The week in pictures - From GLAMOUR to Joan Sutherland

LATIN AMERICA. The cherry on "this week's cake" was the October edition of GLAMOUR (LATAM) featuring one of my paintings and 2 pillow designs in connection with the exhibition at Design Within Reach in West Palm Beach. To view my work and designs directly available in the US go to Interdecorations.

 Aurélien Poirot in action

AMSTERDAM. I finished a series of commissioned illustrations for BRIDGES, the hip and happening fish restaurant of 5 star hotel Sofitel The Grand in Amsterdam. The illustrations will be published as boxed culinary cards with recipes by briljant French chef Aurélien Poirot. The cardbox will be launched towards the end of November celebrating the restaurant's one year anniversary so expect a full report then (and sorry I can't reveal any images yet)!

 The Sofa Studio - Dubai

DUBAI. My pillow designs are now available through The Sofa Studio. 

 Joan Sutherland with my mother Tine van Grootel in Maria Stuarda

GENEVA. Sadly Joan Sutherland died aged 83. I had the pleasure of meeting her on several occasions during the time that my mother sang with her. She was amazing.

 Expat Living (October 2010)

SINGAPORE.  Earlier this week I blogged about some wonderful publicity in Expat Living featuring happy clients talking about my work.

Rowan Metzner's fish picture

Elizabeth Kleinveld's Spring Exhuberance

NEW ORLEANS. I did a very special book give away of "Before (During) After", Louisiana Photographers reactions to Hurricane Katrina. You can still enter until October 26 so PLEASE DO as the story should not be forgotten! To enter click here.

Enjoy your Sunday xox!

New press - Happy clients in Singapore!

Today I received a wonderful suprise in the mail, the October issue of Expat Living (Singapore) featuring charming Marilisa Busatta and her husband in front of my painting Interior with Chinese Screen. I met Marilisa when I was exhibiting in Singapore in October last year and told me that she had seen one of my "parrot in cage "paintings at a friends house in Paris and that she fell in love with my work. We had an immediate click. So thank you Marilisa and Expat Living. I feel honoured with such tribute!

Before (During) After - Louisiana Photographers Reactions To Hurricane Katrina -Book giveway!

 The Book: Before (During) After

@ the Amsterdam book event - Caroline Griep, Elizabeth Kleinveld,

Eric Paul Julien, Paul Cliteur

 Elizabeth Kleinveld's limited edition photo in my son's room (featured in the book)

 Before During After: photographer: Eric Paul Julien

Elizabeth's photo of toxic waste. After the water levels dropped this is what it looked like

almost poetic

 nola's toxic waste on my wall

Last week I attended a very special book event here in Amsterdam of Before (During) After.

In 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, one of my best friends, New Orleans born and raised Elizabeth Kleinveld was there with her husband and children for their summer holidays.
We were al doing "our thing" at the time. At the event, friend and editor, Caroline Griep recalled during her speech that"her thing" at that moment was experiencing the most scary thunderstorm of her life inVenice not realizing that something much more material happened on the other side of the Ocean.
Many of us can recall the moment the news hit, but for the people that were actually in the midst of it, it will remain part of them forever. When Elizabeth returned safely to Amsterdam she was desperately searching for a way to find peace with the event and decided she needed to make a book. 5 years of passion, persistance and patience resulted in "Before (During) After:  an estetic and elegant collection of photographs of a devestating event. Twelve photographers contributed photos and essays:  Jennifer Shaw, Frank Relle, Lori Waselchuk, Rowan Metzner, Samuel Portera, David Rae Morris, Jonathan Traviesa, Eric Julien, Zack Smith, Elizabeth Kleinveld, Mark J. Sindler, and Thomas Neff. Their photographs are a melancholy record of both the damages (some small, some enormous) and their own feelings and experiences.

Although my own art and designs are collourful and happy I fell instantly for the intensity of the photographs. I got sucked into them completely. I just had to have at least a few on my wall and so it happened. It is difficult to share the emotions the photographs in the book evoke but you will have an opportunity to have the expierence.


