Wednesday 28 November 2012

Creative Bloggers Studio: An inspiring weekend in Hannover awaits

I am so, so excited about my little upcoming trip to Germany! I have signed up for the Blogging Your Way Studio with Holly Becker of Decor8 and Steffie Luxat of Ohhh Mhhh

Being around other creative's will be an absolute treat, and I'm so looking forward to meeting the 15 other bloggers and sharing ideas and inspiration. See you all there!






* Poster courtesy of Decor8

Sunday 25 November 2012

Flowers on my table: Autumn tones

Flowers are so much more beautiful when given by a friend. Yesterday, a good friend came to Delft and we spent a chilly Saturday together sipping moccachinos, wandering in and out of shops and catching up. I arrives home later that day with an armful of market fresh blooms that Nienke had bought for me as a parting gift. They are now happily arranged on my dining room table, looking decidedly autumn!




I love the fresh combination of peach, deep red and white as a pretty autumnal alternative to seasonal flowers.

Also spread out on my table is a bunch of stuff I have been gathering as inspiration for a mood board set as homework by Decor8's Holly Becker and Ohhh Mhhh's Steffi Luxat for an upcoming workshop retreat I have signed up for - Bloggong Your Way Studio in Hannover. I am so excited to share the weekend with other creative bloggers and hope to learn lots of tricks to make my blog a beautiful place for you to visit.


I love the grey, white, peach and red colour combination these flowers have brought to my dining room.

Hope you've had a happy weekend!

Love, Holly

* All images by Holly Marder

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Liebster Blog Award double nomination!

I’m delighted to report that Love, Thomas has received two nominations for the Liebster Blog Award, an award given from bloggers to bloggers who are small, medium or upcoming in the blogosphere. The nominations were given to me by the lovely Samantha of Everything I Heart and Louise of 30s Magazine. Thank you so much, ladies!

Holly Marder



The rules:

* Thank the one who nominated you
* Write eleven things about yourself
* Nominate 11 promising bloggers that have less than 200 followers, and tag them in this post
* Give them eleven questions to answer
* Don't tag back

Here goes. My answers to the questions posed to me by Samantha and Louise. As I received two nominations, I will divide it up and answer some of each of their questions. 

What is your favourite Christmas treat?
I ADORE mince pies. Droooooool...

What colour scheme are you using this Christmas?
I have been asked to put together a feature for Houzz on decorating the Christmas tree, with vintage music sheets the main inspiration for tree decorations. I will be teaming the look with neutural tones, natural twine and touches of gold for a bit of Christmas sparkle. The end result will be in our living room to enjoy this Christmas!

What I love most about blogging is…
Having a platform on which to document ideas, latest projects and unload creative energy to an appreciative audience, in a beautiful and inspiring way. I have lots to learn but I love building on something that brings me so much joy.

Eggnog, gluhwein or hot chocolate?
Gluhwein, for sure! It was the only thing that got me down the mountain after dislocating my knee skiing for the first time in France! It also quite helped to dull the pain somewhat...

The best app I discovered this year is…
Pinterest. I am an addict!

What has been your greatest achievement thus far?
Becoming a mother and doing the best job at that that I know how. 

What is your most prized possession and why
I inherited an antique diamond ring from my grandmother when she passed away. I wasn’t able to spend much time with her growing up as we lived very far apart, but I do have memories of holding her hand and seeing the ring on her finger and imaging myself wearing it one day. It was a perfect fit and hasn’t left my hand ever since. I also have a photograph of my mother aged about three that I used to display in my bedroom growing up. I dug it up a couple of months ago, only to discover that my daughter is the spitting image of her! It was a very surreal moment, because before I found the photograph, I kept thinking that Lola reminded me of somebody I had once seen but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes. I vividly remember the first moment I clapped eyes on Dirk for the first time. I knew then in that very moment that he would be someone very special to me. I was drawn to hime in a way I cannot describe, and that can only mean one thing...

If you could be ANY superhero who would you choose?
I was more into Barbies than super heroes as a little girl, but if I had to pick one, I think I’d like to be Wonder Woman for her confidence, strength and beauty.

What would you say is your greatest quality and why?
It’s always difficult to answer questions like this about your own self! I think some of my greatest qualities are also my shortcomings. I am very optimistic, but can sometimes be a little too optimistic! I am also very strong willed, but because of this, I can be extremely stubborn. Perhaps those closest to me find my enthusiasm and zest for life refreshing. 

If you won the lottery what would you do with the cash?
I would like to buy a house for my mother. She suffered some very serious and life-threatening issues to do with her health in the past, and because of this, being able to take out a mortgage is not an option. Everybody deserves to live in their dream house. My mother deserves it the most. She is the most hard-working individual I think I have ever met and has always gone into challenges with determination and dignity. 

My 11 nominees for the Liebster Blog Award go to:


My 11 questions for them are:

How will you be spending Christmas this year?
What is on your Christmas wish list?
How would you describe your personal style?
What do you hope to show others on your blog?
What are your two biggest goals for the coming 5 years?
Which 3 bloggers would you like to share a meal with?
What is your favourite thing about blogging?
If you could jump on a plane right now and go absolutely anywhere, where would it be and why?
What’s your favourite type of pattern? Stripes, florals, geometrics, etc...?
What is your favourite book or reading material and why?
What are you most proud of in your life and why?

Thanks again, ladies, and good luck to the Liebster Blog Award nominees!

Holly

Sunday 11 November 2012

A burst of sunshine on a cloudy day

I had the great pleasure of meeting the vibrant and perpetually optimistic Yvonne from the gorgeous blog Yvestown last week. I was invited to her home to interview her and her husband Bo about their extensive home renovation and shoot some photos for an upcoming feature for the US interior design platform Houzz.

I am so excited to share these first images with you, as a taster for what’s to come on Houzz. Meeting this lovely couple was so much fun. They are truly a burst of sunshine on a cloudy day. They have filled their light and bright Belgian home with items they have scoured from markets, and inject a contemporary touch here and there to strike a sunny balance between the old and the new. Very, very inspiring.























I hope these images have added some warmth and colour to your day.

Keep an eye on Houzz for Bo and Yvonne’s feature! I can't wait to share their story with you.

Love, Holly

* UPDATE: Read Yvonne's story and see more photo's of her home {here}.


* All images by Holly Marder