the music studio/guest room in our old Paris apartment which I photographed for Home Beautiful magazine last year…

Do you remember my pallet daybed from my Paris apartment story last year? We still have the daybed as you know, it is part of our houseboat here and it’s the perfect place to laze about on these perfectly hot summer days…
by the way the boat has changed quite a bit since this photo was taken last summer! I’ve accumulated so much more stuff…agh…

Well this morning I was delighted to find one featured on Design*Sponge as a before and after! How cool! Ashley Ann’s daybed is beautiful, check it out…

I love that she has kept the pallets raw, only sanding them back so they are smooth to the touch. And her styling is fab.

Oh there is so so much you can do with pallets. Just the other day I was walking past a new store here in Amsterdam and noticed they have designed their entire space using pallets – even the counter desk is made from pallets! I will try to duck in and take some photos for you in coming weeks if I can.

Pallets rock.

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In similar but totally different news, (blog)house reader Sofia left a comment the other day letting me know that she found my paris studio/guest room had been used as inspiration for a sim2 room! Now as you know, my knowledge of this technology is limited (of course I had to ask French Boy what ‘sim’ is… which he explained, which I still don’t understand…), but check it out, it’s pretty cool! Click here to view. Thanks for letting me know Sofia!

xx

PS some of you know from my facebook fan page that I’m in agony with lower back pain right now. I’m trying to rest up but have so much to do that I have no choice but to push through it. Thanks for all your suggestions! The ice pack is working at dulling the pain, and I will keep this up throughout the day.

PPS I just found out that ashley wrote a great post about how she made her pallet bed! Please check it out here. Also photos of the full nursery here. So. Beautiful.

While I’m on the topic of gorgeous handmade things (when am I not on this topic, you might wonder?), do you remember a couple of months ago I posted some sublime pieces created by Danish ceramicist Jette Arendal Winther, of which I found while perusing fave blog bientôt demain? Here is a pic to jog your memory…

Well, I’m excited to let you know that I just found out about an online boutique called danish ceramics which, as you may have guessed, specialise in danish ceramics! And it is here where you will find all of Jette Arendal Winthers one of a kind pieces, sold exclusively through this site. They will ship with a postal fee of around $40, and her pieces are upwards of around $33 each…

You can read more about danish ceramics right here, check out their designer line up here, and view jette’s pieces here. And if anyone’s asking, I like this one. No wait, this one. Oh, this one! Hmm, I’m besotted. still.

Being so far away from my homeland can be hard sometimes. Sure, I love Holland. And I adore France. But I love my home country, with its dusty deserts, sparkling ocean,golden sands, and fabulous foliage. Not to mention my family and dear friends. My homeland inspires me tremendously, and I miss it.

So every now and then, it does me the world of good to receive little pieces from home, little memories, little handmade creations, little notes. It makes me feel less far away, and allows my wandering heart to play a little by my home shoreline, if only by imagination, triggered by these little mementos.

Yesterday, I received some very special creations from Australia that I have had my eye on for some time now…

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when I first saw these pencils on the paperboat press blog, my heart sang. They say “fill your paper with the breathings of your heart”, by wordsworth. I can’t wait to start writing with one of them, I find myself calmed and nurtured just by the sight of them on my desk.

beautiful handmade tags, with perfectly handpicked quotes. They are smooth to the touch and they remind me of the glassy pacific ocean on a still and sunny day.

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As soon as I opened the package I wanted to photograph them. So, on this sunny morning, that’s exactly what I’ve done. I thought they looked pretty on my window sill, with it’s watery background and shadow-happy light. I hope you like them.

I’d also like to make an official announcement here in the (blog)house that their creator, dear Kylie of paperboat press, has recently opened her online store! It is filled to the brim with her handmade goodies, ready to be shipped off all over the world, wherever you may be..

So, make yourself a cup of tea, and take a look around her beautiful online boutique. While you’re there, please check out her blog which I adore, her book of poetry published by murdoch books, and here’s a sneak peek into her studio too (I want to play in there!).

Thank you Kylie, for being such an inspiration, and for ‘bringing me home’. I can’t wait to meet you one day.

xx

We all loved the idea of hanging out in one of the above tree-hugging abodes, so I thought it would be fun to theme this week’s etsy favourites with this in mind! So come with me, let’s spend a lazy afternoon picnicking at our dreamy location…

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of being miles away from civilisation is food. I thought we could bring our tasty provisions in these beautifully woven baskets from The Bent Tree Gallery. Let’s fill them with afternoon treats like an assortment of our favourite French & Dutch cheeses, a couple of baguettes, freshly picked grapes, figs, dates, strawberries, pears and some fresh herbs from the vegetable garden.

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The Bent Tree Gallery has lots of great things for our picnic in the trees, including this handy wine bar. oh I adore this creation! We can have one for a lovely bottle of chilled rosé, and another for le champagne.

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Now we’ve arrived at our dreamy destination! That didn’t take too long did it? But before we get too comfortable, lets go for an afternoon walk – we can take one of these hiking sticks carved from maple, handcrafted from featured etsy seller bearpaw rustics. oh and let’s just have a peak inside this charming birdhouse nestled on a nearby trunk, perhaps there is someone home.

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When we get back we can play a few rounds of my all-time favourite card game – crib! And what do you know, I found a beautifully handcrafted one at bearpaw rustics…

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Well after all this glorious tree dwelling, I’m feeling so relaxed and rather sleepy, are you? Shall we stay for the night? Lets…

…because I just so happened to bring a couple of these soft, organic wool travelling mattresses made by Monikaw, just in case we decided upon a spontaneous treetop sleepover. And of course, I brought enough food for a delicious breakfast in the branches.

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Oh that was such fun! We might have to do it again sometime. Thanks for joining me for this specially themed installment of…

… helpful cards for the tongue tied, created by Vancouver-based Field and Sea. There are 20 cards in each pack and among the messages are “You’re right, I’m wrong” (ooh how I’d like to receive that one), “Let’s go puddle jumping”, (perfect for this rainy day in Amsterdam), “I‘ve lost my way” (totally), and “I have lost the right words. Will these do?” (you read my mind!). The idea is to slip these little thoughts into pockets, between the pages of books, or beneath your sweetheart’s pillow.

I often find myself tongue-tied, so these would be perfect. But I also have times where my tongue won’t stop unraveling… any solutions for this predicament?