lara's blog

new liberty pattern: frozen berries...

2012-01-16T09:54:00.001+01:00

Let's hope this new liberty pattern is a success, just like the last one I showed you here: it was sold to french childrenswear brand Vertbaudet! I can't wait to see what they do with it! I'd really love to see it on their clothes! :) Have a happy Monday!

last patterns of 2011 - 2

2012-01-13T11:34:00.004+01:00

scrapbooking collection sneak peek...!

2012-01-09T09:58:00.000+01:00

So this is the last scrapbooking collection I worked on for Prima Marketing Inc. and they just uploaded this sneek peak to their blog! The collection is called "En Français" as Paris and it's charms have been my inspiration! I can't wait to see the entire collection for real! Will keep you posted! :) Have a nice week!

last patterns of 2011 - 1

2012-01-03T11:27:00.001+01:00

So let's keep going with the last patterns I did in 2011... this one is part of the selection I gave my agent in december, it's a little part of Italy that I took with me in my memories... olive branches, blues and greens... :)

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T16:09:00.000+01:00

Well, this is where I spent Christmas this year! It was wonderful... Have a happy 2012 everyone! :)

new pattern [boats]

2011-12-11T18:02:00.001+01:00

I've had a little issue with uploading images to my blog this week but it's all fixed up now, so here's one of my latest patterns! :)

new pattern [bows]

2011-12-01T21:38:00.001+01:00

Lots of work going on here, little time for blogging left... so I'll just post some of my new patterns in the coming days as I did a whole lot of them recently, among other exciting ongoing projects...!

ara02 for Les Invasions Ephémères

2011-11-07T22:04:00.000+01:00

Remember I told you about the brand, ara02, my friend Sara and I recently launched? Well, one of our designs for Les Invasions Ephémères was turned into a wall decal for their new collection. Very sweet! :)

softness of winter...

2011-11-02T22:19:00.000+01:00

I love the softness of feathers and snowflakes and I think the light pink and grey suit them perfectly well. I'd love a throw and pillow made out of these patterns to cuddle up in winter... :)

bright flowers

2011-10-26T14:20:00.001+02:00

... are what I could need right now! :)

red sea

2011-10-25T16:47:00.000+02:00

This year we have treated ourselves with a really nice holiday... we went to Egypt · Red Sea, and it was all about relaxing, swimming, reading good books, snorkeling, eating in good restaurants, watching sunsets, riding camels, diving and a lot of tanning...!
Now it's back to work until Christmas but believe me, we came home with fully recharged batteries!

an apple a day...

2011-10-11T19:30:00.000+02:00

new pattern

2011-10-06T21:30:00.001+02:00

Every girl can do with a little liberty from time to time, right? :)

IF : hibernate

2011-10-04T18:39:00.000+02:00

It was about time to take part in Illustration Friday again...!
It is all cloudy outside and days like these make me want to do just like this little squirrel and read good books, drink a hot cup of tea and dream for hours... :)
What is your way of hibernating...?

dalahästar...

2011-10-03T21:17:00.000+02:00

The Dala horse is one Sweden's symbol. It is made of carved and painted wood and was originally made by swedish woodcarvers as a toy for their children.
I have always loved it's very simple yet stylish form and have finally decided to create a pattern based on the Dalahäst. :)

pour some colorful milk in your tea...

2011-09-06T14:58:00.000+02:00

I know it's all about back to school and autumn coming soon but planning my patterns in advance, I am now working with a springy feeling in mind which, trust me, is very good considering that Paris will soon be under rain and grey skies again...

Would you like some colorful milk in your tea? :)

how could I not...

2011-08-27T14:00:00.003+02:00

love my man? ...When he has these beauties sent to me while working abroad for 2 months... the distance becomes a lot easier to handle when you get these sort of surprises! :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

A relaxing break....

2011-08-20T20:41:00.003+02:00

I know last time I posted here I said I'd be back in a week time... well, the week became a month and I'm finally back from a little break, it started with a weekend in Brittany after which I came back to work for a week but after that I spent quite some time in Paris and went for a little journey to the Isle of Rhé... it was lovely... here are some pictures... enjoy! :)

lovely pitchers

2011-07-13T17:14:00.005+02:00

These are some pitchers I'd love to add to my collection! Meanwhile, I just like to play around with my drawn versions of them.

I'm off for a little national day-vacation in Brittany, see you next week!

longing for an "atelier d'artiste"...

