from field guided: “heart shaped leaves on this plant as the result of lack of light. Thanks for the information, Plant Journal” {instagram username @fieldguided}

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Remember the old my heart wanders days, when we used to look for subtle hearts in unexpected places and share the images with each other? That was way before I embarked on the big adventure of writing and publishing  the book, and way way before I became a first-time mum (still blows my mind).

Well, the other day I decided to relaunch the original my heart wanders “collective” on instagram and I’m really glad I did -  since then we’ve collected over 150 images from around the world, and I wanted to share a few of those with you here today. I’ve also included blog links and instagram usernames so you can follow these fab fellow instagrammers. And if you’d like to see more, check out the growing collection here, and if you’d like to join in, add this tag to your instagram photo: #myheartwanders . Enjoy…

from me: “this afternoon I took Laly for a stroll in the sling to help settle her and I found this on our path, it made me smile & remember to take a moment to breath life in. #myheartwanders Tag your wandering hearts xx” {instagram username @piajanebijkerk}

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from nanette at rummage: “THERE ARE LOVE HEART TREES HERE IN BYRON! The girls keep finding these leaves on our travels.” {instagram username @nanettelf}

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from the lovely one claire day, featuring her daughter Lalie {instagram username @oneclaireday}

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on the left, from ingrid : “whilst exploring today, do you see what I see?” {instagram username @inkalaimages} & on the right,  from Kylie at paper boat press:  “my mums collection of heart shaped rocks in the garden of our rock house in the bush… where my heart has wandered this weekend @piajanebijkerk #myheartwanders quite divine me thinks dear friend… “{instragram username: @paperboatpress}

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on the left from azuree wiitala at xo, azuree:  “Heart splatter. #myheartwanders #ubiquitoushearts” {instagram username: @xoazuree} & on the right from lori moon studio: “found heart.” {instagram username: @lorimoonstudio}

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on the left from  pip wright: “I found a heart-shaped island of snow” {instagram username: @thehouseofpip} & on the right from marte marie: “My little heart found in an old drawer in Milano” {instagram username: @marte_marie_forsberg}

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from her library adventures: “sunday evening… under the maple tree, reading pia jane bijkerk’s my heart wanders, gathering fabric samples and drinking lady grey tea…” {instagram username: @herlibraryadventures}

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on the left, from loved handmade: “morning shadows” {instagram username: @lovedhandmade} & on the right, from mollys maison: “homemade kiss biscuit” {instagram username: @mollysmaison}

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and one more from me: “a little corner of my home with handmade heart many thanks to mady dooijes sweet children”

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instagram photo by sweet Caroline

“My little reader… I first saw this park on a page of Pia Jane Bijkerk’s, My Heart Wanders. The pink flowers, the book benches… I showed it to Clara and we dreamt of finding it, like a secret garden. With a little help from google and my bike riding parisian super boyfriend, we found it… And at the most perfect time, when there were still flowers on the trees, and petals on the ground like pink snow. “oh Maman, c’est le jardin du beau livre!”….”

“oh mom, it is the garden in that beautiful book!”

Finding this little story and image made my heart soar. Thank you sweet Caroline & Clara.

xx

PS Caroline has a fabulous blog with incredible images, one to add to your regular reading for sure.

I’ve been so looking forward to sharing this news: My Heart Wanders will (finally!) (and officially!) be hitting US shores this coming month, and will be distributed by the lovely IPG books. For those of you who have been waiting so patiently to be able to buy the book locally, the wait is over…

If you own a shop in the United States and would like to sell My Heart Wanders in your store, please contact IPG books directly, for order placement you can call (800) 888 4741.

Above are a few sneak peeks at some of the visual spreads you’ll find inside the book. And here is a bit more info about what you’ll discover between the pages…

This book also tells the story of how Romain and I met, it’s a romantic tale that is even more poignant now that our baby girl is in the world. It’s a book that I hope one day she will cherish too…

For more info, you can check it out here and here, and if you would like to see some of the window displays I created in Sydney last year in celebration of the release of the book, please click here.
Exciting times!

xx

PS 7 week update: I love being a mum.

Wow, November went by quick didn’t it? My November online book boutique is about to close its doors – there are only 2 days left to order your personally signed copy of My Heart Wanders, Amsterdam: Made by Hand, and Paris: Made by Hand (or all three)…

It’s been fun signing books, wrapping them and sending them off to interesting destinations around the world. Thank you to everyone who has ordered so far. Some people have asked if I will extend the opening of the store but the answer is a very certain ‘no can do’ as I’m now nearly 8 months pregnant so my attention over the next 6 months will be focused on bringing our first bub into the world. That means now is the time to place your orders! I won’t be doing any public events or signings for the coming months. Click on the image below to be taken directly to the boutique…

note: I will be closing the boutique on Thursday December 1st so that North American readers have until their November 30, end of Wednesday, to order.  px

PS keep in mind I will ship ANYWHERE in the world – if your country is not on the shipping list just pick the country nearest you, then when ordering you type in your shipping address with correct country. (I just couldn’t type every country in the shipping, it would have taken me days.) If you are unsure, just email me your shipping address and book request and I will email you an invoice.

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.