Reasons why today is a wonderful day: 

• Irene showed up on my doorstep this morning, on her way from A to B, carrying the first, new-laid Flow holiday writing book. Pretty! Fat! And how sweet of her to bring it by. More to come on this subject.
• The sun is shining (here!) (right now!)
• I started a 30 weeks project: baking an apple pie from my new apple pie book every week. Never turns out quite as good as the picture (surely I’m not the only one who wrestles with this cookbook frustration) but I’m still very pleased. The Hipstamatic picture helps as well. I will stick my own products in the cookbook alongside the recipe, for the normal-people-baking-a-cake-update. (or let’s keep it close to home: the I-am-baking-a-cake-update.) Keep you posted!

Posted by: Astrid

Last week it was time for a visit from our printer. We always look forward to that a lot, because it means we get a lesson on ‘how that printing process works exactly”, get to talk for ages about different types of paper, folding methods and we get to discuss all our ideas about scented covers, pop-up pages and glitter (usually it’s just too expensive, but we keep on trying). If you didn’t know this yet: our printer is a real Italian, who runs his family business in Milan and cleverly manages to piece together each issue with all those different types of paper, tabs and paper extras. In the picture we are all looking at the Flow sheets as they are printed. Even though a lot of machines and computers are involved in making Flow it still feels like craftwork. Isn’t it great when something a simple as paper can make your day?

Posted by: Irene

In the next Flow (out June 13^th) we feature the 365 day project of illustrator

Gertie Jaquet. For a year and a half she made a stamp a day. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, you can admire Gertie’s stamps in the public library in Amsterdam. That is because, apart from being a stamp maker, Gertie is also a successful illustrator of picture books. She often uses her stamps in those illustrations and that is why the public library decided to have an exhibition of her work. Also great: during the Open Atelier route (open workshop route) on Sunday the 27^th and Monday the 28^th of May, Gertie will be hosting a workshop stamp cutting from 12.00 til 13.30. Address: Tussen de Bogen 62, Amsterdam. Only 10 places available, so hurry if you want to join.

Send an email to gjaquet@freeler.nl.

Sandra de Bekker works with art and design on a daily basis, as an interior designer and, together with her sister, as the owner of a web shop filled with ‘opinionated items by appealing artists and designers’.

 Who is behind Studiodewinkel.nl (‘studio the shop’), can you tell us a little more about yourself?

“After I graduated from architectural design at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht (art academy of Utrecht), I started as an interior designer with different agencies. Four years ago I started my own interior design consultancy and two years ago I also started this web shop with my sister. We really wanted to bring special design and art to a larger audience. I have always been into art and I simply love going to museums and exhibitions. Apart from that I am cohabitating and I have two adorable daughters, a six year-old and a nine year-old. I enjoy taking them to museums as well, it’s refreshing to see how children view art!”

Isn’t it very difficult to sell art online?

 “The great thing is that we’re often live at events and fairs and a lot of people get to see the works for real. There is also the option to get more detailed pictures of a work of art or even to get it on a trial basis. As an interior design consultant I often advise clients on art, so it goes very well together.”

 The shop has been put together with a lot of care, you say on the site. How does that work?

 “We trail the country for distinctive designs. Lots of works are unique or made in tiny editions by the designers and artists themselves. The most important thing is for the piece to touch us in a certain way, that there’s a story behind it that appeals to us.”

Any special plans for the future?

“We want to generate more publicity for affordable art by young designers and artists so more people will know about it and we are definitely expanding our art department.”

www.studiodewinkel.nl

A wonderful word: shed worker. It’s someone who has turned their garden shed into their workspace. And I’ve actually been dreaming of that for a while myself. A little house all my own, at the back of the yard, with a kettle, a laptop, a wood burner and that’s it. Fun to browse: www.shedworking.co.uk. Some great authors and people like Bob Dylon are among the shed working many.

Posted by: Astrid

Today’s one of those days when you look outside and suddenly think: “Boy, nature has gotten colorful and pretty.’ Trees covered in blossom, green stretches of grass in the park; sometimes you suddenly notice stuff you’ve been passing blindly every day. In the current Flow there’s a fun piece on nature and the renewed interest for greenery and the outdoors. “More and more people realize how incredibly happy being surrounded by nature makes them.” Professor Frank Berendse (who also wrote the book Natuur in Nederland, ‘Nature in The Netherlands’) states in the article. So true. Funny to see how a formerly dowdy organization such as Staatsbosbeheer (the Dutch forestry department) has responded to this new situation. On their facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/Staatsbosbeheer) you can find all kinds of fun stuff these days, such as a picnic map that you can add to yourself. Another great nature tip, for whoever hasn’t got it yet: in the current Flow there’s a Spring note pad by illustrator Annemoon van Steen. So you can enjoy nature even when you’re stuck inside.

Posted by: Irene

It’s finished, on its way to the printers’ and available in shops as of the 22^nd of May: the Flow holiday writing book. This is a snapshot from the proof sheet that we get to run a final check. So that’s why there are all these loose pages. We are thrilled, by all the illustrations, the extras and the great stories. And it’s been supersized this time: no fewer than 246 pages. Apart from lots of beauty to look at and to read, the holiday writing book is intended as a scrap-, drawing-, writing- and collecting-book for your holidays. It’s choc-a-block with inspiration: for scrapbooking, 30-day-project-ideas, writing and collecting tips. Plus lots of extras such as stickers, a poster, cards, and a special section for collecting. You can pre-order via www.abonnement.flowmagazine.nl and get your mitts on it before the 22^nd of May. It costs € 12,95, Flow subscribers get a 3-euro discount.

Posted by: Jocelyn

From now on the colorful skirts and shawls that make up Indra and Sarah’s label B is for Bird will be available via their first web shop as well as on craft markets.

 How did you end up working together?

“When we first met on the Fashion Academy in Gent we immediately got on as friends and we shared a preference for colorful fabrics and cheerful fashion. In the summer of 2007 we decided to do something with all those stacks and stacks of fabric we’d both been collecting. So we sowed up our first stand. The response was very positive, but we were way too busy with other life stuff. In 2009 we decided to get back to it and ever since then we are slowly but surely growing into that which we like to do best: being creative with fabrics in complete freedom.” 

 Why do you combine skirts and shawls?

 “That kinda grew through the years as well. We learned a lot by trial and error. Our skirts and scarves turned out to be the most popular, so we focused on those. When we set up on markets we also have other designs, such as bags, hand-printed textile buttons and cards. In future we hope to sell those online as well.”

What other plans do you have for the future?

 “Because we sow everything ourselves, we often don’t have the time to design new models. We would love to go into production, but we’re still looking for the perfect way to do that. Sometimes we dream of connecting the production of our line with a social project abroad, but we need to get our production in Belgium optimized first. The first step was opening a web shop and launching a new website. This season we’ll be kept very busy with all the summer markets but in the mean time we are pondering the most far fetched plans. But most of all ‘B is for Bird’ should remain an honest and original alternative to all the mass production that’s out there these days. Bonny and fresh, because that is what will make our clients happy as well, and there’s nothing better than that.”

 www.etsy.com/shop/BisforBirdShop