Famille Summerbelle

Easter break in l'Ile de Ré

We are spending the week with our relatives from New Zealand on l'Ile de Ré. So far we have managed a little cycling while the sun was out and avoid the heavy rain showers...You can read a bit more about what we like to do on the island on the interview I did for Bozaround blog.

Good times

Yesterday was officially the end of the holidays. Ophelia has gone back to school, Lucien to his nanny and us to our studio.
It's always a little slow to start working again after such a nice Christmas break (I didn't open my computer once for a whole week, yeah!) but I am very excited to begin the year with lots of new exciting projects. The months leading to Christmas have been so hectic that I desperately needed a good break and to spend quality time with the children.

We were in the French Alps near Chamonix and our days were spent eating amazing food, going down the slopes snowboarding and on the sledge afterwards with the children.

Ophelia loved throwing herself backwards in the snow making angel shapes. Lucien was not so sure..

Happy birthday Lucien!

Our little boy turned 2 today and learnt a new word "deux!". His vocabulary list doesn't exceed 10 words so we were pleased to add a new one to it!
He was so happy to receive so many cars (oh! he loves cars and wheels so much), a bike and a garage. We bought this vintage garage during the Braderie de Lille back in September. I customised it a little...
Ophelia his sister (who's 5) helped me to bake his train cake this morning while eating half of the Smarties box...tonight her tummy was aching "mummy my tummy hurts, I must have a baby in my tummy. I need to go to the hospital!". That was rather dramatic just before bedtime.

I love looking back at these portraits. It's so impressive how much he's changed in 2 years and has now such a strong character. I am really looking forward to the next year. 2 is such a great age...challenging but fun!

Terrible twos next...?!

Felt letters from MiChiMaLand.

C'est les vacances!

We're enjoying a lovely time with the family in the South West of France. The cousins are happy playing together and I'm delighted to switch off from my computer!
I'll be back soon with lots of exciting new product images: wallpaper, tea towels and the new map of San Francisco...

It makes me happy

to see my designs featured in such a beautiful room. This is the bedroom of Ivy, the daughter of Courtney from Babyccino. I love the white room with all the added touches of colours. Now I want to paint our floor board!

London map in red.

Family Tree in turquoise.

Happy holidays

We just had a brilliant week with friends and family in l'Ile de Ré on the French west coast. To resume the week in few words: fresh croissants every mornings, long cycle rides with the children on the trailers, afternoons at the beach chasing the waves and looking at the kites, long evenings chatting around a lovely meal, and a big birthday party for Talia who turned 6! We all had such an amazing time. I hope you are enjoying a nice break as well.

Lunch at l'Alpette

It's the school holiday this week in France and we're spending the week with my mum in her home town of Megève in the French Alps.

Megève is a beautiful alpine village within site of the stunning Mont Blanc, and we are fortunate to escape here a number of times every year.

Today Simon and I were lucky to escape for a walk and then lunch in a beautiful chalet at the top of the mountain called L'Alpette. Not just a beautiful chalet; this is the place where 68 years ago my grandparents met for the first time. At almost 2,000m altitude!

My mum is a very proud Mégevane (the name for the natives!) who has a wonderful photographic history of the town dating back to the 1940s. So I thought I'd share a few - starting with a magnificent picture of l'Alpette taken in the 1960s, with some pictures of my grandparents taken the summer that the met working at the chalet:

L'Alpette really hasn't changed much at all (the wonderful simple wooden sign remains the same). Sadly the only thing that is different is that there really isn't very much snow in 2011..

Here are a few more pictures of my family:

My mum (centre) with her brother and sister - check out the matching outfits! My grandfather (Charles) with his very fashionable pipe, and another picture from my mum's childhood, which is my son's favourite photo right now (I think mostly because of the bear...).

Happy Birthday Pom!

That's my big brother (Pom - real name Aurélien). Turning 35 today, living a happy life in California with his beautiful wife and children (Apolline, Hector, Auguste and number 4 is on the way!). If me and my 3 sisters are on the creative side, then he is the clever and intelligent one spending his days with mice in Stanford University trying to find a cure for cancer.
I do admire him.
For working with mice.

