In Other Bonbon News

BONBON AT THE BROOKLYN FLEA!

Sunday, August 31st & Sept 7th, 2008
10am-5pm

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Life's moving fast in Bonbon land...On Sunday I'll be at the very cool, very exciting Brooklyn Flea once again with hundreds of other amazing Brooklyn-based antique, craft, design and food vendors! Remember the flea? I'm welcoming Fall with a stand for the next two Sundays (this is it for September! Won't be back there again 'til the end of October!) with lots of discounts and fun new stuff for Fall...you might find my beautiful model there as well...you'll have two chances so please come for a visit!! I'd love to see you!~

(pssst...I'm also participating in the flea's weekly treasure hunt and this is the prize (above) if you find me!)

MAKE WORKSHOP NEWS

Second bit of news? Due to the great success of the first edition of this class, will be teaching my class again on "Memento Assemblage Jewelry" at Make Workshop for the next two Wednesdays, September 3rd and 1oth! Go to the Make Website for more details about the class and sign up if you haven't already...We'll have so much fun and I'll be bringing some very special things to work with for the first class!

wonderful lady from my last earring making "clinic"!

le showroom

In exactly 4 weeks, on September 28th, I leave for Paris for Le Showroom. Now the countdown begins to get our goods in order, our announcements out, our catalogs ready to be printed, our new collection in top form.

For the last four seasons since 2006, twice a year during fashion week, I've been launching the next season's collections at a beautiful 18th c. atelier in Paris. It's a tradeshow but unlike the typical tradeshow you might find in a large convention center, it's an intimate affair, with beautiful large windows, ornate fixtures and mouldings, bright light white walls right in the heart of Paris, a stone's throw from the Louvre and the Bourse and all the other shows that take place during fashion week.



We are not boxed in like at other shows, but exposed to our neighbors, other designers, mostly independent, smaller labels who, just like me, work themselves silly to get ready for the show. Like me, they love what they do and are passionate about their creations which have become integral to their lives and livelihood (Think Project Runway final challenge). Hortensia de Hutten and Sebastién, her son, the organizers of the show, are also passionate about what they do and work hard to make sure we, the designers, have the best venue possible to expose our work to buyers, the fashion world, the press. They have become like my French family when I'm in Paris and operate their business with grace and humility and tremendous experience and savvy.




Every season I go, nervous with the hopes of introducing my work to the world, always a risk and always made immensely better once I arrive at the show, unpack my suitcase and start to set up. Always made better, when Hortensia and her wonderful family greet me at the door with kisses and smiles, when I see my old friends and meet many new. Always made better when that first buyer or magazine editor walks up and vindicates months and months of hard work.

the flat of my lovely friend Coco, where I stay when I'm in Paris, on rue Cardinale Lemoine

Look at the Le Showroom website under "exhibitors" to see more of our catalog shots and some of the other designers at the show! And if you have another minute to spare, read one of my early posts, in February 2007, with an early packing list for Paris! Ha..so funny to read again now...

Amy

photos by amy sahba

Working with Amy today was wonderful. She captured things in so many beautiful ways I could not imagine. I've been looking through her photos all night, captivated. I hope my editing is ok...I couldn't wait to show you just a few...

{click for a bigger look}

a little break and a good egg

When your hand hurts from editing and you need some dinner in a hurry so you can get back to work and you suddenly have more tomatoes than you can humanly eat alone and little else in the pantry here is what I suggest:

Cut up some excellent tomatoes and some red onion--better yet, sauté the two until they are soft and sweet...add a little basil or thyme, maybe tear a little smoky ham, prosciutto or even black forest. Poach some excellent eggs and serve on top with a crack of pepper and a little sea salt.
Peek into the yolk and dip your spoon in or mop with some good crusty bread. My new thing is that I want poached eggs on top of everything: sauteed spinach, mushrooms, boiled new potatoes, what else?

(hey, who needs some tomatoes?)

Gobi and Old New York

a few fun ones

I have a best friend who happens to have ties to an exceptionally beautiful old New York institution invited us to come in and do our day 2 shoot there. It's got deep jewel toned interiors lined with old dark mahogony and oak, a main gallery filled with Tiffany glass and antique silver and every inch of wall is adorned with 19th and 20th century paintings and prints.

If that's not enough, there is also a live bird menagerie with exotic species of birds that are beyond belief--I wish we had gotten pics of all of the birds there, but the chubby little Quaker Parrot below, Gobi (who thinks my friend is his girlfriend) kind of stole the show as did





the very large, very statuesque African Raven below that's in a few of the shots we got at the club. He almost swiped a piece of jewelry but we got out of his way pretty quickly.

a little peak

a few pictures from the spring/summer 2009 collection

And that isn't the half of it...an incredible collaboration over two days between an incredible photographer (my amazingly talented husband!), a beautiful model, and a few other assorted creative types. More soon...

Sweet Camille

Having a cup of tea this morning and catching up on some of my favorite blogs. We've been working hard on the shoot for the last two days. I'm told I collapsed face down into my pillow on Friday after the first day but today am energized by all the talent and good friends I've been surrounded by all weekend. We got so much amazing stuff and I am so happy with these I can't even tell you.
I'll be editing all day today and so will show you some sneak peeks later on...promise!

Couldn't wait though to post about this...Camille's idea for a Pay it Forward--a kind of "giving event"! I love the idea and so want to offer it up too! {Camille is my incredibly talented blogger friend from Rtemis: Huntress of Epicurean Delights (cute right?) who's culinary delights have my mouth watering every time and who's sweet comments on my blog keep me posting whenever humanly possible!}

See the rules below her scrumptious looking pictures:

the three photos above are by Camille from her blog Rtemis

"Pay it Forward Exchange:
Here are the rules: I agree to send something fun, cute, and nice to the first 3 blog owners who post a comment on this entry. In turn, those three will post this information and pick 3 people they want to send something to and so on. Unfortunately, due to postage costs, I can only pay it forward within the United States. If you are interested in participating, be one of the first 3 blog owners to leave a comment!

You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link to me, and then send something to the first three people who comment on your blog so that this continues. When I have the first three to comment I will email you a request for your shipping address and I will send out something that I hope will make you smile!"

(I know exactly what I'm going to give!)

James Merrell

Looking for inspiration for the shoot, I rediscovered James Merrell through one of the very first blogs I've ever loved, This is Glamorous where I can always find a wealth of delicious visuals and introductions. I chose these above because they relate somehow to what I'd love to achieve in my jewelry work and I wish in this shoot...I love his easy way with the camera and his subtle, earthy and often exotic vignettes, a natural disorder which is compelling in it's disheveled-ness. They offer such a beautiful way in---I wish I could live inside them.

a book a day

images by Wynn Veen from Romance Everyday

books online...I got lost here for a while tonight. the book above is one of my favorites---I also love this one and especially this one. (Found through the site of photographer James Merrell (see next post!).

(tomorrow is our first photoshoot...very excited!)

the biggest tomato, a hot pink zinnia and good morning glories

have arrived.

Then I had to cut into that tomato for my lunch and since I'm a total food nerd, had to take a picture of that too (a little pan con tomate con goat cheese, oh yeah!)