2011-07-11T19:44:00.008+02:00

We spent the weekend in Brussel (which was great by the way!) and this was the view from our hotel room...

And this is the part that got my entire attention...

... from the moment I saw this rooftop studio, I wanted to have the same one in my own town/in my own house! (in better condition if possible!) Can you imagine how great it would be to turn it into a studio? A real "atelier d'artiste"!

So I've been looking for some inspiring photos on the internet...

And now I just NEED one... can you blame me? ;)

have a nice week!

ara02 pillows

2011-07-06T14:43:00.004+02:00

A lovely picture from Les Invasions Éphémères' catalogue... (I'm still waiting to get my samples, I'll show them to you as soon as I get them!)

- pillow design by ara02 -

my little topiaries...

2011-07-06T14:11:00.003+02:00

a new pattern I did for my Paris agent Atelier LZC...

the weather is gorgeous here today and I'm off to paint...!

have a great day!

exciting news: our brand "ara02" !

2011-06-30T17:12:00.006+02:00

The basis to the big project I'm working on is that my very talented friend Sara Ödman and I created the brand ara02! (as we're just starting we don't have a website yet but as soon as it is up I'll let you know!) So, I still can't reveal what exactly we're working on (sorry for that!)... but besides our main project, we work for other brands, like this collaboration we did with Les Invasions Éphémères, a Paris-based brand who started with wall decals and are going into textile now. Sara and I designed a whole range of baby/child textiles for them, such as bibs, bath capes, pillows and pencil cases!

enjoy! :)

new banner and colors!

2011-06-27T15:03:00.003+02:00

to celebrate the fact that I'm back here and will be posting more often, I just changed the blog's layout - banner and colors - hooray to the new 2011 version! :)

a little update and a new pattern

2011-06-27T13:17:00.003+02:00

Finally I'm back blogging! I have been working on a new scrapbooking collection recently - which needed quite a lot of time - so it's one of the reasons why I haven't blogged at all for some time... (I will show you the papers as soon as they're out in the shops) ... Another reason is my "project" I have been telling you about quite some time ago... It has been delayed a lot... I can't tell you more about it, just that we're on the hunt for quality rather than trying to finish it quickly! Which is a good point I guess... :)

Now to the new pattern: after my recent trip to China, my agent LZC asked me to work on a lotus flower pattern... so here it is!

the liberty dream

2011-02-02T19:40:00.004+01:00

these are the last wall stickers I worked on some weeks ago... can't wait for sping! have a nice week! :)

happy 2011!!

2011-01-11T12:32:00.004+01:00

happy new year everyone! May this year be filled with all the things you wish for... and a lot of creativity! :)

This is the latest pattern I designed for my Paris agent Atelier LZC!

apologies...

2010-12-06T16:30:00.003+01:00

... for my long absence on this blog... but... I have great exciting news to share: I am working on a big big project!! You should know more about by end of January!

Meanwhile, enjoy some of these french pastries! :) (they remained unchosen for one of my projects but I am sure they will find a new fresh and fun purpose someday!)

Have a nice start in the week!

let it snow!

2010-10-19T20:01:00.002+02:00

It's not snowing yet, but I can feel the winter coming...

x-mas designs...

2010-10-18T12:01:00.001+02:00

...is what I have been up to lately :)

Liberty dream

2010-10-06T17:08:00.003+02:00

Busy times and not a lot I can post about here... but at least I have a new pattern to show! :)

birthdays are fun!

2010-09-29T14:14:00.004+02:00

Yesterday night was party time... we arrived at our friend's house by surprise and celebrated her birthday with good food, champagne and cocktails! As you can guess, this is the birthday card I had made for her...

happy in the tree...

2010-09-10T11:54:00.003+02:00

Have a sunny weekend everyone! And be as happy as these birds in their tree!

new pattern

2010-09-06T22:38:00.003+02:00

A new pattern to wish you a nice start of the week!

typo fun

2010-08-31T18:22:00.004+02:00

Playing around with type for a personal project today... [ the second one is, of course, based on the very famous "keep calm & carry on" ]

Update: this is how the first poster ended up :)

--- still working on the other one

playing around

2010-08-20T17:16:00.002+02:00

... with an existing pattern can be fun sometimes! :)

road trip

2010-08-19T15:41:00.010+02:00

A while ago Prima released my new scrapbooking collection: road trip .

I'm back!

