And it all started with her… the founder and genius of CHANEL, COCO CHANEL. After her, for decades KARL…. Like Chanel, as she was known as COCO, he was simply called KARL. Two unique and original people who truly changed the world and left us amazed and happy.
Now the Karl Otto Lagerfeld, passed, all we have left are his creations, that were so unique, controversial, like his runway shows and of course his quotes…. It got to a point where a new word was invented to describe his style , and opinions- KARLISM!
Yes, google it, and it will come up! I always admired his fashion and personal style. A true artist, that influenced my opinion in art and fashion of course. HIs style was even an excuse not to clean up my desk as a kid.
He had a lot to say, a man who kept for himself, in a world of art, books, and photography. I never illustrated or sketched his fashion, because simply I believed I was not worthy of this, simply because he did a fantastic job in sketch and product. But with that said I was a huge fan of his designs. He dived deep into the world of each collection he was inspired by and needed total privacy and solitude to create.
I always illustrated CHANEL perfumes and accessories…. It was and is my homage not only for COCO but also for KARL.
But now what comes next for the house of CHANEL? The new creative director is the Right Hand of the Maestro Virginie Viard. Click HERE to find more out about her! If she was the right hand I think we can only smile to what Chanel will have to offer in the near future! I am looking forward to see the next Chanel collection and so should you!
XO<
Lorena
PS: Stay humble, charge your crystals and smile. Also to honor KARL, check out the ETSY SHOP and get in touch for custom orders…. Prints related to Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld….
Like you know I am always working on many projects at the same time like that Mondrian brooch, the Rosebud modern Romanian Point Lace doily, the lace mask, and the Rosa Canina with abstract vein elements, etc….
So let’s just talk lace for a minute….. Is your coffee hot? Mine is…. like you know I am a coffee addict!
Every time I create a piece of point lace, does not matter, if it home decor or a jewellery , an accessory, etc…. I want to tell you the best way to keep it clean, dust free, and long lasting.
Are you ready? Sure you are!
First of all each project needs it;s own place, while you work on it. I keep mine it little containers if I am at desk. If it;s on the go in a zip bag is best.
I don’t buy boxes unless it needs to be organised in the lace closets. Yes, I do have lace closets where everything is organised by colours, or projects or topics, art, books, threads, etc…..
I use for example a fererro rocher square box once the chocolates are done, or an ice cream container once it;s empty. First of all you recycle, so nature check and second you save money!
These boxes are great and if they get damaged you do not feel sorry if you discard them, you did not spend a dine on it.
The other think is just in case you have little kids like me or pets, you can keep your project save and dust free. It’s easy to pick up and move it away or store it.
But now let me show you all the projects started!
Mondrian inspired brooch! Loved to make the brooch and it will be a one of as far as I can think atm. If the interest is there, I might start a line. Let me know what you think about that!
It has a pin at the back and is fun to wear on something white or black!
Now the other project if you remember, was the Rosebud modern Romanian Point Lace doily.
I finished the embroidery and once it was all in place, it was time to work on the back side of the doily.
The back part is simple crochet. There is no real pattern that I followed. You need to make sure that it;s neat and covers the back in an organic motion. See image.
You can use the doily as a wall art, which I do mostly. So I framed it in a vintage style frame, like the one below or use it on a furniture piece or a tray, etc…. I am sure you find a fantastic use for it.
It;s very trendy atm to use crochet doilies as a dream catcher so why not with this type of doily?!
Sew around the edges of the rosebud embroidery designs and connect the crochet back part with the embroidery. Now you can steam clean or iron press the ready doily.
If you feel that you worked the doily a lot and the threads feels, or looks dirty, give it a quick hand wash. Make sure that you do not squish it very harsh and dry it flat on a towel. Once it;s air dry ( no dryer) you can start using it. If you feel the need to block it by all means do it. I have notes that with most RPL pieces it;s actually not necessary. BUT, said so, if you like it extra flat and stiff, of course you can block it. Here is how it looks in the frame.
What I wanted to achieve it that the embroidery is at the edge of the doily. Normally in traditional RPL, the embroidery is only in the centre. Recently, it started to become trendy and more embroidery is added, in other places, like ending and between the cords.
