Exciting! A new home ♥

It's really exciting: I'm going to find a new home!!! It's my personal mission to find a new house within two months. A place full of light, spacial, lots of windows, a balcony, my own herb garden (on the balcony;) in that part of Amsterdam with lots of creative vibes: Westerpark or surroundings. Can't wait for spring to come because I already see myself on that balcony with a glass of delicious South African bubbles. I already got ideas about the colour scheme of the interior, the use of natural materials, lots of DIY accesoires and I just feel that it's going to be a wonderful growproject. I'm ready to start a new adventure! First things first: I need a new location, whahaa. As a exciting preparation I'm going to compose a moodboard for the interior this weekend for the look and feel!

Wonder

I absolutely love the notebooks of Papaya art. They're inspiring, pretty & positive. They simply make me happy. Since a couple of years I always bring a notebook with me, everywhere I go. It could happen that I don't open the notebook for a couple of weeks because I'm too preoccupied and rational and my creative flow seems to have disappeared... but then it magically pops up again. For me the 'pop up' happens when I slow down my monkey mind by meditation, quality time by myself or inspiring gatherings with friends. And funny as it may seem, also thanks to a social media stop, even for a day. Then the flow begins, with a drawing (even though I cant't really draw;-)a word, followed by sentences that just pop up. Sometimes it keeps quiet for a little while but in a strange way that's ok, because I know that the pop up will come. 

Happy weekend! And don't forget:

Liz Green: tonight@Paradiso

She's got a voice that reminds me of the '20, a funny way of playing the guitar and an unique sound amidst todays artists. I bought the album on Itunes and keep listening to it. It makes me smile: Liz Green has got a new Dutch fan!

Quan Yin

Quan Yin came into my life today ;-) so I thought it would be nice to share this encounter with you. During my visit to Bali which included several peaceful temple visits (wish I were there right now, sigh) I probably spotted her already but today we were reintroduced. She's the goddess of compassion and healing. Merciful, tender, compassionate, loving, protecting, caring, healing and wise are the words she represents. I really like the 'concept' she represents and her image and is going to be my new iphone background. ♥ it!
    

Ode to all the lemons in the world

Really! I absolutely love lemons. Slices in my water (with some fresh mint of course), lemonice, pieces of lemon in a grilled fish or just squeeze it over the fish afterwards. And: lemonjuice lightens your hair! I often use this in the summer. I'm actually in a state of panic when I'm out of lemons. So one could say: I'm addicted to lemons. Therefore on this friday morning: an ode to all the lemons in the world!

Thursday's experiment

S M I L E,  


A N D  O P E N  Y O U R  H E A R T ,


J U S T  F O R  A  S P L I T  S E C O N D,


T O  T H E  P E R S O N,  


W A L K I N G  N E X T  T O  Y O U,


I N  T H E  B I G  A N O N Y M O U S  C I T Y,


A N D  F E E L  T H E  M A G I C  O F  I T !

~  b y  P i p  ~

Pre summer vibe: prosecco punch

Goodnight everybody! The style of the picture reminds me of 'The artist' and I wonder, what would it be like to have lived in the roaring '20... Perhaps my dreams will give me some insights.

Ali LUMI ♥

Who wouldn't ♥ to have this Ali LAMU bag? Carrying it you just keep spreading love all over the place! And you'll receive love, from the smile on the faces of people who ♥  your bag. The story behind the bags is inspiring and a wonderful initiative of Daniela & Ali, the creators of Ali LAMU.

Alain de Botton about ♥

~ by Pip ~

For D

Speaking of serendipity, D told me last week she was planning to make little giftbags from semi-transparent envelops. Coincidentally, today I found some examples in the Dutch VT Wonen magazine. All you need are: envelops, buttons, ribbons or a simple rope and your imagination. A creative and low budget way to personalize the wrapping of your gift.

