A nice way to wake up!

          My Liberty Cosmos brooch featured in a treasury!

This morning was definitely a good morning, despite the heavy rain and grey sky...

First, I got featured in an Etsy Treasury  by minnowbye. A treasury is a list of one's favorite items on Etsy, based on a special theme. One can choose any theme, as long as it's inspiring I guess, and anyone can do a treasury. It's also a nice way for shoppers to look for products.

And the Etsy team ( if they like it) might pick the treasury and features it on the Etsy front page, which is a great way to gain exposure!

I'm so happy!

Then, I got an email announcing that someone bought one of my Ambrosia clutch bag overnight: that's such a sweet surprise to wake up to this kind of news!

My green Ambrosia clutch

And finally, here are some pictures of the great afternoon we spent at Kew Gardens in London on Sunday. It was amazing! I didn't expect the park to be so big, and with such a great variety and it was so warm and sunny, mmm... I'll definitely go back...

An afternoon at Kew Gardens

A little Spring sale!!!

Isn't it strange that each country has different dates for Mother's Day?! I would have thought that it would have been institutionalized, like Labour Day/La Fete du Travail ( although they don't celebrate it over here in the UK!)... But, nope! I guess it's good for mums with multiple nationalities: they get celebrated several days in the year instead of just once! But, except that, I find it quite confusing. Now that I live in the UK, I tend to think about it when it happens here in March and then to skip it when it's the right time in France... My boyfriend is Italian, so we should also be thinking about the right time in Italy which is different again... very confusing all that!!!

Anyway, this time I remembered the French date, and given that it coincides almost with the launching of my little Etsy shop, let's celebrate it!!!

So, I'll be offering 15% off on all Ambrosia clutches and Gigi purses, and 20% off on all the rest, e.g. brooches, earrings, barrettes and necklaces ( I will add them to the shop over the weekend...).

The offer is valid until next Wednesday, the 27th of May, midnight... After that, I'll put prices back to normal as I will be off for a little weekend in Italy!

Isn't it a good way to end May?! :)

Exciting news: my Etsy shop!

Oh my god, what a week!

I set up my Etsy shop this week, and I didn't expect it to take me so long!  It took me 4 full days just taking pictures  of my products, editing them on Photoshop, then list them on my shop, and this takes quite a while I must say...

I'm quite happy though because it seems that some people liked my accessories so far... I was feeling so nervous...

I wanted to wait  a bit longer to post about it_, until I had more items in my shop, but I could not hold it any longer, naughty me! :)

So, that's the address for my shop: www.bagatellesandco.etsy.com

Go and have a look! I'd love to hear some feedback...:)

I must run now and go back to my photos!

Just made, just gone

Hello!

Here are some pictures of small purses I made for a special order. As my deadline was getting closer, I just had time to take these quick pictures. Pfffew!

Luckily, I have enough fabric to make more!

Freshly made accessories

I've been away in France last week, and it was nice to take a break...I have enjoyed seeing my family and my friends, and had lots of good food, yummy... Now, back to London!

This break has given me back my energy and my weekend has been quite productive! I eventually received my cards from MOO  and I'm going to use them to display my jewelry...

I also tried to adapt my vintage style pochette bag to a purse handbag, and I'm quite happy with the result. I must not have been the only one since I already sold it :))!

Je suis partie en vacances en France la semaine dernière. J’avais bien besoin d’une coupure…C’était bien agréable de passer du temps avec ma famille et mes amis, et j’ai aussi fait le plein de bonne nourriture, miam miam… 

Ces vacances m’ont permis de retrouver de l’énergie; mon week-end a été très productif!      J’ai enfin reçu mes cartes de MOO  et je vais les utiliser pour y accrocher mes bijoux…              

J’ai aussi fait un essai de sac à fermeture métallique partant de mon précédent sac pochette, et je suis plutôt contente du résultat. Je ne dois pas avoir été la seule car je l’ai déjà vendu :))!

