Black and White World

What if ...
just for a day ...
we lived in a black and white world?

And from the moment we awoke ...
all over the planet ...
what if we noticed
that there was no color to be found ...

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... all throughout our day ...
no matter where we'd go ...

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... no matter what we'd see ...

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the world would be black and white.


I love black and white ...
and I love to create in black and white ...
but I'd hate to think of a world without color.
It makes us appreciate the beauty of black and white
so much more.

In a black and white world,
the glittery gold eye would still be glittery  ...
but not gold ...

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... a touch of sweet pink would merely be sweet ...

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... the ravishing red rose would be ravishing shades of grey.

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So ...
I hope your holiday season is one filled with beautiful color,
sipping pink champagne and tossing gold glitter!

Because next Wednesday will be Christmas
and the following Wednesday will be New Year's Day,
I'll see you in a brand new colorful 2014!
Merry Merry
&
Happy Happy!



OOH LA FROU FROU

is the blog of illustrator

SANDY M

For custom illustration inquiries,
drop a note to Sandy here.

Golden

Don't you just love this golden season?
It's so magical with all of its lights, music and wonder.
I like to turn the lights down in the house after dark
and marvel at the beauty of the trees glowing
and casting sparkles and shadows all around.
And the golden memories we have
of the holidays from years past and time
that was spent with cherished friends and family
seem to linger and sparkle in our minds forever.

I hope that you're having some very sparkly moments
this holiday season.
I decorated the house early this year
before leaving for out of town for Thanksgiving
and it's really made for
a more relaxed Christmas season.
I may adopt that practice forever!

Speaking of golden,
my fabulous clients are
are golden in my mind and the list
of these "golden ones" is growing all of the time!
They bring me a constant stream of
fun projects and give me the opportunity
to design and create for them ...
what could be more golden than that?

One of the members in this chic group of "goldens"
is Jennifer of Bella Clinique
and I'll share with you
the new illustration that was
recently created for their Christmas card in a moment.

You may remember the first illustration (below)
that was commissioned by Bella Clinique.


It was the first illustration that the logo girl
I designed for them appeared in
(she's named "Bella" and is fashioned after the owner).
I recently posted
where that illustration is now being used ...
as a mural in the spa ...

In the first illustration, above, Bella is carrying
her favorite LV handbag (just like the owner's),
and she is walking in front of the spa window
that's filled with spa goodies.  It's not a coincidence
that the dog on the leash is
the image of the owner's cherished pet!

For the Christmas illustration, below,
Bella is doing a little holiday decorating inside the spa
in front of the spa's cozy fireplace while snowflakes
gently fall outside the window ...
I can almost here soft holiday music

playing in the background ...

To see the holiday illustration on their website
during the holiday season, go here.

Have a simply golden remainder of the week, everyone!
Until later ...

OOH LA FROU FROU

is the blog of illustrator
SANDY M

If you have a custom illustration
inquiry, contact Sandy here.

The photos in this post
were sourced from:
Butter London via
Gold Confetti Dress via

Valentino Rock Studs via
Sparkly Trees in Street Scene via
Sparkly Reindeer via
Sparkly Gold Tree Decorations via
Group of Hanging Gold Ornaments via

Gold Confetti Garland via
Gold Flatware via
Champagne Flutes via

The above custom illustrations
created for Bella Clinique
are by SANDY M
(c) SANDY M 2013 - All Rights Reserved.

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.

Once Upon A Fairytale ...

If ever I were to be the star of a fairytale,
I would want to be dressed in breathless magic.


Magic that would sparkle in the sunlight
and swirl softly in the moonlight,
with the glorious sheer hem of my gown
playing sweet games with the breeze.

I can't imagine couture more breathtaking than
the designs by the fashion house of
~  J'Aton Couture. ~
The magicians that wave their wands
to create such beauty are Austrailian designers
Jacob Luppino and Anthony Pittorino.
Both designers are from sartorial Italian backgrounds
and are known for their great attention to detail in
creating those bewitching gowns.


Beautiful J'Aton bridal and red-carpet gowns
adorn many high-profile beauties as they step into
 their own fairytales.
In 2011, model Rebecca Twigley chose the gown
 pictured above with all of it's translucent layers of magic
for her fairytale wedding to AFL player Chris Judd.
{She is pictured in her gown, below}

Following are glimpses into other fairytales

that J'Aton gowns were a beautiful part of:

Oh, the magical beauty ...

doesn't it leave you breathless too?

One particular image of a beautiful J'Aton fairytale gown
not only leaves me breathless each time I see it ...
but the brush in my hand recently found itself
dipping into my waterglass,
... as if by magic ...
and soon water met paper
and when color then met water ...

I had my fairytale gown.

 If you'd like to see a photo of this gown, go here.

I'll leave you now to dream dreams
of your own fairytales, lovelies ...
see you Friday!

OOH LA FROU FROU
is the blog of illustrator
SANDY M

For custom illustration inquiries,
simply drop a note to Sandy HERE.

J'ATON FASHION ILLUSTRATION BY:
The watercolor illustration of
the J'Aton gown in the above post
is by illustrator SANDY M.

PHOTO SOURCES
Photo 1: Back of Gown via
Photo 2: J'Aton Gown with Layers via
Photos 3 and 4: Rebecca Twigley via and via
Photo 5: Gown with Flower via
Photo 6: Bride in Gown with Lace Train on Balcony via
Photo 7: Champagne-Color Gown on  Bride in Car via

Photo 8: Black and White Photo of Woman in Front of Mirror via