A newly discovered love for Chai Latte

As a total coffee addict it’s hard to find something else as satisfying as coffee is.
However lately I was a bit thrown off my game with coffee and so I was looking for not really an alternative, more like another love.

I am not a tea fan per sé so it had to be something more intriguing.
A few days ago while making my daily round through the park and having my best friend on the phone I saw again this cute turquoise Api car where they sell coffee & more. And this time I just wanted to try something out so I went for a Chai Latte which I very much enjoyed. Also the fact to walk around with a paper cup in your hand I just like, I guess that’s a habbit I took on while being in the States for many years.
The following days I went for a Chai almost every day, tried out different places and kept on watching and asking how they are making their Chai Latte since till then it remained a little bit of a mystic for me. Pretty fast it was clear that most of the cafés are using some sort of powder or the fancy ones use a liquid mix... which all didn‘t really make me happy since knowing a real Chai Latte should be made from real tea. Still not knowing anything really, I was certain that I don’t want to drink bad stuff which contains a lot of things you just don’t want to put into your body #healthyfood. Later I found out that those “ready to go” powders/liquids additionally contain a lot of sugar which ultimately threw me off.

Here I was, searching the internet to look for a Chai tea to my liking and as you may guess already, there are soooo many options. More often I came across the Masala Blend so I started digging into that a bit more.
There is so much to know and I am anywhere but close to know enough, however I came across this company called @exclusivithee from the Netherlands who is importing directly from Mariage Frères (tea lovers apparently know this place),supposed to be the champagne of tea as they say. I should probably mention that I love champagne, not the stuff you get in the supermarket or all those super duper brands - don’t get me wrong, just not my cup of tea. Having been more frequently in the Grand Cru area of Champagne and testing their champagne makes you never want to drink anything else again… spoiled forever. 🤷‍♀️
Coming back to my new found love to Chai Latte, Exclusivithee offers different blends of Chai tea, one of them is the Masala Blend I was looking for...
after reading more about their Masala Blend I was simply hooked... all ingredients are natural & vegan, no artificial substances are added and to naturally sweeten it they add some agave.
I couldn’t wait to receive my package and while I was waiting (which was super short) I had a very nice mail exchange with Wendy, the owner. You could just feel how much she loves what she is doing.

Following their instructions how to make a Chai Latte it’s fairly easy, just takes a few minutes, but man... is this delicious 😋
It has been this very first sip which blew me away... it was so tasty and rich while not being too sweet, just the perfect combination while knowing it‘s all natural and there it happened: I disovered my love for Chai!
In my case I find the best combination is with Oatly Barista oat milk, but you can mix it with any milk basically. As a finishing touch I just add some cinnamon and fresh cardamom - suggested by Wendy and highly recommended by me.

What it made me realise is that all the Chai Latte‘s I was buying so far, doesn’t matter, if from a big chain or small cool café they always use some sort of instant powder or liquid (and I am sure they have very good reasons for it such as time), but they all contain quite some sugar. Now knowing a tiny little bit more about it I will never buy a Chai Latte again unless they make it fresh from tea as it’s supposed to be done.
Bit until then... I just make my own Chai Latte with oat milk and bring it in a reusable fancy Corkcicle tumbler to walk my round.
If you see someone walking around in one of the parks in Amsterdam with a big smile on her face while enjoying a Chai Latte out of a reusable tumbler - that might be just me!

Your me & mia founder
p.s. my first love will always remain coffee though, but who says you can‘t have a second one as well😉

#unpaidadvertisement

New baby products

New product segment: Kids & Baby

First product: baby blankets in 8 different variations.

When I first started talking to my sis, who stands behind our brand “handmade by bini”, it was always clear that her passion is to make baby & kids products which are unique.

Not long ago during one of our regular video calls we came up with the idea to start with baby blankets. After searching and successfully finding some beautiful fabrics here in the Netherlands we started testing and trying out the most beautiful combinations. All the fabrics are hand chosen and OEKO-TEX certified so your little ones can snuggle into the blankets safely.