2010-08-18T10:51:00.004+02:00

After this long break during which I... went to NY for a quick holiday, moved to our new place, planned a new collaboration (shhh, can't tell you yet!), went to Greece and Crete for a real holiday, and plenty of other exciting things........ I'm finally back blogging! :)

Enjoy this summer pattern I have been working on lately!

I'M TAKING A BREAK

2010-05-26T19:13:00.004+02:00

- vase by Atelier LZC / photo: Lara Brehm -

I have decided I need to take a break from blogging for some weeks... I have too many things to do and as you have seen I haven't been blogging for some days now, so I just wanted to let you know that I'm off for a while. I promise to try my best to be back ASAP but I'm not sure how much time I need to handle everything so let's say, I'll keep you posted! :)

Meanwhile enjoy this lovely summer design on ceramic... - vase by Atelier LZC

Let me tell you...

2010-05-11T14:13:00.002+02:00

... not a little secret, like these dumbo-octopuses* are doing! Just let me do a little update and tell you what has been going on in my life lately and why I haven't been blogging for 2 whole weeks...! [yikes!]

I have been doing quite a few trips back and forth between Paris and South Italy to finally move back to Paris... the 8 months are over and la dolce vita has come to an end... so sad! But it's also nice to be back in France! (if it wasn't for the bad bad weather...!)

Right now I'm handling a big bunch of things like paper work, tidying up (it's unbelievable how much space 8-months-abroad-brought-back-home take!), working on new patterns, new wall decals and... a sticker collection!... well well well... busy is great! and anyways, the weather doesn't really make you wanna go out unless you feel like taking a little outdoor shower.....!! :)

* I saw the dumbo-octupuses for the first time on tv last week, in a very nice reportage made by Yann Arthus Bertrand, the author and photograph of Earth From Above and Home. They live in the extreme depths of the ocean and as you can guess, they get their name because of their ear-like fins. I thought they look adorable and would be a nice subject for a new pattern!

"in the rain" patterns from sunny Paris!

2010-04-21T21:51:00.007+02:00

Being back in Paris is wonderful, but time flies... it really does! I'm sorry for not posting a lot these days but I'm working on some projects I can't show you yet... I have worked on something nice I can post about though. Remember my illustration for IF:rescue? Well, I have worked on some matching patterns to it and I think they would work well for kids' bedding and pyjamas. What do you think?

summer fruits are back!

2010-04-15T13:52:00.002+02:00

I had the first strawberries this year a couple of weeks ago in Italy and they were simply delicious! The other day I had a very tasty melon and I can feel the first cherries aren't that far away either! :) To yummy summer fruits!!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-02T20:11:00.004+02:00

I'm heading off to Paris on Sunday for a couple of weeks and I'll have plenty of things to do and to catch up on, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post around here. Until the next post I wish you a happy Easter weekend / holiday and I'll leave you with what's happening in our Italian garden... isn't it beautiful?

lazy day...

2010-03-31T18:13:00.004+02:00

Today was a wonderful day, beautiful, sunny, hot... so it turned into a kind of lazy day but sometimes you need that kind of unexpected break and it felt just perfect! :)

IF: rescue

2010-03-30T20:11:00.003+02:00

From time to time I like to imagine a little story that matches the Illustration Friday theme of the week... This week's theme is rescue. Can you see with how much love and care mr. Elephant rescued his little friends from the rain...? :)

ps: click on image to see it bigger!

New items in my shop!

2010-03-26T13:44:00.013+01:00

Totebags and napkins are now available in my Liberty Lemon print in my shop!

clownfishes

2010-03-25T15:58:00.003+01:00

I don't know what it is I have with fishes lately... maybe I'm just longing for the first sea bath of the year! Anyway, here's my new clownfish pattern!

Like a fish in the sea...

2010-03-24T17:14:00.005+01:00

New patterns I did for Juna Studio

Lemons, honeybees and butterflies

2010-03-23T18:00:00.003+01:00

Spring is officially here and we had a gorgeous sunny week-end! In the garden the lemons have grown very big and all kinds of flying insects enjoy the blooming flowers... which inspired me this happy spring pattern!

got myself a little treat today...