And yes I know it might not be the usual glamorous suspect on your coffee table but here is your  opportunity to win a copy of this beautiful, inspiring, touching book signed by Elizabeth Kleinveld. TO ENTER:

- be a follower of my blog
- like Before (During) After on facebook 

and of course tweet as an addtional entry!

The winner will be announced on October 26.

....and if you don't win the book can be bought online amongst others through Octavia Books

A Peaceful Moment

YES I am getting my act together. Finally time to visit some of my blogfriends again and clearing the warzone in my house (yes that is what it looks like after rushing in and out for almost two weeks in a row :))). So happy to be able to grab a peaceful moment in my favourite place: my home, creating still lifes with my "prized possesions" and designs.
And.... I have to admit that my Allium pillow looks grand on the white leather Artifort lounge chair...The pillow is part of the new collection I am working on and it is already available through my webstore here! The lampshade in the back is also my design.

Catching up - Thank You Notes!

 My daily transport between home and the fair and back!

Getting back on my feet after 9 days at the interior decorating fair here in Amsterdam. 9 whole days from beginning to end promoting my brand. It was just fabulous, but I was living on another planet so I am desperately catching up amongst others with my blogging family and friends!

Little Blue Deer

My first big thank you goes to Shari Miller of Little Blue Deer for being incredeably creative, patient and supportive. As you may have noticed my blog was revamped not so long ago and I can now reveal that this was done by the magic touch of Shari! I had quite a few wishes part of them too technical for my simple brain, but Shari managed to create exactly what I envisaged for my blog's look and feel. If you are craving a blog revamp but like me are not confident touching all the issues do contact Shari for information and a quote at shari@littlebluedeer.com.

Design Refuge

The next big thank you goes to Dagny Thurmann-Hoelseth of Design Refuge for doing a wonderful posting about my home. Design Refuge is the largest meetig place on line for design bloggers world wide and if you have not registered your blog with them yet what is holding you back! Go to Design Refuge and get connected!

Just a few shots - Woonbeurs 2010!

A Day at the Fair

Today was the 4th day at De Woonbeurs. I can highly recommend the experience of particpating. The learning curve is steep, but amazing. The fair is open to the public except yesterday which was for the trade only. The reason I picked a fair open to the public is that I find it important to see the response and get feedback from the (potential) end customer. What I am really happy about is the amount of people that recoginze my work and know the story behind it. It confirms that I am on the right track. The translation of 4 years of work to 12 square meters has definetly not been in vain. It is a modest start which tastes like more... The video gives you a flavour.

Almost there!

Well some more footage on the styling of the booth. Quite a challenge considering we only have 12 square meters to work with! Also I love my colours but seeing them concentrated on this level especiallly with the plain interior stylist and friend Sally Lyon and my sister have been a great support.
In these pictures you don't see the final result yet. We edited a few things yesterday but there was no time left for filming or photgraphing after the invasion of crowd on the first day. More tomorrow. Have a wonderful Sunday.

Keep Calm and Carry On!

The current state of my booth. Keep calm and carry on!!

My first ever interior decoration fair. Yesterday did not go as planned, was that something to be expected? I promised myself to stay calm and I did. When we arrived at the fair the booth was far from ready for styling.  Here is a short video update.

Eat, Breathe, Dream

new pillow design: Allium (in satin silk)

It is 48hrs to countdown. Only very little time left to the start of interior decorating fair "DE WOONBEURS" here in Amsterdam. As you can imagine I eat, breath, dream WOONBEURS, including the occasional nightmare. I still have to make some final descisions about the look of my booth but my new pillow designs, including Allium above will be on show. This morning we will start with setting up. The larger pieces first, with the fine tuning tomorrow. I will be trying to document the process also with my FLIP camera. This is the first time I am really using it so apologies for my first unedited (!) introduction.

