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My chestnuts!

I will spend my life telling you thank you! To finish the week with Ludovic & shu uemura, en beauté (on a high note, but literally «beautifully») and to thank you to be 10 000 followers on facebook, we offer you the chance to win a full make-up case... Yes yes no less. We say THANK YOU Ludo!

The products you saw in the video are the same that I show you today... I hope you will like it, I really don’t know what to say more than THANK YOU for your fidelity, and I hope you liked this «special guest» or «new contributor» week...

Personally I loved introducing you to Ludovic and he has a last surprise in stock for you tomorrow...  Je vous embrasse tellement fort !  To try to win those 10 shu uemura products, leave me a comment telling me your life, you know how I love reading you... Tell me your first make-up feeling or memory... For me it was watching my mum draw beautiful eyebrows... It has become my new make-up obsession, eyebrows! The winners will be displayed at the end of this article on wednesday at noon!

The famous medium pink cream blush to apply like a warrior, but also the base mousse POREraser yeah yeah... 

The famous false eyelashes to put on the extern corners of your eyes and the magic glue to put them on... Wait for a few seconds for it to be translucent and here you go...

Two foundations to play the Michael Angelo... Light and shadows atmosphere with the medium light sand+ 565 and the darker medium beige 754, of course if you are black and you win the contest we’ll find a solution... And you barely see it but there is also a gloss PINK 20C in this make-up case!

A mascara, of course... There is nothing better than a good basic to finish your look: ultimate expression mascara, no less, in black of course to put as a final touch after the false eyelashes...

A transparent power to fix your make-up... I have to say I’m a huge fan of the tuft!

And since I’m mad about removal of make-up I asked Ludovic to put a cleansing oil in this make-up case... Skin Purifier, this product truly revolutionized my night ritual, really...   

Lots of kisses as always !

The winner is Alvina, Bravo madame! 

My little cats!

Happy friday! I still have surprises for you on tomorrow and the day after tomorrow! Meanwhile here is the shu uemura DIY... Because to me this brand is not only crazy colors sublime textures but false eyelashes that are each one more incredible than the next one. I’ve been wearing «easy to wear» eyelashes that I cut and put on the extern corners of my eyes for a long time... I love when people stare at me and say «But, are you wearing false eyelashes ?» he he yes and I love it, I have so many that I don’t dare to wear because seriously... I mean just as much I can go out in the street dressed in a way so colorful that every people that I meet looses a tenth on each eye... I don’t risk - talking about eye - any eccentricity in terms of hairiness ? Hairs ? Eyelashes?

Anyway I love it, the crazy false eyelashes, but they stay quietly in their box in the back of my bathroom... So since I never wear them and I love them so much, I decided to transpose them... As decoration, yes everything’s fine. You’ll see, it’s absolutely simple but you need to suit all tastes and the next DIY will be a little bit more complicated... I’d rather spare you this week! 

Love and see you tomorrow!

To make this two mini DIY, you will need:

• Frames with some depth, they’re really good at HEMA’s,
• False eyelashes, let’s get your collections THANK YOU ludovic, here they are shu uemura’s!
• Green glue, a pair of tweezers and a black fine marker, 
• A white sheet of paper and/or a portrait of somebody with her eyes closed. 

 To start with, take the pair of tweezers and gently take the false eyelashes out of their box.

Firmly hold your false eyelashes with your tweezers and put a little bit of glue on both ends.

Glue your eyelashes on a white sheet of paper. You can previously put some marks on the white sheet (here the distance between the eyes is 2,5 cm). Adjust the false eyelashes so they have nice curves, you need to do it quickly before the glue dries completely.

Keep gluing your false eyelashes height-wise, the distance between two pairs here is 3,2 cm. Once your sheet is full leave to dry for a few minutes.

With your fine marker write at the top center of your sheet, either in french or in english... I feel completely bilingual lately «Today I feel...» or «Aujourd’hui je me sens...», and under each pair of false eyelashes, write a mood matching what they evoke to you... «Sexy, bitchy, in love, crazy, discreet...»

Put the photo-mount on top of your sheet and slide the lot into your frame! And TA-DA! It’s really important that your frame is deep enough to avoid crushing your false eye-lashes...

As for me, it sits in my living room... But I think it’s a good gift idea for a beauty addict... Or, we never think of that enough but for the ones who are lucky enough to have a big bathroom, it can be a nice wink (yeah yeah false eyelashes/wink, I’m on top!)

