This is home, this is me

My home is me. That is what everybody who knows me a little says when they see my home for the first time. I think they're right and I think that is why I feel so at home here. I surround myself with pretty things. Soft colors that make me happy, naturals & pastels, colors I love to wear too, things I brought home from travels that have sweet memories attached to them. Books that touched me, books that were too pretty to leave at the store. Beautiful pictures and cards I have collected and kept for years. Everything has its story.

Sometimes I forget, I don't look around anymore. After a while I take it for granted a bit. And then when someone comes to my house for the first time, or even someone who comes around a lot and says something nice about it, I suddenly look at my own home through their eyes, new eyes. And I feel proud. This is me.

Newsletter #2 is here!

Okay, it has taken a little more than the month I had in my mind. You need to prioritize... and holiday was calling. But it's here and it's fresh and brand new. If you want to subscribe you can, right here.

Click here to read Stoffer + Blik's newsletter #2

And if you want to get rid of the thing, you can also unsubscribe, at the bottom of the newsletter in your inbox. 

Minty Green

This gentle shade of green makes me think of morning dew. And waves that roll gently onto the shore. Fresh summer breeze. Crispy clean bed sheets. Herbal tea. Deep breaths.

Mint's a beautiful pastel that is cool and fresh but also soft and gentle. The chalkboard week planner on the left is handmade by me. You can get it here. 

Comments

I just recently discovered that you can actually change your comment settings on Blogger. Before you could only leave a comment if you had a Blogger account (that might explain the incredible amount of reactions to my postcard giveaway...). I thought that's just some crap thing that Blogger does. But it's not. It was me... Boohoo!

But the good news is that I found out and I changed the settings so everyone can react, no need for any account or whatsoever. So feel free to leave a comment and I apologize if you have tried and failed before. 

Something bought & something sold

I love to travel. You know that by now. Even though my last holiday can hardly be called 'traveling', because I didn't do more traveling than walk from the hotel to the beach. The temperature wouldn't let me and it was just fine by me. I just spent my days on a sun bed and in the ocean.

In a moment of bravery I decided to do some shopping while it was 40 degrees and the Niagara Falls were coming down my back. An outside shop with hundreds of beautiful handmade ceramic bowls, plates, cups and more of that stuff. All gorgeous. So even though I was melting away I needed to find my perfect bowl. I looked at each one. Picked them up, put them down. Finally, I picked two. Did some negotiating about the price and now I am the proud owner of these two beauties.

And then something else... Thank God for free Wi-Fi. Because Friday night, when I was still sitting in Turkey with my feet up enjoying a beer, I received an email from Etsy. Someone asked me something about the Pinecone Stamp I have for sale at Stoffer + Blik. I could answer quickly and then last night, in my own Dutch bed again I received a sale notification. See now that is a really nice way to end your holiday. So this morning I happily made the stamp ready for its trip to the USA. My handmade goodies also love to travel, you know. 

The art of packing a suitcase

A few days ago there was a completely irrelevant little 'news' article on nu.nl. It said: "Women overpack by two thirds for a holiday". Oh, really? A British department store decided this was a topic that needed research and the outcome is considered news for some, obviously commercial, reason. I thought it was ridiculous, but it made me think of my own packing behavior, so I will pay some attention to it anyway...

Every guy will agree to that headline and most women will shrug their shoulders, saying: 'better safe than sorry'. And if it fits and you 'carry' your own suitcase: who cares? The funny part is that one third of the women in this research had been caught out by excess baggage charges, due to their overenthusiastic packing. And half of these women had lied to their partners about the weight of their suitcase, afraid their hubbies would make them leave stuff at home. Seriously?

I am sure many women will recognize the overpacking to some degree. If I didn't take the time to reason with myself I too would bring too much (I am talking about two or three shirts that I won't wear, no more). But over time I have become a better packer. Especially since I prefer my backpack over my suitcase. A suitcase will take up the same amount of space, whether it is full or not. And it has wheels, so besides the suitcase-in-the-airplane-throwers who cares how heavy it is? It is not just that I am more mobile with my backpack, it's also a good way to prevent overpacking. (And it makes me feel adventurous, even if my travel itinerary consists of nothing but from airport to hotel to beach to hotel to airport)

In the past I have packed bags to last for a period of six months, twice. So a short holiday is nothing. Bring it on. If I had to, I could go with a pair of underwear and a toothbrush. Seriously.

I am about to leave for a sunny, hot and relaxing holiday shortly. I need to start thinking about packing myself. I have moved many things from the 'should really bring that' to the 'you really don't need that' category. Strange how two minutes of thinking makes stuff change categories so drastically. This is all still in my head. When I start the real packing, I will lay out only the real necessities and then carefully add some to the 'that would be nice to wear to....' category. Next day I check that last category and take half of it out. Then I am packed perfectly.

