Dior-inspired Flower Girl {Basket}

Remember this Dior ensemble?
Whose color palette inspired the upcoming wedding of a young bride-to-be?

Remember the post about this Dior-inspired ring pillow?

Well, a few months after that post, she contacted me again requesting a flower girl basket.
So, I sent her an image of the handmade fabric flower cone my flower girl carried in my wedding (made by my mom) and proposed a Dior-inspired version:
~Black double-faced satin ribbon handles
~blushy nude brocade for the body
~ruffled vintage noir swiss dot fabric topped with a thin black velvet ribbon
~adorned with a handmade Parisienne petal flower pin
~lined in soft brushed satin in a creamy latte hue

Quite a decadent flower girl "basket" I would say!

_{a romantic Dior color palette: nude, champagne, a hint of blush and noir}

I know I have said this before, but this flower girl cone is my favorite thing I've made so far. I felt inspired to make another one for myself. I also couldn't help but imagine the little flower girl's dress? What color is the dress? What style? I can only imagine!

To view more pictures/details of this handmade flower girl cone,

visit Weddings à la parisienne.


<sub>We will be busy with lots of summer activities including a little vacation, the rest of this month, so you may not see much of me or hear from me for a couple of weeks, but I'll be back soon!

images by à la parisienne - Runway image in collage source unknown</sub>

A Statement of the Romantic Kind ~ Weddings à la parisienne

I'm pretty sure you all know that I love weddings by now.

I just wanted to share with you some wedding inspiration shots I've taken recently for my Etsy shop. And, yes, I've been a little chignon fanatic ever since my chignon post.

I just love the color of vintage {faux} pearls. You wouldn't think I were crazy if you saw me at the grocery store wearing all of my strands at once would you? Maybe a little too glamorous for buying a sack of potatoes...

Perhaps on our next date.

I think I'm going to do a little shopping for another wedding dress (for inspiration anyway). Obviously not to get married in but for photoshoots or to wear around the house for fun {Remember that Friends episode?}. A few months ago I asked my mom if she'd make me another wedding dress, and she said yes.

I've also been begging my mom to open an Etsy store. She could make vintage-inspired dresses or wedding dresses and, of course, I would help her get started~She won't do it.

I'm going to keep pestering her. Maybe she'll give in.

_{For more wedding"show and tell," be sure to visit my Weddings à la parisienne blog from time to time or become a follower.}

Thank you all for your visits and sweet comments about my Parisienne Boudoir. I will be sharing more pictures soon!
_{images by à la parisienne}

Vintage Noir~Weddings à la parisienne

Several months ago I was commissioned by a sweet Etsy customer to create six black velvet and nude fabric flowers for her champagne, cappuccino, and black Fall 2011 wedding-Sounds lavishly rich doesn't it? These flowers were fashioned to accessorize her wedding cake.

Velvet flowers on a wedding cake?

This is going to be some kind of wedding!

Many of my long-time followers may remember the post I wrote over a year ago about this lovely Dior-inspired flower.

After she received the fabric flowers for her wedding cake, she requested a custom-made ring pillow. For a brief moment after reading her email, I panicked. That meant getting out the sewing machine and sewing something all.by.myself.

Sure, I've sewn a few things. Heck, my mom is a seamstress, and I grew up watching her sew wedding dresses, pillows, prom dresses, doll clothes...but this time I had to do it, and someone would be paying me!

I wasn't going to wuss out on this one. It's a ring pillow, right?

_{My first Parisienne Ring Pillow}

One piece of advice that my sister-in-law gave me when I started my business was:

"Never turn down a custom job, even if it means making something you've never tried. You never know what it will turn into."

I've remembered these words so many times when customers request things I've never made, and you know what, those custom orders have been some of the best things I've ever made-not to mention the most enjoyable to make.

_{seven handmade noir chiffon flower pins by à la parisienne}

Here's another recent custom order for seven bridesmaids.

Black seems to be à la mode for weddings now days.

