DIY Mini Me dolls in TUKUTTE #3

tukutte #3 - front cover

Let's face it, I am a little bit late at sharing this feature of a DIY ( it stands for "do-it-yourself") of my Mini Me dolls in the 3rd and last issue of tukutte magazine (p.50). 

tukutte first launched in April last year, and I was extremely pleased to be part of every issue - you can check each and every project here and here. I was also able to exhibit my party styling at the last Hobby Show in Tokyo with other contributors to the craft magazine - read about it here. 

I am quite sadden by the news that the magazine will no longer get published, but I am proud of the work accomplished this year and the experience gained along the way!

Here below are some photos of the two-page feature, I hope you'll like it... Feel free to leave your comment after the post. 

the magazine always comes with a free gift, this time a cute spool knitter 

- also called "tricotin" in French.

I first started creating my Mini Me dolls shortly after my daughter was born (in 2007), using the fabric scraps left from the dresses I was making for her... Of course their design has slightly changed over the years, but the inspiration is the same: Russian dolls, colourful fabrics, flower prints and polka dots make for pretty little dolls! 

We shot the step-by-step instruction (photo above) in the publisher's in-house studio, it was such a great experience for me. I had planned every step ahead of the shooting day, preparing as many pieces as necessary to illustrate every step. Everything ran very smoothly and fast thanks also to the wonderful photographer. One lesson learnt here: getting my nails done before shooting day! 

Then here is one more feature p.76 on a private workshop I held for the tukutte team last June. Of course we tested out my DIY and everyone created their own Mini Me doll! It was a fun morning, everyone had a wonderful creative spirit and we all enjoyed it!

~ THE END ~

Masquerade :: September Workshops {Tokyo}

 

 ©Etincelle Creative STUDIO 2014

Hello everyone,

September is coming to an end, and wow, hasn't it been a busy month? So much has happened since I came back from France, that I am kind of happy to finally be able to slow down a bit. I wrapped up my last workshop for the month of September last Tuesday, we made felt masks delicately embroidered with beads and sequins. The house was decorated, and I cooked a healthy lunch for all to enjoy after several hours of concentration and hard-work. 

I am more than happy to have many picture to share with you today, thanks to my friend Nao Lincoln who took all of the photos of this post (unless stated otherwise). A big thank you to Nao for allowing me to share them all on the blog today! 

This workshop was organised in collaboration with Niki's Kitchen, thank you Niki-san for your help and support. 

Now let's check out the photos, and please share your comments with me!

Photos above ©Etincelle Creative STUDIO 2014

Everyone created their very own mask selecting the color combination that best suited individual tastes and I loved seeing each piece coming together! Here below is what my first group of participants created... which one is your favorite?

Series of 7 photos above ©Nao Lincoln 2014

I had created a little photo booth on one wall of my living room, and the plan was to take photos with the masks once finished... Not everyone was up for it, but we did manage to get pretty pictures of our participants! I used mt masking tapes to create the stripy effect, the word banner is by OMM-design (shopped on bcbasics) and the honeycombs are from WRAPPLE store in Parco Shibuya.

©Etincelle Creative STUDIO 2014

On the menu for this theme: green salad with olive oil & balsamic vinegar sauce, zucchini flans, minced beef stuffed capsicums, homemade focaccia and a pear + chocolate royal shortcake (also called charlotte in French). I also served a homemade pomegranate sirup with sparkling Perrier water as a drink. We all appreciated a good lunch after spending 3-4 hours of sewing!

Series of 10 photos above ©Nao Lincoln 2014

Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope to see you again soon! Happy weekend!

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In October, we will celebrate Halloween with Chikako Yamamoto of DDBistro, who is going to teach us how to decorate cookies... Both workshops are already fully booked, but you can check all the details out here.

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September Workshops: Fancy Masks

Hello friends!

I am glad to share with you all the theme for my September workshop, I have chosen to continue working on creating masks but came up with a fancier look with sequins embroidery. Here are photos of the sample I created for the advertising of my workshops on Niki's Kitchen website. 

Details regarding this workshop are to be found at the end of this post, thank you!

:: PROJECT: felt mask embroidered with beads and sequins
Materials: felt, sequins, beads, bijou, ribbon

* as usual, students will be able to choose their color combination 

(2 to 3 colors of felt and sequins/ beads)

:: Level: beginner to intermediate/ students who have attended previous workshops and work faster will be allowed to do more embroideries with sequins & beads

:: Party decoration theme: Let’s party! 
Fabric bunting banners will decorate the house and there will be a photobooth to take pictures together wearing our masks!

Date: September 17 & 23 (TUE)
Time: from 10am to 3pm
Location: Denenchofu
Fee: 5,900yen (tax included)

:: Lunch/ buffet style
Menu: Flan de courgettes au basilic, poivrons farcis à la viande, salade verte, foccacia au romarin.
Dessert: charlotte aux poires & chocolat
Boisson: grenadine, Perrier citron, tea

Edit: both workshops are fully booked, thank you and see you soon!

