Calendar Girls

Hi Lovelies ...
how has your week been so far?
I've been so hard at work on the calendar illustrations
that October is just flying by!
Silly, silly me ...
I hadn't planned on creating a 2014 calendar,
and then in autumn came and I thought, 

"I can do it ... I have time."
Usually, before undertaking such a project,
ideas would simmer from the beginning of the year
and calendar work would begin by March.
So ... you can imagine the magic happening
in the studio right now!
But happening, it is!
I'm working hard to get it ready and available
hopefully by the
end of November!

If you follow me on Instagram,
you probably have seen a couple of illustration sneak peeks.
In thinking of what I'd like the calendar theme to be,
I imagined that it would be fun to
create a year where each month
we step into a dream ...
the dream of living a glamorous life in the city,
where we'd drop into exciting places on a daily basis,
as if money were no object ...
where couture clothes were the norm
(imaging slipping into Valentino, Dior, Elie Saab daily)
and glamour happened around every turn.

via Photography/Cinemagraph by the fabulous Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

So, I am dreaming up a year's worth of girls
that are living an "Eloise-all-grown-up" kind of life.
Some months we may see a girl that lives in the city
and in other months, we may dream along with another
as she orders room service in one of the city's
fabulous hotels ...
I thought that stepping through a townhouse door
with an address of 2014 on the cover
and entering dreamland for a year
certainly would be fun.
Stay tuned!

It's been an awful lot of fun virtually
"shopping"
for the designer pieces that the calendar girls will wear
in each of the months ...

via Photography/Cinemagraph by the fab Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

Following are a couple of the outfits you just may see on the calendar ...
elegant designer beauties especially for days where something other than
a long evening gown is called for ...

For instance, what gorgeous Dior skirt
do you think has been "shopped" and "bought"

for one of the calendar girls
 to sip champagne in at the Plaza Champagne Bar ...


... hint: it was chosen because it's pretty lavender flowers on the skirt ...
they so matched the purple glow
cast down and reflected off the crystal champagne flutes
 from the aubergine Rose Club chandeliers above ...

... and here it is ...

... and to go with the skirt, I'm sure she felt like a princess
when she slipped her feet into these ...

... and for February, another calendar girl is trying hard to decide what to wear
for that very special Valentine's date ...
hmmm ... how about this one ....
we see her suddenly sparkling as she tries on this gorgeous Elie Saab,
(that I "shopped" for right off the 2014 runway) ...


... and to go with that beautiful dress,
what could  be better than a pair of
Valentino Rock Stud heels  ...


Too much fun ...
I could get used to shopping like this!

Have a wonderful week, everyone
I'd love to stay and chat but I have lots of illustrating to do!
Till next time!


OOH LA FROU FROU
is the blog of illustrator
SANDY M

For custom illustration inquiries
leave Sandy a note here.


Photo credits:
The two incredible cinemagraphs are linked above below each photo
and are the beautiful work of Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg.
Plaza Hotel NYC Champagne Bar with purple light reflected via
Champagne Bar photo with green chairs courtesy Plaza Hotel NYC
Dior, Elie Saab and Valentino fashions and shoes above
can be found on Pinterest.

I'm BACK ... and a Giveaway!

Hi everyone!
I'm back!
I hope you all had a simply fab summer ...
didn't it go by fast?
I take summers off from blogging
(with the exception of popping in now and again to say hello)
to enjoy the way-too-short summer months
and to take a little time to let even more inspiration bubble up.

So, first, let me say
HAPPY AUTUMN!

Isn't it glorious?

If you follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram,

you've been able to keep up with me on a daily basis

throughout the summer.

Summer certainly wasn't all lying back in a lounge chair ...

my custom illustration calendar certainly kept me very busy,

with requests to create pretty things for clients.

Most of them I can't mention yet

because they haven't been introduced by the clients.

There are many exciting things waiting to be created

starting in November too ... including a couple of book covers (fun!).

One of the things I love about what I do ...

each day brings something exciting and new.

October will be filled with finishing the 2014 calendar illustrations

so that it can be introduced in November!

So excited about it!

I'll be showing some teasers soon!