365 Days of Hand Lettering

In 2012 Lisa Congdon (artist, illustrator & collector) started a new project: 365 Days of Hand Lettering. Each day she posts an image of something she has hand-lettered. This could be: a letter of the alphabet, a word, a phrase, a quote, a name. On her blog,http://lisacongdon.com/blog/, she states that some of the lettering will be based on traditional forms of calligraphy or vintage lettering and some will be of her own design. These type of projects really make me happy! I like the fact that all her posts are handmade. Two examples:

Serendipity

Serendipity: a 'happy accident' or 'pleasant suprise'. More specifically serendipity means the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it. I absolutely ♥  the word and its meaning and I truly believe in it although I can't really understand nor explain how it works. Perhaps thats why it feels so magical when it happens to you. I think it works on different levels. From life changing events to smaller coincidences in daily life. From meeting that one guy in the middle of the night in a horrific bar in a city you normally NEVER visit. And where you weren't supposed to be because your best friend became ill but and you should have accompanied her back home. But then, that night you decided otherwise and, against your normal behaviour pattern, decided to party on... And a year later you're planning to live together. (Of course in Amsterdam;-) 


But the reason for this post are, less romantic, door handles. In Franschhoek (South Africa) I bought two extremely cute door handles. There was absolutely no need for me to buy them besides their cuteness factor. They're quite specific and have a vintage look: you either love them or hate them I suppose. The cool thing was that one day after my return D posted a message on her lovely blog which included my door handles. Exibit A: http://coeur-blonde.blogspot.com/2012/01/3x-leuk-idee-voor-in-huis.html It isn't the first time D & I have come across a serendipity action and it makes me smile every time it happens. I think lots of people are interested in the phenomenon and it's even a scientific subject as you can read below the picture.

In The Netherlands, Pek van Andel, is doing his Ph.D on serendipity. He states that coincidences often don't just happen. It's something you have to work on and that you can learn. He has even published an article about serendipity in the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. His dissertation should be finished in 2012. Can't wait to read it, or at least the summary. More information in a Dutch article about van Andel: http://www.depers.nl/binnenland/614923/Vinden-wat-je-niet-zoekt.html

Just so

♥

Smokey quartz

Part of my 'post holiday blues coping strategy' consists of some flashback holiday moments. Like the moment I got a present in Capetown: the most wonderful smokey quartz earrings. Besides their classy and cute looks, I'm really fond of the meaning of the stone. I was attracted to the stone immediately and perhaps unconsciously due to its 'powers'. Smokey quartz provides protection from negative forces and provides a barrier of positive energy around the user. The stone improves insight in challenging activities as well as promoting creativity in business. And last but not least it promotes personal pride and joy in living. 
♥ it!

Rainy Amsterdam

The weather outside is terrible! It's rainy, windy and cold outside so there's only one thing you can do on this kind of sunday morning: making it yourself extremely comfortable at home. So I decided to make a comfort breakfast with green lemon tea and lovely red fruit. A week ago I wrote a message about the new Neigbourfoodmarket@Westerpark. Today is the first one and I'm going to conquer the weather and visit the (inside;) market. Hopefully I can buy some delicious food for tonight. 

Lykki Li ~ I follow rivers

S M I L E,


L O O K  I N   T H E  M I R R O R,


A N D  T E L L  M E, 


T H A T  O N E  T H I N G 


Y O U  A B S O L U T E L Y  L O V E


A B O U T  Y O U R S E L F!

~ By Pip ~

Karin Miller

“My work is a visual play between beauty and tragedy, rhythm and interruption – searching for a sense of order in the overwhelming chaos of life."


I instantly fell in love with the work of the South African artist Karin Miller (http://karinmiller.co.za) when I visited a gallery in Franschhoek. At first sight I was attracted to the overall picture but when you look closer, the deeper meaning reveals itself. I particularly liked the pieces from her 'I wear my mask for warmth' collection. My favorite piece is directly underneath. I wish I could afford an original piece but instead I bought a wonderful notebook that makes me smile everytime I see it. 

Out of step / glow of hope

I kiss my wailing child

  

My week with Marilyn

"Imagine sneaking away to spend seven days with the most famous woman in the world." 

Always had a fascination with Marilyn... And am looking forward to the movie "My week with Marilyn' based on two books of Colin Clark.

