MADDIE ON THINGS (KITCHEN SHELF)

Maddie is traveling through all 50 states of the US. You can follow here pretty pictures taken by Theron Humphrey here

SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE

This morning i had plans to be outside, but it's raining.. So instead of planting my new pink roses (with bottles! for jam later this year) i decided to work on new graphics until the sun decides to comes out.

The smell of coffee and a nice basil-yogurt blackberry shake made me all ready for takeoff!

Beautiful artwork by Elisandra, graphic artist from Berlin

DESIGNHUIS EINDHOVEN - DE ETENDE MENS

Yesterday i went to see the exhibition "DE ETENDE MENS" curated by food designer Marije Vogelzang. This exhibition, in the Designhuis in Eindhoven, cleverly illustrates the complex liaison between people and eating. It sure gives you food for thought! The exibition lasts until the 30th of september, don't miss it!

JULIE GREEN-THE LAST SUPPER

'FISHFINGERS' 

TOMM VELTHUIS-PLAY WITH FOOD

SCHOLTEN EN BAIJINGS-VEGETABLES

VERSTAPPEN EN DRIESSENS-VEGETABLE REJECTS

MARRE MOERELS-FOOD ON THE TABLE

ARTHUR VAN BALEN-PORCELAIN CHICKENS

ARTHUR VAN BALEN-COMPOST SCULPTURE

JULIE GREEN-THE LAST SUPPER, shows a wall filled with last meal requests of condemned prisoners, painted on plates. Every year she makes another 50 until the death penalty will be abolished

FISHFINGERS, are eaten by millions of people....even though they have been chopped in rectangles. No one seems to bother that they come frozen, that they have been covered with a thick layer of breadcrumbs and have lost the shape and taste of fish.... Nature seems to be deliberately made unrecognizable before being served on our plates.

TOMM VELTHUIS-PLAY WITH FOOD, children learning about the current food issues while they play

VERSTAPPEN EN DRIESSENS-VEGETABLE REJECTS, 'ill shaped' food unfortunately does not reach our supermarkets, instead piles of it are being thrown away..let's think about that!

MARRE MOERELS-FOOD ON THE TABLE, serving food on animal inspired porcelain

PORCELAIN CHICKENS, most of the chickens we buy in the supermarket have had a short and horrible life, these porcelain ones demonstrate the opposite, they are well priced and are meant to have a long life.

ARHUR VAN BALEN,with every sushi meal come these poly-ethyleen fish filled with soya sauce. Poly-ethyleen pollutes our oceans. Therefore Arhur developed a de-solving kind of fish shaped bottle.

DESIGNER NORI

These, Japan based Umino seaweed shop's, rolls of nori were given lasercut patterns. There are 5 different ones available. Each of them based on elements of Japanese history or symbology.

This project was commissioned by an international ad agency (I&S BBDO) to re-spark the sale of nori following the tsunami in 2011.

A nice example of investing in design trying to beat the sales crisis!

'kumikkou' (tortoise shell)

'sakura' (cherry blossoms)

'asanoho' (hemp)

'kikkou' (turtle shell)

ROCOCO CHOCOLATES

I found these chocolate treasures in London. Aiming to be the world's most ethical chocolate bar, fairly traded, organic, non-profit and carbon-neutral + shipped by wooden sailboat. They have the wildest flavors.. like these below: cardamom and basil & lime. But what about orange & geranium, sea salt, jasmine etc. You could taste for yourself, they have 5 shops in London. Check right here.....

TO BLOOM, TO FLOURISH, TO FLOWER..

Lately i'm a little obsessed with photographing flowers, i started to zoom in on them.. and they keep amazing me one by one.

Try it! it's highly addictive! These are all spontaneous presents from my garden in which i started to grow flowers to make wild bouquets for my kitchen table and to use for various recipes and salads.

BOO + FRIENDS

At the Design District fair in Zaandam (NL) beginning of this month i met with BOO + FRIENDS.(design projects and interior products for office, home and garden)

'BOO + friends' is represented by founder Ben Oostrum and his designer friends.I was struck by these eye-catching garden tools. Any of you owning a garden would agree these fun products are an absolute must have!

watering-can by Davy Grosemans for Xala

garden tags: TALK & THINK by BOO + FRIENDS

greenhouse by BOO + FRIENDS

GARDEN DAY

Charming little video about gardening and growing vegetables told from a kids perspective, enjoy!

HOMEGROWN VEGGIES & FRUIT

It's time for a celebration because the first homegrown veggies have reached my kitchen! Yeaaaaaah! It's a miracle that in just a few months time my vegetable garden already gives these beautiful and tasty products!.. i'm pleasantly surprised.

Here's what i made with products 'straight from the garden' so far: 1)Beetroot summer salad, 2)beetroot & apple juice, 3)beetroot risotto, 4)stir fried fennel, 5)braised endive with garlic, sourcream and pine nuts, 6)eatable flower salad, 7)mint & lemon balm tea, 8) a lovely salsa verde with mint and parsley, and 9)apple rubarb crumble...i say: not bad for a start!

This morning i picked 2 big bowls of strawberries for my yogurt smoothies and early mornin' toast :-) MMMMMMM delicious!

BEEP EGG

In my home you'll find more than one blue-white piece of ceramic, in tableware, vases etc. I started collecting them years back because i like ceramics and the history of how the Dutch people started to make Delft Blue ceramics and became famous for it (1650-1750). The real credits of course are to be given to the Chinese.

Now, this blue-white egg alarm has joined my kitchen lately because it has a cute 'old houses print' and because i dislike the tone of a regular alarm clock one uses to boil an egg. Can you imagine this egg plays 3 traditional Dutch songs!

Soft egg:'in Holland staat een huis'

Medium egg: 'twee emmertjes water halen' 

Hard boiled egg: 'our national anthem Wilhelmus'

SUGARED FLOWERS ON CHOCOLATES

Did you know you can actually order your eatable sugared flowers from the internet? You sure can! from Corwen, Denbighshire, North Wales, UK. That's a mouth full! Go quickly to their site 'Eat my flowers' and make yourself a pile of these lovely chocolates.

LA DOLCE VITA

Life is sweet! especially with these two beautiful presents i received yesterday from a dear friend!

'La dolce vita' celebrates life with glamourous recipes.

'Ciao bella' is a book from Tessa Kiros about Italian food from the region of Venice.

Last year i received another one of her very nice books called:'De smaak van mijn herinnering'. 

I do love one of her quotes where she says:" I wish that everyone would go back to old-fashioned ways: growing their own fruit and vegetables, eating with their families and eating less convenience food, also eat seasonally like for example in Tuscany". I think she's got a point!

MOTTO

This shall be my motto for working in my vegetable garden!

great poster made by Studio on fire

BIRTHDAY SWEETS

VEGETARIAN LOOK

Fashion and vegetables are coming together in these 50's inspired dresses from Dolce & Gabbana.

'RECYCLING CHICKEN'

I wish i could have fresh eggs from my very own chickens every day. But since i do not have the opportunity to keep them i mostly buy bio eggs in the supermarket. I do tend to get lost when i must make a choice between all the different boxes of BIO produced eggs. 

Maybe if one of the boxes would show this bright baby on top i would be less confused...I could SWING her right into my shoppingbag!

made from plastic shopping bags-wow imports

30th OF APRIL

It turned out to be a lovely day yesterday celebrating the Queen's birthday! Who would have thought it would be a brilliant summer's day after quite a bit of rain? Back to work now!  

and the sun will shine on you!