ExcUsE mY frEnch

En ce moment...

2010-09-18T18:59:00.012+02:00

Chers Ami(e)s et Client(e)s,

Voila bien longtemps que je n'ai rien posté sur ce blog... veuillez m'en excuser je pouponne depuis le 3 août, date à laquelle ma "kleine Maus" (petite souris) est venue au monde.

Depuis, c'est mon mari chéri qui s'occupe des marchés et vous tient au courant sur la fanpage Facebook : moi je reste pour le moment en "back office" et continue de coudre entre les couches et les tétées...

En attendant le plaisir de vous voir bientôt n'hésitez pas à m'écrire un email :
contact@excusemy.fr
ou à vous inscrire sur la fanpage Facebook

Liebe Freunde und Kunden,

Es ist schon lange her, das ich nichts auf diesem blog geschrieben habe, entschuldigt ihr mir bitte, ich kümmere mich um meine kleine Maus, die am 3. August zur Welt gekommen ist.

Seitdem beschäftigt sich eben mein geliebte Mann mit den Märkten und hält ihr auf dem Facebook fanpage auf : ich bleibe zu Hause um zu stillen und windeln... aber auch um zu nähen !

Ich freue mich euch bald zu sehen, zögert ihr nicht, mir einen email zu schreiben:
contact@excusemy.fr
oder schreib auf dem Facebook fanpage ein

En attendant

2010-07-16T22:00:00.011+02:00

Chers amis et clients,

Comme vous le savez peut être je suis dans mon dernier mois de grossesse !
Aussi veuillez m'excuser de ne pas alimenter ce blog autant que je le souhaiterais..

C'est mon mari qui vous accueille maintenant sur le marché de Kollwitzplatz le samedi. Le dimanche pour le moment pas de marché.

Si vous le souhaitez vous pouvez nous rejoindre sur notre Fanpage Facebook pour suivre les nouvelles d'Excuse my French.
Vous pouvez toujours faire vos emplettes dans notre boutique en ligne, avec des nouveautés chaque semaine.
Enfin, si vous avez une demande plus spécifique, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter par email : contact@excusemy.fr

A bientôt !

Liebe Freunde und Kunden,
Wie Sie vielleicht wissen, bin ich in meinem letzten Monat der Schwangerschaft!
Also bitte entschuldigen Sie mich, dass ich auf diesen Blog nicht so viel schreibe..

Mein Mann ist auf dem Stand auf dem Markt am Kollwitzplatz am Samstag. Am Sonntag, zurzeit kein Markt.

Wenn Sie möchten, können Sie uns auf unserer Facebook Fanpage beizutreten, um die Nachrichten über Excuse my French zu folgen.
Sie können immer noch Ihren Einkauf in unserem Online-Shop, mit etwas Neuem jede Woche.
Schließlich, wenn Sie eine spezifischere Anfrage, bitte kontaktieren Sie uns per E-Mail: contact@excusemy.fr
Liebe Grüsse und bis bald !

J'adore les pois

2010-04-23T18:44:00.003+02:00

Une petite blouse à pois pour la plus jolie gosse de Marseille, joyeux anniversaire !! 2 ans déjà !
Patron japonais prêté par ma copine qui en a fait une délicieuse version framboise et chocolat
Pas facile à photographier les jours de brise :P

Résumé de la semaine dernière

2010-04-06T11:30:00.003+02:00

La semaine dernière a été riche en émotions : après avoir appris que nous attendons une petite fille et non un petit bonhomme, nous avons décidé d'aller faire les emplettes pour la chambre du bébé (lit, matelas à langer..)
Samedi c'était le retour sur le marché de Kollwitzplatz avec mon stand : un vrai plaisir de retrouver mes clients, collègues et le soleil aussi.
Dimanche j'ai cousu ce tour de lit : coloré, frais et déhoussable :)

Rituels de saison

2010-03-30T15:21:00.005+02:00

Le printemps est arrivé à Berlin, et comme chaque année je me suis consacrée à mes petits rituels de saison :
- faire le fameux nettoyage de printemps
- faire des madeleines
- mettre des fleurs partout chez nous

Robe de printemps

2010-03-22T16:09:00.006+01:00

Aujourd'hui il fait un temps merveilleux : un VRAI début de printemps berlinois (pas un nuage, un ciel bleu intense et un beau soleil). Cela m'a donné deux envies pressantes : aller prendre un café en terrasse et me coudre une robe légère.
Je trouve ce tissu très frais (acheté chez Ikea) ; la découpe de la robe est plutôt large, resserrée dans le dos par un ruban, ce qui laisse bien de la marge à mon ventre pour pousser encore.

Surprise

2010-03-16T11:59:00.002+01:00

Une petite baleine doudou et quelques jolis morceaux de tissus pour ma copine et son petit bout de choux.

Livraison

2010-03-15T11:29:00.002+01:00

Aujourd'hui je dois livrer un bouquet de fleurs chez Heimat Berlin, une super boutique de chapeaux sur Kastanienallee. J'ai également mis quelque unes de ces fleurs sur Dawanda plus pratique lorsque l'on n'habite pas Berlin !

