Sticking with the plans

and trying new things!

Quite honestly, I have to admit that sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that needs to be taken care of. However, regular small actions do make a difference.
I'm currently testing a new approach to time management (more action, less Internet, yes, been there before) with a list of
*30 minutes projects (organizing paper/crafting supplies, drawers in my work cabinet, listing things for sale online etc.)
* 1 hour projects (basement, tax report, work)
So far, I've organized/backed up my computers, sold a bunch of clothes/furniture I no longer wanted/needed and gotten started on the tax report. I also ordered some beautiful things for the flat and managed to stay on top of the things at work. And yes, there've been regular updates on this blog. What an achievement!
The picture is supposed to illustrate the wine/cheese seminar we visited yesterday, following the 'trying new things' plan.  It wasn't easy!
Three hours, 10 wines, 9 cheeses. The whole action took place in a gorgeous old school building around the  corner, so we could ride our bikes there. Definitely a fun experience, although the rest of the day was, of course, completely wasted.
I'll be back!

I heart Mondays. What!?

Monday is my new favorite day of the week.
I get to stay at home and do whatever I please (like my tax report. Oh yes. Delight!)

Besides working a lot (again!), I actually took some steps in the right direction and signed up for a real photography course. Too bad it's already full and the waiting list was as far as I got. We'll see how it goes.

There'll be another one, of course. For sure. Good news is that the wine and cheese seminar we're looking forward to SO much had a couple of free spots. Oh yes. Bring in the wine. I mean, the cheese, of course.

Also, to celebrate my new Monday love, I've just registered at Solebich
Heard lots of good stuff about this site. Who knows what it'll bring? Fame? Cake? Whatever.

The picture below should 1) remind me of Lisbon beauties and 2) illustrate me wanting to get on the course list and absorb all the photography knowledge available (too bad I don't have any decent camera any more).

(Art)work in progress + Hannover on Sunday

Surpirsingly, I've managed quite a lot lately. Let's take a look at the little list:
1. Digested a bunch of inspirational books and picked some brilliant ideas.
2. Went to Ikea (oh yes, that long time no see feeling!) and spent a couple of wonderful hours. Just me and my shopping cart. It's paradise! And here are the results:


Soon, very soon the Chaos Corner will be a thing of the past!
3. Bought these fantastic prints at Lucille's store:

One is going into the bathroom (nicely updated with a couple of very inexpensive yet stunning Ikea rugs), one's destined for the dining room and the lovely blue bowl of Japanese soup will be staying in my modest abode.
4.
Some fresh pictures from the kitchen - it really needed some clean lines. All the cheerful blues and greens made it look a bit like a candy store but black surely does the trick.


There's a very ugly cable hiding right behind the rosemary!
5. And finally, I'd love to show off my neighbourhood (pictures made on a VERY short walk due to the freezing cold)





Sometimes I still can't believe we're really living here, right next to the beautiful gardens, surrounded by the old buildings and yet just a short train ride away from the city center. Oh, Hannover, you're the place to be!

2011: The Year of Inspiration + Action

Hello there, dear non-existent readers! Frau Mayer is back with a massive resolution for 2011: BE INSPIRED AND ACT.

2010 was great and difficult at the same time. I achieved a lot, finished my teacher training, got a job, found out it was not all cakes and ale. I moved into my dream flat, read (too) many blogs, got inspired, bought furniture, spent endless hours at flea markets and IKEA, decorated, painted, cleaned and organised. I found wonderful new friends (hello there, Yvonne :)  and also lost some. I read (although not enough) and danced quite a bit. I traveled to Morocco, Turkey, London (saw my best friend after quite a break!) and my beloved NJ (yes, and NYC, too! Can't get enough!)  I shopped quite a bit. I got myself a Flickr account.

I read endless magazines.

Right now I feel that I need to read less and do more. During my last visit to Lüneburg I got a whole bunch of lovely mags from Yvonne and fell in love with this Danish apartment. I love the colors and the overall feeling!


Well, it's just logical that the apartment belongs to a Feng Shui expert. She definitely knows her business.

I wouldn't place so many Buddhas in my own place but I love how carefully the details are chosen here.

I never really dared to use pink - maybe it's time to give it a try?


I smiled when I saw this because I have a similar niche in my dining room and it's still half-empty so I'll be working on filling it with some eye candy in 2011, too.

There's only one word to describe this kitchen: gemütlich. Yes, it is!

I love how the owner manages to combine clean and fluffy. And so incredibly simple!

So this is what I am feeling right now - inspired. Let's see what kind of action is going to follow. Happy New 2011, everyone!

The trees are in!

What is Vivian looking at? She's rather suspicious about those green things that have just moved in here!


Oh, those ones?

Mmmh, let me see!

They're not so bad after all! It's winter here  - and most Germans are celebrating the first advent Sunday (which I'm not - stuck to my desk, heaps of work all around me).
This is what Frau Mayer indulges in right now - ordering things via the Internet because she doesn't really leave the house (well, we don't count those trips to work and back). I envy those of you with loads of free time on your hands a lot and can't wait for the holidays to come.
By then, you'll have created beautiful decorations, baked bunches of cookies and I'll have graded ten written exams, so those of my non-existent readers who think that teachers lead a relaxed lifestyle can come along and I'll suffocate them all by myself! Mmmh, what a terrible load of self-pity in a harmless post about trees.

Have a relaxed Sunday, those of you who can!

Pinterest + too much work

Thanks, dear Yvonne, for making me addicted. Right now I'm ignoring a large pile of philosophy exams in order to pin more fabric for my little pillow project on my Wishlist board. How productive!

Whatever... I guess it'll make me correct even faster now that I'm feeling happy!

I'm actually really proud of myself as I've recently managed to hit the gym more than once a week (this week it's been almost 5 hours of sports plus sauna where I met another teacher, of course :), keep my place relatively clean and spend some quality bionadebourgoisie time with one sweet guy who happens to live just around the corner from my room. Yeah, and watch a great deal of House MD! I'm in the middle of the sixth season and actually scared of what happens when I'm done.

As for this weekend - now I know another cool location to have breakfast/coffee at - Meilenstein, Lister Meile (it's right in the beginning). That superdeal page surely rules - we got our breakfast for under 15 Euros for both! And I'm so looking forward to having that cool wellness treatment together with my party animal friend Ina in a couple of weeks.

And this, by the way, is my next crafty project! Thanks again, dear Yvonne, you're the best!

A friendly hug from Fr. Mayer to all of you (now, that doesn't happen to often!)
Fr. Müller says Hi as well - she's happy that her son has finally found a wonderful new owner. Annika, I'm happy for you both and look forward to some good Button news! 

Ideas to steal from the current House Doctor catalog and a weak vital sign from Fr. Mayer

Who doesn't love some House Doctor? Well, their catalog is a constant source on inspiration. And pinecones. And mushrooms. You know, I'm a total sucker for a mushroom, so if you want to attract a bunch of drooling Frau Mayers, just place a mushroom in your product and wait. Well, let's see what's in this one...

• Long candles, tied together with a bow. 
• Europallets on castors, covered with glass (go for it?) 
• Simple candles in a glass with beautiful labels/papers on them
• Pinecone garlands (totally easy! Gotta make one!) and pinecone wreaths (not easy at all. Need one anyway)
• Mushroom baubles (again! Gotta have my load of custom-made mushrooms soon :) 

A while ago I purchased a fireplace. A fake fireplace. Basically, it's just a frame. If the Ebay God agrees to be nice to me, I might even receive it soon. I'm prepared to trade it for my flu which is the second flu this month which makes me kind of sad because the weather's so good and we've been planning an active fleamarket (Us! Loading the car with all the .... and selling it for a bunch of money) for ages. I'm so sick of being sick but at least I have a couple of minutes to look at beautifully arranged pinecones and mushrooms now. And clean up the mess in my room. And order those frames. And prepare for the good times when I can go back to work and function normally, without being hit by some sly little virus.
Images: House Doctor

Do you remember?

Do you recognize this piece of furniture? I invested several days of my life into making it blue and perfect - and now it's a blue dream came true. Everything's labeled, placed in themed boxes etc. Heaven!

Here's the left part of the cupboard which I like.

And the right one I'm not sure about. Please let me what you think (although I know none of you exists).




More impressions from my dining room. If you remember this picture, you'll certainly like this one! The blue picture has finally joined the party. Still have two more wallpaper scraps, lalala!

Please allow me repeat myself. A before picture.

And an after. It took me SO much time to finish all four of the chairs and the truth is that they're actually still not completely finished.

I have to reveal something. I have a tin fetish. Here's the proof. Watch out for more tins coming soon!



























Let's have a little sneak peek into my room. Got this beauty while passing a pharmacy. Saw an "everything for sale" sign. Stopped. Went in. Fell in love. Bargained. Bought. It's perfect for storing all my school stuff + there's place for crafty stuff, too.

The pictures are waiting to become a part of an art wall. The cubby shelf used to host CDs. I painted it white and haven't put too much effort into filling the cubbies yet. Recycling is everything.

Also, as a little extra to this quick update, I really need to vent some fury. You see, I love reading Neon. It's my favorite German mag. It's witty and seem to reflect on my lifestyle perfectly. But today they just went too far. "Especially the creative people seem to be shockingly similar when it comes to decorating. Mix old and new. Put a designer chair in front of an antique cupboard. Place an Apple computer in your flat."
I really wonder what their problem is. Is one supposed to live Ikea-only? Designer-only? Domäne (HATE!) only? Personally I think that old furniture brings life into flats. So does new when chosen right. I also do not think that my apartment looks like a typical shabby chic one. It does look like a mix of old new though. You know why? Because it IS a mix of old and new and it's SO not like any given flat of a "typical creative person". Grrr! Let me know what you think even if you don't exist. See you soon!

Bonus: Frau Müller saying Hi from the new sofa.

Totally against the rules (a post with NO PIC!)

Why, you'd ask, have I been so silent? Well, I was busy-busy-busy commuting to my new workplace and back, being all excited about my new job, preparing to move, buying furniture, desperately trying to have everything delivered before we move in etc.

Well, some of these things worked out just fine, some didn't.


Here are the facts - no pics, just the naked truth :)

1. We're in! All of us  - and that includes Frau Müller The Cat who's running around like crazy - she's never been in a place that big!

2. 120 square meters! I need like an hour to get from the bedroom to the bathroom!

3. The floors are FANTASTIC! Unfortunately, they're very sensitive, too.

4. The kitchen is IN! It's a very simple IKEA one - although I decided to invest a bit into good appliances. Will show it as soon as it dries (had to take care of the worktops).

5. We've still got no fridge! It'll hopefully arrive during the week. Can't see Chinese and Lebanese food any longer.  

6. Happy happy happy, can't wait for the holidays to begin so I can invest all my energy in the place.

7. We're having a housewarming party on Saturday. You're all welcome! 

My Weekend: Cake and Cupboards

Just wanted to show my non-existent readers a couple of my weekend snapshots. The set I created is called A Sunday in May - well, it's not exactly Sunday, it's Saturday, I just loved the sound of it. Right, let's proceed to the pictures!

Marinage, my most favorite store ever. I keep discovering furniture gems there! I haven't made any pictures of my new chest of drawers yet as we were too busy trying to get it into the car but here are some snapshots I made after completing the mission.



This guy has taken the place of my beautiful Küchenschrank. Guess what? I want it too!



This one keeps changing faces as the store owner is so gifted and re-decorates every now and then.



Just look at all those adorable details!











I wanted to have this one, too. Too late...




The green corner.


A lovely medicine closet.

As I don't really know when I'll happen to go to Hildesheim again I couldn't miss the chance of going to Hofcafe (Domäne Hildesheim). They have the best cake around!





This choice can make anyone suffer! Well, I went for the raspberry version - people seemed to be crazy about it!



My dream, standing in the corner, filled with forks, spoons, candles, tea etc. The cafe owner told me a story about buying these treasures at eBay and paying around 1000 Euros. They were shipped from Bavaria!


I'm in love!

All right, I have to keep orgainzing my temporary workspace. It doesn't look too good here and I keep missing things as most of them are already in the basement of my new flat. I'll leave you with the cakes, don't drool too much :)