If you follow me on instagram, you probably saw this:

Also on Instagram, for the first time,

I recently shared a few

quick rough pencil sketches

taken from the pages of my personal sketchbook ...

sketching for half an hour in the morning when I'm in the studio

is how I often begin my days ...

usually I really don't have an idea of what I will be sketching,

I just go with whatever comes to mind ...

it's a good way to open the door for inspiration ...

Those weren't created for public consumption,

but I thought you may be interested in seeing a glimpse of how my mornings 

in the studio begin.

NOW ...

guess what?

I'M HAVING A CELEBRATION PARTY!

And it includes a giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS IN CELEBRATION

OF JUST CROSSING THE LINE TO OVER

20,000

PINTEREST FOLLOWERS!

On Pinterest you may have seen this posted today!

Whether you follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram,

Facebook, here on the blog (or in all places),

I wanted to take a moment

to say thank you.  Thank you for your support and

thank you for all of these special virtual friendships.

I love hearing your thoughts and visiting your blogs ...

and now that I'm back, I can't wait to hear what you've been up to.

Okay, back to the GIVEAWAY!

I'm gifting one of you that leaves a comment on this post

one of my signed "Paris Party" prints!

It fits a standard-size 11" x 14" frame!

Since I'm celebrating 20,000 Pinterest followers,

I thought the party print was the perfect choice!

Just leave a comment here on the blog, along with how I can reach you

should your comment be drawn.

The winner will be chosen from those that left a comment via

random number generator at noon EST

on next Tuesday, October 15.

Good luck, everyone!

And if you are one of the 20,000+ followers on Pinterest ...

thank you for following!

In closing,

since this is a Pinterest celebration,

I thought I'd end it with a variety of a few of my recent pins ...

(all of the following pins can be found in my recent pins here)

I loved the following quote because you know I think allowing yourself to dream

up a fantasy life opens the door to inspiration ...

So obsessed with animal prints this fall ... obsessed ... did I say ... oh, yes, I did.

And, so, I suppose this is now self-explanatory ...

And this ...

This city is a serious love of mine ...

I thought this sounded as delicious as it is beautiful ... 

you can find the recipe is here ...

After the previous dessert, you may need this workout tip ...

All about the gold ...

Oh, Dior ...

I love the photos collected in my "Take me to the Sea" Pinterest board ...

it's like going on vacation ...

And right from vacation, I'll take you to a holiday party ...

what can I say?  Variety is the spice of life ;)

This reminded me of a very scary thriller ... but doesn't she look amazing?

In closing, I leave you with a final pin ...

just because you are so wonderful.

See you next Wednesday, when I announce

the winner of the "Paris Party" print! xo

OOH LA FROU FROU

is the blog of fashion illustrator

SANDY M

For custom illustration inquiries,

drop Sandy a note here.

The sources for the three autumn photos above 

can be found here.

Pencil sketches and "Paris Party" illustration are by

illustrator SANDY M

All other photos are from my recent Pinterest pins

and can be found here.

Hello New York Fashion Week!

New York Fashion Week Taxi Girl Illustration by SANDY M

Hi everyone!
Summer is slowly waving goodbye to us
(I hope you all have had a fabulous one!)
and autumn is trying to sneak it's foot in the door ...
I'm slowly trying to talk myself into being ready for it!

As much as I love autumn,
(and once I'm into it, I love it wholeheartedly),
I always have in the back of my mind
how long it will be before we will have another summer
and how I feel about it all in February and March ...
which makes it all so bittersweet, doesn't it?

I've enjoyed having some time to enjoy summer
and to make some future illustration plans
by having a relaxed blog schedule this summer ...
and soon I'll be back with a regular blogging schedule
for fall!

I wanted to stop by today to say hello

on this first day of New York Fashion Week ...

(oh, the glamour of it all)
to say hello and let you know regular posts will begin soon!

I've been very busy working on the illustrations for the

upcoming SANDY M 2014 Calendar ...

... on the cover illustration (a portion of it, above),
we see a glamorous girl dressed in a sparkly black dress
walking up the steps about to enter the door
to an Upper East Side townhouse party ...
Townhouse No. 2014 represents the new year ...
and she's just about to walk through the door.
Each month of the calendar

will continue with the city theme
as introduced with the Upper East Side cover ...
glamorous illustrations of girls enjoying
2014 in the city!
Stay tuned!