Earrings

                        Flower buds earrings for spring!

Et voila, some more pictures of my accessories made from brass buttons and recycled fabrics. Most are silk and 100% cotton... Ear studs and scrolls are plated silver.

Easter in the English countryside

Happy Easter!

Yesterday, we decided to bet on a good weather and spend the day in the countryside. Of course, the weather forecast was wrong an it did rain in the afternoon, but it was more of a drizzle and the grass just seemed even greener... It also added a melancholic and romantic aspect to the scenery.

It was a very good day indeed... A nice walk through the fields, a visit to a beautiful medieval castle, Bodiam Castle , flowers, green green grass, and even some cute ( and others less cute) animals! And all that just over an hour train from London! Mmmm, I love England...

Candies in the hair

  playing around with buttons: they look like sweets! yummy...

As I had a fair stock of cover buttons, bought a long time ago and kept in a box, hoping to use them one day, I thought why not covering them with my pretty textiles?... So covering buttons I did and as I was playing around with them, I decided to try making hair slides with them, and here is the result. Because I like clean finishings, I covered the bottom part of the button as well, with printed cotton. It is much prettier than metal I think!

I tested it on my hair a few days, and so far it is sturdy enough and works properly...I'm quite pleased with the result :)... They look like little candies, yum yum!

Comme j’avais un bon stock de boutons à recouvrir que je gardais précieusement dans une boîte, pensant bien qu’ils me seraient utiles un jour, je me suis dit que je pourrais bien les couvrir avec ma collection de jolis tissus… Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait ! Et du coup, j’en ai aussi fait des barrettes, et voici le résultat. 

Bon, comme j’aime bien les finitions bien faites, j’en ai aussi  recouvert le dessous avec un coton imprimé. Comme ça, quand on regarde la barrette du dessous, on voit des fleurs et non le métal du bouton : bien plus joli, non ?!

J’ai essayé la barrette dans mes cheveux et l’ai porté quelques jours, et je dois dire que tout marche bien, sans problème et elle est solide ! Je suis assez contente du résultat, je dois bien avouer :)... ça me fait penser à des gourmandises, miam miam !

New name

Hello!

I have decided to change my blog's name. To be honest, it was a long time that I wanted to do so... I've realised that "Citrouille Melba" was too difficult for non-French speaking to understand and to spell!!!

I chose Bagatelles because it makes me think about the beautiful Jardins de Bagatelles in the Bois de Boulogne, near Paris; but in french, it also means a "trifle", a decorative thing, a bit as in frivolous. It always reminds me of French paintings of the 18th century, such as Fragonard's and Watteau's...

It is also a musical term to designate a "short piece of music, typically for the piano, and usually of a light, mellow character. The name bagatelle literally means a "trifle", as a reference to the innocent character of the piece" ( in Wikipedia). A very famous example is Letter to Elise by Beethoven.

I think that bagatelles makes sense in the context of fashion accessories, isn't it?...:))

And as a bonus, a new background for my header title!

J’ai décidé de changer le nom de mon blog. J’ai réalisé qu’en fait, « Citrouille Melba » était trop compliqué pour les non-francophones, oups !  Du coup, j’ai choisi Bagatelles&co, un peu en hommage au beau Jardin de Bagatelles, dans le Bois de Boulogne.  J’aime le son de ce mot, et il m’évoque les tableaux de Fragonard et de Watteau… Saviez-vous qu’en musique classique, “une bagatelle est une courte composition sans prétention, dans un style badin et léger, destinée le plus souvent au clavier” (source wikipedia). Une des plus connues  est la “Lettre a Elise” de Beethoven.

Je trouve que Bagatelles s'adapte bien dans le contexte d'accessoires de mode, non?...:))

Et en prime, un nouveau design pour mon titre!

Oh Dear! Oh Dear! I shall be too late!

Even though I haven't been here very often, I have been working a lot on my project.

