Nest Decorating & Designs by Tamar

Amsterdam a new found love

I just finished posting about our Paris trip this fall, here is the second part of our trip, Amsterdam! After spending a few glorious days in Paris we took the train to Amsterdam, we always dreamt about staying on a house boat on a canal and found this little studio with giant windows in the lovely Jordaan neighborhood. I didn't know what to expect, I was in Amsterdam twice, once as a teenager for 2 days with my grandparents, I only remember holding my little sister's hand while touring Anna Frank's house, I was absolutely obsessed with the book and story at that time, the second time was about 12 years ago, I was there for 2 days on a journalist tour of the Nike Headquarters outside Amsterdam, that time I only stayed in the city for a day and mainly walked the main shopping areas, spending a week there with my husband would mean getting to know the city a little better and I must say I fell in love! We are actually thinking of spending longer chunks of time there sometime in the future.

Amsterdam has the feel of a small town, we rented bicycles for the duration of our stay which made life very easy, I highly recommend this rental place!  it was wonderful getting around on bikes not to mention constant great exercise! the canals, the little shops, the cobblestone streets, the flowers, great food, wonderful vintage and second hand shops (my favorite thing) all made the trip an absolute pleasure! 

here I am in my night gown reading on the house boat

A swan coming to say good morning!

 

A classic Amsterdam scene

 

beautiful flower shops everywhere

 

the view of the canal from our bed!

A lovely house in the Jordaan neighborhood, I love the big windows everywhere! did you know that because the houses are so narrow hooks were affixed to the tops to hoist furniture and goods up and through the windows, this tradition is still employed today, it's a fascinating scene to watch! 

three of my favorite shops where these:

Sukha

 

 

Restored

and my all time favorite the heavenly Dille&Kamille!! 

we also explored the beautiful Rijks Museum and grounds, I highly recommend getting the museum guided tour app if you are there and exploring the website, it's fascinating and has a ton of free downloads!

the library at the museum

autumn in Amsterdam

a garden roof on a house boat

and finally here I am in the Central Train station on our way back home blending into a giant scale poster of the Night Watch by Rembrandt, did you know that the Night Watch scene is actually taking place during the day time? The dark background mistaken for night's sky was actually a varnish turned dark with age and dirt. During a restoration in the 1940s, the varnish was removed, but the name stuck.

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

xox

 

Some wonderful art

My beloved sister Miri is a fantastic artist, she has been creating art since she was a tiny, always a pencil or brush in hand, she went to the School of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston and has shown her work in countless shows and galleries over the years, she's also been teaching art for many years at the Design Dept. of  Shenkar College and Holon Institute in Israel were she lives.

A few years ago she started selling her beautiful prints on Etsy, the work is printed on super high quality Italian paper, the quality is so great it's hard to tell it's a print and the prices are amazingly affordable, these will make such wonderful gifts, I love displaying them on my art walls, they also look great in the kitchen and kids rooms!

Highly recommended!...and not just because she is my sister....

here is a sample of some of her work.

xox

Boston weekend

We had the best time in Boston this weekend! our good friend Jen just moved back to Boston after a few years here in Burlington, Jen has the most amazing taste and she is a real inspiration, her bohemian style is just the thing I love and her apartment is nice and roomy in an old victorian house in Watertown, a big one bedroom with amazing light! I love the wonderful mix of color, textiles, vintage and ethnic with country rustic, I couldn't stop taking photos...

 

 

We also visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, It was my first visit there and I loved it! The little patio garden! 

In the evening we went down to the harbor to peek at the ocean

We had a few wonderful meals including a wonderful lunch at Sofra Bakery and Cafe and great dinner at Sarma a mix of turkish and Middle Eastern food. It was delicious!

Here are some beautiful business cards I collected this weekend, I do that when I travel, I get a business card form every restaurant and shop I like and keep them for future references.

 

xox