Indian summer

I went to buy school supplies and a couple of pairs of jeans for my older son this week... yes, the summer holidays are almost over and we are getting ready for school! I'll be going back to school soon too (teaching!) so I have been quite busy working on my Olala Fall 09 collection lately.

Here are a few pieces I will be listing in my Etsy shop next week :

"Noisettes" earrings - tiger ebony squares, Indian red Swarovski crystals, copper and bronzite hazelnuts

"Eté indien" necklace - amazonite nuggets, carnelian, Indian red Swarovski crystals, tiger ebony carved leaf, copper and bronzite hazelnut

Mini Olala is going solo!

A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I should open another shop on Etsy to separate my Mini Olala jewelry for little girls from my "grown-up" jewelry.

The thought behind this decision was that it might be a little confusing for the viewers and customers of Olala design to find some items for children listed in the same shop. Creating a shop only dedicated to children would also give me the opportunity to list more items like hair clips and small brooches for instance...

So, you are invited to visit my new shop : www.MiniOlala.etsy.com

This mini butterfly bracelet was the 1st sale of my new shop this week : )

Mini Olala's pink and sparkly packaging - of course!

1000 Hearts : )

So the 1000th Etsian who added my shop in her favorites was.... Evelda's Neverland! As a matter of fact, Evelda lives in Canada - in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She designs crocheted and handknit items like scarves, chockers, handbags, baby sweaters and hats...

I featured one of her chockers in my latest Treasury, "Autumnal Bouquet" :

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6813724

Who's next???

Some of my creations have been featured in some beautiful Treasuries this week and they made the Front Page of Etsy today!!! Yes, three times, Olala design was on the Front Page today!!! .... Hundreds of viewers visited my "shop" but, well, I cannot really say that my sales exploded... no....

But on the other hand, I have noticed that I now have 999 Etsians who "heart" my shop! Isn't it cute????

I really wonder who is going to be number 1000 : )

Days are getting shorter...

Days are getting shorter and cooler, the sky is heavy with clouds and it's been raining on and off for the last few days... it seems like the summer holidays are already over... So it's time to start preparing for the Fall!



"Nuit Magique" bracelet - onyx, Murano style lampwork glass, Swarovski crystals

"Rose passion" bracelet - hot pink turquoise nuggets, silver glass, Moroccan tassels

And much more to come....

Coup de coeur

And now, for inspiration and to please your eyes, here's my new "coup de coeur": I have discovered a new brand from Italy, Tricot Chic, and I'm in loooove....
And look! they used Liberty ribbons and trims in their beautiful (and sexy!) clothes this summer and even, for their jewelry! ... "Liberty Revival", remember?




http://www.tricotchic.it/

The Liberty Revival

Something else that I found shopping around and reading fashion magazines during my holidays in France was that, this Spring, there was a real Liberty Revival in Europe!... to be more precise, when I say "Liberty", I am not talking about "Freedom" but about the classic "Liberty of London Cotton Lawns" fabrics that usually feature multitudes of little flowers and that are an old-time favorite for mums and grandmas when sewing pretty dresses to their well-mannered daughters and grand-daughters ... (I'm sure I have a picture of myself somewhere wearing a Liberty dress when I was 6 or 7 years old!)

Shopping for supplies at Aniline, I couldn't leave the shop without a few meters of Liberty ribbons, they were so fresh and colorful... I still haven't decided what I am going to do with my ribbons but so far, I can tell you that there will be some Liberty bows in my Olala design Fall 2009 collection : )

Mmm, can't wait for the Fall!...

Absolutely Fabulous!

I could not go to France and not go hunting for ideas and supplies... Impossible when you have designer clothes and jewelry in every shop and magazine, and delicious little boutiques just dedicated to crafts!



One of my favorite shops for supplies (buttons, beads, ribbons...) and ideas is a cute shop in the city where my mum lives, Clermont-Ferrand. The shop used to be called "La Droguerie" but it changed its name to "Aniline" a few years ago. The ladies who work there are very nice and helpful, and the shelves of the shop are covered with jars full of the most gorgeous and original beads you can dream of.... My kind of heaven!
http://www.aniline.fr/

Even though I was tempted to buy the whole shop, I had to restrain myself a little and mostly focused on beads... but oh my, I am soooo fond of these beads : they are Italian resin beads, they come in the most amazing colors, some have sparkles, others have a magical glow (I swear, they glow even more when they are worn!) and they are just a concentrate of sheer Happiness!!!

"Carnaval bleu" listed in my Etsy shop - one of a kind

I have made a few bracelets mixing these beads with some other funky beads I had, I added a few ribbons and women around me have been unanimous : FA-BU-LOUS!!!! That's what I thought too : )

A beautiful mix of colors for my coming Fall 2009 collection...

If you ever go to Clermont-Ferrand, you can visit Aniline :
15 rue Terrasse
63000 Clermont-Ferrand (France)