Mood Music Monday // Honey

It's been a hell of a few weeks - we were in London at the beginning of November seeing some great friends (also working, promise)! Since then, PJ's been in Paris overnight twice so there's been a lot of me & Hobson time. 

But I heard this song last week and it made me think of PJ and how glad I am to spend every minute that I can with him - it's now been over four years that we're together and it just keeps getting better!

Enjoy your week!

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Say My Name

I'm really missing my momma recently, and when I heard this song earlier this week I knew I had to add it to my every-day playlist. 

When Say My Name first came out, every time my mom heard it she would start dancing in the car , having so much fun just jamming by herself. When I was little, I'm sorry to admit that I was kind of embarrassed...and now I just miss it. 

Last spring I went on a road trip through the south of Sweden with my friends, and I explained my love of the song (not that they had any problem with it, obviously it's a bomb song), and when they finally got to meet my mama, we played it and jammed with her and AH, the memories. 

Anyway, enjoy this cover. It's kind of sad and mysterious, but it only makes me love it more. 

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Back Here

This weekend was PJ's first for his Master's in London, so from Wednesday morning until late last night I was all by myself...except for Hobson and Mini, of course.

In honour of him getting his butt back here as fast as possible, my favourite English boy band of my youth:

xox,

Suz

Uncommon Goods - Larry & the Lightbox

A happy September to you all!

A clean home is a happy home, but a mish mash of dog fuzz and travel trinkets make up the majority of our home decor. 

Sometimes I like to look at our shelves through the eyes of other people and wonder what they think of us…better not to dwell on those thoughts!

It was much to my excitement when the folks over at UncommonGoods in Brooklyn let me know they think what we’ve got going on is pretty eclectic. SO -  imagine just how high my energy was when they asked me to check out some products from their home decor offerings. 

*Cue screams of glee*

Moi?

UncommonGoods for me is one of those companies whose products I pin on any and every inspo board without hesitation. They are everything. And they have a commitment to meet certain standards regarding environmental impacts to boot; the sustainability side of me turns all heart-eyes emoji knowing this. 

Along with being everything, they also have everything. Honestly, just click and don't look back. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when your wallet is empty (but your apartment full and full). Sorry and you’re welcome in advance. 

Obviously though, knowing what you now know about us, we tried to combine a little practicality with a lot of fun. And extra Hobson attention…

So. Onto it. 

Puppy not available online (he's allllllll mine!)- click here for even more. 

I have wanted one of these forEVER and was so so so excited to pull this cinema-style lightbox out and play with it. We’re constantly looking for more lighting options in our living room, especially as these Belgian nights start to get darker. My goal is to try and go for a lyric-themed lightbox, and I’m going to keep this Beatles track running as long as possible - unless it’s PJ’s turn, he’s awful at lyrics (at least I know he’s human and has flaws, right?). 

We've seriously had so much fun that he's become just as obsessed with perusing all of the other pieces that our place needs,

And as you can tell, Hobson may be a little dog, but he's a big fan of getting his photo taken.

Speaking of little dogs…

In an effort to clean up our space, we’ve gotten rid of so much…stuff recently. Including our old doormat. But the world is dirty and that ish is necessary, especially after our late night walks with the tiny fuzz seen above. I knew, I just knew, that as soon as I saw Larry that we had to have him. Include the fact that we call Hobson ‘Little Llama” and how they're tail twins, and I was done for. 

You can find Larry here, or find some softer, more skin-friendly pieces here.

I mean. And these are the faces that that I say goodbye to every morning and that greet me when I get home at night. 

I'm so, so pleased with these two pieces. As fun as they are, they're also really functional - though I did have to emphasize the light in lightbox when explaining to PJ why it needed to be in our place as soon as possible. 

Obviously, I was right. And our apartment thanks me every evening.

You're welcome!

xox,
Suz

(This post is sponsored by UncommonGoods but all opinions expressed are my own.)

Good Day Sunshine

Get used to this theme this week. Who cares if it's raining in Gent today. It's going to be a great one because...

