Blanc d'ivoire

Something I have had in mind for a while was to make a version of my "Macadam" necklace all in white... First, because I love all-white accessories, especially in summer, and second, because I fell in love with these off-white wool felt balls : )

Now, the question was to find what combination of white beads could work with my off-white felt balls... I thought about it, looked around, tried a few combinations and finally decided to work with... porcelain!


So, let me introduce you to my "Blanc d'ivoire" collection : wool felt balls, porcelain and magnesite beads for the necklace and wool felt balls, magnesite and sterling silver for the earrings... I am thinking of making a matching bracelet but I am concerned the white wool felt balls might get dirty if worn on the wrist...


(that's me modelling my "Blanc d'ivoire" necklace and showing off my super cool All Saints Spitafields bleached zebra shirt! Note to myself : next time, wear a touch of make-up before taking pictures...)

New York in a bag...

I'm back!...

And I brought back New York in a bag... well, a mini version of it! I found these lovely wooden miniature buildings, monuments and cars at the MoMA shop among other goodies that I couldn't resist bringing back in my suitcase (like the matryoshka measuring cups... so cute!).

I had a wonderful time in the Big Apple and, even though it was a short trip, I did and saw almost everything I really wanted to do/see for my first "adventure" in the big city... I came back home content and full of energy!

Some beautiful felt I bought at Purl Soho, a paradise for those who like needlework...

A cute picture of my friends and me after my shopping spree at Alexis Bittar's on my birthday... Too bad the stuffed zebra wasn't there anymore but it had been replaced by a hybrid warthog/bear and a stylish fox ; )

Now, let's get back to work!

Macadam memories...

I received a pretty cool dish for Christmas, it was a present from a friend who lives in France... It looks like a cake stand but it is made of grey steel with a white patina.

The first thing I thought when I opened the box was : "Wow, this is going to be fabulous to take pictures of my jewelry!"... (I can't help it!) And indeed, I think my new "Macadam" necklace and earrings with black lava and purple wool felt balls are really looking good with Le dish in the background : )

(There is also a charcoal grey and a teal blue version of these in my Etsy shop.)

I must say that this dish brings back a lot of childhood memories because its style and material make me think of Parisian galvanized steel fountains, shop displays and café chairs just like the Tolix "Marais" chair that has been on my wishlist for the longest time...

(I love this chair!)

Coeurs de fleur...

There's something I have been wanting to do for a while : a year and a half ago, at the Fab Fair, I had bought some pretty ceramic buttons handmade by a local artist, Eikcam, who became a good friend of mine soon afterwards...

At first, I thought I would use these flower buttons for necklaces but there was also the option of using them for brooches...

A year and a half later, I finally took my sewing kit out... and I am really happy to introduce my new "Coeurs de fleur" brooches : )



The idea here was to keep the design simple to emphasize the details of the buttons.

I chose to use two layers of felt of the same color to make a flower around the "flower heart" but, as I love to play with colors, I decided to introduce bright colored embroidery threads to sew the button to the felt flower... and then, I let the threads loose to give a poetic touch to the composition : )

Et voilà!

Macadam

Last winter, I discovered black lava and in no time, black lava beads had become really hot (good one!) in jewelry... I did a bit of research on the symbolism of black lava and I liked what I found : a stone of strength and fertility. It is said to provide stability in times of change and to help dissipate anger. Exactly what I need!

As lava beads are porous and not very shiny, I thought that their "roughness" would be perfectly complemented by the softness of wool felt. So... I came up with my "Macadam" collection that I personally find very urban chic and comfortably feminine : )


"Macadam" necklace with black lava round beads, charcoal grey wool felt balls and shiny grey Czech glass seed beads

"Macadam" bracelet with black lava beads, wool felt balls and Czech glass mounted on an elastic and finished with a sexy bow of black satin ruffled ribbon

"Macadam" earrings with black lava and charcoal grey wool felt balls hanging from lovely sterling silver flower earwires

Soon, I'll have a teal blue version of my Macadam collection... of course, black and blue, I couldn't resist!
To be continued...

Oh la la!!!

I have been extremely busy for the last few weeks and I have neglected my blog... I have noticed though that some lovely ladies have left some nice comments about my previous posts and this is very flattering to see that some strangers actually take the time to read my blog! Thank you : )

So, what have I been up to??? Well... I've been doing lots and lots of marking for the French courses I teach, I've been taking care of my kids, of course (my little one even had a project to do... in kindergarten!?!) and last but not least, I've been preparing for the Winter Fab Fair (this coming weekend) and another Christmas Market (in December).

One thing I really wanted to have for the craft fairs was a nice poster with *Olala* design on it to display on my table so people could see my name and, hopefully, would stop to look at my jewelry... I wanted it to look professional so I asked a friend of mine, Elvira, who is a photographer and graphic designer. And look at what she came up with :



Isn't it beautiful???? I love the atmosphere she has created in this picture, it's romantic, feminine, magical, mysterious, colorful, original.... It looks like a Renaissance painting! I think it's absolutely "oh la la!!!". I am soooo pleased with it, this is exactly what I wanted even though I didn't really know what I wanted : )


Elvira also did this one for me and I really, really like it too! I think I will have this picture printed as postcards that shopkeepers can display with my jewelry when I put some of my items in their shops... I can also use them as "Thank You" cards for my Etsy customers. As a matter of fact, I didn't have any of these "Feuillage d'or" necklaces in stock, so I made three today to take with me to the Fab Fair... I'll tell you very soon if they sold...

Winter Fab Fair, here I come!!!

Check out Elvira's website at : www.elvirayebes.com

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!

Mini Olala for girls

Along with my *olala* design jewelry shop, I make jewelry for little girls - mostly necklaces and bracelets, but also some hair pins and a few brooches. As usual, my creations feature felt flowers and butterflies with fun colors or very girly pinks...

I have called this juvenile section of my shop, "Mini Olala for girls". While preparing for the Spring Fab Fair (it's next weekend... already!!!), I've decided that I needed some sort of logo for Mini Olala so I contacted Craftpudding on Etsy to ask if she could make a custom rubber stamp with a picture of a little girl and the name of my brand.... Well, look at what she came up with : isn't it sweet??? I absolutely LOVE my stamp! I can't wait to receive it to start stamping tags and labels : )

http://craftpudding.etsy.com/

Cherry blossoms

I couldn't help smiling as I was driving the other day seeing all the cherry blossom petals swirling on the road... These pink blossoms make the city look sooo pretty!

The combination of pink and grey inspired me to compose a new "Fleurs des bois " necklace (felt, freshwater pearls, ebony wood and Swarovski crystals) and a Treasury - that made it to the Front Page : )