"In 1956, fresh from Oxford University, twenty-three-year-old Colin Clark began work as a lowly assistant on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl, the film that united Sir Laurence Olivier with Marilyn Monroe. The blonde bombshell and the legendary actor were ill suited from the start. Monroe, on honeymoon with her new husband, the celebrated playwright Arthur Miller, was insecure, often late, and heavily medicated on pills. Olivier, obsessively punctual, had no patience for Monroe and the production became chaotic. Clark recorded it all in two unforgettable diaries — the first a charming fly-on-the- wall account of life as a gofer on the set; the other a heartfelt, intimate, and astonishing remembrance of the week Clark spent escorting Monroe around England, earning the trust and affection of one of the most desirable women in the world." http://myweekwithmarilynmovie.com/

Halleluja

Underground art

Welcome home

Yesterday I had a wonderful homecoming because of the creative pieces of art D left in the house and a cute 2012 postcard (& a bottle of my favorite Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand) I got from N. Instant happiness it was. I did notice an identity change of my basil plant but the message of D on the pot saying 'a new growproject' really made me laugh. And I guess it's a parallel to my own growproject right now. 2012 shall be 'Pip's growproject'. On the inside and on the outside (hopefully not literally though). Step by step. I haven't got a masterplan but I'm going to discover it along the way. So I decided to make a special label on inner sphere called 'Growproject'. Come to think of it, my blog was probably the first step of it... 

D's homemade card 

Why did we fire the gun

NeighbourFood Market Amsterdam

What a delicious coincidence! Just returned from Capetown this morning to discover a new venue at the Westergasfabriek. From next sunday there will be a three-weekly NeighbourFood Market. With lots of local products and to me it seems it's goning to be a lovely meet and greet between 'good food' lovers. Just like the Neighbourgoodsmarket in Capetown. Am already thinking of post holiday blues coping strategies and to me it seems this new market has got the potential of being a succesful one. So guess where I'll be next sunday morning... And I really like the visuals of it's website, just have a look, I copied the link beneath the picture. 


Now I'm going to enjoy a cup of Dr. Stuarts detox tea because I had an overdose of la dolce vita the last couple of weeks. Am going to think of some lovely healthy recipes for the coming week. And I decided to enjoy the view of the bottles I brought from South Africa instead of enjoying it's taste.

  

 Neighbourfoodmarket ~ http://neighbourfoodmarket.nl/

The Grand Daddy

Do you know the feeling that you just want something else? Something completely different and out of the box... Well, that's the reason we chose to spend the last two nights in Capetown in the trailer park of the Grand daddy hotel. It was really hilarious and we had a wonderful stay on the rooftop of the Grand Daddy. Each trailer has it's own theme and we stayed in the 'John and Yoko' trailer. Lots of little details reminded us of the famous pair. Cute was the 'I M A G I N E' sign above the bed. I tried to take a picture but it didn't fit so you'll have to use your imagination.

The Grand Daddy ~ http://www.granddaddy.co.za/

Hip and Happening at 'The old biscuit mill'

Had a very enjoyable final day at Capetown. We took a taxi towards 'The old biscuit mill' just outside the citycentre of Capetown. Each saturday there's the so called 'Neighbourhoodmarket' with lovely food, drinks and handmade products. There really is a buzz around the market and the 'hip & happening of Capetown' seem to have centered around the mill. Even started to recognize some people of Bree street. Really funny to notice. I really enjoy observing people and this market was absolutely the place to be. We even encountered the paragliding team of Hermanus (was glad 'my' paraglidingpartner wasn't there by the way:). Unfortunately we ran out of cash so couldn't try all the delicious things but we really enjoyed the pizza below and we toasted on a wonderful holiday with some lovely bubbles: our final Rand spent well! 

http://www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za/

Bye bye Capetown

Oooow, today is my last day in Capetown... Was a bit busy ;-)so I shall post some Capetown messages from The Netherlands. Gonna check out of our trailer and then we'll visit the 'Neighbourhood market' at Albert Road. The last street I really like to visit  before I leave. Bye bye Capetown!

Lola

Just something I spotted in cafe 'Lola' in Longstreet

French Toast

French Toast, naturellement located at Bree street is a typical wine bar. With Spanish tapas and not only South African wines(which you find often in SA restaurants) but also French wines. We were extremely happy that they served our favorite Sauvignon Blanc at French Toast. It's the 'Life of stone Sauvignon Blanc 2011' from Springfield Estate.   

French Toast ~ http://www.frenchtoastwine.com/