You can easily do that because you will wear things twice and you can wash your clothes there too. And if you are going somewhere you can't, I am guessing nobody gives a sh*t about what to wear anyway.

This was the long way to say that I am leaving for a (not too long) holiday to a lovely place that you see in the image above. I probably (damn those smartphones and free wifi) will not be writing anything before I am back. If you decide you want to order something at Stoffer + Blik anyway you can, of course. I will ship your goodies the second I get back home. In about 11 days from now.

And the winner is....

Congratulations to .... Nancy Selderbeek! I've made you a pretty little package that will be on its way to you as soon as possible!

Thank you very much for letting me know which postcard you like best. The typewriter was most popular, followed by 'Fortune Favors the Brave'. As you can see there were only five contestants...so you had a 20% chance of winning this. Bummer if you didn't...

But there will be a new giveaway in a while. I suggest you come here again and have look every now and then so you don't miss it. Who knows what your chances are then...

Best lunch by far

The days I work from home, like today, I can make myself the freshest lunch. And that includes home baked bread, because I love the smell and taste of still warm bread. Who doesn't? Fresh out of the pan. Yes, not oven, pan! It's quick. About 3 minutes. The baking that is. Preparing is a little more work. But still not a lot.

So this was my lunch today: fresh flat bread with tomato salad.

Do you remember Veg!, the cookbook? This is the flat bread recipe. I do it by heart now, so maybe I have altered it a bit on the go. But basically it's this (for one).

• 25 grams of all purpose flour
• 25 grams of white bread mix (you can use only regular flour as well)
• 3 grams of dry yeast (check if you need to dissolve in water first)
• tablespoon of olive oil
• pinch of salt

Mix it all together and then add just a enough warm water to make a nice dough. Knead the ball until it is nice and smooth. That will take about 5 minutes. Leave to rest in a clean bowl for at least 30 minutes. Longer is better. Cover it with a damp towel. When it's twice its original size, knead the air out and roll out on your counter top (use flour to keep from sticking). Try to make it round and be sure it fits your pan. Otherwise make two smaller ones. It should be about 3 mm thick. The thinner you make it, the crispier it will be.

Heat a dry pan (no oil!) on high heat and wait until smoke is coming off. Put the bread in the pan and wait for the bubbles to appear. In a short two minutes you will see big bubbles and it should be nice and brown on the bottom. Flip it over and let the other side color too for about a minute. Don't pay too much attention to the minutes, just look at it and judge for yourself.

That's it. Done. Below you see the steps.

I had this with tomato salad (tomato, red onion, garlic, basil: all chopped. Mixed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper). Best lunch by far.

For Sunday mornings you can also put chocolate spread, marmelade or honey on it.

Tea Garden

I have a small balcony that I adore in the summer (and ignore in winter). Every sunny morning you can find me with a cup of coffee on the small bench, feet up and surrounded by lots of green. It's pretty amazing how many potted plants one can fit on a balcony.

It's really nice; a lush little garden on a balcony in the middle of the city. And all that green looks even better in these colorful tea tins. They are too pretty to throw out when they're empty. These tins are from Harney & Sons. They have the most gorgeous tea tins. And their teas are nice too. But honestly, I usually pick the tea based on the tin it comes in...

Some of the plants I have bought, but most I have grown myself. I take the seeds out of veggies and let them dry before planting. By now I have quite a collection, including strawberries, blueberries, pumpkin, bell peppers, chili peppers, carrots and tomatoes. I also have lavender, roses and many herbs. As you can imagine, it's getting a bit crowded.

As long as they save me a spot on the bench it's fine by me.

Sell one, make one

That's how handmade and unique these items are. There was only one and now there's none: the Summer Pink Wrap Bracelet. But luckily I have some materials lying around. The pink one seems to be most popular, so let's quickly turn this pile of leather strings and wooden beads into another cute Summer Pink Wrap Bracelet. And when that one sells, I'll start again...

Pretty Delicious

Don't you love it when your food looks beautiful? This is a healthy couscous salad with beetroot, feta cheese, chicken and parsley. It's not only the taste of it, but it's also the beautiful colors that make me happy. I make it often, because it is also real easy and quick.

I like to serve it in my most beautiful Moroccan bowl. It's a treat every time (see recipe below).

I have a few of those delicious-quick-cheap-'n-easy recipes. I have started a special little project with them. I am making illustrated recipe cards with my favorites. Below you see a sneak peak. This one's sort of finished. The illustration of the recipe in the photos above is still in the making. And there will be more. I'll probably make a pretty set of them, so it will be a wonderful gift for anyone who loves fresh, delicious and simple food. 