You can choose out of eight variations from pastel colors to vibrant colors, so there should be a fit for everyone’s taste. Primarily we work with waffle or woven waffle fabric and a jersey on the back. They can be washed at 30°C and used all-year-long.

Seeing all the colors makes it truly hard to choose… but who says you need to choose? 😉 It’s always good to have at least two of them depending on the mood or color of the stroller and one most likely will always be in the washing…

We hope you like our new baby blankets, handmade by bini, as much as we do.

And so much I can already tell… there is more to come within our Kids & Baby segment.

Lots of love,

your me & mia team

BIG NEWS! Our very own me & mia bracelets designed by All the Luck in the World have just arrived…

a few years back I bought a bracelet together with a very good friend of mine which symbolises our deep connection. We try to see each other once or twice a year, but in 2020 of course we couldn’t see each other at all as so many of you have had the same experience. We wanted to have something which connects us on a deeper level and every time one of us needs the other one we sometimes just look at our bracelets and we feel this deep link…

So there it was, the idea to create our very own me & mia bracelet which is not just beautiful, but more importantly has a deep meaning. Thankfully my friends at All the Luck in the World helped designing and producing the bracelets. I couldn’t have wished for a better partnership.

This is just another step in our me & mia story and I am thrilled to finally announce it after teasing you already during my x-mas video. :)

You can choose your very own me & mia bracelet from gold, silver & rose gold… yes you read correctly, we also offer it in rose gold! Truly unique with a hammer finish.

The bracelet carries two circles which are inevitably connected with each other - and not to be separated.

Whether you gift the new me & mia bracelet to yourself as the sign of ultimate self-love, to a friend as a sign of friendship, to your daughter or mother to show the deep connection or to your partner as the infinitive love.

It will connect you with the other person forever and that’s where the two circles stand for: connection, self-love, friendship, family, love.

We wanted to add the me & mia charm not for a branding reason, but to make it your very own new favourite piece.

me & mia stands of course for our brand, but more importantly it stands for me & myself so it’s ultimately personal. And when you wear this new bracelet it stands for you & yourself and no one else, not even for us as a brand.

Make it your very personal new jewelry and feel the deep connection to the significant other person while wearing it.

Especially in times we are currently facing, sometimes you need a little piece to remind you of that deep connection while maybe not being able to see the other one on a regular basis or at all.

We hope you will enjoy wearing this very personal bracelet in your favourite color gold, silver or rose gold and feel the deep connection with whoever you might share it with.

Love,

your me & mia founder

“Flower” up your life with our newbies DutZ vases

I don’t know about you, but I am totally ready for spring!

When everything is coming back to life, the leafs are growing again, flowers are bursting its way through the cold soil to show us all: a new and fresh start is about to happen!

While somewhat early - I’d like to be the one bringing the first spring feelings into your homes!

When a few weeks ago they started selling tulips again, I just had to have them!

Since I love having fresh flowers in the house, I used to spend hours on searching several stores and online shops to find the perfect vase… not an easy one I can tell you.

Not too long ago I stumbled over a Dutch designed vase which was different compared to the ones I have found so far and I immediately fell in love.

So why not sharing my discovery with you.

I discovered DutZ, a famous vase brand from The Netherlands. And the more as I learned about this brand the more I was enchanted.

I love the fact that they produce their vases in Europe, done by true craftsman. Moreover, every single vase is mouth blown and therefore truly unique and absolutely personal. The craftsman put all their effort, passion & love into each and every one of those DutZ vases.

Thick glass makes it robust and therefore the vases don’t need water in order to be stable. So also great for dry flowers which we all seem to like a lot. The forms and colours are uniquely handcrafted presenting each type of flower in a beautiful way.

It is not just a vase, it’s even more so a stylish interior accessory by itself. Outspoken, yet elegant.

Understanding the craftsmanship and the fact that they are all mouth blown, the price is absolutely worth it.

Living in Amsterdam I obviously chose tulips…though I must admit that tulips are indeed my favourite flowers - they are uncomplicated, authentic, easy and yet beautiful.