Turbulette

2010-03-14T09:49:00.011+01:00

Voilà ce que j'ai fait hier : une turbulette pour mon baby en coton orange/chocolat, doublé de polaire bleu canard. Turbulette, quel joli mot soit dit en passant ! J'en ferai d'autres la semaine prochaine..
Pour le déjeuner de ce midi : une quiche aux poireaux, miam, avec 2 basiques incontournables dans mon joli buffet vert de cuisine : la crème de soja et la farine complète ; deux ingrédients sains et particulièrement savoureux pour faire les quiches et les tartes.

Vous aurez peut-être remarqué que je suis passée de l'anglais au français, c'est juste histoire de me simplifier la vie.. une bonne habitude à prendre sans doute pour la petite maman que je serai bientôt :)

What i was doing last week end

2010-03-08T12:28:00.004+01:00

I made this dress from the Stylish dress book 2 (model G)
I chose a thick dark blue cotton fabric, a bit too thick i think, so i had to adapt a little bit the pattern under the arms. Next time I'll probably make this dress with another softer and thiner fabric.

Featured on Dawanda

2010-03-05T11:26:00.005+01:00

Today i have the pleasure to be featured on the Dawanda blog : you'll find a little interview about me here and some pictures of my creations.
It's a little strange for me to be "interviewed", it kind of makes me blush, it is a great feeling though !

Things to come

2010-03-01T13:03:00.005+01:00

Here is the colors and fabrics selection i chose from my huge collection for the things i'm going to make for my baby to come. From this you may think it's a boy and you'll be right !
My Grandmother is going to make the knitting part, as i still am a beginner in that matter :)
I searched a little bit around the internet and found some super cute things i definitely want to have :

Grrrrrr !!!

2010-02-26T12:51:00.004+01:00

These days i've been having a lot of fun looking for new ideas to stage my creations for my webshop's pictures.
I have to say my favorite is this one : the "leopard" Petits Petons in the cage !

The cage i made myself too ! It is actually the smallest of a serie of three :

Originally i made those cages as a decoration. I was thinking i could turn the smallest one into a lamp. We'll see if i manage to do that !

French newsboy hats

2010-02-20T12:23:00.007+01:00

In French we call these newsboy hats "Gavroche", named after Victor Hugo's character in "Les Misérables". They give a parisian tomboy look that i like very much : i put my hair inside and always make sure to let one or two locks of hair stick out carelessely on the sides.

Now available in the shop !

On va voir les vaches ?

2010-02-19T14:26:00.007+01:00

This never ending winter is driving me crazy.. i'm kind of craving for spring..
Now available in the shop !

Expecting

2010-02-17T13:09:00.006+01:00

I'm going to have a whole new range of inspirations now that i'm expecting a little someone in my belly :)

How exciting !

Here is the first thing i did : a little suitcase i'll bring on D-day to the maternity hospital. Patience, there still is a little bit more than 5 month to wait...

Precious silk from Paris

2010-02-11T10:23:00.005+01:00

These are the silk fabrics i brought back from Paris ! That's one of the things i love most in this city : you can find soo many precious and delicate things. I'm so excited to make new things out of those ! Soon in the webshop... stay tuned !

Clothes swapping

2010-02-09T11:57:00.005+01:00

Last sunday i went to a clothes swapping : an exciting experience ! You bring a bunch of clothes in good condition you don't wear any more, and you'll probably find some you like there. A nice anti-consumerism initiative and a great occasion to meet new people !

So i didn't spend a dime but i got a sexy green dress, a pair of purple leggings and a short white cardigan yeah !!

Find more clothes swapping here :)

Garland

2010-02-04T16:36:00.005+01:00

Our friend's room happens to be green and pink, two lovely colours i also choosed for this blog.
Last week i made this garland for her.

Back from Paris

2010-01-29T13:37:00.008+01:00

Wow it has been a long time since i last wrote on my blog...

Actually we went back to Paris to visit family and friends, and get to celebrate with them Christmas, New Years Eve and Epiphany. And that was GREAT !

It was the first time we went back there and felt like tourists, it was quite a strange feeling but we got to appreciate Paris with new eyes and we found it especially nice.

Not like tourists though, we brought back to Berlin what we can't find here and that we cruelly miss : carambars (hard caramels), vinegar cornichons (sour and crunchy) and coquillettes (small pasta we eat with butter and ham)... miam miam (= yummy)

From Berlin with love & snow

2009-12-30T19:17:00.004+01:00

Happy New Year 2010 !!!

Happy holidays !

2009-12-24T17:25:00.003+01:00

Rene & Radka

2009-12-03T22:05:00.003+01:00

Some pictures from two of my favorite photographers Rene and Radka

new...neW...nEW...NEW !

2009-12-02T11:48:00.008+01:00

A lot of new stuff in the shop today !!!
Also, let me present you the brand new ExcUsE mY frEnch packaging ^^ YEAH !

IKEA... love you

2009-11-24T17:51:00.004+01:00

Hi, i'm Caroline and i'm an Ikeaholic.
Totally fond of their dishes, lamps, collection of fabrics etc..

My Place & Yours : Front Door

2009-11-15T18:21:00.014+01:00

This week, Pip's meme "My Place & Yours" theme is "Through the Frontdoor".
So here is mine.
I live in the former "East Side" of Berlin, in a very basic typical building on the 1st floor.
There's not much to say about my frontdoor except that it's VERY brown.. The stairway and my door look like they're all painted with chocolate.. i feel like i'm Willy Wonka everytime i come home.