The lace mask you have seen in the older blog post, but if you need a reminder, click HERE. It turned out gorgeous the mask and the little one was very pleased with it. I created a listing for it and it’s now available on ETSY as custom order.
The Rosa Canina floral design in traditional ecru and white from the last blog , click HERE, was just the beginning I think … I am very inspired to take this project a bit further and create something different with it. and so I experimented with different threads and styles. I used silk rayon and rayon silk threads- different sizes and colours. All is wip atm. The pink thread is pure silk and is from the UK DeVere Yarns. If you want to check them out, click HERE.
Is there a project you explore more? If yes, let me know!
Working with different types of materials, is sometimes a challenge and very interesting.
I actually like masks, I have to say I can’t wear them coz I am wearing glasses and absolutely failing on putting contacts on. With this said, I can show you how I made a mask of course in RPL for the first time! Now the image above is not your usual mask, but I think you know by now, that I never pick your usual designs! Image -Guo Pei Haute Couture Gilded Mask.
The Idea…..
I was asking in a really gorgeous FB group what else I could create in RPL , next to my jewellery and pattern. Now one lady suggested, that I create lace masks, and so I did a lot of research and gave it a long thought. If you would like to check out her amazing Etsy store, check it out HERE. She does gorgeous items! Thank you Karen, you made me think about mask lace idea! I had many questions, that I needed to answer, before even embarking such project. A large project because, masks are different. You put it around your face, so it has to mould easy and stay ok….
So I checked Pinterest. Here you can visit our our boards!
And the cords is on!
Above, you can see the beginning of the mask idea…. Raw, easy and still a virgin….. LOL! I had no particular fillings in mind, no ideas, where it will take me and if it would be larger or smaller. Quickly after the base idea was shaped in my mind, colours and netting were picked. I ended up adding tulips to it.
It was important to me to combine, greens and vibrant colours to make it all come together. And like I said, I wanted to say away from black and classic red or white. Anyways, this is where it went…
A mask is an ancient form of a facial disguise, it was used to frighten enemies and contain identity. In modern day the mask is generally known to be a symbol of the concealment of the ego behind an artificial mask. In ancient Greece the mask was very common, and used for actors on stage. But do you know, where that mask comes from? Actually mask exist from 7000BC and were used in theatre ( Greece) but they became very popular in ancient China and in the 13th century they very introduced in Italy, specific in Venice…. The rest is history and the mask dominated and fascinated Europe since then… The Carnival was born and the Masquerade…. was a new idea… But back to this project…
The Sketch….
Before starting the lace on calico and having enough cord, I always sketch and draw the idea of the mask. This sketch was the start and birth of the mask. Even though I sketch the mask with an adult woman in mind, I wanted the mask to be wearable for my little girl in mind.. I wanted to make it fun and here came the idea of adding flowers and so to add colour – in this case vibrant emerald. She is born in May so emerald is her gemstone. It was falling into place just fine.
I also introduce into the mask, the traditional crochet rings, as seen above. I loved the idea of recreating a web like design….. I will elaborate the sketch into a watercolour print as soon as possible….
The designs in the mask are a mix of netting and fillings. I am also using different type of cords like you see in the image above. A simple cord in the dark / emerald green and a fan cord in the lighter green.
The Illustration…
So, now let me show you how it looks on her…. coz voila it;s ready! And If you are interested in having a mask done in this style or similar, get in touch! Also if you like the illustrations, you can check out the Etsy Store HERE. I am very exited about this piece, not only because it;s the first time I made, it, but also because it made my little one so happy and she felt exited about wearing something so different!
When I was creating these cute little gift tags, this song was playing in the background.
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Don we now our gay apparel
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la
Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la ( from the song Deck the Halls)
Now I am not known for using a lot of Rhinestones, or even any… but in this case I make an exception! I love these cute Coco Chanel Inspired Gift tags. I was always wondering as s child why is it always a Snowman and not a Snow-Woman?! No copyright infringement intended – I simply love Chanel and always wondered how a Chanel Snow Woman would look like!