You can fill your new DutZ vase with any kind of flowers from small to big, from conservative to wild. Whatever you like and makes you happy the most.

I hope you will have the same smile on your face as I do when looking at my new vase filled with my ultimate feeling of spring being just around the corner.

Love,

me & mia

New Year - new beginnings. Launch of Spirito Santo candle by Tatine

Most likely you are as much ready to start a new year as I am…

2020 has been a challenging year with ups and downs and despite that it has been the founding year of me & mia which fullfills me with so much joy, I am also ready for a new year filled with more positiveness, excitement, hopefully more freedom again and joyful events.

Most important I really would love to see my family and friends again back home and give them a big hug! I very much miss them! I had no idea how much I actually would miss hugging the people I love. Here in The Netherlands it’s pretty normal to hug and kiss on the cheek - three times actually. That has been so often a funny and awkward moment visiting other countries where mostly they kiss twice… so I was constantly hanging there ready for the third kiss on the cheek while the other person was already straight looking at me… so you can imagine it happened quite often to almost kiss on the mouth… ;) quite embarrassing. But even that I am missing right now.

In the spirit of a new year, Tatine just dropped their new holiday edition - Spirito Santo.

Aromatic smoke wafts through ancient Roman Basilicas, symbolizing heavenly spirits where scented holy oils meet the stillness of hymns for a ritual of hope. That’s how they describe it themselves and personally speaking I think the description fits very well.

Right the day I received my delivery from Tatine I had to use it immediately during my Yin Yang yoga class. I was surrounded by this spiritual scent, my room was dark, only the candle gave some warm light and it was quite magical. You dive even deeper into this world of ultimate relaxation, being surrounded and clouded in by the holy oils and scents of dry pinewood, fir balsam, amber notes drenched in bitter orange oils and grapefruit and it just makes the moment even more intense.

Besides of yoga it is great for meditation while reflecting the old year and welcoming the new one.

We wish you a good end of the year, leave things behind which you don’t need anymore or are not good for you and be open for all the new and great things the new year has to offer you.

We wish you all the best for 2021, stay healthy and surrounded by people you love!

Your me & mia team

me & mia… it all began with a tattoo

believe it or not, it really did…

First of all I might should mention that personally I have never been a fan of tattoos… looking back, I guess I have never been a fan of those typical tattoos you most likely will regret one day.

If it comes to special and deeper meaning, I think a tattoo gets a total different purpose from just being stylish to becoming very important and powerful.

In my case my tattoo has two very important meanings.

It means “breathe” in my native language and although I love the English language my true inner language will always remain German. It took me some time to realize and accept that, but that’s another story. Over the last years I had to face several occasions in my life where I forgot to breathe quite literally… besides that it is the most normal thing to do, certain moments make you hold your breath. So the tattoo is a reminder to keep breathing throughout such moments and it works as a reminder, that life will go on no matter what… maybe different, but it will go on and that’s a good thing. It also means that besides that it is the most normal things for us to do, we tend to forget that without it we wouldn’t be able to live. As with so many things in life we consider normal and a basic right, a lot of times it simply isn´t and not taking everything for granted makes us to better people I truly believe. Being more greatful, respectful with another and thankful is a desirable thing.

As a second and not less important it stands for “at me/bij mij zijn/arrived/self love & care”. I can say I finally arrived, I am exactly where I want to be and happy with me the way I am. Perfect is nothing I want to be - I simply want to be the greatest version of myself and that’s enough.

With the decision to get this tattoo the call came along to chase my dream of opening up my very own online shop with all the special things I came across and fell in love with.

