Little Treasures: Made by Hand
A$33,215
of $30,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 14th Feb 2013 at 12:00AM.
On Valentine’s Day last year I gave birth to a gorgeous and spirited baby girl, who my partner Romain and I named Laly. She is half French, and half Australian.
In the weeks that followed Laly’s arrival,
packages filled with the most beautiful, handmade, petits treasures were
delivered to our doorstep, sent from friends and fellow bloggers from around
the world.
There were tiny felt slippers, knitted
cardigans and boots, a dainty silver bracelet engraved with Laly’s name and
date of birth, an adorable vintage silk smock with sweet embroidery, and a
beautiful cross-stitch name sampler, complete with windmill and boats
representing Laly’s European heritage. There was a handcrafted jewellery box that plays
one of my favourite French tunes, pour adeline, and a tiny bear with
cleverly crafted movable limbs. The handmade gifts kept coming, and I was
overwhelmed with gratitude. I wanted to thank each sweet gift giver personally,
to give them each a long, loving hug. But being thrust into the world of becoming
a new mum, desperately trying to learn all there was to know about how to look
after this new tiny being in my life, all I had time for was a simple email,
and it just didn’t seem enough.
Then, one night while feeding Laly in the wee
hours of darkness, this book you will hopefully soon be holding in your hands
appeared in my mind…
{This is the draft of the back and front cover, almost ready to be sent off to the printers!}
One of the thoughts that transpired on that night was that I wanted to self-publish this book to have it ready for Mother's Day 2013. In order to do that I have created my very own little publishing label – Par Coeur Press - ('by heart') and I have a wonderful team working with me including the fabulous designer Vivien Valk and editor Amanda Cromer who both worked with me on 'My Heart Wanders'.
I have been writing, styling and photographing for months, and it's coming together so beautifully. As this is my fourth book, and the third in my 'Made by Hand' series, this book needs to be produced to a high professional standard just like the others which were produced by large, established publishers.
Which brings me to you.
I am throwing myself out into your world and extended community in the hope that you might like to join the Little Treasures team and help me cover the costs of production - design, editing, pre-press and printing - by placing your order for the book today, or by purchasing one of the very special packages we have on offer. All details are to the right of this page.
My aim is to release Little Treasures: Made by Hand in April 2013 so that you can read it while enjoying a Mothers' Day breakfast in bed; gift it to your partner who deserves a little Mother's Day treat; send it to your own mother so you two can reminisce about your own little treasures; or to your friend who is about to 'join the club' and start her own collection for her first arrival.
ABOUT LITTLE TREASURES: MADE BY HAND
Little Treasures: Made by Hand will be 6 x 6 inches and 200 pages (the same size as Paris: Made by Hand and Amsterdam: Made by Hand). And, even though it will be self-published, I have strived to keep it at the same retail price as the other two 'Made by Hand' books: AUD$24.95. But a little something extra: as Laly is half-Australian, half-French the book text will be in both languages.
It features over 50 handmade gifts, tiny items given to me by very talented friends, some of whom are full time artists and makers, and others who just love to make things for their own enjoyment. There will also be some simple how-to guides for some of the items I made in the lead up to Laly's arrival. All the creations have provided me with so much inspiration and I hope you will find inspiration among the pages too. I will share the stories behind each object as well as provide helpful links to find out more about the gift-givers work.
It is so hard to find irreplaceable handmade objects for babies made from organic/sustainable materials. Our cupboard drawers are often filled with plastic, throw-away toys. This book aims to remind us to seek out the unique - items that we treasure for years to come and pass down through generations.
With that in mind, I'm rapt to announce that this book will be printed locally by Arena Printing in Melbourne who specialise in environmentally responsible printing using vegetable-based inks and environmentally-friendly paper stocks.
ABOUT THE TREASURES
I am surrounded by many wonderfully talented & creative people, and starting my blog back in 2007 opened my world up even more to the creative community that reaches around the globe. I have made some fabulous friends through my blog, and I've loved sharing their work online over the years but now I'm thrilled to be able to share their talents with you in a beautiful, bound book, inspired by the birth of Laly.