I finally have a job again! One that I'm really, really excited for and a group of people that are passionate about what they do and the clients they were with. And there's that added bonus of working in Belgium's fashion capital which makes my hour-long (door-to-door) commute to Antwerp totally worth it.

This song came on while we were eating brunch this weekend and I knew that it was going to be a great week, no matter how exhausting or how much I have to do. Luckily The Beatles always know how to make me smile.

Have an amazing start to this beautiful week (sorry for all the sappiness, I'm too hyped!)

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Torn

SO ladies and gentlemen - happy August! I can't believe it's already the first.

The last week of July has been...busy. After lunch in Bruges last week, the first two days of my Dutch class, a cava-filled Friday evening, a night out with the boys on Saturday after shopping all day and a Sunday at the flea market eating Spit burgers and cleaning/rearranging our place, it was pretty evident to me that I needed just a bit of a mellow tune for this morning. 

So when the komun called me at 11 and told me there was another problem with my license exchange, my day took a turn for the annoying. At this point, I just knew that this was the song to describe exactly what I'm feeling right now about this chocolate, beer and fry-loving country. 

On the plus side: great track (obvs) and a gorgeous voice. Hope you enjoy it. 

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Mura Masa

This past weekend we were at Melt! Festival at the Ferropolis site in Gräfenhainichen, about an hour outside of Berlin. 

We also went to the festival last year, but this year our group was bigger and the weather wasn't as intensely hot (except we all still got sunburned, whoops!). 

In our downtime, we spent a lot of time in the sun (us Belgian-based people really needed it), I learned a lot about Portugal, WWII and how hilarious the game "Heads Up" is, especially when playing with the boyfriend. He is absolutely hilarious (and it totally helps that he said "Suzi" when trying to give clues for the movie Dreamgirls. Love him. 

My favourite act of the weekend was the incredibly talented Mura Masa, and we were very lucky to see him on Friday night, up close and personal. It was an awesome live set, and I'm really happy that we all got to dance together during his set. 

This was my favourite tune, and I felt a little silly but I sang the whole thing (or at least the words I knew) to PJ - we had so much fun! 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Bahari

Totally should have posted this last week but I've been a bit down and out - going to the dentist and physical therapy for my back and job searching and PJ being away...I've been a bit of a lazy mess (though weirdly productive in my physical needs, it seems).

So. Back to my new trio of girl crushes: Bahari. 

I've also been listening to these girl non-stop. I actually first discovered them way back in 2014 with the track Wild Ones when we (read: PJ handing me tools and making food while I did the handywork) were putting together some furniture in the apartment, and have been waiting for their new music since then.

Funny enough, I realised that they released more music through Forever 21's Snapchat, watching them rock out in mini clips with their cool, California-girl rock. I am admittedly obsessed. Check out their new EP, Dancing On The Sun, below.

Hope you love them as much as I do. Perfect cruising music. My favs? Dancing On The Sun and California.

xox,

Suz

Mango leather slippers

This little one is very happy that we finally had a glass gate installed in our big bay-type windows overlooking the street. Meanwhile, I'm very happy that the weather is finally warm and dry enough to actually open these windows, while also wearing these gorgeous white loafers from Mango, in the most supple leather I've ever put on my little feet. 

Bonus: they're on sale right now!

I prefer to wear them with the backs pushed down as mules, which is how I've seen this type of loafer styled. They're so comfortable and easy to wear with everything, as long as there's no mud in my path (or on my puppy's paws). 

Hope you're all enjoying the beginning of July and the weather stays warm and dry.

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Alaska

Pretty sure by now the entire internet has seen that video of Maggie Roger's crazy unique sound, presented during the NYU masterclass with Pharrell. He's definitely not the only person blown away: just look up Maggie Rogers and you'll be overwhelmed by the number of articles, sooooort of like how Pharrell was overwhelmed when he heard it. 

If you haven't heard it yet, listen to 'Alaksa' below. And you're welcome. 

