My Marrakesh

Hey bon bons! I've been a busy bee here at the store for the last couple of days, but wanted to share with you one of my new favorite blogs that I've been reading. It is My Marrakesh and it is Delicious. Now, I may be biased as I have always had a fascination with Marrakesh, but I think you will agree that it is a most beautiful blog.

Shoes have Arrived!

Calloo, Callay, no work today--for shoes have arrived! bon bons, meet our new two Irregular Choice shoes styles, Princess Lilani and Sock O' Clock. Princess Lilana ($150.00) is a sleek black suede shoe with a lovely heel, interesting strap detail and a super cushy 1/2" sole. Sock O' Clock ($89.00) is an exotic wooden high heeled "flip flop" with beautiful Asian flower fabric that is set off by green and white dot trim. Sock O' Clock comes with an optional split-toe geisha style sock, for those cooler days. Both are lovely little ladies just waiting to meet their new owner, so come on by and see them!

Hippos!

So, on one hand I find these really cool, on the other they remind me of those creatures in Labyrinth that pop their heads off, which I've always found frightening.

Hello hippo, you should come live with me!

So I went to school with a lovely girl, Alanna Derocchi, who has turned into a ceramics genius. Around our house is all sorts of little bowls and trinkets that she has made but I hadn't seen her new much bigger work until recently when she sent pictures. I'm so impressed with what she is doing, I can't even say. Alanna is currently living in Long Beach, CA but is moving to New York soon and I'm campaigning to be the foster parent of the hippo--sure I live in Kansas City and the hippo is giant, but that doesn't mean it would be that hard to move does it? I don' t think so. Anyway, so when you are looking at the following pictures keep in mind that Everything except the carpet and wood paneling is made from clay. Pretty cool huh? The guitar case especially. Well done Alanna!

Sneek Peek

Here is a peek at what Emily's been slaving away at in her basement every night, she is getting ready for an Art Fair in May and has been furiously working every night.

Finally..

 the counter that e built from scratch, (very impressive)
 The new kitchen section, with a little bird-cage thrown in for good measure
I have pictures for you--nothing super duper exciting, but some of the newly re-arranged store(above) and the fabulous Jonathan Adler Christmas gift my sistah made for me (below), both which I wanted to show you a couple of weeks ago, but never got a chance to upload until now. So...

After my gushing post from the other day we all know I love the Jonathan Adler, so not only did Emily get me a menagerie for Christmas, but she made me a special carnival showcase. You can't tell because of the lighting but it is on a lilac wall, which really shows off the white and pink. She is so damn crafty!

Give me Liberty (of London) or give me death!

As if you needed any more temptation to go to London, Liberty is offering more sewing classes. If you don't know, Liberty is the best store in the world (besides ours of course!) and makes the most amazing fabric, which you can see over at Purlsoho. I'm so down for the ballet shoe class, too bad Emily won't let us take a bon bon trip to London. You know, for research.

Join us in April and May for a range of special craft, knitting and sewing workshops at the Liberty Sewing School. Read on for a taste of what’s in store or visit www.liberty.co.uk for more information.

Stitched Jewellery Saturday 26th April Charlotte Liddle guides and inspires creative flair in making beautiful jewellery, incorporating the use of Liberty fabric, striking motifs and dazzling sequins.

Crochet Jewellery Thursday 1st May Sarah Hazel presents her love and art of crochet in this unique class of crocheted jewellery, using Rowan yarn to create beautiful necklaces and bracelets to be proud of.

Crochet Trimming Saturday 10th May Sarah Hazel presents this class of crocheted trimmings, working with Rowan yarn and beads to create beautiful trimmings to enhance cushions, bags or any other favourite item.

Embellished Ballet Shoes Thursday 15th May Charlotte Liddle will guide and inspire you to embellish ballet shoes, incorporating the use of Liberty fabric, striking motifs and dazzling sequins.

Jewellery Making Saturday 17th May Learn how to make eye catching designer jewellery, with guidance on how to choose the correct tools and equipment and understanding different beads, crystals and components.

Beginner Sewing Thursday 22nd May For the beginner this sewing class will teach you the basics, from making a stitch, inserting a zipper, slip tacking and creating a piped cushion cover.
Price: £35* per person Location: Dress Fabrics, 3rd Floor For more information visit www.liberty.co.uk

Places are limited, so please book early by calling our Customer Services department on 0207 734 1234 ext 2152.*Please note the Rowan yarns class is £50 per session

ooooh!

