You know when you read a book and it speaks to your heart so clearly that you feel as though it was written specifically for you? I felt that whilst reading every word of Pia Jane Bijkerk‘s My Heart Wanders. If you love to travel, to discover, to follow your heart, to make your home beautiful no matter where you are, then this book will speak straight to your soul.

Pia shares her journey from her life in Sydney to experiences living Paris and finding peace on a quaint little houseboat in Amsterdam. Her words are so honest, yet quiet; and falling into her book is like sitting down to afternoon tea with a friend. It spoke so strongly to experiences I myself have faced and lead me on a journey to one I have dreamt about. Her book is filled with beautiful photographs, doodles and notes that are so perfectly Pia. I fell so deeply into her beautiful world and may have even shed a tear of two. Insightful, poetic and charming, My Heart Wanders is a wanderer’s treasure.

I was lucky enough to spend a lovely brunch with the lady herself while I was back home in Australia and she is just as beautiful in person as she is in book form. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, I can’t recommend it enough!

Find information about My Heart Wanders here.

p.s. Happy Australia Day- and yes, I had to share some Aussie love today!

Related posts:

1. Pia Jane Bijkerk’s New Home Online
2. i heart a camera
3. Good Pia Hunting

Exciting news to share today! Do you remember the Give Credit Where Credit Is Due posters from a little while back? Pia Jane Bijkerk, Erin Loechner and a group of ladies (including myself) worked together to create a guide for crediting images online. Pia toiled long and hard to create the design and after a lot of requests for posters (and planning) we are excited to announce this set of posters by Mammoth Collection. Mammoth have produced these high quality prints in four different colourways.

Pia received copies of the posters and took these beautiful photographs of the prints on display.

Aren’t they gorgeous? If you would like to purchase one, you can order them from the Mammoth store online.

I’m so honoured to have been a part of this. You can read more about the project on the Mammoth blog in an interview with Pia. Yay Street Cred!

p.s. Mammoth are giving away a print on Pia’s blog! Head over to this post for your chance to win.

Photographs by Pia Jane Bijkerk.

Related posts:

1. Street Cred 2011!
2. Twelve: January Collection
3. Twelve: February Collection

Have you seen the pages and pages of endless beauty yet? Last week, my gorgeous and talented friend Pia Jane Bijkerk revealed her new professional website and oh my goodness, it is packed to the rafters with glorious photographs. One thing I adore about Pia is the way in which she creates a world that you can’t help but want to be a part of. She does this through beautiful photography, amazing style and heart felt writing. If you are needing to escape the daily grind for a little bit, grab a cuppa, curl up on the couch and take a wander through her world. You will not be disappointed.

Once you’re done looking at all the beautiful photographs, make sure you check out this amazing video in the press section. Pia takes us on a guided tour through her beautiful Amsterdam houseboat. She has recently moved back to our shared hometown, but what a thrill it is to see this beautiful way she lives. After seeing the site and video, I kindly informed Pia that I was going to have to enlist her to style my life.

I am so excited for her upcoming book release, My Heart Wanders. I loved her last 2 books and I get the feeling I’m going to love this one even more. Go check out this glorious website, now!

All photographs taken by and copyright Pia Jane Bijkerk.

Related posts:

1. Good Pia Hunting
2. I won! Little Jane St Send Me Goodies
3. Amsterdam Made By Hand

When the gorgeous Pia Jane Bijkerk told me she was sending me a copy of her book, I had no idea that I would get such joy out of the package that it was delivered in. Gold wrapping decorated with burgundy Japanese Washi tape…one of the beautiful handmade boats from her Amsterdam window display…a sweet note from Pia tucked inside… and beautiful real French lace tying it all together.

Pieces of her handmade world sewn together to make me smile.

You can imagine how delighted I was to receive such a beautiful gift.

The book is just as fabulous as its predecessor and is filled with gorgeous, milky photography all shot by Pia. In my quest for the simple life, I adore finding real artisans, people who work hard and pour love into their art. Amsterdam Made By Hand is filled to the brim with these such people.

Pia Jane has made an art out of taking us on tours of the beautiful stores in the beautiful cities of Europe. The words on the pages transport you there…as though riding a bicycle with her through the cobblestoned streets of Amsterdam.