So I created a few sets in classic black and white and a few colourful sets ready for Christmas. They are handmade, fabulous on high quality watercolour paper and are perfect to style every gift. Check them out HERE!
Don;t wait till Christmas, these goodies might be gone!
I know, Self Love is a big deal these last years, and I am still not sure if people really understand it or acknowledge how important it is and because we are all different, it will mean something different to all of us.
Sometimes we are so busy with our lives that we do not see outside the box… We drown in guilt, pain, sorrow, stress and so much more….. Stress is today such a big factor that we literary forget about our self.
I wan to share with you how I build up Self Love…..and what I do to take care of my mental state, my body and personal growth.
Step One
Find your happy place.….Yes, find your happy place… This could be your walk in closet, or a place at the beach, even your special place in the garden…. wherever it might be, make it yours. Sit there and do not think about tomorrow, or the bills you need to pay. You need to connect with yourself and bills, worries, stress are not welcome in your happy place!
My happy place is the bathtub. I know how that sounds, but it;s true. It;s simple, available and comfortable at home. From the economic point of view it;s great as well. So this is what I do. My happy place starts with a hot bath, where I add bath salts, some with lavender infuse, fresh herbs like sage from the garden, lemons and orange slices if I have in the house as well as flowers…. Now to this I add crystals, like Agate, Rose Quartz and Amethyst, Himalayan salt.
Step Two- No Comparisons
It is very important that we stop to compare our self with others. This goes for your work, your marriage, your parent style, everything you can think of. Once you let go of this, you will feel much better, not only for yourself, but you will discover that the freedom to create, the freedom to think free is back in your life.
I have done this and so have you! It’s just inviting bad energy in your life. Get rid of it, now!
Step Three- Do something you are good at!
You need to find something you are good at. For me, it’s ART. It boosts the self -esteem and makes you feel great, productive and you gain a lot of positive energy when you do something you love. You are building self -love! If you are interested in this particular print to remind you the Self-Love is important click here. So if my thing is art, your might be pilates, cooking, or gardening. etc….
Step Four- Self Love Ritual
Yes, I know how that sounds, so do not roll your eyes , yet. This is what I do. It;s simple, and you might even laugh now. I give myself a hand / feet massage. It takes me about 20 minutes, where I unplug from social media, form radio, tv, etc… In total silence, I massage my hands and feet with oil or lotion. Once done, I treat myself to a spiky ball therapy. You can purchase them on ebay or in any sports store. I got mine from Aldi.
Step Five- Tackle your closet!
Yes, a clean self -love mind, starts with a clean organised closet. I am not the clean freak for sure, but I like my closet to be clean and organised so I can Organise and get rid off all the stuff that you do not need. Let go of it! It helps your closet and your mind. It will make you feel light and fresh. Shoes, Jewellery, clothes, etc… that reminds you of bad events or brings negative memories into your life, need to go!
I know we do not all have a Carry Bradshaw Closet, but we can make it all work with accessories and a good clean out! Make it work! You will see, how it will make you breath easy as soon as you are done!
I hope this helped you out that way it helps me to practice Self Love! How do you practice Self Love?
XO,
Lorena
All Images from Pinterest. Print image from the Etsy shop.
I would like to introduce you to this gorgeous lady, Black Splash Boho Earring… She is in the Etsy shop…. but this is not the main thing!
I want you to discover, this fantastic Jewellery shop on Etsy from Australia. Vanessa creates gorgeous Jewellery and I think it;s worth your time to check her shop out HERE.
Now, another thing about Etsy and I will shut up about! I am having a Sale in my jewellery Lace store and maybe you find some Christmas gifts! I feel it;s never enough time to shop for XMas!
So check out the lace shop HERE, and get 30%off all jewellery! Use the Coupon code Use Coupon: JEWEL30OFF It starts today 2 Oct and last till 6th Oct! Happy Shopping!
And now, to Welcome October, I want to give you a FREEBIE! Check it out HERE! Enjoy!
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What I wanted to achieve it that the embroidery is at the edge of the doily. Normally in traditional RPL, the embroidery is only in the centre. Recently, it started to become trendy and more embroidery is added, in other places, like ending and between the cords.