Anywhere you go...

2009-11-15T16:52:00.011+01:00

Anywhere you go in Berlin there's always something to see and nice moments to spend.
That was an ordinary, mild and lovely sunday.
Ernst-Thälmann Park
Graffitis
A cactus fan's window
Delicious spinach gorgonzola pizza at 'Il Pane e le Rose'
A precious pink building in Bötzowviertel
Zeiss Planetarium

Saturday market

2009-11-14T17:39:00.003+01:00

Here is a picture of my stand today on Kollwitzplatz : it was in the middle of the alley and i think it looked nice ; the weather was very mild ; a LOT of people asked me about my APE, they all want one ! Well if you do, remember it only goes 35km per hour maximum when it's empty (40km per hour if the street goes down..)

My Place & Yours : secret weapon

2009-11-13T08:42:00.007+01:00

Now Meet me at Mike's meme, "My Place & Yours"!
Ok, i know i'm a bit late on this one but i really didn't know what was my secret weapon..
I felt i didn't have anything but my energy and the pleasure and peace i feel when doing my stuff.
and this morning it hit me ! my coffee machine IS really my secret weapon ! i was just too sleepy to realize it
It's an old Krups coffee machine i bought on a fleemarket when i arrived in Berlin 2 years ago. The guy who sold it to me said : 'you'll see it works a bit like an expresso machine'
Actually.. no. It doesn't make a hell of a coffee but i enjoy using it because it's beautiful.
...
Yeah it's not really a hell of a weapon..

To the post

2009-11-12T20:08:00.010+01:00

I've been to the post office today, so that your packages will arrive very soon :
Carine in La Comté / France
Mariana in Mülheim an der Ruhr / Germany
Inès in Lyon / France
!

Today is a great day (suite)

2009-11-09T21:43:00.011+01:00

Well it was raining cats and dogs, but it was great to be there to see all those dominos falling down. All of them were painted by people from everywhere in the world ; they symbolized the former wall and how it's fall had chain consequences on European history. Mikhail Gorbatchev was here and Lech Walesa made the first domino fall.

Today is a great day

2009-11-09T13:51:00.007+01:00

I feel VERY emotional today because we're celebrating the fall of the Berlin wall.
It's amazing for me to be here in Berlin and to feel like i'm "from Berlin", twenty years after this D-day.
I'll come back later with my own pictures of the celebrations that are taking place today.

Circus

2009-11-06T23:31:00.003+01:00

Kind of creepy from the outside, but amazing when you sneak in..

yum yum

2009-11-05T19:14:00.009+01:00

I'm a huge fan of Thaï food and i decided to make my favorite dishes. I can make a green curry with tofu (we ate that yesterday) and today i tried springrolls.
Before trying i didn't know how to use rice paper.. and i thought it wasn't easy.
I was sooo wrong !
It's super easy to make : you just have to put them briefly in the water and then on a towel, put all the ingredients (carrots, rice noodles, tofu or chicken slices, fresh coriander, soja), and then wrap.
Don't tell my husband it's so easy, because he was quite impressed !

SNOW !!!

2009-11-04T13:17:00.007+01:00

Today is officially the first day snowing in Berlin ! Oh la la... it's only the very beginning !

Colours : All Red

2009-11-03T13:34:00.014+01:00

Red things at home... (foxy puppet head from former East Germany, tomato salt shaker, wood mushroom to fix the socks, timer, "poivre" metal box, lamp, wool mushroom, japanese wood wishing puppet)
... and outside (amaryllis, detail of the berlin wall, 6-babies carriage)

My Place & Yours : blog HQ

2009-11-02T09:10:00.014+01:00

So this is my weekly rendez-vous with Pip's meme, "My Place & Yours"!

Here is my brand new blog HQ ! I didn't have a dedicated place to blog before : i use to take up any spot.. free from my sewing stuff ! That's why i only have a few things around my laptop : mostly coffee and tissues and of course my watchful Telma and Louise.

And here is the kimono i made yesterday (ikea fabric, futtered with fleece).
Now that i have the proper place and outfit, i'm going to blog right !

Brief fall

2009-11-01T16:04:00.009+01:00

First time in a long while that we had time to enjoy Berlin on a Sunday. We walked in the park, had a nap and took spring rolls to go.
Wow it’s fall already and as usual here, it won't last very long..

Boxes collection

2009-10-29T15:02:00.009+01:00

Plastic boxes from ex-West Germany, Japanese lunch box & paper box, old metal boxes from France & Belgium and a moo box... as you can figure, i love boxes ..

Some of them will definitely need the refreshing treatment advised by Thrifty Mrs. !

Concours photo : 'Gâteau d'enfance'

2009-10-28T11:10:00.011+01:00

Here is my contribution to the photo contest launched by Isabelle from l’Oreille culinaire, Dorian et Pascale : the theme is 'Gâteau d'enfance' (=childhood's cake)

Voici ma contribution au concours de photo culinaire organisé par Isabelle de l’Oreille culinaire, Dorian et Pascale : le thème est 'Gâteau d'enfance'.
Mon gâteau d'enfance favori est en fait un gâteau salé ; le cake !
J'ai une affection toute particulière pour ce plat simple et délicieux à la fois : il est le roi du pique-nique. Et pour moi le pique-nique c'est quand même la version idéale du repas de famille car manger avec les doigts et se lever de 'table' ne posent pas de problème :)
Le cake est décilieux et on peut le décliner à l'infini en gardant les ingrédients de base et en changeant la garniture.