We keep going with a little DIY bonus... With short false eyelashes or some that you’d formerly cut, put a little bit of glue on them.

Put them on the closed eyes of your picture... Here it is my mum when she was 20, I love this picture... Leave it to dry a few minutes. Put the photo-mount.

`

Put the picture and the mount into your frame, and TA-DA! Ready to be placed! It wasn’t so complicated, was it ?

My little cats, 

We continue the week with Ludovic, here is the story of this video... The both os us agreed on the fact that Ludovic would come to my house to do make me up, in order to change the set-up. But a little while before this meeting, during a party at the Wanderlust, he had made me up the craziest way, it was very pink, almost neon pink on the lower eyelid to the temples and the cheekbones, with a shu uemura cream blusher of course. I wanted to show you that... Anyway, the D day is there, a sunday, and you know how the sunday brunch is sacred to me... So I decide to invite my friends, like a normal sunday, and also Ludovic, we are having so much fun that we almost forget that we’re here to «work» and one thing leading to another, he made up the three of us (my Justines and I...) before the astonished eyes of our three men. Ludovic, with 4 gestures and 3 products, did us so much good ! It is rare when I wear so crazy false eyelashes on lord’s day... I will leave you to watch it, and remember those tips they might be useful later...

Merci encore Ludo! 

Happy friday my straw hats... 

We still are with Ludovic today, and with Scott ! Remember, I was talking about him and his magic bar in my last good people portrait. For the record, when Ludovic and I first met, after we got to know each other a little bit, we exchanged our wonderful addresses and other good deals as if we were playing the cards and he asks me if «in the secret addresses’ family» I know a cool place to drink cocktails... I understood the amateur of good and beautiful things he was and I has in my game the ultimate joker «the dirty dick»... So I give him the address on trust... What a good idea ! I realize that between our two meetings, Ludovic goes there often and quickly becomes Scott’s buddy, it makes me smile and you know, life makes things right sometimes... 

One night I meet Ludovic at the Dirty Dick, we plan our special week together, beneath Scott’s interested eyes and very naturally Scott offers to make the cocktail that goes with Ludovic’s dish. It’s risky, a cocktail as a side dish but why not, I trust them. I only require one thing: that lemon be in the two recipes.  

Two weeks later the three of us meet at Ludovic’s, I come with all my photographer’s equipment and you can’t imagine the «gustatory slap» we had, it was very surprising. It was awesome, both of their brain in action and mine that was playing the collection’s organizer and was putting in two cents here and a grain of sesame there... Plates are laid down, cocktails shaken with the soft and jazzy Mélody GarDot’s rhythms. We sit down at the table, we taste, we drink, we say nothing, we smile, we’re happy. And a «Oooh damn it’s fuckiiiiing good» is finally said by Scott. This day, a kind of culinary alchemy is with us. I’m giving you the secrets of these recipes that will rock your tastebuds. It’s fine, delicate and subtle... Well, enjoy ! 

Cod with lemon and sake jelly or Make my lemon jelly and add some beautiful cod on it !!!

For 4 people you will need:

• 100 g of cod loin, 
• 2 tablespoons of Sake,
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice,
• 1 sheet of gelatin,
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 
• 1 organic lime, 
• 1 tablespoon of black sesame seed, 
• Salt, ground pepper. 

In a pan, heat up the sake and the lemon juice with 5 tablespoons of water, but be careful not to boil it, add the gelatin after you soaked it into cold water. Mix everything together and pour it into a small soup plate, sprinkle with a few black sesame seeds and chill for two hours. 

Once your jelly is set, cut fine slices of cod and gently put them on the jelly. With a brush put some olive oil on the fish, then add salt and pepper. And for the final touch put lime zests on the fish. Enjoy !

And for the «Spicy Coriander» cocktail you will need:

• 2 cl of green lemon,
• 2 cl of honey sirup (½ hot water and ½ honey),
• 2 cl of Pierre Ferrand Dry curaçao (you can also use cointreau or grand marnier)
• 5 cl of good tequila (100% agave) brewed with red pepper (to brew, put a red pepper into a glass for 5 to 10 minutes, the more it brews the stronger...)
• 6 to 7 chilled coriander leaves (to intensify their taste).

It’s very simple, put everything into a shaker with ice cubes and shake for 10 seconds. Filter the ice and the coriander and pour into a nice glass.

