Kids on roof

Dutch Design for creative and playful kids and grown ups

Design with a mission: to re-connect modern life with nature, rediscovering basic values. How cool would it be to design and run a testlab with your own kids..........

Love every bit of it!

Kids on roof = creativity + imagination + sustainable approach = great to play with -/- visual pollution for the grown ups

Inspiration Post

Now and then i feel this urge to communicatie with my dearest ones the old fashioned way: by the post-office servant! I just fill an envelope with little things; happy memories, my new favorite tea, a beautiful sentence, a poem, an interesting article etc. It takes me a about a weak to gather everything together, and i really enjoy the proces of thinking of what to share with / or to give to this person.

It is my way to show that i do think about you, although i might not give you a (or answer your) call.
At work i am all day busy with showing empathy and sensitivity, and when i am coming home i am a terrible interlocutor. My love can tell you all about it........ I just need to digest all the stimuli of the day.
Sometimes i wish i would do it different (why can i not just give a little bit less at work so i can give a bit more at home?), but i try to by happy by the way i cope with it now. It is all about the intention, isn't? So now and then, inspiration post is on it's way, this time it is for my mother!

Getting Better

It is obviously that i am getting better from this cold; i am lying in bed spending money webshopping...............Just bought a beautiful dress from Bonnie and Buttermilk.

It is not ecofriendly this time (i try only to wear eco-friendly stuff) but i truly love the design and like the fact that it is made by 2 ladies from Berlin. Not cheap but better buying clothes from a passioned little company than from a big international shop. See it here for your self!

I have to be patient because the dress will be custom made,  but it is nice to have a feeling of pleasurable anticipation. I think i have a new favorite brand, also love their tops with those funky names!

Spring Please Come!

Lying in bed,  feeling sick n tired, just longing for Spring!

Family Barn

This barn is an unique place to spend your family weekend! It was love at first side when we arrived. Dutch design (like the Forest for the trees hatstand from Ineke Hans ) mixed in with Ikea furniture -absolute gorgeous!

 

We had a great time here last 2 days, celebrating moms 60 birthday. One easy going weekend, time for some seriously relaxing. No television, no phone, no computer to distract us, just being together watching little titmice  / doing word puzzle in front of the stove / playing party games / laughing / eating lots of pancakes / training the dog a la Dog Whisperer Cesar (Not) / hiking in the forest and so on!

Plenty of room with 8 adults and 2 little kids & endless inspiration for home improvement projects.

Check out the beautiful accomodations at the Forest Service !

Zen interior

Sometimes i just need to be surrounded by a zen decor; a place of soothing tranquility and respite from the rush and busyness of the outside world. Like this Danish coffee bar where we spent lovely time in november. Maybe this is not really according to zen principles, but it really gives me a peaceful state of mind!

Today is a Gift

After a Good night sleep i woke up cranky. I did not feel like getting up, just want to turn on my back and hide my head under the sheets. But i promised my love to make him breakfast before he would leave for a day - biking tour. So i made breakfast with a smile on my face (not). Of course, my crunchy yoghurt meal with home made Granola, honey and raspberries did not turn out the way it should according to my glossy Elle food. So hidden behind the newspapers, looking pale and being cranky you can imagine i was No Good Company!

So i decided to go back to bed again. I lighted a candle, poured in coffee in my favourite cup, turned on classic FM and snuggled up under the blanket. Ohhh life under the blanket; it was so indulging, just being lazy till noon! 
During a hot shower i realised Today is a gift! I can spend this whole day just by myself; i can do what ever i want. No dates, no roommate, just a sweet dog and cat who like to be lazy too. Just the thought gave me instant energy.

So my to do list suddenly was there:
I am going to bake muffins so i can treat myself tomorrow at work!

And i am going to bake a pie for my love. After all it is Valentine's Day tomorrow!
And i am going to walk in my new hiking shoes!
And i am going to do some DYIng for my moms' birthday who is turning 60!
And i am going to make Old Dutch Soup!
........................

Writing out my commitments makes me realise now that doing all this stuff is not going to help me to live mindfully. At the end of the day i will probably feel exhausted again.  This way i can overload myself. Does this sound familiar to you?

So now i will just focus on one thing and do some crafting for my mom's upcoming birthday. That is my first and only commitment for today. Enjoy your Day!

“Go easy, step lightly, stay free” - Joe Strummer

Romantic Attic sleeping place

Lamp by Maartje van den Noort

To brighten up my weekend: our new lamp by Maartje Van Den Noort.nl

We have this Dutch Design lamp fetisch so when i saw it last summer, i directly put it on my wist list. We bought it quite impulsive, but i Love the romantic nature's glow - it is perfect for our sleeping room!

Time is mysterious

Suddenly, it has become februari! I just discovered this yesterday because it was the birthday of my sweet sister in law (she spent some time at our place). That event brought me back on earth- the need to be in the moment instead of being in my head. Somehow, i was still living with "the time concept of beginning of januari 2011".

Time is mysterious, you can experience time so different! What is Time? The Dutch philosopher Joke Hermsen wrote this fantastic essay about time, a manifesto for a slow future called Time On Our Side.
I read it in the dessert, a perfect place to overthink a concept such as Time, THE place to find a new balance, to go back to doing nothing and embrace boredom and repose.
Here, in daily life, this is far more difficult!

Happily, i got this beautiful calender Birds 2011 (birthday present from my mom & dad), it was truly a joy to put on Februari on front! Hope this calendar helps me to keep in the moment.......

A philosophical encounter

 

A PHILOSOPHICAL ENCOUNTER

in the market garden room

with Love and my sister in law

a moving evening

about the value of nature

guided by the "special professor" Bas Haring