It's a cover-up

Win a free slipcover from Bemz!

It's competition time again and you could win a free slipcover* (up to a value of €250).

To enter, all you need to do is:

1. Show us your favourite Bemz slipcover: this can be a photo of the fabric, or a slipcover on a piece of furniture in the Bemz webshop or even use one of our in situ photos from our Lifestyle pages. If you have a Bemz slipcover at home, then you can use that too! 

2. Get the picture to us. This is where you can be creative: you could change your profile picture to your favourite Bemz cover, you could upload a photo to your blog and send us the link, or come up with your own idea. Regardless, we're here on the blog, on Facebook and email (blog [at] bemz [dot] com).

3. Answer the skill testing question: Which is your favourite Bemz fabric? Attach this to the photo that you use, whether it is through the blog, email or Facebook. For example: Hey Bemz! My favourite fabric is Flamingo Park Fuchsia from the Designers Guild collection. Your favourite fabric and picture do not need to match.

That's it!

Enter now! Competition closes June 24, 2011. The winner will be picked randomly from those who have met all three criteria listed above.

Just FYI: all the pictures included in this post are for slipcovers that come in around the €250 mark - just to give you an idea of what you can get if you win...

*The value of the prize is €250 (or equivalent value in SEK, Pound Sterling, US Dollar or Canadian Dollar at the exchange rate on day of draw) for shopping ONLY at Bemz. No cash alternative. The cost of a slipcover depends on the model and fabric. Not open to Bemz employees or their families or affiliates. Entrant consents to the use of his or her name, picture or likeness for publicity without further compensation. Competition closes June 24, 2011. Winner will be notified and announced no later than June 29, 2011. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

Y2K Bemz: Become a fan and win!

Last I checked we had 1838 fans on the Bemz Facebook page and we want to celebrate this! We've decided to run a competition until we reach our next landmark number: 2000 fans. So, become a fan and win one of a possible 10 exclusive designer prizes from Bemz. Winners will be able to choose from a cushion cover in Josephine- Strong Pink by designer Göta Trägårdh (pictured above) or a limited edition designer bag from Bemz in the same fabric (pictured below).

Want to play? Just follow these simple steps:

1. Not yet a fan of the Bemz Facebook page? Then become a fan and your name will be entered into the random draw to win. All you have to do to enter is:
a) Become a fan.
b) Post that you are a new fan along with your favorite Bemz fabric on the Bemz FB wall, e.g., "I'm a fan and my fave Bemz fabric is (insert name of favorite Bemz fabric here!)".
Your name will then automatically be entered into the Y2K Bemz: Become a fan and win competition.

2. Already a fan?? Don't worry! We want all our fab existing fans to be a part of the action too! To enter all you need to do is:
a) Recommend a friend who isn't already a fan of Bemz on FB.
b) For every new Bemz FB fan you recruit, you'll be entered into the draw.
c) Post that you've recruited a new fan along with your favorite Bemz fabric on the Bemz FB wall once your friend has joined (and they've posted as much on the Bemz FB page wall), e.g., "I just bagged you a new fan and my fave Bemz fabric is (insert name of favorite Bemz fabric here!)".
Your name will then automatically be entered into the Y2K Bemz: Become a fan and win competition.

Good luck!

The 'small print': There are a total of 10 prizes to win. Winners will be able to choose between a cushion cover or bag, all in the same Bemz designer pattern. Obviously no one from Bemz or affiliates can enter the competition. The 10 winners will be selected randomly from all entries up until the number of fans reaches 2000. Only the winners will be contacted, via email, latest 10 days after 2000 fans goal has been reached. Entering automatically gives Bemz permission to use entrant’s name and the photo entered for promotional purposes. No purchase necessary. No cash alternative.

This is personal: cupcake craze

At Bemz we are all about personalization - putting your mark on your home, your surroundings; giving you the chance to have things the way you want them. Recently Bemzies decided to put their money where their mouth is and had a cupcake competition. Cupcakes were judged (by an outside, independent adjudicator of course!) on taste and looks. Here are the entries:

And the winner? Annica, the lady in charge of the money (coincidence?)...

Annica, newly crowned Cupcake Queen. Our local tea house, Java, kindly donated the prize: one bag of "lunda" and one of "Lidingö" loose tea mixes. Thank you! And let's not forget the winning recipe:

Hi-hat cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2.5 dl/1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar (can substitute with vanilla extract)
50 g/2 oz butter
1 dl/3.5 fl oz cream
2 tbsp cold coffee
3.5 dl/1.5 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp cocoa
1 pinch salt
100 g/3.5 oz 70% dark chocolate

Frosting / Meringue:
6 egg whites
8.5 dl/3.5 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp vanilla sugar (can be substituted with vanilla extract)

Chocolate Coating:
350 g/12 oz 70% dark chocolate
3 tbsp cooking oil

Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF.
Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Melt butter. Add cream and coffee to butter and pour into egg mixture. Mix. Mix flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt and fold gently into the batter. Chop the dark chocolate roughly and melt it in a double boiler. Line muffin tin with cupcake paper and fill to 2/3.
Bake in middle of oven for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

For the Frosting / Meringue:
Mix egg whites, sugar and juice of lemon into a stainless steel bowl. Whisk until frothy by hand, about 1 min. Place bowl over a pot of hot water (like double boiler) and whisk until sugar crystals melt and the mixture has reached a meringue-like consistency. Remove bowl and whisk in the vanilla sugar. Beat with electric mixer for a few minutes until the meringue has thickened and cooled. Pipe the meringue onto the cupcakes in the peak-shaped spirals, leaving about 1 cm around the edge free. Leave to harden in the refrigerator.