The decision was made… and now I needed a name. Everyone who has been searching for a company name before probably will agree, that this is incredibly difficult. A name can partly decide over success or failure, future and possibilities - no pressure…

I wanted to have a brand name which not only fits the products, it had to fit me. So I knew somewhere there needs to be a “me” included in the brand and since besides of travelling to far places I really love Italy and Spain and the sound of their languages… the “mia” came to mind. I love the sound of mia and the meaning just fits the whole story and purpose of my online shop.

me & mia stands for me & myself and in that way I believe my brand couldn’t be more personal. And I’d like to share some of it with you.

xoxo

your me & mia founder

time for getting warm & cozy - with new gorgeous cups & mugs by Bastion Collection NL

December it is! It stays dark long and gets colder at night, the sun still makes it through for some hours during the day to make a nice walk in the park or at the beach… perfect timing for a delicious cup of coffee, cappuccino, latte, tea, hot chocolate or s’mores.

I am a total coffee lover and addict and after our trip to Costa Rica I find it even more important. The world of coffee over there was just magnificent and very educational. We visited many coffee farms, but this one coffee farmer “golden beans” impressed us the most. What we tasted there was sensational. I had no idea about the whole sience behind coffee making and it was pretty eye opening. So when our good friend and witness told us he is finally opening up his online coffee platform - beanzz - we were super excited to taste all those special coffee he has chosen to offer over the last year. And there it was… having great coffee makes you in need of a good coffee maker, so I thought we might as well get our first real espresso machine with porta filter… new project for Christmas to figure out how to use it… with all the new regulations in place due to Corona we have plenty of time :)

But in my case there is more to it than “just” the right coffee and the right machine… It has to be served in a beautiful cup or mug to entirely fullfill my own perfect moment.

Do you remember when you were in a nice cafe with delicious coffee served in gorgeous cups? Didn’t it just tasted so much better? I would say it absolutley did!

Now of course you could say, it would have tasted the same out of an ordinary cup. I disagree, speaking for myself there is so much more to the perfect experience than what’s inside… the outside/packaging plays a big roll for me. Drinking any of your favourite drinks out of a beautiful cup/mug will have an affect on you, maybe subconsciously, but it will have one.

Therefore when I saw those cups and mugs from Bastion Collection I just had to have them… along the way I figured that they were actually Dutch which was even a better fit. As always I tested some myself and had many of those “perfect moments” how I call it and I just had to buy some more to give them to my closest friends. And very fast I figured they would fit greatly in the me & mia assortment and here we are…. you can buy them now also!

I chose the cups and mugs in all kind of sizes which I simply loved the most. Whether you buy one for yourself for the perfect moment every morning or if you want to gift it to someone you like or love - I hope you will enjoy your favourite hot drink out of them as much as I do and that it creates that smile on your face as it does with me!

Ciao

Your me & mia team

welcome newbies… handmade by bini launches

Can’t tell how happy we are to finally launch our new brand “bini” in our online shop. Not only was this brand one of the very first brands we knew we would like to offer, it’s also a true heart project.

My sis loves to wear the same sneakers or small accessoires like her daughter (currently 3 years old and an absolute heart breaker and little beast - all in one ;)). She has quite a talent when it comes to handmade pieces, whether it comes to paper stuff, fabrics or any kind of decoration - she is super creative and totally loves diving into this world.

So there it was… on a night we visited her and her family back home the idea was born! Let’s offer something totally unique and meaningful - let’s create her own brand “bini” and discover all possibilities along with it.

We decided to start with bandeaus/head bands since that was a no-brainer.

To find the right fabrics takes some digging and there we found this great company in The Netherlands who makes beautiful fabrics, unique prints and all the fabrics are OEKO-TEX certified. Since it is also for kids we wanted to make sure we get a fabric which serves the organic/environmental factor of our brand me & mia.

Funny enough the company appeared to be a family company, found by two sisters & one brother.

I guess you can say “from siblings to /made for siblings”… it’s just again such a great fit.

Along the way we might offer several things under the label “bini” - but let’s first start keeping you all cozy, fancy & in partnerlook with your child, best friend, mother, sister or sister in heart.

I know it’s hard to choose… but who actually says you need to choose ;) yes, that’s the spirit!

Enjoy walking the streets in style with your new binis made by “bini”

Love, me & mia

Too good to not be shared…

Those words just fit to well to our current state of mind and situation so I simply had to share them with you…

Thank you Kim - one of my yoga teachers - to share them with me and create this beautiful moment while our Yin Yang class.