After a phase of discouragement, I realised that I should still believe in my project and here I am again! I have to say, it is not always easy to work on one's own; sometimes, motivation just isn't there... It is not always easy to find the right balance between trying to design and make my own range with working for others. And the fear is there too: what if doesn't work?

But taratata as the French say ("nonsense"), and if I really enjoy what I do, it should work in a way or another!

So, I decided to go ahead and to open an  Etsy shop. Yes sir!  It is a very nice sort of "web boutique platform"; a place where artists, crafters, designers, photographers, can sell their work. The one condition is that products must be handmade. As they say themselves, "Etsy shoppers are looking for handmade goods, vintage items and craft supplies."

I have fixed the launch date to beginning of May ( just on time for summer, eh:))

It should let me just enough time to make a decent amount of things to put in my shop and properly done too, with cute labels, nice packaging, etc...

I have already started preparing myself for that, but it takes quite a while to get everything ready... So still quite a lot to do for I shall not be too late!!

Of course, I will regularly report on how I get on...

Non non, je n'ai pas disparu!! J'ai passé beaucoup de temps à travailler sur mon projet d'accessoires ces temps-ci...

Même si je me suis parfois sentie découragée, j'ai décidé d'aller de l'avant... Et donc, je vais ouvrir une boutique sur Etsy. C'est une sorte de boutique en ligne qui agit en tant que plateforme pour artisans et artistes de tout genre. Tout le monde peut y vendre des choses du moment que ce soit du fait main. Si tout va bien, tout sera prêt début mai. En attendant, au boulot!!!

Bien entendu, j'écrirais régulièrement sur mes progrès...

London Fashion Week!

London Fashion Week is over!

This means the end of a collaboration with a Designer for me, and looking forward next season... And good news, it also means more time for my bag collections, great!!!

Anyway, I have been working the past few months with a young British Designer, Olivia Rubin, whose designs combine "graphic prints and bold use of colour". For this collection, she was inspired by New York, "the Art Deco period and the portraits of Tamara de Lempicka".

It was her first catwalk show, and everything went very well, I must say...

It was really nice to work on that collection, and it is also the first time I'm responsible over half of a collection, so I feel quite pride:))!!!

As you might have guessed, the video is the one from the show!!! I really like the music!

En Français:

Ça y est, London Fashion Week est terminée!

Ça veut dire la fin pour moi d’une collaboration avec un styliste, jusqu’à la saison prochaine… Mais bonne nouvelle, c’est aussi synonyme de plus de temps pour consacrer à ma collection de sacs, super!!!

Ces derniers mois, j’ai travaillé avec une jeune styliste Britannique, Olivia Rubin, dont les modèles combinent imprimés graphiques et un usage audacieux de la couleur. Pour cette collection, elle s’est inspirée de New York, le mouvement Arts Décos et les portraits de Tamara de Lempicka. C’était son premier défilé, et je dois dire que tout s’est vraiment bien passé…

C’était vraiment agréable de travailler sur cette collection, et en plus, c’est aussi la première fois que je suis responsable d’environ la moitié de la collection… J’en suis toute fièreJ)!!!

La vidéo est celle du défilé; j’en aime beaucoup la musique !

Paperland

The Chanel Couture show inspired me to search from more objects made with paper...

Here is what I found:

• This cute Chinese Horoscope

• Another interesting blog dedicated to the arts of papercuts is The Heart of Papercuts, created by Cuban-born artist Elsita.

• Rob Ryan's blog is a papercuts treasure box. I have just discovered his work thanks to Sketchbook and I already love it. He has collaborated with Paul Smith, Vogue Japan, Vogue Uk, among others... and realised window displays for department stores such as Liberty in London.

                                         Robert Ryan for Vogue Japan

                                            Robert Ryan for Vogue Uk

                                           Robert Ryan, Minotaur

                                 Robert Ryan, Liberty Xmas window 2005

• Zoe Bradley is an artist whose work covers interior design, window display, lighting, and also fashion. She has collaborated with prestigious stores such as Smythson, Liberty, Donna Karan, and designers like Alexander McQueen.

