STARTER KIT !

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Hello everyone! Darlings, it’s finally here after months of working, waiting, testing, feedback, and excitement. Meet our latest project: the Starter Kit! It’s a box, a beautiful one, with a powder pink drawer, dotted with red and gold polka dots. In it, you’ll find the most beautiful tools to start sewing! To finally “start” or at least get a fresh start, with brand new, irresistible tools! My heart skipped a beat when I came across these miniature scissors that are perfect for embroidering! And the little embroidered heart patch... it made me want to start a new line of them! Check out our video made with love like the rest of the project! Anyways, the starter kit is the result of months of research and testing. It’s Wear Lemonade’s one year anniversary gift to you!
I can’t believe that it’ll soon be available to you too! It’s an awesome feeling to work on such a well­rounded, complete project. I wanted us to have something special that symbolises our world, that’s pretty and practical. As a child, I was sure that with a new backpack and pen, I’d be a better student than the previous year. Nice tools are part making a resolution stick! Like when you to go back to the gym, you buy a new, killer outfit... I wanted this started kit to inspire you to get back behind your sewing machines, to take on new projects and above all motivate you to Make. Because with these tools, we could rename it all as the ‘kickass sewing kit’!
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In this magical box, you’ll find:
  • A pair of (heavy) fabric scissors, sturdy and just the right size
  • A small, adorable pair of embroidery scissors
  • A box of short pins, 15 grams worth!
  • Red dressmaker’s chalk, perfect for light and dark colored fabric
  • A clip, so you won’t loose the patterns you’ve cut­out
  • A set of needles, because you can never have enough
  • Gold thread, because everyone loves shiny things!
  • Masking tape for putting together your PDFs (yes, you read that right... #comingsoon) or to sew a swimsuit (oh yeah!)
  • A little embroidered heart patch to sew on any creation...
You can order the Started Kit in the eshop for 59 euros. And you can stop by the Lemonade Studio this afternoon to pick yours up!
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  1. We have some more good news for you... we’re releasing the Wear Lemonade fabrics today! We’re testing out the sales of our own print motifs on cotton poplin, it’s high quality and so soft! There only are our Wear Lemonade motifs, available in limited quantities:
  • Our navy blue cherries, ‘Cherry Chérie’, on a powder pink background
  • Our navy blue eyelashes, ‘Crazy Eyes’, on an off white background!
  • Our poppy red polka ‘Dots’, on an off white background
We don’t sell the fabric by the centimeter but in 1m50 or 3m lengths. These are the two standard sizes we use to make all our clothes. 1m50 for small projects like shirts, pillows, etc... and 3m for all other dresses. 1m50 of fabric is 32 euros and 3m is 56 euros, a better deal. I know this is a lot of information for one post but today’s a big day for us! I hope you’ll like it! Let us know if you have any questions! I can’t wait to hear back from you! Hugs and kisses! Lisa
make-my-lemonade-tissus-18   Thank you to Meera for letting us use her lovely hands, to the Musicalist guys for the music, to my love, Thomas, for the heavenly special effects, and to Esther for loaning us her lovely ‘Valentine’ typewriter! If you would like to do some DIYs and have some time this weekend, please come see me on Printemps Maison Haussman’s 7th floor for three workshop sessions! You can sign up there starting at 2 PM! Translated by Whitney Bolin[:]
26 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

DIY LIGHT BOX

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Hello my little darlings! You’ll need to go back to your wine shop to buy more wooden cases this week! I’ve been thinking over this DIY for a while now. Before going crazy with neon lights and other lighted message boxes, I wanted to make a light box for tracing fonts and drawings... I looked all over the internet to find a nice and easy tutorial. There were hundreds of videos and articles on “how to make a light table”, but nothing was easy. You had to be able to cut 45 degree angles in wood, add hinges... I just wanted something simple. The other day, while at the wine store for my butterflies (no, I’m not crazy, you know), I saw wooden cases with their sliding covers and that got the ball rolling. I could imagine using it for the butterfly frame, the light box, and so many other things! Almost as if I was Amelie Poulain who had just solved the mystery of the photo booth guy, it was my ‘eureka’ moment... or something like that. It made my day, no, it made my week!
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So without further ado, I’ll show you how to make this light box! The most complicated thing about it will be drilling holes, but it isn’t hard!
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For this DIY, you’ll need:
  • Wine cases that you can buy empty (or full) at a wine store, the same as those used for the butterfly project last week!
  • A sheet of frosted glass, cut to the dimensions of your case, 4mm thick (this can be cut at Leroy Merlin or any hardware store)
  • A drill
  • An electric cord with a plug and switch like this one here
  • A small screwdriver and a connector block (very important)
  • A fluorescent bulb that fits lengthwise or diagonally in the box
  • Reflective mirror sticker or aluminum foil (but the mirror sticker reflects light better)
  • Double sided tape
  • A small paint roller
  • Lovely words to be downloaded here
  • Tracing paper
  • Masking tape and a small can of paint (optional)
To start, make some holes! Drill three small holes in the back or on a side, they will help keep the box from overheating (I used a 8mm drill bit). Now is also the moment to make a hole or two in the back of your box if you’d like to hang it up later!
Next, poke a hole on one of the sides of your box with the same drill bit so you can slide the electric cord in. Then, take a piece of mirror sticker and cover the inside of the box. The mirror paper will evenly reflect the fluorescent light. The sides are optional, but if you’d like it to reflect really well I suggest you cover them. Don’t forget to re­poke the cooling holes with a screwdriver or scalpel.
Take off the protective film and let’s start painting! For the side of the box that will have the glass, put masking tape on the sides, hiding the small notches that give away the box as a wine case. Carefully cover the side and let’s keep painting!
Using a small paint brush, clean up the angles... use the little roller for the rest of the box. I suggest doing several layers, since the wood soaks up a lot of paint! While the paint is drying, let’s move onto the fun part: the light. Round up the fluorescent bulb, your decorations, and your cord!
Take off the sides of the fluorescent cord using cutting pliers and thread the electric cord through the box’s lateral hole.
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Put together the fluorescent cord using a connector block. I know it’s kind of scary but I promise it’s easy! Slide the electric cord’s two wires into the two holes on one side of the connector block and repeat on the other side with the fluorescent wires. Cut a piece of double sided tape to hold the bulb in place in the back of the box.
Hold for a few seconds until the tape stays in place, and close the box with the frosted glass. Looking good!
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Print out the word of your choice. Using tracing paper, trace the word. But it’s up to you to write whatever you want! Have fun with it! I can’t wait to see what you write on your walls! Now, using a black Posca marker, go over the letters! For those that have a silhouette cutout machine, you can also cut out the letters in black sticker paper!
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Don’t forget to fill in the letters, be patient and go over it several times. The end result will be better! And TA­DA!
make-my-lemonade-do-it-yourself-boite-lumineuse-finishTranslated by Whitney Bolin[:]
25 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