Small tips to decorate your glass: mix a pinch of flower of salt, a pinch of black sesame and a pinch of dried coriander, take a quarter of lime and press it around your glass. Put the mix on a flipped cup and put your glass into the mix and turn it. The lemon will work as glue. Pour and enjoy ! The bamboo straw are available at Merci, 111 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris.

Ludovic Engrand. 

A few months ago, even a year ago actually, a friend introduced Ludovic and I by email. Ludovic works like crazy for the beautiful japanese brand shu uemura and whenever he takes a break from his busy schedule, he flies to some faraway places so it was really complicated to get a few hours with him. Inside me I knew I had to meet him but I didn’t really know why I should meet him, sometimes you jsut have to trust your instinct... So I insisted, he must have thought I was a crazy chick ready to do anything to get some shu uemura lipstick... 

Ludovic Engrand is a man of multiple talents, he would have been born a Gemini that I wouldn’t be surprised... Ludovic is officially a make-up artist, and in charge of press and public relations for shu uemura, and master chef when he is at home... He didn’t actually tell me but it seemed obvious after spending a few hours at his apartment and editing these pictures that he also is a collector, lover of beautiful things... 

For the record when I met him for the first time, not only he was wearing polka-doted pants but he told me he makes-up plates as well... How not to love him straightaway ?

I’m introducing him to you today but he will be with us all week, he opened his home to me but also his kitchen and his make-up case so he’ll have the place of honor this week, like a special guest that would make a recipe, a DIY, a make-up and of course a contest, yes with Ludovic I see things IN BIG...

• «Proust’s Madeleine» question: What are your first gustatory memories ?

I was four and I remember a lunch with my uncle Jean Pierre very well. I was a starred restaurant «La table des cordeliers» in Codon and the chef Jean Louis Paladin greeted us on a sunny sunday with a memory that I will never forget: a brioche specially made with tomato butter ohohohhohohoh lala I’d want more... 

• «Blue Klein» question: What are you first beauty memories, your first emotions about a vibrant color ?

In London when I was studying at the London College of Fashion, I’m applying red lipstick on lips for the first time, I still remember my brush crushing the pigment on the pretty lips, and to this day red is to me the symbol of ultra femininity.

• «To choose is to forsake» question: Ludovic, if you had to choose only one passion between make-up and cooking, what would it be ? And why ?

 Ahh choices, it’s what I fear the most, I am a natural epicure, I love beauty, I love food art, it would be very complicated to choose, make-up and cooking are for me a way of expressing myself and make a choice would be like cutting one of my arms, and I’d rather keep them both ahahahahahahah

• «Substitution» question: If you weren’t allowed to make-up or cook anymore, what would you do ?

 I’ve always dreamed of taking pictures so I’d be a food and beauty photographer !!!

• «I ditch everything» question: Some people are thwarted left-hander, you were a thwarted cook, what are the consequences on your life today  ?

 I have no frustration, when I come back from a make-up photo shooting I cook. 

• «Nostalgia» question: To stay on the childhood topic, what job would you have hated as a child ?

Computer engineer or administrator, they’re not funny ahahahahahah

• «Pantone» question: what is your favorite lipstick color ?

Red

• «Learning» question: your were trained by Shu Uemura himself, what are the beauty commandments he whispered to you that never leaves you today ?

 The perfect gesture because usually when making-up, we tend to do to many gestures and if you think the gesture before applying the color, your make-up will be perfect. Gérard Garouste used to say «the thought doesn’t belong to artists, what belong to them is the gesture».

• «Agenda» question: you just have a beautiful article in Express Style, what are your projects with shu uemura (shows ? Shoots?)

Lots of projects, it’s like my oxygen, couture’s shows are this week and I’ll be backtage on the great designer Yiqing Yin’s. Also some photo shooting projects but that’s a secret!

• «Sunday night» question: When it’s sunday night and you don’t want to cook, what is your LAZY food ?

A homemade croque-monsieur !!!!

• «Unconfessed» question: what is the never-asked question that you’d like to be asked ?

 «Do you believe in reincarnation?» Okay I’m gonna answer you Lisa !!! Because maybe in another life I’ll be a cook  ahahahah !! 

• A beauty good address ?

 The tibetan massage, rue Lapeyrere 75018

• A food good address ?