I'm suddenly so excited because I just found out that Bravo is bringing back their Top Design show! As much as I love Project Runway (which I heard is moving to the Lifetime network? Weird) I lalala-loved Top Design. Why? Mainly because two of my design heros are the judges--the incredibly adorable Jonathan Adler and the incredibly glamorous Kelly Wearstler.

Last October when I went to New York I spent a whole load of time at the Jonathan Adler store trying to decide on which ceramic piece I was going to get. It took a long time, and then I had to pick out something for my sister. I ended up getting us the same thing, that way I wouldn't be tempted to keep both! I would love to have his ceramics in the store, but am unsure about the market for them in KC. Granted, if we didn't sell them, then we could keep them but that really isn't the way to run a business. hmmm.

Anyway, on that same trip I forced my friend Amber to come to the Kelly Wearstler designer Bergdorf Goodman restaurant, just so I could eat in all of it's glory. It was awesome. Amber took surreptitious pictures on her phone and we both went for broke and had the lobster (yummy!) That makes 2 KWID designed places I've eaten/stayed at. It is my goal to hit them all. We sat in the middle row, second chair in.

Anyway, I've rambled on far too long now, suffice it to say, I'm excited about the new Top Design. I may have to re-subscribe to cable now!

Happy Earth Day!

PaperCloud Corn pendant lamp $280.00

Retro Betty Shoes $118.00

Limeade Dress $82.00

Hello bon bons! Happy Earth Day! What will you be doing to celebrate today? Aside from wearing head to toe green today, I think after work I am going to plant some veggie plants in the backyard to see if I can grow my own. That's earthy isn't it? I feel like the store should do something today as well, so I'm going to give 15% off the above green items, when you check out online the code word will be green. If you come into the store, just mention the blog when you are checking out!

just so you know..

We will be opening at 12:00 tomorrow instead of our usual 10. Sorry! This is just for tomorrow, not forever, but on the off-chance someone was planning on coming tomorrow morning I wanted to let you know. Of course, we'll be open late for the Swap so you can come after work!

Swap-o-rama & Mother's Day

Hey bon bons! I just want to remind you that Swap-O-Rama is tomorrow night! I'm sure most of you know the score by now, but in case you don't....Here's how it works: you bring different things that you don't want anymore (clothing, home goods, books, accessories, etc.). All items should be clean, undamaged and in working order. You can then browse the stuff everyone else brings, and swap it out for something you love! It's fantastic, you get to recycle your old stuff and refresh your world with "new to you" items! Starting at 6 p.m. you can bring your stuff and get a number, the swap will start at 7 p.m. Of course, there will be yummy refreshments! Call us at 816.756.0855 if you have any questions. And don't forget to bring all your friends!

Also..Mother's Day is Sunday May 11th. Otherwise known as less than a month away! Don't panic, we have a plethora of mother' s day gifts..lotions, jewelry, books, aprons, even the sweet elephant card you see above. You know, it would be handy to check all that out while you are here for the Swap tomorrow night--two birds with one stone?

Hope to see you soon!

biz-ness

Hello bon bons! I was a little lax on the blogging at the end of last week, I know. I've got pictures of the dress I made at our sewing circle, pictures of our store re-arranged (which I did on Saturday) and a picture of this awesome piece that my sister made me for Christmas that I wanted to share with you. Alas, I haven't gotten them up here yet! I promise they will arrive this week!

In the meantime, I was just reading the blog The Boss of You which I read about on decor8. It's all about a running your business your own way--focused on women business owners. They also have a book out, which I am interested in getting. There is another good blog about running a business called Shop Owner, which is written by a local Kansas City woman who runs the very successful store Curious Sofa. As a business owner it is great to find these kind of sites where you can feel like you are part of a community. It's not easy having your own business (especially now) and it's nice to know others are in the same boat!

Goodness! I just realized that it's tax day! Ugh. Hey, just to brighten up the day, anyone who reads this email can have 10% off at bon bon. Either bring in a copy of this blog or go online and enter APRIL into the promo code section and you can have 10% off today only. After all if you are giving the government money, you might as well do something for yourself!

I'll leave you with some pictures of the MOR teacup candles that arrived yesterday. We have them in Peony Flower and Jasmine Tea. The pictures really don't do them justice, you should really see them in person. So pretty!

cupcakes 4 breakfast

I just found out that two very creative friends of mine are starting a little store on Etsy under the name cupcakes4breakfast! Rachel makes the cutest ever children's clothes, and Whitney does fabulous decoupaged objects for kids rooms. They just put things up on etsy 2 days ago and have a ton more to list, so keep checking back. Rachel was telling me all her ideas for her clothing and I can't wait to see it--not only is she super inventive, but she is also using fabric you can only get in Europe (and we all know, the cutest fabric is the kind you can never get!) Anyway, congrat's girls, we'll keep an eye out for you!

decor8

We are pleased as punch to find out that the wonderful Decor8 blog gave us a lovely write-up today! Thanks so much decor8--we read you everyday!

