MY JOLIE CANDLE x MAKE MY LEMONADE
Hello my little woodland cats!
I've just landed from New York and I'm writing to you! I have to admit that this little one-week break has allowed me to recharge my batteries, get some fresh air into my brain and reawaken my imagination and inspiration! As soon as I get back, I have to deal with the files I've been working on... I've been feeling a bit like Jack Bauer for the last 24 hours, but I'll be fine. I want to keep the benefits of this little trip. Meditation, breathing and chai tea latte. Amen to that!
I'm back today with a little surprise, Christmas before its time! I've got a boyfriend, Victor, who's completely passionate, hyper-creative, full of crazy concepts, and what I love about him is that he gives himself the means to realize all his ambitions. So, at just 25, he already has two brands: Pop up and My jolie Candle. Pop up is a candle brand in which a 0.10 to 0.25-carat diamond is hidden in every 50 candles. Not a bad concept for a surprise pouch for adults. And for its new brand, My Jolie CandleVictor decided not to make anyone jealous by hiding a silver jewel with Swarovski rhinestones in every candle, and because he thinks big, for every 100 candles you might find a white gold jewel with a real diamond, yeah yeah...
So one evening, I bump into Victor at a party and I say to him, "why don't we make a candle together?" With his childlike smile he says, "But of course! " And off we went. The starting point was the fragrance. I didn't want a common perfume that smelled of roses or jasmine. As I write these lines, I realize that we could have done a lemon scent, but that wasn't the point. I wanted a candle that could smell like "l'atelier". So what does "l'atelier" smell like? Well, I wanted it to smell of pencil lead, wood, glue and paint... I hope it's a nice blend, whose olfactory pyramid is
- Top note: pencil lead, graphite, resin
- Heart note: collophane, incense, paint tubes
- Base note: cedar, gaiac, turpentine
And then for the packaging, I wanted to draw the happy mess that surrounds me... My books, my sewing machine, my pencils, my frames, the things that inspire me. Only in pencil... And then, in retrospect, we found the design a little sad... So I added the blog's yellow polka dots as an overlay on my illustration, small at first, then, while I was at it, I made them big, and I really liked the offbeat relationship between the fine illustration and the big, colorful polka dots.
And for the jewelry! For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know that I'm a fan of Sex and the city... I wanted to make a necklace because it's the only piece of jewelry I wear without question, along with my 3-finger ring... And I didn't want to make a chain ring like the one My jolie Candle was already offering. I wanted 3 necklaces with messages, like the "Carrie" necklace of Sex and the City... So rather than making necklaces with a hundred different first names, hoping you'd find your own, like a sort of candle coca cola, I preferred to do things differently. I wanted to write little words that I love and that can be put together! "Work", "Great", "Again". If you buy two candles, you can put them together "Work again" or "Work great" or "Great Again" (?!) in short, I wanted to give a nod to the workshop and to things I believe in deeply, like work, again and again, and a good job if possible. Because in the end, work is one of the things I believe in the most, as is love of course, but you know what I mean, I wasn't going to make a candle around love! So yes, I'd rather have "work" around my neck than "travailler", but strangely enough, acute Anglophonitis ...
And to photograph this candle, my friend Alexandra Bruel did the set design for the photo. She made mountains of crayon lace (crayon sawdust?). Like Hollywood hills with "WORK", "GREAT" and "AGAIN" hammered into them, which I've come to see and write as mantras that boost and reassure me... So I hope you'll like this collaboration, and that you'll feel like having a bit of my home in your home...
And because you're readers of solid gold and real diamonds, I'm offering you the chance to win 5 of these magic" candlesJust leave a comment below this article telling me what inspires you most! And I'll draw lots on Sunday evening for the 5 winners! Hugs and kisses to you, my little woodland cats! For those of you who can't wait, and for those of you who've run out of Christmas gift ideas, go to here !
Thanks to Victor for his trust and to the whole team at My Jolie Candle!
You were very inspiring and the choice was more than complicated... Thank you all, you're incredible! Drum roll: the winners are : Barbette the pianist, Roxanne and her obsession with ginger, Claire and her passion for the metro, Isa and natural history museums and Rengaine and her personal museum. Send me an e-mail with your addresses to [email protected]. Thanks again for all your inspirations, and hugs to you, my little woodland cats!