GRANDE EPICERIE FOODIE[:]

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Happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a good weekend, whether it’s spent under the covers or in the sun. As for me, I’m doing a shoot in the rain and taking a break to write you! Today I’d like to share some recipes with you that were ordered by La Grande Épicerie de Paris... The store is starting it’s very own brand and asked us to come up with some recipes using their high quality products! I love this store, I could spend hours there. The packagings are amazing, I would like to buy everything, their products are so beautiful! If you’re ever visiting Paris, I strongly recommend going just for the beauty of it all and to be inspired by the way they showcase their products. It was a pleasure to work with them! For this special occasion, I’ve concocted four easy recipes, from breakfast to dinner, not forgetting snacktime! Even if you can’t make it to rue de Sèvres in Paris, these recipes are very do­able with everyday items! Hugs and kisses, see you tomorrow for a lovely mother/daughter photo shoot!
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Insta­worthy gourmet bowl:
Behind this mysterious name hides a breakfast that’s a treat for the senses, be careful not to overdo the presentation, you might be late for work...
You’ll need:
  • Fromage blanc or greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon raspberry jam
  • 5 “petit beurre” (shortbread) style cookies
  • 10 raspberries
  • 1⁄2 banana cut into slices
  • Blueberries and gooseberries
  • Some almonds, pistachios, and pine nuts
Start by laying out a tablespoon of jam (or two depending on preference) at the bottom of a bowl. Then crumble cookies on the jam. Pour yogurt on the cookies and start to decorate the top of the bowl with the fresh and dried fruits. The more you lay out the fruit in an organized fashion, the prettier your bowl will be. Add edible flours and you’ll be an Instagram hit! A healthier alternative to jam is applesauce! Most importantly, enjoy!
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Chicken Hot Dog : For two snacks you’ll need:
  • 2 chicken cutlets,
  • 2 hotdog buns
  • An ear of corn
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1⁄2 lemon
  • Small bunch of shallots
  • Several cilantro leaves for decoration
  • Some olive oil
  • Quality mustard
Start by mincing the chicken and cook on low heat in a bit of olive oil with the corn. Meanwhile, remove the shallot leaves and cut the avocado into cubes. Put the vegetables in a small bowl and sprinkle with juice from the lemon half. When the chicken is almost done cooking, start toasting the hot dog bun for a few minutes, but be careful not to do if for too long, otherwise it’ll be too dry. Once the bread becomes golden brown, spread mustard on one side along with the chicken, add the avocado, sprinkle on the corn and shallots. Finish off with some more mustard and cilantro leaves! Enjoy! You can serve your hot dogs with a side salad of romaine lettuce, a dash of olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice!
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Citrus Supreme with tea and orange blossom
Here’s a nice alternative to cookies at snack time... don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.
For a tasty snack, you’ll need:
  • 1 grapefruit
  • 1 orange,
  • 2 teaspoons orange blossom
  • A few grams of citrus tea
  • A few small mint leaves for the final touch!
make-my-lemonade-recetteSet aside a large bowl for your citrus fruits once the meat has been taken out. To supreme the fruit, you’ll need to choose firm, quality fruit! You’ll first need to take off the skin and white membrane from the outside of the fruit using a knife, then completely peel the fruit. Now that the grapefruit and orange are ‘naked’, slide a knife along each membrane in fours, cutting from top left to bottom and the same thing to the right, this way you can take out the meat from each fruit. Continue doing this as if you were turning the page of a book for each membrane. It may seem a little barbaric, but it really should be easy if you use quality fruit and the knife is sharp! Once you’ve finished, save the juice from the fruit in a cup and add the orange blossom. Infuse the tea for several minutes in the juice/orange blossom mix before pouring it over the supremes! Decorate with a few mint leaves and enjoy!
Cold soup and artichoke striptease!
This is an easy, healthy alternative for those evenings when you don’t know what to make!
For two people, you’ll need:
  • 1 large artichoke
  • 500 g green tomatoes
  • 2 shallots
  • 4 mint stalks
  • 4 basil stalks
  • Sea salt
  • A small box of crème fraîche
  • Truffle olive oil
Firstly, peel and finely mince the shallots, then clean the mint and basil. Put the green tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water in order to take off their skin. Beforehand you may trim the tops of the tomatoes. Run them under cold water to keep from cooking them and peel, cut, and deseed them. In a blender, add the shallots, tomatoes, mint, basil, and crème fraîche as well as a generous pinch of salt and mix until homogenous. Pour into bowls and add a touch of truffle oil, refrigerate until ready to serve. Making the artichoke part is easy and delicious! Fill a large pot with water and add three tablespoons of coarse salt. As soon as the water boils, add the artichoke, you’ll see that it’ll want to flip upside­down... to keep it turned in the right direction, block with a small, heavy plate. Let it be for 20­25 minutes on medium heat. You’ll know the artichoke is tender and done cooking by poking the heart with a knife blade! Let it completely drain and enjoy taking off the leaves while pairing it with the cold soup! To make dinner decadent, snack on savoury crackers stuffed with pesto: spread salted truffle butter (oh yes it exists, and it’s delicious) or tapenade sandwiched between two crackers!
make-my-lemonade-recette-6 Translated by Whitney Bolin
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22 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

