Bloesem

New weekend read

Here is the new weekend read! It is about illustrators of children's books, a topic I feel very passionate about and brings back a lot of good memories. I hope you enjoy reading it. Some other news is that I will be moving back to Amsterdam to visit my family and friends (of course I will take Bloesem with me...)...before moving to Kuala Lumpur in June with my husband and son... so Bloesem goes far east... I am very excited about this new adventure and hope to show you some great Asian finds on Bloesem in the future! I will leave for Amsterdam today and will be traveling until Tuesday. I will be back on Wednesday, so I hope the weekend read will keep you busy until then! Have great weekend and see you soon.

Nonchalant Mom

Yesterday Carina Schott sent me a very friendly email about NonchalantMom. Carina is the creative person behind NonchalantMom which is an on-line shop with cool stuff for kids, but it is also a great forum to learn more about parenting and read about Carina's experiences as a mom. Carina will soon start a NonchalantMom blog which will be all about raising your kids according to your own intuition and natural living. Check out Carina's website and I will let you know when her blog is live!

Vintage on Etsy

Gosia from Blue Bell Bazaar informed me about some great new vintage items in her online shop over at Etsy!

Crown jewels

Kroonjuweeltjes (= crown jewels) designs colorful lamps and chandeliers for children’s rooms. I just love the flower and lace designs. A bit traditional but still with a very modern feel. There is a standard and customized collection. Each lamp and chandelier is handmade. You can order on-line or send an email for you customized order. Kroonjuweeltjes also sells some other great labels like Rice, Mokka and Pakhuis Oost!

Gesine

Via Grijs I found Gesine Hackenberg’s designs. She refers to her designs as ‘all my treasures’. I think this is an excellent description of her beautiful creations. Gesine makes some incredible jewelry and special objects. I wanted to show you these ‘broken China’ spoons, which I think are fabulous. Precious and delicate.

For her designs Gesine uses metals, china, textiles and Japanese Ursuhi lacquer. You can send her an email for more information. Check out her website to see her complete collection.

Lula

I found myself in Sweden this morning...via Hoping for Happy Accidents I found Lula. Lula is a multi-disciplinary art and design partnership based in Gothenburg, Sweden. You can find beautiful illustrations, photography, styling and graphic design on their website. I was especially attracted to the work of Elisabeth Dunker. Her textile patterns and wallpaper are simply amazing. But please check out the other great artists over at Lula.

Front Design

Front design is a very appropriate name for this group of four Swedish designers. They are truly frontrunners with their innovative and advanced approach to design. Front turns design into a performance. They developed a unique method where pen strokes made in the air are recorded using a film technique ‘motion capture’ and which then become 3D digital files.

Motion capture is mostly used for animations in movies and computer games. Through a process called ‘rapid prototyping’ the initial rough sketches turn into real pieces of furniture. Sounds like magic? The results are amazing. Front has also collaborated with Droog Design. Their website is a great source for inspiration!

Tas-ka

Hester Worst and Jantien Baas started Tas-ka in 2004. Both women have a passion for textile design which clearly shows in their designs. Tas-ka’s collection consists of fashion, accessories for the home and fabrics. They only use natural materials, such as leather, felt, cotton and paper. Each of Tas-ka’s designs is unique and you won’t find two designs that look alike. Here is just a small sample of their beautiful work. They recently opened their on-line store.

I especially love these origami lamps in the shape of  dozens of flying birds.

Flora

This morning I received an email from Flora Bowley. I wanted to show you her work right away, a great way to start the Monday and brighten your mood (especially when it is raining as hard as it is today in Toronto…) Flora makes the most amazing paintings.

Flora's work is influenced by urban and natural landscapes. You can see the seasons change just by looking at her work. Strong use of colors and organically inspired shapes. Check out her work on her website which has an on-line store or if you are in the neighborhood visit one of the galleries where Flora’s exhibits.

New at Trunkt

This morning Ayesha of Trunkt Gallery informed me about some new great designers who joined the Trunkt collective, which I love to share with you.  Terese Bast is an mixed media artist from Finland who designs postcards and prints. I truly enjoy these prints,  which you can buy here! Terese also has a blog showing all her work.

Another designer is Ryan McAbery from Littleput Books. Little handbound books and pretty little things inspired by the intricate patterns in Japanese Washi paper. Many of these lovely little books are one of a kind.

And last but not least Circa Ceramics, who are Andy Witt & Nancy Pizarro. Which you probably already have seen in blogland, but I’m happy to report that they joined the Trunkt collective ! Thanks Ayesha.