As I began to love myself...

I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth.

Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY“.

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody as I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me.

Today I call it “RESPECT“.

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything

that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it “MATURITY“.

As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment, so I could be calm.

Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE“.

As I began to love myself I quit steeling my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm.

Today I call it “SIMPLICITY“.

As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism.

Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF“.

As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the

time.

Today I discovered that is “MODESTY“.

As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worry about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING is happening.

Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT“.

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But

As I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally. Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART“.

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born.

Today I know THAT IS “LIFE“!

Charlie Chaplin on his 70th birthday

And action please…

After six month of developing and deciding on all kind of important things we finally are up and running!

It’s so surreal and I guess we still need to realise this is really happening… we are incredibly thankful for all the amazing help we´ve got to create our new love brand. 

You are working towards that moment for quite some time and once it’s live you can just wait and hope that all of you guys receive us with open arms. Strange feeling putting out your dream infront of all of you and quite honestly it’s kind of scary as you make yourself vulnerable and we all know humans are judging super fast. We dearly hope you can share our passion and be a little forgiving if not everything yet works out perfectly since we are just making our very first steps.

We will do our utmost to make you happy and create that little smile on your face when receiving one of our hand-chosen products.

And truthfully timing couldn’t be any better with autumn being full on. Personally we are huge fans of this time of the year when the trees are changing into those intense red and yellow colors, temperature is dropping and sometimes there is quite some rain coming with it - at least here in the Netherlands.

Whilst we are not persé a fan of getting wet especially while cycling there is this very beautiful ritual during these days we are doing. After arriving home like a wet dog we love having a hot cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate (best with real Belgium chocolate from one our fav. cafés around the corner) and lighting up one of our scented soy candles… smelling the earthy scents of Tatine whilst warming your hands on your cup of coffee and being under a blanket… so cozy.

Or getting up early morning when it’s still dark after a full night of rain and cycling through the park when the city is still asleep - breathing in that crisp and fresh air is quite magical and really worth it getting out of bed.

Every now and then on a Sunday we love going for a long walk on the beach, letting your thoughts being blown away by the wind, listening to great sounds of the ocean and afterwards going for a hot drink into one of the beach bars… and mostly we are sitting infront of a fire place and just enjoy the moment of zooming out.

Oh… how much we love this time of the year and it’s just perfect for enjoying it with one of our candles from Tatine.

Your me & mia team

so here it is…

our first own online shop! What a ride, from a spontaneous idea to an actual business. It’s been an interesting, learn-full and challenging experience as well as it was just a lot of fun executing a dream which has been there for some time…

The Corona pandemic has been an awful time and it seems still far from being anything close to over. It’s been a very challenging time and quite honestly at the very early part of it, all of a sudden it hit us - let’s just go for it! And it gave us this very positive vibe during everything else being let’s say not quite as positive. Our lives were somehow a little bit on hold, everything we normally do such as travelling the world, going to bars, meeting friends, having fancy dinners… all those really fun things were not possible anymore. And quite frankly living in the Netherlands we had it still really good compared to other countries where people were not allowed to go outside anymore.

Though through all that time and all the bad news and strokes of fate there was this little seed of happiness and something new on the horizon.

Things have changed, people have changed, we have changed - we all got forced to appreciate the very little things in life, things we normally barely recognise being caught up in our daily routines. Who would have guessed that as simple as the sun shining when waking up can make your day as well as heavy rain can cause a mature breakdown. The happiness which we thought for such a long time is coming from outside and what we experience, had to suddenly come from within us. Now that’s not totally new, but let’s be honest, knowing it and actually living it and by it are two totally different things.

I can’t remember when we were calling last time that much with our very best friends and family, sometimes daily and for hours. Did we talk about mature things? Sometimes yes, sometimes not - but it felt like you are not alone in this.

When we told them that we are finally doing this… they all were super happy and excited for us. Isn’t that also what life is about… the very little things you can make yourself and others happy with and the very big things like friends & family!

Your me & mia team