HAPPY FRIDAY #88[:]

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Happy Friday my darlings! At the last open house, a reader asked me if I could do an article on how to mix Wear Lemonade pieces with other clothes from one’s closet. So today I’m going to focus on the Chiara dress, or knee­length dresses in general, with six different looks that I hope you’ll find inspiring! I was wondering if during the next office open house we should set up a ‘question box’ for those who are a little shy... the team and I are thinking about organizing meetups/sales/workshops in several different cities as a sort of ‘Lemonade Tour’ (sorry Beyoncé, I’m going to steal that one from you) throughout France’s largest cities. To be continued...
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In this picture I’m wearing the Chiara dress with Asos espadrilles that I literally will not take off, I need to find them in every color, by the way Sézane makes them with lemons... And I’ve mixed up the outfit with a vintage military jacket, camouflaged or not, polka dotted or not, with a hunter green wicker hat from Goorin Bros. Cool khaki colors + navy blue + hunter green with yellow = a good combination!
In this picture, I’m wearing the Chiara dress in yellow sorbet with a powder pink Schott Perfecto Jacket, still with espadrilles (photoshopped to change the color) but I would have liked to wear mint green or mauve ballet flats, like something you’d see on Pinterest, with a wicker April Shower basket. The idea was to go all the way with a ‘maid of honor’ look, the jacket adding a unique touch while still being candy colored.
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I didn’t put together any examples with the three Chiara silk dresses but the silk version is perfect for your special occasions and after­wedding brunches. Even if you won’t be attending the Élysée’s (White House’s) garden party, you’ll shine in this dress at your best friend’s wedding... So my advice for the silk versions is to dress up as much as possible, sugary sweet, with a bed head hair and thick eyeliner for a twist or a unique touch like a pink motorcycle or bomber jacket. Otherwise go in the complete opposite direction, I’m sure it would look cool paired with some Doc Martens, a jean jacket, a military jacket, or otherwise a striped vest, or even an embroidered shrug jacket, have fun with it! If there’s ever a time to let your imagination go wild, it’s at a wedding!
Here I’m wearing the Chiara with a &other Stories belt but it goes well with any kind of colored belt, a André x Apologie lemon purse and magical, golden pumps from Jonak (one day I’ll tell you about this pair, it’s a story about a kiss, a Dane, and a slow dance in a fountain, shoes wet).
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For a cooler, every day version, I’ll wear the blue version of the Chiara dress with Stan Smith shoes and striped, glittery Wear Lemonade socks and a Jour/né two­tone jacket, but it goes with any colorful, casual jacket.
make-my-lemonade-wear-lemonade-robe-chiara074 The blue Chiara is like a good friend to me. It can be worn to work and then dressed up with accessories for the evening. Since it has a boat neck, I like to wear any kind of jacket on top! It creates a nice graphic detail and interesting lines around the face. It also works with a scoop neck vest, overalls, a shirt jacket, a motorcycle jacket... Go ahead and dress it down with a pair of Converse and a shirt knotted around the waist, at the office, beach, out to eat: the ‘bleu en chambray’ (chambray blue) is versatile!
I’m wearing the Chiara satin­stitch dress with the classic Petit Bateau yellow jacket. Those who watch Girls will get the hommage to Marni and her rainy wedding. With a pair of Asos ballet flats that blister my feet but are so adorable I can’t get rid of them...
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And here I’m having fun wearing the Chiara dress like the casual bride that I wasn’t, with a jean jacket, gold pumps, and a little wreath of baby’s­breath flowers in my hair. I think it’s a good alternative for a Pacs (civil solidarity pact) or civil wedding dress... you can do whatever you please with it!
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To be honest, I’ve been fantasizing about you getting married in Wear Lemonade. At the Lemonade Studio we get a lot of pictures of you in ‘Lolita’ style wedding dresses and every time my heart skips a beat! So why not tie the knot in the satin­stitch Chiara, it’s soft and lined, so you don’t have to worry about it being see­through. I admit I love little white dresses, I have a nice sized collection... these are my ‘little black dresses’ for summertime. I just need some nice weather to have a festival in white! To wear a little white dress for an occasion besides your wedding, I suggest pairing it with color for a ‘color block’ look, otherwise take another route, matching it with a black leather motorcycle jacket (something we should all have in our closets), temporary tattoos on your arms (I tried Laclaire studio’s, so cute), black nail polish, sneakers or black low top Converse. Anyways, everything goes with the Chiara! I must say, you’ve welcomed it with open arms! Thank you so much, I can’t wait to see how you wear it and your creations made from the pattern! Don’t forget to share pictures of your Chiaras on our Community page, we look forward to seeing what fabrics you’ve chosen! Hugs and kisses! Translated by Whitney Bolin
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20 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

