jurianne matter

my DIY-free downloadable designs at Bloesem

2012-02-13T07:08:00.000+01:00

Over the years I learned to say NO to people. But there's a few very special people I cannot refuse anything and one of them is Irene from Bloesem blogs.
So, although my to-do-list is overflowing at the moment, I saw myself writing 'YES of course!' when she asked me if had some nice Valentine's DIY download stuff for her blog.

I designed a double sided a5 card with a matching gift wrap.
According to my 3 musketeers here the designs are 'men-proof' (no pink, not too girlie). So females can send it to their male-Valentines, they will love it!

It 's less than a few minutes work: go to Bloesem - download and print the pdf's (thick a4 paper for the card, thin for the wrapping paper), fold the card, write some sweet words in the heart, cut the heart on the dashed lines and fold it open a little.

Happy Valentine's Day!

ceramics class - jar

2012-02-03T16:03:00.000+01:00

Isn't this a beautiful new place to stay for the small pieces of coloured glass I found in our river in France? I melted them in the lid of the new ceramic jar I made in class and I am so happy with it! I actually mixed them with a few coloured glass beads my mom kept from my childhood.

Sweet memories in a new piece of work!

It is striking: there is the retro touch again! Can't seem to get rid of it. And should I? My roots are in the seventies, feels like home...

spring 2 years ago

2012-01-21T16:30:00.000+01:00

That's funny, I just stumbled apon a photo of my own living room on Pinterest! The source was rather strange (a website about cosmetics? huh?)...

The photo originally comes from a series of pictures I took as a part of a feature on Bloesem blogs two years ago. To keep it exclusive for Bloesem I never posted any of the photo's on my own blog. But I think it is ok by now to show some of them.

A lot of the decoration has changed, the basis is the same. My house is so small that there are only a few options for the sofa, the table and the cupboard...

one of a kind - iPhone case

2012-01-20T16:05:00.000+01:00

When I blogged about the Leese Design iPhone cases (see blogpost here) last month I hoped my husband would read it. In the post I wrote that I would like to have a black one for my birthday ;-)
Well, he read it and made this small wish come true (thanks honey!), together with my dear, dear, talented friend Bjørke, she made the beautiful embroidery specially for me. How cool is that?

Don't you think it looks gorgeous: the graphic tree, the lovely birdies, the great pastels in the black background...aaaahhhh!

Thanks B (who is in Berlin at the moment), you are so sweet!

ps1: Just found a cross-stitch case in NL online at Lux Case
ps2: You can find other beautiful handmade stuff by Bjørke in her shop Bybjor!

fase 1 - vase 1

2012-01-14T13:59:00.000+01:00

No, this is not my latest find from the thrift store! This vase is actually handmade by me in ceramics class and is one of my first pieces ever.
It looks very mid-century modern, it must be the shape, the colours and of course the shellac technique.

Shellac is a natural varnish that has been used by man for ages. You 'paint' with shellac on dry clay. Your 'shellac design' will resist on your object. After you have washed away a layer of clay with a sponge, the shellac parts will pop-out. The non-varnished parts get a real nice sturdy surface, a concrete look. The shellac itself burns out in the firing.

Just imagine, this is one of thousands of ceramic techniques to be explored. I am dreaming of a sabbatical...

breekwater

2012-01-08T12:19:00.001+01:00

It was rather silent on Guusje's blog for a long time. She told me she was 'busy behind the scenes'... What did she mean by that, what was she up to?
On the 19th of December she opened the curtains and reveiled a collection of wonderful wallpapers in her brandnew shop called Breekwater!
Well Guusje, I understand your blog-silence, you have been Working with a capital W! Congratulations and good luck with your new company!

By the way: the tree pattern wallpaper is my absolute favorite...

merry christmas

2011-12-25T10:24:00.000+01:00

Have some wonderful days with your loved ones! My special thoughts are with the people that were entered for the Giveaway-give away, but were not drawn by my sons. I wish you all the light and warmth you need this winter!

my Rijksmuseum angels

2011-12-22T17:12:00.002+01:00

Oh, I am so sorry...my wholesale business took so much of my energy these last weeks I completely forgot to tell you about a new series of angels I designed for the museumshop of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The angels are inspired by the lovely dutcher-than-dutch painting by Hendrick Avercamp called Winter Landscape with Skaters. He painted it in 1608. I didn't want to just copy and paste the painting into my angels, so I translated Hendrick's 'language' into my own Jurianne-style.

It is so good for me - it inspires me big time - to work on projects like this. It shows me new colours, new feels, new styles...

If you want to buy some before Christmas - you still have a couple of days - they are for sale at the Museumshop and at the & Klevering stores in Amsterdam for € 6,95 per set.

make & shop - holiday home

2011-12-04T12:30:00.001+01:00

'Simple, back to basic' is my Christmas slogan for this year.
I found some lovely, simple DIY-ornaments on the internet and - for those who even do not have time for sixty-seconds-crafts - I found a couple of Etsy shops selling warm wintery stuff...

From above left: Long sausage dog, made of knitted lambswool, from Etsy shop Messyfish. Above right a nice Martha Stewart done-in-a-second-project: pipecleaner snowflakes!

Second row: Talking about simple: these pods with white felt peas I found in Etsy shop Fairyfolk. Funny and cute 'no peeking' gift tags from Etsy shop Pixel Impress.

Below: DIY mitten-gift tags (tutorial!) designed by Neal from Present & Correct, (my fav stationery store) on Design Sponge.
And Skandinavian Deko shares this great (yes: simple!) tutorial for paper ornaments.

drawing names for the give away

2011-12-01T20:01:00.001+01:00

You are all so sweet! Many readers (about 43 up untill today) entered names of dear ones for the GIVEAWAY-GIVE AWAY. And tonight my men draw the first three names. The people concerned (that is: the senders) have received my e-mail by now. If you didn't get one, don't worry: we will pick three names every week on Thursday!
And if you want: you can still enter your friends for it untill Thursday the 22nd of December!

the 'giveaway-give away'

2011-11-27T12:27:00.001+01:00

Today it is the first of advent. We lit one candle at our cosy breakfast this morning and it made me think of people who could use a little light in their lives...

That's why I want to offer you a 'GIVEAWAY-GIVE AWAY'. Every week from now on untill Christmas, I will send a package of my latest designs, Shine lanterns, to 3 people of your choice.
Do you know anyone who could use some extra warmth, attention and light at the moment? Your aunt in hospital, your lovely neighbour who's always there for you, your best friend, or maybe you could need some light yourself...

How can you win the giveaway-give away?
Just send me an email with the adress of your friend and a small text, wish or greeting (not more than 20 words), which I can print on a nice tag. Please don't forget to write your name (the sender). I do not need to know your reason to send the give-away, it will not be a contest for the most pityfull story, hi, hi.
It doesn't matter if the person lives somewhere else in the world. It's my Christmas treat!
Every Thursday-afternoon one of my sons will pick three names. The rest will go back in the basket to have another chance in the next round on the next Thursday.

Let 's Shine some light!

beautiful embroidery

2011-11-20T14:23:00.000+01:00

Hmmm...I'm getting in the mood for gifts - giving ánd receiving. First I found the DIY iPhone cross stitch case from the Purl Bee. And then I couldn't stop searching the net for more breathtaking embroidery. The iPhone case is high on my wishlist. I know my husband Peter reads my blog every now and then, so this one's for you, darling: I would loooove a black one!

Left: embroidered driftwood by Ella Robinson, right: DIY iPhone cross stitch case. You can buy the case here at the Purl Bee and find the adorable tree pattern (and tutorial) here

These two lovely pieces I found on Etsy, in two different shops. Left: Sometimes I swirl and on the right: About SHE.

These little people have personality, their embroidered faces are so sweet! And it is reassuring to see that folkloristic patterns - used in a genuine way - are always 'in fashion'. I love the designs, the shop and the blog of Specks & Keepings!

one of olivier's artisans

2011-11-13T11:27:00.001+01:00

I think it must have been the surgery (the anesthesia) that I'm kind of less focused than I was before: I completely forgot to tell you about a book that was recently published by Thames & Hudson.
It's called: 'The New Artisans' and yes...I am one of them!

This book captures the new mood – a return to a preference for the unique and the handmade.Design expert and acclaimed blogger Olivier Dupon has sourced the cream ofthe contemporary design world from all over Europe, Australia and the United States, profiling 75 artisans who use craft techniques, rather than massproduction methods, to create stylish, whimsical, covetable objects. Hundreds of colour photographs feature a huge variety of crafts, including art,ceramics, furniture, glasswork, jewelry, lighting, metalwork, papercraft,textiles and woodwork.

When I got the first copy - still smelling of fresh ink and new paper - I was beaming with pride. The book is só beautifully published (hard back, thick, great layout etc) and the content is so balanced and interesting, it feels like a big applause for what I have done up untill now...
Thanks Olivier, it was great working with you!

I invite you all to blog about this inspiring book and to buy it for Christmas, it is worth every penny!

Below you see some work of artisans I share this 'crafts bible' with:

Xenia Taler - ceramic tiles

Nic Webb - woodwork

Vera Joao Espinha - knitted jewelry

Kristina Klarin - my colour guru - wooden jewelry

Elisa Strozyk - wooden textiles

They all have their own chapter in the book. Below you see 'my pages'.

STOCKIST SPOTLIGHT: Gosto Design & Lifestyle

2011-11-02T16:55:00.000+01:00

The shops, the people who sell my work worldwide...who are they? What are their dreams, their inspirations, what made them start their own businesses? A feature in words and images with a little surprise-coupon at the end...

