Merry-Go-Round - Inspirational Photo Challenge

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women from around the world as they link hands and tell you a little bit about their lives in craft.

Do look up the answers from the rest of this band of crafters (links to your left).

If they haven't posted yet, remember we all live in different time zones and check again later...

This month's theme:

Inspirational Photo Challenge: take a photo of something that inspires you and show what you make from this as your inspiration.

What's that? I hear you wonder...

Well, over the months, you will have seen many photos of nature and the countryside on this blog, so I thought that, this time, I should show something you don't know of. Something crucially inspirationnal to me indeed.


What this photo shows is a minature Jag (the famous E-Type). This one is actually a gift from my lovely mother who first told me about this amazing job.
I guess it is a car for girls then.
I wish!...

Anyway, it is my car, you know...



Not only has this glorious piece of British designing genius inspired me to finally pass my driving licence (not a small feat, I can assure you) which was my own Christmas Miracle of 2009, but it has inspired a new line in my jewellery.

Wait, not one but three!

You might remember that over the past few Merry-go-Rounds, I was doing a lot of mulling. Well this Belle Anglais sort of pulled me through.


Starting from this seemingly absurd choice of car (no I don't have one yet, well, apart from this miniature one, but one day— just you wait!) it brought me to accept the fact I am genrally a fairly high-maintenance creature. Or rather, I would be if I was not doing all the maintening myself...



The result of this simple reflexion is a carload of ideas to make up the High-Maintenance line.
The blue Jag Ring is the first piece in this line— had to be— but there will be plenty more...

Following this whim, I also came up with loads of ideas for Difficult Women (I love them!), beginning with this Thelma & Louise ring (OK, it's a black Mercedes, but whenever I see an angular convertible like this one, I think T & L...).

Finally, obviously there will be the (Self-)Love is Blind line, Beginning with this I am a Goddess ring. OK, this really works much better in French because this car is a Citrën DS (DS sound exactly like "déesse", the French word for goddess...), but who doesn't want to be a French goddess, right? (she flashes a shameless arrogant grin).

Lifestyle Crafts letterpress combo kit

I would like to know whether someone here has ordered and actually received a Lifestyle Crafts letterpress combo kit from their site ( http://lifestylecrafts.com ) and actually received it.
I'd love to hear even if you simply know someone who has...

Merry-Go-Round - Looking Forward

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women from around the world as they link hands and tell you a little bit about their lives in craft.

Do look up the answers from the rest of this band of crafters (links to your left).

If they haven't posted yet, remember we all live in different time zones and check again later...

This month's theme:

What are you planning for the year ahead?

So. First off— I am really, really sorry I am so late posting this.

Got carried away with how short February is and how much there was I wanted / had to cram into it...

The bad news: no photo.

The good news: I am actually looking forward to this year and gradually making out what it is I am going to make of it, craftwise.

Late December-Early January was a difficult time but it was also liberating and brought me peace and clarity of mind the like of which I had not experienced in a long, long time.

The past year was spent, not uselessly but sometimes seeminglingly pointlessly, dabbling around new stuff.

I do intend to go on experimenting (sounds better, does it not?) with textile and metal, and learning, but things are slowly beginning to fall into place and I am beginning to see more clearly how to combine, or not, this and that craft; how this is going to be just for my own pleasure, whereas that is going to be "marketable" in some way.

Recently, I have been going through my stacks in a violent session of pre-Spring cleaning. Order! Order! Yeah, right... Anyway. The mix of contemplation and exertion (panting and resting vs. putting shelves together and up against the wall) allowed me to think and fantasize freely.

A thematic project has been slowly growing and coming together.

So— watch this spot for some statement jewelery— that's all I'm going to say for now!

Merry-Go-Round - 3 Crafters I love

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women from around the world as they link hands and tell you a little bit about their lives in craft.

Do look up the answers from the rest of this band of crafters (links to your left).

If they haven't posted yet, remember we all live in different time zones and check again later...

This month's theme:

Three crafters whose work I really like.

Here are favourites of mine, doing very different things, in different fields. What they have in common is that I love every single piece they make... It was really hard to select only a few photos, I had to stop at three for each of these amazing designers.

First, a photographer whose dreamy world feels very congenial and soothing to me:

Labokoff, whose work can be found on DaWanda and on Etsy

Next, a dressmaker from whom I bought a dress. Yes, only one! You have no idea how hard it is to accept that I cannot one every month. My precious... It's amazing how simple and elegant and easy to wear her creations are:
Larimeloom, whose work can also be found on DaWanda and on Etsy

Last but not least, a jewellery maker whose bead woven pieces are so timelessly elegant, organic-looking and quite simply gorgeous:
Violetta Pretorius on DaWanda

Haiti

HAITI a besoin de notre aide. Je me sens impuissante, mais voici ce que je peux faire :
jusqu'à nouvel ordre, 50 % du prix que vous payez pour n'importe quel article dans mes boutiques sur DaWanda et sur Etsy ira à la Fondation de France, une structure caritative fiable (www.fondationdefrance.org - Projet Haiti).

HAITI needs our help. I feel pretty powerless, but what I can do is this:
until further notice, 50 % of the price you pay on any item in my shops on DaWanda and Etsy will go to Fondation de France, a reliable charity (www.fondationdefrance.org - Projet Haiti).

Inspiration

Hier, en quelques heures, j'ai pu mener à bien une très plaisante transaction avec une cliente qui voulait une de mes bagues fleur, mais avec son propre choix de couleur.

Il y avait longtemps que je n'avais pas pris autant de plaisir à travailler. Ça m'a rappelé à quel point j'adorais fourrager dans mes stocks et chercher l'association harmonieuse...

Yesterday, in just a few hours, I put together this ring for a very pleasant customer who wanted one of my flower rings, but with her own choice of colours.

It had been a long time since I last felt so much pleasure. It reminded me how much I like rummaging through my stuff and looking for just the right mix of pearls and findings.

Elle me plaît beaucoup !

I love it!

Final SALE update / BRADERIE : dernière promo

Bonjour tout le monde ! Hello Everyone.

C'est bientôt la fin de notre Grande Braderie et pour finir en beauté, je propose une double promotion, valable jusqu'au 24 novembre à minuit.
Our Great Sale is going to be over soon, and for a grand finish, I'd like to offer two different discounts (combinable!), both valid until November 24th, midnight.

Les ~☀~ frais d'envoi ~☀~ sont offert sur toute commande, vers le monde entier ET je vous offre ~☀~ 20 % de réduction sur toute commande de 60 euros et plus ~☀~. ATTENTION de bien me contacter AVANT de passer votre commande pour que je puisse créer une fiche article spéciale pour vous indiquant le prix réduit.

C'est ici.

~☀~ Free shipping, worldwide, on all orders ~☀~ AND you get ~☀~ a 20 % dicount on all orders of 60 euros and more ~☀~. ONLY do not fail to contact me BEFORE checkout, so I can put up a special listing for you with the new discounted prices...

Here is my shop.

Plein d'autre réduction dans d'autres boutiques de créateurs ici.

Loads of other great offers and discounts in fabulous shops, here.