How I wish I could see the professional photos of these weddings and maybe catch a glimpse of an item that I made gracing such a beautiful day.

_{images by à la parisienne}

Blushing Arrangement~Weddings à la parisienne

A bowl full of ruffled, pale blush flowers for seven sweet bridesmaids.

I have always loved weddings, and lately, I have had the priviledge of creating feminine accessories for brides who love romantic adornments on their wedding days.

Thank you for attending my à la parisienne Show & Tell.

Have a happy weekend!

_{images by à la parisienne}

Parisienne Stocking Stuffer

Okay, let's be honest, most of us are natural procrastinators when it comes to Christmas shopping. But I must brag, I have already purchased 5 Christmas gifts so far...not impressed?

Okay, neither am I. I have so much shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, and planning to do in less than 6 weeks.

{swift shudder of panic}

Oh, and I am in charge of the children's Christmas play at church this year, which means more planning, rehearsing, singing, setting up the stage, acting....but it is always such a delight to watch these children in the spotlight!

So, I've been a good little elf, and lately I've been brainstorming and creating for all of the special holiday events coming up, and, of course, for my Etsy shop just in time for the holiday rush.

In hopes of offering some good deals on my Etsy, I've decided that

Every week from now until Christmas, I will be having a sale on certain items in my Etsy shop.

This week's sale is on one of my newest additions to my Etsy-

a winter white felt brooch adorned with a vintage black button, and houndstooth leaves, properly named Winter in Paris.

From November 15- 17th this flower will be on sale for $10.00 plus shipping ($2.50).

*This classic winter flower pin is very versatile and can be worn by a young girl, teen, or woman.

*It is great for stocking stuffers, Chinese Christmas exchange, or any office gift exchanges.

*This brooch will be pinned to a pretty coordinating paper and will be placed in a cellophane bag.

*Best of all, it will come right to your mailbox!

Okay, my shameless promotion is almost over.

_{a glimpse of this year's Christmas tree}

For those of you who loved the vintage fur neckties, I have added more!!

I hope you all have a happy week!

I am off to do some more Christmas shopping!

Giveaway and The Treasure of a Letter

I hope that you will take the time to read this post as it reveals something truly important to me, and I hope that it speaks to you as well. {Giveaway information is at the bottom.}

Within me are two people-the blogger, graphic designer, photo editor, photographer. This first person is the techie-the entity in me that emerged as a surprise. I can only imagine what my former high school English and French students would say if they knew I worked on the computer on a day-to-day basis-some would scoff and others perhaps feel betrayed.

You see, I was always the anti-technology teacher-not the one who taught like I was from the Stone Age by passing out countless worksheets and reading the stupid chapter from a book. No, I mean anti-technology in the way that I view social relationships.

The other person in me hates the excess use of texting, voicemails, IPods, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Yes, I send/receive texts (maybe one per month), use Facebook from time to time, and I think that these are wonderful tools for quick info swapping.

But....

Do you ever just wish texting and emails were not the first resort?

Am I the only one that feels like this chatter that we share in these mediums can be so empty? meaningless? superficial? impersonal?

You know the family member who ignores his calls, allows them to be transfered to voicemail and then responds by texting back?

Oh, yes, his time is so much more valuable. He is in the middle of buying animated livestock on Facebook!

What happened to the treasure of receiving a letter or the pleasure of penning a sweet note to a friend?

_{Parisienne Correspondance No. 1}

When I was teaching, every year around Thanksgiving, we discussed letters vs emails and you would be amazed at how much teenagers value real notes and letters. In fact, the majority of them admitted that they had a stash of these cherished handwritten notes that were received from their mothers, fathers, grandparents, little sisters, girlfriends, friends.

Then they spent the hour writing a sincere thank you letter to a person of their choice.

And, yes, I read every word of their letters before they were delivered.
Hope is not completely lost in the younger generations.