Gosto Design & Lifestyle is a very special brick store as well as an online design shop, based in Blaricum, a 20 minutes by bicycle from my house. I am so happy with Gosto spicing up the rather boring retail life here in our area!

Gosto Design & Lifestyle - Brinklaan 9A 1261 ER Blaricum

Webshop - Blog - Twitter - Facebook

Who is behind Gosto?
Sonia van der Zwaan-Barrigas, from Lisbon, Portugal, happily living in the Netherlands for almost 10 years.

Sonia, what madeyou decide to start your own shop?

Since Imoved to the Netherlands(chasing my love) I was lucky enough to work as an urban designer. A nice job,but after a few years I started to ask myself if that was it.

I had beenblogging since 2005, first to get in contact with other mums, but soon Idiscovered a new world, a world of creative people. Innovative and nice websiteslike Etsy and Flickr were emerging. I started to read a lot of blogs aboutcrafts and design and found my passion in interior design, specially northerneuropean/scandinavian design.

When last yearthis store, a family store - and formerly the 'milk shop' owned by my husband'sgrandfather - came available I made the decision to start my own business in two weeks. It was not a strange decision, I just had to downscale my way ofthinking, make a serious 'business plan' and go for it.

What areyour Gosto ‘classics’?
That's trickyto say... we're just open since November 2010. In my shop I would say Ferm Living and JurianneMatter do it very well, but in my webshop I notice that people make other kindof purchases and my best seller brand isMuuto, followed by the posters from Keep Calm Gallery.

What article did you buy for the shop recently and why did you buy it?

I'm always looking for new brands. Some brands I find myself, others findme. I recently had the designers (in person... how cool is that?) from Gewoon and Snurk visitingme, they showed me their products insuch a passionate way that I simply couldn't say no, besides their products areamazing. But what I am proud of most is the houseware of Alma Gemea. I'm the only shop inthe Netherlandsthat sells this Portuguese brand, a joint-venture between a cork and ceramiccompany that asked young designers to come up with such a beautiful collection.

Do you havea particular way of styling in your shop? Your own ‘hand’?

I do thestyling of my shop by intuition. I have a good basis, the building is more than100 years old, with high ceilings and lots of light, I say that the space doesit almost by itself. I also try to mix high-end design with handmade productsto give the shop not such a 'showroom' look. Mix and match I would say.

Are you planning to change things in your Gosto-concept in the future?

I struggle with the categorisation of my shop. I want to use my shop as a platform for interior advice to show the clients my style and taste (I just got my first assignment) and also had this idea of organizing workshops with emerging designers, which is harder than I thought. It's not easy to find creative people to hold an interesting workshop, an issue that must be seriously worked out in a near future.
I like to think of my shop as a mini concept store, a mix with high-end design and design from young talents where you can also find books, accessories, stationary and biologic food and wine.

What is your ultimate dream?

My ultimate dream is to succeed with my dream: having this shop. I don't have to become rich, just enough to held the shop and be able to innovate myself and my business.

Is thereanything else you would like to share with us?

I would like to say that I also was a blog(ger) reader and I had this dream for years and had the luck to try it. Only time knows if I'll succeed, but people say that you only must regret what you didn't do. It has been an overwhelming experience, I miss a business partner sometimes, someone to share my decisions with. I'm also thinking in that too, to find someone to share my vision and my passion!

Thank you Sonia, for your time, your lovely photo's and your wise answers. I hope many more people will take exit 8 on the A1 (it is only a 20 minutes drive from Amsterdam!) and visit your homely shop in beautiful old Blaricum.
And of course everyone should visit your webstore! If you do: don't forget to use the coupon below!

dutch design week 2011

2011-10-25T15:05:00.000+02:00

Last weekend my eldest son (13) and I went to the annual Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. We took it easy, stayed in a hotel, got up early in order not to miss anything. We could have stayed for a week: we only saw half or even less of this lovely big event, I guess.

Most of the times I was so absorbed by what I saw, that I forgot to take photo's. And seeing the photo's I did take, it looks like I only saw lampshades!

Tallow candles by my friends from Ontwerpduo, who have this wonderful feeling for colours.

Rick Tegelaar's chicken wire and paper maché lamp shades.

Beautiful blues and greens at Piet Hein Eek

Butterfly Lamps, the latest work by Paula Arntzen, one of my favorite (paper) designers.

Some nice neon paper lamp shades designed by Buro JET

pinned

2011-10-16T14:52:00.000+02:00

I was warned by Monique from Vlinspiratie: "Jurianne, if you ever start working with Pinterest, watch out: it is highly addictive!"
Well, I did a very cautious step some time ago, (got myself an account basically) but last night I took a deeper dive in this digital image paradise. And I have to say - after one night - that I am 'hooked', or actually 'pinned'. What a great medium!

I don't understand all the ins-outs-do's-don'ts yet, but I got the message: It is about SHARING and about beauty, forms, ideas, materials, art, design, crafts...so it actually is about everything that I love!
Here's My Pinterest, hope to meet you there to share!The four lovely photo's above are my very first 'repins'.

the making of Pilloon

2011-10-10T10:39:00.000+02:00

I actually felt rather flattered when Art School illustration student Nina van de Vondervoort contacted me. She was looking for an 'external internship'. She wanted to use her talent and skills in a new way, and she needed guidance through the route of product design. It was a path of 8 weeks and every week Nina sent me her work via e-mail and one day later we sat on the phone for an hour. I commented, guided, asked, shared and gave her instructions for the next step to take.

Nina prooved to be a remarkable student! Not only she had a huge production, she also switched from one step (fase) to the other in a very flexible way and...she really understood the steps to be taken to get the best artistic and commercial result. And - very important - she stayed true to herself!

First of all I told her that my intention was for her to end up with a REAL product, not only a prototype. We chose for a cushion cover.

To 'capture and frame' her own style and handwriting for this product she had to start with a Nina-moodboard, a personal style-source to accompagny her alongside the route. A hell of a job, you have to get rid of all the images that are not relevant, then again: less is more!

When her moodboard was ready Nina sketched for weeks, mostly without colour, just as many 'scribbles' as possible. In this fase she saw that the sketches of the balloons were worth a next step. So she took a plonge into the balloons, decided the colours for the final pallette and designed both front and back of three cushion covers.

Then the series needed a name and needed to be produced.

Within a few weeks Nina got her 'Pilloons' live at home, ready to be photographed...

And now the wonderful and allways surprising online store Envelop is selling Pilloon! Envelop makes lovely artist's designs into high quality cushion covers (got a few myself).Thank you Serge from Envelop for giving talented Nina this opportunity!

And please readers: do blog, publish and tweet about Nina, she's worth it!

is there life after the blue box...

2011-10-05T10:34:00.001+02:00

Dear readers! It took me a while...no post last week because I was in the hospital, emergency surgery, got my appendix out! I am recovering. Not easy for me: piles of work, millions of plans and ideas, and even more promisses and deadlines....

Some of you might know that I worked as a stylist for IKEA Amsterdam years ago. A strange world, creative in a certain way, with the loveliest co-workers you could wish for, but locked up in a large blue box every single day.
And there I met Ellen, she actually was my 'boss', and we became friends. We kind of didn't fit into the IKEA mold and we felt extremely unhappy in our XXXL unisex stylingteam IKEA uniforms, on a daily basis children used to point us out: 'Mummy look, there goes Bob the Builder!'
You can imagine Ellen and I asked ourselves: is there life after the blue box?

Well, there is! She came a long way: but here is Ellen van der Wiel!

She has built up a beautiful little company in felted home accessories, which she all designs and makes herself, partly by hand, partly with her huge new felting machine.

The icing on the cake for her: her plaids and cushion covers where used in the huge VT-Wonen-magazine stand on the Dutch Interior Fair called Woonbeurs (see photo's above), that was held last week. And her work is on the cover of this months issue of VT-Wonen.

Ellen, I am so happy for you, you go girl!

cottage town

2011-09-18T07:57:00.000+02:00

These cute little plant-cottages called Cottage Town are the latest product from Ontwerpduo. They play with your sense of 'large' and 'small' and they invite you to enter a fab fairy miniature world, where ordinairy houseplants suddenly turn into huge seqoia's....

I am big fan of Ontwerpduo and this new paper product is special to me: my own printers Luc and Bram from Drukkerij Drukkracht have taken care of the printwork and my die-cut-company did the complicated cutting. So actually I feel rather proud...

The cottages are made of 'waterproof paper', so they can resist rain from a watering can. The cottages are pre-fab (pre-folded and cut), you'll have to do a little constructing yourself. My cup of tea!

Tineke and Nathan from Ontwerpduo will present their cottage town on the Elle Inside Design show that will be held in Amsterdam (IJburg) next week. In the Annie Boshof number 3.
From of that moment it will be available online as well at: BijzonderMOOI* .

If you ever dreamed of buying your own house constructed by the famous Ontwerpduo architects - for less than 10 euro's!!! - this is your chance, go get one (or the whole town of course...)!

happy hands

2011-09-11T17:38:00.000+02:00

Last year I developed a deep desire to work with 'real' materials. As you may know: I design, work with paper and I do business. My work though is mostly digital.

Yay, I am going to get my hands dirty next week on my first ceramics course in Amsterdam! I am going to mold, touch, fire and glaze. I allways thought I didn't have time to follow any courses but I need to give myself a present after three years of enthusiast hard labour and I need this inspiration to keep on doing what I do. Just found some inspiring ceramics on Etsy. I can't wait!

