i’m wrapped
Posted in amsterdam, stores December 20th, 2007 by piablog

present2.jpg

I usually make alot of the gifts that I give for Christmas, especially to the children of the family. But this year that has been a far fetched dream. Instead I did all my Christmas shopping at the most spectacular store last weekend, and what a find and so appropriate for my life: a French inspired boutique that is right in the heart of Amsterdam. And you won’t believe that I actually found the most beautiful pillow cover embroidered with the Australian flag in a soft blue fabric with white stitching. What are the chances of that?

present1.jpg

The service there was incredible, and check out the wrapping: snowflakes and stars nestled under cellophane on craftbrown & gold paper. Fantastique! It reminds me of how I used to wrap Christmas gifts in my store in oz, but mine was just plain brown craft paper with rose petals under the cellophane layer, I love those colours as you are probably well aware by now. Wondering where I went?

present3.jpg

Rivièra Maison!

Check out there website, maybe you can guess what I’ve bought by looking through the catalogue. And here is an interesting article I also found about them on squidoo. Ooooh la la.

the morning after
Posted in interiors, quotes, stores December 17th, 2007 by piablog

gallery1.jpg

After a little rocky start thanks to my hosting company deciding to do maintenance the moment I launched the blog, I am back on track and ready to roll! But haven’t quite made the effort to roll out of bed yet (love my lap apple) and Alfred seems to have forgotten about my morning cuppa. again.

Thank you to everyone who replied to my email send out yesterday, having a look at the blog and sending me your well wishes, I love you all.

The above image is from an art gallery in Amsterdam that my lovely friend Connie and I stumbled upon the other day. We both couldn’t resist snapping some shots through the white-barred window, it was such a beautiful tiny space, and with this intriguing phrase in giant lettering on the wall it seemed to be written just for us, reflecting our current states of mind. It was as if the sentence formed from the intense conversation about love, loss and life that we had just been engaging in.

I didnt get a chance to find the name of the space or the artist, so if anyone knows please do let me know. In the meantime, I will try to find it again to see if I can learn more about the concept and the artist. Here is a broader shot of the space…

gallery2.jpg

Stunning non?

So what is installed for you this week when you wander through my house? Let me see…

On the kitchen table amongst a tonne of paperwork still to get through is a series of shots from a Summer BBQ story I shot with photographer Chris Chen in Sydney, Australia with some ideas for table setting this summer (if you are lucky enough to be in the Southern Hemisphere!)

In the sound studio, we just released the song ‘les gouttes’ and have it available on the myspace page. I will describe (with visual aid of course!)more about this song as it has quite a story behind it.

A new book has been added to the Library called Recycled Home – I cant wait to get a chance to sit with it, I’ll write my review.

Presents! You have to check out the wrapping, it is so gorgeous!

A mini travel guide full of beautiful images of a very special set of villages in France where I will be spending my Christmas, and a little surprise visit to a rather magnificent property too.

And on this weeks menu there are oysters, there are scallops, there is pan-seared tuna with herbes de provence, and of course there is champagne! I will be writing the menu up in the kitchen shortly.

And all that in between my daily postings and working out how to use bullet points. Thanks for your patience with my little start up issues. Hope you enjoy the first week at my place!