Famille Summerbelle

Recycling a cardboard box into a birthday present!

I was surprised by this beautiful painted box by my children for my birthday! It was filled with fresh flowers, drawings and candles. Ophelia and Lucien painted it secretly in their bedroom adding adorable flowers and bees. I first got this box from the supermarket to carry the groceries and I love how they recycled it, transforming it into such a unique and pretty storage box. It's already in good use in my office!

Amsterdam icy canals

The Siberian freezing wave is now over and the temperatures are rising fast. It was -5 degrees two days ago and 13 degrees today in Amsterdam! I have to say I liked it when it was freezing cold as we had the most beautiful blue sky and the sun shinning every day which is rate at the time of year here. On Saturday Simon and I had a date night. It was too cold to cycle so instead we walked to the canal rings. They were all frozen with people ice skating reminded me of a famous painting by Dutch artist Hendrick Avercamp. It was so magical...but didn't last very long.

Téo turned 3!

We celebrated Téo's 3rd birthday on 1st March, well actually his birthday was celebrated every day of the week as the kids were on holidays. He was the happiest boy!

Paper cut bouquet

While the children were cutting their colourful flowers ( see previous post) I made a quick sketch of a bouquet and then cut it up!
I've already asked my followers on IG, wondering if we should make this a Famille Summerbelle product? And if so which colour? Please leave me a comment as I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Say it with flowers! DIY paper flowers.

Make your own paper flowers bouquet with these Paper Flowers! They are so pretty to hang in your home to add touches of colours.

The kids and I also decided to cut a bunch of flowers to make a bouquet as a Valentine's present. Isn't it always best to receive a hand made gift? Especially coming from your kids ;-)

Look how beautiful and unique they are! (Of course I'm in total admiration in front of my kids designs!)

Ophelia made the one on the left with some pattern details and a very elegant hand with rings and nail varnish.

Lucien made the one on the right that we framed. I like the bold colours and the simple and graphic shapes he gave to his flowers and stalks.

We wanted to share with you how easy it is to make.
- Before starting paint with your favourite colours several sheets of paper. It's best to use paper of a certain weight so the paint doesn't go through. I would go for a minimum of 180 gsm.
- Add lines, dots, circles or any patterns you like to some of your painted sheets.

- Draw the stalk and flower shapes on the reverse side of your painted paper.
- Cut the shapes with scissors or a scalpel.
- Once you have cut several shapes it's now time to have fun making a collage and create your own bouquet!

Here Lucien cutting the stalk of his hand drawn flower:

HAPPY VALENTINE!

Playing with paper hands

There is something so playful and pleasant about cutting paper and laying shapes to create many variations on the same theme. I made this little hands project 'Give me your hand' last week while my son Lucien was cutting some paper flowers next to me. Which one do you prefer?

A visit to Popham Design in Marrakech

If you think of cement tiles, no doubt you'll have one of Popham Design image saved in your Pinterest board (like mine on Floors) or in your Inspiration folder. Every single interior mag has been featuring stunning homes decorated with the highly colourful and bold patterns of Caitlin and Samuel Down-Sandes, the owners of the brand. They have revolutionised cement tile designs thanks to their vision and collaborative projects with international designers such as Claesson Koivisto Rune who designed the iconic Dandelion tile.

ZigZag and Do You tiles:

So when I knew we were going to Marrakech this Winter I immediately contacted their Head Office which is located at about 10mn car drive from the city center.

We were greeted by the lovely Mariam who proudly showed us around their beautiful showroom, with floor to ceiling examples of their most iconic designs.

Here is Lucien in his djellaba in front of the blue and white wall panel featuring the ZigZag pattern.

Pentagone design:


Splinter asymmetrical design:

Mariam offered to give us a tour of their nearby factory and ask the kids if they wanted to make their own tile. The answer was a cheerful YES! OUI!
Our first impression beyond the amazement of the fine craftsmanship was the smile and the warm welcome we received from the artisans. They were so happy to share their skills and knowledge of their craft with us. It felt like entering into a large friendly family.
The children were fascinated by the process of layering the pigments, marble powder and cement into the different sections of the moulds. Each tile is entirely made by hand by these skilled artisans.

ZigZag design with a different pattern layout.


Check out their Pinterest, Instagram and website for an overview of their huge collection and colours.

Eating in the Medina

Like in any City it's a bit of a gamble to eat in a restaurant unless you have a recommendation or done some little research.
Nomad was highly rated on many travel blogs. We went there twice for lunch during our stay. Both times we had an amazing time.
Nomad is set atop the Place des Epices (see the post below for more images). The entrance is only a discreet door set on the corner of the market so ask around if you cannot find it. As you walk you can smell the spices and flavours of the Moroccan dishes. The food was amazing, from starters to desserts!

