You are here: Home / 2012 / Archives for September 2012

Woonbeurs 2012

Sunday, 30 September 2012 by 8 Comments

Last Friday I was invited to live blog at the Woonbeurs in Amsterdam. Obliviously there wasn’t much time for live blogging as there was lots of time needed to do live chatting, watching and shopping

I shared a plot with Anki, Marloes, Iris and Philomeen. I don’t want to post photos of that plot as the colours are so wrong. With my previous post in purple, I can’t make myself to post more photos of colours I dislike. Check Anki’s post if you want an impression.

The Woonbeurs (living fair) is a once a year week long fair all about living, design and interiors. Big companies like IKEA and all the Dutch interior magazines show the latest interior design trends. I overheard people complaining that the Woonbeurs was so sober this year, something to do with the current economic crisis. I think sobriety is just the new trend. Everything needs to be handmade, home grown, rustic, organic, pure and simple. These words reflected throughout the whole fair.

Starting with the Organic Cafe, beautifully decorated and beautiful (overpriced – tut tut tut) food.

Beautiful and delicious bread by Luscious Loaf.

I wasn’t too impressed by the magazine boots (houses as they call them) but really enjoyed the Ariadne at Home house. Unfortunately during the time of my walk around it was jam packed with people so I couldn’t photograph it well. Everything was in white and red, two of my favourite colours, beautiful.

My favourite boot at the fair was the one of Delicious Magazine. I even, finally, subscribed to the magazine because I was in awe by all the above awesomeness.

Was I left inspired? Yes … I now want to have tiles in my kitchen, a grey (instead of white) floor in the kitchen and I’m going to eat bread again.

All in all a really good day.

Filed Under: Out & About, Press, Sponsors

50 Years Together

Wednesday, 26 September 2012 by 19 Comments

Last Saturday my parents in law celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. It’s so impressive to be committed to one person for such a long time and take all their good and bad things for granted. I can’t imagine what it feels like to be married to someone for 50 years. I’ve been married for 13 years and already find that a massive achievement as I’m quickly bored of someone and left quite a few boyfriends broken-hearted. I also dislike commitment and rather be free as a bird to go and do whenever and whatever I’m pleased. The main reason I don’t have children.

Bo really doesn’t bother about this in my character and that must be the reason why we are still together. He doesn’t mind that I’m in a different country away from him 9 months of the year. He doesn’t mind that I rather not have him text me all day wondering about my whereabouts. He doesn’t mind my plans to move yet to another home in another country. He basically doesn’t mind my independence and for that I love him. I also think that absence in our relationship makes the heart grow fonder as we hardly see each other during the week. We always have loads of stuff to tell each other, we never get those couples that are silence in restaurants – what’s up with those people? If we were together in the same time-frame and routine each and every day we would end up like one of those couples. Oh never will I become one of those couples.

Our relationship also works as we are both not jealous people. Last week I went to a play and was so intimidated by the appearance of the main character that I was too shy (something that’s alien to me) to walk over to him, when I saw him in the bar afterwards, and tell him that I thought he was brilliant. I fell a little bit in love with him and told Bo this when I got home. I love that I can tell these things to my husband as he’s also my best friend.

I’m lucky. I might keep him for 50 years.

It must be the same for my parents in law as they still seem to be crazy about one another after all those years.

Despite my love/hate relation with the colour purple, I loved that they picked purple and was really chuffed to see my father in law wearing the Liberty tie I bought for his birthday last June.

I was not in charge of the photography as I’m crap at shooting pictures of people and because I wanted to celebrate and not be behind the camera all day. I did however took some shots with my 50 mm here and there, as one does.

What do you think makes a marriage last for 50 years?

Filed Under: Life & Style, Yvesworld

Link Love

Tuesday, 25 September 2012 by 10 Comments

At Home with me over at Lottie Loves

Oh that hair … I’m growing my hair out and with half an Afro it isn’t a pretty sight.

I’m really in love with this blog written by one of my yarn shop customers.

And this really lovely piece about me over at Oh Marie.

Have a good Tuesday xox

Filed Under: Life & Style, Yvesworld

The End of all the Madness

Monday, 24 September 2012 by 11 Comments

For now …

Today is the first day, after quite a long time, that I feel I can get on with other things again besides all the duties I have signed upon concerning my blog. It’s back to home time again to renovating, planning and making lists of things to do in and around the house – and there’s still so much to do.

Not that there’s nothing on the agenda … in the next few months it’s Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Berlin, Stockholm and London in that order. All, but two cities, concerning my blog. I’m not complaining as this is what I want to do, only I want to do it a little bit differently as from today.

I’ve been to quite a lot of events and meetings as of late and what I miss at these events is the purity, honesty and integrity about keeping a blog. The only place where these three words popped up were at my own fair. I’m going to try to take a part of my home with me on all my upcoming endeavors.

Starting from this Friday, 28-09 from 10:00 – 22:00, when I’ll be at the Woonbeurs in Amsterdam all day. Honestly I don’t know what will be expected from me as I never really do understand what is expected from me with these "Meet the Bloggers" events hosted by the Dutch interior magazines. But do come and meet me as I’ll be there crocheting for The Big Knit and not doing much else I suppose.

I’ll be selling all that was left from fairs and markets on the Woonbeurs that day. Hope to meet you there …

Filed Under: Life & Style, Yvesworld

In The Meantime

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 by 8 Comments

This is the back of my home. With dodgy main roof, as we didn’t make it this summer, but slick new kitchen roof and a brand spanking new facade. We are in the middle of adding all the wood paneling to what is black now but I want to show you what I am up to right now, so I’ll leave the after images for another day.

This is the back of my home in February 2010. Boy did we hated that facade when we first bought the house. What seemed to be a good plan to the previous owners back in 1974 didn’t seem such a good plan to us. We tried to fix that "Swedish hot tub" up by painting it and decorating it but it remained the most ugliest facade in the land. So we got rid of it to everyone’s disgust and unbelief, as we quite spent some money on it fixing it up. We have a square house and the lines of the round sun room fell out of harmony with the architecture. Oh and try to decorate a round room! So much wasted space. Now we have a "second kitchen" and it’s perfect as we can walk straight into the garden on a deck! I love a good deck.

The other good thing is that we can bring food out really quickly and feed hungry people like this bunch a weekend ago at The Yvestown Fair.

Filed Under: Garden, My Home, Outdoor Life, Renovating

Jar Cosies

Friday, 14 September 2012 by 10 Comments

It’s noticeably getting autumn at my end. It’s been raining quite a lot and the leaves on my trees start to change colour. I love autumn.

Next weekend I’ll be selling my yarn at Supermarkt a creative market in my hometown organised by my friends, Sofie and Annemie. I mainly like to sell my yarn and introduce my upcoming November and December crochet courses for beginners but I also like to show people what they can do with the yarn, like I show you guys.

So I’ve made jar cosies as I like the effect and it’s really fast and simple to make.

You can use jam jars or vegetable jars and turn them into pencil holders, candle lights … They look so warn and cosy right?

Because I’ll be selling these I’ve marked the bottom of the jar with a Yvestown sticker. Everything that doesn’t sell next Sunday will be for sale in the prop shop.

There’s still a sale going on in my yarn shop and you can find the instructions on how to make your own jar cosies over there too.

Filed Under: Crafts, Crochet

From Screen To Social

Tuesday, 11 September 2012 by 1 Comment

Fun article by my friend Mary-Ellen from HOPinteriors in the new issue of 91 magazine, just out today. Also happy anniversary to 91 magazine as it’s their first birthday – YAY!!

Filed Under: Books & Magazines, Press