2010-03-22T16:05:00.006+01:00

L as my initial, but also L as in live, laugh, love, life, lemons, lampshade, linen, lime, etc, etc... :)

* got it from Urban Outfitters

* T & T's incredible race *

2010-03-17T15:49:00.005+01:00

I have been asked by a friend of mine to do a portrait of her & her other half, she didn't mention anything in particular, so I was totally free to imagine a little story between them! A good point was, I knew which colors would match their apartment. The project was a lot of fun to work on and I think the two characters look pretty much like my friends! :)

ps: click on image to see it bigger

penguins and winterflowers

2010-03-16T11:46:00.002+01:00

I have been asked by my Paris agent Atelier LZC to work on some designs in a style that would be close to what they do themselves so that my designs would be more likely to match their own range. I had a try and I think the patterns turned out quite well. Now I'm waiting to hear what they think about it.

I know it's more of a winter pattern but sometimes you need to plan things in advance! :)

As for me, I'm starting to regret we'll leave Italy so soon, now that the sunny & warm days are coming back!

new in shop : Bean the Pug pillows!

2010-03-12T11:46:00.005+01:00

I know I wanted to show you some decoration items I like today but I have thought a lot about it and I might get me an entire decoration blog pretty soon... I just need the right amount of time to think everything through and to be sure I can handle 2 blogs!

So in the meantime I'm off to Naples and I leave you with my new pillows in shop: "Bean the Pug"! Yes, it's Courtney's Pug... again! :)

I think little Bean looks quite posh in her medallion!

Have a sunny weekend!

Oh, and you can get the pillows here!

home sweet home...

2010-03-11T12:36:00.005+01:00

Whether you have an adventurer's soul or you are more of a couch potato... the best place to be is always home! It's the place you love to come back to, a place filled with memories, souvenirs, objects you love, in a word... your life!

In the next following months big changes are going to happen: moving out of Italy, back to Paris, and then again moving to a new place in North-East France called Saint-Dizier... Which means a lot of home changes! I'm very happy to go back home to Paris but also oh so excited to start a new chapter of my life moving again! And I can't wait to start decorating, refurbishing, etc, etc... decoration/decorating has a huge place in my heart and I think I should post more about it here! So from now on I will start posting about ideas, objects, furniture I could imagine seeing in my future home...! But more on that tomorrow, for now let's just enjoy the sunny day and dream about the new life! :)

ps: the birds + birdhouses are a new pattern line I designed for Juna Studio and will be on show at Surtex NY in May!

my dotty friends

2010-03-10T10:12:00.002+01:00

Introducing a new colorful kids pattern I made for Juna Studio! It's lovely to work with bright colors when the weather is all grey and rainy!

hide & seek

2010-03-05T19:13:00.004+01:00

Planning a walk through the forest for the week-end? Why don't you play hide & seek like Mr. Bear? :) Have a nice weekend everyone, see you next week!

Bunny play with me

2010-03-03T17:06:00.003+01:00

Much to do, not a lot of time, just a few minutes to show you my new pattern "Bunny play with me"... I'd love to see it on kids' clothes!

Spring is here!

2010-03-02T21:02:00.005+01:00

It seems like it's already Spring here in Italy! Today was a wonderfully sunny day, one of those you want to enjoy walking outside for hours and looking at the beautiful colors of blooming flowers... But... I have to work, inside, on my computer. So I get the inspiration from what is happening outside my windows! :) Enjoy the spring flowers!

seaside patterns

2010-02-25T21:17:00.003+01:00

Can you tell how badly I need a little seaside holiday? A real one, with a big bright hot sun, nice cocktails and white sand under my feet...! :)

Bean & Wally

2010-02-19T11:59:00.003+01:00

If you try to remember... in september I showed you an illustration I made for a lovely couple getting married on a nice caribbean theme... got it? Ok... well now try to remember their two cute dogs swimming in the background sea of the same illustration... Yes! Bean and Wally! :) Courtney came back to me a few weeks ago asking if I could design a pattern with her dogs. And so I did... but I couldn't stop myself after 1 pattern, so I made a whole range of them! Now I can't wait what C will come up with, putting the designs in use!!

dolce Venezia...

2010-02-18T12:56:00.004+01:00

Our stay in Venice was perfect: wonderful city, amazing weather, delicious food, crazy and beautiful costumes, what more can you ask for...? We had a great time! Enjoy the pictures!

mix & match flower pillows

2010-02-16T18:08:00.004+01:00

As I'm pretty busy but can't show you what I'm working on right now, I thought I'd post this fun composition I made with all the Mix&Match Flowers pillows available in my shop! :)

ps: click on image to see it bigger!

Venice!

