drawings in the sand, jim denevan, found via field & sea.
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This week I’m going to further explore quiet spaces. Are you up for that? Each day I will post something quiet -be it a space, a place, a moment, whatever: just things that inspire reflection and tranquility. There will be minimal words, no ramblings – just visuals. Enjoy. x
Finally, the sun is out and the air is warm. It is blissful to ride my bike over bridges in the warm sunshine-filled air. I love having all the windows open in the boat and eating summer fruits on the tiny front deck while reading a book.
To celebrate the arrival of summer, I’ve gone through my amsterdam archives and picked out a selection of favourite amsterdam posts that I thought you might enjoy anew…
hidden studios and secret gardens
my thoughts on amsterdam, after a year
I’m also wrapped to let you know that I Amsterdam posted a little story about me and my book today. Click here to read it. And I’m also super thrilled to let locals know that they are hosting a giveaway of amsterdam: made by hand on their facebook page today! To enter, you just have to post a comment on their page about what you’re most looking forward to at tomorrow’s urban arts festival. The competition ends at 4PM TODAY so that are only a couple of hours left, get in quick! Thank you I Amsterdam for spreading the word, you guys rock.
If I could enter the giveaway myself, I’d say I’m looking forward to Lotte Klaver’s drawing machine (I cannot wait to see this!) and also to see audrey wereen from label 3 making her fab bags (audrey is one of the artisans mentioned in amsterdam: made by hand, page 53!). On a personal note I’m also looking forward to meeting the lovely Anne who’s coming from Paris, and also fellow author Kate! And I’m absolutely looking forward to signing copies of my book, I hope the weather will be just as perfect as it is today so I can catch some rays while I sign.
Aaaah, June is Amsterdam. I told you it was gonna be good…
…the home of Valentin Loellmann in Maastricht (as photographed by his brother Jonas Loellmann, featured on Bloesem’s lets get personal column).
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…pacific north west, as captured by jennifer from field & sea (which is also a quiet space I love to visit regularly).
…watermelons, in the larder room, on a hot day. yes, please. (photo from this post).
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…tattes bakery as captured by nadia from la porte rouge. dreamy.
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Lately I’m craving quiet spaces, quiet moments, quiet thoughts.
The world of zines is quite new to me. Sure, I’d heard the term floating around the blogosphere but I never really began grasping the concept until I read about the MCA zine fair via Ebony and Lee Tran Lam, two über creative Sydney-siders (although Ebony has just moved to Tokyo, I can’t wait for her Tokyo blog posts!) who never fail to produce beautiful zines. A few months ago, Lee Tran asked if I would mind contributing to her latest zine and the other day, I received her zine masterpiece. It happened to be a lovely sunny day so I made myself a cup of tea and took her zine out on the front deck of the boat, quietly reading each page…
I’m hear to tell you it is an absolute treat – a piece of art in itself. There are fabulous intimate interviews from French folk and French enthusiasts interspersed by Lee Tran’s personal French experiences as well as clever quotes & beautiful images, illustrations and sticky notes. The amount of work that Lee Tran has put in to producing these handmade zines is evident with each turn of each page. So absorbed I was by the details and conversations that by the time I got to my interview I had completely forgotten about my contribution. What an honour it feels to be a part of it…
Lee Tran sold out of her zines at the recent MCA zine fair but has been busy making another batch for those interested so I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy now before she sells out again. They are only AUS$10 each with shipping (so probably about AUS$15 in total to ship overseas) and you can buy them directly from Lee Tran by emailing her here.
Thank you Lee Tran for thinking of me for this special issue, I’m absolutely wrapped to be featured and I wish you all the best with your upcoming creative endeavours. Also, I can’t wait for our next breakfast date!
Wow, has this month flown by or what? I can’t believe it’s already time for the Urban Arts Festival!
This Saturday, June 26th between 1-6pm on the spui (the big cobblestoned square outside the American Book Center) is where you’ll find this giant outdoor atelier featuring a plethora of creative individuals displaying and creating work on-site, especially for the festival. The concept is to cross fertilize the world of design and crafts. There is a fabulous line up of artists and artisans including graphic designers, illustrators, graffiti artists, fiber artists, paper-toy designers, authors – all with an urban edge.
I’ll be there not only perusing the stalls to see what everyone is up to but also signing copies of Amsterdam: Made by Hand so if you have not yet got yourself a signed copy of the book then this is your last chance as the Urban Arts Festival wraps up my month-long book launch celebrations!
Click on the above collage to enlarge and see some of the creative people who will be there. Also check out the ABC treehouse calender for workshops scheduled for the day (just scroll down to June 26th and then click on the various event links to find out more). And for more detailed information about the festival and links to each artist, click here.
I’ll be at the book signing table at 3pm, hope to see you then!
xx
PS For those interested in Paris: Made by Hand, the American Book Center has ordered more, they should be in store now and yes of course I’m happy to sign copies as well on Saturday!