Sewing Circle Tonight!

Don't forget to come join us at sewing circle--remember, you don't have to sew, just come, craft and have fun! Sometimes you need a little push to finish (or even start) your craft projects. Why not work on them at sewing circle? We will have sewing machines set up for the serious workers, and scraps, glue guns, and craft ideas for the less sewing inclined. Of course knitters/crocheters, and all other moveable hand-crafts are welcome too! Drop in anytime from 6 p.m.-8 p.m.!

Mary Blair

Hmm, I can't remember if I have introduced you to my favorite artist, Mary Blair. If I have, I apologize, if not--please enjoy!

Mary Blair was best known for her work with Walt Disney where she was a concept designer for some of their best movies, including Cinderella, Alice, and Peter Pan. She also did a lot of advertising work (Gold Ice Cream, Nabisco, etc) and even illustrated Little Golden Books--such as I Can Fly, the cutest book ever! She had an amazing use of color, I especially like the was she uses black backgrounds and seems to carve the color out of them. She also had that very flat quality to her drawings that you see in mid-century illustrations. Her most famous work, I think we all know--yes she designed the It's A Small World ride @ DisneyWorld. If you haven't been on that recently you may not realize how amazing it is, but I assure you it is a color/design extravaganza!

Anyway, she has been making a comeback within the last few years, as Disney has resurrected her concept drawings and has been producing some products with them. Last year (on my b-day!) they put out the book of Cinderella, all illustrated with her concept drawings, this year it will be Peter Pan and maybe next year Alice. Really, you should buy 2 copies of these books-one for reading and one for framing. There is another book out called the Art and Flair of Mary Blair that showcases all of her work, which is lovely to look at.

Ahoy...

Zooey in Tin Man sporting some lovely sailor pants


J Crew Wool--a winter sailor pant

Ahoy There! L.A.M.B. has some super-extra wide leg sailor pants

So today I got up late--not super late, but late enough that my hair is all flat and wonky and I cringe every time I pass a mirror. The combination of being late and it being all rainy outside didn't really inspire me to push the envelope in the getting dressed department, so I reached for my favorite standby by item. Sailor pants. I love them. I don't wear jeans so I find it hard to find everyday pants. I rarely wear pants anyway, as I am more of a skirt/dress girl--but sometimes I don't want to deal with all that. I found my current pair of navy sailor pants at J Crew a year ago, and although I initially wished they had them in black (before this, I don't think I ever owned anything navy), I have come to appreciate the navy, which works as everyday casual but I can also spiff them up if need be.

One of my biggest clothing-related regrets is getting rid of the super wide leg really dark denim sailor pants I had in high school. (well done Banana Republic!) They were awesome. During an ill-fated wardrobe in college I threw them out, as I hadn't worn them for a while--I regretted it almost instantly and still feel that sting today.

Anyway, I guess this doesn't really have anything to do with anything, but I highly recommend going and finding yourself some sailor pants. They are flattering, go with anything, and if you are lucky you will look like Zooey Deschanel does in the above picture. (It's not the best picture in the world, but trust me--she was rocking the sailor pants)(I would do almost anything to look like Zooey--sadly it will never happen. Although, we do have similar pants!)

Decole

Did you see our new Decole we just got in? Decole is a Japanese company--you may have seen our mushroom staplers and pushpins in the store? They take forever to ship, but I must say it was totally worth it to see this little man come out of the box. I would love to have this happy canister sitting on my counter wishing me bon appetit every morning, wouldn't you? We also got some great strawberry mugs and teacup/saucer sets. I bet those would brighten up your morning coffee!

Happy April!

Hello bon bons!
Hooray! Icky old March is over and now we have April blowing in to bring us spring and sunshine. Well, maybe not today--but eventually. We have a slew of new things set to hit the store this month, and of course our two favorite monthly events---bon bon Sewing Circle April 9th, and the Swap-O-Rama April 17th! (for more info on those, check out our website at www.bonbonatelier.com)

As for the fabric swatch above, I found it on reprodepot.com -- otherwise known as fabric heaven. Their japanese import fabric makes my heart beat a little faster.