• Junking Excursions with Lisa
  • Living in Nyon
  • Coffee and Creations
  • Lake Geneva poster

beni2014

Beni Meier and his 2014 world record-breaking pumpkin     © Keystone

OK, we don't expect you to find one this big! A new 2014 world record was broken this year with a pumpkin weighing in at 951kg, proudly presented in the above photo! The farmer responsible for this beast is again Beni Meier, from Zurich, who has beaten his own record for 4 consectutive years now. Unfortunately last year, his montrous 1,053.5kg pumpkin was disqualified for having a hole.

If you love the colors and selections of pumpkins that are avaiable today, then wait no longer! You can buy a great assortment and even make it to a festival as well. Most restaurants will be serving pumpkin soup around this time of year but see bottom of page for Lisa's recipe. 

petitmot1

Are you attracted to beautiful objects, do you love having an elegant agenda to write your appointments in, do you feel that paper is still necessary in the age of electronic devices? Then you must visit Marianne Domec's newly renovated quaint boutique in the heart of old Vésenaz! She will open up a world of personalized stationery and custom invitations suitable to anyone, as well as a fantastic range of desk accessories.

Marianne tells us, "We are trying to create a fashionable desk: acrylic desk accessories, golden scissors, file folders in soft pastel colors, good-looking notebooks, journals, sticky notes, notepads, and pretty pens and pencils from Kate Spade. It's all about the stylish desk… no more ugly folders!"

Personalized stationery is an expression of one’s individuality and sense of style, and Un Petit Mot in Vieux-Vésenaz presents choices for those who recognize that handwritten letters and cards are an enduring gift of sentiment, and an expression of personal style whose time is definitely not past. At first, choosing personal stationery or custom invitations can seem like a daunting task: there are so many choices, where does one begin? Marianne Domec’s special talent is to guide her clients through the galaxy of options.

offtheshelf

"Hello,

I just wanted to let you know about a new direction that OffTheShelf will be taking soon.

On 31st August of this year, OffTheShelf and Payot Chantepoulet will merge and OffTheShelf will no longer exist as a separate entity - we will integrate our books and our ordering setup into Chantepoulet’s English Department. By combining our strengths in this way, OffTheShelf’s knowledge and experience with Payot’s size and infrastructure, we feel we can better serve the English book needs of Geneva.

I, Lisa, and other members of OffTheShelf’s staff will be moving there too. The idea is to recreate OffTheShelf within Chantepoulet as much as possible - the same book knowledge, the same English-speaking welcome, the same service with a smile, and the same ordering capabilities - so that hopefully our customers will continue to feel as at home with us over there as here. (We’ll even be keeping the same telephone number and e-mail address for quite a while, so you can carry on contacting us that way, and any calls or messages will come through to us automatically over there).

lacotearticlephoto 

A new exhibition showcasing the work of local female entrepreneurs and artists has just been launched in Nyon.

Taking place from 9h00 to 19h00 on Saturday, 6 September, the La Côte Women's Fair will provide visitors with the opportunity to find out more about local businesses offering products and services ranging from language tuition, personalized photos on canvas, and Swiss pearl jewelry, through to quality tea, fashion, home security, life style advice, interior decoration, and homemade chocolates and cakes.

At 11h30 and 14h30 there will be a special presentation about ikebana flower arranging by event organizer, Yoshiko Luebke.  Yoshiko told knowitall.ch,

“I am really pleased to be involved in such an exciting project, which brings together the work of so many talented women living in this region.  We have chosen the Beau Rivage Hotel as the venue for this event, as we wanted to create a friendly atmosphere where women, both English- and French-speaking, can share their work with the local community in a small, but intimate location, reputed for its high quality of service. I am also planning a conference by a language coaching specialist, and hopefully classical music to animate the day.”

brappz6

Complementary bracelet for knowitall.ch readers who order before 15 August, 2014 (see below)

Local entrepreneurs, Barbara Traulsen and Selene Folkesson, have just launched an exciting new fashion accessory, which is suitable for all ages and has appeal to both genders, no matter what the season, or time of day. Called brappz, the brightly colored cords were developed initially as a trendy alternative to bra straps, but have also been gaining popularity as stylish bracelets, anklets, cool-looking hair braids and even practical shoelaces!

The new line of silky smooth brappz straps were launched officially at the beginning of July and will be available for purchase online, as well as at local retailers including SB Sport in Gland, A Cause Des Garcons in Nyon, Boutique Ateapic in Geneva, and Sport 137 in Versoix.  While the standard size will be available in 14 different colors, there will also be an extra large size, ideal for shoelaces, cross back bras and halter tops, available in 5 colors of their own.