If you have, enjoy again. Just like I've been doing for the last few days.

xox,

Suz

POTD // Crap Eyewear

I am ridiculously guilty of always wanting a new pair of sunglasses. To be fair, my eye doctor did tell me that I need to wear my sunglasses as much as possible. But considering my birthday purchase of Ray Bans in Mallorca, I couldn't justify another expensive pair of sunnies to my arsenal. 

I've read so much about Crap Eyewear, and these are so similar to the pair that I want without the hefty price tag. Friends, family - if you're looking for a way to save my eyes over the next few months, this would be the perfect summer surprise!

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Home

The last few weeks in RVA were exactly what I needed, but in the end, I also needed to get back to my new life in Belgium with PJ and our fuzzballs. I've been into this song by Johnnyswim for a while now, and my favourite line inspired my trip back to the River City, but also helped me to be strong when I left my house for the very last time - "I just need me some home." As usual, music gives us the words that we couldn't say ourselves, no matter how simple the message. Give it a listen - I hope you love it like I do.

xox,

Suz

Rompers in RVA

Surprise - I'm in Richmond!

Next surprise - super late to the game but I'm also super into rompers. 

So Richmond. In an attempt to see my parent's home one last time before they join my brother and I in Europe, I took a little three week vacay to my teenage home.

My phone has been replaced, my exhausted aches and pains have left and I have a new-found love for warm yoga. 

Not going to lie though, the weather was better back in Belgium, which actually was another huge surprise, as seen with my photographic evidence on the streets of Gent. Shout out to PJ's photography skills ;)

Romper (old, LOVE this one) // Sneakers // Moon Purse (sold out, check out the WhitePepper here) // Sunnies

These two weeks have been extremely relaxing and a little sad - the house looks so different. But seeing all of my friends and how much Richmond has changed since the last time I was here has been so great, not to mention the prices for everything in comparison to Belgium are out of this world (just like that purse up top!!!).

Thanks, RVA. Love ya.

xox,

Suz

Florals in Mallorca

Could not have had more fun in Mallorca to celebrate my birthday this past weekend. Coming back to Belgium was hard, and has been especially hard this week - I work in Brussels and have been really trying to come to terms with what happened this week. But more on that some other time.

We had such an amazing time lying in the sun on Friday and doing drives up the East & West coasts on Saturday and Sunday. Not to mention the €4 cava and all the tapas we could get our hands on...

shoes // jacket // sunglasses // bag (similar)

Old Town Palma was really special - it was amazing walking around in the small streets, getting lost and appearing into a beautiful honey-coloured square. Not to mention the shopping is amazing, and I finally got to visit a Stradivarius store, where I snagged this amazing floral olive bomber for my birthday! Such fun, especially after gelato ;)

I can't wait to be back. I definitely now have a plan to visit all of the islands surrounding Spain - by boat, if I really need to.

xox,

Suz

The Kewl Shop Interview // A Moment in the Sun with Suz

How cool is this? The lovely folks over at The Kewl Shop sat me down for an interview because they like what I write - what an awesome thing to hear! It was really fun answering all of the questions they had. Some things I've never really thought about that much in depth, so it was cool to give those answers. 

I'm so happy that people like my little blog here. I hope it stays that way!

xox,

Suz

Mint & Green in Mallorca

I am so exhausted, but I can't even be mad about it because this week is both my birthday (happy St. Patty's ;)) & we're going to MALLORCA for a long weekend. I plan to eat my way through the island so bikini shots may be limited.

My love of green and islands definitely shows on my green wishlist. I read today that mint is going out of season, but let's be honest, mint is not leaving my body or my mojitos (which I plan to enjoy this weekend, too).

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

These ASOS mint gladiator sandals got me like whaaaaat. I am obsessed. So obsessed. Had I found these two weeks ago they would be on my feet from the time I stepped off the plane probably until September, Belgian weather be damned!

Now I just have to get through this week and a 5am train ride for my 7am plane, but then it's sea, sand and sun for three full days with my love!

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Never Be Like You

New Flume that I'm obsessed with...

This is totally going to get my through this week until my awesome weekend away with PJ.

xox,

Suz

You're not lost - you're here.

The last few weeks have not been easy, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders. 

