ARE YOU HAPPY?

I simply love this quote! What about you?

via: Northern Light

SUMMER INSPIRATION

Guess what! It's end of May, the last day of Spring. Can you believe this? I love spring but today I'd love to jump into the summer with you. I've collected some urban summer inspiration that will indulge you. Enjoy todays inspiration and get ready for the summer that officially starts tomorrow!

via Cote Maison

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Yay it's Monday!! How are you today? Are you ready to kick off the new week with me? I'm an early bird today. I had a wonderful weekend with lots of different things done. I cleaned and refreshed my balcony, I had a wonderful afternoon with one of my friends in Amsterdam and last but not least I started to decorate my home office. Later this week I will share the first images with you because I love to hear what you think of it and maybe you can also help me out with some details. Today I'm traveling to Breda to meet with Janneke. We will discuss the finishing touch for the Meet the Blogger event in Amsterdam end of June. The sun is coming out now and the weather man promised us a beautiful day here in Holland. Enjoy your new week and for those in the US: Enjoy your long weekend!

image: VT Wonen

HAVE A DELICIOUS WEEKEND...(VIA URBAN STYLE VIBES*)

My dear friends, have a lovely weekend! Enjoy good food, see the sun and dip in the water if possible! Wouldn't it be great to have a brunch in this Sails restaurant in Sydney? The view is to die for and I heard from expert that the food is delicious! I will close my laptop this weekend! See you back on Monday!!!

TO FLOWER OR NOT TO FLOWER?

Hello all, are you ready for the weekend? I think I am!! Today I'd like to share my thoughts with you. I do live in the city in an appartment with a balcony but I'd love to have a small garden. So why not combine the two. I'd love to have some flowers on the balcony. Let's call it my urban garden. Todays inspiration comes from Madrid, Venice and New Orleans. Look at these lovely balcony's with flowers everywhere. It's amazing! What do you think?

Q. DO YOU HAVE A BALCONY OR GARDEN AND WHAT DO YOU GROW THERE?

images via various sources: Madridphoto

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN A RUIN?

At first sight your first answer to this question would be NO. But if you've seen the reconstructed ruin in Schotland you might change your point of view. I love this robust house with modern details and what a stunning view. Breathtaking. I've been i Scotland a few times and it's such a lovely country. Unfortunately it's raining a lot but if the sun comes out it's just magic!

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE?

 The owners who reconstructed this ruin into a beauty within nature. Well done folks!!

via: NewYorkTimes

TO TRAVEL OR NOT TO TRAVEL...

That's the question today. A new ashcloud disrupted in Iceland earlier this week. Yesterday flights to and from the UK and Schotland have been cancelled and today the German airtraffic is affected by the ashcloud.

Q. HAVE YOU PLANNED A TRIP THESE DAYS? GOOD LUCK!

SUMMER HOME LOVE

You know how much I love to browse magazines to find cool spots and hot places across the globe. Today I came across last years' May issue of Martha Stewarts Living showing us the wonderful weekend home of designer Trina Turk and her husband Jonathan Skow in Palm Springs, California. Today they are having a wonderful poolside barbecue. What a couple and what a lovely place! By the way she has some lovely stores in the USA. When I was in New York earlier this year I went to visit her store in the hip and happening neighbourhood Meatpacking District. If you plan a trip to NYC I would recommend that area. I love her clothes and homewear. Amazing!!!

images via Martha Stewart Living

HOME IMPROVEMENT TRENDS 2011

I just came across this lovely infographic from Elocal showing the Home improvement trends for 2011. They asked 50 industry experts and this is the outcome. Do you recocnise these trends? I already started with some Home updates and I also renewed my lights so my home is eco-lighted now.

via: Elocal

TODAY I WANT TO BE IN ...FRANCE (VIA URBAN STYLE VIBES*)

Good morning lovelies. Happy new week. How are you? I'm still recovering from my illness so I need to take a lot of rest. That's why I would love to be in this lovely Hotel Sezz in Saint Tropez France today. Imagine to sit on that couch, dip in the pool and enjoy the french food and the sun! Amazing.

If you are ready to go, you can book your Design hotels here. I'm a Design Hotel affiliate and if you book a design hotel via Urban Style Vibes* a 5% of the total booking goes to me.

via: Design Hotels

JUST ARRIVED...MY NEW HOME OFFICE

Good Morning, welcome to the new week. Today is a great day in history because my new home office arrived. If you are a frequent reader of my blog you know how much I struggle with my home office but now I found a great desk and hanging drawer at BoConcept. The desk is similar as shown above (withouth the low drawers). Later this month  I will show you the result. I'm still looking good desk chair. Any suggestions?

via: Fashionclaim

MEET THE BLOGGER EVENT UPDATE

Hello sweethearts. Sorry for my lack of posting but I'm still ill and need a lot of rest. However I do read some blogs and e-mails every day. Your support and courage make me stronger and I hope I will recover as soon as possible. Because in only 34 days from now we will meet eachother at the Meet the Blogger event in Amsterdam. We have more than 100 attendees now. Can you imagine 100!!! bloggers in one room? The last few weeks we have done some preparations to make this event an unforgettable experience. Holly, Janneke and I have been talking with our sponsors: The American Book Center, Hotel V, VT Wonen, Lily's Cupcake and Flavourites. In addition we are discussing the finishing touch with eachother. E.g. it will be great if you all have name tags so that you can see directly who you meet and network along. We also have a great goodie bag available thanks to our sponsor. So we think we are almost ready for the event. However we still need one thing: We still need a flower sponsor!! Do you know a great company that would love to support the events with flowers we would be happy to talk with them. Of course we will make sure that the sponsor gets a lot of attention before, during and after the event. Last but not least we are thinking about other events across Europe. What do you think about this idea? Would you like to have a Meet the Blogger event across Europe because we see there is a huge demand for blogger 'get togethers'. Please let us know if you have any ideas or comments for this event and possible new events. We would love to hear your thoughts!

