As many of you are aware, My Heart Wanders won’t officially be available in North America until April of next year. Over the last few months I’ve taken note of the collective dismay expressed by those living in North America not able to get a copy for themselves or their friends and family for Christmas. So it got me thinking, what can I do?

Well, in between bouts of nausea and back pain (but oh to also now feel little feet and hands kicking and wriggling inside my growing belly – it’s so strange and beautiful) over the last few weeks I’ve been quietly working on creating a little “November only” online book boutique – a place where you can buy not just My Heart Wanders, but also Paris: Made by Hand and Amsterdam: Made by Hand, no matter where you are in the world.  To make it extra special, I will be signing each book with a personal message and dedication, so that your copy will be one of a kind.

The November book boutique will, as the title suggests, only be available for the month of November so that I can get all orders shipped out and to your door by mid December. And although due to the weight of the books the shipping seems expensive, it’s important to note that knowing my current situation,  I won’t be able to travel to book events, workshops or signings for quite a while, so this will be the only chance to get hold of your own personally signed copy of the book…

If you don’t see your country of residence in the shipping section, do not fret – I was not able to select regions (i.e. Scandinavia, Europe, North America, Africa, Asia etc) so instead I chose a few countries in each region -  you can pick the country closest to you as that will be the same shipping cost, or if you don’t see a country near enough to you then just email me your country and what you’d like to purchase and I’ll email you a paypal invoice tailored specific to your needs. (Australians please note: There is a great inexpensive flat rate for books sent within Australia – $5 for either Made by Hand books, $12 for My Heart Wanders , or $18 for all three).

I made the boutique very simple, specifically for buying one copy of each. However, if you want something more,  for example, 2 or 3 copies of My Heart Wanders with 3 different dedicated signatures, then email me your order request, I’ll get the shipping quote for you and will email you a paypal invoice specific to your needs.

So without further ado, let me welcome you to my November online book boutique! Please click here to browse the boutique at your leisure…

I do hope you like this idea, and that you’ll make room for a book or two on your Christmas list.

xx

Extra notes:

+All prices are in Australian dollars.
+Limited copies available, so please get in earlier rather than later to ensure your signed copy.
+The last order will be taken November 30, 2011 to ensure deliver by mid-December.
+Please click here to send me an email for special requests.

Dear Amanda just announced on her blog that a few of her beautiful polaroids have been featured in a gorgeous book in Korea called “Polaroid Day“. And I’m a bit thrilled to see that one of the polaroids chosen from her extensive collection feature my very first book as a prop. Super cute!

This looks like a gorgeous little bound treat for polaroid lovers & photography enthusiasts. You can read more about the book on Amanda’s blog,  mockingbird.

A few months ago, friend and photographer Alan Jensen stopped by to snap some pretty pics of my floating home for Spaces, a fabulous mook by frankie mag. Yesterday, the mook arrived in the mail and I have to tell you, it is gorgeous. If you love peeking inside people’s creative spaces and private homes around the world, then you will adore this 256 page publication. Me and my home are featured on page 194-199, nestled in between illustrator Anja Mulder’s super cute Groningen apartment, and interior designers John Loeke & Jason Oliver Nixon’s charming Hobart, New York home. You can buy a copy online here, or find it in your local store (australia state & worldwide stockists list here). For Amsterdammers, Spaces is sold at Restored which is one of the lovely handmade boutiques/ateliers featured in Amsterdam: Made by Hand.

Thank you frankie for wanting me to be part of your fab mook, and thank you Al for taking great, summery photographs of my home.

xx

…is a beautiful, self-published photographic book which I recently discovered on blurb. Click here to read about it, and here to preview the book.

It’s Tuesday afternoon, the sun is appearing from out behind wispy clouds, and I’m sitting at my dining table with a cup of tea, flicking through Yvette’s new and incredibly inspiring cookbook Homemade, remembering the fun of Thursday night’s private book launch at Foam. Oh what a night! And oh, what a book. It now takes pride of place in my home…

Would you like to take a little peak inside Homemade with me? I’ll pour you a cup of tea while you peruse it’s pages…

that little vessel on the left page is a gift I brought back with me from Australia at the beginning of this year for Yvette – it’s a sam robinson piece, and I’m thrilled to see yvette has used it as a prop in homemade! super leuk.

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I don’t know what I love more – the paper cut out chapter openers, the how-to sections, the personal stories and funny anecdotes peppered throughout the book, the photography (which will knock your socks off), the menu suggestions and “don’t forget the dog” section toward the end of the book, Yvette’s own handmade font, the unique and incredibly delicious recipes, the drawings,… the list goes on.  Yvette has created a seriously unique cook- & DIY book, with over 200 recipes and ideas for home cooking, and I have no doubt it is going to be a great success, it’s truly beautiful…

here is friend Floris who makes the best patés and terrines ever, he has his own shop here in Amsterdam, I’ll take you there one day soon!

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As far as the recipes go, what should I try first?  The lentil, apple & coriander salad (sounds like the perfect lunch to me!), oven baked rissotto with sausage and paprika, zucchini cakes with basil cream, camembert & apricot jam toasted sandwiches, hang op… just to name a few,  it’s all so gooood.  The book is only in Dutch at this stage,  but I’m hoping it will be translated into English soon, I’ll keep you posted about that.

Now, let me tell you about the book launch party last Thursday night! Foam Café was filled to the brim with press, publishers, Yvette’s close friends and family, and the very lovely and very famous French chef, Stéphane Reynaud.  Yvette presented the first copy of her book to Stéphane as he has been a great inspiration to her. I was terribly nervous for her when she was standing up there in front of all those people, I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest and into my wine glass. But she was amazing, and didn’t look one bit nervous while she addressed everyone and asked Stéphane to sign her book.  I was able to snap some fun photos of the presentation, would you like to see?

Yvette’s publisher Fontaine Uitgevers is also the publisher of the Dutch version of Stéphane’s new book 365 , which the first copy was presented to him along with Yvette’s book. And I was also pleased to find out from Stéphane that my publisher (that be Murdoch books) is publishing the English version of 365, and it will launch in Australia this coming month, yeah! I had a great long chat with Stéphane, it was the first time I’d met him, he’s super nice. We had lots to talk about, he is really looking forward to visiting Australia this coming month – he loves the place, and loves the food! I was thrilled to hear and see his enthusiasm for Australian fare.

here is yvette at the signing table, signing away like a champ!

So there you go, that was last week’s fun. Ah but wait, there’s more! We had a very special house guest this weekend, perhaps you recall her pretty face from here, here, here and here…

Yes, it’s marie! Yvette had a huge catering job to attend to over the weekend and asked if we’d babysit, of course we said yes. Marie was so well-behaved and completely charming. We did lots of things together – we had afternoon naps together on the couch, we went for walks, and on Sunday morning when she heard Romain get out of bed she jumped off the couch, ran into the bedroom with tail wagging furiously and right up into the bed to say good morning, giving us both lots of kisses and cuddles. On Sunday it was raining all day and we soon realised she had no intention of getting out there in the rain, instead she spent the entire day on the couch, and I spent the day looking over at her, snapping photos of her various couch surfing positions, check her out…

Classic! I miss her already. And did someone just say she can’t get any cuter? Umm, well, take a look at this…

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To find out more about Yvette van Boven’s new cookbook Homemade, click here.

All photography in Homemade by Oof Verschuren.

PS marie sat on that cushion while Yvette styled the biscuits all around her, and then posed for the camera! I remember Yvette & Oof showing me the pic when they took it, she is the ultimate photo-friendly pup, gotta love her.