Laura van Deventer has been making jewelry since she was a little girl, perhaps that’s why they’re so gorgeous now?

Who are you and what else do you do?

“In my day to day life I’m a fulltime shop manager in a gift-shop. Before that I studied Czech in Prague, where my mum is from and where my family still lives. I went on to study Art & Economy, but I never finished that. Sociology proved not to be my cup of tea either. So I got a job and I’m really enjoying that. Making jewelry was never more than just a hobby for me. Oddly enough I decided to do more with it at the busiest time of my life, namely when I was planning my wedding in Prague. The opening of my Etsy shop coincided with my pregnancy. Perhaps I needed some wake-up calls?”

You say you grew up in an artistic family…

“I have vivid recollections from when I was a little girl watching (mostly) my mum making her assignments for school (first Rietveld, a Dutch art academy, later on Parsons in New York). Sometimes she’d worry she might not finish on time and my brothers and I would have to help out by doing small chores. That’s how I got to watch her design and construct lamps, cupboards, tables, chairs etc. She also does a lot of painting and my youngest brother has followed in her footsteps. Whereas I always had my nose stuck in a book, my ears glued to the stereo, while I made necklaces or bracelets.”

Your style is very much your own, how did you develop it?

“I have never really, consciously, thought about it. This is what’s inside my head, so this is what I make. The style you find in my jewelry is the same as I have had in my house for years. I do believe I am strongly influenced by my mum’s work, but a few years ago I would obviously never have admitted as much!”

www.etsy.com/shop/STICKTAILS

In Isabelle Finet’s web shop you’ll find modern sewing patterns, presented in a special way. She has created the fictional Victor family, and every member represents two items of clothing.

Who’s behind this special site?
“I am a Germanist and for years I used to work in the cultural sector at a policy and business level, and as a playwright and copywriter. But I missed ‘real’ creativity in my job. As a toddler one granny taught me how to crochet, the other how to knit and my mum gave me a small battery operated sewing machine. Back when it was really dowdy to do needlework, I made tons of it. I was engrossed in all possible types of needlework techniques, I even tried lacemaking. About ten years ago I took up sewing lessons again.”

So why did you open a web shop selling sewing patterns after that?
“People kept telling me ‘Isabelle, you really should do something with your sewing’. So when one of my projects ended last year I figured: this is the moment! Every time I thought of doing ‘something’ with sewing, I kept coming back to sewing patterns. I have always designed and drawn my own, as there were no fun alternatives. In my patterns I also take into account that often needlework has skipped a generation (at least in Flanders). So I felt that a comprehensive how-to would be essential.”

How did you come up with the family?
“Clothes are always worn in context. Whether it’s when you are ill and in bed, or bored to tears, or riding a bike: you’re usually wearing clothes and you keep changing them for each occasion. Another reason for the family is the ‘connection’ that’s made in the stories. When you’re making clothes, sometimes they are for yourself, but often you make them for members of your family. So the family is shown in different settings, each with two sewing patterns. My inspiration came from Jacques Tati.  His movies don’t exactly contain chronological and complex stories, but small things do keep happening. And that is – in my opinion – what life’s all about: not a grandiose affair, but all kinds of bigger and smaller occasions that make life what it is.”

www.lafamillevictor.be

At times I’ve been so busy that my head is all ‘abuzz’ and it can be hard for me to calm down. Every now and again I start fretting and brooding until I need a ‘reset’. Whenever this happens I go into the woods, find a pretty spot and sit up against a tree facing the sun.

The wind that’s raging inside my head slowly dies down and the stress ebbs away. They’re replaced by the smells, colors and sounds of nature that seep into me. Animals show their faces and I hear their sounds and every now and again a little squirrel will pop in for a visit. I surrender, as if I’m under a spell. A benevolent peace comes over me and I can’t hide a smile. I feel intensely happy and ready to face the world again.

But let’s sit for a little while longer.

Posted by our guest blogger: Monique.