_{Parisienne Correspondance No. 2 -Ladurée-Inspired}

Here are some of the precious advantages a letter can bring that is void in digital exchanges:
*Smell- the scent of perfume, smoke, aftershave

*the uniqueness of a person's handwriting
(When I recall my former students, I still remember their eye color and handwriting-Two things I always remember about people aside from their names)

*the hint of emotion- anger breeds quick, sloppy writing, while bliss brings forth fluidity and graceful writing.

*touch- a letter is handled by the writer and the fingerprints of that person will forever grace that page.

*Extras- stickers, smiley faces, underlining, pressed flowers, little sketches, and kiss marks cannot be equally expressed through email, texting, or Facebook.

_{Parisienne Correspondance No. 3}
In an attempt to revive letter-writing, I am offering a giveaway.

Two winners will win :

*One set of my Parisienne Correspondance Cards (sets pictured above)

*One set of my Naturally Nostalgique postcards

_{Naturally Nostalgique- "Hang in There"}

_{Naturally Nostalgique -Blank}

_{Naturally Nostalgique-"Just Keeping Tabs"}

_{Naturally Nostalgique -Blank}


*One set of Joyeux Noel postcards

{All card/postcard sets come with matching envelopes for all of those extras you want to include with your letters!}

Just leave a comment below to enter.

Giveaway will close on Sunday, September 19th at midnight (Central standard time)
Of course, sharing this giveaway with your friends would be appreciated!

For more details about à la parisienne card and postcard sets, click here or here.

_{All photographs used in cards/postcards are by à la parisienne}

Giveaway!~Parisienne Petals~a la parisienne's new romantic brooches~

For all of my loyal friends out there, I wanted to share with you some exciting news. A couple of weeks ago, I added a new product to my Etsy store~Parisienne Petals~romantic brooches that have a vintage appeal. As a "grand launching" of this product and a thank you, I want to give one of these brooches to one lucky winner. Winner's choice!

A little bit about my hand-made flowers:

*Each brooch is made of luxurious fabrics-silks, velvets, brocades, taffetas
*All petals are hand-cut by me
(These aren't craft store flowers with a pin glued to the back.)

*The design of these brooches are one of a kind- I created the template for the petals and I select the fabrics.
*Edges of petals are treated to prevent fraying.
*I love using authentic vintage pearls, beads, jewelry and ribbons for the centers of my brooches.

~Le Petit Trianon Brooch~

This flower is my Marie Antoinette inspired brooch. I drew these colors from the gorgeous robin's egg walls in the Petit Trianon at Versailles and sumptuous dresses worn by the actresses in the film Marie Antoinette.

Although the color palette of this flower might be considered more fitting for the spring and summer months, I would still wear it in the winter...but that's just me.


~vintage vanilla cream brooch~

I hand-dyed the fabric used in this brooch to make it a creamier shade of white.


~La Sorbonne~

A charcoal raw silk brooch, with the appearance of linen is a great color for fall yet light weight enough for spring.



~velvet decadance~




This brooch is one of my very first creations. It is fashioned with layers of dusty rose and burgundy velvet. It is ruffled and so very rich.


~Satine~ Inspired by Moulin Rouge

~A scarlet silk and crinkled velvet brooch~a rich, classic, striking

How to enter the parisienne petal giveaway:

You must leave a comment below to enter. Anyone may enter!


If you would like to increase your chances of winning:
(For each of the following, your name will be added once more to the hat.)

*Visit my Etsy store, come back and tell me which brooch is your favorite.

*Become a follower. (Current followers will also be added to the drawing an additional time. Please mention in your comment)

*Become a Facebook fan of a la parisienne

*Do a post over my giveaway. (You must inform me of your post.)

*Purchase a brooch from my Etsy.

If you win, you may select another brooch for free-to keep or give as a gift.

You could have your name added to the "hat" up to six times for this giveaway.

Entry deadline: Saturday PM, November 14th.
Winner will be announced Monday, November 16th.

Throughout the week I will be sharing with you many of my other brooches. I look forward to hearing from you.


Bonne Chance!!!