Adding a new item to what you already have in your wardrobe can create a whole new outfit. This time I combined my green balloon skirt with a short sleeved brown leather jacket. You have seen the balloon skirt and the white cowboy boots quite a few times before; paired with a cropped white jacket, with a brown long sleeved jacket and with a black top and pearls.
What do you think? Did I succeed in creating something new or is this too similar?

When I started blogging in 2012 I had sets of clothing in my wardrobe. That’s how I bought the outfit and that’s how I would wear it. My friend Anja asked me in disbelief “Don’t you ever combine the various items differently? Don’t you create other outfits with the items?” The answer was no. I had no idea how to do that. Fast forward to 2026…Anja thinks I have come a long way 😊.

The photos for this blog post were taken by Marita in the eldest part of Haarlem which I have used as background many times.

Below: Marita in a new co-ord bought at kpa.haarlem with a blush pink shirt underneath. Stellar.

Karlijn, the owner of kpa.haarlem always remembers what her regular customers have bought, even from years ago. And she often knows who knows who. When I want to try on a blazer, she will tell me “Marita bought this one”. Not to judge or discourage, just to inform me. Fabulous service. Marita and I don’t care if the other one buys the same item but it is good to know if that happens. Like we both have the same long yellow dress. We don’t wear that when we meet or we will check in advance.

Below: Close-up of Marita’s pink earrings. From Lara Design haha. It is a small town and Marita and I have similar taste.

Below: We met at espresso bar Native which has a terrace in front of the restaurant. Marita and I had been sitting there, drinking coffee and chatting. When it was time to do the photo shoot, I faced the terrace by sitting on the bench of the opposite flower shop. Had a conversation with everybody on the terrace. They were all very interested in what was going on haha. Marita and I got a huge compliment from two younger women who said we inspired them. Gave them by blog business card of course.

Below: I like the outfit with and without the leather jacket. The chartreuse bag is a nice pop of colour.

Below: A close-up of the chunky necklace and cuff bracelet. The necklace is one of the 15 chunky necklaces I bought around 2011. (Click the link to see them all.) I still have 14 of them, the brass wolves’ heads necklace deteriorated.

Below: Strolling through the old part of Haarlem.

Below: The café at this little square is always full. It is named after the area called Vijfhoek (five corners).

Below: OK, another cat, one that supports freedom for anyone to be who they want to be, a rainbow cat.

Below: Picturesque streets, begging to be used as background.

Below: So we did.

Below: This one is for you José-Maria. I really like this close-up, such a happy face.

Below: OK, I will admit, this photo looks a lot like the first one at the top of the post. You don’t mind, I’m sure.

It was a short photo shoot, but Marita and I always have a good time together.

What happened in my life this week

We saw Ron’s brother and SIL as it was bro’s birthday. Neither Ron nor me have much family left so we try to keep in touch with the ones that are still here. We both have a brother (and SIL) and they all have children. For no reason we never visit the children, though we saw them grow up. Strange but true.

Ron’s booklet is printed! It looks very professional.

Below: The front and back of the booklet. The title is ‘Short stories and even shorter stories by a curious little man’. Twenty-four stories.
‘The Human Cannon Ball’ on the back is the logo of Ron’s former business. No, he wasn’t fired from a cannon; he simply thinks differently from most people; a true out-of-the-box thinker.

Ron’s son-in-law asked him to write down his stories for his granddaughters so they would not be lost over time. They cover his inventions, advertising concepts that won international effectiveness awards and experiments in his allotment.

Below: The introduction of the booklet. The little man (i.e. Ron) talks about curiosity. How he thinks that curiosity is the driver of change. He gives a few examples and one of them is about a curious person in France who didn’t throw away mouldy cheese but tasted it (out of curiosity).

Below: This is about poop. Ron experimented to see whether sunflowers would grow higher when given giraffe poop from the zoo. The answer is no. He also experimented with lettuce and elephant poop. Also from the zoo and also no difference in growth. Another experiment was with vegetables and music which did make a significant difference.

Below: This is the guide coat for blind and visually impaired people. Ron came up with the idea and found a university professor who wanted to explore and develop his idea. Organised the sponsor for the research as well. Ron’s mind works in mysterious ways.

Ron’s friend Georg is a highly creative person. Among his many talents are painting, video production and creating intricate computer graphics. He illustrated the booklet. Aren’t his illustrations awesome?

Our friend Arine did the art direction and typesetting. I was editor and ‘account’.
Arine is a friend who dates back to our days in the advertising business. Skilled friends, very handy.
Last week Arine drove up to Haarlem for a visit. I put the camera in her hands as we were going downtown and we did an impromptu photo shoot.

Below: Arine at lunch. I got her to smile brightly.

Below: I wore this outfit at home while swapping my summer shoes for winter footwear. It was comfortable yet still looked put together. (Link to the original post featuring this jumper with pink trousers.) A triangular scarf kept my neck warm, secured with a cat brooch.

Below: Cat brooch with dangling legs. Bought some time ago at the Noordermarket in Amsterdam.

Below: I am ending this post with a photo of me in my best outfit (IMHO). This was published in a Haarlem magazine. One of those sponsored magazines you get for free, so not that fancy or highbrow.

Greetje