Voici la recette du cake aux figues, noix & chèvre, mon préféré du moment :)

4 oeufs

10 cl de bière

10 cl d'huile d'olive

220 g de farine

1 sachet de levure

3 figues confites en dés

1 buchette de chèvre

50 grammes de noix
sel et poivre

***

Dans un saladier, mélanger la farine et la levure.

Ajouter les oeufs, la bière et l'huile d'olive. Mélanger jusqu'à obtenir un mélange lisse.

Ajouter les figues, les noix et le fromage de chèvre en dés.
Faire cuire 40 minutes au four th 7.

If you want the receipe in English or in German, please contact me, i'll be happy to send it to you.

My Place & Yours : bedside

2009-10-27T12:18:00.006+01:00

I'm gonna finally have the time for my second favorite hobby from now on : making pictures. There are quite a lot of nice photo contests around the net that i never had a chance to participate to, as i've been chained to my sewing machine for a long time !

I got free and registered to 'My place and yours' that i discovered reading my friend ninon's blog.

This week's theme is 'bedside', so here is my side of the bed !

A lot of my favorite things surround me as i sleep : a poster from artist Masami Teraoka, french books, a Totoro, a wooden dove, a garland of paper stars and a changing color lamp.

Fleemarket treasure

2009-10-27T11:43:00.007+01:00

Things i found on the fleemarket last week end : three cups, an embroidery set 'Mein Steckenpferd' (=hobby) and a pillow case

Au revoir !

2009-10-19T17:17:00.009+02:00

Dear clients and friends,

Our adventure with our ExcUsE mY frEnch shop

is coming to an end.
Don't be sad or sorry,

come and celebrate with us

our departure towards new horizons :

we organise a special sale this week !

Wednesday 19th to Friday 23rd from 3pm to 7pm

Saturday 24th from 11am to 5pm

See you there !

ExcUsE mY frEnch

Sredzkistrasse 39

Prenzlauer Berg

U : Eberswalderstrasse

Tag der deutschen Einheit

2009-10-03T17:46:00.008+02:00

Today the 20th anniversary of the two former East & West Germany reunion is celebrated.

For the occasion two Royal de Luxe Giants (a french company) were invited and symbolise this reunion.

It is magic to see them walking and to see the sparkling eyes and cameras of kids and grown ups in the audience.

Have a look on the Arte reportage

My stand on Kollwitzplatz

2009-09-22T08:28:00.005+02:00

Dear Clients & Friends,
The Kollwitzplatz market has been reorganized and my stand is no longer in front of the Gugelhof restaurant. My little APE is now a little bit further in the allee.

I hope you'll find me if you're searching for me :)
If not, don't hesitate to contact me by email : contact@excusemy.fr
or to visit my shop on Dawanda

Girly electronic

2009-09-11T19:58:00.006+02:00

Here is the first result of a collaboration with my friend Mendel : he's passionate about electronics and i'm more into girly stuff. So we made a bracelet with little lights that change colors :)
it's not quite finished but i couldn't wait posting the draft.
This bracelet will be sold in partnership with DaWanda for a charity purpose.

2009-09-03T10:42:00.009+02:00

So the Sommer Pop shopping took place in the Arena Badeschiff : it's a huge hall next to the Badeschiff. But no time to go swimming unfortunately..

I'm very happy with how my stand looked, all the more as i had forgotten to take a table.. Fortunately the Arena is also next to a huge indoors fleemarket. So my table problem was quickly solved, may be a little too quickly : i wish i could have seen more of this fleemarket !

After two days of fair here is how the Arena looks :

Credits : Olivier Girardot

2009-08-26T20:19:00.007+02:00

I spend this week in my atelier at home working on the preparation of the Holy Pop Shopping.

I just went out for a pause and i made a strange encounter :)

There is a temporary shop on Schönhauser Allee called "Intimflohmarkt" ; as a complete fleemarket addict i couldn't help stopping by.

I didn't really understand at first when seeing the price labels on the products...

It's actually not a standard shop, but an artistic concept : the price of each product is actually a speaking time with the artist about the subject written on the label.

To purchase the pink bracelet i had to pay 5 minutes talking about "something i regreted".

To be honest i didn't actually want to have the bracelet... but this is what i love about Berlin : you can find all these places and concepts you couldn't find anywhere else, based on art, selfinvolvment and generosity.

Like those bars where you pay the amount of money you think what you ate was worth !

Isn't it just lovely ?

2009-08-16T07:12:00.015+02:00

I'll be happy to welcome you there with my things :) If you cannot make it there, my Man will be on Saturday on the Kollwitzplatzmarket at my usual place (in front of Gugelhof restaurant) with the Ape. The shop will be closed this day.