Would love to learn to work with melted glass, like I found on Prince Design UK

Maybe I should start making small tiles, these little handmade triangles would make a beautiful wall in the kitchen...
Seen at Mosaic Monkey

Yes, I know this jar is Ceramics.3, but it would be a nice dream...Isheely

This simple bowl, with a Japanese feel I found on: Glazed Over

good vibes, good sales

2011-09-07T12:41:00.000+02:00

My very first trade show ever was so much fun! I loved finally meeting my retailers - who helped me build up my business in the past few years - and I loved meeting my collegues and other business friends. I wrote a lot of orders, welcomed dozens of new stockists... Overall: a great trade show!Here you see the stand I shared with Uitgeverij Snor (Moustache Publishers). Claudette and Annemarieke (see photo) are the best 'room mates' you can think of. Professional, fun, sweet and they love having good wine and good food on the stand. Our products are a lovely match and we share a lot of customers. Thanks ladies, for 3 lovely days!

my first trade show!

2011-08-27T14:59:00.006+02:00

Amazing...it was only last week that I was an ultra relaxed woman, just looking at the Italian hills in meditation mode, sipping my espresso coffee... Where has this woman gone in such a short time?

Back in Holland I had this large trade-fair-to-do-list, for the 'Najaarbeurs', the Autumn Trade Fair. Uitgeverij Snor already asked me some years ago to share a stand. This year I said YES. Uitgeverij Snor - translated: Moustache Publishers - is the most hip & funny publisher on the planet. I feel honoured to have these wonderful neighbours.
After spending a couple of years in a kind of solitairy confinement in my studio, I am really looking forward to MEET old and new retailers in real life...

So, if you are a retailer in Holland (or elsewhere) you are invited to meet me there on September 4, 5, or 6 in Utrecht. The Trade fair is being held on the 7th floor. Our standnumber is C341. The najaarsbeurs is not the most wonderful Trade Fair for interior accessories, but it is the only one we have in Holland...so you can find lots of nice little businesses like mine there!
Would you like to receive free entrance cards for 2 persons? Just send me an email and I'll send you one back with a printable attachment.

Hope to see you there, would love to hand you over one of my new Shine lanterns in person!

summertime...

2011-08-22T10:14:00.016+02:00

Hello again, dear blogreaders! Just came back last night, after a wonderful vacation in Italy.

On the way to Umbria we stopped near Basel in Switzerland, to visit the Goetheanum in Dornach. It is the Mekka of the Waldorf movement. Visiting this strange yet stunning building was one of my wishes for a long time. When my boys saw the building on the outside they thought it was a huge prison... inside it felt like being back in the womb though!

The first week in Italy we spent in Umbria, which was at the same time the highlight of our vacations. Umbria stole my heart. Our fantastic apartment (the terrace, the garden, the pool) did too. This year was the first time ever we rented appartments - I'm not so fond of tents and campsides - and I am really enthusiastic about it: never came back so relaxed as this time!
I will start saving money today already for the same concept for next year, it's worth it big time!

Left: The books we read. Right: me on the doorstep of our beautiful old house, a former convent built on roman remains (see also below).

Keeping in touch with your friends new style and old style...

The streets of Perugia.

We have visited many cities and villages. Amongst others: Perugia, Cortona, Assisi, Castel Rigone. Staying in Tuscany we 'did' (like thousands of other tourists) Siena and Florence and during our stay in Le Marche we went to Loreto (where we rented a house), Recanati and Ancona.
Culture, nature, good food, heavenly coffees, sun, water and being together with my men... this was a good summer!

STOCKIST SPOTLIGHT: hen & hammock

2011-07-26T09:02:00.018+02:00

The shops, the people who sell my work worldwide...who are they? What are their dreams, their inspirations, what made them start their own businesses? A feature in words and images with a little surprise-coupon at the end...

Just before I leave the country for a summer break I would like to put the stockist spotlight on Hen & Hammock, a succesfull online gardening, home and outdoor lifestyle shop. They are based in Moreton, Oxfordshire (UK). I love their honest concept, their well chosen assortment, their style...

Owner Andrew Jones, mowing the lawn together with his daughter Katie.

Hen & Hammock: webshop - blog - twitter

When did you start your webstore and what made you decide to start it?
It was a time-of-life thing. Time to stop commuting to the big city and time to spend more time in the garden. The former was achieved very early on. The latter is still an aspiration!

What choices do you make when you purchase new products?
When we look at new products we have two priorities. The first is that the product needs to look good and be practical. Beauty alone is not enough, neither is functionality. We search for nice looking products that serve a purpose.
The second is that products should make the world a better place. This can’t always be achieved, but we should try by asking the right questions and by favouring producers that share our values.

What is the most beautiful part of your work and what part just ‘comes with the job’?
There are lots of rewards in what we do. Helping producers by buying their products is enormously rewarding. We also donate 10% of our profits to causes we feel strongly about, which is very satisfying. This year we gave £500 to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which is striving to reverse the decline in the bumblebee population
The biggest challenge for us is getting products from some of our producers in a timely fashion. We don’t like letting our customers down with the words ‘Out of Stock’.

Which Hen and Hammock products would you like to show to us?

Kettle watering cans, because they show what fun practical gifts can be made from recycled plastic.

Picnic blankets, made from new wool waste. There is something very appealing about having a unique colourway. And they are a good excuse for a picnic!

Seed trays. These simple trays are made locally from waste wood and make germinating seeds all the more satisfying.

Paper maché bowls. The cooperative which makes these bowls is inspiring, as are their designs.

Is there any article that is produced almost uniquely for your shop?
The scarecrow kits are unique to Hen and Hammock. We collect the coffee sacks, which would otherwise go into landfill, and assemble the kits in house.

What are the items you took home from work?
Every day at this time of year I use one of our recycled tyre trugs for collecting weeds.
And later in the year, one of our Sussex trugs for collecting vegetables.

What do you expect to be a real trend for the future in your business?
I think product provenance will move to centre stage. It is already important for food, and will become increasingly important for the gift market. A gift is so much more if you can show who made it, where and how.

What will you be doing in five years? What is your ultimate dream?
We are living the dream already. I hope to be doing the same in 5 years!

Thanks so much Andrew, for this little peek in your green paradise!

I wish you all a wonderful summer, with nice relaxing garden work. And of course: For tools and other great stuff, made with love go to Hen & Hammock and use the discount code on the coupon below. Enjoy!

DIY rope swirl tapestry

2011-07-17T11:05:00.009+02:00

This morning my heart started beating faster when I visited Handmade Charlotte's blog and discovered this amazing rope swirl tapestry. It is handmade by the display team from the Free People store in Philadelphia US. Untill the 5th of July you could list for the give away of this piece of art. How could I have missed this?
Hooray: Free People has written a clear tutorial for making this tapestry. And I think it is even more fun to make one (in your own style) than to win one!

just wandering

2011-07-10T09:57:00.008+02:00

Oh, how I missed doing this on a quiet Sunday morning. I have been working so hard lately - even in the weekends - that I almost forgot what a relaxing joy it is to just wander a bit through the internet, looking for colourful food for the soul.
I adore the above kind of hip Waldorf (Rudolf Steiner) style: organic geometric shapes (wooden chrystals), soft pastels, and natural materials. Necklaces and pendants by the designers of the Italian Studio Fludd, who call these gems 'simple but not dull'.

The pots above haven't been in the ceramics oven, they are made of 100% biodegradable cellulose and are air dried! I love innovative use of materials. Ett la Ben has created a wonderful lampshade in the same material as well.

High on my wishlist: the tea towels Scholten & Baijings designed for Hay.

NEW shine - reversible lanterns

2011-07-03T14:40:00.008+02:00

I actually came up with the idea last winter. I wanted to design a second series of lanterns, and the task I had set myself was this: they still had to be made of paper, still had to include a slight DIY factor and of course they still had to be eco friendly, but they had to be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the first series! I realised I had set myself a tough assignment: to create an entirely new shape and totally different style whilst retaining my own ‘signature’…

Now, at last, after endless sketching, printing, cutting, folding, looking and choosing, a set of 3 completely new lanterns is ready to shine! “

Shine lanterns shimmer in the twilight of every season, lighting up your garden in summer and your stylish Scandinavian interior at Christmas.

For those who like to dabble in DIY, Shine asks for a touch of creativity. Push the flaps inwards or outwards – whatever you like best – and simply choose the side you like most, because these lanterns are reversible! Once lit up, the inner side of the lantern becomes slightly transparent, giving it an enchanting look.

Each Shine set contains 3 lanterns. The pop-out cards are size 31 cm x 15 cm. The lanterns are large enough to fit over most drinking glasses and jam jars. Recommended retail price per set: EUR 7.95

From today the Shine lanterns will be available for my retailers. Please consult the stockists page on my website to find a salespoint near you.

And thanks to Irene from Bloesem for lighting my SHINES so lovely on her blog today. I feel honoured!

Ladies & gentlemen!

2011-07-02T12:16:00.003+02:00

Came across this little crowd of wooden ladies and gentlemen via an old post written by Kickan & Conckers. They are designed by UK artist Chrissie Mac Donald. Love them!

STOCKIST SPOTLIGHT: winter's moon

2011-06-13T16:11:00.031+02:00

The shops, the people who sell my work worldwide...who are they? What are their dreams, their inspirations, what made them start their own businesses? A feature in words and images with a little surprise-coupon at the end...

This month the stockist spotlight is on an extraordinary webshop/studio, that was actually one of my very first retailers in the UK. When I met Julia and Becky in London last week it felt like catching up with old friends, although we had never met before.

Winter's Moon: webshop - blog - twitter - facebook

owners Julia Grant (left) and Becky Joy (right)

What kind of shop is it?
We sell mainly online but also through occasional sales at events and from our studio.

