L E O N I E . W I S E

no words to describe this place. it got totally under my skin.

a riad doorway

our riad terrace, where we breakfasted each morning

herboriste du paradis, place ben youssef, medina

the beginnings of a moroccan carpet hang in a riad

self portrait in the souks

moroccan teapots, polaroid spectra

with love,
-leonie

p.s. more here, here and here

The Journal, Volume One*

We understand that not everyone can travel to us, so we are bringing the magic to you!

There is a lovely spirit of connection and collaboration that has emerged from the gatherings at Squam Art Workshops. However, the journal is not about the workshops themselves.  Rather, it is an exploration of the journeys we take, how we can find friendship in the most unexpected places, and the restorative power of natural beauty– but above all, it is about what happens when you honor your creativity.

The journal is filled with spectacular imagery from beloved photographers including Denise Andrade, Jen Gray, Susannah Conway, Jeanine Caron, and Béatrice Peltre, among many others. You can look forward to 120 pages of terrific essays and wide ranging conversations about navigating the ups and downs of life with humor, grace, or when all else fails, retail therapy.  There’s a pop quiz, a kicky craft project, home tours, and so much more including an actual journal within the book itself.

Our hope for this 8″ x 8″ volume is that it will easily tuck into your bag and accompany you everywhere… on the subway, in the cab, on the train, in the airport, on holiday, etc.  We hope it fills your day with inspiration, fresh perspective and belly laughs.  We trust you’re going to like it very much as we created it just for you.

Pre-order your copy before July 23rd for only $19 (normally $25). Go! GO!

* Did you see that? My name included with so many other creative women that I adore. Pinch me someone.

next time you’re on the way to somewhere and you have a number of hours to kill, might i suggest a little game of airport alphabet?

check out my recent game here: airportalphabet.tumblr.com. created because i had the time and needed to spend it doing something creative.

i managed to get the whole alphabet, then (halfway through uploading) realised i was in the wrong terminal at charles de galle (and if you’ve ever been there, you’ll have an idea of how disastrously this story could end), so i cut my internet connection and sprinted for the bus to take me to the right terminal. i finished my upload after i’d reached my destination and my heart rate (& stress levels) had returned to normal…

still, if i’d been in the correct terminal the whole time, this game might have turned out differently.

i’d love to know if you decide to play it whilst travelling somewhere!

dear friends,

my heart is full to bursting because of tiny jewels, of happy accidents: chance encounters, random crazy moments of what-the-fuck-just-happened, feeling my heart change beat to sing in time to the drummers in the park, noticing the sound of the tap in the kitchen dripping and the hum of the refrigerator in the corner, finding the best coffee in the neighbourhood and making new friends of strangers.

magic lies in places like this. the discovery of a new friend via the blog world that leads to a meeting, then a trip to her fair city. i`m referring specifically to the lovely jeanine, whose house i sit in as i compose these first few lines to you.

i have so many photographs of this trip and a feeling that, even if i wrote for days, i simply could not portray to you just how much fun these few magic-filled days have been.

so instead of trying, i shall simply share some glimpses with you:

wandering the mile end streets

canon 5d mkII, diana+ lens

(i walked by the day after i’d taken this photograph to see the guy polishing his unicorn)

quirky shops, filled with interesting assortments

canon 5d mkII, diana+ lens

an amazing garage sale find. i mean who could resist the temptation to buy the polaroid spectra close-up stand duplicator for only $2. WHO? (i suspect this one purchase alone now qualifies me as a camera junkie of the strangest kind)

crossing to the other side of the tracks (loving the discovery that my jeans were folded up to different lengths)

to visit the fresh food market

interesting locals

tam tams in the park

the montreal jazz festival

great shop windows (yes, i did buy the moustache)

and gardens bursting with colour

a visit to beautys luncheonette: a montreal institution (for a full diner breakfast experience – including the crap filter coffee)

then to another for sodas

renting a bixi bike and cycling to the top of mont royal in the evening to see the city

the exhilarating ride back down the hill through the cemetery and a beautiful encounter with a raccoon

the BEST vegan food i have ever tasted in. my. life.

back streets and alleyways full of surprises

pizza and wine in the back yard, complete with tiki lanterns (which prompted this post by jeanine)

canon 5d mkII, diana+ lens

and a photobooth session for the finale – the results of which had me laughing so hard that my sides hurt & i had tears running down my face. i still need to work on my photobooth face!

there has been life, love & laughter in spades.

with love to you, wherever you are
-leonie

p.s. more photographs up on flickr (with more to come as i slowly sort through them all)

dear friends,

i love amsterdam. it’s one of only two places i have found in my travels (so far), that i would live (aside from my homeland).

we stayed in a funky hotel just a 10 minute train ride from the airport; also conveniently located next to a tram stop that ran straight into the middle of the city