Within this book you'll find the work of my dear friend Kylie, who most of you will already know as the founder of paper boat press, a boutique ceramic studio in Brisbane. We have collaborated to create a limited edition series of 40 little bowls, hand stamped with one of my quotes from the book, made especially for this campaign (details to the right). Zoë, who I also met through my blog, is an incredibly talented yet modest creative soul, who has made so many delightful things for Laly, including tiny felt slippers, and a stunning cross stitch name sampler. Then there is Nat whose love of Australian flora is infused into each of her unique works, and Alexia in Paris who made a changemat, wrap-around bib and carry bag, just for Laly. I'll leave the rest for you to discover during your reading time.
Within this book you'll find the work of my dear friend Kylie, who most of you will already know as the founder of paper boat press, a boutique ceramic studio in Brisbane. We have collaborated to create a limited edition series of 40 little bowls, hand stamped with one of my quotes from the book, made especially for this campaign (details to the right). Zoë, who I also met through my blog, is an incredibly talented yet modest creative soul, who has made so many delightful things for Laly, including tiny felt slippers, and a stunning cross stitch name sampler. Then there is Nat whose love of Australian flora is infused into each of her unique works, and Alexia in Paris who made a changemat, wrap-around bib and carry bag, just for Laly. I'll leave the rest for you to discover during your reading time.
SAMPLE SPREADS
Here are some very sneaky peeks of some of the book spreads, which are still in draft form...
{Oh I do hope you like what you see! It's been so much fun putting this book together.}
STAY IN TOUCH
If you would like to learn more about me and my work, or to stay in touch on Little Treasures developments please drop in on my blog from time to time. I'm a regular user of Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook as well so please introduce yourself and say hi!
It's always slightly nerve-wracking sending a personal project out into the world, especially one that features my sweet baby girl. I'm hopeful that, with your support, I can produce this beautiful record of the handmade gifts from her early life so that you may enjoy reading and exploring my world of treasures as much as I have enjoyed pulling it all together.
Please feel free to blog, facebook, twitter, instagram, pin, (or just old-fashion talk!) about the book in coming days - to get this book out there I will need all the support we can muster. Pre-ordering the book through this campaign is really the only way to ensure you will get a copy, and if you take a look at the right sidebar, there are also some fabulous and exclusive packages available to purchase, which are only available for the duration of this campaign.
Thank you dear friends! I cannot thank you enough for your continued encouragement and love over the years, and throughout each of my creative endeavours - all I can do to show you my appreciation is to keep on creating. So here's to making beautiful things, for always,
with love.
Please feel free to blog, facebook, twitter, instagram, pin, (or just old-fashion talk!) about the book in coming days - to get this book out there I will need all the support we can muster. Pre-ordering the book through this campaign is really the only way to ensure you will get a copy, and if you take a look at the right sidebar, there are also some fabulous and exclusive packages available to purchase, which are only available for the duration of this campaign.
Thank you dear friends! I cannot thank you enough for your continued encouragement and love over the years, and throughout each of my creative endeavours - all I can do to show you my appreciation is to keep on creating. So here's to making beautiful things, for always,
with love.
Pia Jane Bijkerk
January 2013
Receive my most heartfelt thanks...MERCI! and a special little card, made by (tiny) hands, from Laly. Your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog.
13 chosen
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Receive one beautifully gift-wrapped, signed copy of Little Treasures, sent to your door in time for Mothers’ Day (please add $10 for postage within Australia, $15 for all other countries). Your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog.