Playtime Tokyo August 2014

giant letter balloons + polka dot table cloth + pastel colours = ♡

Let me share with you some photos about the last Playtime Tokyo, the 3rd edition I am able to attend in Japan. Playtime Tokyo showcases children and maternity wear, more than 230 exhibitors reunited in a convenient location at Belle Salle in Shibuya. 

I am enjoying coming back to check out the trend spaces, set up by three different artists, catch up with friends and discover the new collections or new exhibitors. I love paying attention to the multitude of details that rhythm the space and brings to life for three days a very fun atmosphere.

the illustrator of 2014 for all Playtime shows [Paris, Tokyo & NYC] is Philip Giordano

magical entrance hall with mirror balloons and Sophie Cuvelier's colourful buntings

Exhibition

Yasuyuki Wada

On the wall behind the front desk, visitors discover the personal interpretation of Philip Giordano's Playtime Tokyo illustration, made of volumes of paper. 

Yasuyuki Wada is a paper artist whose skills range from design to production, along with hosting workshops. Born in Osaka, in 2006 he graduated from the Kobe Design University in product design. His creations aim to show the physical beauty of paper and its strong potential as a material. source

behind the front desk, an entire wall decorated by Japanese paper artist Yasuyuki Wada

Special Event

Luna Park by Abi Loves

Enter 'Abi Loves' miniature Luna Park where colourful balloons, a fun kids slide and Garrett popcorn are awaiting little visitors. Decorated with Abi's signature decoration 'The fabulous Garlands by Sophie Cuvelier'. source

super fun space and photo booth for the little ones brought to you by Abi Loves

Wandering in the alleys of the trade show, we find...

Trend space #1 

Quirky Carrousels by AKKOMON

Mesmerised by the colourful craziness of roller coasters, our kids explode with joy with every strong sensation. Euphoric, they spin round and round on carrousels with flashing lights and tap all their skills to win the big prizes.

Akkomon lives and works in Hokkaido, where she created an art school for children in 2009. She likes drawing detailed and colourful views of big cities. In 2006 she began to produce what she calls 'semi-solid pictures': drawn with felt tipped pens and coloured pencils, the shapes are then cut into pieces and reassembled into fantastic 3D scenes.  source 

dress by pink chicken; cardigan by imps&elfs

Trend space #2 

Cotton Candy by Sayaka Iwashimizu

Out with the grey;let's look at life through rose-coloured glasses. Adopt a sweeter attitude by devouring every moment like a piece of candy. Suddenly, things seem lighter ans sweeter. Like a current hit sing is telling us, let's be happy!

After studying "Aesthetics and science of Arts" at Keio University, Sayaka Iwashimizu started working  as an illustrator. Her "kawai" and mysterious creative universe evolves from an original figure named "Anoko", which materialises in the form of sculptures and murals, and sometimes in the middle of large scale installations. source

Trend space #3 

Freak Show by Mao Oishi

Welcome in our strange little world where women have beards, men look like animals and strange human beings wear curious costumes. Here reality is skewed like a flaw in the matrix.

MaoOishi lives and works in Kanagawa. In 2009 and 2011, she graduated and did a master course in sculpture at the Musashino Art University. Her work has been shown in many solo and group exhibitions all over Japan and abroad in France, Korea and the US. 

Her strange, human-sized characters, half-man and half-animal, incite the viewer to reflect upon our appearance, which provokes - or represents - an obstacle to 'true' love. Sculptures or costumes, these creatures made of flet make us waver between the positions of spectator and actor, between the real and the supernatural. source

a little bit weird but definitely interesting!

Here below are a couple of pictures from labels (Japanese or not) I have discovered in past editions of Playtime or just this year. I lacked some time to cover well the entire show - ideally I would need to go two consecutive days to do it, so please bear with me and enjoy these photos in the meantime. 

Big crush on the S/S 2015 collection of Bonheur du Jour, from France:

Bonheur du Jour

Arch & Line, from Japan, received the Prix Mode from children fashion mag MILK. Well deserved!

le prix mode de MILK

Sophia 203 is another label I follow and love: The Bathing Beauty is a stunning collection of embroidered accessories and wall panels:

shop Sophia 203 here or here

I will introduce you in an another post next month the S/S collection of Les Enfantines, another French label I am following closely, as well as the opening of a new concept store for kids in Hong Kong. Exciting!

And when I was mentioning the little details earlier, I was referring to these images among others: fresh flowers, pastel colours, polka dots... It does inspire me in my own work!

this polka dot table clothes is calling my name! big ♥

I'm hoping to be able to join the evening party at the next edition of Playtime Tokyo - even more fun!

Keep in touch with Playtime Tokyo!

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