Keep you posted!

ps (Kerry: note the purple ribbon in the picture :))

CRAVE: The Urban Girl's Manifesto

my spread in CRAVE AMSTERDAM

with CRAVE sales ambassador Athalie Stegeman and CRAVE founder Melody Biringer

Last week I attended the booklaunch of CRAVE Amsterdam: The Urban Girls' Manifesto. At the launch I met the driven founder: "CRAVE MAVEN" Melody Biringer. 
Her passionate search for the best of what we girls crave in life helped her launch and build the CRAVEcompany, a network of companies designed to innovatively connect entrepreneurs who approach business in a fresh, new way with the stylish consumers they desire in cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto (already 21 cities in the US-Canada) and now in Amsterdam as the first European city! Think Food, Fashion, Interior Design.....
Biringer and her brand provide a unique networking platform and the cherry on the cake is the CRAVE book!
I would like to thank Melody and Athalie Stegeman, sales ambassador at CRAVE Amsterdam for this great initiative and as many of you are building businesses of your own do check out whether CRAVE is available in your city!

RUE ROYAL

 Royal Cover: Woodson and Rummerfield

Chic Interior shot of Habitually Chic's Heather Clawson

Woodson and Rummerfield House of Design

Victoria Smith's Bohemian interior

 The great Vincente Wolf

I am simply overwhelmed by new online magazine RUE. I should be in my studio working right now. But I have been browsing the 261 pages, every single one of them amazing and full of inspiration. I am sure I will be going mad later today with my brushes. So thank you team behind RUE which includes some of my wonderful talented friends from the blogosphere (not going to mention names as I am afraid I will forget someone and YOU should check it out yourself). Above just a few snapshots from this must read!

In the Studio: New Arrival

Preparations for the interior decorating fair "De Woonbeurs" here in Amsterdam are in full swing. Finally my vintage two seater sofa has arrived, reupholstered in Edmond Petit's "Lin Mirror Or", a beautiful linen with a gold shimmer. I am sure it will look grand in my booth. In these pictures the sofa is teamed with my pillow designs "Blue Bird" and "In Bloom Purple". In the first picture there is also a glimpse of 2 Pierre Vandel (Paris) side tables which will also form part of the display.

Another peek at my space - Dutch television (SBS6)

It can be quite nerve wrecking when you are featured on tv without having seen the end result of the shoot. But the team of SBS6 Huizenjacht did a fantastic job on my feature. What can I say, yes this is the space I live in with my kids and it is totally representative for who I am. Eclectic, bohemian, warm, colorful, slightly chaotic (as you can guess when there are no camera's around it is more than slightly chaotic).
In terms of size it is less than one third of the house I used to live in but one of the things I say in the interview is that size is not important to be happy in your home. What really matters is what you do with the space you live in! If you can bare to listen to Dutch for 5 minutes you can see the feature by clicking here. Be patient as you have to wait for the commercial to finish first. After that you can drag the arrow/forward button to 4.50 mn where my house tour starts. Enjoy!

About last week..

 

 

 New collection of designer pillows in progress

 

  My boxed notecards @ Books and Books, Miami

and my greeting cards (middle row)

Pierre Vandel 70s coffee table

Pfew, where did last week go? Not unusual for me that so many things were going on again, but I guess for most of you it is the same. It just goes with the territory. So here are 4 highlights from last week before I am stepping into this week's roller coaster ride!
1. My new fabrics arrived and were send off to the atelier to be turned into pillows.
2. Books and books in Miami became the first US retailer of my stationery. Pictures courtesy of my US distributor Interdecorations.
3. New arrival in my house: a 70s coffee table designed by Pierre Vandel (Paris). Perfect for displaying books & magazines! Have you ever come across his designs?
4. Someone has been redesigning my blog. I will reveal the identity of this wonderful creative person later this week once the last bits and pieces have been tweeked. To give you a hint: she is a fellow blogger and quite a few of you follow her....

If You Obey All The Rules You Miss All The Fun

detail of my mood board

"If you obey all of the rules you miss all of the fun"

This wonderful quote from Kathrine Hepburn is on my mood board. It is one of these "typical" things I need to be reminded of especially on a day like today when I am trying to beat myself up (again), telling myself that I am not working hard enough...Whose rules? Aren't those rules MY rules? So I have taken a break to blog and I feel much better now. To conclude with another KH quote:

"If you always do what interests you at least one person is pleased."