Made With Love {no doubt}

I am currently working on new shopper bags and completely new pieces for my shop... Expect a revamp in the coming weeks and months! It's very much time consuming though to play with all the sequins, beads and embroidery threads.

I hope to show you a final piece soon, here is a little sneak peek at the embroidery of one of the bag. Flowers are always involved in my designs!

Have a good day, and prep up for the weekend ahead :)

Poppytalk Handmade {toHOLD}

I am back with yet another wonderful participant to the Poppytalk Handmade Market this month. Kara of toHOLD is a designer, stylist, director, design strategist, professor of real and virtual environment and columnist at Design-Milk.com. She also runs a super nice Etsy shop where she sells a curated collection of air plants {you've read right} also called tillandsia.

1. Grab bag  2. Sea urchin & plant duo  3 & 4. Air plants on dried poppy pods  

5. Air plant in vase  6. Gift box

The BIG advantage of air plants is that they are of minimal care: they will green your home with no extra efforts from you. Sounds like a perfect solution for me {my thumb is everything but green}!

toHOLD :: shop :: Facebook :: Twitter

©All photographs by toHOLD

Styling my daughter's room... {Sneak Peek}

Hello, how was your weekend? I attended the F1 race last Sunday for the first time, and it was... interesting and quite exciting to be among the crowd. 

I just feel like starting the week slowly now, and here is a sneak peek at what I have been doing last week when I was not at my desk: re-styling my daughter's room!*

It usually involves moving furniture around, finding new ways to display favorite toys and highlight "forgotten" ones. My nearly-five-year-old girl loves her Barbies but she also have a dolls house I would like her to play with a lot more. I am very active in teaching her to "respect" her toys and look after them. I have found a way to display her Barbie dresses {above} and she also has a make-up box to keep all the Barbie accessories together and... by color.

Are you inspired to create a magical playroom for your little ones? my next mission is to re-do my son's room, then I will be ready to share pictures with you all :)


* I must be obsessed as I feel the need to style her room every 3-4 months... of course it never involves "big" renovation or paint job. Just moving furniture around, changing the color scheme, the garlands, mobiles etc...

** You can discover photos that inspired me for her room {here}

Poppytalk Handmade {Iswas+Willbe}

Here we are back from the Poppytalk Handmade Market once again "les yeux pleins d'étoiles"...  

Look at what we have found today: gorgeous and fun label ISWAS+WILLBE is a design collective owned and operated by husband and wife team Rex & Telle Lefler in Portland, OR {which seems to be such a vibrant city by the way}. 

1. Helsinki Series of necklaces/ bracelets  2. Summer Frolic necklaces  3. Antique snake bead necklace  

4. Tumble series necklace  5. Helsinki series necklace

Their modern jewelry designs feature hand-cut raw brass, earthly gems and reinvented vintage materials. I can't get enough of their multicolored necklaces and I am very inspired as a stylist by their styling work and photography. Easy to wear, totally affordable yet timeless and glamorous: LUV.

ISWAS+WILLBE :: shop :: site :: Facebook 

Have I tempted you today? which of these necklaces would you most likely wear? 

©All photographs by ISWAS+WILLBE

Featured {Poppytalk Handmade}

I was featured on the Poppytalk Handmade blog two days ago!... I am not sure if you understand or even feel my excitement when I am writing this.

I have been reading Poppytalk for as long as I can remember; for as long as I have read Bloesem Blogs, Decor 8 or Design*Sponge. Which means for nearly 5 years {I have started after my daughter was born}.

I have seen these blogs grow. I may add that I've grown with them and finally took the plunge, starting my very own journal here at Etincelle Creative Studio to compile and talk about my creative pursuits.

It means so much to me when my creations are featured on such wonderful and supportive of the handmade movement blogs. I realize that despite the pains, the doubts and the up and downs I have gone a long way and there is HOPE that one day, soon, I will make it happen.

Thank you everyone for your support, your encouragement and feedback, they are precious. I am so grateful to have you all around me, all of you from the world over.

:: THANK YOU ::

A Checkered Pouch {New}

Latest addition to the make-up bag/ jewelry pouch/ clutch family... You might know its other version with the pompom trim, but this one is closing thanks to a cute Chinese loop. Perfect to keep all your essentials neat in your handbag!

Blue/ green checkered pouch available {here}

Or you might prefer this version with the blue pompom trim to tie it up?

Available {here} for purchase

I can't hide this from you, this pouch comes with its matching iPhone sleeve at a stellar price... IDEAL if not necessary present to your mum, sister or best friend. I don't know anyone who hasn't enjoyed this as a surprise gift! Check it out here.

Matching make-up bag & iPhone sleeve available {here}

Thank you!

Orange color palette {Bloesem Blog}

Check out my guest post today on Bloesem Blog and discover a lovely fall color palette... here is a teaser with these gorgeous crocheted lampshades by Yoola on Etsy:

Crocheted lampshades available {here}

HOP now to Bloesem Blog!

PS: You can also check all my boards {here} and connect with me there if you are on Olioboard too.

Gearing up for {Christmas}

Can you believe that Christmas is in less than 100 days? this year has flown by but luckily many happy things have happened to me and I am proud to see Etincelle Creative Studio grow every day that goes by.

Xmas red floral pouch available {here}

Christmas means lots of decoration at home, and gifts to your loved ones... I hope you will keep my creations in mind when time to shop will come! You won't be disappointed :)

Poppytalk Handmade {ARTISANERIEeurope}

I have been willing to start a new bi-weekly sort of column to introduce you to my favorite co-sellers over at the Poppytalk Handmade Market {a curated online market for unique handmade products}. I was super happy to find out that ARTISANERIEeurope was part of it as it's been a favorite of mine for a while. Time to discover Laurie's whimsical and poetic work handmade with clay:

1. French macaron necklace 2. Fairy Tale Towers 3.Cinque Terre 4. French Farmhouse 5. Dutch clog planter pendant

Etincelle Creative Studio is part of the Poppytalk Handmade Market until October 7, 2011. I will continue to introduce you the work of talented artists throughout the month of September. Stay tuned and share your love for handmade by spreading the words.

Re-decorating my lounge/ living room {Home}

I have been waiting patiently for over a year to get our two and three-seater couches re-upholstered. They have finally been picked up yesterday morning and should be brought back "brand new" in a couple of weeks. I can't wait!

From top to bottom clockwise: this bookshelves via designspongeonline;

the tree in this stunning room via greigedesign; the rug by MiniModern via TreeFall design;

the Moroccan "pouf" from Plümo; the floor lamp by ? {let me know the source if you have it};

fabrics photo by sewfantastic

In the meantime I will be re-decorating almost the entire apartment, one room at a time, and with a super mini budget. No big expense planned, no painting job (not allowed), no frames on the walls (not allowed).

Just moving furniture around, and buying new pillows cases, a floor lamp (would be great!) and a rug is on my must-have-wish-list as well.

I have compiled a couple of pictures to guide me through this simple job so that I don't lose focus and go overboard. Our couches are re-upholstered in a grey fabric and I am tempted to match it with yellow and aqua hues {as per the photo above}. The two-seater sofa was in my son's room, but I would love to create a cozy reading corner in the living room vs the lounge with the TV and use our {mediocre} bookshelves as a divider {as per the photo in the top right corner above}.

The rug will most probably be the most difficult item to buy, but both my Mr and I like the one designed by MiniModern.

Last but not least I want to add ethnic touches such as this Moroccan "pouf". A small tree would be stunning and add character to the room, but it's not very bright in here and all my plants die one after the other. I have thought of bamboos as an alternative, or even branches.

You can check my Pinterest boards for more pictures and inspiration {Lounge and Living}{Ambiance Maison}

I will visit the Salvation Army next week with my friend Caroline {hello!} and hope for some great finds...

Where are your favorite places in Singapore to shop furniture and home decor on a budget? 

©Inspiration board on Olioboard by me

{New pouch}

This is my latest pouch just listed in the shop this morning {check it out here}... I am working on the new collection now, there will be different designs and types of fabric. Don't miss your chance and grab one of the beautiful floral make-up bags while they are still available. They make great gift as well! ...Christmas is in 100 days only ;)

{now}

Latest bag + new dress + my daughter {again!}

I completed this bag a couple of weeks ago in fact, but never got a chance to take pictures of it. The Mr. was on a business trip twice for one week each time, and it's been raining a lot lately... I must invest in a tripod ASAP. Oh, and a light to take decent pictures of interiors while we are at it! Santa, Santaaa....?

It's now in the shop, and hopefully not for too long... who is tempted?

My daughter Chloé can't resist to the camera... she loves posing and mimicking me (!!) and insisted to take pictures of the bag with Mama... she was on her way to the pool of course! 

Mother and daughter

And how much do you like my latest purchase? very inexpensive dress bought in a tiny shop in Holland Village Shopping Center that I hope will last for a couple of months...

©All photos were taken by Mr D.