PS. The Meet the Blogger event was mentioned in the latest issue of VT Wonen Magazine. Check it out on page 160. In addition we had some lovely posts on different website like Scoutie Girl. Please promote the event on your own blog if you like. You can copy the logo above and link back to our website.

FAQ's


Can I still sign up for the Meet the Blogger event in Amsterdam?

Yes sure you can but hurry up because we will close the attendee list early june because tickets are limited.


What are the costs of this event?

Lucky you, the event is free for Lifestyle and (home) design bloggers


Can I bring a friend?

Yes, sure you can but please make sure they sign up on Facebook so that we have an accurate list of attendees.


I do not have a blog but I'd love to meet Holly Becker and buy her book?

Sorry the event is only for home and lifestyle bloggers. However Holly is doing a book signing in Amsterdam from 5-7PM. Read more here.


I would like to become a sponsor of the event. What can I do?

We are currently looking for a flower sponsor. Please e-mail us here.


I did the RSVP on Facebook. Do I still get a ticket for the event?

If you are on the attendees list you are more than welcome. This is the official registration list.

Sorry I can't make it to the event but I am already registered on Facebook?


Please remove yourself from the attendees list. It's important for us to have an accurate list of attendees. All attendees listed on Facebook will receive a goodie bag after the event.

image: Holly Becker for Decor8

CELEBRATE THE WEEKEND?

Are you ready to celebrate the weekend friends? What are your plans?? I used to throw a party for my birthday this weekend but unfortunately I'm ill and need to take medicines and rest to recover...Not too much to celebrate for me but I hope you will enjoy the lovely weather and sunny spring feeling as shown above. PS. At least I have some fresh strawberries in my fridge to enjoy the weekend;-)

See you back on Monday!!

Via Achado de Decoracao

IKEA LIMITED EDITION

Hello friends all over the world. How are you? Are you ready for some new IKEA finds? Today I stumbled upon by the new Annorlunda of IKEA. Annorlunda means odd man out and is a new and limited collection of ethnic products. All materials are sourced and produced in India and Vietnam by 5 IKEA designers. It's a great idea in addition to all the lovely mass products IKEA has to offer. Personally I love all these ethnic and colored accessories. By the way: these products are only available in a few stores. Please check your IKEA country website for more information on availability. In the Netherlands this limited collection is ONLY available in the Haarlem and Amsterdam Stores. Read the press information here. And hurry up because limited means limited and OP=OP. (emty is emty in Dutch;-)

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS NEW IDEA FROM IKEA?

via: VT Wonen

JUST A QUICK NOTE...

Hello sweethearts. Sorry for my absence I'm ill at the moment. I've been to the doctor a few times now and finally they know what I have. I'm taking medicines and need a lot of rest in the coming days/weeks. In addition I'm stuck at home and not able to go anywhere. However I will take some rest and hope I will recover as soon as possible. Before I leave you today I  I'd like to give you your daily inspiration. Todays inspiration comes from Seattle based studio Olson Kundig Architects. This glass home is located in the rural site of Northeast Oregon. The shape of the house fits perfect with the landscape. I love the simplicity and the beauty of this place. 

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE?

images: Homedsng

HOUSE BY THE SEA

Hello friends! How are you. Sorry for my absence on the blog. Blogger had severe problems so I was not able to post for a few days. In addition I'm a bit ill. This morning I went to the doctor and he diagnosed a bacterial infection so I need to take some rest to recover. I hope you understand that. But before I leave you for the weekend I'd love to share this lovely house by the sea in Majorca that I found in the inspirational T Magazine. Isn't this a natural beauty? I love the rough stone floor and the wooden beams on the ceiling. I would love to stay here for a few days to recover from my illness....

In the meantime I wish you a wonderful weekend. Enjoy the lovely weather and live life to the fullest where possible. Take care!

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE?

images: T Magazine

THIS SUMMER: PORTUGAL BOUND

Hello friends. I'm just back from my trip in the Caribbean so it's time to plan my next trip for this year. This summer we are planning a trip to Portugal. I do visit Lisbon for a few days and I think I would love to stay in the beautiful Fontana Park Hotel. Since its 2007 debut, the minimalist-chic Fontana Park has already racked up impressive awards (Best Interior Design: Rooms and Bathrooms, at the European Hotel Design Awards). Besides Lisbon we will visit the Alentejo region in the south west of Portugal. We will stay for a few days in the house shown above but we are still looking for great places to visit.

Q. DO YOU HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHERE TO STAY IN LISBON AND ALENTEJO? I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR TIPS/IDEAS?

A ROOM WITH A VIEW...(VIA URBAN STYLE VIBES*)

Hello all, welcome to the new week. Today I need to share an awesome desert home with you. I found this home via the lovely blog Desire to Inspire. This home with a a view is located in the desert of Tucson Arizona. It has stunning views and lots of art pieces inside. It's amazing inside out and outside in. And guess what. This house is for sale here.

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE?