Ground Rules (and Homes&Gardens YEAH!!)

Feature in Dutch magazine ELEGANCE (Dec issue) shot in my house

Author and producer Eva Posthuma de Boer with actor husband
 Frank Lammers looking glam with my lampshades as back drop

On the bed surrounded by my pillow designs

Snapshot of my store today lamp by Matthieu Challieres,
Painting: Lemon Tea, oil on canvas (Mariska Meijers)

MILESTONE! My Ikat traytable in British Homes and Gardens

"With" Snoopdogg at the PAN Artfair :)

At the PAN Amsterdam art fair #inspiration!

Meeting up with no 1 DJ in the world Armin van Buuren
(and he is a lawyer too like me :))

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 'ground rules' means 'the basic rules or principles on which future actions or behaviour should be based'.
Reason to write about this was triggered by yet another email from an aspiring designer wanting to know HOW I DO IT (building a 'successful' brand etc etc etc).
By nature I am a person that loves to help others but as there are only 24 hrs in a day I just can't give the individual attention to everyone (and I have had to promise a good friend to stop apologizing for that :)).
So here are some of my ground rules that I like to share.
(1) START NOW, take action. A lot of people talk about their dreams, keep pondering but don't take actual steps. I know it can be really scary, but
(2) FACE YOUR FEARS, put your teeth into them, swallow and digest...
(3) FOLLOW YOUR GUT FEELING and don't let others put you down.

It all may sound too simple and I know it just isn't simple because if it was, less people would ask me how I do it :). And lets face reality what you see (of me) is the result of endless effort, trying, failing and trying again, over and over. There are days that I feel that I am getting nowhere, there are disappointments.... But still it makes me smile sometimes how people can even think things come easy to me. I only wish.....  (4) IT IS HARD WORK. So press on, dedicate your time but make sure you do it al with (5) PASSION because where there is no passion there is no joy. (6) LET GO and enjoy the ride because life is too short to linger and look back. Make your own ground rules TODAY!

And above some snapshots from my last 2 weeks including a real milestone, my first publication in British magazine Homes and Gardens and 8 page feature in Dutch magazine ELEGANCE. And as you can see work also includes fun, going places and meeting inspiring people!

I thought I couldn't go on, I forced myself to keep going. My succes is based on persistence, not luck.

Estee Lauder