Happy time on holidays in the south of France with the cousins (on top of the Renault 4L). That's my bro in the middle of the table, saying something very clever. As always.
No, we were not drinking wine.

The poo poo hut

La Cacabane sounds much nicer in French! A funny short cut name (caca=poo, cabane= hut) for a place to play and be private. Check this little cartoon video to see where the idea came from. Designed by French company Pirouette Cacahouète.
Maybe I should get one to start potty training Lucien, but I think he would only be interested to open and close the door over and over again (that's his big thing at the moment).

Seen on Luvaville.

Wet and windy weekend

Can't wait to see the sun to brighten the days a little bit more! We've only manage to get out of the house for an hour today to go for a walk in the forest with the children. But I have to say it is quite nice to stay at home this weekend. It feels very cosy to be warm inside when the rain is beating against the windows...

The original paper cut map of London is hanging above the mantelpiece in our kitchen. Some of the glass candle holders are from Graham and Green. The black cast iron candlesticks are a wedding present from Robert Welch. They are so heavy and look really good I think.

My perfume L'ombre dans l'eau' from Dyptique. The candle is also from there. Vintage lace lamp design by Terre & Montagne (actually made by my mum!). Felt cloud from Le Ptit Papillon.
I hope you all had a nice weekend.

Happy 1st birthday Lucien!

I had so much fun doing this photo shot every month, but I have to say the latest has been the most challenging...Lucien wouldn't sit still, he just wanted to eat the felt letters and throw them everywhere. I had to tell him off and he doesn't look very happy in the final result!

My glasses

Ophelia loves wearing glasses and so does her brother (he has no choice, big sister put them on him). The optician gave her this pair without lenses when I went to get mine done (sadly real ones). She wore them today to the park. She thinks they're v cool. She even pretends to clean the non existing lenses...

Vacances...

We have enjoyed a relaxing week with the children for the half term holiday-Vacances de la Toussaint- In summary, everyday: Breakfast with croissants and pains au chocolat, work on the laptop in the morning while Ophelia paints and Lucien crawls everywhere. Lunch in the sun along the sea front and in the afternoon a long cycle ride...


I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Interview

Thanks Florence for interviewing Ophelia and I on Pirouette's blog this morning!

Lucien

Dollhouse

I'm always very excited when I see a nice dollhouse. I think it's because I've made a lot of models when I used to be a set designer. I'd love to get hold of the Gotland Summer house, or the Stockholm modern house with the pool hidden in a draw for Ophelia (or for me!). From Lundby.

As seen in Pirouette.

La fin des vacances...

Sadly it's the end of the holidays. We had a brilliant time in the South of France with all the family (about 25 of us!). It was very hot (over 35 degrees some days). Every year it's the same, we spend long hours around the table eating lovely food and drinking good wine from the area. The cousins are so happy to play together and love the 'fete du village' with the manege and the plastic ducks. Next year it will be the same, we'll all meet up and there will be more cousins playing together.
Now we're back home. Ophelia starts school tomorrow!

Happy 4th Birthday Ophelia

Bon anniversaire ma fille chérie!

Birthday party

We decided to celebrate Ophelia's birthday early this year so that she can have a party with her friends. Her actual birthday is 14th July - Bastille Day. She is very lucky to have fireworks every year here in France, but having her school friends around is always a bit difficult as everybody's off on holidays... So on Saturday we had 10 little girls, all face-painted in pink (of course!), lots of balloons,paper banners, music and games...Thanks Manou (Ophelia's grandma)for baking the amazing 'Ophelia's house' chocolate cake! She had a great afternoon. Us too but oh dear! we were so exhausted by the end. Now I understand why parents hire professionals to entertain their children and also the choice of doing the party away from your home makes a lot of sense!

Owls and Mushroom paper banner from Famille Summerbelle. Green banner from My Little Day.

Before & after

I found this little wooden high chair on a flea market last weekend. It only cost me €10. Ophelia was so excited to paint it and to show it to Augustine (her doll!).




Have a nice weekend!