Bloesem

instagramming with Bloesem

It was the lovely Peta from LoveMae, (met her in person last week at the NYIGF) who convinced me I should start instagramming ... first I thougt nnneah ... but her enthousiastic words made me sign up andsuddenly it starts to grow on me and I am even enjoying it very much!

What I like best about using instagram is the fact that it gives me the oppurtunity to share things I like in my own home instantly with you... just a small snapshot is all it takes to give you an impression of my personal stuff, things I am doing during the day and more. 

It is also a bit magical because you mostly see details ... you have to use your imagination to figure out the whole picture :) 

A couple of ways how to follow me if you wish ...

go to the instagram app on your phone and find me at: Bloesem Blogs

Or visit Bloesem Blogs at the Followgram website

or use the rss feed ....

Thanks for the Follow and I hope you will enjoy my pics! ~irene xoxo

Our Amsterdam place

Good morning lovely readers I hope you have missed me the last couple of weeks ... I certainly missed you and am super happy to be able to post this morning. I have had a wonderful vacation in Spain with my family and am enjoying some quality time in the Netherlands right now with my friends. 

Luckily for me I can stay in our own Amsterdam apartment which normally is rented out but tenants moved back to their home country and I am currently doing a huge re-decoration/renovation so new tenants can move in after the summer. 

Great to empty out many boxes that were stored about ten years ago when we left this place. I found this huge pile of old wallpapers (1998 - 2003) and was happily surprised with the still sublime-looking covers. I believe back then wallpaper was a bit more trendsetting and new then nowadays but I admire them for being around for such a long time on high-quality level. 

I think I am going to keep them ... still very inspirational.

..wallpaper magazine

All images by me, Irene.

some things I liked last week...

These things in our apartment in Singapore... spending a couple of days here makes me really happy, relaxed and calm. Perhaps it it the white floor, the items i have collected throughout the years or just the fact that we are in this great city.

Shall I tell you what you can see in the pictures... well the little carpet above is a find from a thrift-shop in the Netherlands... i believe 5 euros ... the stool next to it was a 'bit' more expensive. It is from the Established&Sons collection, called the Heidi stool designed by Sebastian Wrong and we bought it at Pomelo here in Singapore, actually we also bought a higher size one in shiny red that you can see in the fourth image... I LOVE them, do you like them? 

In the image above some ceramics from my personal collection, the green pot is made by inkypots a ceramic artist living in Kuala Lumpur and the three oval bowls next to it are a vintage find but I don't know who made them, i bought 6 in total already 12 years ago and still believe they are gorgeous. The bottom image shows my latest tableware collection, also from a thrift-shop in NL. It is Figgjo from Norway, Market - turi design. (more about vintage ceramics right here)

I hope you enjoyed the posts from last week here on Bloesem, perhaps you haven't visited BKids yet but I can assure there were some really nice things to see and discover, like a vacation in Positano, a DIY project for kids and some super cute cuddles ... and you can win a gift card to Hello Bubble.

~ Happy Weekend from me for you, xoxo irene ~

   

Haarlem and the Muscle Lamp by Jos Kranen

My days here in the Western part of the Netherlands are so inspiring and relaxing. Yesterday my sister and I visited Haarlem, close to Amsterdam with has many nice shops... a new one called Greenwich Village was particularly interesting due to this bautiful Felt Lamp by Dutch designer Jos Kranen called the Muscle Lamp. Greenwich Village doesn't have a website

A very special Birthday

{image: pompoms from Engelpunt}

I could not have wished for a nicer celebration for Bloesem's FIFTH year anniversary than the lunch that was given to me today by de 'Drukke Dames' (= Busy Ladies) in the design and art shop Friday Next in Amsterdam. 

When Jurianne Matter heard about me coming to the Netherlands this month she immediately emailed me with an invitation for a get-together with some of her creative friends. Most of them I had met online during the last five years but none of them in person before.

{image: Christmas angels by Jurianne Matter available at BijzonderMooi}

It felt like a real blind-date, exciting and inspiring!

And this blind-date was a just wonderful and exactly how I like it, personal, intimate, honest and real. Not a big party but simply enjoying the fact that Bloesem has done this for me... bringing me together with super creative and talented people:

{image: Sonia's brick and morter shop in Blaricum called Gosto-design}

... Klaartje from Keecie, Claudette and Annemarieke from Uitgeverij Snor, Sonia from Gosto, Twirre from Handmade-Heaven, Sandra from BijzonderMooi, Jasmijn from MadebyGup, Leonie from Amorim, Sabien Engelenburg from Engelpunt, Sanne&Anke from StyleCookie and Natasja from Collegien and last but most certainly not least the beautiful, energetic and very inspiring Jurianne from Jurianne Matter. 

Thank You!

Wallets on the left by Keecie and on the right by Handmade-Heaven.

 

Parool PS with Bloesem

Welcome to you, the new reader, who has found me via this article in Dutch newspaper, Het Parool. And thank you Maaike Schoon for the very kind words you have written about Bloesem and me. I was delighted to hear that you were going to write a story about design/living blogs and wanted to hear my opinion and background. The five other blogs you mentioned, Apartment therapy, design*sponge, Emmas blog, desire to inspire and the selby, are also big favorites of mine so happy to see them too.