It's not that I have such major problems, but I'm trying to find balance in my life and it's been really hard lately, but I am trying to turn it around, however I can.

When I went to get my haircut this weekend at Coupe Maison (haircuts & drinks in one? My fav.), I passed under this sign and it seemed like a pretty good omen - things will get better eventually, but I have to actively realise it too. 

This weekend really helped - some friends and I (from here and from Germany) walked around town, talked, watched basketball and made food together a few different times. It was a great way to slow things down and just have some fun. And the basketball team won, which was great to see!

Then we made a huge spread of sushi and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. 

The perfect end to a great weekend - brioche in the over and a sleepy puppy on the couch. 

Hopefully the Monday blues don't get you down tomorrow.

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Can't Fight It

So I am really happy to be able to say "I went to high school with that guy!" And that guy is Rayvon Owen. American Idol contestant. Incredibly dressed. Voice of an angel. And finally honest in "Can't Fight It".

I'm so proud to have known him and watched him grow as an artist during school, but also as a person since graduation. Read his story and get ready to love him as much as HHS and RVA do, and hopefully the whole world will follow suit soon. 

xox,

Suz

Rock the Red Carpet x Farfetch

You know those days when you wanna look damn good and make sure every single person knows it?

Right, so, basically every day. 

I got a fun challenge to create a look for and inspired by awards season to rock the red carpet using just items on the Farfetch website, which, c'mon - let's be real: how could you not want to look at beautiful clothes all day, every day. 

It's been so damn cold here recently that I've actually started dreaming about Spring, so I used the sun (the one on my wrist and that massive ball of gas in the sky) as inspiration for this, hoping and wishing for the first day that it's nice enough to not wear wool. 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

Okay. Obviously. The dress. Wow. If I could only wear one colour for the rest of my life it would 100% be this. It reminds me of  Lupita Nyong'o's blue Prada dress from the 2014 Oscars which I think women across the world collectively fell in love with, along with her. And it reminds her of Nairobi. Could she be more perfect? Could this dress?

And can you tell I have a thing for eyes? Not that they have to be blue, but I do enjoy this ring and phone case combo with the different shades (The Blonde Salad is like the epitome of #girlboss and I can't get enough of her shoes/accessories with the winking eyes). 

I decided to go with some white accessories and the playful colourful stones in these Aquazzura shoes. I know, I know, the red carpet is the time to go all out with stilettos, but here I am trying to be considerate of my poor muscles (since all of my daydreams of this obviously have me wearing it, and my bum hip and knee don't really agree with 4" heels but love a good block sandal/boot/anything). 

But I adore the sort of innocence of the outfit paired with a small diamond pseudo-choker and the complete badassery of that shark tooth necklace next to the. Good lord, want it, need it, gotta have it. It reminds me of Cape Town and Gansbaai and those absolutely massive animals in the ocean. Lupita has her dress to remind her of home, and my necklace does the same. 

Fate? Some might say yes. 

Fine, it's probably just me that says yes, but work with me here...

Fitting that I'm doing this on Valentines day and my outfit is the complete opposite of this - black on black on black on block heeled booties, but I keep showing this to PJ in the hopes that he's imagining me in it. 

Hope your day is filled with lots of love (and beautiful everything)!

xox,

Suz

Cactus Print // &OS Gent

My favourite parts of the weekend in Gent are the combined desire to go shopping and stay in bed. I always feel extra guilty since Hobson always wants to play on a Saturday morning, so getting up isn't the issue - it's getting out. But considering it takes all of 10 minutes to bike to the centre of town, I can't really complain too much.

Town was, as is usual on the one-day-per-weekend when everything is open, packed on a Saturday so we actually steered clear of the big shopping street - considering it was also the last day of the sales period, we knew my favourites would be absolutely swamped.

After making our necessary purchases (damn cold season means we have to stock up on the essentials: tissues, flowers to make the room pretty, a jewelry holder because I liked it...), and a pit-stop at a BAGEL RESTO (omg I was so excited), we were walking to our bus stop to go home when ya know, & Other Stories just caught my eye. There was absolutely no way that I planned it like this...