On the first floor you'll find different rooms with confortable seatings and plenty of cushions to relax in while enjoying your meal. On a sunny day (like most days!) head straight upstairs to the rooftop for stunning views of the Medina and the Place des Epices. Straw hats with the name of the restaurant are at your disposal if the sun is too hot.

I had the most delicious shaved fennel and cauliflower salad, a vegetarian pastilla with roasted almonds and for dessert the hibiscus infused Panna Cotta. The Moroccan Affogato with expresso, cinnamon, cardamom over vanilla ice cream and toasted almonds was also a hit!
They also offer a very nice kids menu.

Family portrait while we were waiting for our lunch to be served!

Ophelia waiting for her fresh orange juice at the bar.

I would advice to book a table at Nomad as it can be very busy during the holidays.
Nomad - 1, Derb Aarjan. Marrakech Medina
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One the other side of the Place des Epices, is a nice little café and restaurant called Café des Epices. Owned by the same entrepreneur Kamal Laftimi who started Nomad and Le Jardin. This café is a great place to have a break for a morning coffee before exploring the Medina.
Café des Epices - 75 Rahba Lakdima, Marrakech Medina

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La Famille is such a nice place to relax and eat fresh food after walking the busy streets of the Medina.

The restaurant is located in an enclosed courtyard with lush banana, palm and olive trees. The vegetarian menu is quite small but very fresh and so tasty. I recommend the salads and the wonderful hand made cakes for dessert.
There is also a very cute shop selling ceramics, mirrors and cushions. Ophelia came back with a couple of ceramic vases to display on her desk at home.
If you are a big group there is a long table set under the palm trees and a large black board for the kids to draw.

The restaurant is not easy to find, only a very small signboard on an unassuming door indicates the entrance.
Book in advance!
La Famille - 42 Riad Zitoun Jdid, Marrakech

Marrakech in Winter with kids

It's never too late to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I would have liked to post this earlier but I was struck by the January blues and a bad cold on our return to Amsterdam!
We travelled to the beautiful city of Marrakech after Christmas to escape the harsh Winter weather.
It was 10 days of pure magic! We rented a house 30mn away from Marrakech with my cousin, her husband and their 2 children.
In retrospect it was a really good idea to be immersed in the Moroccan countryside with locals instead of staying in the crowded center of Marrakech. We would drive to Marrakech for the day and come back to our peaceful and spacious villa in the afternoon to relax by the pool in the leafy garden. A lovely Moroccan lady from the nearby village was here every day to prepare the most delicious tagines and couscous. It is very common to have a cook when you rent a house in Marrakech. I have to say it was a real treat to be looked after by such a pleasant lady.

Last time Simon and I came to Marrakech was about 15 years ago. We were back packing around Morocco for several weeks by buses, trains and taxis. We travelled to pretty much all the major Cities: Casablanca, Rabat, Fès, Ouarzazate, Marrakech and Essaouira and a long journey to see the desert. I was blown away by the beauty of the country and the friendliness if its inhabitants.

I was really happy to come back with our 3 children and rediscover Marrakech 15 years later. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised how much it has changed. First you land in a brand new airport and everything from customs to picking up your luggages was really smooth and easy.

Thanks to Google map we didn't get lost in the Medina this time! The children were so impressed to walk in the tiny alleys and to see so many stalls.
I had the souvenir of being constantly interpellate by sellers but this is no more the case. From time to time a smiling seller calls you but in a friendly way. Lucien had bought a brown djellaba to look like Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (his hero!). He had a lot of success walking in the souk!

Marché aux Epices:
a colourful square with many sellers of woven baskets, spices and rugs. Be prepared with a smile. Buying even the smallest thing in Morocco requires a lot of patience and negotiation. It's part of the game!

One of the many stalls selling dry fruits and nuts. I am amazed how they use space to a maximum. There is just one small hole for the man to stand. From there he can reach it all!

Lucien and Ophelia walking the streets of the Medina. They were in deep discussion about what they would become in the future ;-)

Hand made leather camels and hanging rugs at the Marché des Epices.

The famous Babouche, the Moroccan leather slippers in many shapes and colours. Some have hard soles to wear as day shoes.

Two men were playing chess on a bench on this hand drawn board. There is something beautiful about the pink of the plastic lids, the black of the board the this aged turquoise bench.

