The small collection is a refined blend of an artists’ touch and a curators vision; each piece can be worn in 3 different ways.

Des created these gorgeous display cases to highlight the jewelry.

The cases are made from antique dollhouses and lined with linen…such a simple and chic way to highlight the pieces.

The collections throughout the story seemed to reference the jewelry.

The details of metals on natural material, finely textured touches, and opulent, hot gold hues were gorgeous.

Even the hand made fixtures reminded me of the collection. I of course couldn’t pull myself away from those Alaia sandals, either.

The talented and beautiful Des & Annie. Stop by the site, or even better, take a trip to the shop in person. Guaranteed inspiration!

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The new studio has been quite the gift shoppe these past few weeks. There is a new project developing! We’ve been crafting up a storm – a garden actually, of hand made paper roses. I’ve had this idea percolating for quite a while and when I received a call from a client looking for something special for his wife, voila – the poem petal roses came to life. We created quite an installation; roses staged throughout a room, packed and presented in a variety of ways – from bouquet to wreath to corsage.  Once installed, we couldn’t wait to get more roses going (growing?) in the studio. I showed the collection to my good pal (and vintage textile extraordinaire) Joanna Williams of Kneeland Co. and she was a bit smitten. It just so happened that she was hosting an artisans event for Anthropologie, and would I like to participate? Um, YES. Check out the goodies below, and click through to Joanna’s blog to see work from the talented ladies that participated at the event.

These roses below have calligraphed love poems printed on the petals, which are made from coffee filters. I love the idea of these presented in a traditional fashion – as a bouquet, or in a vase.

These little sweetums are the perfect size for a table top setting.

This piece can be worn as a corsage, worn on your wrist, or used as a topper on a gift. I’m a bit in love with the black grosgrain…

The roses living together..the fabric underneath is horse-hair. I love the verigated greys.

A romantic corsage come wristlet come whatever you are inspired for it to be…

This topper is a favorite! What do you think, friends? More to come on the paper roses as soon as we get through Mother’s Day!

A monochromatic (ish) palette mixed with flowers that will never fade. Love this very much, thank you.

Being surrounded by beautiful, lady – like packaging is a good thing for a gal, wouldn’t you say?

How many hours could you spend in the serenity of this bathtub?

Do you want to wake up to a Dutch still life every morning? I do.

Hmm. Perfect spot for best girlfriends to have some bubbly and QT ?  Me thinks yes.

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( I don’t have sources for some of these images…!)

Their simply arranged every day items are a delight; ceramic tea canisters in Mediterranean Blue, cherry wood salt & pepper grinders with accents of hammered iron, delicately etched glassware in smoky greys.

This copper pot made me want to stay inside for 4 days and make bread and stew. It was pouring rain the day we visited, which added to the coziness of it all.

The decor of crisp white surfaces and slick black details is the perfect setting for the natural details that run through the store: a simple wooden table, woven baskets and  antique linens.

March Pantry carries a collection of delicacies to savor – truffle salts, pressed olive oils and fine vinegars.  If you’re in the SF area, stop by for some inspiration. The shop is like a clean canvas, filled  with only the most intuitive, useful and inspiring of strokes.

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Loving the antique check pattern on this children’s dress.

Baubles and bits are displayed throughout the shop, coordinated by color. Looks like a craft – candy store, no?

I’m one of those girls that cannot get enough of grosgrain…needless to say I was stuck on those rolls below.

Cabinets and shelves are filled with perfectly antiquated, worn linens of every weight and hand. Bedcover, pillows, and curtain inspiration indeed…

These pieces have been dyed French woad blue. There’s nothing quite like the look of hand dyed trims.

I love the shape of this blue basket…not to mention the flowers and ribbons spilling out from it. Let me know if you visit Karrie and get inspired…!

]]> http://www.simoneleblanc.com/blog/2012/04/french-general/feed/ 2 http://www.simoneleblanc.com/blog/2012/04/lyndie-dourthe/ http://www.simoneleblanc.com/blog/2012/04/lyndie-dourthe/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:56:39 +0000 Simone http://www.simoneleblanc.com/blog/?p=15838 Have you seen the work of French artist Lyndie Dourthe? Her tiny, talismanic pieces are a sight to behold. Much of her work is inspired by anatomy, botany and curiosities reminiscent of another era.

She makes the blinking of an eye poetic, wouldn’t you say?

And a nap seem romantic….

These delicate, floral, brooch specimens are made by hand.

And how about this gorgeous little boutonniere? Inspiring, indeed.

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Over 140 pieces of Gaultier’s ready to wear and couture pieces were on display. Spectacular indeed. The grand entrance housed a stunning vision: each adorned mannequin had a video of a living,breathing face projected on it. The grouping of mannequins were in conversation, talking to one another. They reminded me of the work of the artist Tony Oursler. Grouped together these were a vision to behold, and stopped us all in our tracks.

You may know Gaultier is revered for his corsetry (beyond the Madonna cone bra, mind you). This piece is made from hundreds of ribbons, expertly stitched and sculpted by hand.

This fine lady was a favorite piece of mine. She was singing a dramatic opera, and actually brought to me to shed a little tear. Thousands of feathers together created a piece as light as air, only anchored by the metal pailettes stitched to silk chiffon. Can you imagine this piece breezing down a runway?

This piece shows Gaultier’s version of the Matador. Hello, stunner. These works of art take hundreds of painstaking hours to produce; this one took 362 of them…

And what Gaultier show would be complete without a reference to French history of fashion? This Marie Antoinette inspired battalion headpiece is extraordinaire indeed.

This piece is shagreen piece (stingray) and so expertly combines the sturdy panels with the most delicate of silks. A true couture costume.

Couture, crafted from denim…

Gaultier often creates for stage & screen: Madonna of course, Pedro Almodovar and many others. Memorable pieces are exhibited throughout the show. Rarely does anyone ever have the opportunity to see so many couture pieces up close…this show is a must! Are you going, or have you seen it yet?

]]> http://www.simoneleblanc.com/blog/2012/03/gaultier-at-the-de-young/feed/ 3 http://www.simoneleblanc.com/blog/2012/03/floral-inspired/ http://www.simoneleblanc.com/blog/2012/03/floral-inspired/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:00:20 +0000 Simone http://www.simoneleblanc.com/blog/?p=15807 I spent the better part of this weekend surrounded by flowers. Lucky girl, no? I had a birthday celebration which fortunately led to flowers being delivered to my doorstep, brought in a bundle by the hands of a friend, and displayed on tabletops to elevate the decor just so. My favorites tend to be the weathered, sun faded and a bit wilty bunch – ranunculas and peonies, of course. What about you? What flowers inspire you?

Irving Penn’s classic flower photos…

Sally Mann’s textural polaroid collages…

The energetic marks of Cy Twombly…

Lanvin’s Spring 2012 floral petal necklaces…

The French countryside found in a dress, by Vionnet…

Decorative Japanese paper to wrap a special gift in lavender Lotus florals…

What is more inspiring than flowers in their various forms?

Have you seen her paper – mache teacup patterns? She offers a pattern tutorial on her site. I think I’ll gather the ladies for craft night and get started on making a collection of these right away….!

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