my print on Engel-bags

Last Saturday I received a lovely package: 2 wonderful bags, a gift from Engel. Some years ago I designed this elephant-pattern for Engel-tablecloths.
Engel has used the pattern on bags now, and I love it!
By the way - as you can expect from Engel - the bags are real practical and made in a high quality. I am really happy with them!
Although neon has been banned from my personal color palette for a while now, the small neon one (which is much brighter in real than you can see here) is my favorite...
Thanks for the gift dear Sabien!

and another one...

Just came across Folklore, I just have to share it with you! Another webstore with simple and beautifully designed products.
Funny, although UK-based, they sell some real good Dutch Design as well, like the table lamp (first photo left) by Marcel Ossendrijver!
You can find the gorgeous brick and mortar version of Folklore in the Islington area, London.

living analogue

I love the craftmanship and simplicity of the assortment of Analogue Life. Just look at these pictures, the shapes, the colours: they calm your eyes, slow down your breathing and give you that 'analogue' feel.

training

I am training myself in writing less, telling more. For information on these images: my Pinterest boards! I am going for a long walk, have a lovely Sunday!

dried DIY

There's a dried/preserved flower revival coming up. First I thought it's my own longing for romanticism and my hope to preserve time. But since one year I see fresh, dried and pressed flowers new style popping up on the internet. I'm sure it will not be a copy paste dusty seventies nostalgia.

It will have a completely new, fresh touch! I hope florists are going to have those old fashioned straw flowers (see photo by Martha Stewart above) in their assortment again soon! So we can make beautiful flower buntings like the one above by florist Shane Powers, read the HOW-TO on Gardenista.

Let's MAKE a flower wall at home! This one from Front Projects is decorated with articificial flowers. Hey, we can do better, more natural!
No patience for pressing? In Holland you can buy 240 assorted pressed flowers for € 18,00 right here. And for international flowers: this Etsy shop has a whole dried garden for you!

baby gijs

After more than 5 catless years we decided to adopt kitten Gijs (10 wks old now).
It is a hell of a job to take pictures from Gijs when he is awake, he's like a tornado! He wants to play with us all day. During his breaks he loves to be on our laps (or on his sheepskin), caressed by our poor scratched hands, which he answers with a loud purring. And we - his staff - just loooove this little guy!

His name is real Dutch although he has a French mother and a Egyptian Mau great grandmother. It should be pronounced as the english word 'GUYS', with a Dutch G (sounds as if you have a throat problem).

By the way: we are looking for a babysitter for three weeks in July...We have a lovely home - 20 min. drive from Amsterdam - a nice small cottage garden full of flowers and a huge natural park within a 2 minute walk from our backyard. And Gijs, of course....please contact me for more info!

taking photo's without a camera

As a kid I was intrigued by cyanotype. It is a way of taking photo's without a camera, with help from the sun and some chemicals.
When my sons were little I bought a DIY sunprint kit. The fun thing was: after printing the key, the pair of scissors and some fern leaves my boys lost their interest but I couldn't stop! I remember going through my cupboards with a cyanotype view: fluffy yarn, nails, my grandmothers lace, every shape seemed interesting...
The cyanotype technique can be used on any material: Above you can see it applied on tiles by the UK/Dutch designers Glithero. Both the gun by Adam Ottavi (etsy shop) and the Jellyfish lace next to it by Rinne Allen are on paper and for sale. The beautiful dandelion print on fabric is created by Anna Laurent, you can find here TUTORIAL here.