Busy Squirrel

These days have been  NUTS! I haven’t had time to do my Lilla Rogers bootcamp homework at all… so hope to catch up on that somewhere later in time. BUT, I’m really happy with the illustrations I did for Jamie magazine. More will be on my site soon, but check out the Italian edition that’s in store right now! Right now I’m on the look out for another, affordable and lovely studio, because our studio will close the beginning of august. Our studio is planning on closing down, and I have to look out to: working from home or working from another place. The biggest challenge will be: where to leave all my stuff! Everything has been piling up in the last few years, and it has to slim down big time. But there’s all these things that I think that might come in handy one day. And I have a really nice desk… which won’t fit in our home and is not welcome in a lot of pre-fab studio’s. Wonder where and when things will land again.

 

Speaking about squirrels. This one is for sale at my Society6 shop!

May assignment Lilla Rogers

This month due to deadlines and having the flue at the same time I wondered if I could manage this assignment at all. But then I remembered that at the beginning of the course you should write down what will keep you going. One of those things is my love of colors : ). Also I learned, from a documentary I watched last month, that it’s important to ‘move the product ‘. This means that once you made something, it’s really smart to sell it somewhere else. Since this has been my mantra in the last couple of weeks. I decided to see what I have ‘in stock’, for myself, and look at what I could make with that! Not much drawing, just recycling other, older material from illustrations. The basis was this beauty-make up face I once did for Red magazine (they used it to fill it in with make-up). Hope to make a new meditation one, from scratch, something really simple and cute, another day. For now, this is what I can do!

Weekend house by Friday Next

The fabulous Amsterdam designshop Friday Next  had a lovely article about their weekendhouse in the Financieel Dagblad (Dutch financial times). AND…..Check out my giclée prints they got hanging there! Two of the drawings I made earlier for The third issue of UPPERCASES work/life are now for sell at my etsy shop. And the Dandelion drawing is for sale in my Big Cartel shop.

http://www.fridaynext.com/blog-nieuws

Changes!

Behind the scenes I’m working on my new website, valescavanwaveren.com. The logo is already out there though, in my newly transformed etsy shop. From now on, I will sell my prints there, as well as my ceramics.

This weekend I donated The Simple Things print to be part of the Coffee Art Project during the Coffee Festival Amsterdam. The project raised money to support much-needed clean water and sanitation initiatives in coffee producing countries.

Spring is popping up!

This spring there are so many outstanding pop-up events, with so much talent and beautiful heartdriven shops, that spring feels more inviting than ever to get OUT there and open your senses. The 12th and 13th of April, there was the heavenly ‘Pots and paper’ pop-up at the first floor of Hear Hear, organized together with Our strange nature.

I was with my little one, so taking pictures of all the nice things was not an option since I had to watch out for him not grasping all the beautiful ceramics. Luckily, Inspire Styling Anne van Midden wrote this great post about it.

And than there were these two great events this weekend. De leukste Campingwinkel van Amsterdam at Roest and the Local Goods Weekend Market in the Hallen, what a great location.

Earlier this year Best Wishes Magazine asked me what I was thinking about Amsterdam. I claimed that Amsterdam is getting it’s mojo back, because of all the new initiatives that arise. These events I’m popping about so wildly enthusiastic definitely support that claim.

Before and After (my ceramics confetti tea tray)

Sometimes the ‘Before’ is better than the ‘After’… I just finished this tea tray at my ceramics course at Keramiek Centrum Amsterdam. I had decided to use some of those fluor stickers as a way of masking the clay before I painted it with engobe. While doing so I fell completely in love with the fluor and clay combination… I proceeded as planned anyway, and the result is this red confetti tray. It fits perfectly in my plans for making a collection of tea trays.

But I now definitely am on the look out for a way to make a fluor/clay combination.
When I fall in love…

Handsome Jack’s (part II)!

Here’s a little update about my stockist and neighborhood coffee hang-out; the crispy fresh ‘Handsome Jack’s’. It’s now open to all public, and got some really nice reviews already:

“Handsome Jack’s promises to get more and more delightful as time passes.” Says Awesome Amsterdam

“The stranger the name, the better the coffee, seems to be the rule for Amsterdam’s latest crop of specialty coffee shops.” says Eat Amsterdam

Time to find out for yourself, also because some of my giclée and gocco prints will be for sale there as well as some postcards. YAY!!So be sure to check out if Handsome Jack’s does “get more delightful as time passes”…

Handsome Jack’s
Schinkelkade 30, Amsterdam

Weekend in Friesland

My dad’s girlfriend Magda lives in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands. Last weekend,
Jona, Levi and me were invited to stay over. I love to be there. Magda makes you feel so much
at home, and it’s really nice to talk about my dad with her. Lot’s of things from his house are there,
so he is a bit with us. We even watched some old home-movies! My dad, Magda and me,
walking the streets of Berlin. So good to see him, hearing how he makes us, and people on
the streets laugh! Mister sunshine.

I love the farmhouse where Magda lives. It’s very quiet, and the garden is very rough and
natural. Good for all ‘internal dialogues’ to become quiet.

In the photo below my love Jona is relaxing, while the sun is peeping through. Levi is doing his
afternoon nap (still napping!) In the back you see a painting my dad made. He was a way quicker
painter then I am!

Stir it up!

The March assignment of  the Lilla Rogers Bootcamp was to make a pattern inspired
by Jelly pudding. I immediately loved to draw the jello with all its gem-like glow, and
round forms. At the same time, the idea grow to use this pattern to combine two styles
I could divide my work in. The more elaborate drawings and paintings, and the more
simple, iconic, fun drawings. I was curious how this combination would work.
And since Lilla is inspiring everyone two design for real products, I made the design
suitable for an apron, and kitchen glove! Both can be find on Envelop, where they are
for sale.

 

Sneak peek @ Handsome Jack’s

This weekend café and shop ‘Handsome Jack’s’ opened it’s doors for neighbours and friends to take
a sneak peek! Still lot’s of space to be filled with nice goodies, but: what a warm welcome : ) Lovely
flowers on the tables, really nice little cakes, a very light and happy atmosphere.

And YAY!! Handsome Jack’s will be selling some of my stuff toooo! First of all: 6 different greeting
cards with the herbs I did earlier for Margriet More.

I made the owners Charin Singh & Hannah Kooreman a little stoneware good luck bear to wish
them a wonderful start!

https://www.facebook.com/HandsomeJacksAmsterdam?ref=ts&fref=ts
http://www.valezki.com/69297/1180724/gallery/11-good-herbs