And thank God we stopped in because I left with the cutest cactus print dress. Whenever I get those there, I actually always wear them as a light jacket instead since people in the BENELUX area are giants and none of the clothes fit me the way they're supposed to.

I love love LOVE this print - PJ also got really excited since it reminded him of New Mexico. It's the first place I ever lived in the US and one of the vacations we took together to visit my family. And for the absolutely ridiculous price of €22.50, this little baby was mine, and PLEASE mother nature, let me have some warmer temperatures so I can cover my body with this asap.

Hope your Sunday is as relaxed as mine is (aside from my farting puppy)!

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Hide Away

So I guess this song doesn't really pertain to me since I look at my SO with googly eyes every time I see his face, but this is still catchy as hell and makes me bop in my office so much that I barely hear my boss' voice.

Luckily my peripheral vision is great so nobody gets offended and I still get to listen to whatever I want ;)

Enjoy!

xox,

Suz

Sundaze in the park

S Mug sold out (but I love this one and this one)  // Bulldog Owl Shirt

I need a vacation.

And that's saying something since we practically finished winter holidays yesterday. Which, duh, is an exaggeration, but having your whole family in town can be the most fun though thoroughly exhausting exercise known to man.

Thus - I take my weekends extremely seriously, especially Sundays. When I first moved to Belgium I was actually mad that things weren't open on the day that I like to do my necessary business. You know - buying the essentials, hauling a massive amount of groceries and stalking all of my favourite high street stores like I hadn't been in them the day before...

But my Sundays now consist of sleeping in, pancakes, puppy walks in beautiful country side and the occasional workout *like* this past weekend's 15 minute barre class that has left me in pain for hours.

Luckily, I have a little sleeping Hobson next to me warming me up, and mugs on mugs of rooibos tea in just one of my delightful mugs. One of many. I might have a problem.

My other problem will be waking up tomorrow at 7am for work, but hey. At least I have my mugs, right?

And a spooning, farting dog. C'est la vie.

xox,

Suz

Mood Music Monday // Weight In Gold

There is nothing I love more right now than this song. At least when it come to music. 

The lyrics, the beat, the sounds - they say it all! I have never listened to a song more in the first days of knowing it than I have for this song *and* his dancing is so ridiculously fun even when the mood of the song shouldn't be so joyous.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

xox,

Suz

POTD: Target Deco Box

OK, late to the game as usual, but I love boxes. Especially glass boxes. Especially decorative glass boxes with delightfully cute messages.

How many do I have? None. How many do I need? Well...none EXCEPT THIS BEAUTY from the one and only Target!

Possibly one of the things I miss most about living in Richmond (and the US in general) is Target. That great big bullseye holds the key to my heart and can cheer my up just by setting inside, though I tried it on Black Friday once and am still traumatised.

Any friends coming over soon, consider this your hostess-gift hint. In return, I'll present you with Belgian beer and endless puppy cuddles. 

Enjoy this beautiful Sunday!

xox,

Suz

ASOS shoe sale

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

There's a pretty damn good reason why my friends and family use the nickname Shoezi fairly often when we're out shopping...lets be honest, these trips often end up in a section that make my feet very happy, but my wallet not so much. 

And while everyone has those post-holiday blues, I'm really, really feeling it this year since Belgium has these two insane shopping-filled sale months per year. For people without day jobs its like heaven. For those of us staring at a screen all day it's a less than desired situation to be in.

Which is why I turn to ASOS and all these post-2015 sale stunners. New year, new heels #2016goals! At least I can get my fix somehow...

I've really gotten into strappy heels lately, but especially those that keep my ankles in place. With a pretty bum right hip it can be really difficult for me to wear heels that don't have an ankle strap, though I've been branching out with some pumps and mules this holiday season (though, tbh I was sitting and eating a lot of that time).

When I can finally decide what pair will soon be on my little footsies, my ankles will be telling me *yes* even when my bank account says nooo. I figure I can shake this off as a work investment - event coordinators need to look professional, right? ;)

xox, 

Suz