In her introduction, Pia describes a dream she had about a magical place filled with artists and designers crafting away in beautiful back alleys. To imagine that her dream town does exist is kind of intoxicating. Intoxicating enough to make me want to hop a plane to Amsterdam today. The beauty is in the way the book is written. Pia wants you to take your time, to wander…it is only through the wander, that magic discoveries appear and Amsterdam Made By Hand is all about discovery. I know that when I do take my first trip to Amsterdam, I will be tucking this gorgeous little book into my suitcase. Who needs a travel guide, when you’ve got a Pia Made By Hand book?

Pia, Amsterdam Made By Hand is most definitely inspiring me to want to visit your beautiful town. I can’t wait for the day that I get to experience both Paris and Amsterdam your way.

Have you got your own copy to love and behold? And…aren’t I the luckiest?

Related posts:

1. Good Pia Hunting
2. Paris Beckons…
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Here is a sneak peek of something beautiful that made its way to my letter box last week. Come back later in the week to see my photographs and the story behind the gorgeous little boat and lace. I’m one lucky lady.

One thing I’m really loving about Vancouver is the love of the foodie lifestyle. I’m no adventurous foodie myself but I so badly want to be. Maybe that’s why I take photographs of food. Over the weekend, we moseyed around the amazing and very crowded Granville Island Market which is always filled with wonderful food stalls. There are fabulous bakeries, fruit stalls galore, fancy cheese stores and local fisherman selling their catch. I really love the atmosphere at the market and enjoy weaving in and out of the narrow halls gazing at the giant sized pasta and French baguettes. Photographs to come…

On my foodie expedition of the lower mainland, I also stopped in at the most fabulous bookstore. Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks is a bookstore packed to the rafters with nothing but cookbooks. It even has its own kitchen at the back for lessons and demonstrations. I have already eyed about 5 different books that I want to add to my very empty cookbook shelf.

I’ll be back later in the week to share more of that delightful gift in the Polaroid with you!

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Image by Pia Jane Bijkerk

Life is still crazy around here for me as I embark on my last week in Sydney before we jetset away to Vancouver. My posts have been sporadic, but I can’t wait to settle in a new city to have time to blog all about my new adventures. We have been doing the ‘last’s of everything, including catching up with friends, reminiscing about past times and trying to see all those places we love just one last time.

I broke the news to my students this week too and it didn’t go down very well. There have been tears, lots of questions and promises of Canadian gifts for them. I never imagined my leaving would create such strong reactions.

We are off for our last wander through the city today to soak up the glorious 30 degree weather- probably my last for a very long time!

Link Love for the week:

Pia’s Polaroids are magnificent.

Susannah’s thoughts on her Unravelling Course: I am signed up for the next one and SO excited!

Are you enjoying Beatle Week?

Sketch design site- how pretty is it? Via Tracey.

A HUNT FOR PRETTINESS WAS ON TODAY….a quest to find pages of pretty dripping with Parisian-ness. I made my way to the best book store in the world, Sydney’s Kinokuniya to find the fabulously inspiring superstar Pia’s, Paris Made by Hand book. I was determined to find it, had searched the website to know exactly in which section to find it (travel? photography? shopping? crafts?). Travel, of course!

I was absolutely bursting to get my hands on a copy and couldn’t wait to open the pages. I can’t say enough about the author. I only discovered Pia’s blog last year, but in that short time, I have come to adore her work, her passion for life and her photography. There is a reason her blog is read by thousands. The fact that she is a Sydney girl makes me feel a little bit more love for Pia too.

Pia’s book is about all the beautiful places you can buy gorgeous hand made items in Paris, or as the French say, fait main. As you know, I am a little bit of a Parisian obsessive, so this book is right up my alley. Having seen the cover many times online, I couldn’t wait for it to jump out at me from the shelves. I bounced in the glass doors, scanned my eyes over every New Release stand hoping to get a glimpse of that cute little kitty, but alas, she was nowhere to be seen.

I checked both the travel guides and travel literature sections, nothing! I saw books about how French women stay the opposite of fat, books about Paris’ cafe culture, books about shopping the high end fashion stores, even books about flea markets, but no French kitty!

After making my way to the information counter, I was told that the one copy they had had been sold that morning! ARGH!

I will find you kitty, no matter what it takes!

The day wasn’t a complete loss however as I accidently discovered a new store called Via Alley in The Galleries Victoria. Japanese camera heaven!

Photograph by Pia Jane Bijkerk