CATCH THE BUTTERFLY

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Hello my darlings! I hope that you’re well and that you’re ready to have fun! Here we go, it’s time for an amazing DIY! I say amazing because I love it! The planets have aligned! This butterfly box is nothing other than a wine bottle box! To make it you’ll need a wooden wine case with a sliding cover, this is very important, otherwise this DIY is not do­able. When I went to the famous wine store ‘Nicolas’ (haha this is not a sponsored post) to ask if they had any wine cases to spare, I found out that they sell lots of different sizes. HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY. The good news is that they aren’t very expensive and it’s perfect for making a thousand amazing DIYs (I’m making up a light box for you very soon!). I’m off to the Lemonade Studio to make a butterfly box without having to catch a single lepidoptera (thank you Wikipedia...)!
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You’ll see, this DIY isn’t complicated. With a little bit of patience and precision, everything will go smoothly. This butterfly box is perfect for decking the walls of your curiosity cabinet or quite simply your living room!

make-my-lemonade-do-it-yourself-boite-papillionsFor this DIY here, you’ll need:

  • A wine case with a sliding cover, this one here is for three bottles!
  • Cardboard (a 50x65 cm sheet will be just fine) for the background and four rectangles to lift up the back
  • Off­white paper, such as Canson©
  •  Pins
  • Butterflies you can download here, these are illustrations from the book‘Papillons d’Europe et du Monde’ (Butterflies of Europe and the World) from the Place des Victoires publisher
  • A metal ruler and a scalpel,
  • Glue from a green tube,
  • Black paint and a brush,
  • Gummed Kraft paper tape and masking tape, or painter’s tape.
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Start by cutting the back of the box out of cardboard. Mark the measurements using the cover minus the centimeters corresponding to the parts that are in the cover’s groove once the box is closed, count approximately 1,5 cm less lengthwise.

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Out of the Canson©, cut out four rectangles corresponding to the inside contour of the box, for the height, measure the back of your box up to the groove and lengthwise, add 1cm that will make the tab to bring together all the contours.
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Pre­fold the tabs, marking the fold with the scalpel. Glue the inside up to the groove and insert the white box contours.
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Cut out the four rectangles out of the cardboard, 4 cm high. Put them together in a closed form with the help of pins, pinning them to the edge of the cardboard. Whatever the final dimensions are of the rectangle, this one is just there in order to lift up the back of your box, without it your butterflies might get lost.
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Put the rectangle that lifts everything up in the back of the wooden box and put it on the white cardboard backing. Start to cut out your butterflies before hand, printed on Canson© paper.
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So beautiful! This is a no­brainer, but be precise while cutting out the butterflies, this way they look more realistic! Pin the center of your butterflies and go ahead and put a dot of glue on them to keep the butterfly in place, otherwise they’ll spin around.
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VOILA, slide on the window! Not too shabby, right? It doesn’t look so much like a wine case anymore, but the little notches and the wood still are kind of reminiscent of one.
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Take the gummed Kraft tape and wet it all over using a sponge and glue it on the edge of the box, hiding the little notches. Do the same on the four other sides.

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With the help of masking or painter’s tape, protect the glass by taping around it with gummed Kraft tape. Start painting the box in black!
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TA­DA! I love it! I can’t wait to see yours!

make-my-lemonade-do-it-yourself-4-copieTranslated by Whitney Bolin

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18 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR CREATIONS[:]

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  Hello boys and girls, This is my first article in Lemonade Land, my name is Simoné (aka Olitax) and I’m the one behind Lisa’s photos, who solemnly named me the Prince of Pictures at Make My Lemonade (I appreciate it). Taking pictures of oneself is never easy, but we love it when you share your Wear Lemonade creations on Instagram and on our Community page! So to help you out, I’m going to share some tips to improve your pictures and showcase your work. With five ideas, we’re going to go over several quick tips together for a great snapshot without professional materials. Today, smartphone cameras are getting better and better and almost just as good as costly digital cameras. Therefore, we took this article’s pictures with an iPhone (other smartphones do the job too).

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Lighting: The most important part of a good picture is the lighting! But beware, not all light sources are good. Forget about the flash, old yellow lights and flickering fluorescents. If the weather is on your side, choose to shoot outside. Morning is best when the lighting is soft, or late in the afternoon (during the famous “Golden Hour”). Avoid noon time when the sun is high in the sky since the light is too harsh and will make put your subject into the shadows, not necessarily a bad thing but difficult to manage. If the weather is unpredictable and you have to stay in, pick someplace near a window in order to get the most light possible.
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Background: Often forgotten, a picture’s background is important to it’s success. You have to find a balance between something pretty and not too busy. A background with too much going on will interfere with the photo, eyes will be attracted to the objects in the background instead of showcasing the subject. Pick a light background to enhance your subject. Outside, you can quickly put together a nice corner of your apartment near a window, a colorful wall, or a pretty wallpaper.
More options are available outside, stand in front of green foliage for a textured and colorful background. A garden or park work well. For a street shot, watch out for urban items that aren’t very esthetic (trash cans, parking meters, and other poles that aren’t very pretty), choose rather a nice bench, lamp post, or a colorful or unusual street. Play with perspectives. To give a nice background to your picture, stand in front of a beautiful building’s door.
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Framing: To showcase your silhouette and enhance your creation, choose a slightly low angle. This means that the camera should be ‘lower’ than the subject being photographed. Remember to stand back and avoid shooting too close to your subject.