29th & 30th August 2009
at the Arena Badeschiff Berlin
Eichenstraße 4Sa
S-Bahn : Treptower Park
map

Opening times :
Saturday 29.08 : 12:00 - 22:00
Sunday 30.08 : 12:00 - 20:00

Entrance fee : 3€

Prenzlauer Berg, Kingdom of Children

2009-08-03T13:16:00.010+02:00

I was interviewed by journalists of "Le Petit Journal des Français à l'étranger" (Online chronicles about French people abroad - in French).

This video is about Prenzlauer Berg (the part of Berlin where the Excuse my French shop is) and tries to figure out how come this district has sooo many children. It's a very lovely video, and i'm proud to be at the end of it. I don't have much to say about kids cos i don't have any yet, but you can see me working in the shop :)

Prenzlauer Berg "Le Royaume des enfants"
Hochgeladen von chroniquesberlinoises. - Entdecke Exoten mit Hilfe von Videos.

Snow white

2009-07-30T13:19:00.007+02:00

We made the most of these last few sunny days to reface our beloved APE 50, who suffered from inept graffiti makers : i'm actually talking about one in particular of which you probably saw the non-art around Berlin, he's named "Roxor" pff... Apparently this guy thinks that simply writing his name on someone elses property makes him an artist...

Here is a picture i took in Paris of the art of my favorite graffiti artist : fafi

Discover Berlin... again & again

2009-07-30T12:51:00.009+02:00

When friends & family come to visit us in Berlin it's always a good opportunity to discover Berlin again. We tend to take them to the same places, to show them all the stategic things of the city : usually we bike, because we have developped a very effective route ; and with the sporty type ones we tend to extend the journey and discover new places.
It's never boring because Berlin is in perpetual change ; by the way did you see what they did to our Wall ???

No more Palast der Republik but a huge lawn instead

Cafe "Bateau ivre" in Kreuzberg

Poster of the Pierre & Gilles Exhibition
from July 24th to Oct. 4th in Berlin
more about it
I saw it in Paris (Jeu de Paume) & i definitely recommend it !

Painters & workers "remaking" the Wall

:P

2009-07-28T12:23:00.005+02:00

I just had the lovely surprise seeing that i was featured on two super cute and interesting blogs : one is written by a super dynamic parisian girl named Delfee
In this blog you'll find a lot of tips and places she recommends !

and the other one is written (in japanese) by a lovely japanese girl, named Aoi ; i met her a month ago on Arkonaplatz, she decided to move to Berlin with her boyfriend.

Thanks to both of you !!

Happy birthday !

2009-07-18T20:18:00.007+02:00

This year our beloved Eiffel tower turned 120 ! Here are some pictures of her birthday party :)

She's really my favorite monument in France.
Did you ever walk underneath when she's sparkling at night ? (she sparkles every evening for the first 15 minutes of every hour at night) Well i did a lot and i find it so moving and beautiful :)

I've been living in Berlin for a year and a half now, and i love it really !!! but i miss the Eiffel tower and her sooo romantic charm... Happy birthday :)*

And here she is when she sparkles at night

Chilling out at Sgaminegg

2009-07-13T14:01:00.014+02:00

Mondays are off for me, they're like my week-ends, as i spend saturdays and mostly sundays on markets. What i usually do for a start on monday is to go and chill out in my favorite place, have a coffee or a rhubarb juice and a homemade pastry for breakfast.
I love the colors, the music and the peace of this place, and also the lady serving there who is always so smiling and discreet.
I could spend hours there

Vintage scandinavian furniture & organic food

Always nice flowers on the tables

A lovely sunday on Arkonaplatz

2009-07-12T18:39:00.015+02:00

Today i was back on Arkonaplatz for the market after a long while, and i enjoyed it like it was the first time i was there.

My stand on Arkonaplatz

Here is a bunch of pictures i took today of lovely clients, great looking people and amazing stuff you can find on this fleemarket :

Clara

Sorry i didn't ask you your name

My neighbour today, who also have a shop on Helmholzplatz

Petra

Nana & her lucky owner

Scranee & Heiko

A fish in the hair

Thank you to all of these people who have accepted to be on my blog, i think you look great and i hope you'll like the pictures :)*

Photo shooting

2009-07-11T19:24:00.005+02:00

As i was making pictures in front of the shop to put online, a happy bunch of people came by and lovely Carlotta has accepted to be my model :)

So here she is featuring an Excuse my French 'Clara' bag

new...neW...nEW...NEW !

2009-07-09T09:00:00.017+02:00

For all those who asked me if it was possible to buy my stuff online : it is from now on !! Check out my DaWanda shop !
http://fr.dawanda.com/shop/excusemyfrench

For the launch of my online shop i put some of my creations a little cheaper on Dawanda. Stay tuned i'll put regularly new things online !

Also don't hesitate to ask me if you need something specific !

Wedding Dress (part 2)

2009-07-06T18:22:00.011+02:00

If you missed the Wedding Dress festival, here are some pictures of the stand :)

Clementine wears a bibi she makes ; click here to know more about her work !

You can now find her bibis, brooches and necklaces in our shop :)

Cloudy sky above our stand. Those ones didn't rain..

My beloved APE 50 who takes me everywhere around !

Wedding Dress

2009-07-05T08:51:00.008+02:00

Dear clients and friends,
Sorry for all on Kollwitzplatz who didn't find me yesterday..

