Home Help: A boeremeisie makes a plan

01 September 2014 - 02:00 By TJ Strydom
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REAL SIMPLE: Suzelle shows you how to save time in 'How to peel a lot of apples'
REAL SIMPLE: Suzelle shows you how to save time in 'How to peel a lot of apples'

Watching her is a bit like peeping at a younger version of my mother.

Suzelle is a boeremeisie who uses power tools to peel apples. She's a problem-solver, she knows her way around the kitchen and she is as sexy as an Afrikaans accent could ever allow anyone to be. Her series of parody webisodes - Suzelle DIY - will be the biggest thing this spring.

In less than two minutes she shows you how to whip up a batch of bobotie in a pumpkin. That's a skill you need if you want to be the retro-chic woman who impresses the hell out of a mother-in-law.

Leftover meat? Bake a "braai pie".

Worried about changing a plug? Suzelle will show you how not to electrocute yourself.

From showing you how to curl your hair for a good hair day to zenning your decor with a homemade terrarium, she knows how to do it herself.

"I love to read DIY books, and I have a lot of craft magazines. I cut out the ideas that I like and put them in a flip file. I watch other DIY videos on the internet and make up some ideas myself."

Apart from DIY, she collects animal ornaments. These go well with the leopard-print leggings she sometimes wears in the kitchen.

"My fashion icon is Charlize. She always looks so glamorous on the red carpets."

Suzelle dresses conservatively for a 31-year-old. Maybe that's why she is single.

"I don't have a boyfriend at the moment, but I do have an eye on someone. He is quite famous." More than that she won't reveal.

But you get the idea that Suzelle is a bit lonely. She often talks about her best friend, Marianne, who is present at every shoot. She sometimes holds the light and organises the props table. Marianne is the shy one and doesn't really like to be in front of the camera as much as Suzelle does.

"I always dreamed of hosting my own show. When Hennie, my neighbour, showed me how YouTube worked, I saw my dream could become a reality. I thought of a DIY show because I'm very creative and I like to help people and make new friends."

Hennie is the cameraman and editor of the Suzelle DIY videos. "He's very good at computers. We only shoot on the weekends because Hennie goes to school."

 She likes the "How to peel a lot of apples" video they made.

 "It was a lot of fun to peel the apples like that. The video got a lot of hits. That means lots of people have watched it."

 And she has dreams.

 "Somerset West is my home, but I do hope I will be invited to Johannesburg or Durban one day. I have always wanted to see Sandton City."

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