What do you sell?
We sell furniture, ceramics, textiles, and items for children. Mostly vintage but some handmade pieces too, and our range is quite random – but that is partly what appeals to our customers as they never quite know what they will find.

Our studio is in a builder’s yard built in the 1950’s in our home city of Chichester (we had always loved the original typeface above the entrance). It functions as a storage, photography and workshop space. We moved in last year and it has liberated the way we are able to work, and we haven’t managed to fill it up yet - but have come close a couple of times.

What made you decide to start your own business?
Winter’s Moon started out very much as a hobby shared by two friends. There was nowhere selling vintage furniture in our small city of Chichester, we loved scouting fairs and auctions and friends often asked us to find pieces for them, so we decided to take it a stage further. It has grown very slowly and has to fit around other commitments and family. The business is named after Becky’s house as that is were we started holding open-house sales.

What are your Winter’s Moon ‘classics’?
Our stock changes all the time and most pieces are pretty one-off. However we love getting chairs reupholstered as they are completely transformed and usually go from a sad saggy chair to a very lovely piece of furniture. We really like the work of Annabel Grey and use her fabrics whenever possible.

What are your favourite items?
Other favourite items are vintage toys…They were so well made, have stood the test of time and just are so much more appealing than their modern plastic counterparts.

Do you take your own webshop photographs?
We do our own photography and styling and have learnt through trial and error what works and what doesn’t. For small items we often use a vintage fabric as a backdrop and sometimes add quirky elements to add some humour…we like laughing!

For larger items the focus is using daylight to show the piece at it’s best, plus we add a few extra props usually, but not so many that it overshadows the product.

Can you describe your style?
We do have a strong sense of what our style is, which is due to the fact that we have VERY similar taste. Over the past four years there have probably only been three items that we have not both loved, and this is what has helped us develop our style….it’s tricky to put into words what that style is though!
We definitely have a particular colour palette, greys, yellows, plums and teals often feature.

What articles did you buy for the shop recently?
We recently stocked up on more lovely paper lanterns by Jurianne Matter as they work so well for summer parties, and contrastingly we recently bought several vintage Parker Knoll chairs….they have a strong shape and small footprint so make really useful good-looking chairs that don’t take up too much room.

What do you expect to become a real trend in your business?
Obviously we all are instinctively aware of trends and are influenced by them, but our judgments are based more on just what seems aesthetically right to us.

Any future plans?
We are developing some fabric designs to use on our vintage furniture and also have a couple of new furniture designs up our sleeve…so I suppose we don’t want to be entirely about offering vintage pieces, but more about offering ‘Winter’s Moon’ pieces.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
YES! We are holding our first sale in our new studio and hope you are able to come and say hello. On Saturday 25th June & Sunday 26th June, from 10am – 5pm. Check our blog for location details.

Thanks so much ladies, for this little studio tour!
If you are near Chichester, do visit these remarkable women, they not only have a beautiful style, they are great fun to meet as well! Blogreaders who stay at home: don't forget to use their coupon code when you go online shopping at Winter's Moon!

Sunday morning window shopping

2011-06-12T09:51:00.007+02:00

Above left a pendant hanger from German Dawanda shop Laurencia. A cute and square needle felted rabbit by Etsy-seller Felt Jar
The ceramic bowl as well as the grey jug (below right) is from Chimalaya, a fair trade designer brand from Denmark. The clock I came across at the lovely Twentytwentyone store.

A classic: Topan pendant lamp designed by Verner Panton, via Twentytwentyone store. And I found soap for DAD on Etsy, at Karen's Soap Co.

London treasury

2011-06-08T20:33:00.009+02:00

My friend Linda and I came home late yesterday night. We had a wonderful business and pleasure stay in London!
I opened my suitcase...so happy with my small treasures!

Of course we went to Orla Kiely in Covent Garden and yes, I did buy some notebooks. Can't have enough of them, because they keep my dreams, plans and ideas, of which I have a lot! So, this was a very necessary purchase, hi, hi!
The white gift tags (1,59 pounds for 10) come from ordinary stationery supplier: Ryman. I bought enough for all of my gifts in the next 5 years, I think. Love that place: even missed my flight two years ago filling my suitcase there!

The vintage german cloth pegs, the cotton thread and the white blackboard pencils (for tiny messages!) are all from Labour and Wait on Redchurch Street.
And these stunning retro looking glass tiles come from Anthropologie on Kings Road. The store was literally breathtaking. We just walked around with our mouths open, we could hardly speak...The building, the collection, the assortment...wow!

Shine in London

2011-06-01T16:25:00.009+02:00

This was a couple of weeks ago... working on my new project. Based on a color palette and a moodboard (with lots of inspiring pictures of the Slow Wood Mun collection) I started working on the shape, style and prints of a new series of lanterns.
The lanterns on the table are all handmade prototypes and I have chosen 3 of them to be produced for my wholesale company. The lanterns have been produced (just got them in one hour ago!), the header card with instructions and the compostable bags still have to be designed and produced.

I'll show you the final product of course once it is ready.

Next Saturday I am going to take the lanterns with me, to launch them at the stand of my distributors Saskia and Sofie on Pulse LONDON on stand B1!
I'll be there myself on Sunday and Monday from (11.00 - 14.00) and I would love to meet you there!

Oh, I almost forgot the...

SPECIFICS!

Name: SHINE
Size: larger than the first series, any glass or tea light holder will fit!
Style: pure and nordic
Use: in a summer garden party or a scandinavian winter house
Extra: they are reversible!

To be continued.

Magic

2011-05-29T09:31:00.002+02:00

Hana Kitazaki combines geometric patterns, light fabrics and a poetic style, a combination I absolutely adore! Here you see some pictures of the Magic Flute series, inspired by Mozart's opera.

tweet tweet - follow me...

2011-05-27T12:21:00.006+02:00

I amazed myself yesterday: I finally took a leap and joined Twitter. As far as I can see it is fun (i love networking!) and it can be a great tool to spread news fast and easy to a whole lot of people!
Tagging, mentioning, retweeting...? Can everybody read anything I tweet (have to watch my language then...)? How can I start an account (with the same email adress) on which I tweet in English only...?
(you have guessed right: the green newbe T in the tree above = me!)

I'll find it out in the coming months I hope. In the meantime I will tweet VIP-news both in Dutch and in English on @juriannematter
And don't worry, Twitter will not replace my blog! I'll keep on writing real texts and posting nice photo's...

pattern or pure?

2011-05-22T09:09:00.006+02:00

While working on new paper lanterns I came across these lovely, simple 'patternless' products.
During the designing process the last few weeks I was struggling big time: couldn't make a choice between using pattern designs or plain patches. I found out that I am afraid NOT to use any pattern designs. I am under the impression that people buy my work because of those designs and I have to make a living...
Outcome: There is a traditional colourful (yet surprisingly pure) Jurianne product coming up! I'll show it to you after it is produced.

In the meantime I keep dreaming of pure products like the ones above! Everything comes from Analogue life, apart from the I-phone alarm clock, I found it on Areaware.

STOCKIST SPOTLIGHT: sid en liv

2011-05-15T08:55:00.016+02:00

The shops, the people who sell my work worldwide...who are they? What are their dreams, their inspirations, what made them start their own businesses? A feature in words and images with a little surprise-coupon at the end...

This month the stockist spotlight is on Sid en Liv , located in the beautiful city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

Owners Bob Tönissen en Mirjam van Rijt in their ‘living room’

What is Sid en Liv?
Sid en Liv is a lunch and lifestyle store. A kind of living room where you can have breakfast, lunch or high tea and have a good time. All the food is traditionally prepared and comes from our own open kitchen.

During your lunch or coffee you can sit back, look around and get inspired to buy a present or get some lovely decoration ideas for your home. Everything you see, even the chair you are sitting on, the cutlery you eat from - and the lights, the vases, the tea-caddy, the glasses, the chairs, the paintings and accessories - is for sale at Sid en Liv!!

On sunny days you can sit in the lovely courtyard. You will find benches and chairs from Fermob, the sustainable furniture coming from park Luxembourg in Paris…
The café is child friendly and our little customers will love the yummie menu as well!
What made you decide to start your own shop?
This ‘living room’ concept - a combination of good food, lifestyle and home decoration - was our dream for years! Two years ago we sold our house in Utrecht and we found a building in Nijmegen where we saw the living room of our dreams.
Summer 2010 we opened Sid en Liv.

What are your Sid en Liv ‘classics’?
Some of the classics are already the wall stickers of Ferm Living , the ‘Blommen’ of Jurianne Matter and the handmade aprons of our friend Marie. The one-of-a-kind baroque flower paintings are unique falsuries from old masters, painted in China, with love!

What articles did you buy for the shop recently and why did you buy it?
The paper balloon from Petra Boase, makes a nice letterbox present and cheers up every childrens room.
“Cookie in a Jar” by Merei de Ruiter. It is a glass jar filled with all the ingredients needed (including a how-to) for baking and decorating your own cookies. A great looking and pure DIY-present, which suits our Sid en Liv concept!

The egg warmers designed by - again - Marie, she does have such an eye for detail and makes beautiful combinations of materials. And also the cards from Who’s Loes?! All the people pictured on her cards are her relatives!

I choose products that make people walk out happy…

Do you have a particular way of styling in your shop? Your own ‘hand’?
I (Mirjam) decorated and styled the food section and the shop myself. After years of interior styling experience I can use it on my own store, love it! Inspiration I get from Scandinavia and places like Haarlem, Antwerp and Copenhagen. Ideally I would change the wallpaper in the shop every week ;) ! But it will always be fresh, light and creative. A space that makes you smile...

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
We are happy to announce that we opened a Sid en Liv WEBstore on the 1st of April!