This week end i'm actually on the Wedding Dress Festival with my friend Clementine Treu

So i won't be either on Arkonaplatz today, but i'm not very far from it actually, if you want to visit :)

Wedding Dress Festival : 4. und 5. Juli 2009
Saturday : 11 am to 8 pm

Sunday : 11 am to 8 pm
Fashionbasar in Brunnenstrasse between Bernauer Straße and Demminerstraße

U8 Bernauer Straße / U8 Voltastraße

2009-06-23T23:03:00.009+02:00

At Charlotte's wedding ceremony, the bridesmaids were wearing Excuse my French flowers in the hair.

doesn't it look lovely ?

all my wishes of happiness to the newlyweds !

Spring spring spring !!!

2009-04-07T09:51:00.008+02:00

Here it is : spring has arrived suddenly in Berlin, giving us this funny impression that winter wasn't so long after all.
It's quite nice to trade our winter coat for t-shirts !

Well now that the temperatures have finally gone up you can find Excuse my French :
- every Saturday on Kollwitzplatz (Prenzlauer Berg)
- Sunday 19th and 26th on Arkonaplatz (Prenzlauer Berg)

and of course in the shop during the week :
Tuesday-Friday 1-7 pm
Saturday 11 am - 4 pm

See you there !

Picture by Inka

There you go !

2009-03-12T07:49:00.005+01:00

Here is the wooly hat i made with the yarn i bought on Lausitzer Platz :)
It didn't take long to knit it all the more as the tutorial (in French) i found here was super great !
I have to say i LOVE it, it is so comfortable, warm and soft ! I still can't wait though
for spring to come !!

Crochet flowers

2009-03-09T14:25:00.003+01:00

I've been crocheting a lot of squares lately and i needed to do something else for a change.. so i decided to go round instead !
I enjoy very much doing things randomly all the more as i have now more and more possibilities as my collection of yarn is growing :)
I think these flowers will nicely decorate walls, windows or pillows.

Like my granny

2009-03-08T09:25:00.004+01:00

Lately i've been working on my crochet project with the yarn i posted before.
Only three colors are used for the granny squares and the last one will be used to put everything together. I can't wait seeing the final result but i still miss a few squares...

New jacket

2009-03-04T10:15:00.008+01:00

I've been planning to do this jacket for ages, but i never managed to get me started on it, the pattern was lying around in my studio so i could see it every day..
But i had an impulse yesterday and there it is ! Spontaneity is the best !

New plans

2009-03-01T11:46:00.004+01:00

I found this yard on the Lausitzer Platz market : it's handmade, super soft and warm, and it smells sooo good. I would like to make a wooly hat. This is quite a challenge for me because i learned to knit not a very long time ago and i don't have a pattern for the hat i'd like to make.. So i don't know how long it's going to take but i'll keep you posted. May be i'll end up making a scarf... we'll see :P

The good thing is that i enjoyed a lot the Lausitzer Platz market. My friend Ninon took me there and i think i'm going to sell my creations there on fridays (so does she), as soon as the weather is better. I can't wait !

Colours : All White

2009-02-28T17:03:00.007+01:00

A little boy feeding swans and ducks

Flowers on the market at SchönleinstrasseA lovely veranda in a coffee place
Lace in the sky

Loops' call

2009-02-26T19:51:00.005+01:00

There is this shop in Prenzlauer Berg named Loops, where they sell everything for knitting. I went the other day and i managed to resist buying something. But today i went back.. well i was in the area :P
I bought these colors because i have something in mind. I won't say more for now but I'll keep you posted on that !

My day today

2009-02-24T20:38:00.014+01:00

Today i didn't sew much except this belt : it's actually one of my father's tie, combined with a vintage buckle i purchased on the fleemarket.
Hi Dad !

I mostly biked around Prenzlauer Berg "the nose up in the air" as we say in French. I love to watch around when walking, but it's actually not so easy when biking.. I saw some funny balconies though :)

Some other nice things i saw today

2009-02-24T18:45:00.011+01:00

and

some

hairy

boots...

it is trendy here in Berlin. Well... actually i wouldn't wear them even if it must be very warm and adapted to the climate. But i find them quite funny :)

I've been tagged !

2009-02-22T11:45:00.017+01:00

Tagged by Emmanuance, here are my answers :

Diamonds or pearls : diamonds of course, because i love everything that sparkles..
The last movie i saw : The curious case of Benjamin Button, but the last movie i saw that i really loved is Vicky Christina Barcelona
My favorite TV show : Father Ted
My breakfast : not very respectable at the moment.. but i promise i'll make efforts in the future..
My second first name : i don't have one. simply Caroline
Food i don't like : raw meat
My favorite first name at the present time : Alice
Caracter trait i don't like : lack of curiousity
A place i would like to fly to : JAPAN, my ultimate dream !!!
Where i'd like to retire : i'd love to have a travelling retirement
Chocolate or vanilla : vanilla, i've never been really fond of chocolate, except the "Malakoff" chocolates that i always loved.. do someone remember them ?
The last person i talked to on the phone : Doud, my sister who lives far far away
Sweet or salty : when i was younger salty, at the moment both and i think i'll definitely swing to sweet when growing older..
My favorite day of the week : all

Now let's tag Ninon, Nikoki and Tatjana

Gardening

2009-02-22T11:22:00.008+01:00

I sewed a lot lately, so i felt like having a new occupation. My friend Emmanuance, who knits a lot of beautiful and elaborate things, tought me how to knit, and i love it !
I began whith an easy scarf, like almost everyone i assume :) and i'm now one step further : at the moment i'm knitting some vegetables ; i already made a bunch of radishes and carrots, and i'm going to make some tomatoes too yeahh !

