'edit', you will see the tab CREATE at the top. Choose EFFECTS, and then the 1960's option. They have an option to round corners of the pictures, you can choose. Ta Da'! You are back in the 60s!

3. Using Picnik and Curves

You know the drill, you upload, go to edit, and select CREATE, this time select ADVANCED. You want the CURVES option. This is the most advanced way to achieve because you can change the red, blue and green curves. You can also select the pre-set cross-process blue curve or red curve effect (see above for the pre-set blue option).

In Curves, Select CHANNEL. For both the red and green lines (which are done separately), you'll need to drag the line near the top up a little diagonally, so that it's hardly under the grey (the middle) line. Near the bottom of the line, do the opposite. What you're doing is adding red to the highlights and subtracting red from the shadows. (You're doing the same for the green.). Select the blue channel now and do the opposite of what you did to the red and green lines. Go near the top of the blue line and pull the line down diagonally, therefore subtracting blue from the highlights. Now go to the bottom of the line and pull the line up diagonally so that you're adding blue to the shadows. Play around a little bit to achieve the desired look.

And.... The Polaroid Look

In CREATE in Picnik, select FRAMES and Polaroid (free). Ta Da! This picture could have been taken at my parents' wedding in the 60s! So guys, when are you give your pictures the vintage look? You know you want to...