babarsh

Have you ever thought

of how many "thank you's" we sprinkle here and there
throughout our day? ...

The glamorously fun illustrated city girls
we've created for our cardline
would certainly have cause to sprinkle quite a few ...
and I'm sure you do too ...

The Ooh La Frou Frou girls'
"thank you's"
would begin early in the morning as
they step from their lovely apartments
onto the busy city sidewalks ...
Their ready response to the doorman's pleasant greeting of
"Have a wonderful day, miss" ...
would most certainly be
a smile and a simple "why, thank you!" ...

And how many times from day to evening
would the girls rely upon catching a taxi?
"Oh, taxi! Please, please stop for me?" ...

"Thank you, Mr. Taxi Driver!"

Yes, thank you's spill from our mouths
so many times a day that we never really bother to count them.
How many thank you's do think you probably gift someone with
while shopping? Many, I bet.
"Oooh ... thank you for that free sample! ..."

... and, of course, we show our appreciation for
the brave souls that dare to clip away at our tresses! ...
"Oooh, thank you!" ... hopefully quickly followed with ... "I LOVE it!"

And it never fails to delight
when someone pays us an

unexpected compliment, no? ...

And our response most often is ...
"Oh my gosh, thank you SO much!"

Of course, there isn't anything quite as moving as
an unexpected gesture from someone very special ...

... those gestures never fail to make our heart melt ...

and those sweet gestures deserve a
very special
"thank you, darling."

If you are a fan of
our fantasy world of Ooh La Frou Frou,
you know that a busy shopping day in the city
usually results in the girls collapsing into
comfortable chairs for tea or lunch ...
like these inviting chairs at Bergdorf Goodman ...

"Oh, handsome waiter ...
thank you ever so much, darling for that mouth-watering scone ...
and the clotted cream ...
and the tiny sandwiches ...
and the tea ... "

And then there's the thank you to the hostess
as she leads you to that special intimate
table for two by the window on date night ...

It almost seems as if there are are as many
"thank you's" in each day
as there are lights sprinkled over the city at night ...

But sometimes an extra-special thank you is required.
More than a quick "thanks."
More than an air kiss.
Sometimes nothing says "thank you" better
than your written words of appreciation
sealed in a pink envelope
and sent off to their mailbox ...

Our illustrated city girl Violet looks quite chic on our new
Ooh La Frou Frou Collection
Thank You Card
entitled:
"Thank You .. You're Fabulous."

Violet's hair has been pulled into a low ponytail,
and she's backed by the excitement of the city with its
taxis and golden windows as she
drops a pretty pink envelope in the mail.
Today we're also introducing somethig else new ...
we've given Violet a dog
to keep her company on those errands ...
a very elegant Afghan named Parker
(in honor of Park Avenue as well as Central Park)!

This beautiful card is embellished with
glitter and also has crystals on the dogs collar
and on some of the purses and shoes in the windows.
Message inside:
Dropping you a little note to say
thank you ... you're fabulous.
If you'd like to order this card,
just go here.

Thanks for joining us for the fun today, lovelies!
I can hardly believe that in just a few days, this blog
will have its first birthday!
I've so enjoyed our first year and
there's much more fun to come.
Thanks so much to all of you for
joining in the fun!

It seems that August has come
with a few surprises for me ...
my husband will be starting a brand new job in September
and to shorten his commute,
we are moving this coming weekend ...
so you know what that means ...
I'm knee-deep in boxes
and packing up everything,
including the studio!
And following moving day,
it will, of course, take me
a few weeks to get settled.
So I am going to take care of the business of moving
during this month and the blog will be back
when life settles back down ...
in September!

I will be reading all comments (I love them!)
and I'll keep everyone updated
via Twitter and Facebook ...
so wish me well ...
now ...
where did I put that packing tape?

Images via:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
Image 7 (Illustration of girls at perfume counter)
is by Sandra Shelton Markwalder,
artist and creator of the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection
Images via: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
Image 15, the "Thank You .. You're So Fabulous" card illustration
by Ooh La Frou Frou artist and creator,
Sandra Shelton Markwalder
Image via: 16

Stunning!

"Fragile and resilient, feminine and practical, imbued with serenity but intrinsically full of movement..."

A description of clothing design that completely entices me; did I pique your interest?

Have a look:

From Sylvia Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle:
Backstory: With a doctorate in anthropology from UC Berkeley, Borja took inspiration from her travels and study, and began making clothing in 2001, starting with her own graduation dress. She's shown at San Francisco Fashion Week and been featured in many magazines. She started with ruffled fleece coats and dresses and more recently added higher-end fabrics to her ruffly repertoire.

Vibe: "Project Runway" workshop. Lived-in studio space with drafting tables, fabric swatches everywhere, two sewing machines; a small, well-stocked retail space takes up the front of the workroom.

The goods: Ruffled wool tartan and fleece skirts, jackets and coats; bamboo yoga clothes, bias-cut dresses with asymmetrical hemlines, long evening coats, boleros, wraps and scarves, and baby and children's clothing ($95-$600).

Clientele: The non-minimal stylista with an arty bent.