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Posing: Two words: have fun! Give it your all, like in a Dior ad, to put it simply. The secret is not to overdo the poses. You can also play with the clothes you’re wearing, spin around to give life to the fabric, one hand on a hip, on your tippy toes, etc... have a great time!
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Editing:

This really isn’t about doing some sort of professional editing with Photoshop but rather just improving the picture’s colors, cropping, or adding effects. These changes can completely change your picture. For example, if during the shoot the lighting wasn’t strong enough, the image brightness will help you boost the luminosity. You can also use the blur tool during editing to make the background slightly fuzzy and focus even more on the subject. This tool should be used with caution. VSCO: This is what we use the most often at the Lemonade Studio, it’s free and has a large selection of settings. Some filters are available for purchase, but the basic ones are really good and easily modified. AfterLight: Besides the basic settings, you can add lighting effects and unique frames. Layout: You can layout multiple pictures, with or without frames, in unique shapes.
A Color Story: Colorful filters also add light and effects (Lisa is addicted to this one). Last but not least, a secret, magical app is Facetune. It can whiten your teeth, smooth out your skin, and make it look like you’ve had 45 hours of restful sleep (be careful not to over do these effects). If you can’t get help during your shoots, don’t forget that a mirror can be your best friend, or use a selfie stick, but that’s a whole other story... In the pictures, Lisa is wearing the Frida dress, the pattern will be online later today! Now it’s your turn! Translated by Whitney Bolin
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17 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

THE ONLY THING THAT’S PERMANENT : CHANGE[:]

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Hello darlings! I hope you’re having a nice, almost­Spring, Sunday. I don’t know what’s gotten into me today, it’s not my big spring­cleaning weekend, but it’s time to do some mental and idea cleanup. I think that the thing that made me get up from bed this morning is that fact that since the “PDF Gate”, I’ve been questioning myself quite a bit. I read somewhere that there’ll be no more Wear Lemonade even in the ‘Happy Friday’s, that there’ll be no more tips and friendliness between us like girlfriends, that the joy of it all is gone... ok, stuff happens, this is just a rough patch in our love story but still, it’s good because it spices things up, it’s made me remember things and has given me much to think about. Even if I’ve been focusing on the positive and work these past few days, it still pops back into my head and has really affected me. I’ve tried to analyse everything that’s been said and how it’s resonated with me. And I’ve come to the simple realisation that I’ve changed. Four years ago, when I started the blog, I was 23 years old. And next month I’ll be 28, you can imagine how these past years have changed my life. I’m happy to have evolved, to have perfected our little, constantly moving world, to have reached my dreams although they are still unsure. I’m not the same person and I’m so happy with my personal life that it’s been like the Big Bang again, I’ve never been so liberated. Professionally, it’s also been great, but you already know that, going from working alone on my couch to sometimes eight of us working in the Lemonade Studio. From my education and past experiences, I now know what kind of person I’d like to be, it takes time, but each day, my idea of this person becomes more and more clear. Wear Lemonade is my Love, everyone at work’s baby, and of course I talk about it and wear it often! It’s thanks to the blog that all of this has been possible and more simply put, I’ve been lucky to create the collections that I’ve dreamt of wearing, I would be crazy not to wear them... Less DIYs? Yes it’s true but I prefer 100% quality over quantity. I prefer having a good idea that will give a great result rather than lots of mediocre ideas that you and I wouldn’t be proud of. It’s that simple. I take my time because I hate forcing myself to be creative when the inspiration isn’t there. The other day, I was looking over the website’s first articles and I felt a tenderness for the lights, the layouts, the graphic design, the pictures but I was also happy to see that the style and techniques have really changed. It’s important for me, with my professional baggage, to try to be better and to improve myself all the time, that’s how I am! All of this goes to say that the blog is my workspace, the place where I found myself, my window to the world, to show you the wildest
things we’ve imagined and my favorite place to interact with you, because that’s the real icing on the cake. So I’ve evolved and I’d like to know if you have too? These past years haven’t changed you too? Hugs and kisses. Lisa Translated by Whitney Bolin
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15 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

NEW ZEALAND – AUCKLAND[:]

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As you probably know, last month I took an 18 day vacation from the Lemonade Studio, a vacation the farthest away possible from Paris! I found a website that calculates the distance opposite yours using your geolocation, of course I can’t remember the name right now, but anyways, the furthest country away from France is New Zealand! I’ll spare you the travel details, I didn’t sleep a wink I was so excited. I watched about 20 movies during the 24 hour flight and the stop at Singapor. I caught up on all the films that came out during the last six months, there were so many that I have a hard time remembering all the stories, they’ve kind all gotten mixed up in my head... All of this goes to say that New Zealand is worth the trip! Once we got there, we went to our hotel in Auckland, the DeBrett, right away. It was really nice, ideally located in the heart of the city. We were so tired from being awake for 30 hours straight, plus there’s the 11 hours time difference. I won’t lie, it’s not easy to keep in touch with France. So if you really want to stay connected and share your adventures on social media, I recommend getting a 4G card there, because a new SIM card with a limited amount of data on it will end up costing more at the end of your trip... As for the technical stuff, their currency is the New Zealand dollar, $1 converts to about 59 euro cents, so you feel rich pretty quickly by dividing the price of everything in half... be careful, shopping temptations are everywhere! The country’s symbol is the kiwi, not the fruit but a flightless bird that’s covered with fine feathers that look like fur. It’s round like a ball with a little head and a very very long beak that picks insects out of the ground... All the New Zealand natives are called Kiwis. For example: “You Frogs, you’re always complaining about us Kiwis being so relaxed...” Welcome to another world: Paradise.
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Don’t forget to click on the arrows on the left and right of the picture to go through the gallery!