And I would love to share some other links with you:
Bolig Liv - A Danish magazine someone showed me once when she visited Sid en Liv. I am a big fan since that moment! Such a nice magazine!
De wereld van Jansje - You must visit the store when you are in Haarlem. A great lifestyle and design store also combined with catering during daytime.
Bloesem Blogs - I visit this blog often, it inspires me big time.

Coupon
To celebrate the fact that we opened our Sid en Liv webstore we offer you a discount in our webstore!

Thank you so much Bob and Mirjam! It was a pleasure having a peek in your lovely store. Can’t wait to visit Sid en Liv in Nijmegen. In the mean time I’ll keep checking out your webstore…

Sid en Liv Van Welderenstraat 95 - 6511 ME Nijmegen - The Netherlands - NEW! Sid en Liv webstore - Twitter: @sidenliv

brandnew: slow wood

2011-05-07T18:07:00.010+02:00

Congratiulations to Christien. Your Slow Wood furniture collection is breathtaking! The shape, the material and the concept are so pure. With this collection you show us that you are not only a a great stylist, but a wonderful designer and a real eco-friend too. I am sure your Frysian handmade ecofriendly Slow Wood collection will conquer the world!

Hellen

2011-05-01T09:16:00.008+02:00

Somewhere hidden in my attic I have lots of hilarious photographs of Hellen van Berkel and me, taken some 33 years ago. As 12 - 15 year old girls we were close friends. We were very different, but found each other somehow. There was this creative click between us and she was and is a sweet, funny and very frank person. We lost track for about 30 years, found each other in the magazines recently and we started reviving our contact cautiously.
Hellen has become a wellknown textile designer. She has this lovely delicate Hellen-style, unfortunatelly often badly copied by companies that have no conscience and no ideas of their own. Hellen is continiously developing her style and her techniques, she is a real crafts woman and she understands the art of 'combining' very well. Hellen recently started her own inspiring blog! And her house was on Bloesem last winter.

Blogfriends in the Netherlands: don't forget to check out the Dutch Elle Decoration this summer (june-july issue), Hellen, her work and her house are featured!

Cubism

2011-04-25T16:53:00.004+02:00

I saw one of his paintings in my newspaper the other day and since I am in the process of designing a new product I was immediately drawn to it. Life brought back to it's essence: circles, triangles and rectangles. I love Auguste Herbin's (1882-1960) work because of his use of colours and his elegant graphic touch. Paintings like this must have been shocking in those days...

Bonnie & Buttermilk

2011-04-25T16:22:00.005+02:00

As soon as I get in the mood for clothing again (it is bikini weather in the Netherlands!), I'll check their shop and buy myself one of B & B's awesome shirts, skirts or dresses.

raindrops on a sunny day

2011-04-17T11:11:00.003+02:00

A little treasure fell on my doormat a few days ago, a gift - just because - from Guusje! Delicate, handmade, porcelain raindrops... aren't they simply amazing?

marie claire maison (et mes fleurs!)

2011-04-17T09:57:00.005+02:00

Last Friday a very nice person wrote me an email: 'your Blom is in the French Marie Claire Maison. Not just a little product shot on the shopping pages, but big time and beautifully styled!' Thanks, Jolanda, for letting me know.
I am honoured: one whole page for my Bloms! And styled in a way I have never seen before. I am used to the Scandinavian pure and white style, this is so different, so fresh, floral and French!
I have had a lot of attention in the press up until now - I feel blessed by it - but strangely enough not in France. This might be a turning point...

To my distributor & Klevering who obviously arranged this publicaton and of course to Marie Claire Maison: MERCI MILLE FOIS!

STOCKIST SPOTLIGHT: my red poppy

2011-04-09T11:39:00.021+02:00

Initially I started this series just to satisfy my own curiousity. The shops, the people who sell my work worldwide...who are they? What are their dreams, their inspirations, what made them start their own businesses? A feature in words and images with a little surprise-coupon at the end...

Number 1: My Red Poppy - 18Rue Gambetta - 49300 Cholet - France

Owners: happy Caroline on the left, fashionable Benoît on the right

What made you decide to start your own business?
Benoît wanted to start a business of his own already for a couple of years. He loves retro design from the fifties and sixties and interior design objects in general. I was in for a carreer switch and I was looking for activities in the kids world. So we decided to combine our skills and open an interior shop with decoration, accessories and vintage furniture for children.

Is there any article that you sell - or maybe more - that you are simply in love with?
We adore these origami designs made by a young designer from Nantes, called Erwan (see below). His flowers, buntings, mirors…simply wonderful. His paper designs are very elegant and combine with whatever atmosphere, whatever space in the house. Of course, Jurianne Matter, we love your creations a lot. Your designs are small objects that adorn your house and your daily life. Furthermore: the bed linen from Pipoca, the Acapulco chair and we are completely taken by all things designed by Herzensart. And of course many other things!

Erwan's origami

Pipoca

Acapulco-chair and JM-wishboats

Another Acapulco-chair and Herzensart stamps

Do you have a particular way of styling in your shop? Your own ‘hand’?
Our personal touch is Benoîts’ sister! She has helped us a lot with the shop interior; she has the gift of knowing how to create a real special feeling by composing different elements. The most personal touch in our store is the crocheted bag (see below) by ‘Mémère Brossard’, the grandmother of Benoît. We try to create a warm ambiance, that makes you feel at home.

What article did you buy for the shop recently and why did you buy it?
We have chosen the cushion covers by Clare Nicolson, because they really depict what My Red Poppy is about. The prints are retro, tender and very creative.

What do you expect to become a real future trend in your business?
We are focused on a nordic feel, mixed with vintage as well as contemporary elements (like you can see in the Edition Paumes – books). And on printed designs that have inexpected colours. We try to show this inspiration in our assortment.
What will you be doing in five years? What is your dream?
We are thinking of a range of products of our own brand. We are grouping together with some very talented graphic- and product designers in order to develop an assortment of textile accessories, interior objects, printware and – why not – furniture…

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
It is through our work that we meet very nice people with whom we share a passion for creating, doing business and for the distribution of beautiful objects…and that is simply fantastic!

Are you living or travelling near Cholet? Visit My Red Poppy and don't forget to take this coupon with you!

It was a pleasure meeting you, Caroline et Benoît, merci beaucoup!

small blessings

2011-04-03T13:53:00.005+02:00

A dear dutch blogfriend wrote it yesterday: Count Your Blessings. Her situation and these words made me realise again that a happy everyday life is a precious gift.
1. My biggest blessings - my three men! - don't want to be photographed on my blog. And my parents - who are still alive, talking about blessings - live too far away to take a snapshot.
So here I share the other 'gifts' of this weekend. They might look futile, but when all the important blessings in life are counted first, there is room left in my heart for small things like this.
From top left: 2. One of my friends here in the village is Bjørke. She is very dear to me, inspires me and...she makes these lovely vintage button bracelets (for sale here). This is the latest one in my collection. 3. My friend Willy, 81 years old, put this huge vintage woven, pure woolen, scarf on my cold shoulders yesterday night. Keep it, she said, it suits you.
4. The tree in front of my house is pregnant with spring blossoms. She (it 's a she, definately) inspired me to design my new Little Trees. 5. And this nice Nümph tunic I bought yesterday: gorgeous print with butterfly clouds. At home I found the label: it is made of organic cotton. And that made me happy.

etsy: white and grey - clay

2011-03-31T12:31:00.002+02:00

After the overkill of colour of the last weeks I was dying for some visual peace and rest. Found it in clay, on Etsy.
From top left: hand built ceramic pears, by Element Clay Studio, Leaping Rabbits mobile by the Amsterdam-based Artisanie Europe, vintage Hungarian porcelain easter bunny from Vintage Biffan and a porcelain wall sculpture called Graces, made by Prince Design from the UK.

DIY free downloadable mini paper bunting!

2011-03-29T14:13:00.007+02:00

I designed another free downloadable paper craft. This time for one of my customers - Hippe Kippe (fashion and more) - who opened a brand new store. They wanted to celebrate it in style and share it with you!

You can download the prints and the (sorry: dutch!) 'how-to' here. Print page 1 (how-to) and pages 2 and 3 (the prints). Cut about 2 mtrs of cotton thread, cut the diamond shaped prints, fold them and glue them as triangles on the thread.
You can use the bunting for wee parties, send it as a sweet greeting card, or just use it as a home decoration. Have fun!

ambassadors?

2011-03-16T13:02:00.006+01:00

Dear foreign blogreaders: below you see my first blogpost in dutch. Don't be afraid: this is only once. And it has a reason!
It is hard for me (by myself) to find and visit all the lovely shops, that might be interested in selling my paperwork and that are hidden in this country. Therefore I am looking for dutch ‘reps’. Friends, fans and ambassadors that are willing to share their enthusiasm about my work in their favorite local shop. I reward succesfull contacts with 3 different sets of my designs. Wouldn't it be great fun when this works through my blog?

Win – win - win: Werk aan de winkel!

Er zijn veel bijzondere en leuke winkeltjes verborgen in Nederland. Die zou ik graag kennis laten maken met mijn ontwerpen! Welke ambassadeur, fan, papiervriend en vriendin maakt één – of meer - van deze winkeliers enthousiast voor mijn werk?

Doe je een goed woordje in je favoriete winkel, dan kun je daarmee drie mensen blij maken, een win-win-win situatie dus!

1. De winkelier is blij met de kennismaking met een leuk nieuw merk.
2. Ik ben blij met een nieuwe afnemer.
3. En jij wordt blij, want je krijgt van mij 3 producten naar keuze toegestuurd.

