It’s beautiful riding around this city on my bike feeling the chilly breeze against my face, leaves falling all around like it’s raining gold.

I thought it about time I tell you what I’ve been up to for the last 5 months. Have you been wondering? Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t, but I’ll tell you anyway…

I’m writing my second book. It’s the next  Made by Hand book and yes, it’s Amsterdam. I’m still working on it and at the moment I’m writing and editing images. Autumn is the perfect time to be writing – being tucked up inside mon petit bateau as the weather turns cold and damp.  Inside here it’s super cosy, and I spend my days making cups of tea and writing about the ateliers and boutiques I’ve chosen for the book. It sounds romantic no doubt, but of course there is alot happening behind-the-scenes. Writing books is intense work. But, the wonderful parts override the hard parts, and one of the best parts of this job is the excitement of discovering these special places and being able to share them with you. One of the difficult parts is keeping them secret for so long! But that will make the book unique and special which is always my goal. So, until I finish I may be a bit sporadic with my posts but oh, I really hope you’re gonna love what I am creating…

Amsterdam: Made by Hand will be released worldwide in April, 2010 by The Little Bookroom.

As most of you already know, House of Orange is the styling agency that represents me as a stylist. Today I’m excited to tell you that they have just launched a new website, and there are heaps of new images from all the stylists and photographers.  I love the way they’ve created a collage/moodboard which changes each time you click on one of the links.  There are some new images in my portfolio too, if you like you can check them out by clicking here.

… ta-dah!!!

A special window dressing at the Parisian English bookshop, WHSmith! The window will be up for the whole month of August, in celebration of my book Paris: Made By Hand…

The bookstore is on the corner of the very famous rue de rivoli and rue cambon – right across the road from the gorgeous jardin des tuileries and a short stroll to le louvre.

Do you like it? Oh, oh, I do hope so. I wanted it to be something really special. It was alot of work, alot of fun, and I was able to document parts of the ‘making of’ for you as I know how much you love to see the behind-the-scenes. I am going to show and tell all in the next post. For now, here is my window creation! If you are in Paris, please do stop by to check it out in person…

So, the idea was to make some photographs displaying the kids clothes that were to be donated. The photographer Hans, fashion stylist Sabine, and I sat down to brainstorm some ideas about what we could make. We came up with an idea of creating a mini set with children giving away their clothes in bundles, like little gifts. We decided to use African fabric as a backdrop, and to make some fun creatures and objects out of the clothes. Then we thought it might be nice to have the kids draw something for the African children, and we would somehow incorporate the drawing into their photo and make little postcard-like images. Hans later added a polaroid look to the images…

Off to work I went, trying to think up how I could make creatures out of clothes without damaging the clothes at all. Tricky huh! I decided to start with some simple ball shapes – I made piles of clothes and then began to wrap them up tightly into balls with thick, colorful cotton thread. I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped until I was happy with the shape and size of each ball.

Then I got a bit more creative. I made a big bunny of sorts by stuffing left over wadding I had in my cupboard into little pants to make floppy ears. Then I made a head by putting the wadding into a stripey t-shirt and wrapping the thick thread around the base and top. I attached the floppy ear shapes to the head by binding the ends tightly together. I added a little white fabric flower to the head to make it ‘pretty’. I made the rest of the body the same way and soon, I had a funny looking bunny creature that I was rather fond of…

…it turned out to be a rather windy day when we were on set (which was the ijburg beach), but lots of fun. Hans and Sabine had rounded up friends with kids so we had lots who were willing to get in front of the camera and strut their stuff! I love working with kids – they are so natural and perfect in every way – no matter what they do, where they look or how they sit, they’re always gorgeous.

In the end I made all sorts of things like balls, flags, bunnies and I even grabbed a windsurf board from the local surf school and wrapped the clothes and thread around it! The boys loved that one.

After the kids had their photo taken we gave them a piece of paper and coloured markers and they sat down and made a drawing. Here is a little poster of all the images together…

I really like the images as little promo cards. I hope they come in handy for Orange Babies, and I hope the children in Africa get all those fab clothes soon. I even saw some tiny white KLM slippers that were donated! So sweet. And tiny flip flops too. Oh, playing with all those baby clothes did make me a wee bit clucky, but what’s new.

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all photographs by hans van brakel for orange babies.

This is a new book from The Little Bookroom that was also released a couple of weeks ago. It’s called The Flea Markets of France and is a great guide for finding fabulous brocantes around the country. I was asked to create the cover! That’s my handiwork you see above. I collected things that I had bought at brocantes, and lay them out on an old pretty map of France. The fab book design team at The Little Bookroom made the label for the title. What do you think?

In more exciting news, both my book Paris: Made By Hand and this one, The Flea Markets of France were featured in the latest issue of British House & Garden magazine, with special mention about the covers!

The article reads “The covers of most travel guides are predictably pedestrian…so when you come across jackets as charmingly whimisical as those of Paris: Made By Hand and The Flea Markets of France, you foresee something different, more personal, within them.”

