Pluk Amsterdam

If you're a lover of beautiful interiors, great coffee, wonderful food and beautiful little knick-knacks and you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, make sure you stumble across to Pluk Amsterdam. 

I first came across this beautiful cafe on Instagram @plukamsterdam when I was looking for must see cafes for my trip to Amsterdam. Sometimes when you come across places online they can look beautiful in the pictures and then be slightly disappointing in person. I can tell you that Pluk was not one of those places. The pictures are beautiful but in person it may even be more beautiful (if that's possible). From the fresh flowers and abundance of greenery, to the corner of the cafe filled with seasonal fresh fruit. Every corner of this cafe/store is filled with so much beauty and it doesn't just stop with the interiors. 

Pluks menu is filled with all the smoothie bowls you could ever want, avo toast that will satisfy all those smashed avocado cravings and all the sweet treats you could ever dream of.

If I haven't convinced you that Pluk is a cafe that you should put on your list of places to visit in Amsterdam then maybe these photo's will.

x

Lots of Love,

London

Hello London!

Today marks eight weeks since temporarily moving to the other side of the world and London as I knew has certainly not disappointed. I feel like so far I've only scratched the surface and there is so much for me still to see on this side of the world.

Eight weeks ago I hopped on a plane on my own and started a new adventure here in London and I was absolutely terrified, almost as terrified as I am to share my blog. I've had the blog Lots of Love Liz for a couple of years now and written a few handfuls of posts but barley shared it with anyone who knew me, except to a few of my close friends and family. The idea of sharing it with people who I actually know makes me so nervous and scares me so incredibly much! but whether it be reading other peoples or writing my own it's something I really enjoy doing and I have put it off since making this blog over two years ago.

So today I'm going to stop being such a woos and share it.

Since coming to the UK I have really enjoyed taking photos and making something look really beautiful out of something that might be simple. So this blog will consist of those photo's, my travels, and other things I love that I hope you will too.

and I really hope you enjoy.

x

Lots of Love,

Dear Edinburgh,

Dear Edinburgh,

You have exceeded all my expectations and now I never want to leave.

Edinburgh has to be one of the most festive cities in the world, they have convinced me Australia is doing Christmas all wrong. Everywhere you look the streets are filled with lights, mulled wine stalls and Christmas tree's galore and I am truly in my element.

I have always been a winter baby but being over this side of the world has cemented that theory 100%. Although Edinburgh is freezing, the city is filled with so much warmth.

I am sad I am only here for 4 days but 4 days is enough to tell me I will be back as soon as possible.

Not to mention the beautiful Christmas markets, which I thought deserved it's own dedicated post.

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and being on this side of the world makes me want it to be Christmas every two months. I want every weekend to be filled with mulled wine, crepes and iceskating and every morning to be filled with a Starbucks x-hot almond milk latte with an extra shot. I hate that I am one of those people with an obnoxious coffee order but that coffee here at Starbucks is too good to pass up. Also I am so in love with all the Christmas coffee cups you get because we barley get anything like that is Aus. I am getting way to comfortable with the way of life on this side of the world.

Other than Edinburgh doing Christmas well, they also do everything else incredibly well. Including the beautiful cobbled streets, beautiful independently owned stores, the incredible Edinburgh Castle, the stunning views, endless local pubs, the lively atmosphere, the busking bagpipe players and the wonderful food and drink. I believe you could spend a huge chunk of time in Edinburgh and not run out of things to do for a very long time.

Thank you for being everything I expected and more Edinburgh.

Lots of Love,

5 things that help you go to sleep with a clear mind

Happy Monday & start to a new week!

Working full time means my weekends tend to fly past me in the blink of an eye. How can 2 days in the working week feel like forever yet two days on a weekend goes so quickly?!

Recently I have been putting in extra effort in waking up earlier in the mornings before work to give myself time to enjoy my breakfast and coffee before I have to rush out of the door and since doing this I have noticed such a difference in forgetting things, stress and general organisation in the morning.

In this doing nothing but benefiting my morning routine I have put in place a task for myself in doing the same thing in the evenings and clearing my mind as much as I can before going to sleep. Now this is harder than it looks and something I tend to struggle with. Before I know it I'm laying on top of my covers with my makeup still on and I've been scrolling instagram, facebook, instagram, snapchat, instagram, instagram for an hour +.

So I have put together some things I believe you will benefit from clearing your mind before you end your day.