[a number of] years ago i might have seen the appeal of sitting in one of the many cafe’s the city is famed for all day getting stoned, but not any more. i’ll leave that to someone else now. i’ve got places to go and things to see:

such as this store, full of quirky items including glass eyes from world war two

and a bronze titmouse. the description of which (on their website) reads

…my favorite Dutch word (of the moment) has got to be ‘hebbedingetjes’. It’s an all-encompassing category that acts as an umbrella under which shelter all the things one wants but might (or most definitely) not use. The thing that I like so much about it is the sense of urgency, that it doesn’t just translate as little things one wants, but really as sweet little things that one thinks might just be necessary for life to continue in the manner in which one desires.

that is so totally how i feel about it! like my life is forever changed because i saw this thing and can’t have it, and my life cannot possibly ever be as rich as it could be if only i had that bird. sigh…

yet life did go on. and it included trips to the van gogh museum and anne frank house and a visit to the world press photo exhibition.

it astonishes me how much hatred and intolerance humans are capable of; both back in anne’s time and still now. how do i balance that out with love, peace and acceptance when i am just one person? by keeping these words close to my heart…

I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.
- anne frank

i am so in love with dutch apple cake (try the one at mokka in The Nine Streets or “De Negen Straatjes,” area if you visit – ours was still warm, straight from the oven) that i fear i would definitely need to buy a bicycle if we did live there, and do a few laps around the block each day in order to satisfy my desire for more cake

and cheese

and frites with mayo.

amongst the best finds on our trip was an organic restaurant called AS. this is located south of the city (and conveniently within walking distance of our hotel). we did wonder when we went in what we’d got ourselves in for, as there is no menu or wine list at hand. we simply got a choice of a 3, 4 or 5 course meal and a choice of red or white wine. we also had no idea what it was going to cost us. so we just went with the flow and were delighted with the result. delicious organic food, served very simply in a fabulous setting. magic lies in moments such as this one.

it’s virtually impossible to get a photograph in amsterdam without a bicycle in it and i loved this one especially

do you think the two companies at the top of this sign moved in together on purpose?

with love to you wherever you are…
-leonie

p.s. more photographs up on flickr

i love the quirky shops that make up the brighton scene, like utility. tiny, but fabulous.

bills is the kind of place that i could while away the hours of a whole day

wandering through the dusty snoopers paradise is a sure fire way to bring me happy

the locals are terrifically interesting

and the pavilion gardens are a beautiful accompaniment for the ornate building

with love,
-leonie

just a few…

all images, polaroid sun 600 / 779 film

more up on flickr…

dear friends,

last weekend saw me returning once more to the coast.

it’s my retreat. my place to re-charge. a place where i can be quiet and still, re-connect with the earth and myself.

i took a mermaid rock away with me which simply says LET GO. it’s only a small rock, yet it’s big message kept whispering itself to me as i was away. in the quiet moments i would think of all the things i hold on to that i don’t need. these things will be thanked for their service, then gently removed from my life over the coming months.

i stayed in this pretty little shepherd’s hut, close to polzeath surf beach

with these beauties as my neighbours.
(there’s nothing quite like having a hand licked by the rough warm tongue of a cow. it’s exquisite)

on friday, i went for a good long walk (6.4 miles /10.3 kilometres) along the coastal path from lundy bay

to the rumps

An odd name for a headland, but one pertaining to the twin knolls that overlook the many earthworks that are a feature of this grassy, cliff-bound, peninsula.
- Martin Hesp

around pentire point

to polzeath beach (over in the distance)

then back up the road to the car and home with some fish & chips and a bottle of locally produced cider.

saturday, before picking up my beloved from the train station, i took another walk along the coastline between rock and daymer bay

i swear that this place reminds me so much of some places in new zealand that i felt a longing for my homeland, whilst also feeling completely at home

sunday, nic and i took the black tor ferry over to padstow

and had a delicious lunch at rick stein’s seafood restaurant (we think he might own half the town), pairing our lunch with a delicious bottle of local bubbly, made just down the road at camel bay winery

before catching the ferry back to rock and spending the afternoon lying on the beach in the glorious sunshine

monday, after a quick drive to padstow to pick up something for lunch,

we returned to london where i feel both completely relaxed after my time away and totally overwhelmed by the noise, the crowds, life. i feel somehow part of everything yet also removed from it.

with love to you wherever you adventures are taking you,
-leonie

p.s. more photos up on flickr and polaroids to come…

my bag is packed and i’m all ready for my next adventure: off gallivanting* in the english countryside.

see you when i get back. i hope you are having some fab adventures of your own!

* i LOVE this word, don’t you?

dear friends,

yesterday was a day for exploring another area outside of london. we were headed for herne bay, however we stopped at whitstable on a friend’s recommendation. i’m so pleased we did, it’s such a pretty township and the seafood stores along the marina boast a great selection of fresh seafood.

polaroid spectra

we drove around the coast towards herne bay, stopping to admire the three rows of beach huts facing out towards the sea below marine parade at tankerton.

the herne bay we visited here in the uk, is so very different from the herne bay we know and love in new zealand, so we actually didn’t stay there long, choosing instead to go check out…

the 12th-century towers of the ruined church at reculver,

st augustine’s cross (just for you carol ::grin::),

and the stone chapel at faversham – the only christian building in england to incorporate within its fabric the remains of a 4th-century romano-british pagan mausoleum.

with love,

-leonie

p.s. more photos on flickr