Wil je een winkel in je buurt gaan benaderen (liefst locale winkel, geen web), stuur mij dan van te voren even een mail. Wordt het een match - maw: doen zij na jouw bezoek een bestelling - dan neem ik contact met je op om je te kunnen bedanken voor je ambassadeurswerk.

Ben heel erg benieuwd hóe en óf het werkt zo vanaf mijn blog, spannend… Ik zou het zó grappig vinden om op deze manier samen te werken!

bibi and chief

2011-03-14T14:37:00.013+01:00

They have arrived: the 2 new mini buntings I designed for Engel. Owner Sabien is now showing them on the Spring Trade Fair in Utrecht, together with some other great new stuff she sells in her wholesale company (I''ll post about that later...)
The commission was traditional yet open-minded: design a blue-ish boy bunting and a pink girl bunting. People who know about my relationship with the colour pink will think this must have been a difficult project. Well, it wasn't! Maybe it is the flow, the spark between Sabien and me, I don't know, but designing Bibi and Chief was a feast!

paperwork at selfridges

2011-03-09T12:26:00.004+01:00

Today my dear UK-distributors Saskia and Sofie have sent me some photo's taken at Selfridges & Co in London. Reason: Selfridges is going Dutch this spring and they are selling my work!
'The pop-up shop 'EveryDayDutch' gives you the opportunity to shop products inspired by traditional Dutch craftsmanship and Dutch design's heritage of simplicity of form. From one-off pieces to much loved collectibles from some of the biggest names in the Dutch design world.'
So there they are, my paper children, between Scholten & Baijings, Tony Chocolonely, Royal VKB, Droog Design and Piet Hein Eek. It is BIG, maybe that's why I feel so small...?
Lots of designs - like mine - are for sale at their webstore too.

work in the 'manufactory'

2011-03-06T08:37:00.008+01:00

I have a design manufactory in my head. I call it my 'headquarters'. This is where inspirations come together, ideas are stored and worked out, technical solutions are found and shapes are constructed. There's a new idea buzzing around in this building, looking for a colour, material and shape.

Step 1 in my design process is collecting 'information'. Step 1 can take minutes but can also take years... This is what I picked this morning: The amazing designer Patricia Urquiola. And I fell for those folded paper lamps by the Dutch Nellianna and one by Scott, Rich and Victoria. Can you imagine that I love my job? To be continued!

lubna

2011-02-27T08:56:00.007+01:00

It is - I guess - a decade ago that I first saw Lubna Chowdary's tiles. I was deeply touched by her work, I 'recognized' it with my heart, so to speak. The colours, the simple graphic patterns, the glazes and the lovely handmade look and feel. Lubna is a real craftswoman and a remarkable artist who lives and works in London.
Every now and then I check on her website how she is doing, which is funny: it feels like catching up with an old friend...

home made

2011-02-23T20:28:00.003+01:00

These are some of my 'home made' photo's of the Little Trees. I've sent them to my business-friends (retailers) this week.
I am looking forward to see my Little Trees on other blogs as well, photographed from a completely different 'angle'. It makes me feel happy (recognition!) and it is very refreshing to see your 'kids' from a different side.

pr presents

2011-02-23T11:43:00.006+01:00

Time absorbing, but so much fun to do: sending my new design to close friends, distributors abroad and to some dear press-contacts.
The tape-dispenser bird just flew in from PSikhouvanjou, isn't it cute?

sunday morning etsy visit

2011-02-20T12:11:00.003+01:00

From above left: Zakka Nouveau, Paper Phine, Pardon My Vintage and again Zakka Nouveau

new-old

2011-02-13T09:05:00.004+01:00

Both the vintage terracotta lampshades and the ceramic looking (plastic) wall cabinet were patiently waiting in the corridor - for 2 months - to be placed in our living room. Last week I ordered some white textile iron wire at Snoerboer, the rest (technical part) I thank to Peter, my dear handyman-husband. Thanks P, for this lovely Valentinesday gift!

spring messengers

2011-02-05T16:53:00.005+01:00

Amazing green pod peas (crotcheted!), a spring present from Ingrid.

And this great ceramic cup by Lenneke Wispelwey, I adore her work! Found this photo on her blog.

one week ago

2011-01-31T17:00:00.008+01:00

...we came home from Paris. Haven't had one spare moment to post about our little business trip. Here we go!

Metro Abesses, a couple of minutes from our apartment.

The streets - and the Sacré Coeur - around the corner. We were haunted by so called artists who wanted to draw a 'charicature' of us. My answer: no thanks, I am already a charicature of myself!
Are there actually people buying these horrible paintings and drawings from them?

The night we arrived we went straight on to the Eiffeltower. I have to admit, after 20 years, it was pretty impressing. All that steel, it looked like black lace, lit against the dark blue winter sky. It didn't feel cliché at all, it was just amazing. Hurray for tourist hot spots (hi,hi!).

On Saturday we visited some of the places you recommended. Like Tombées du Camion, which was just some minutes away from our apartment. It was great, but crowded and dark, couldn't take a proper picture. We went to Le Marais, rue des Rosiers, which had been changed so much since my last visit there - ehhhh...20 years ago!

One of the must sees was Merci on Beaumarchais (see photo's above). My children remarked: Mom, it feels like being in Eindhoven at the Dutch Design Week. Nice difference this time was that in Merci everything is for sale! Even for simple people like us: we bought some good old Duralex esprresso and wine glasses (not the picardie-type, but the round ones) and some other very handy kitchen utensils!

On Sunday we were at the Maison et Objet Trade Fair, or 'le Salon' as the French call it. Apart from several highlights - like my dear friends of &Klevering of course - I found it rather disappointing. But then again, we missed one of the best halls, number 8, full of great designers like Scholten & Baijings and the Bouroullec Brothers...Next time hall 8 will be the first to go to.
By the way: the reason I went to Paris was & Klevering and they did a wonderful job! It was an honour to have my paperwork in their stand. Thanks guys, you are great!

little tree

2011-01-20T14:37:00.005+01:00

Here they are, as promissed: some snapshots of my brandnew paper design called Little Tree. Five different mini-tree-cards with matching envelopes.

The cards are still warm, they just came out the cutting-machine! The envelopes are not ready yet, what you see here is hand cut and glued together here at the dinner table...

I am happy with my new 'touch'. Less figurative, more abstract, maybe a bit more mature. But then again: I turned 47 today!

Little Tree is being presented on the Maison et Objet trade show in Paris at this moment (see previous post). And it will be available for retailers after the 15th of February.

Going to pack my things for tomorrow-morning, Paris here we come!

jurianne for &K

2011-01-16T15:24:00.009+01:00

For international wholesaler &Klevering Amsterdam I designed these two coffee mugs in a giftbox. One is called Sun (but has rainy blue colours!), the other is called Rain (with little yellow clouds) and they 'live' together in a little weatherhouse, with cut out doors. If you have finished your coffee, you discover a boot (Rain) or a bare foot (Sun) on the bottom of your cup.
For me the mugs are rather abstract, just because I really felt like designing something less figurative. It is a blessing that I can work together with people like Harkon Klevering, who gave me the freedom to just follow my heart. Well, of course I had to make some commercial concessions for him (have you ever seen me using such bright colors?), but the result is still 'Jurianne', at least that's what I think!

The other news I cannot show to you yet, since it is not ready: my new paperdesign! I hope to take some pictures next Wednesday when it's ready.

& K will will take over the distribution of all of my paperwork as well! That is: for those countries in Europe (exept NL) that I don't have a distributor already. So I will be doing less business and more design in 2011! I am really, really happy with that!

Would you like to meet us? & Klevering will be on the Maison et Objet trade show in Paris next week. Their gorgeous and large stand will show the lovely own &K-collection (including 'my' mugs in their weatherhouse)and my Paperwork!
We would love to meet you in Hall 1, stand F94. I'll be there on Sunday.

san pops up in the north

2011-01-09T13:17:00.007+01:00

Wish I lived up north and had a little time left - next to the pressure cooker designing I do at the moment. I would definately visit the living room concert and pop-up shop/gallery from Van San next week!
What a beautiful little event, good luck Sandra!

'paree' must see?

2011-01-01T13:21:00.011+01:00

I am so happy to announce that my work will be presented on the international trade fair in Paris called Maison & Objet (jan 21 - jan 24)! I'll post some details later.

I'll be on the trade show at least one day, the others I'll spend with my three men, who are my 'assistents' on this business trip.
I would like to visit Merci Conceptstore on Beaumarchais and one of the Muji stores. But there must be a lot more worth visiting (apart from The Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo etc)!

Could you please give me some advice? What is the Parisian 'must see' according to you? And do you happen to know any great places to have a coffee, good food and/or a nice view? Are there any blogs with Paris tips and tricks that you can recommend?

In short: I would love you to be my indie tourist guide, please leave a comment or email me... Thanks in advance!

Map by Juliette Borda

best wishes

2011-01-01T11:11:00.002+01:00

With these two fabulous, bright and pure pictures taken by photographer Johnny Miller (check out his still lifes and interiors - unbelievable!) I would like to wish you all A VERY GOOD 2011!
Let's inspire each other and have fun!

merry christmas

2010-12-25T08:57:00.005+01:00

Jurianne and her angels wish you a wonderful Christmas!
Photo by Ingrid from Ing-things

my very own christmas child

2010-12-24T17:34:00.005+01:00

While everyone is 'decking the hall with boughs of holly', I light the birthday- candles for my eldest son Eise. He was born on Christmas-eve 13 years ago. Born at home (which is very common in Holland), by candlelight, while church bells were ringing.