2010-02-12T09:26:00.003+01:00

So today we're off to Venice! And... it's carnival there right now! Can't wait to see all the beautiful masks and costumes! I've always dreamt to go and today it will finally happen! :)

Have a nice week-end! See you next week with hopefully a lot of pictures to show you!

this picture was not taken by me, I found it on photo-venise.com and found it beautiful!

shop opening

2010-02-11T13:59:00.006+01:00

Tada!! Surprise! I have a shop! It took me some time to get there but I now officially have an online shop ! It's not an Etsy shop because from where we live in Italy it's impossible to send things... so for now the shop is powered by Envelop.eu. Envelop is a great online print studio selling high quality cotton items printed and assembled in Belgium by means of an eco defendable production process.

All the items shown in this post and more are available in Lara's shop!

If you have any demands concerning upcoming designs in my shop, I'm open to all suggestions, just let me know! :)

ps: Today I was very happy to see my dear friend Anna mentioned my shop on her blog and named me blog of the week! :) Anna is a very natural, sweet and fresh swedish girl, living in Paris. She blogs about interior design, details about the perfect wedding, cooking, fashion and a lot more a modern housewife wants to see and know! So hop over to her blog, it's really worth stopping by!

for you... scrapbooking fans!

2010-02-09T18:05:00.003+01:00

For those of you who liked my Umbrella scrapbooking paper collection for Prima Marketing, I'm glad to announce it can now be found & bought online! So if you like it and ever get to do a scrapbooking project with it, I'd be very glad to see your creations! :)

The papers are available on Two Peas in a Bucket, on StopandScrap.com and probably on a few other scrapbooking suppliers' websites, I just haven't checked out everything yet...

Now, start having fun!

inspiration: our garden in Southern Italy

2010-02-08T17:22:00.007+01:00

Last thursday we were left without electricity for almost the whole day, so no internet and no computer... luckily enough the weather was amazing and it wasn't even cold so I spent a long time outside, discovering all the hidden treasures of the garden we are so fortunate to live in... how can you not be inspired by such beautiful forms and colors?!

ps: sadly the uploading to the internet makes a big color difference... they are much brighter in the original files.

hens & daisies

2010-02-05T10:57:00.002+01:00

It's incredible how much more you get done in one day when you don't have access to the internet... but then again you miss the blog-reading, blogging, checking your e-mails, etc... don't you? Well, anyway, I didn't have internet yesterday so I spent the whole morning in the garden, seeing what beautiful flowers grow here in the middle of winter...! I'll try to show you some pictures next week, but in the meantime enjoy my first flowery inspiration: a new pattern called hens & daisies!

I wish you all a great week-end!

ps: Be expecting a little surprise on this blog next week! :)

juggling...

2010-02-03T15:57:00.004+01:00

Little sausage dog is doing it with balls... and I'm doing it with work assignments... busy times! Which is nice, I love being busy! But seriously... can't believe the week is almost over!

my magical horse...

2010-01-29T11:41:00.003+01:00

I met a magical horse who told me I could take the week-end off and go to Rome... :)

Have a magical weekend everyone!

Happy Birthday!

2010-01-22T10:44:00.004+01:00

Today is my blog's 1st birthday! But it's also my birthday... So I'm taking the day off! See you next week and have a lovely week-end!

…the picture was sent to me by my mom who is in Paris and made a birthday table for me!

Exciting World of Pattern Design

2010-01-20T16:49:00.003+01:00

I finally found some time to take decent pictures of my publications in Zeixs' Exciting World of Pattern Design! You can still order your own copy here!

upside-down :: new and improved!

2010-01-14T18:06:00.007+01:00

2010 has started off well for me and I'm being kept very busy which I like very much! The only problem is that there are lots of future project that I can't show you yet... (but I promise, you will see them as soon as they come out!)

Now, I am still sending patterns to my agent in Paris and sometimes I use a pattern I did some time ago but that never made it to become anything real... So I give him a little lifting for a more modern look, I add some matching patterns and off it goes... to the worldwide shows! :) I'm happy these patterns don't stay stuck in a drawer (- file of my computer actually -) and get their chance too! Today I am showing you the new and improved upside-down "seaweed" patterns!

Scrapbooking - Umbrella Paper Collection

2010-01-07T17:26:00.005+01:00

As I promised you yesterday, I am showing you the entire Umbrella paper collection (+ embellishments) I created for Prima Marketing Inc. last summer. I am super excited to finally introduce you my own scrapbooking collection, and I definitely hope it will not be the last one I design since I had a lot of fun with this one...! :) Let me know what you think about it, would you use it?...

