What would you say if I said that the vase above cost me less than €1? If I dare say so myself, it really does look pretty nice! It didn't look like this when I bought it from my local thrift store though, let me tell you, it looked very different.

I spent ages looking in the store, trying to find the perfect shape rather than the perfect vase, since I was looking for something to DIY. I had seen this hack from one of my Internet faves, Geneva, and desperately wanted to try to up-cycle an old vase into something brand new. And when my mum said she would like more vases for the holiday house, what better excuse for rolling up my sleeves to do a pit of painting?

Since this isn't my idea at all, I'm going to give all the credits to Geneva and link to her blogpost on how to transform old vases here. It started with terracotta paint, became a trending hashtag on Instagram with #trashtoterracotta and evolved into a white version too.

Mixing baking soda with paint gives the paint a texture and gives the vase that worn & Mediterranean look

A little before and after

Well, hello! It's been a hot minute since we spoke and between starting a new job, the Corona virus madness, and me being just plain ol' tired - it's been a whirlwind.

But hey - let's jump back in time, and visit a sunny wintery day in England a few weeks ago. This perfect, wintery day in Brighton started off with waking up by hearing the waves crash against the shore at The Grand. After a big breakfast I walked along the beach for a few minutes – and just before Brighton Pier I took left and walked towards the "Lanes". The Lanes are the narrow, narrow streets of central Brighton that are an enjoyable and easy place to get lost. I must admit there were so many good potential shops to browse that I spent the first half hour just walking by shops, window shopping, rather than actually stepping in.

The sun was shining bright over Brighton (see what I did there?) and it was so warm and lovely, and felt more like mid spring than January. And I kept asking myself why I live in a place where January equals the greyest of grey weather...

Come 11, it had been hours since I had my first cup of coffee at breakfast and I stopped aimlessly strolling around and started looking for a coffee spot. I found this place and it looked cozy so I walked in. The ladies in the shop were Italians so as soon as I heard them speak to each-other I knew I the coffee would be good. If you didn't know – Italians take their coffee very seriously. Meaning, most Italian coffee places make a mean cup.

Come late afternoon my legs were tired, and after kind of skipping lunch I opted for an early dinner. The weather was still so very lovely and mild – so I decided to get food to-go and sit on the beach to watch the sun go down.

I walked into one of the places I had initially scribbled down as a potential lunch spot, called What the Pitta, and ordered the meze plate. Being a huge fan of Lebanese food, this was perfect. Other recommendations I got before I went were The Flour Pot Bakery for lunch and CinCin for dinner.

Since I was spending the day by myself, I felt like people-watching on the beach was a much better option than sitting by my myself in a restaurant. It seems a lot of other people thought the same, and I was one of many people who sat by themselves at the beach. I sat there for hours and saw people walk by, eat, drink, laugh and even get engaged (!) - right there on the beach! An evening I'll be able to look back on with fond memories, for sure.

This is one of the dishes that's considered "fast food" in my house. It's the perfect mid-week meal that's quick & easy to make, yet is also good for you. This specific salad is a version of a salad in Leila's cookbook the Fresh Foodie. I love both the recipes and the photography in that book! David Loftus, the book's photographer, is my big photography inspiration, for sure. Among others he does the photography for Jamie Oliver. Another one of my faves - Jamie that is!

Ingredients: Recipe serving two

• Two handfuls of baby spinach
  
• Two handfuls of arugula
  
• A block of Feta cheese
  
• A can of pre-cooked lentils
• Two small sweet potatoes (or one big)
  
• Roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped or some toasted seeds to add on top

How to: Start by peeling the sweet potatoes and cut them onto smaller pieces. Toss them in olive oil and some salt and pepper before cooking them in the oven at around °C 200 for 30 minutes, or until soft.

Add the roasted sweet potatoes to the arugula, spinach leaves and lentils. Add the feta cheese, drizzle some olive oil on top and feel free to finish off with any nuts or roasted seeds you have hanging around in your panty to add that extra crunch & dimension to the dish!