This baby is...well, thirteen now: cooler than cool, taller than me, suffering from moods, developing a new kind of humor and having new friends in his new school. Underneath all these changes he still is my very own christmas child...

By the way, my mom bought these wooden candleholders 48 years ago in Prague (Czech Republic). We use and treasure them.

irresisteballs

2010-12-19T17:40:00.003+01:00

Japanese Temari balls by Suzik look fab in your Christmas tree, or even better: in the snow-covered branches I saw in my garden today!

DIY - tangerine lights

2010-12-18T20:15:00.006+01:00

Holland turned into a winter fairy tale yesterday. This is a road behind my house....
For the lovely lights you only need some tangerines, a knife, some sunflower oil and matches. Tangerines have their very own wick, you don't need any tealights, the oil will do!
If you are interested to make them yourself I could post a little tutorial tomorrow or the day after, just let me know...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday - afternoon: TANGERINE TUTORIAL!
Well, thank you all for your sweet reactions! To challenge myself I just tried to draw a 'sketch tutorial' for you in stead of taking pictures. Hope it's clear enough like this?

Cut the peel around with a sharp knife.

Remove the peel from the fruit carefully with one finger, watch out that the peel doesn’t break. Now you have a bottom and a top.

Tangerines have one part with a natural wick in the middle. Pour sunflower oil over and around this wick.

Cut a chimney hole out of the other part (which is the part without wick).

Please take safety precautions when your tangerines are lit, the garden is the best place for them. I did use them sometimes at Christmas dinners and put one tangerine lantern on every plate on the table...so fairylike!
Oh yeah, not to forget: these are the kind of crafts I learned from my mother back in the seventies! Thanks mum!

getting in the christmas mood with

2010-12-12T12:21:00.006+01:00

Joel Henriques and Happy Doodle Land

Orla Kiely

Pingvina and Xmoonbloom

DIY- danish paper stars

2010-12-05T14:55:00.005+01:00

Watch out: once you have learned to make these Danish (or German or Moravian) paper stars, folding them is highly addictive. Since I have to work a lot - I am in the busiest month of the year - I had to put myself on a paper star diet!

Folding them is hard to learn. And this is an understatement. It took me some weeks, surfing the net for tutorials, trying again and again. Maybe I miss an important origami gene?
Next to a lot of paper strips and the perseverance of a pitbull dog, several You Tube tuts and this website helped me a lot.

winter-pop-up-shop in my village

2010-11-28T09:10:00.004+01:00

Sorry for all you people living abroad, but there is finally something blog-worthy going on in my rather sleepy village, so here is some regional news...
It is about 3 sisters in a lovely - yet empty - new built house in Bussum. For years they have collected the best furniture and accessoires from the thrift shops, designed lovely (baby)T-shirts, crafted toys and cushions, made jam in beautiful jars etc. And now they are having this wonderful wintersale in the empty building. Everything they show is for sale, even the house is!

The weather is cold and sunny and the pop-up shop is open today so take your bikes for a little winter shopping tour! (landstraat 223)

The flat (waterproof) wall-vases are designed by Carolien Brusse and the terracotta lampshades are sold (to me!).

DIY- free downloadable paper trees!

2010-11-19T22:22:00.012+01:00

Before you start downloading...I would like to show you this.
This wonderful little winter give-away (see cover below) comes with the new fab December issue of our Dutch Interior Magazine 101 - Woonideeën.

A booklet full of gorgeous, easy DIY projects from dutch designers, creaters and crafters. If you live in Holland or Belgium: Don't miss it!!

And these are the little paper trees I designed for this 101-craftbooklet and that I designed - tadaaaaa... - for you! Here is my free downloadable link to the prints with easy instructions. Download the English version here and the Dutch one here.

It's my early Christmas present for you. Hope you enjoy it!

children - where are you now?

2010-11-13T08:08:00.007+01:00

My products are my paper children. And like other grown up children, they tend to leave home and go on long trips. And like every other worried mum I don't want to loose track, so I google them every once in a while.
It fills me with pride to find photo's of them taken by their new friends in Sweden, Germany, in the UK, Japan or in the US... They are obviously well taken care of and they feel at home!
From above left: Sing angels in Sweden staying at the blog of Emelie and Kicki from Havtorn, two pictures at Anneli's 'house' called Cosas in Sweden and one photo at Sabine's place called La Mesa, in Germany!
To be continued...

sustainability day

2010-11-11T11:43:00.005+01:00

Today it is sustainability day.
I think I can say, I do my best. It is often a matter of balancing between bad and worse. For example: the production of LED-lights seems to be very bad for the environment, whereas the use of LED-lights saves the world masses of energy!
Same balance-problem with these gorgeous Envirosax reusable bags I allways carry around. I save a pile of plastic bags offered in shops, but I wondered if the production (polyester) of the bags is that ecofriendly. Fortunately Envirosax has a good and honest answer to that on their website.

Oh, I almost forgot: of course my own products (paper, ink and bags) are ecofriendly as well!

early morning etsy

2010-11-06T08:45:00.004+01:00

The bracelet of hollow green glassbeads I found in Alisha White's etsy-shop. I love the shape of this orange bag by Bayan Hippo. Well and on this one I actually should spend a whole post: J Clay's pottery, it is awesome! Check out Sheepish to keep you warm this winter, beautiful knit/crochetwork!

DDW

2010-10-30T15:34:00.004+02:00

On our way home from France we paid a flying visit at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Our Dutch pride, designer Piet Hein Eek (first two images), opened his new huge factory/showroom/office/studio/restaurant in one of the old industrial Philips buildings - called Strijp R. The photo's above are taken at that location. We went (by free Design Taxi's) to other locations too, but it was apparently só overwhelming that I forgot to take any pictures at all.

The enourmous tent lamp and the 'suitcase-cupboard' are designed by Lotty Lindeman, the black and white wallpaper is by Melissa Peen. But those great glass lamps... sorry, I know they are famous, seen them before, but I don't remember the designers name! Anyone?

autumn leave between the autumn leaves

2010-10-30T15:18:00.005+02:00

We took a few days off, just to be away from everyday life. We are blessed with very dear friends having a lovely country-house in France, only a five hours drive from here. We had 3 great, cosy days outside and inside, with fires, wine, board games, crochet work and 10 kilo's of pears to be peeled.

sunday joy

2010-10-24T12:57:00.003+02:00

Joy today: My new vintage treasure vase. The paper animals are instant art that my youngest son Brecht made in 2 minutes this morning.
If you look at it you wouldn't think he's an 11 year old... let's be honest. The fact is: he can not draw precisely and he has no patience whatsoever. But he turned this limitation into a strong talent in making simple things even more simple (graphic). And yes, he does remind me of...me!
By the way: The 'parrot' and the 'croc' fit into each other, they are one piece of paper, isn't that lovely?

crochet therapy

2010-10-24T12:36:00.004+02:00

It is my own fault that I worked too hard - 70 hours a week - for over a month. My problem: Enthusiasm! Can't say 'no' to great design projects for other companies, allthough I have a fulltime business to run.
Last week I finished the last one. Sorry that I can't post anything on these projects right now, they are still in progress (meaning: being produced), but you'll be the first to know when they see the daylight!

Anyway, I was exhausted last week, but in the same time couldn't keep my hands still. I saw Linda and Ingrid crocheting their way through the week and I thought: yeahhh, I want that too. Thanks so much to both of you for the inspiration!

It is 36 years ago that I last crocheted a potholder...and here you see: my first therapy scarf! I assure you this is the best thing to do after such a period of non-stop hard (digital)labour. I have got my energy back, I feel happy and relaxed! It is going to be a long, long scarf!

october mood

2010-10-16T09:57:00.004+02:00

Tried to cling to summer (see beach life post last week) but wind, cold and rain made me surrender this week...it's autumn. After an Etsy-visit this morning I must say: the beautiful October-stuff I found there makes the season-switch more than bearable!
From top left: Earrings by Jillian Mackowiak. Ceramic pendant by Nifty by nature. Woolfelted pincushion Made in Lowell (by Liz Smith). And - there she is again - a crotcheted cushion cover by Emma Lamb

sunny sunday

2010-10-10T19:56:00.005+02:00

Like last week on Sunday, we've spent a long afternoon at the Henschotermeer today. It's only a 25 minutes drive, there's a wide beach, water, trees and... not too many people in October. The boys have been kiting and building sand castles, I read some magazines and I was even seduced to play a sand-soccer match. I amazed every one including myself: scored 4 times, on my bare feet. Not bad, huh?

gift from germany

2010-10-02T21:02:00.007+02:00

I have these great distributors abroad that I work closely with. One of them is Sabine Wittig from La Mesa, my German representative. Not only do we share the love for paperwork, we also share beautiful memories of a mutual very special friend that died almost 6 years ago.
It's a thin line between doing business and being friends sometimes... not always easy, but I still like it.
Yesterday a gift package from Germany was delivered with beautiful greeting cards from her assortment and this apple-teatowel from Koloni, that I simply had to photograph in the early morning sun.
On the gift tag it said: 'Dear Jurianne, thanks for the great cooperation, Sabine.' Isn't that super sweet?

pink

2010-10-02T15:26:00.006+02:00

Pink? It will never become my favorite colour. For this occasion I made an exception though. With all my heart.
I designed a special pink wishboat with a ribbon-pattern for Pink Ribbon, the yearly magazine of the Breast Cancer Organisation. I must say: what a surprisingly fantastic mag!
Great interviews (a small one with me...), beautiful subjects, couragious women and a fab styling and photografy. The paper of the magazine is thick and matt, the typografy and graphics beautiful.
In other words: buy this present for yourself, read, look, fold a boat (collectors item: PINK!!) and support the Breastcancer Organisation for only € 5,95.

interior living show

2010-10-02T15:09:00.006+02:00

I had a busy Amsterdam-day last Thursday so I only popped in for a very quick visit at the 'Woonbeurs'. I avoided the men in grey suits selling Quookers and gel-fireplaces and went straight on to the 'houses'(huge stands with several rooms) of our Dutch interior magazines. VT-Wonen and 101-Woonideeën were certainly worth a visit. 101 Woonideeën was very 'tactile', with a beautiful colour palette and a very fresh Asian feel.
VT-Wonen made a statement: colourful, masculin, no nonsense, crafty, with deep dark colours! Actually, their house was so dark (and crowded) I couldn't take a proper picture!
So above you see a tiny bit of the 101-house. The ceiling was covered with lovely laundry lines with hanging patches in these great Asian pastels...loved it!

style cookie

2010-10-01T09:27:00.005+02:00

Style Cookie, a new stylish shopping 'e-zine', is online! Style cookie guides you - with great, inspirational photographs - directly to the shops that offer the presented products.
I've seen many great pictures taken with my Bloms but this one is the cutest of 'em all! Blom and I feel honoured.
Thank you Sanne (photographer) and Anke (stylist) for doing such a great job.

oh my Lloyd!