Hurry up...!

2010-01-06T19:17:00.005+01:00

There are 3 good reasons why you should hop over to the Prima blog right away...!

1) First of all..... They are showing sneak peaks of their brand new scrapbooking paper collections... (which are, acording to me, all gorgeous!)

2) ... One of which is mine....!!! (*sigh of excitement!*) My very first scrapbooking collection ever! It is called "Umbrella", it is flashy and bright, happy and colorful, just like a funny day out in the rain!...

3) Prima is hosting a wonderful giveaway where you could win a set of their scrapbooking flower ornaments!

These reasons should be enough to get all of you running there straight away! ;)

Now, I won't tell you more, go have a look by yourself!

PS: I will show you my entire Umbrella collection tomorrow, right here! Don't miss it! :)

* happy 2010! *

2010-01-04T16:27:00.005+01:00

I hope you all had a nice Christmas time and a rocking new year's eve!

I have really been enjoying the free time in Paris... 2 weeks of holiday, no work, no worries, no phone calls, no reunions, nothing but relax, family, friends, tea, fireplace, snow, champagne, fun, chocolate, cookies, books... aaahh.... pure happiness!! Now I'm back in Italy and the busyness is on again...! Lots of things to get done soon and hopefully lots of things to show you very soon too!

This year is also going to be a year of many changes for me... the dolce vita ends in April, and then it's back to France and moving again... but more on that in appropriate time!

For now, I'll just wish all of you a wonderful, healthy, successful, loving, creative and joyful 2010! Oh and... Thank You for your lovely words, your comments and support in 2009! It makes me going on! :)

have a rocking x·mas time!

2009-12-17T23:46:00.002+01:00

So this is my x·mas card for this year, and I think it quite speaks for itself…! :) So please don't forget to have a rocking x·mas time! :)

sneak peak!

2009-12-11T12:34:00.003+01:00

I know I have been neglecting you lately... But as a little forgiveness gift, I have a sneak peak for you on something very exciting I'm working on right now.... I just can't show you more, nor tell anything about it yet... but you can guess, if you'd like to! :)

This afternoon I'm leaving for a well deserved break! The destination is kept secret because it's a surprise for my other half... but you'll know more about it next week!

Have a lovely weekend!

portrait

2009-12-02T12:42:00.002+01:00

This is a portrait I made quite a few months ago for a friend's birthday... showing her and all things she likes in the bubbles... and yes! I like to make portraits of my friends for their birthdays! :)

Hope you're having a nice week so far!

getting ready for Christmas time...

2009-11-29T19:32:00.004+01:00

Among the huge amount of things I will have to do next week is the project of making myself a nice Xmas card I can e-mail or send via regular mail to my family and friends this year... Last year's card was a big success and I thought I'd show it to you (I also made some gift tags), since my blog didn't yet exist back then... how time flies! And so many things have changed in a year of time...!

What are you planning for Christmas this year? :)

no... but yes!

2009-11-22T19:41:00.004+01:00

No, I didn't forget about my blog...

No, I don't abandon you, my lovely readers!

No, I don't have enough time to do all the things I'd like to...

No, an entire week without blogging won't happen!

Yes, I do have tons of work! And I you ask me I feel quite spinning around, just like these new pattern series I did today...

Yes, I am willing to post more next week!

But... I still found time to take a little walk on a wonderful wild beach not too far away from where we live... I needed to breathe! And it was just perfect!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, I hope it was a good one for all of you!

publication [Zeixs Pattern Book]

2009-11-12T16:35:00.007+01:00

The Zeixs Pattern Book is out! Zeixs is a German design books editor... I submitted some of my designs to them a few months ago (following the kind advice of Bowie on her Print and Pattern blog), and the Zeixs team informed me they would publish some of them!... I am now eagerly waiting to get my copy of this funny tiny book, to see which of my designs were chosen! Below are some images of what you can expect to see in the book (as said and shown on the website), can you guess which patterns are mine? :)

ps: get your very own copy of the Pattern Book or of any other Zeixs design book here...

xmas patterns

2009-11-11T18:27:00.004+01:00

Just like these patterns, I'm all about Christmas already... the streets are already full of Christmas lights and decorations, I'm thinking of the presents I will give this year, the cards, gift tags, wrapping papers I'd like to make... let's hope there is enough time for everything!!

Gallipoli...