Happy holidays!

Christmas is just few days away and I have only bought a handful of presents... The time is running fast and so much to do before I can switch off the computer and the studio for the holidays!

December has been such a busy month and I can only thank you all for your amazing support. Honestly I feel so grateful every time we receive a new order, knowing that one of our print, paper cut or box will be looked after in a loving home.

It's only 4pm and it's already getting dark here in Amsterdam, but the fairy lights are shinning in the shops and on the street. It's so festive!

I wish you all a wonderful time with your loved ones.

Happy holidays!

Julie XX

Little Christmas icons I made with Lucien, to turn into a little garland to hang in front of the window.

Free gift wrapping for all your orders!

To save you time on your last minute Christmas shopping we're offering to wrap all your orders for FREE.You can also add a pretty card with a note, just let us know when you place the order.
Your presents will be ready to go straight under the Christmas tree!

And to make it easier, we have selected some very special gift pack!

Winter Tableware collection, a collaboration with ENGEL.

Following the success of the CIRCUS bamboo tableware collection, I am delighted to show you this latest WINTER tableware collection I designed for ENGEL.
This beautiful collection includes a range of Large, Medium and Small size plates with 3 Winter scene paper cut illustrations, a beautiful range of colours, a large cake plate, candle boxes and an assortment of 12 mini wooden icons to decorate the Christmas pudding!
This new collection will add a touch of magic to your festive dinner table!

The Winter collection is available now at ENGEL.

The plates are made of 100% biodegradable bamboo and are dishwasher safe.

These are the original paper cuts that were the inspiration for the Winter collection.

Gold Paper cut maps - Limited Edition

This Christmas we're introducing the Copenhagen map to our very limited edition of GOLD PAPER CUT MAPS!
Also available: Paris, New York City, San Francisco, Amsterdam and London.

Copenhagen, our new paper cut map!

After long months in the making, I am very happy to share with you our latest map of Copenhagen!

This map was a real pleasure to draw and cut. There is so much to feature in this stunning City!
Few years ago we had an amazing time discovering Copenhagen with the children over a long week-end.

There are so many things to do in Copenhagen, like climbing the ancient cast-iron staircase of the glass building of the Botanical Garden to observe the palm trees from above, riding atop the Ferris Wheel in Tivoli Gardens, cycling along the waterfront of the 5 lakes and stop for Pølser the Danish hot dog! Visiting the Amalienborg Palace to see the change of the Royal Guards. There you can see from afar the elegant flat roof of the Opera House. Or even climbing up the Rundetaaren to get the most magnificent view of the old City with its colourful facades and red roofs.

The map is available now as a paper cut (laser cut from the original paper cut) in Black and Blue.

You need a lot of blades to cut a map like this one! I use the 10A blades from Swann-Morton to do all my paper cuts.

Below you can view a 30 seconds video of me cutting the map but in reality it took me more than 20h of cutting to finish it...

I am 8 years old

I can't tell you how much I love taking these yearly birthday photos of Lucien and compare them to the previous years to see how much this big boy cute little face has changed over the years!
Happy birthday, Joyeux anniversaire mon Lulu adoré!!

Look Here when he turned 7, and here when he turned 5!

Dutch Design Week 2017

The Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven ended last Sunday. I wanted to share with you some of my highlights.
Ophelia and I left early morning by train from Amsterdam to meet with my younger sister Charlotte in Eindhoven. Charlotte studied Product Design at the Design Academy, she knew the town very well and most ex-students exhibiting so we were very pleased to have her as our guide!

We started with a coffee and chocolat chaud at Usine to plan our day as there were so many events and things to see in one day. We knew we couldn't see everything. Imagine an entire city devoted to design, it's pretty overwhelming - in a good way! Btw I would recommend to have some sort of transportation to go from one event to the next as some venues are located on the outskirt of town. The DDW offers some taxi (free) rides but there's often a long queue.

Hot chocolate with chantilly anyone?!


Cute green little kids corner at Usine.

Our first stop was Hardcore exhibition by Core Studio. It took us a while to find the entrance, after realising that the event was on the lower ground floor of a car park.

Ophelia was intrigued by this foamed bookshelf by Onno Adriaanse.

Envisions:
This year Envisions collaborated with the Spanish wood manufacturer Finsa. The idea was not to show the final product but instead to show the process that is rarely shown to the public. Envisions believes that experimentation is key to good design and leads to new ideas and innovation.
That is the driving force of Envisions, a Dutch collective directed by Sanne Schuurman and Simone Post, presenting everything except the final product.

