You can find a great tutorial on how to do a gorgeous top knot at The Beauty Department. Not  blessed with nice long and thick hair, like me, use a sock to pump up your knot. Learn how to at Say Yes To Hoboken. Meanwhile, here’s some more top knot inspiration…

[showpins username="livligonline" boardname="trends-top-knot" maxfeeds="21" kolommen="3"]

Last tuesday my fellow goldsmiths tipped me on a new book by Anastasia Young: The Workbench Guide To Jewelry Techniques (in Dutch: Professionele Sieraden Technieken), which I just had to buy. And I can tell you: this book is definitely worth every penny. It covers every thinkable jewelry making topic!

I already had a bunch of books on jewelry making on my bookshelves, like the ones below, but if you were to buy just one, buy this one! Look for it at Amazon.com or the Dutch version via publisher Librero. More books on Pinterest.

[showpins username="livligonline" boardname="books-jewelry" maxfeeds="12" kolommen="3"]

Missing the gorgeous sunsets in Paris, via Daphne Keuter // Super model Grace Small in casual sequins via Glossy + Torn // Bought myself these cute metallic gold flats at Zara // Jiggle via Daphne Keuter // Isn’t this King Charles Cavalier just too cute?! ViaTichTach

And some more:

• I totally forgot about Ascension (Hemelvaart) next week, a national holiday (though I don’t know why), so a day off from work. I already asked for a day off on monday. And because work will be closed on friday as well (as nobody wants to come to work that day), I only have to work on tuesday and wednesday next week! Such an unexpected little gift, as I have so many DIY plans!
• Looking for the ultimate spray paint?Try one (or more) of the 204 colors of  Montana Gold. Low pressure for perfect handling. In Groningen available at De Korenbeurs (buyer of stock lots and store stocks, so pretty cheap). I bought Gold Chrome (metallic 3000) and White Cream (shock 9110).
• For all you mothers: Have a great Mothers Day!

I love cocktails: fancy colors, sweet tastes and pretty glasses and straws. The fact that they’re quite expensive makes them somehow even more special. Of course I’d like to spice up my soon-to-be-organized birthday party with an extensive cocktail bar but that would be too expensive. But a cute welcoming drink is an absolute must. Which is your favorite cocktail? I like a good old classic pink Cosmo (like the one above) or a fresh minty green Mojito! But there’s so much more to choose from…

[showpins username="livligonline" boardname="party-drinks" maxfeeds="24" kolommen="3"]

How do you like to style your parties? Do you ever do some DIY-ing for the party deco? I’m celebrating my birthday soon, and was just looking around the web for some inspiration. Too many ideas…

[showpins username="livligonline" boardname="party-deco" maxfeeds="21" kolommen="3"]

New home collection by H&M available July 2012 via Plaza Interior.

I love love love the new H&M pillows! How cool are the black and white patterns and the wild horses?! They’re on my wish list! Hope to post more images soon…

Leather Anthropologie necklace via Heather Mann // Studs and floral via Jenni Radosevich of I Spy DIY // Sequins, pink and mint via Desiree Campbell of The 36th Avenue // Mint nuts via Lucy Hairball // Keep It Real typography via Phoebe

And some more:

• As I was saying: my Pinterest boards suddenly got 1000+ followers, how cool is that?!
• Did you know the average woman speaks 20.000 words a day, while the average man doesn’t say more than 7.000 words.
• I really don’t like it how a lot of Tumblr users don’t credit images properly. It takes me ages to find the original sources through Google Image Search..
• I discovered how easy it is to add paginated posts to WordPress: just type

  <!--nextpage-->

  in your post and

  <?php wp_link_pages(); ?>

  to your template single.php file and WordPress will automatically paginate it!

Ikea will soon present a unique collection of limited edition products, inspired by and manufactured in India. This way Ikea will bring the color blue, the color of denim, Delftware and Chinese porcelain back into our interiors. Combined with white and gold the blue will give your home a chic look.

The collection consists of 43 very diverse products: pillows, rugs, chairs, hammocks, accessories of glass, paper and ceramics. Have you spotted something for your wish list already? I know I do!

In Nederland kun je voor deze limited edition producten terecht bij Ikea Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Delft, Amersfoort en natuurlijk Groningen, zolang de voorraad strekt! Lees ook het persbericht.

Images via Persportaal

Yeah, my Pinterest account has sky-rocketed to 1000+ followers this week. Time to give some explanation on my latest addiction! Keep on reading this very long and extensive post and you’ll know all you’ll ever need to know about the fastest growing social medium in the world (at this moment…)! And please, share your own tips & tricks or questions in the comments.

Click on one of these topics to jump right to it:

• What is Pinterest?
• Who is using Pinterest?
• How does Pinterest work?
• Why oh why?
• What’s social about it?
• What’s pinnable?
• Are your images pin-ready?
• Is your website pin-ready?
• What are the rules?
• Want to profit from it?
• Searching for pinalytics?

The other day I bought a few gems to  turn into a simple bracelet: large, pink, rectangular and real gem-stones (no glass or plastic) was all I knew. So I had to dig deep in my knowledge on gems. Rose Quartz, Rhodochrosite and Rhodonite, all three are pink stones, but what are the differences, and what did I buy that afternoon? Read on and learn all about these pretty gems…

Rose Quartz

Rose quartz is a type of quartz which exhibits a pale pink to rose red hue. The color is usually considered as due to trace amounts of titanium, iron, or manganese, in the massive material. In crystal form (rarely found) it is called pink quartz. When without impurities, the hardness is 7 on Mohs scale. This is without a doubt the stone I bought.

Rhodochrosite

The most expensive stones are pure pink-red, but the most common Rhodochrosite is light pink with white discolorations, due to calcite streaks. The highly prized and rare red crystals are found only in a few places on earth, the pink ones are found mainly in Romania, USA, Canada, Peru and Argentina. It is a relatively soft stone, 3 to 4 on Mohs scale and is therefore difficult to cut for jewelry. Mostly you’ll find it cabochon cut. Rhodochrosite will react to acids!

Rhodonite

Rhodonite is a pink-red stone, which can turn brown as a result of oxidation. This stone often has black discolorations, due to pyrite streaks or manganese oxide. Although some Rhodonite has been found in its crystal form, this variety is quite rare and seldom (if ever) seen at retail. Most Rhodonite is found in USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Madagaskar, Russia and Sweden.  It is a fairly hard stone, 5.5-6 on the scale of Mohs.

Images via 1|2|3|4