2009-11-05T17:55:00.005+01:00

... is a city that is about 15 minutes away from where we live in South Italy, the historical center/harbor is a lovely place to take a walk on a sunny morning, watching the fishermen coming back from the sea and emptying their nets... aaah life can be wonderful here!

post # 100 [a present for you!]

2009-11-03T12:45:00.006+01:00

It's been a while since the last post... it's only because I wanted to make this # 100 post special for you! Everything seems to be all about Christmas here... yes, already!! So I designed a gift tag for the occasion! This little gingerbread man is waiting to make you and your friends happy! Just click on the image, it should be big enough for you to save it on your computer... and print it out! Print as many as you like, any size you want, cut out and start spreading early gifts or save the tags for Christmas day! :)

ps: I have tried it out for you and I think it works lovely with a golden kraft wrapping paper and a red/golden ribbon!

glimpses of a late summer

2009-10-26T17:24:00.003+01:00

Today has been wonderful here, lots of sun and warm weather, which is pretty lovely when you have a full week of pouring rain and storm behind you! So I thought this pattern, which I made for Juna Studio, some days ago, would match this warm feeling...

Have a nice week!

portraits of friends - part 3 (the last one!)

2009-10-20T19:41:00.002+02:00

I've been back in Italy for 2 days now and it feels great, even though I do miss Paris a tiny little bit...! Today I did a little sightseeing tour... I will try to post some pictures I took soon! But for now let me show you the last portrait I did... It's my friend Marie, she loves sushi, don't we all love it?? :)

portraits of friends - part 2

2009-10-19T19:30:00.003+02:00

This is another of the portraits I made for my friends' birthdays. It's quite different from the first one... every portrait matches a different person & personality. Please meet Marie-Emmanuelle and her addiction to call her friends! She can't live without a phone!

in the mood for a warm apple cider...

2009-10-14T17:21:00.004+02:00

The weather is cold again in Paris, but with a wonderfully blue sky and a bright sun up there! Still, the cold makes me long for a chimney fire and a nice cup of hot apple cider! And this was my inspiration for my new pattern "winter spices"... (I know it's only fall, but sometimes winter can be amazing!)! Have a lovely day!

portrait for bride & groom

2009-10-13T00:40:00.004+02:00

I don't have time for a big chat right now, so I will just leave you with this illustration I made for friends of mine who got married this weekend, it's one of the personal projects I have been working on lately... As you can see, the illustration also works upside-down and I had lots of fun making it!:) Have a lovely week!

summer flowers or autumn leaves?

2009-10-08T00:53:00.003+02:00

This is a new design I came up with last week for contemporary women fashion for Juna Studio. You could see it as flowers or already interpret autumn leaves, depending on your mood... I am on a little Italy-break right now, spending a few days in Paris where the weather is kind of weird, not knowing exactly if it should still be summer or if it's time for autumn... exactly like this pattern, it matches both seasons!...

portraits of friends - part 1

2009-10-05T23:58:00.004+02:00

This week-end I went to a great birthday party and a part of my presents for each of the 3 girls who were celebrating was a portrait of herself, doing what she most fancies... so let me introduce you to "Alexandra, the fashion-victim"... :)

plenty of things to do!

2009-09-30T18:53:00.002+02:00

I have a whole lot of projects going on, some for work, other more personal, and everything tends to mix a little bit and to be stuck together in a big mess, just like these cars (a pattern collection I designed some time ago for Juna Studio) stuck in the middle of a huge traffic jam...! I have to get my head a little clearer... and working things off would probably be just the right way to do it...!

oh dog!

2009-09-29T19:42:00.004+02:00

I have been asked to design animal patterns in a less childish way, something that could be used on fabric for adults (although I think it could also be used for kids... ), so here go my new dog patterns! what do you think? where do you see them?

being surrounded by nature...

2009-09-28T11:44:00.003+02:00

... is healthy, beautiful and inspiring! I hope to show you some pictures of the wonderful garden we live in very soon!

Have a nice start in the week!

I'll be back very soon!!

2009-09-23T16:23:00.005+02:00

the rhythm of publications on this blog has dramatically slowed down during the past weeks... I'm sending all my apologies to you, my lovely readers!! I hope to be back to my regular posting rhythm very soon, I promise I will do my very best!

In the meantime, here is a little treat for your eyes... it's an illustration I made this summer for lovely Courtney who came across my blog and made some nice comments on one of my patterns... after chatting for a little while and getting to know each other better, we worked out an illustration of her and her hubby John for their wedding - on a caribbean theme as you can guess - ! They are now happily married and I had a great time working with her!