I’m chuffed to bits…

I’m all a fluster with the book being released so quickly! I thought I had another month up my sleeve and I was going to plan this whole lovely slow launch of the book.

You know, what the professionals do.

But alas, I am but a newbie at this book release thing so together, we will just have to go with this crazy flow…

I want to thank each of you for your incredible comments on my first posting about the book. I’m so glad to hear you have all ordered your copies, what a thrill. Please tell all your friends and family, and even when you are walking in the street, don’t hesitate to just tell the stranger next to you! Who knows, that stranger may be a Paris/handmade/boutique aficionado for all we know and say “wow, I’ve been waiting for a book like that my whole life!” wouldn’t that be great?

I also want to thank those of you who have already blogged about the book – wow! You guys are fast as speed lightning! I had planned to get a little blog photo package together for each of you but many of you have beaten me to it.

If however you would like to blog about my book some more, please let me know and I’d be delighted to send you a couple of sneak-peek photos from the book and whatever extra information you might like to know.

Some of you may have noticed I’ve just created a blog page about the book via the little book button in the right side bar (as seen above). Please click on that button (or here) to read more about the book.

I’ll be back next week with OH SO MUCH MORE.

Thank you again, and please have a wonderful weekend mes chers amis!

xx

PS Yay!!!

So here it is, the full spread from my last shoot with Maria magazine. And I am very sad to say it will be our last shoot with the magazine as it recently announced that it will no longer be published, like so many others. I loved working with Yvette (recipe writer + food stylist) and Jeroen (photographer), and I would really like to keep working with them as we make a great team. So, if anyone out there needs a fab food production team, please email me. Yvette and I have a number of awesome stories suitable for international publication that we are itching to produce, and if you’d like to see our previous work please click here, here, here and here.

This shoot, as Yvette mentioned in her post in the (blog)house kitchen, was shot at her mother’s beautiful home. I had just arrived back from sunny Sydney and had developed an horrific flu. I was barely able to walk, it was the middle of winter here, and I needed to create a Springy atmosphere! in the freezing cold! The pressure was on… but I made it through the day! with thanks to Yvette and Ms. v. Boven helping me through with plenty of hot cups of herbal tea while I stood outside with Jeroen “creating Spring”. By the end of the day I flopped onto the couch while Yvette and her mum cleaned up. I felt so guilty for not helping! But I was in no shape to do so and they wouldn’t let me. Bless their little cotton socks!

Here is what we produced, I do hope you like…

I will tell you more about the menu and the story of the shoot next week, with some behind the scenes.
For now, I give you these, and two of the recipes in English, posted in the (blog)house kitchen with many thanks to Yvette.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I am going to indulge in a computer-free weekend myself, which I will be sure to tell you all about next week. I will also be gorging on chocolate, but what’s new! Lately it’s with no thanks to Green & Black’s making the most delicious easter eggs ever.

See you back here on Tuesday, mes chers amis!

xx

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Lente Ladies Lunch courtesy of Maria magazine.
photographs by Jeroen van der Spek.
food styling and recipes by Yvette van Boven.
styling by Pia Jane Bijkerk.

One morning over breakfast late last year, I suggested to French Boy that I’d like to renovate the (blog)house. With his usual enthusiasm for my inevitably painstaking & arduous projects, he raised an eyebrow, smiled and shouted in his beautiful accent, “let’s do it!!!”

Many weekends, late nights and long days later (is it normal for a couple to spend ridiculous amounts of hours on a computer rather than do like, other stuff?!), here we are, standing at the freshly painted front door, ready to cut the ribbon and cross the threshold. I’m so excited!

Today’s post is a little impromptu housewarming invitation for each of you.

Please take a glass of bubbly or your favourite celebratory beverage, and enjoy a stroll through the newly improved (blog)house at your leisure. Click on things and see where they take you. Stay as long as you like and visit as often as you like, I adore your company and wanted to give you even more reasons to stop by.

And I really wanted to keep. it. simple. as I know many of you have expressed to me that you like the (blog)house for it’s simplicity and calmness. So you’ll notice it’s really not that different to before, just easier to navigate to your favourite categories, with a few personal touches added because well, you know I can’t help but doodle all over a nice clean white page!

Shall I give you a little tour?

Okay, well first up you’ll notice the tabs at the top of the page. Each room in the (blog)house is easy to access from there. You can also access these rooms by clicking on the little home in the right side bar.

The sound studio, library, kitchen and the guest quarters will now be active blogs! I will be quietly reviewing the books I read in the library, while the sound studio will be filled with my new musical compositions, music inspirations and soundscapes. And each month or so I will feature new guests in both the kitchen and guest quarters – each week they will post something special just for you. My kitchen guest is already cooking up a storm – I am so happy to welcome my dear friend & food stylist Yvette van Boven! Go and see what she is up to in there if you can’t already smell the delicious aromas. My new guest in the guest quarters will be arriving first thing in the morning. I can’t wait!

my mystery guest is on her way! this is your only clue.