The KGB, my favorite restaurant, 25 rue des grands Augustins, 75006. The chef Ariv is awesooome ! 

• A snack good address ?

BLEND’s burger, it rocks!

• A shopping good address ? 

At MORA’s, it’s like Ali Baba’s cave but for cooks !!!!

Good morning my little cats!  

A little couture-free DIY, a little DIY that looks barbaric but it’s only at first sight, you’ll have to overstep your prejudices regarding yourself such as «I’m very clumsy», «I will never manage it!», «I have psychomotor troubles when it comes to using my fingers»... I don’t even want to hear anything like that, please trust yourself a little bit. You didn’t event try! 

Anyways. For the record I met a similar necklace on the internet a long time ago and when I was in New York last year I saw it and I immediately bought it (I’m wearing it here). I love those colors, I think it’s becoming quite obvious that I am a color addict lately... And I thought never mind I want more. So I observed it, I analyzed it and I can now offer you a little DIY on this sunny sunday so you can make yours with your little hands, your own variation of the same theme... You will see that the structure of the DIY post has been a little bit modified to have more «ergonomics», with the new design and the bigger pictures I didn’t want you to have to scroll through all the steps to read the explanation... I hope you’ll like it!

And would it be a DIY to thank you without a little contest to win 2 out of the 3 necklaces..? 2 for two of you and one for me! I love them all, you will choose the one you prefer... Leave me a comment with your favorite necklace’s color and tell me what you’d like to see on the blog more often! Thank you again for your fidelity, I’m preparing surprises for you! And a huge contest for next week to celebrate the 10 000 followers on facebook! I will pick two winners on wednesday at 8 p.m.!

To make this DIY, you will need: 

• beads of several colors and diameter (at least two different sizes),
• Nylon thread or necklace cable wire, 
• A clasp, two jump rings and a dozen of crimp beads
• Flat nose pliers.

To start with, thread a first crimp bead on the nylon thread (90 cm of thread), then the jump ring (attached to the clasp), then re-string the thread into the crimp bead. Slide the thread over 45 cm in order to double it.

Flatten the crimp bead and start threading two beads on the top thread and one bead on the bottom one, so far so good...

Take the bottom thread and «countercurrently» (or, on the opposite way from the top thread) thread it into the top thread’s second bead. Then pull gently in order to tighten it. Easy... 

And start all over again: two beads on the top thread, one on the bottom one. Then rethread the top thread into the top’s second bead «countercurrently» and pull gently...

You keep going lengthwise, on about 36 cm but really it depends on your collar size. Once your first row is complete, put a jump ring on one of the two threads and thread a couple of crimp beads into both threads and flatten them to finalize the first part of your necklace.

Thread a new but shorter nylon thread (about 65 cm) into a bead at about 10 cm from the beginning of your necklace. Slide your thread halfway and thread 3 beads of another color.

On the same principle as earlier, take the empty thread, thread it «countercurrently» into the third bead. Pull gently the top thread, rethread it into the next white bead, and add two beads on the bottom thread.

Take your top thread and thread it «countercurrently» into the second bead and pull gently. Don’t forget to threat the top thread into the next white bead, it’s what makes the link between the two rows of your necklace.

And to finish you second row I’m giving you a tip to fix both of your rows (but it will work the same way with the next ones). Thread the first bead, then a crimp bead and the second bead. Thread your top thread into the second bead and into the crimp bead.

When both threads are «countercurrently» into your crimp bead, flatten it with your pliers and cut the exceeding threads. To start your third row and the next ones, start forward to give to this dickey a triangular aspect. Don’t start with the first bead but the second, and don’t weave until the last bead but stop with the last but one.

Then it is the same principle, now have fun with colors, alternate, create rhythms... It’s your go...

And don’t forget to end with a crimp bead, flatten hard and TA-DA ! In the case I wasn’t clear enough, I made you IKEA instructions on Illustrator that you can download here... Have fun!

Now you now how to weave I’m sure you’re going to ask me... I’m wearing the «NAVY» Nailmatic nail polish ;) ... I’m waiting to hearing from you!

It's madness my kittens ! 

Make my lemonade is exporting or I should say internationalizing, I am delighted to welcome Marilou, loulou, ma lou (all of them!) on this little website... Marilou, it’s kind of my sister actually... Really our lives run into each other and mix up, I won’t give you details because it’s none of your business but there was a time where people really thought we were sisters... I am so happy to know her and to introduce her here to you through her words, and that she’s part of the make my lemonade adventure... Anyway my point is that Loulou translated all the 2013 posts, yes yes and you know it wasn’t easy to translate all my stupid puns, my lousy nicknames and other savage technical terms... Well THANK YOU LOULOU 1 000 times, ONE THOUSAND TIMES EVEN... I invite you to spread the news, to disperse the information over the internets,the english-speaking readers are welcome and will now be able to savor a little lemonade of their own, with us ! 

 Crazy huh ?

Mes petits chats des bois, 

Today I wanted to talk about stubbornness... You know, I’m just like you and there are times where I simply want to quit, because it doesn’t work, because it really gets on my nerves when it’s not like I had imagined it, because it doesn’t look like the image I’d seen etc. And I could go on... And a few times ago, yesterday actually, I decided to make a lemon meringue pie with beautiful meringue peaks on top like a snow-covered fir tree forest (very seasonal...) but, and I don’t really know why, it was awful, a sort of lemon pie decorated by a 6-years-old kid who’d have had hooves instead of hands... I wasn’t quite happy with myself, the cooking modjo had left me... So who was to blame ? A lack of dexterity ? An italian meringue too whipped ? A leaking pastry bag ? I don’t know but I was really disappointed. Yes, a lemon pie can makes me completely down. 

Then I made myself a tea, and I stared at my mixing bowl for a while, I had achieved a beautiful, dense and shiny meringue and I wasn’t about to admit defeat just yet, I turned over the problem in my mind and thought:

• The perfect lemon pie: it’s not me, I’m not order, I’m madness, and if you want to see a perfect lemon pie you go to Ladurée. 
• I had an express mini brainstorming: meringue, ethereal, frothing, egg whites whipped up, mountain, glacier, CLOUD...
• I thought about the lemon pie that have shaken me in my life (it can mess with your life, a lemon pie...) I thought about an amazing one from Le Loir dans la Théière...
• I thought about my sister (meringue addict).

And I told myself, try it! Bottom line is if I hadn’t stop for two minutes to think and make myself a tea (thank you Mai for this mantra: «make yourself a tea make yourself a tea make yourself a tea to repeat 3 times...) you probably wouldn't have seen this lemon pie around here, it’d have ended down our stomach for the enjoyment of our tastebuds. But I am very happy that I showed it to you and photographed it. If it wasn’t incredibly sticky I’d want to sprawl on it. I like it, my cloudy lemon pie, not perfect but more like me. I think that it is sometimes important to let go off things and to do those we really want to, even if it’s not like we imagined it, there is no problem but only solutions...

To do this pie you will need, for the short pastry: 

• 150 g of superfine sugar,
• 250 g of flour,
• 125 g of softened butter, 
• 1 egg.

 For the lemon mixture:

• 3 lemons, juices and zests, 
• 5 battered eggs, 
• 150 g of sugar, 
• 15 cl of whipping cream.

 For the meringue:

• 8,5 cl of water, 
• 280 g of superfine sugar, 
• 5 egg whites.

 First of all, sieve the flour into a mixing bowl, then cut the softened butter into it and start working the dough with the tips of your fingers. Dig a little hole into the pastry and add the egg and sugar into it, keep kneading until it gets homogeneous but don’t knead it too much. Make a ball and leave aside in the fridge for 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven at 180°C and roll out the short pastry, put it into your pie pan and bake it blind for 15-20 minutes with ceramic cooking beads to prevent the base from rising. Meanwhile put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat them together for a few minutes until you have a smooth mixture, you can use an electric beater to help you. Then pour the mixture into you pastry case and bake for 20-25 minutes, you need your cream just set. 

While the lemon mixture is quietly setting in your oven, let’s do the italian meringue! If you have a KitchenAid robot kind of thing, then it’s going to be too easy, otherwise ask for some help because with two people it’s twice as much fun. Let me explain, while you’re whipping up your egg whites with your electric beater, boil the water and the sugar together in a pan (regularly clean the walls of your pan with a wet brush). When the mix gets to 125°C, put it off the heat and pour it on the egg whites while beating them (that’s why it’s better if you are two people). And keep beating for 10 more minutes until the mix cools down, but it’s really worth it! 

