Wednesday 13 May 2015

LITTLE TREASURES: MADE BY HAND BY PIA JANE BIJKERK






A slightly different type of book today. It's one that I bought some time ago but only just got around to reading this past week. While it's not a children's book, it relates to childhood and there's much about it that is worth sharing. Little Treasures: Made by Hand is a book by stylist, photographer and author Pia Jane Bijkerk who I have interviewed previously for Daily Imprint. She has written other books on places of interest in Amsterdam and Paris, both cities where she has lived, as well as My Heart Wanders. More recently she returned to Australia and started a family. This book documents some of the gifts she received and made for her daughter. They are all handmade, and mostly simple yet beautiful gifts and ideas. 

It is the type of book that celebrates new beginnings and also thoughtfulness. There are ideas in here that you might like to try yourself - for your children, or giving as gifts. Just the idea of photographing all the special gifts you receive is a wonderful idea in itself. Even turning those photos into a keepsake book for your child is quite sweet. 

There are several projects that I want to follow-up myself - making a cloud and whale cushions, felt finger puppet bunnies, a giant paper wallflower, and I'm happy to say that I've now tracked down the book Mud Pies and Other Recipes by Marjorie Winslow. Little Treasures itself also inspired me to create a wreath for the imagery above after seeing a dried flower wreath Pia had created for her daughter's room. And then there's the French lavendar in a handmade linen bag sourced from Provence. I want to find out if it's still available from Melissa Gryspeerdt of Orangepoppy.com

Little Treasures is in some ways a small book, but it has many layers to it, and is a beautiful gift in itself.

images the indigo crew  

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