I have created a separate page for my very special blogroll so that I can add more and more of my favourite blogs to the list. And here on the main page you’ll notice an ‘in the spotlight’ section in the right side bar where I will feature blogs each week that I just can’t get enough of. Take a look at who is in the spotlight this week!

Now what else can I tell you. Oh yes, I’ve been gathering some stella post subjects over the past months, saving them for this new improved backdrop, and I’m so pleased to be able to share them all with you now. So watch this space in coming weeks, you will not want to miss a thing! Or better still, subscribe. And please tell ALL your friends to come by too, everyone and anyone is welcome here at the (blog)house, the more the merrier.

Thank you everyone, for your enthusiasm and support in my creative endeavours. I do hope you are happy here and please let me know if you notice any flaws or if there are things you find don’t work – there will no doubt be a few creases to iron out and I would absolutely love your feedback.

And I’d just like to take this opportunity to shout out a very special thank you to French Boy. He has been an integral part in helping to create what I envisioned for the (blog)house, having the incredible talent to be able to talk to computers in their own language. So merci beaucoup mon amour, for all your hard work and dedication.

Okay that’s it, I’ll let you wander around, and i’ll be back here in the morning to introduce you to our new guest.

xx

how divine is that wooden board I borrowed from Julie and Odette’s antique store! Can I be in love with a piece of wood? ’cause I am.

For this shoot we set up camp in Yvette’s gorgeous lounge room. The light from her windows is rather glorious, and she had a lovely buffet table that I wanted to use. You can see I have claimed most of the space for my props (oops). Below is photographer Jeroen capturing the pineapple turnover cake which is basked in beautiful natural light…

…oh yeah and that’s me ironing! With a smile on my face of course. I’m smoothing out a tablecloth for the next shot while Yvette is busy in the kitchen, cooking up a storm…

And do you remember for the last behind the scenes post, we had a little helper named Marie. So where is she for this shoot? we called out to her many times but she was no where to be seen. Finally, we found her…

She refused to help! Obviously snuggling up was more what she has in mind for the day. But she soon realised we were having fun without her out in the lounge room so she came to join us in the end.

can you see marie snuggled up on her bed by the window? perhaps she is dreaming about treehouses…

And here are some snaps of my props laying about the place. In the basket are some pineapples that I decided I needed as props so I walked down to the grocery store with my shopping basket and bought some…

choices choices, what will I decide to use in the end…

Toward the end of the day we packed up and went over to our other location which was the house of Yvette’s friend Karlein, and with daughter’s Luna and Madelief we baked up some evening treats…

It was a super long day but super fun as always!

So here is Yvette, Jeroen and my food story for the 4th issue of Maria magazine (see the spreads for issue 1, 2 & 3 here, here and here).

Yvette’s idea for this shoot was to create a winter buffet as a housewarming present for some friends who have just moved into a new home here in Holland and are a very busy working couple with two gorgeous girls names Luna and Madelief. We initially moodboarded a golden yellow palette, with warm brown tones, soft whites, and a touch of bottle green. It was a beautiful palette and as it happens sometimes, when I started propping something else came forth… I found a gorgeous old wooden board at my favourite antique boutique that I wanted to use as a backdrop to the buffet table and the colour of the board was this incredible soft turquoise. I just fell in love with it and so Yvette and i decided this would be our main inspiration (this sounds like we decided all this over a series of meetings over a series of days – but it was a series of phone calls over a series of minutes that started with me speed-talking something along the lines of…”oh my god i’ve found the most beautiful piece for our story but its not the right colour but i want to use it anyway i think it will look fabulous and i have this incredible fabric that will compliment it beautifully and so what do you think?!?!? her answer was something along the lines of “you go girl!!”).

On I continued, wandering around Amsterdam collecting props with a skip in my step from finding this maginficent piece of art to use as my inspiration palette. So, along with the above photograph, here it what we created…

… a buffet setting that is rustic and wintry but warm, carefree & inviting. This is a double page spread in the magazine (it’s ALWAYS best to see the images in print as they are much bigger, so if you live in The Netherlands, check out the latest issue of Maria to see the whole story and have all the recipes)…

white winter vegetable soup with brown butter and cashewnuts

portobello pizza

almond apple muffins – aren’t those little apples cute? the girls loved making and eating these!

pineapple and coconut upside down cake.. which we ate for dessert than night for dinner and it was scrumptious.

and here is Yvette cooking with Luna and Madelief.

Do you remember the sneak peek collection of props I showed you last month? Well now you can see what I created with them. The lovely props come from Juffrouw Splinter and my own props cupboards, with special thanks to Julie Arphi for lending me her gorgeous artwork for the day.

photograph credits…

magazine: maria
food and production: yvette van boven
photographer: jeroen van der spek
stylist: me

xx

Happy weekend everyone! Tonight French Boy and I are off to see Emiliana Torrini at the Paradiso and I can’t wait. I’ll see you fresh and energised on Monday, with another truckload of posts for the week which I hope will both inspire and delight. until then!