Travel Diary // Amsterdam Pt 2

/ DAY 7 /

If you’re really looking for oddities and novelties like taxidermied animals or emphorized butterflies, look no further. The Otherist is your store.

Crowder and I had a strange synergy with the city. Because we opted to walk everuywhere despite being encouraged to bike or other transportation we stumb;ed upon places on our list without realizing it. Case in point, the HAY store. Think Ikea for Dutch. Actually, they have created items exclusively for IKEA so there. Did I mention they have a coffee bar on the premises?

 Later that day we visited the studio of Tim Boelaars. Tim, who shares the space with Calvin Sprouse of Pavlov Visuals, a talented illustrator that my AARP colleagues and I have commissioned. It was a treat to learn he was Amsterdam based and also the co-founder of a mens shop called Concrete Matter.

/ DAY 8 /

The food. Bakerswinkel, only a few minutes from our Air BnB, sereved up delious quiche in a warm, lived in communal lke setting. Il never be able to replicate via pictures.

Following brunch we spotted Return to Sender, run by a local artisan who specialized in paper goods.

Down the street and past the windmill,  we met up with the newly minted Noor Images, managing director of Photography, Clement Saccromini. Thanks to him and his gift of books by the artists he reps our bags were overweight. (ok ok it wasn’t all his fault).

We proved relentless, as we later met up with RaisingMothers blogger, Sharise De Groot at the Amsterdam Ceentraal railway and followed her to the Eye Film Museum via ferry. Breathtaking is all I can say. Just think every film every created is archived here.

Upon having tea, we were graced by her husband and uber gifted Dennis De Groot.  He enlightened us on the creative scene taking us to a party in the Red Light District for an artist who was exhibiting comic like prints and then by the window of his friends who run Red Light Radio. 

To wrap up the night the family decided to blow our minds with the museum I swear masked as a library. the Openbare Bibliotheek. Remind me of what library you know that has 1) light installations like these, back lit floor/escalator navigation, a pianist on the bottom floor, an entire floor dedicated to specific genres (kids, music, dvds,etc.) and a whole foods like restaurant on the top floor. 

 Mind blown.

/ DAY 9 /

The first day that I skipped coffee in lieu of gin. Don’t ask. Brunch at Mossel & Gin.

Checked out of Air BNB and into boutique hotel Morgan and Mees. See my recap at my Amsterdam lodging post.

The night before flying out we decided that we should see Amsterdam from a different vantage point – the water. For 16 euros we took an 1 hour ½ canal boat tour stress and bike free. 

All images photographed using an iphone 6.

Smitten with ...Paper Artist Fideli Sundqvist

As a creative personality and one that has her hands in both the one-dimensional and three-dimensional world, I have a great appreciation for many artists –especially those that work with their hands. Meet Agnes Cecilia Fideli Siri Charlotte Sundqvist or Fideli Sundqvist for short. She is the Swedish paper craft artist who has been visually storytelling for advertising and editorials since the early 2000s.

Sundqvist stumbled into this world while attending Konstfack University based in Sweden. During her sophomore year her brother who was studying in Beijing shared with her a paper art book which ended up being the catalyst to her obsession with the medium. For her senior project she spent ten weeks carefully crafting Tilly and Gul – an elephant's adventures –  for her senior project. What followed next was a career that allowed her to take her skills to the next level and do something she truly loved.

Sundqvist, who doesn't speak english, has won numerous awards and made many tv appearances in her native country. While she has many clients internationally who enjoy commissioning her for their brands, she has gifted the rest of us with an awesome instructional book showcasing how to create 40 of her works. If this is something your interested in learning more about, pickup up I Love Paper! And if you're in Sweden, swing by her current exhibition!