Envisions books are available to purchase here.

Recolored, A new way of recycling by Jessica den Hartog.

Self reflection in a Lex Pott and David Derksen oxidised mirror.

Lex Pott, detail of Fragments of Nature Log.

Stripe paper yarn by Dienke Dekker.

Huge balloons covered with Sunbrella fabric, by Charles Pétillon.

Afternoon creative: painting and collages

Yesterday Ophelia, Lucien and I decided to make collages from large sheets of paper that we painted before starting cutting. We painted about a dozen A3 size sheets of paper that were set to dry on our long kitchen balcony. The beautiful weather was perfect for the fast drying paint.
We didn't really have a theme in mind, we just liked the idea of doing some collages from scratch...so here's our process in images:

We use acrylic paint but gouache is also a good option. Just remember to add enough water to the paint to have a good smooth consistence before applying the paint on paper.
As for the brushes we played with different thicknesses and even used a medium size roller.
When applying uniform paint on a large area you feel like using a roller but I kind of like to see the brush strokes to give a bit of texture to the paint.

Adding lines and dots and other shapes on the painted sheets will create a nice pattern for your collages.


As i said we didn't have a specific theme in mind when starting the collages. It was just nice to experiment cutting different shapes and then come up with a composition.
Lucien made cute little birds while Ophelia mixed up flowers with an eye and a bird. As for myself I had in mind a gardener picking up flowers from his garden.

I usually cut paper with a scalpel when I do my paper cuts as it requires a lot of details. However with the children I prefer to use scissors for safety reason. When cutting large chunky shapes it is much easier and actually more fun with scissors.

I love the freedom collages offers...it's endless...until to decide to glue each piece down!

Afternoon creative: Painting birds with a 7 year old

This was a drawing and painting session with my son Lucien.
Little bro Téo fell asleep for his afternoon nap so Lucien and I decided to make the most of this quite time to do some creative stuffs before little tornado woke up.

We set up the paint brushes, paint tubes, chalk and cardboard sheets out on the long kitchen table and started to draw birds. Why not? Lucien came up with the idea while looking out of the window and saw a couple of birds standing on the rooftop.
It wasn't sadly toucan birds...this one he remembered from our trip to Mexico!

How beautiful is Lucien's toucan!


It was a real pleasure to spend an hour or so drawing and painting with Lucien. It's so inspiring to watch him draw and I love his drawing style so much! I think he has a very good eye for proportions and has a firm hand to draw lines.

For the colour palette I was inspired by an image I saw on Pinterest. It was a photo taken by Charles Eames of Alexander Girard's home in Santa Fe.

48h in Paris

It was unplanned. On Friday night Ophelia and I jumped on the Thalys for an express mother/daughter trip to Paris and also to see my friend Fumie from Paumes.


A quick visit to the beautiful Sezane apartment with a white rose, drinks and madeleines as a welcoming gift!


Le Cactus Club with colourful macramés:


We loved our visit to the boutique/gallery Klin D'oeil (6 rue Deguerry, 11ème) to see the exhibition and workshops organised by Japanese artists in collaboration with Paumes in Tokyo. When we arrived on Saturday, a workshop on up-cycling was let by Norito.


Ophelia was very excited to meet the Japanese illustrator Yumi Kitagishi who made a cute illustration of Ophelia and Pipo (OPhelia's cat) on her new book Little Stories of 366 Days edited by Paumes.
How cute are her painted nails!!

Ready for a new school year!

The Summer has gone too fast as always. We had a wonderful time spent with our family in the south of France. The 14 cousins played every day until dark, riding their vintage bikes in the old village. I love Summers in our family house. It's party time with all the siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and so on. Big tables, lots of good food, wine and laughter :-)

Now we're back in Amsterdam and I have to say I am very happy to get back to work and plan the year ahead.
Téo started his new nursery - in Dutch - Lucien is back to the French school in CE2 and Ophelia is moving to Secondary (how did this happen so quickly?!?). For her no more French at school but Dutch and English. She will be fluent in Dutch in no time! She started her new school this morning, a bit nervous but also very excited about this coming year.
I love how she has organised her desk and decorated her bedroom. Like me she likes to surround herself with lots of pretty colourful things and some fresh flowers...

Illustration from Flow magazine. Wooden spoon painted by Ophelia.

World map notebook by Famille Summerbelle.

Ophelia drawing pretty illustrations on Famille Summerbelle notebook.

The House Boxes for storing all sort of things.

Friends book - Vrienden Boek - a must for the new school year ahead!

Wooden spoon painted by Ophelia.