Ok, so here's how you make the beetroot couscous. This is for one person, but I usually make a little more and keep it in the fridge for lunch the next day. And the best part: it doesn't take more than 15 minutes to make! 

• 50 grams of couscous 

• zest of half a lemon

• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 

• 100 grams of chicken(breast), in cubes

• 100 grams of feta chees, in cubes

• 1 big beetroot (pre cooked), in cubes 

• a handful of parsley

• olive oil

• sea salt

• black pepper

Bring some water to a boil. Pour over the couscous and soak it with a pinch of salt in a big bowl for about ten minutes. It should only be just a few millimeters under water. Cover the top with aluminum foil. Cook the chicken on high heat with a bit of oil. In the meanwhile cut the beetroot and the feta cheese in cubes. Chop the parsley. Zest the lemon and squeeze it. Take the chicken out of the pan. It's okay if it gets a little cold. 

Loosen the couscous with a fork, add the parsley and the chicken. Mix it together and carefully add a little lemon juice and the zest. Taste and add a little more if necessary (be careful adding the lemon juice, if it's too much it's ruined...) Add the feta cheese and the beetroot. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together gently and serve in a pretty bowl. Eat! 

Pink

As Steven Tyler put it: "Pink it's my new obsession. Pink it's not even a question. Pink on the lips of your lover, 'cause Pink is the love you discover"

I do like pink, but there are some rules. It has to be the pretty pink, not the ugly one. The sweet and subtle kind, that is. And too much pink is never a good thing: moderation is key. If you do that and you add some grey: yes, I am a fan.

The necklace with the Chinese birds is made by me. You can get it here.

My first press request: Flow!

On a quiet evening last week by mailbox said 'ploum'. That happens more often, but this time my heart also did 'ploum!'. It was an email with a subjectline that said: Flow magazine press request. A press request alone is pretty awesome when you have opened the virtual doors of your shop only a few weeks ago. But getting one from Flow is amazing.

Flow is Hollands best known creative magazine that loves creativity, authenticity and paper. It always inspires me to go do something creative. I love the feel and the smell of their (many different sorts of) paper. They have a website to go with that, showing pretty things, cool places to go and they highlight nice webshops every Saturday in their item 'Saturday Market'.

So Flow asked if I would like to be their 'Saturday Market' webshop this week...uh....YES! So I answered a few questions about myself, my work and my shop.

And this is what came out  >>>  flowmagazine.nl

For this happy occasion I am giving a special this-weekend-only-discount @ my Etsy shop. Enter the code: FLOWSATURDAY1 for 15% off everything!

Hand carved stamps

http://www.etsy.com/shop/StofferBlik?section_id=13564533

On how my brain works

Most asked question I get is: how do you come up with this stuff? Well, here's a little peek inside my brain. This is how I came up with my latest stamp: cat + wool. 

It started a day or two ago, when I received an email from Dutch creative magazine Flow. They asked me if I wanted to be in their 'Saturday Market' item on the Flow website this Saturday. Of course I said YES! Are you crazy!? (more on this later). 

I already started thinking a little about the questions they might ask. The obvious 'tell me a little more about yourself' made me think about cats. The truth is I live by myself, no roommates, no pets. And I thought it would be nice to be able to say: "I have a cosy apartment in the middle of the city, where I live with Stoffer, my adorable cat." I just like the way that sounds.

I like cats, sometimes...I guess. I don't like the hairs and the scratches on my wallpaper, I don't want a litter box in my house. And honestly, I cannot be sure if I still like Mr. Stoffer as much when he grows out of being the cutest thing you've ever seen. I think I might be a little allergic too. And I like to travel. Little Stoffer would be miserable living with me. 

That's how I decided to make a cat stamp. I started sketching and cutting the lino. When it was finished and I should've just left it alone, I added something on the lower half. And that did not turn out well. You know how that goes. So I cut the bottom half off and I had a cat head. Ok. Not what I had in mind.

Then the next day I received my ordered balls of yarn in the mail. Colorful, beautiful balls of yarn. Cats like yarn. Hey! I could replace that lower half of the cat with some yarn. That makes sense. So I drew some balls of yarn and cut it out of the lino. 

I positioned the seperate parts to make the complete picture. Made some prints and decided how to glue them to a block of wood. Wood that I needed to cut first. That turned out to be more difficult than I wanted it to be, but eventually it worked. I smoothened the edges with sandpaper and glued the pieces on. Tadaaa: a brand new cat + wool stamp. 

And yes, you guessed right. It's for sale! Take a closer look at it here.