1. They say 'clear environment = a clear mind'. Now I tend to struggle with this one and I'd like to think I am getting better as it's crazy how much a clean room can make you feel more relaxed and is just generally so much more inviting. My favourite is lighting a good candle and turning on my fairy lights as it automatically makes the room more cosy.

2. Turning off your phone/ staying off social media. I believe this is so important for at least the last 30 minutes of your day. I know I always feel more tired and relaxed if I am off of electronics before bed. Social media can be great but it can also be so unhealthy and going to bed not worrying about what anyone else is doing but yourself is the best thing you can do.

3. Reading a good book. I read everyday on the train to and from work yet never so much in the evenings. I want to say I don't know why I don't reach for my book more but I already know the answer, I automatically reach for my phone or Netflix. Even reading a couple of pages before bed will generally always make your eyes that little heavier helping you to drift off.

4. A cup of herbal tea. I am a massive tea fan, I own way to many teas (if that's possible) but I cannot go without my cup of tea at night. I try to steer away from any tea with caffine in it before bed but I large cup of herbal tea calms me and makes it that little easier to drift off. My go to is generally peppermint but you can never go wrong with trying different types out. I know a lot of brands now offer really good 'sleep' teas to help relax you before bed.

5. Writing your thoughts down. Now this is something that a lot of people have heard that it benefits you but I believe it's one of those things we say we'll do more and then only get to a handful of times. Writing your thoughts down at the end of your day is so beneficial when it comes to helping clear your mind. Night time is usually the time where a lot of our overthinking is done. Writing it down is a way of getting things off your chest and essentially saying goodbye to those thoughts, whether those be frustration, sadness, anger or even embracing the good things about your day.

goodnight!

I would love to hear what helps you clear your mind before bed.
Hope you had a wonderful weekend x x x

Lots of Love,

Update, Rambled Thoughts & Melbourne

The last time I posted on here was May??!

That is way to long and to be honest I feel as I'm in a bit of a rut. Not just with my blog but in general, I'm not always one to write super personal thoughts on here but sometimes you just have to ramble and from that the best comes. (Apologies in advance because I try not to ramble in paragraphs because we all know we sometimes just like to look at the pictures).

Firstly I went to Melbourne a couple of weekends ago and it was wonderful. I could forever stare at all the trees and buildings around Melbourne, they're all so beautiful. I feel like it's a city that just keeps on giving. We only went for 4 days and really I needed 4 weeks to explore all the nooks and crannies Melbourne has to offer.

I went with my mumma for a much needed getaway and we ate, laughed, drank, walked (a lot), explored, shopped and drank wonderful coffee. There are so many things I love about Melbourne that makes me fall in love with it more and more every time I visit.

Here are just a couple (or 10)

10 Things I Love About Melbourne

1. Everything stays open so late

2. Coffee

3. Shopping

4. Everyone brings their dogs to cafe's & it's great

5. Delicious food (Go to Chin Chin's & the Asian Beer Cafe if you get the chance)

6. Finding hidden gems all over the city

7. The trees

8. Queen Victoria Markets

9. Everywhere is so alive

10. You can experience Winter, Summer, Autumn & Spring all in one day.

In other news, I had a hernia repair surgery a week ago on my abdomen which went well. Thankfully it was a quick day surgery and only a weeks recovery period. (I got a week off work to watch all the Netflix I pleased, I also downloaded Sims which was a wonderful blast from the past).
I also attended a ball with work hosted by a company here in Perth called Youth Focus. Youth Focus is such a wonderful organisation working to stop youth suicide and the Youth Focus Night of Nights Ball is in place to raise funds to support their great work. Suicide rates in youth are so high so organisations like Youth Focus deserve and incredible amount of credit for all the beautiful work they do. It's incredible how many lives they save.
Me and my boyfriend spent the night at a hotel here in Perth called the Pan Pacific and it was absolutely beautiful. Definitely recommend the Club Suite to anyone looking to treat themselves.

Back to being in a little bit of a rut. I'm in a bit of an 'I don't know what to do' phase. With my future, career and just where and what I want to end up doing, part of me just wants to travel and see as much as I can and see what path that takes me along. I feel like my current day to day life is such a routine that needs a good switch up but I don't know how to do it.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far and has a wonderful weekend.

Sorry for the boring ramble! I've missed writing on here.
I'll be back very soon.

xxxxxx