A Fantastic Robot Birthday Party {Part II}

I have to share some more photos of the Robot Party {please check Part I here if you missed it yesterday}. Today I am focusing on the two activities I worked on for the kids to enjoy even more robot fun: there was a "robot on a stick" craft to create during the party or take home if the child was too busy playing with his friends. And I had made a robot photo booth that was quite a hit!

The craft table: do you notice the robot centerpiece? it's made of foam cubes and circles that I covered with paper. Not complicated to make and a toy/ room decoration that the birthday boy will be able to keep and cherish for months.

The craft kit included foam squares in the three colors of the party as body parts, a wooden ice-cream stick, orange chenille for the arms, a pair of eyes. Additional material requested: children-friendly glue and markers to decorate the robot and draw the mouth & buttons. My daughter {in the photo below} really enjoyed making her robot,and she's now playing with it at home... I was inspired by this lovely blog post {lovelylovelythings}.

Beware of the army of robot-on-a-stick!

The second activity, which I highly recommend for any party, was the robot photo booth. It was made of a single piece of silver "cardboard", quite thick and steady, and I cut the body parts to match as much as possible our little robot on our party set. I got my inspiration from this picture found on Pinterest {source: lovelylovelythings}.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures, and that it will inspire you to create a stellar party for your little one's next birthday {and if you don't have the time, I am here - in Singapore, for hire}... I will share in a post later this week some tips and where to shop for supplies in Singapore. Make sure you'll bookmark it!

Have fun and enjoy your day!

©All photos by Marie Maglaque of Etincelle Creative Studio

A Fantastic Robot Birthday Party {Part I}

Here we are!

I am so proud {and happy} to share these photos with you today... This robot party has been a super good challenge and it came up really nice. So please, enjoy the pics and share your thoughts with me in the comment section.

The party set was designed by talented Jayme of jaymemarie on Etsy. It included the invitations, the "Happy Birthday" banner, Thank you notes, cupcake toppers and bottle labels {that I used for the candy jars}. Jayme made some color changes to suit the party color scheme and she was a breeze to work with...

I chose a navy blue fabric as a background so that the bright orange color of the banner would literally POP.  There was a lot of wind that morning and I had a hard time to keep the table cloth in place. Ideally next time I would love to have table cloth made of fabric...

The party took place at my client's place here in Singapore. It was supposed to happen on Sunday late afternoon, but we had to change our initial plan {a week before the party} to Saturday morning. My client cam up with the WONDERFUL idea of having a brunch-birthday party with food such as bagel with salmon  & cream cheese, sausage sandwiches, croissant, cinnamon rolls, gorgeous fruit platter and a choice of jam, peanut butter etc... to spread on bagels. The coffee machine was part of the fun and parents really enjoyed their cappuccinos & espressos "early" in the morning!

The birthday cake was ordered from a famous local "patisserie" called The Patissier. They tailored the cake to look like the robot on the invitation. The base was a strawberry shortcake and was actually delicious...

I wanted to create a three-dimensional table setting, and used foam cubes to display the candy jars and birthday cake. I then covered them with orange paper to match the rest of the display. It was a long process, but it remind me of when I was a little girl making the cubes out of paper. Something I will teach my daughter this week {she's looking forward to it}.

The vanilla cupcakes were yummy especially the ones with the chocolate frosting. They disappeared quite quickly which is always a good sign... Ahhh, you can't have a party without cupcakes!

Last but not least {for today} are the party favors... My client suggested to have pencil cases as it is "back to school" time and all kids love playing with their marker. I spent an entire day scouring for robot fabrics as nothing on Etsy really caught our eyes. I visited every single places I knew in Singapore were selling fabrics but was very unsuccessful. Until I was reminded about Fat Connection, an online shop selling Japanese fabrics. I was lucky enough to find the perfect design in our party colors!

The pencil cases were all handmade by me for this party. A labor of love, but it's so nice to give away to your guest meaningful gifts they will enjoy for a long time. Well worth it!
I wrapped them in transparent plastic bags and used the Thank you notes as tags {punching two holes on each sides and fixing them to the bag with blue or orange ribbons}.
-> you know who to contact for your handmade party favors now!

Tomorrow I will post more photos about the craft and other details that made this party so special to everyone... In the meantime a big THANK YOU to all for your words of support during the past three weeks, I hope you are enjoying the photos and getting inspired for the next party in the calendar.

I will also write a post later this week with a shopping guide and where to buy the above supplies in Singapore. I am sure it will help many of you!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

©All photos by Marie Maglaque of Etincelle Creative Studio