…a beautiful polaroid from Amanda, who finally got hold of a copy of the book. Thank you Amanda, I’m absolutely thrilled that you love it! And I adore your photo (that coffee looks like it was scrumptious), merci merci.

In less than two weeks time, I will be signing copies of Paris: Made By Hand. I’m very excited. The event will be held at The Spui, right here in Amsterdam on June 27 as part of a great event called Urban Culture organised by The American Book Center.

It’s going to be heaps of fun – there will be lots of great stalls and workshops going on in the square, all in celebration of the handmade, do-it yourself movement. I am also excited to tell you that I will be styling one of the American Book Center’s windows, especially for the event! I will include lots of great books in my display, and some fabulous creations too. To find out more about the event, and to see who else is participating, please click here. I will be signing books between 1-6pm, and I do hope to see you…

apples on my window sill, perhaps I should make an apple pie today.

Now we’ve lingered in Paris this past week with sights, sounds and wanders, but its time to head back to Amsterdam because I have so much to tell you! I’m about a week behind on things I’ve been dying to chat to you about, and I’m debating as to whether I should tumble them all on you today, or be smart and sensible and write about each thing next week… I’m not sure I’m feeling too sensible. It’s Friday after all! Anyway, let’s see how far I get today.

Right now though, I do want to tell you that Yvette has done another drawing for us in the kitchen!! This time she invites us all to make a summer punch and it’s not only delicious, but beautifully illustrated. All you have to do is click on her image to have it bigger and then print it out and pop it into your recipe folder. Thank you Miss Yvette!

have you seen yvette’s new blog? here is a sneak peek, click here to check it out.

I also want to show you what popped into my inbox this week. It’s a fabulous photo from (blog)house reader Letisia who wanted to show me where her copy of the book is sitting in her home, take a look…

Isn’t it lovely? It totally enhanced my day. Thank you Letisia!

I love seeing little vignettes in people’s homes, and starring my book, well that is just wonderful! I still find it hard to grasp that the book is ‘out there’, you know. It was so much work and such a big part of my life for so long, and here it is now, bound and printed, out in the world.

I’m going to get cracking on some housework for now, but I’ll be back soon, so see you in a little while!

xx

there is lots going on! and I’m barely able to keep up with it myself. So my sincere apologies to all the wonderful bloggers who emailed me requests for a blog package about the book a few weeks ago which I still have not sent to you. You must think I’m terrible! But I hope not, I hope you know that my little legs are running as fast as they can, trying to get everything done on my ever-growing to-do list.

But in lieu of that idea, I recently spotted that Stacy over at La Boudoir had added a little Paris: Made By Hand book button on her blog which is such a wonderful idea. Thank you Stacy! So I thought I’d pass this idea onto each of you as perhaps you feel so inclined to do the same. Here is the button…

…which you can copy and paste straight from here, and then you can link it to either my blog page about the book, The Little Bookroom webpage, the random house australia webpage, or amazon.

I also want to thank you for all your support – the book has had such a fabulous response, and I have no doubt it’s because of each of you. Right now I want to give you a group hug. So huddle round, and I’ll stretch my arms out as far and wide as I can.

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next up: who is ready for another Paris soundscape? If you missed the last one, please click here.

Lilibeth (haven’t we missed her?! Harriet too!) insisted on stopping by this morning -or evening, if you are down under – to let us all know that Paris: Made By Hand will be in the following fabulous bookstores by June 1st (that’s this Monday!)…

IN AUSTRALIA:

Pulp Creative Paper, MANLY
Kinokuniya in the Galeries Victoria, SYDNEY
Oscar & Friends Booksellers, DOUBLE BAY
Sun Bookshop, YARRAVILLE
Better Read Pty Ltd, NEWTOWN
Reader’s Feast RFM Melbourne, MELBOURNE
Abbeys Bookshop Pty Ltd, SYDNEY
Gleebooks Pty Ltd, GLEBE
Collins 941 Floreat, FLOREAT
Dymocks Sydney, SYDNEY
Dymocks Broadway, BROADWAY
Dymocks Nowra, NOWRA

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**updated 29/5, includes the following:

Readings Carlton VIC
Ang & Rob Norwood SA
Dymocks Belconnen ACT
Dust Jacket Inverell NSW
The Hive Braddon ACT
Elliot Collection Essendon VIC
Turner & Lane Malvern VIC

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For my Australian readers, if you don’t see the name of your favourite local bookstore above, I would absolutely love you (yes, LOVE you) if you could ask them to stock the book. I really really want the book to be in your local reading retreat, and the only way I know how to do that is to ask for your help. My local bookstores in Sydney would be Bookoccino in Avalon, and Berkelouw Books in Mona Vale. If anyone from the Northern Beaches could call these stores to ask for them to stock the book, I would be so so thankful. And I think my grandmother might just bellyflip to see them in her local bookstore! I would love my grandmother to bellyflip. I don’t know exactly what it means as I just made it up. But in my head, it’s an air born sommersault of sorts.

IN EUROPE:

American Book Center, AMSTERDAM
Sterling Books, BRUSSELS
Alexia Hollinger, rue Therese, PARIS
Galignani, PARIS
Shakespeare and Company, PARIS
Village Voice, PARIS
WHSmith, PARIS

There will be more stockists throughout France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Greece, still to come. And there should be a number of bookstores in the UK but I haven’t had confirmation of these yet.

I will now go and pop these stockists onto the book’s webpage for your future reference…