A Little Change is a Glamorous Thing!

Happy First Ooh La Frou Frou post of 2012,

 lovelies!

I hope you like the new header I created

for the winter season!

The illustrated Ooh La Frou Frou City Girls

are dressed up in their warmest

as they cross Fifth Avenue!

The girls are looking even more chic this year!

Left to right:

Cherie, Belle, Aimee, Tiffany, Alex, Sunny, Hope and Violet.

Now that the New Year's parties are over

and the hats and horns have been put away,

I thought a perfect way to start the new year

would be to just relax with a cup of something cozy

 and chat with you,

my fabulous readers!

Let's begin our chat with a question:

do you know where the name

came from?

It's actually a phrase I created to describe all of the things

 that I love to illustrate. My best definition of

Ooh La Frou Frou is

"all things lovely and chic."

The phrase is made up of a combination of

"Ooh La La"

and

"Frou Frou."

The definition of Frou Frou is:

{Sumptuous, as in the rustling of silk skirts;

fanciful; lavish; chic; chi-chi; icing on the cake.}

The "lovely and chic" things that I love to illustrate

can be anything from

 perume bottles ...

... to chic city townhouses.

Inspiration comes to me from everywhere.

from images on the pages of fashion magazines

and all things soft and feminine ...

... to things with sparkle ...

... and intricate detail ...

What I love to paint and illustrate are things that say

~"City Chic" ~

... golden light from city windows as the sun goes down ...

... the yellow of taxis ... a beautiful cocktail ring on a hand ...

symbols of elegance such as white-gloved doormen and more.

So, it was only natural that one day a year and a half or so ago,

I sat down and created a fantasy group of city girls

to go with all of the other lovely and chic things I love to illustrate!

And when that happened,

a company was born!

When Ooh La Frou Frou began,

 it was envisioned as a card line only.

But the Ooh La Frou Frou dreams

 have now gone from the first floor where it entered,

up up up ...

higher and higher ...

We've begun making some changes on the blog

to prepare for growth ...

tabs will soon appear at the top

and one of those tabs will say "Boutique!"

Soon, items will start to appear in the "Boutique" ...

items that will be embellished with my illustrations

of all things Ooh La Frou Frou (lovely and chic) ...

I'd let you in on some of the things planned

as the year goes on ...

but I think I'll surprise you!

One thing I'll show you ...

we're working on a logo

to accompany some of the upcoming items ...

how do you like our prototype

for Ooh La Frou Frou City Girl?

Along with these exciting future changes,

I will be changing the blog schedule

to be more flexible with my schedule.

Previously on a Monday,

starting next week, blog posts will appear

on any day of the week,

as my schedule allows ...

mostly once a week as always, occasionally twice a week,

and, then again, sometimes a week will be skipped if

I'm on a particularly tight deadline.

I've wanted to change the blog schedule for some time

and with the announcement of our future plans,

now seems the perfect time.

The new schedule will allow me the flexibility to

bring you the very most in fun city chic!

And the posts will be fun and more chic than ever!

I've been working on a new format for them.
Most often, blog posts will be a little glimpse
into a diary of one of the "city girls" ...


... and occasionally, there will be an
"Ooh La Frou Frou Novelette,"
my new fun name for the longer stories!
And mixed in will be fun introductions of
new cards and items in Ooh La Frou Frou's
Boutique line.

So be SURE
to follow on either facebook or twitter
so that you won't miss a thing!



All illustration on the blog by:

Sandy Markwalder,
artist and creator of
Ooh La Frou Frou City Girls.
For custom artwork, drop me a line in the
"Contact Us" section of our website.
To order cards, go here.

Photo Sources:
Champagne
Teacup
Chanel
Townhouse
Woman in Ostrich Feathers
Beaded Dress
Cutwork Dress
Spiral Staircase