Margaretha van Hemmen
~ Colourful and Creative! ~
With the Holidays approaching, we are hustling and bustling to get ready. One of the major parts is putting up the decorations. We found Margaretha "Maggie" van Hemmen just in time to help us put some Holiday spirit into our busy lives. Enjoy her Hotseat!
Where are you from and how long have you been living on SXM?
I am from Holland and have now been living on St. Maarten for two years.
What do you do here (career-wise)?
I work as an account manager at the advertising and marketing agency, Trakx Design.
Where did you attend school and what did you study?
I went to school in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and studied Interior Design.
Have you done any travelling? If so, where to?
I have travelled to many places in Europe: England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and Bosnia. In the Caribbean, I have been to St. Barths, St. Kitts & Nevis, Anguilla and Saba. And I have also been to Thailand.
What are your hobbies and talents?
Next to all kinds of creative activities, I love to sing.
Do you sing here publicly or are you wanting to?
I do sing once in a while at parties of friends and family.
What style of music do you like to sing?
I love to sing soul and jazz music. My inspirations are Anita Baker, Sade and Eva Cassidy.
Tell us about Maggie's Bootique!
Right now, I am also making Christmas decorations and giving advice on how to decorate your house with a small budget. With the right tips and tricks, everyone can have a nicely decorated house; especially now in the Holiday season, you want your house to look nice. Make sure your house is Christmas ready with the following tips and tricks:
1) You need to start with a clean and organized place. Properly store away items you are not using in the coming weeks.
2) Decide where you want to hang or place your Christmas decorations. If you want to use a real Christmas tree, for example, don't place it next to the window in the sun, as the needles will fall out quickly.
3) See if all the decorations are in good shape and try the lights to see if they are working.
4) Start with all the basic materials, for example, the tree and the garlands.
5) When everything is in its place, you can add the balls and other ornaments. In this way, you can divide all the balls and ornaments more easily than you would by starting with the tree first, only to find out that you used too many balls and don't have any left for the garlands.
How does one create budget friendly decorations in these times?
On our beautiful island, there are a lot of natural items that can be used as decorations: coconuts, shells, seeds and branches of Flamboyant trees, etc. – spray silver or gold glitters on them and add them to your decorations. The coconuts can be used in centrepieces; and you can use a ribbon to hang the seeds, shells or branches in your tree to make them look more festive. Use a cleaned-out pasta sauce jar, for example, for a tea light candle holder. Tie a ribbon of your favourite colour around the top of the jar and finish it with a bow. You can also use the spray glitter to spray the outside of the jar for a glitter- and glamour-look!
What made you want to do decorating by the way? What inspired you?
It runs in the family. We are all very creative – my mom with making flower centrepieces; my dad, as well as both of my grandfathers, with making furniture. My grandmothers can do magic with fabric by making all different kinds of clothes. So all of them have inspired and taught me how to make all kinds of things.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Wow! That's far from now and all things can happen; but in 10 years?! Well, I am interested to see that for myself!
If you could invite three famous people (dead or alive) to dinner, who would they be and why?
Sade Adu, Anita Baker & Eva Cassidy; these ladies are a big inspiration to me when it comes to singing.
If you don't have the time to decorate your house for the Holidays, Maggie will be happy to help out! For a small fee, she will come to your house and decorate your tree, porch or living room with your own decorations; or let her surprise you with new items. Feel free to call and see how she can help you make your house Christmas ready! Call 527-2268 for more info or visit her on Facebook: Maggie's Bootique.