Auckland’s downtown is unforgettable, it’s a big city that makes me think of Vancouver or Brisbane, but I think Thomas and I agree that we love the Ponsonby neighborhood, like to the point of “let’s drop everything and move here”. It’s a sort of suburb 2 km from downtown, where there are little cute, wooden, colonial­style houses, a big, long main street where you can find really cool cafés, concept stores, bars, markets and restaurants... But it’s still nice to get lost in a large city like Auckland, if some evening you’re too tired to go to Ponsonby, you can go: To eat (check out their websites, their designs are a treat to look at!) Ortolana: 33 Tyler St, Auckland, 1010 Odettes Eatery: 90 Wellesley St, Auckland, 1010 The Glass Goose: 78 Federal St, Auckland, 1010 To sleep:
Hotel Debrett: 2 High St, Auckland, 1010 There are a lot of Air B&Bs too in Auckland and the people are so nice! If you ever have time and it’s nice out, I recommend taking the ferry to Rangitoto Island to enjoy the amazing view of the city but be sure to take the “bus” when you get to the island... you’ll thank me later!
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In the Ponsonby neighborhood, I got the impression that store concepts, the restaurant decors, the packagings, and the merchandise are much bolder in this country! Everything is well done, nobody tries to imitate or fake a ‘Brooklyn style’, here it’s so fresh and liberated, as if the creators had nothing to prove and just wanted to do something they like. It’s so inspiring! A couple of friends live at Ponsonby and agreed that the neighborhood has a real laid­back lifestyle. However, housing is rather expensive: to give you an idea, rent is equal to or more than in Paris...
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Wanting to explore the neighborhood, we went on a tour with Zest Food Tours, lead by a local who showed us around their favorite places, it was really neat, I think that I went into all the stores that I wanted too and I tasted all the samples they gave me! It was so nice! I recommend it for an easy­going tour.
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Don’t forget to click on the arrows on the right and left of the picture to flip through the gallery!

I don’t really have any addresses in particular to give you, everything was so cool. I recommend the website Neat Places, a beautiful city guide (there’s also an app for that), since I tried out lots of their addresses, I say you can pick any of them blindly! Later on the trip, in Christchurch, we met one of the founders, Marcia (love names that end in ‘A’) but I’ll tell you more about that in another article!

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Then again, I did have two absolute favorite addresses, the Orphean Kitchen restaurant, since the chef is so kind, he knew right away from our three cameras that we weren’t from the area and he recommended hotels and restaurants for the different cities we were going to visit, and he never told us he was the chef of these places... Tom was so cool! Loved his creative cuisine! And then afterwards, we got lost and we had a drink in a hidden Ponsonby bar, The Golden Drawn! Here I tasted for the first time the local lemonade ‘Lemony’, I was such a fan of their packaging that our friends gave me a poster of Lemmy the lemon! Anyways, Ponsonby, I love you. Here’s a photo gallery with pictures just from these amazing places... Click on the arrows to the left and right to go through them! Orphean Kitchen : 118 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland 1011. The Golden Draw : 134 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland 1011.
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Afterwards we were in for a great surprise: Piha Beach! This beach is well known, you’ve probably seen in in many movies, one of which was a favorite from my childhood, ‘The Piano’. This place is BEAUTIFUL! It’s breathtaking, I never wanted to leave, the weather was so perfect... we took a van from Auckland’s Sky Tower to Piha Beach’s canyons...

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With the Awol Adventures group that offers tours of Canyoning: rappelling down mountains for beginners and experts... We had never ever done it! It was crazy, first we had a little introduction to climbing and rappelling basics... it was very safe. Then we climbed, climbed and climbed some more to the top of a mountain to a little creek that turned into a huge waterfall! Then we rappelled down, swimming... Obviously I didn’t bring my camera! But our guide loaned me their waterproof phone, I shared several of these pictures on Instagram! It was an amazing experience I’d do over again for sure, at the end we stayed drinking coffee on the Phiba beach for a long time, in heaven. I would have loved to surf here... Piha Café:20 seaview Road, Piha...
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Don’t forget to click on the arrows to the left and right of the picture to go through the gallery! Looking back, I can’t believe we were there... I can still feel my hair, wet from the waterfall and the warm sun on my skin... and before going back to Christchurch, we met Kate Sylvester!

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Kate is a New Zealand stylist that has had her own brand, Kate Sylvester, for over 20 years: it’s a high quality, premium brand that knew how to adapt to the market by starting a younger and more affordable brand: Sylvester. She also has beautiful home decorations! Kate has worked in Paris for Corinne Cobson on rue Charlot, with her husband, Wayne. It was so nice to get to meet them, I was rather impressed since we’d seen her boutiques and her brand lots of times in numerous concept stores. Kate is very welcoming, she talked to us about her collections, her inspirations, and her New Zealand and Chinese creations. It’s funny because for them China is kind of like our Portugal, it’s a way to outsource production while keeping it close. By the way, it was Kate and Wayne that recommended Orphean Kitchen to us... I think it’s a great way to get to know a place by letting recommendations and unplanned meetings guide you...
[gallery ids="15806,15804,15805,15803"] Translated by Whitney Bolin[:]
12 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