Once your pie is baked, you can start decorating it. If you feel like you’re Michael Angelo you can take your pastry bag, or if like me you’re in a I-sniffed-sugar mode, take a spatula and sculpt a romantic cloud... When the deco is done, put your pie under the grill at 250°C for less than a minute. And enjoy !

My kittens...

 I told you, my life is full of surprises and sudden developments lately... I’d rather tell you the news today so we can debrief all the crazy stuffs that have been happening to me for the past two months and start again with our old habits as from tomorrow! 

 So here is the story... A few months ago, I received a call from Cloé, a vitamin parisian priestess, who expounded her project to me. She is looking for 6 young and creative entrepreneurs all over Europe to be the new Vitaminwater ambassadors. I liked the idea of the blog not being featured the first but really just «our jobs», I think I will write an article about that very soon... Like a typical day or something, would you be interested ? Anyway, living with an unconditional of Vitamin water, I thought why not go and see closer what this is all about... 

 And I thought this was quite crazy to ask us, unknown by most people, to be the face of such a big company. The 6 of us are kind of the representative panel of this new generation, the new entrepreneurs, who literally want to eat the world... Today I think we are more and more like «Jack of all trades», into everything. The time where I thought of myself as working in the same house for my whole life is gone, and I don’t think to be the only one... And there are so many bridges with creative jobs, it is difficult to imagine that we will quietly rest on our laurels, I believe that creation goes hand in hand with curiosity and desire of renewing yourself and go further. 

Let me introduce you to our joyful group of creative swiss army knife, Mikey trapastar, co-founding partner, artistic director and designer of the london brand Trapstar, and on top of that Mikey is presenting a little show on MTV... Remaining in London, I don’t think it’s useful to introduce you to Susanna lau, UK’s most styled fashion writer who works with several english magazines and most importantly on her style bubble. There is also Théo Gosselin, a young photographer and french film maker (and one more frenchie...) who deploys his poetic, bucolic, US-tarmac and checkered-shirt inspired universe into hypothetical canadian forests... Go have a look on his website, Into the wild movie’s lovers will enjoy it. The beautiful Jenny Grettve (it’s not so obvious on the picture... I know, but she really is very beautiful), true swedish Shiva, architect, musician, designer, she says inspiration is everywhere and I totally agree with it, you know... And to finish with THE Trine Kjaer, if you go look at her face here you’ll recognize her from pinterest or tumblr I’m sure... One more girl who knows how to do everything..? Designer and DJ, she also manage her own clothes, shoes and hair products’ brand... Fingers in the nose.

Well, I’m super proud to be part of this little team, I think I never laughed during a photo shooting as much as for this one, I’m not very at ease when it comes to posing but that day in London, I didn’t know anybody, I didn’t always understand the language I was spoken in to, and I simply decided to let go and have fun... So here is how I plug the power back in, seated on top of a giant vitamin water and wearing a purple handi-girl overall with my waist strangled into batman’s belt (from a child’s costume though), the real life in short..!

I have to make a little digression about the awesome photographer and the completely crazy designer who both made this campaign, Matt Irwin and Anna Trevelyan, go and see their works, it’s good for your eyes, and for your creativity...  

I will let you discover the video of the challenge I offer on the vitamin water website set for the operation, if you win we can meet each other and spend the day together...  

You crazy people ! 

A few days after the launching of «the beast», it was already sold out in several stores! But no worries, it’s been restocked! 

I’m back with you, I grant myself a little week of vacation (ha ha) if only... I moved from on crazy day to another to prepare the launch of Make My Party, this is done, I received dozens of pictures of you with your book it is soo nice, it gives me shivers everywhere! I wanted to share this press launch with you but also to show you a little bit more than that, and I was waiting impatiently for the Eyrolles editions x Etsy video about the Craft Night to be done before posting this article. And since life is good, I celebrated my 25-years birthday last night... And Make my party had the place of honor again. 

How can I explain that I’m risking the love overdose (I don’t think it’s possible) but I feel like I’m going to explode with gratitude and I wanted to show you all this because it was crazy, a titanic work, a great dose of stress... But so much happiness, to work with a team, to meet you and to receive your feedback! THANK YOU

The launch with the press and blogs was on last thursday at Le Purgatoire, 54 rue Paradis, (THANK YOU Alain for your help, and your welcoming). I advise you to go and visit his very beautiful website, and particularly his place if you’re around, but I’ll talk again about Alain one day... 

