la pomme sewn toys and pillows: miniview

i am back from my weekend in nola, which was lovely (more on that later). equally if not more lovely are these soft linen and cotton pillows, sachets and toys from philippines-born, french-based artist apol lejano-massebieau, aka etsy seller lapomme. many of the pieces in apol’s dreamy collection are crafted from rescued and recycled materials and stuffed them with delicious dried lavender. each and every piece also has a wonderful and quirky story behind it. i wanted to know more of apol’s personal story, so i asked just three questions…

q: where do you live, and where do you make your lovely things?
a: i live in a little village in southwestern france, and i used to sew on my dining room table, until it stopped being fun finding pieces of thread in the salad. so i recently bought myself a little mobile home and installed it on the property, beside my dry garden. i painted the walls a shade called raspberry, and from march to mid-april i have a view of flamingos feeding in the marsh in front. it is wonderful to finally have a space for all my mess!

q: do you have an art background? how did you get into making these sachets and pillows?
a: what i am, mainly, is a writer, who had always had a deep appreciation for the visual arts and the fabric arts. sewing was something that i did on-and-off, and had always wanted to do more of, except that life had always been too busy.

when i was a child, my sisters and i would prepare for christmas by making handmade toys to give to cousins, although sometimes the toys were so freaky our cousins would cry. then at university i was part of the costume department of a theater group, and i got to make fun objects like a stuffed octopus and metallic dance suits. then i stopped for more than a decade as real life and a high-pressure job happened.

after a serious rearranging of my life, finally, after a long iI am able to again handle fabric, needle, and thread. this time, i have no plans of stopping.

q: would you rather sleep with lavender or eat it?
a: lavender in food requires a light touch, otherwise you feel like you’re eating a garden. so unless i really really trust the kitchen, i’d rather just sleep with the herb.

purchase these pieces and see the full collection at apol’s etsy shop, and say hi to her on her blog too.

thank you apol!

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silver and gold candy necklace

i used to love those chalky pastel candy necklaces when i was a kid, and now i can have a permanent reminder of a favorite childhood memory with this silver and gold-plated necklace from the clever folks at atypyk.

i love the styling in this photo that makes it look like some of the “candies” have been eaten.

85€ (us $119) and a lot more witty products right here.

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clever wood cutting board

if your kitchen is filled with cookbooks why not add one more to the mix with this clever 6″ x 9.5″ beechwood cutting board from our french friends at atypyk? just put it next to all the other ones when it isn’t in use.

haha - wouldn’t this make a terrific gift for a book lover!?

$29 at generate (and see more cool stuff at atypyk’s shop too!).

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olivier mourgue bouloum chaise

this playful foam and steel framed chaise by celebrated french furniture designer olivier mourgue gives new meaning to the concept of spooning. it’s named bouloum, after a childhood friend.

they must have been very close.

in the permanent collection at moma, and $950 at hive.

via freshome

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christian ghion cat capsule

are you like most people who have a small, spacey, swinging kitty with discriminating tastes that always manages to take up a quarter of your king size bed and ruin your sleep while doing it? oh wait - maybe that’s just me. i do believe the cat capsule from french designer christian ghion may be the answer to my cat prayers. it’s quite compact and has an uber stylish mid century modern sensibility.

if this thing swivels, i just might have to figure out where to buy it, even if it is better looking than my own furniture!

via contemporist

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les bébés du monde from petitcollin

look at these beautiful dolls originally manufactured by french company jouets petitcollin, a 19th century corset boning and comb manufacturer. dolls of that era were frequently made of porcelain or papier mache, materials prone to damage. when petit collin began using celluloid as a material for a variety of products, they tried making dolls, and quickly became one of the world’s most renowned doll manufacturers in the early 20th century. now a special collection has been selected and mounted on wood as a keepsake of times past.

i loathe the plastic rings around the close up photos so much i cannot even tell you, but despite this distraction, it sure is an intriguing addition to a collection.

$185 for the set at moss.

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crazy for tord boontje

beautiful, beautiful things from dutch-born, french-based industrial design wonder tord boontje: the die cut, hand loomed little field of flowers rug for nani marquina, and the vinyl wall decal (actually seven individual panels).

$4000 and $7000, respectively. but oh so fabulous.

purchase the rug at design within reach, and the wallcovering at velocity.

via betterlivingthroughdesign

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hoooo! bath towel

with halloween being so close, those of you who are not costume ready yet may want to try this out.

since a) this is 32 euros, b) it would ship from france, and c) halloween is just around the corner, you might just want to macgyver this one at home.

but it is quite amusing.

find it at atypyk.

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