Amsterdam Blue

This is my first time participating in Similing Sally's Blue Monday event. When you are done having a look around her be sure to visit her to see more sites.

Amsterdam is one of my favorite places that inspires me. So I thought it would be fun to share a touch of Dutch Blue inspiration. Amsterdam is an interesting bohemian place, but one I always enjoyed spending time in.

I also want to thank Melissa at The Inspired Room for hosting A Beautiful Life. You can visit Melissa to see more participants.

I am happy you found your way here. Thank you for visiting!

Cathy

I am an American who lived in Dubai for five years. When I traveled back and forth from the USA to the Middle East, I usually laid over at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. It was a great stopover, because they have a wonderful mall at their terminal! It is filled with interesting shops where I could entertain myself until it was time to board my next flight. It was a long journey from my home in Colorado to my villa in Dubai. It took 32 hours from door to door, if my flights were on time.

The projection sticking out of the top of the gable is called a Hijsbalk (hoist beam). This is used for moving large pieces of furniture and merchandise to the upper level, because the interior stairs tend to be very narrow and steep.

I regularly flew on KLM Airline, and as a parting gift they gave miniature, delft, replica houses each time you traveled with them. Between my husband, daughter, and myself we collected around 60. So it was an unexpected, happy coincidence I started a blue delft collection. It began with the little houses, and I added other blue objects along the way.
This is a corner in my home office where I can curl up with a good book. It is a favorite room in my home, and has a fireplace, which comes in handy on snowy evenings. The bay window overlooks woods, and lets in alot of natural light.

This is the room where I make my blog magic happen, because my computer is located here!

I love art, and when possible I like to visit museums to view a Master Artist's original work. Vincent van Gogh, and Johannes Vermeer who painted Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665) are two of my favorites, that worked out of Amsterdam.

It is quick to get from the airport to the heart of Amsterdam by train. The city is easy to maneuver, and there is lots to see and do. You can take a bus to the countryside to visit the tulips fields, and of course the windmills.

I try to keep my collection contained. One of the ways I do this is by using this cabinet to feature some of the pieces.

The city is filled with tall, narrow buildings that often share common walls known as canal houses. Amsterdam is surrounded by water, and has a water system that runs through it. There are boats you use like buses, and you can purchase a day ticket, which lets you get on and off anywhere on the route.

This beer stein actually came from the Rhine area of Germany, but it is a favorite piece which depicts musicians playing, and fits in with the delft.


Each KLM house is numbered on the bottom, and is an authentic replica of a historical home in Amsterdam. My travels have influenced my interior design and has filled me with happy memories.