Sunday, December 25, 2011

merry christmas

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!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

my Rijksmuseum angels

 
 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.


Sunday, December 4, 2011

make & shop - holiday home


'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.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

drawing names for the give away

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!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

the 'giveaway-give away'



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!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

beautiful embroidery

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!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

one of olivier's artisans

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'.


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

STOCKIST SPOTLIGHT: Gosto Design & Lifestyle


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
 

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

Sonia, what made you decide to start your own shop?
Since I moved 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 been blogging since 2005, first to get in contact with other mums, but soon I discovered a new world, a world of creative people. Innovative and nice websites like Etsy and Flickr were emerging. I started to read a lot of blogs about crafts and design and found my passion in interior design, specially northern european/scandinavian design.

When last year this store, a family store - and formerly the 'milk shop' owned by my husband's grandfather - 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 of thinking, make a serious 'business plan' and go for it.

 
What are your Gosto ‘classics’? 
That's tricky to 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 kind of purchases  and my best seller brand is Muuto, 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 find me. I recently had the designers (in person... how cool is that?) from Gewoon and Snurk visiting me, they showed me their products in such a passionate way that I simply couldn't say no, besides their products are amazing. But what I am proud of most is the houseware of Alma Gemea. I'm the only shop in the Netherlands that sells this Portuguese brand, a joint-venture between a cork and ceramic company that asked young designers to come up with such a beautiful collection.
Do you have a particular way of styling in your shop? Your own ‘hand’? 
I do the styling of my shop by intuition. I have a good basis, the building is more than 100 years old, with high ceilings and lots of light, I say that the space does it almost by itself. I also try to mix high-end design with handmade products to 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 there anything 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!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

dutch design week 2011

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

 

Sunday, October 16, 2011

pinned

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'.

Monday, October 10, 2011

the making of Pilloon

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!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

is there life after the blue box...

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!