Obviously, we’re still mad about paper, but wouldn’t it be lovely if our magazine came to life in a completely different way? With videos, some music, a nice link?
Which is why we’ve put together an iPad edition. As of last week, you can download our special iPad edition from the App store. This English edition is devoted to the subject of paper. We really enjoyed putting it together, and we’d love to know what you think. Please let us know? Posted by: Astrid

Het Hemelrijck (‘Heavenly realm’) in Rotterdam

What’s so great about this place?
A small oasis in the old Northern part of Rotterdam, in an old property from 1897. The décor is a mixture of old, new and refurbished furniture, collected with the utmost care by Johan, the owner. And, how nice, you can rent bikes here. Nothing beats cruising through Rotterdam on a bicycle on a summer’s day.

How do you sleep?
There are two guest rooms with crisp, fresh linen, soft towels and your own en suite. The biological breakfast varies from day to day and is served in the pleasant kitchen diner with a stove from the 60s and an antique French china cabinet.

Our tip
Have a lovely dinner at the French restaurant around the corner. They have floral wallpaper, checkered tablecloths and wonderful food.

Prices start at 150,- euro for 2 people, 2 nights, including breakfast (minimum stay of two nights).

www.hemelrijck.com

Yesterday we went to London for the day, in order to visit the London Book Fair, a place where publishers from all over the world come to show their books. The London book fair is mostly a place for negotiations about rights, and less about magazine people such as us, but it was fun all the same. We spotted racks and racks of Japanese booklets, beautiful French and Swedish cookbooks and most of all we hung around the stand by the American Chronicle books, who publish a lot of creative little books and stationery. (Pictured above: postcards in a register box)

Small book with quotations by designers (above)

Luscious poppies in a French cookbook (below)

After about three hours we were tired of books, so we went for coffee in Covent Garden, at the Primrose Bakery (a tip we’d gotten via Instagram in the meantime) How great is that?

Posted by: Jocelyn

The Ballumerhoeve on Ameland

What’s so great about this place?

The island of Ameland is a wonderful place to stay, especially in the 50s farmhouse belonging to the Tuil family. There are two lodges, but because they can be connected they are really suitable for a weekend with friends, family and kids.

The colors used inside the lodges are pleasing to the eye. These are the colors of the island itself, blue, gray, sand and taupe. There are lots of pillows, candles and a cozy gas fire. There’s plenty to do for the kids, such as a trampoline, a pirate ship and toy tractors.

How do you sleep?

In some of the rooms you’ll be sleeping under wooden beams and all the bedrooms have some sort of link to the island. A beautiful blue wall or a soothing picture of seagulls. In the morning everybody gathers around a big table for breakfast.

Our tip:

Treat yourself to a nice night out at Restaurant Nobel in Ballum, the family can provide a babysitting service. Enjoy an after dinner Nobeltje (‘a little Nobel’), a local liquor with a secret recipe.

A six person lodge starts at € 350,- per weekend (Friday to Monday).

http://www.ballumerhoeve.nl/

All the details you see in nature, you find in the handmade products by Eva Vercauteren. There are two groups in her line of products: useful storage and ‘usable’ illustrations.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

“I am 23 years old and I live in the center of Antwerp with my honey and two super cute cats. I graduated as a graphic designer, but I never fancied sitting in an office all day. Which is why I work part-time as a sales consultant in an accessory shop. This provides me with the social contacts I enjoy and I’m learning a lot about selling. I like being busy. Maybe one day I’ll open my own shop – apart from the web shop – and all my experience here will come in very useful!”

Where did you pick up all the crafts featured in your products?

“I learned techniques such as crochet, cross-stitch and some other stitches as a very young girl. For as long as I can remember I’ve been illustrating as well. When I was studying graphic design I started looking for a method to make different use of my illustrations and I got into embroidery. At the end of 2010 I decided to turn my hobby into a web shop and around that time I really got to know my sewing machine. The sewing came in handy, because I was looking for a way to store my crochet pens or carry around my embroidery. Soon I developed quite a taste for it and everything came together: I’d found a way to combine my love for illustration and embroidery.”

Your style feels very ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

“I must be one of the last people on the planet who actually haven’t seen the movie, but I am a huge fan of that era and those romantic landscapes. William Morris is one of my favorite 19th century artists and a great source of inspiration. In my heart of hearts, I’d love to while away my days in a small English cottage.”

www.etsy.com/shop/TheBlueRabbitHouse