 One more surprise, my mum made the trip to Paris for the occasion, and of course it won’t hurt for once I shed a tiny tear... MERCI maman. You are never really prepared to see ALL (or almost all) of the people you love in the same place. For me, fatigue, love and stress are making me sensitive... No actually I’m OVER sensitive and this situation didn’t work in favor of my eyeliner... 

How I love this picture! I’m telling you my life a little here, I just show you my mum! I know, I know... No worries our old habits will be back on monday... Cook, apron, DIY and scissors and a lot more! If you want to see more pictures of the launch you can go on this facebook album!  

And I wanted to say a special THANK YOU to the Etsy team who nailed it on monday’s craft night (the 17th), it was pure madness, smiles, sweet words, snips of scissors, flowers in your hair, ink pads and many more surprises... THANK YOU to Claire, Lucille, Anne Solange, Elodie and Capucine !

Thank you to Tania for this great video... I’m fulfilled... I only know one thing to write and it’s THANK YOU, I’m knocking on wood and I wish all these crazy things to keep happening to me... In the meantime I have ambitions for this blog, huge desires! And lots of things to say, I will soon be back on a «machine mode»... The design is almost done, the header isn’t the finale one at all (it will surprise you) but the temporary one was not okay at all, so I made a compromise but it will be MAD!

And as a bonus, I got a big surprise party with all my friends... Dressed up as the «L» letter: lance pierre, petit Lu, Léon, Lampe (!), loustic, licorne and so on*... And a SUBLIME make my party cake... Thank you my love, thank you my friends, thank you my family, I love you so mucj... And thanks to you I take some vacations but I will also treat you... To be continued!

* in the same order: slingshot, butter biscuit, Léon, light, joker, unicorn... 

My kittens!

First of all, you are mad, crazy, I’ve never had such a huge torrent of love and I have to say I wept with happiness, I laughed with love... Some sort of literary orgasm that lasted for 20 minutes... You assault me with love and I’m not exaggerating it... Thank you for you enthusiasm; your love and your words, I think I have the best reader on earth (the contest’s results are displayed at the end of the previous article!)

At 5:06 this morning my eyes were wide open and I was thinking this is it, we are today! Today is a big day! My little baby Make My Party gets out... I introduce it to the press and the bloggers in a place that I love. I’m preparing a «Daily Lemonade» post with lots of pictures hour by hour...For tomorrow (I need to catch my breathe and to (finally) rest tonight...) What ? You think I’m gonna wind you up with my book ? Well yes, get ready ‘cause I am! I held myself back sooo long that you’ll beg me to stop talking about it...

And today is a big day because Make My Lemonade got a makeover... A new design, new features... Let me explain a little, I wanted some change for a while, something simpler and cleaner... Because I want a neutral space to express lots of new things, colors, inspirations... One of my resolution is to keep posting classical articles cook, happy friday and Do It Yourself of course, but I’d like to show you beautiful inspiring pictures, to make you a daily lemonade from time to time where I’d bring you with me, hour by hour, on important days like photo shootings, crazy trips or the red carpet at Cannes...

And also a new design because I needed a space for the future buyers of Make My Party so they can download the templates of the DIYs! Because what I didn’t tell you is that you can find lots of things at the end of the book and among those things there are secret codes. Thus under the BOOK tab you can enter the code matching the chapters and templates and patterns will download themselves directly onto your computer...

Well things are not definite, irrevocable... The header I’m not sure... Maybe I’ll put the polka dots back because I don’t know if you’ve seen it but they’re gone (okay not completely gone... But don’t panic I’ll add some... I miss them too much!). The english version of the site!!!! Yes it’s coming for monday! And I’m also preparing a royal newsletter that’s coming really soon... And at the top of the website, next to the BOOK tab you can find a WORKSHOP tab... But what is it ? Well it’s a surprise but you should like it and don’t worry I’ll tell you more very soon !

I am only Love, always and ever... Enjoy the website and explore the different tabs, I’ve heard you... I’m sure the blog will be more beautiful every day and it surely makes me want to post a lot more often so I can distribute my daily dose of lemonade to you !

And since I’m very nice, I’m going to give you one more present! I look forward to hearing from you ! Etsy and I are organizing a craft night on monday to celebrate the launch of the book and since you’re particularly crazy, all the tickets were gone in like no time but I have 3 golden tickets with me, and I can have you win them... So leave me a comment with the DIY of your dreams and I’ll see what I can do... Lovelove!