It reminds me a lot of my childhood when i cas playing whith my sister : we use to recycle packagings to create our own supermarket. At this time we din't have a fruit and vegetables department :P

For the occasion i gave myself bamboo knitting needles which are fantastic ! It's a lot easier to knit with and the result is a lot more regular !

Snow + sun

2009-02-18T11:56:00.006+01:00

Elmo borrowed my Barbie doll's winter clothes to go and play in the snow..

I use to get such precious things from my Mom for Christmas when i was a child :)*

For my sewing buddies

2009-02-17T13:58:00.006+01:00

These are for my best sewing buddies.
Actually there are 3 of them but one has already been given :)

Méli mélo

2009-02-17T09:20:00.012+01:00

Last week-end i watched "Amélie Poulain" again. I love this film for the beautiful image of paris that it gives and also for all the little things Amélie does to brighten up everyday life. I especially love the story of her father's traveling dwarf.

My favorite model is not a dwarf but a small Elmo i bought in San Francisco twelve years ago..

Once in a while i'll post a picture of Elmo in his own activities.

Welcome !

2009-02-12T08:04:00.003+01:00

Here are the creations of Julia, now available in our shop ! Crowns for little princesses and pirat hats for boys ! A clever present to develop their imagination.

How a chore turns into giggles

2009-02-11T10:52:00.015+01:00

This morning we received a parcel by the post :)
It's from our friends from Marseille (France) who sent us a whole bunch of sponges : there's all types, colours and shapes we can possibly dream of. May be you wonder why ?!?
When they came in december, they noticed it was so damn hard to find good sponges in Berlin, and we always complain a lot about it :P Some would think a sponge is not so important, but that's not true ! And i think it's such a nice and funny gesture : everyday when we clean the dishes, we'll think of them and lough !
Under the sponges there where also treats :P French Carambar (toffees) and Malabar (chewing gums for giants bubbles) : our favorites !!
Thank you guys ! Love you

Isn't it lovely ?

2009-02-11T09:28:00.005+01:00

Today i woke up and it's snowing again on Berlin :) it's amazing how snow makes me feel like a child (like a lot of people i assume) and how rain really doesn't... well Berlin is great because this winter we had a lot more snow than rain.

Here is a picture of Mauerpark : look closely, the snowman shows you the former Berlin Wall on the top of the hill.

When there's snow in the streets of Berlin parents and children go sledging, isn't it lovely ?

Special

2009-02-06T00:05:00.004+01:00

As Valentine's Day is coming soon, i made a new special decoration for the shop !

k-fehin is exciting

2009-02-03T18:38:00.020+01:00

Today i went to visit my friend k-fehin. She's a "geek" as she says, it actually means she's a gifted programmer, and i was told there's a few women on Planet Geek... She's also a gifted cartoonist : she tells the funny short stories of her life in Na Klar ! (her online cartoon in French).

She showed me the upcoming new Excuse my French website she made... it's sooooo nice, i can't wait presenting it to you !! I don't want to reveal too much about it, but she used lovely colours and fonts, made a great work on the pictures, all according to what she felt about the little Excuse my French world. I have to say she felt right !

She took me to the pâtisserie named Olivia, where she made me try the best chocolates ever (blackcurrant & basil) : i definitely want to go back there !! I forgot to say k-fehin is a genuine chocolate lover ;)

Then we went together to the market in Kreuzberg, just to have a look...

Well, as usual i couldn't resist... but i was reasonable this time : i just bought a small piece of a pastel pink tartan fabric and an old French fashion magazine. Everyone has his own vice...

In my studio

2009-02-03T10:02:00.007+01:00

As you can see, one of my other passions is fabrics ! I love to buy them in Paris nearby Montmartre, but i also found a lot of beautiful ones in Berlin. As i cannot resist buying fabrics, i usually go in fabric shops only if i really need something in particular.
I especially love colourfull and sparkling fabrics. It may not be obvious on the picture, but i classify them (yes i do!) by type of material.

Florist by profession

2009-02-02T10:41:00.016+01:00

Here is the final stage in my making of flowers : i add the button, the leaf and the pin.
I love to choose the button that will enhance the character of a flower.

Buttons are one of my passions and i buy tonnes of them in shops or fleemarkets. I love when they look a bit oldfashioned with lots of details.

Good to know

2009-02-01T12:16:00.004+01:00

Here is something most people know now, but that they don't use that much, and that's a pity because it has so many advantages : the wash nuts.
Ok the nuts don't smell good, but they wash perfectly coloured and white fabrics. They respect and enhance the colours and soften the linen, without letting any smell. You don't have to use softener, but if you like the smell of fresh washed linen, put 3 drops of essential lavender oil on the small bag before putting it in the machine.
The wash nuts cost a lot less than washing powders, and are 100% ecological and hypoallergenic.
I think they're great ! Did you try them ?