2010-09-28T19:37:00.009+02:00

We 've spent our Sunday in Amsterdam, on the Elle Inside Design Show in the fab Lloyd Hotel.
My 12 year old son Eise insisted on coming with me and that made it very special.

He took great pictures overthere and I really think he has 'the eye' (but then again: I am his mother...) ! Some photo's you can see here, others are only to be found on his cute own photo-blog called My View.

The settings in my camera were somehow wrong (or do I need glasses for taking pictures?) so lots of pictures were kind of soft focuss. But - together with the ones my son took - they are still nice, I think.

Anyway, we had a great day! We saw beautifull things and every step I took I met an old friend or a new acquaintance. Besides I ended up having a lovely dinner with Karin, Sabien and Sandra! My cool son went home by himself, by train, from Amsterdam to Bussum. To be honest: that was harder for me (let go, let go) than it was for him!

premiere

2010-09-19T11:47:00.009+02:00

Today I roll out the red carpet for my latest edition of paper angels called Sing! They are available at my wholesale company right now and at my stockists very soon!

As soon as I have time I'll unite them with their older sisters - who are still available - on my website!
So, dear angels, spread your wings, fly away and sing!

swallow summer souvenir

2010-09-13T19:33:00.005+02:00

My weekend: Met my friend Anneli in Amsterdam (who's my Swedish distributor and owner of Cosas). We talked, walked, laughed, drank and had dinner at night. It was good to be 'out', especially with Anneli!

Yesterday Annemieke, Ellen and I went to the promising 2nd part of the Paper Biennale in Rijswijk. I went to part one in the Coda museum some time ago and it was a stunning little paper exhibition. Yesterday it was the last day of the Biennale, therefore the Rijswijk museum even had a Paper Market. Sorry to say: it was a deception. Maybe I am a spoiled brat concerning paper, but I didn't feel the inspiration that I felt in the Coda museum. And the market: it was boring, dusty. They could have attract so many nice young paper crafters in Holland! Nevertheless we had great fun just spending the day together. And that counts.

Inspiration? I find it in small things, like the new swallow bracelet by my dutch friend Björke. She gave it to me together with some sweet Swedish souvenirs (she bought piles of presents at Lagerhaus) that I hope to take pictures of some other time....

car booth treasures

2010-09-05T15:08:00.005+02:00

Friend Linda and me went to a car booth sale early this morning. The sale was held on a field between gardens and greenhouses, next to the river Amstel. Sunshine, nice people and lovely little treasures, what a good way to start your Sunday!

flowers in da house

2010-09-03T21:58:00.001+02:00

I love the last flowers of the season...

functional vintage

2010-08-29T08:12:00.005+02:00

Last week I came back from the 2nd hand store with some of the usual small bowls and retro mini vases and even an original Japanese kokeshi doll...but also with something Functional.
It's a ceramic pull string container! Even the men in my house - who prefer functional above beautiful - liked it.

toddler art

2010-08-28T17:51:00.010+02:00

Inspired by the words of Picasso Ingrid from ING-THINGS mentioned in her weekend post: "Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up" I suddenly looked at the 'toddler art' collection of my two sons in a different way. They are 11 and 12 years old now, hope they will still make dangerous dragons (and great mice and cows) like this in ten years!

there was light...

2010-08-28T15:51:00.004+02:00

And now for some uplifting news: Saw these great lamps in a magazine the other day. Designer is award winning Benjamin Hubert. Of all his designs I like his lighting the best: basic beauty, down-to-earth materials and a little hint of the seventies.

powder warning for those using a laser printer

2010-08-28T12:42:00.011+02:00

My 10 months old huge colour laser printer was out of order already for some weeks. Quite annoying since I am rather dependent on my hardware as a designer.

A big white stripe on the right side of the page, loose powder everywhere.
After days of phoning with Epson, checking, cleaning and trying to print, Epson asked me whether I had used clone (fake, which means non-Epson) toner cartridges.
As a matter of fact: I did! It saves like 30% compared to the real Epson ones and everyone seems to be totally happy with the quality. I allways thought manufacturers only tried to 'threaten' us with those stories about bad quality, in order to earn even more money than they already do. Well, now I know they don't!

I checked the cartridges and yes.... the fake ones were all somehow broken and leaking toner all over the place, the Epson ones were ok.
And now I feel stupid (and dutch!): tried to save money buying the clones and I completely ruined my beautiful printer. The toner itself is great, it 's the cartridges that seem to be of inferior quality.
So please learn from my mistake: don't buy fake-toner cartridges for your laser printer!

DIY dad

2010-08-21T08:52:00.009+02:00

The blog of this DIY dad (artist) makes my heart beat faster!
The simplicity, the love, the fun... Joel creates for and together with his children, who are by the way adorable and look very happy. Well, wouldn't you be with a dad like Joel?

we sing for ing

2010-08-15T17:46:00.007+02:00

They were waiting for a Sunday like this, my little Ing-birds. I gave them a stem, as if they were flowers (like my own Blom). When I put them in my green glass vase they filled me with joy: Paper, patterns, colour, folded with love and attention, send to me by a very sweet kindred spirit... What more does Jurianne want?
I want to send a part of this joy back to Ingrid, the mother of these birds and the owner of one of the most inspirational, honest and pure blogs I came across last year. She folds birds, she crafts and crochetes, writes like a poet, goes treasure hunting on second hand markets and last but not least: she takes lovely pictures. A lot of the items on her blog are for sale. And every visit at her blog moves me in a way.
So Ingrid from INGTHINGS, today they sing for you!

another stop at envelop

2010-08-15T15:40:00.005+02:00

After buying one designed by Jessica Nielsen I found more beautiful cushion covers at Envelop. The purple one is from Sarah Palisi, the other one- which I definately want for Christmas - is designed by Mrs. Elliot Books.

wheather forecast: clouds

2010-08-15T11:10:00.007+02:00

Cushion cover by Donna Wilson. Sunshine on a rainy day, if you ask me.

Cloud interior objects designed by the Bouroullec brothers for Kvadrat. For spacious museum homes! I could do with a miniature version of it...

sundaymorning-etsy-visit

2010-08-15T08:18:00.006+02:00

The men are still sleeping, the house is ssssshhh, the yesterday newspaper has been read.... perfect moment to browse on the internet with a large hot coffee next to me. Most of the computer-related activities mean 'work' to me, so I cherish relaxed internet-moments like these!
Found some sweet things on Etsy:
This owl toy by Robin & Mould. Don't forget to check their blog too. Full of inspiring information! The hand-built ceramic miniature houses are made by The little red door. Wish I could live there on days that I feel small...

transformers

2010-08-11T13:51:00.007+02:00

Funny....this is me, with Blom. In an interview published in Ariadne At Home two weeks ago (august issue). Blom didn't need any makeup and I was transformed into a real At Home-woman, fitting in the format. Which needed a flowery dress, lots of make-up and big hair! Things you'll not catch me in in daily life. Nevertheless the picture turned out to be real nice, I think!
The journalist who interviewed me did a great job. It appeared to be someone I knew already: one of my neighbours! I like the way she combined the facts, quotes, inspirations and characteristics in this story.

back in bussum!

2010-08-07T11:54:00.017+02:00

Back from a lovely holiday in France and a short stay in Switzerland.

We came across rusty brocante stuff,

we saw churches and

lots of dear friends and some small medieval towns with

colourful details!

The view from our house: never a dull moment!

Going back to Switzerland - was one of my wishes for a long time!

As my ancestors were 'Matters' that lived near the Matterhorn in the Mattervalley I wanted to see the swiss Giant myself.

After driving for seven hours, spending bags full of swiss franks for taxes, trains and open lifts (or 'gondels' like we call them - which were VERY 007 according to my sons), all my family-mountain was willing to show us upthere was the tiny top of his head. The rest he kept covered in clouds!

But we played in the snow, near the gletscher next to the snowboarders and we had a great uplanned hike back to Zermatt. And then - I must admit - after 2 very large swiss beers, we looked up in the direction of the mountain and yes... there it was, allmost without clouds: My Matterhorn!

holiday!

2010-07-11T23:54:00.002+02:00

Spain won from Holland with 1-0. Time to leave the country, ha, ha!

I haven't been in our house in France for over a year, so there will be lots of things to do (cleaning, gardening, painting), friends to visit, wine to drink, lots of books to read and food to eat.
Have a great summer!

Jurianne