Congrats Courtney! ;)

ps: click on image to see it bigger!

some news at last!

2009-09-13T10:09:00.007+02:00

I have arrived in Lecce, south Italy, about a week ago and I am moving in today! So the excitement is big! I have been taking some intensive italian classes which has been very interesting so far. I have also gone to several beaches and I hope to see more very soon!

Now, I don't know if it's the fact of being a bit tired after all this traveling, settling down, etc... or the fact that I now live in a country that makes great coffee (even if I'm not a coffee fan myself...) that inspired me, but the result is this tiny cup of coffee and all it's flavor & scent drops!

I might not be able to connect to the internet in the following days so please forgive my absence! I promise to come back as soon as I can! :)

Have a nice end of week-end everyone!

glimpses of holiday...

2009-08-31T14:17:00.002+02:00

It's been 3 days that I'm back in Paris but I still can imagine the sound & smell of the sea and all the bright colors that made my holiday unique and amazingly relaxing! It was all about laying on the beach, getting tanned and having no internet, no cell phone and nearly no shoes at all! hhhhmmmm... great!

Now to another very exciting news: I am moving to Lecce, Italy for 8 months!... wow, I still can hardly believe it myself... I'm going with my boyfriend who will be working there... we only got the news 2 weeks ago so everything is kind of hectic right now, getting everything ready, packing, trying not to forget anything...! we're leaving at the end of this week and then we will have to settle down there... so I might not be able to write around here for several days...

... but until I'm back blogging again, I will leave you to my holiday's pictures, enjoy! :)

ps: click on the image to see it bigger!

my holiday...

2009-08-14T17:53:00.002+02:00

Today is a good day to tell you where I will be going on holiday this year... it will be......... Tunisia!!!!! :) I'm leaving next week for a week of rest, swimming, sunbathing, having cocktails and everything fun and relaxing you can think of... :)

Have a lovely week-end!

living in a raspberry dream...

2009-08-11T20:22:00.002+02:00

a new summer pattern! How would it be to live in a raspberry dream...? Probably a lot of fun and surely very yummy! I just had an excellent raspberry sorbet yesterday night and I swear it was hard not to eat it all up!! Today I also planned my holiday... :) but that's another story and I'll tell you more about it in another post!

I hope you are all having a lovely summer so far!

house pattern

2009-08-07T15:34:00.002+02:00

another pattern range that made it to Printsource! :)

Have a great weekend!

lara's blog

new liberty pattern: frozen berries...

last patterns of 2011 - 2

scrapbooking collection sneak peek...!

last patterns of 2011 - 1

Happy 2012!

new pattern [boats]

new pattern [bows]

ara02 for Les Invasions Ephémères

softness of winter...

bright flowers

red sea

an apple a day...

new pattern

IF : hibernate

dalahästar...

pour some colorful milk in your tea...

how could I not...

A relaxing break....

lovely pitchers

longing for an "atelier d'artiste"...

ara02 pillows

my little topiaries...

exciting news: our brand "ara02" !

new banner and colors!

a little update and a new pattern

the liberty dream

happy 2011!!

apologies...

let it snow!

x-mas designs...

Liberty dream

birthdays are fun!

happy in the tree...

new pattern

typo fun

playing around

road trip

I'm back!

I'M TAKING A BREAK

Let me tell you...

"in the rain" patterns from sunny Paris!

summer fruits are back!

Happy Easter!

lazy day...

IF: rescue

New items in my shop!

clownfishes

Like a fish in the sea...

Lemons, honeybees and butterflies

got myself a little treat today...

* T & T's incredible race *

penguins and winterflowers

*new in shop* : Bean the Pug pillows!

home sweet home...

my dotty friends

hide & seek

Bunny play with me

Spring is here!

seaside patterns

Bean & Wally

dolce Venezia...

mix & match flower pillows

Venice!

***shop opening***

for you... scrapbooking fans!

inspiration: our garden in Southern Italy

hens & daisies

juggling...

my magical horse...

Happy Birthday!

Exciting World of Pattern Design

upside-down :: new and improved!

Scrapbooking - Umbrella Paper Collection

Hurry up...!

*** happy 2010! ***

have a rocking x·mas time!

sneak peak!

portrait

getting ready for Christmas time...

new in shop : Bean the Pug pillows!

shop opening

* happy 2010! *