Encounter on Kollwitzplatz

2009-02-01T07:27:00.011+01:00

Yesterday was saturday : my day of market on Kollwitzplatz ! It was horribly cold but at some point there was a ray of sunlight :)
Inka wears a mini-flower brooch made of white dotted orange cotton fabric

My two little fairies

2009-01-30T22:20:00.018+01:00

In the mail today there was this mysterious parcel...

In it, beautiful baby born pastel coloured cardigans handmade by my two little fairies : my grand mother (Mamy) and my aunt (Tata). They write me they want to help me to make the shop look very full with a lot of different things :)

Isn't it amasingly sweet ?

I put them just above the baby born bonnets i make. I think it fits so perfectly together and also with my flower brooches : you can tell it's the same family, can't you ?

So as they wished, i'm now selling those lovely little cardigans under the brand "Mamy & Tata", for which i made special labels :

I must confess i kept 2 of those cardigans for me, just in case !

Lost in translation ???

2009-01-29T20:03:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Babel Fish, we can now understand each other whatever language you speak : German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Corean and my favorite : Japanese ! Doesn't it look great in Japanese ? Kawaii !

Sweet & tasty !

2009-01-29T12:18:00.000+01:00

So now i feel like making a lot of stuff with my new sewing partner (see previous post) to decorate my studio. I made this pillow with a japanese piece of fabric i bought on a shiny sunday at the fleemarket in Mauerpark. Until now i didn't know what would come out of this small piece of fabric, and it came to my mind it would be perfect to make my atelier's chair more comfortable. And cherry on the cake the colours fit perfectly... tasty !

How wonderfull is this ?

2009-01-28T20:06:00.001+01:00

Yesterday i got the greatest surprise ever : my friend Bibiana offered me her old Ideal sewing machine. She's moving to Rome for a few months and it's sooo heavy she couldn't bring it there. I can't thank her enough for this...

I wasn't sure if i wanted to have this beautiful machine in the shop, so that it would also be a great piece of deco, or to have it at home... I decided to have it at home just in case i feel like sewing in the middle of the night, cos i just love it so much. This machine is not only beautiful and robust, it also makes a smooth little sound when working, it's so confortable to sew with and it can sew all types of fabrics - even leather !

So here is the picture of my new Ideal sewing machine, which fits perfectly in my studio at home (i must confess i had to tidy the place up to take the picture, it usually doesn't look like this ooops...)

Welcome !

2009-01-28T16:46:00.001+01:00

Let me introduce you Anne Loiseau and her creations. She lives in Paris, her name means "the bird" in French and she makes all the accessories we dreamed of as a child : mushroom rattles, magic wands and some others available at Excuse my French !

Need a tip for a birth present ?

2009-01-13T23:54:00.000+01:00

Perfectly adapted to the cold, these bonnets will keep the ears of the new ones nice and warm. They're handmade of course, by my friend Emmanuance who always use the best quality of wool.

For 0-3 months babies, 100% Merinos wool

Waiting for spring

2009-01-13T09:51:00.000+01:00

At the moment the winter in Berlin is freezing, so let's think about spring, which is going to come sooner or later ! Here are the new fabrics I bought in Paris that inspire me already lots of ideas :)
Blue and pink vichy cotton
Blue flowered, yellow squared and multicolor dotted cotton
Multicolor flowered, multicolor squared and orange dotted silk

Give your opinion !

2008-12-30T14:02:00.000+01:00

Excuse my French is now on Qype.de !

For those who don't know Qype, it's a website where you can give your opininon on places you've visited, hotels, restaurants and bars etc... you can also share your tips with the all qype community.

So now you can find us easier and give your opinion about the shop !

2008-12-30T11:02:00.000+01:00

Chic & warm in Berlin

2008-12-23T21:20:00.001+01:00

Trenchcoat by Manteau
Muff by Nikoki
Necklace by Clementine Treu

Waiting for Christmas

2008-12-23T20:43:00.001+01:00

Sunday i got a mysterious present from my friend Ninon :

In it, beautiful fabric pieces ! It immediately gave me a rush of ideas... i'll keep you posted on that ! Thanks a lot Ninon !
For those who don't know "Les Monstris" by Ninon yet, check her blog out ; some of them are also to be adopted at Excuse my French !

Good mood therapy

2008-12-18T08:36:00.000+01:00

Ok, we're freezing at the moment in Berlin and we really can't get used to this depressing grey sky. The only 2 options to feel better at the moment are : either taking a 2 weeks trip on a sunny island or do a color therapy with the beautiful collection of hair clips, brooches, rings and diadems made by El Color Da Vida in the sun of Barcelona !

How to fly

2008-12-15T15:41:00.000+01:00

We just got our new flyer !
We're about to spread it all over Berlin :)

Worldwide

2008-12-11T11:52:00.000+01:00

From now on, if you google "Excuse my French Berlin" you'll find exactly where we're located :)

Back on Kollwitzplatz

2008-12-11T11:33:00.003+01:00

Last saturday i was back on Kollwitzplatz for the market, after not being able to come for 3 weeks. As usual, i was on my stand in front of Gugelhof, the famous restaurant where the ex-chancelor Gerhard Schröder took Bill Clinton and Jacques Chirac for lunch.
I really did my best to make new things but as i couldn't take everything in the shop, my stand was in a "light" version. i promise there will be more next saturday !

Pretty Excuse my French clients