HAPPY FRIDAY #87

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Hello my darlings! I’ve got “She & Him” stuck in my head, it’s kind of my jam when spring comes around! These past few days have been more colorful and it makes my heart sing, makes me feel capable of moving mountains... I’ve been working hard to find an answer to the PDF issue, it’s moving right along and I think that sometime between now and the end of the month we’ll have found the right solution... I will keep you posted. Today is a sunny Happy Friday, we took these pictures with Olitax one evening around 6, the lighting was warm, it was like a sign of beautiful weather to come! I love talking to you about weather and nice days because I feel like the sun washes away all the little grey clouds that go along with unhappiness... I admit that being an entrepreneur has been keeping me extremely busy and as soon as I’ve found some answers, I promise I’ll let you know more precisely what’s going on with an article about it! Like every year, I’ve been waiting for this sun like the messiah!
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The sun rays lighting up my days make me want to do some do­ it­ yourself. It makes me want bright colors, embroidered sequins, and flowery photoshoots! As I know that you have an opinion on things going on here, I wanted to ask you what sort of DIY you’d like to see on the blog? Laure and I would like to make a free little Frida dress pattern for girls available to download... but let me know what you’d like to do for spring! I feel like you’ve been into decorations lately. I have lots of ideas for moving in, from fringed chandeliers to small furniture to put together yourself... I’ll never have enough room to put it all at our place. Truth is, I’m starting to get tired of office decoration, I feel like you’ve already seen it all and I want to redo everything for the 1st anniversary of the studio. ANYWAYS, lots of bright plans, nothing new under the sun!
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Today’s look is inspired by sailors since I was lucky enough to be chosen along with Eleonore Bridge, Natacha Birds and Elsa Muse to tell you about the Petit Bateau and Macon & Lescoy badge collaboration, some gals that I really like! Today I’m wearing Asos oversized navy blue pants from an old collection but this one works well too with this outfit, with a yellow belt from & Other Stories. A yellow coat that I found in a garage sale that doesn’t have a label any more but it’s a nice, chic alternative to a shiny yellow one, otherwise I would’ve worn this! Plus maroon Sarenza boots that I’ve worn out, loving those espadrille wedges!
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Hugs and kisses and I can’t wait to hear what you have to say, have a beautiful, sunny weekend! Translated by Whitney Bolin
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06 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

LE SUJET "PDF"

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Dear readers, You have no idea how much your words and deception these past two days have saddened and touched me deeply. It’s with a heavy heart that I’m here to talk to you. When life gives you lemons... make lemonade. This weekend, rather than to let myself get blue under this sky of acid rain, I’ve spent time trying to find a good idea, turning the problem inside­out looking for a positive solution. I understand all sides and comments that were written here and on social media, I read them all. Sometimes fair and sad, sometimes vicious and disappointed, there are people that understand our decision and others that feel betrayed, that are disgusted and worst of all disappointed. As for me, worse than anger is disappointment. I don’t want to go back over the booklet’s higher prices because that won’t change, there are prices that can’t be lowered if we want it to be made in France, with high quality materials, and to pay the people fairly for their excellent work and savoir­faire. But I’ll admit that I never was comfortable with stopping the PDFs either. As I was telling you, it’s was a tricky subject to deal with for weeks and I think that I should have listened to my intuition and have found a fair solution so that I would be comfortable. While reading your comments, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me that’s made me want to me to write you this morning. I’m well aware that it was like a betrayal, kind of like being broken up with without warning... and I’m so sorry about it but there will always be people behind their computers who will comment and share their opinion... So I’ve thought about it these past two days and I want to find a favorable solution and above all, a fair one for you and us because I don’t think you have any idea how sad you’ve made us over here at 80 rue du faubourg Saint­Denis! As I was saying, I didn’t have a good feeling about stopping the PDFs, I thought it was pushing us away from the initial concept of Make My Lemonade: Sharing. But I’m also in charge of a very busy team and a decision had to be made in order to get work done and preserve the quality of everyone’s life at work because the organization and layout of the PDF and the customer service is a job all on it’s own that doesn’t pay anybody for 2.99 euros with each download. I have heard you. I would like to reinvent the pdf, and I have an idea in mind that I need to mull over, I have to go over some numbers and see if we can have a new person come in to do this work. But I have a subscription system in mind where every month a new pattern would be added to the list of old ones in your online customer center and I hope it would be for less than 10 euros, and the PDF pattern would still be available separately at a price higher than 2.99 euros. It’s just a question of doing some number crunching in order to find the fairest price
for everyone. My fix would some sort of sewing ‘Netflix’. I have to talk to the people working on Wear Lemonade and see if technically it can be done quickly and easily. I’m really sorry to have disappointed you and I hope that despite this hiccup you’ll stick around. Hugs and kisses, I’ll keep you posted here to see if all of this is possible. Lisa. PS: The Luisa, Bianca, and Rita patterns are offline since they’re being re­done, updated and translated. They’ll be back on Make My Lemonade as soon as they’re ready. And for those who bought the old PDFs but didn’t have time to download them, you can contact Maya at hello@makemylemonade.com and she will send them to you.
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02 mai, 2016 — lisa gachet

WEARLEMONADE #16 CHIARA DRESS DIY[:]