Chocolate coating:
Chop the chocolate and melt in the microwave with cooking oil. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool. Dip the top of the meringue into melted chocolate and leave it to harden on a platter in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Do you have a winning recipe? Share it with us!

Everyone really enjoyed the experience and we hope to make it a regular feature. Any ideas for our next competition?

You're welcome Iro Ivy

Iro Ivy was one of the entries featured in our Crafty Christmas post. As thanks she, along with the other entrants, received a cushion cover from Bemz which Sara picked out. Iro then featured this photo on Flickr. Thanks!

Stay tuned, as Iro Ivy is also going to guest write a blog post for us.

Crafty Christmas

As craft is officially cool, we asked our Facebook fans to show us some of their home-brewed Christmas decorations and here are the really great entries:

This from Kathleen Smith who says: My Christmas craft is my tree. I made it with a spiral plastic tree (the kind you buy for your front yard) and feather boas! Ingenious and very festive.

Both of Iro Ivy's entries are worth their moment in the spotlight:

...let it snow! I always dreamed of having a real Christmas tree decorated by snow...This year it is happening....so so happy that I returned home today after a lovely lunch and found this....: ).....: ).....: )...love the simple things in life... : )

....some of my creative moments this Christmas so far....almost everything of the decor is handcrafted by me. Some of them are also available in my Etsy shop and others are on their way there. Hope you enjoy! Best wishes to all : ) : ) 

Jenna's was probably the most original!

Here's my Cool Craft (really it's a geek craft). The blinky computer Christmas wreath! (It lights up and blinks, although that's difficult to get in a picture).

Each of these ladies has a gift from Bemz on its way to them. Thanks everyone for your inspirational entries! 

Design-It-Yourself: Christmas - Part V: getting creative

In this last installment of our Design-It-Yourself Christmas series, I am throwing some simple creative ideas out there. Have some ideas of your own? Share them with us - in fact, we are having a bit of a competition on the Bemz Facebook page. Post your own creative decoration and you could have it featured right here, as well as the chance to write about it and a Christmas cushion cover from Bemz to boot.

Who knew post-it notes could be so festive!

Hang retro paper wheels on thread from the ceiling to create a magical blizzard scene. If you stick to white it not only looks festive but also highlights their delicate structure.

 

Leave no surface undecorated! Suspend decorations from the back of a chair or baubles on ever lengthening ribbons around a drum shade, securing with masking tape.

Free up your mantelpiece with a simple card display. Wind ribbon around drawing pins to form a star or a tree outline, then use mini pegs to attach cards.

The advent calendar is the biggest hit in our house and really helps kick start the festive season. These make-your-own ones are simple yet clever, the right one is made from matchboxes!

Greet your guests at the door with a simple wreath that smells of cinnamon. Tie lengths of casia bark with ribbon to for a star and attach a small silver bell for a more festive touch.

Crackers and card displays. Keep your best cards and give them their dues by displaying them in frames on your mantle. 

Work that Scandi style with fresh baked cookies from ribbon on your tree, or from some potted twigs or why not even from the ceiling to add festive cheer over your dining table? If you're pressed for time, you can pick up ready made gingerbread hearts from Ikea, with a hole in them, ready for hanging!

When I was a child, we always strung popcorn for our tree. I would imagine marshmallows would be a lot easier! And don't forget your outdoors. Oh tannenbaum, oh tannenbaum...

Photos c/o Livingetc

The woman behind it all: Lesley

Our final interview from the Bemz Inspiration Marathon was with Lesley Pennington, the woman who one day thought 'Wouldn't it be nice to be able to achieve your own personal look in your home without having the exclusive price-tag attached? Something the whole family could enjoy' and voila! Bemz hit the ground running and Lesley hasn't looked back.

There are also video interviews available with Tina- Bemz customer service manager, Lisbeth- Bemz product manager and Katarina- in-house designer. Just click on the link to watch them.

The mysterious mind of Katarina, in-house designer

The inner workings of a designer's mind are a mystery to me. How do they visualize changes to a room? Is it something you are born with or is it down to a trained eye. Get a taste of how it works from Katarina Wiklund, in-house designer at Bemz and fabric connoisseur extraordinaire.

There are also video interviews available with Tina- Bemz customer service manager, Lisbeth- Bemz product manager and Lesley- founder and CEO of Bemz. Just click on the link to watch them. 

Next up - How did Lesley come up with this brilliant business idea.

Lisbeth, product manager, shares the sofa

Find out more about the who, what, where and when of Bemz fabrics and slipcovers in this interview with Lisbeth, product manager, as she walks us through how Bemz textiles are produced and where the slipcovers are actually sewn. We also get a hint of some upcoming products.

There are also video interviews available with Tina- Bemz customer service manager and Lesley- founder and CEO of Bemz. Just click on the link to watch them.

Next up - How do designers do it with Katarina Wiklund.

Meet Tina: Bemz customer service manager

As you know, you can still visit the Bemz Inspiration Store live via webcam on our website, but not for much longer! Only a few days left. In conjunction with that we've been running our Inspiration Marathon where you can vote for your fave fabric and if it gets the most votes then it'll be available at 20% less the normal price: a little pre-Christmas gift for you.

In conjunction with the Marathon we've been taking the opportunity to introduce a few of the Bemzers to you. Here's the interview with Tina, our customer service manager.

Next up, production manager Lisbeth followed swiftly on by our in-house designer, Katarina and then the brains behind the company: founder and CEO Lesley Pennington who will walk us through how it all started. Watch this space.