See you soon everyone!

OOH LA FROU FROU

is the blog of fashion illustrator
SANDY M

For custom illustration inquiries
contact Sandy here.

Sweet August

What is it about August?
The fact that it's the last "unofficial"
month of summer makes it a little bittersweet ...

autumn decorations begin to shoulder themselves into the stores,
ads begin to appear for "back to school" supplies ...
and it makes summer lovers like me want to slip our sunnies on,
cover our ears and shout
"na na na na na na na" ...

... not that I don't LOVE autumn, I do ...
so very much, in fact, that it's my second favorite season ...
I adore autumn leaves, apple cider, crisp air, warm clothes ...
but I just like to keep all things in their time
so that we can truly enjoy and soak in the season that's still here ...

And I've been doing just that!
You all know that I've taken a little time off
from the blog for the summer, just popping in now and again to say hello ...
hope you've all been having a sparkling one, too!


In addition to purely enjoying the summer sunshine and beaches,
taking little trips here and there,
enjoying fresh vegetables from farm stands,
savoring summer barbecues and dining al fresco
and ending sultry days with cooler evening walks ...
I spend a good portion of most days, of course, in the studio.
Many of the things I have been working on I'm not able to share yet,
as they haven't yet been released and introduced by my clients,
but I've been very busy, as usual.

I shared the following custom fashion illustration
on facebook and instagram recently
(so please forgive for the repeat to those that have already seen it)

The illustration was commissioned by Aliana of Aliana Events
as a gift for a bride-to-be that loves Dior
to be presented at a stunning Dior-themed bridal shower.
The following photo of the bride-to-be with the illustration
alongside the beautiful Dior cake of the shower

is courtesy of Aliana Events.

I also mentioned on social media recently that the first
SANDY M Illustrated Calendar
will be available for 2014 and will be introduced later this fall!
The following "teaser," of a portion of the calendar cover illustration
{but covering up the townhouse door area to keep it a surprise}
is all that has been shown so far ...
notice the address of this chic city townhouse as the introduction ...
Stay tuned for more ...

Along with all of the details for the calendar,
one of the illustrations I'm currently working on for a client
takes me away to a chateau in France ... I just love how I'm able to
"travel" while I'm working! ;)

Have a sweet remainder of August, everyone!
I'll be leaving the end of next week for a week-long
road trip with my dad ... yep, a father and daughter trip ...
 going back and visiting his roots ;) ...

it'll be fun!

Till later ...

OOH LA FROU FROU

is the blog of illustrator

SANDY M

For custom illustration inquiries

drop Sandy a line here.

Image Credits:
First three images sourced from Pinterest as follows:
Image 1 girl in sunglasses via
Image 2 girl on carousel via

Image 3 sea at night via

Custom Dior Fashion Illustration by SANDY M

Photo of Bride with SANDY M Fashion Illustration via Aliana Events

"Sneak Peek" partial view 2014 calendar illustration by SANDY M

Fall Inspiration

You know those times when it seems that
every moment you've been on the run?

We all have those weeks sometimes

and this has been one of those for me!
It's been a VERY busy studio week ...
custom illustrations all in a row
and I love it!

So, this week I leave you with
a few recent Pinterest pins
I've found very fall-inspiring!
Such as ...

I've loved all of the fall fashion inspiration
now that the weather is turning cooler ...

... and all of the inspiring ideas for fall entertaining ... 

like this one that gives you 35 amazing pumpkin recipes ...


... or using real sticks for delightful
caramel apples ...


... or fall tablescape ideas to remember ...
like this leaf-embellished chalk board menu ...


... and hanging mini-pumpkins ...


... or perhaps hanging leaves ...


... and the simplicity of white ...


... or pumpkins with the look of chalk ...


... or the glimmer of gold ...


... and simply autumn images that bring to mind
sweet memories and joy ...




What have you found inspiring lately?
Are you filled with the magic of fall yet?
I'd love to hear!

Ooh La Frou Frou is the blog of
illustrator SANDY M.
If you're interested in a custom illustration,
contact Sandy here.

Images used in this post
can be found on
the Pinterest boards of
SANDY M.