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Hello my darlings! Thanks again for your kind words on the new collection, I’ll say it again, I have an amazing team and I’m proud of us! This launch is so exciting, I feel like we’re finally able to offer you the fashion and the lemonade experience that we’ve had in mind since the beginning, there still are a lot of things to improve but I think we’re getting there, little by little!It’s a wonderful feeling when you achieve your dreams! Nothing must be forgotten, and we’re already thinking about our next move, but it’s good to have such encouraging feedback! To tell you the truth, it hasn’t always been easy to expand our little business, we’re still a little start­up just at the beginning of our journey and we’re often lacking the means to achieve all our plans. Right now, difficult choices must be made in order to produce the quality we’d like to offer you.
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Along with the launch of the e­shop and the new collection, it’s time to reflect on the Wear Lemonade adventure. It also is an opportunity to go over our goals and the direction that we’d like to take. After thinking it over long and hard, we’ve decided to give up the PDF sewing patterns and focus on the paper booklets in order to give you the best sewing experience possible. We’ve gone back over the packaging, made it more solid, created a tabso that you won’t loose your new tags anymore, called upon a great team: studio ravages, to rework the maquette, and to top it all off, the graphic designers that worked with us are unequalled seamstressesand they pointed us in the right direction to make the booklet the most clear and practical possible. On the agenda: slice plane on a width measuring 1m10 by 1m40as well as a glossaryas well as a shopping list! Plus, for our clients overseas, the patterns will be bilingual; this is another investment for us.
Since the beginning, our philosophy has been: make sewing a moment of true happiness, and despite our efforts to improve the PDF patterns, each day dozens of clients tell us about their problems printing the files and lining up the pages of patterns, which completely goes against our theory of enjoying sewing. Besides that, the downloadable patterns ended up being costly, financially and timewise, that can no longer be handled by the low price of the PDF patterns, even more now that we are translating the patterns in English. So, rather than raising the price of the PDF significantly again, we’ve chosen to invest in the quality of our paper patterns, and Laure and I are committed to developing a new, free line of exclusive PDF patterns for blog readers, very regularly.
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What you should know about the beautiful Chiara dress :
  • to make it you’ll need 2,20 m of fabric if it has a width of 1m45 or 3,50m (for a width of 1m10)
  • as well as the same quantity for the lining
  • 1 invisible 50 cm zipper (you can cut it if you wish, don’t forget to burn the end after cutting).
  • 1 small staple, or a ball buttons and a strap
Laure suggests using whatever material you wish for the Chiara, but avoid knits! Go wild with cotton poplin, satin, taffeta or organza, or even light gabardine for a Mad Men look, or in lace or English embroidery (oh yessss...).
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 We’ve also been thinking about a workshop club, big gifts and little goodies as part of a subscription... but I’ll let you know more about that soon! The sewing patterns are now available for sale for 17,90 euros. The old patterns are being translated and will be back up on the e­shop very soon for this price. Until then, if you would like to come buy the last patterns in French, drop by the ‘création et savoir faire’ fair that’s celebrating Spring DIY at the ‘foire de Paris’, next Thursday through Sunday. We’ll be selling the last patterns and our exclusive starter kit (for non­parisians, it’ll soon be up on the website) and maybe even our Wear Lemonade fabrics if we get them in time! We have 50 invitations to give out for this fair, so write us at: diy@makemylemonade.com,the first 50 messages will get their free invitations. Hugs and kisses, I hope with all my heart you can understand the pattern situation.
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And as a bonus, in the patterns you’ll get the new Wear Lemonade tag!
EDIT: After your numerous comments, we discuss the PDF situation again in this new article https://citron.makemylemonade.com/blog//le­sujet­pdf/
Translated by Whitney Bolin
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30 avril, 2016 — lisa gachet

WEAR LEMONADE #16 THE CHIARA DRESS[:]

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Dear all, Everyone, meet Chiara, Chiara, meet everyone... I’m sure that you’ll like each other. Chiara is so sweet and nice, she’ll flatter every silhouette, Chiara is just like that, she doesn’t judge. Chiara is easy goingin blue Chambray and will be your best girlfriend everywhere. Chiara in off­white satin stitch is wonderfully romantic and delicate without being fragile, it’s the girl we’d all like to be, personally I’d like to get married again in the Chiara satin stitch! Chiara is available in silk in every color ‘sorbet citron’ (lemon sorbet), ‘caramel’ and ‘menthe à l’eau’ (mint green) and is perfect for this wedding season. Why you ask? Because Chiara is chic, and beautiful, made from 100% silk from the inside lining to the outside and most of all you won’t have the same dress as anyone else since they’ll be available in very limited quantities...
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To tell you the truth my darlings,we had a special opportunity to have our very own silk woven. An Italian factory, wanting to clear out their silk thread showed us their selection of colorful bobbins. So we made a little deal, like kids in a candy shop and we chose some crazy colors, we were so excited! To continue on the theme of fabrics, I was particularly careful, maybe to the point of being a little annoying, about the quality of the satin stitch. I wanted one with polka dots that doesn’t fray, but at the same time I dreamt of a raw material, soft without being see­through!
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Anyways, Chiara will be your BFF this summer, plus it has pockets, and can be worn with a belt from your closet... Chiara is available and adoptable right away on the new Wear Lemonade site! My darlings, you can check out the Chiara fabrics up close and zoom in on the materials. Chiara, everyone was crazy about Frida a year ago. Frida and all it’s sisters found a closet to adopt them, so this year I’d like it to be your turn to take care of my darlings!
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I’ll let you look around the new site, you’ll see a peak of the rest of the collection with the little tag ‘COMING SOON’. You can now buy the CHIARA, the ‘mon petit chat’ (my little cat) MIA, our GEORGIA tote bag, and even our PEPITA socks! Tomorrow Chiara’s pattern booklet and it’s video will be released! Hugs and kisses to you! I’d just like to add a word of thanks to the amazing Colorz agency for this GREAT e­shop! And a big thanks again to Laurence Revol for the beautiful pictures!
wear-lemonade-make-my-lemonade-do-it-yourself018Translated by Whitney Bolin[:]
29 avril, 2016 — lisa gachet