Before heading to the biggest Plant Fair in Europe that took place on our doorstep this weekend (more on that soon!), we spent a night in a straw bale house. Without running water and with an outhouse, a sauna, a lovely Orangerie and a nice table d'hôtes. La Chaise Verte, the green chair, is the Read article…
Author: Judith de Graaff
Dutch color therapy
Have you ever seen the most colorful extravaganza in the Netherlands? Until a few weeks ago I only ever saw the tulip fields from a train or car but when I found out I had a meeting at 10 minutes from Lisse, I knew I had to see this from up close. When there's such Read article…
Restored Amsterdam
What do you do when you have 90 minutes in Amsterdam and you want to visit a really nice store? You visit Restored, on the Haarlemmerdijk. In a gorgeous old Fish and Fruit warehouse you'll find a beautifully curated collection of design products: from backpacks to ceramics and preserved flowers. What I love about the Read article…
La Vallée des Singes
After lots of island fun on l'Ile de Ré we drove through the French countryside to a valley that I have been wanting to visit for years: la Vallée des Singes, the Monkey Valley! I heard it is a place where monkeys live in near wild conditions. And actually that's pretty much it! We had Read article…
Urban Jungle Bloggers #18
This month's Urban Jungle Bloggers topic is a special one. It hits right to the core of what UJB is all about: sharing, caring, giving, joy and… plants! Offer a plant to a friend! If you know me offline you've probably at least once received one of my succulents babies. There's an entire family growing Read article…
île de Ré
This was probably the happiest day of our trip to the West Coast. The sun was out and we visited the island of Ré. I've heard so many friends raving about this place ever since we moved to France so I was really curious to discover what it was all about. And l'Île de Ré Read article…
A week in the West
We didn't know this part of France: we spent a week in Western France, just above La Rochelle, in the armpit of the country called La Vendée. A week of exploring, sleeping and relaxing near the ocean: bliss! We rented a little house in the dunes and headed out to small cities like Olonne-sur-Mer, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie Read article…
A mini oasis with Tina Frey Designs
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may already know Tina Frey Designs. I first discovered the brand at Maison & Objet in Paris and completely fell for the sensual designs in resin and their handmade feel. This Spring they are launching a beautiful new Urban Garden Collection with planters and swings Read article…
A floral carpet in the Oise
It's one of these natural phenomenons of early springtime here in France: the ground in the forests around our home get covered in wild narcissus and anemone nemorosa. In almost thirteen years I never actually went to see it up close. So yesterday was the day for a little lunch break on the floral carpet Read article…
Filming in the greenhouse
A few weeks ago a film crew came to visit me in the Oise. It was one of the coldest days of March and after a sunny week, it was unfortunately overcast for most of the time. But we had a fun day: I showed the team around our greenhouse, talked about my plants (even Read article…