246 chosen
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Receive one beautifully gift-wrapped, signed copy of Little Treasures and a special ‘little treasure’ from the book - a handmade paper wall flower kit made by me and flat-packed for you to assemble, as featured in the book, sent to your door (please add $15 for postage within Australia, $25 for NZ, US and UK). Your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog. **Note: due to excessive freight costs, this package is limited to AUS, NZ, USA and the UK.**
90 chosen / 10 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Receive two beautifully gift-wrapped, signed copies of Little Treasures, sent to your door in time for Mothers’ Day (please add $15 for postage within Australia, $25 for NZ, US and UK). Your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog. **Note: due to excessive freight costs, this package is limited to AUS, NZ, USA and the UK.**
54 chosen
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Receive one beautifully gift-wrapped, signed copy of Little Treasures, and a gorgeous little specially-commissioned flower press, sent to your door in time for Mothers’ Day (please add $15 for postage within Aus, $25 for NZ, USA and UK). Your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog. **Note: due to excessive freight costs, this package is limited to AUS, NZ, USA and the UK.**
17 chosen / 133 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Join Pia and Fran (who has worked with Penguin, Phaidon and MUP) for a one-hour Skype session on all things self-publishing during which we'll provide feedback on your own book idea! This package also includes a beautifully wrapped, signed copy of LIttle Treasures.
7 chosen / 3 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Receive a signed and gift-wrapped copy of each of my four books – Paris: Made by Hand, Amsterdam: Made by Hand, My Heart Wanders and Little Treasures: Made by Hand (cost includes postage). Your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog. **Note: due to excessive freight costs, this package is only available in Australia**
16 chosen
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Come and spend two hours with me for a special styling & photography workshop and afternoon tea in Sydney. Bring your own favourite 'little treasure' which I will help you style and photograph as a special memento for Mothers’ Day (note: the workshops will take place in Sydney on April 6). You will also receive a signed copy of Little Treasures and your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog.
4 chosen / 36 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Receive a beautifully gift-wrapped, signed copy of Little Treasures as well as a special pack of four, limited edition 'treasures' featured in the book. You will also receive the specially-made flower press, the paper wall-flower kit and your name will also be included on a thank you list on my blog. (Please add $15 for shipping within Australia and $25 for NZ, USA and UK). **Note: due to excessive freight costs, this package is limited to AUS, NZ, USA and the UK.**
3 chosen / 7 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Receive two beautifully gift-wrapped copies of Little Treasures and a special whole-day home styling session with me. Together we can make over your nursery or restyle your entire house if we work quickly enough! **Note: the styling session must take place in Sydney during 2013 on a mutually agreed date. I'm happy to also visit other Australian cities if flight costs are covered.** Your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog.
0 chosen / 5 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
You & four friends will join me for a day of wandering, styling, exploring & lunching. Bring your camera, and 'enhance the everyday' by visiting my favourite boutiques, enjoy a delicious feast and finish the day styling & photographing our finds. Each of you will also receive a signed copy of Little Treasures & a 'little treasure' from one of the makers in the book. Available in Sydney, on a mutually agreed date in 2013. **Note: the cost is for the entire group of five.**
3 chosen / 2 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
You & four friends will join me for a day of wandering, styling, exploring & lunching. Bring your camera, and 'enhance the everyday' by visiting my favourite boutiques, enjoy a delicious feast and finish the day styling & photographing our finds. Each of you will also receive a signed copy of Little Treasures & a 'little treasure' from one of the makers in the book. Available in Melbourne, on a mutually agreed date in 2013. **Note: the cost is for the entire group of five.**
0 chosen / 2 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
You & four friends will join me for a day of wandering, styling, exploring & lunching. Bring your camera, and 'enhance the everyday' by visiting my favourite boutiques, enjoy a delicious feast and finish the day styling & photographing our finds. Each of you will also receive a signed copy of Little Treasures & a 'little treasure' from one of the makers in the book. Available in Brisbane, on a mutually agreed date in 2013. **Note: the cost is for the entire group of five.**
0 chosen / 2 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13
Receive one beautifully wrapped and signed copy of Little Treasures and a limited edition, ceramic bowl made exclusively for this campaign by Kylie Johnson of paper boat press which will be hand stamped with one of my quotes from the book: "We collect treasures left by Mother Nature, as we walk, as we walk." Your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog. Please add $15 for postage within Aus and $25 for postage to NZ, USA and the UK.
40 chosen / 0 available
Est. delivery is Apr 13