clockwise from top left: “after lunch colours”; “sewing day, colours du jour“; beautiful balmoral beach; our first harvest.

The weather in Sydney is glorious right now – sunny blue skies, beautiful sea breezes… summer is definitely on its way. Being the homebody that I am, I’ve been mostly enjoying the weather from the comfort of my home. I’m growing organic vegies and herbs in our little backyard (above is evidence of our first tiny harvest! Three radishes, they were delicious, I can’t wait for more), and on the front porch I have created a little retreat from the sun, complete with comfy cushions and bamboo blinds. Below is a glimpse of the backyard and the front porch…

I’m finally getting the house organised, it’s taken a lot longer than I had planned, but it’s coming together so nicely, I’m eager to show you the spaces I’ve been creating.

Meanwhile, I’m going to be sending out the first batch of books at the end of this week, so if you’d like to receive My Heart Wanders, or Paris: Made by Hand, or Amsterdam:Made by Hand (or all three), signed and wrapped and delivered to your front door by the end of this month, then place your order now so I can include you with this first batch.  Thank you for the wonderful orders so far, I’m so looking forward to signing the books with your names and sending them off around the world – a little piece of my heart will be wandering off with each parcel.

Spring is already in the air. Jasmine is also in bloom and the sweet scent is heavenly.

what: tea cup & saucer where: revolver cafe, annandale why: delicious tea.

a delicious little cake with rose petals &  blueberries from black star pastry

If you missed the official book launch at Ariel in Sydney last Friday, there are a few more events coming up during the last couple of weeks of May, I hope you can come along. This Sunday May 15, there will be a french-inspired high tea author interview, organised by Books and Nooks. It will be at Velluto, in Potts Point. From what I know, it’s already sold out, but if you want to come along, it might be worth giving Books and Nooks a call anyway, they may be able to make room for one or two more.

On May 21st, I am going to get creative in Stef’s window display area at her gorgeous store, newspaper taxi. Stef and I have been busy thinking up some great ideas for the day, it’s going to be so much fun being surrounded by creative people in such a beautiful boutique, sipping sparkling wine, chatting about all the things we love, and nibbling on some of the most delicious treats from neighbouring cafe Black Star Pastry…

please feel free to print this invitation out, give to your friends, or post it on your blog. x

Tickets cost $5.00 which puts you in the draw to win a fab lucky door prize with handmade goodies from newspaper taxi. But if you pre-order My Heart Wanders through newspaper taxi (I will sign it for you on the day), then you can come along to the event for free! But please RSVP sooner rather than later as places will be limited…

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When:
Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 4pm
Where:
Newspaper Taxi, 247 Australia Street, Newtown
Tickets:
$5.00 per person or pre-order My Heart Wanders now online and get in for free
RSVP:
Stefanie on 0421 981 182 or info@newspapertaxi.com.au

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I have something rather magical in mind for the window which I will work on with Stef in the lead up to the day, and then it will be revealed at 4pm on Saturday, May 21st. Oh I do hope to see you there!

xx

PS For those who live on the Northern Beaches, Jayde from Little Paper Lane in Mona Vale is hosting a similar event on May 28th, which I will tell you more about in a few days time.
PPS word is that My Heart Wanders will be released in Europe on June 6th, yay!

Over the next few weeks I’ll be creating some special window displays in bookstores and boutiques across the city, in celebration of the release of My Heart Wanders. I’m thrilled that these gorgeous stores have all been so enthusiastic about the idea of a ‘wandering window display’, inviting me to come and play in their windows. While in Melbourne last weekend I created two window displays which I’ll show photos of soon, but seeing them in real life is always better, so if you live in Melbourne, please head to Coventry Bookstore in South Melbourne, and Avenue Bookstore in Albert Park.  If you live in Sydney, please keep your eyes on the shop windows you see here in this post, and in a couple of weeks time (when I catch my breath!) I’ll show you lots of photos of the making of each display…

Thank you Shearer’s for making My Heart Wanders one of your books of the month!

Also I have added more events to the blog sidebar on the right, including one at newspaper taxi in newtown, one at little paper lane in mona vale, and a special event at Velluto’s – all of which are guaranteed to be lots of fun, I do hope you can join us. Please click on the links for more details.

I have two windows to create tomorrow (hmm, which ones do you think? I’ll reveal locations on twitter as well as snapshots as I work), so I will have to keep this post short & sweet. I will try not to keep you in suspense of how my book launch went on Friday night, as well as the fabulous fun I had in Melbourne over the weekend, for too long. But I will be off to Brisbane on Thursday to help Kylie finish the prep for Saturday’s launch, so I will most likely not get to show + tell you all the details of all the events until next week. I hope you can wait ’til then.

A huge thank you to everyone who has been coming out to say hi, joining in the fun to help celebrate the release of My Heart Wanders here in Australia. It’s a wonderful welcome back to my home land, I couldn’t have wanted for more – you are beautiful,  merci beaucoup mes amis.

xx