                              Window Display for Smythson, London, 2007

                                       Wallpaper magazine

                             On/Off, London Fashion Week, 2006

                     For Alexander McQueen S/S 1999

You can find more photos of her work in  Zoe Bradley wallpaper gallery, and also a Q&A realised by Wallpaper magazine.

• Also, thanks to katy elliott's blog, I discovered the work of graphic designer Yulia Brodskaya who realises beautiful illustrations "paper graphics".

Katy Elliott has an interesting section in her lovely blog dedicated to paper.

Here are some examples:

Su Blackwell

Nava Lubelski

Window display at Anthropologie

•  I discovered through Design*Sponge the work of artist Hannah Nunn, based in Northern England. She creates beautiful and poetics luminaries, using both hand cutting techniques and laser cutting.

• And finally, this video from Paris-based artist Marion Bataille. What a fun pop-up book!

Abc3D - video powered by Metacafe

Chanel Couture Spring 09

 

Photos from Style.com

Ok, I am a bit late... Paris Couture Week was already two weeks ago!!!

But better too late than never, as the French would say.

This time, I particularly like the Chanel collection. It looked very simple, however with a closer look, we could distinguish all those beautiful details: sequins, embroidered flowers, delicate lace, feathers... and amazing paper-cut tiaras. All that in a unique palette of black&white. I found the collection very subtle, and full of charm, and the proof that Fashion doesn't have to be gloomy right now...

I also really liked the strong shoulder line, and also the contrast of neat, clean lines with the intricacy of the embellishments.

This collection has an air of delicate charm and romance while being very modern.

Apparently, it is a japanese hairdresser, Kamo, who realized these beautiful headpieces.

You can see more photos here and there.

By the way, the last photo ( the bride) reminds me the roses of the Garden of Live Flowers in Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll ( De l'autre cote du miroir)! Don't you think so?!

 

Dashing through the snow...!

Waw! There was so much snow yesterday in London! That was amazing! When I woke up, everything was all so white and soft and quiet...

But the city is apparently not prepared for that kind of weather as almost all the transports were suspended: no bus, almost no trains, very few taxis, slippery pavements, almost all the shops closed, even in the usually very busy Oxford street...It was as if the time had been suspended for the day! I like winter this way...

Waw! Il a tellement neigé hier à Londres! C’était super! Quand je me suis réveillée, tout était couvert de neige, tout blanc, doux et calme… Apparemment, Londres n’est pas vraiment équipée pour ce genre de temps car pratiquement aucun transport ne fonctionnait… Et presque tous les magasins ont fermes pour la journée, même sur la d’habitude trépidante Oxford Street… C’était un peu comme si le temps s’était arrêté! J’aime l’hiver comme ça...

New Year!

Hello! Happy New Year!

Eventually back to blogging after all this time! In November I decided to participate in a Handcraft Tailoring competition, ( Tailoring was one of my specialisation at College) and it took me so much more time than what I expected...! Every seam (or almost) had to be handstitched, even the buttonholes!...It was a bit of a nightmare! I felt like one of these "petites mains" (literally little hands) who sew all day long in the Parisian Couture ateliers... It was a bit of a challenge for me as I had never done it that way...I learnt production Tailoring at College, which means everything is sewn with a sewing machine, and that's a completely different approach to garment construction.  But as I had always been fascinated by the Tailors of Savile Row or the art of Haute Couture, it was a good occasion for me to learn more about it. 

The world stopped for me all that time, but now it is over, I finished it, just have to wait for the results. I'll post pictures of my work as soon as I can. 

Even if I didn't have a minute  for bag making, blogging or anything else really, I still found a few hours for some cute little make-up pochettes that I gave as Christmas presents.

Here are some pictures. I am sorry for the picture quality, my camera is definitely not the best and I didn't manage to capture the colours properly. One of my next investment will have to be a good camera...