La La Giveaway Received

" La la Loves You Giveaway" winner Debra from Providence, Rhode Island would have received her gift by now. Here's an inside photo of the gift she was sent. In our shipping correspondence I found out she has a 5 year-old daughter, so I did up a petite surprise box for her as well. Mommy can't have all the fun! What are all those gift-wrapped goodies? The portfolio box included 9 items: A linen candle. A perfumed bath pouch. A perfumed box of Bath Fizzes. A Paris paperweight. A tube of Pencils imprinted with inspirational words. Paris File Folders. Boxed Paris Thank You Note cards. Black Crystal Key chain. Pink Silk Floral Ribbon Pen. Debra is having a virtual "la la" gift opening party on her blog, I'll post the link when she's ready.

The Petite Box included 4 items: A Paris Pink mini-notebook. A Eiffel Tower Eraser. Sweet Cream Lipsilk. A delicately-braided "Dream" bracelet. Being that it was late at night when I wrapped it, I forgot to take a shot of the completed gift box, but it was done in the fuchsia pink, aqua, and black as well. For customers, I always take an inside/outside photo to email after the order is shipped so they can see the actual gift they are sending. This came about because I was never comfortable ordering long-distance flowers, what did they really look like? Based on the order details, sometimes I make colour adjustments if requested (or if I think it would enhance the experience) so to send a photo just seems like the polite thing to do for customers. They get to share in the pleasure of their gift-giving experience, especially when it's out-of-town and they can't be there to give it directly.

Check in next week for Glamorous Monday and on Tuesday I will show you a Linen Fabric wrapped gift I did for a special Mother's Day gift. The customer said I should show you and my husband did as well! I'll show you the over-the-top version and then change it up to show you a few variations.

Both photos by Sande Chase ~ Oooh la la Cadeau

The Giveaway Winner is.......

The winner of the

'La la Loves You" ~ Gift Giveaway

is

C'est Moi

in Rhode Island

Please email me via my website (via blog) so I can get your shipping details

and your lovely gift box will be on it's way. Please keep reading.......

All of your comments and emails to my feedback request were simply wonderful. I just can't thank all of you enough. If I could, I would wrap a gorgeous gift for each one of you! Not only did you have great suggestions; you helped me to clarify my own thoughts on what this gift-wrapping lady must get done. I'll keep you posted on all the upcoming changes. Being in the blog world and seeing it from this perspective has taken my breath away in the sheer creativity that women have, whether it be bloggers, writers, photographers, artists, many of them businesswomen as well....you all are immensely talented. I love getting to know you and you have become a most delicious part of my day.

Merci!

Now go have a delicious weekend.

Photo image by Sande Chase ~ Oooh la la Cadeau

Part Three ~ photographer Carla Coulson

As someone famous always says " everybody has a story". I love these stories, women who make changes when life needs or wants to head into another direction, whether it be by pure serendipity as it was for Vicki Archer or by pure determination as it was for photographer Carla Coulson in 2000. She had a glamorous well-furnished city apartment, an established and successful ( non-photographic business), and a single girl's designer wardrobe......and then one lonely Christmas Eve in 2000, the turning point in her seemingly-perfect life came in the form of a gift ( I have to admit to loving this part). This single gift, a silver jewellery box (click here to read the story on her website) had Carla Coulson putting her life in storage, selling her business and boarding a plane from her chic life in Darlinghurst, Sydney to Italy with two suitcases and a second-hand Nikon.........her passport to a whole new journey. Passionate about learning photography, the 35-yr.old immersed herself in Florence, the food, the language, the people, photographing her personal journey as she went along for what sounds like the ride of her life. As a reviewer said of the award-winning book Italian Joy "we feel her gioia" (joy in Italian).

One of the charming images from Italian Joy ~ Carla Coulson

Along with photographing the stunning photography for A French Life, she has also done the drop-dead gorgeous and intensely-coloured images for My Amalfi Coast by Amanda Tabberer (who also has a good story to soon share).

A stunning montage of Carla Coulson's coastal staircase photographs seen in My Amalfi Coast.

Carla's second book Paris Tango (writing and photography) has a release date here in North America of June 25th (but can be pre-ordered at Amazon.ca or Amazon.com ). The Paris-based writer and photographer aimed her lens directly into the heat of contempory Paris, the vibrant Marais neighborhood where she now resides, and behind the steamy stage at the Moulin Rouge. She interviews some of the high-design names in Paris, couture genius Francois Lesage, renowned florist Djordje Varda, lingerie high-priestess Chantal Thomass and architect Renzo Piano. Local and neighborly flavour comes from her salsa teacher, landlady and boulanger.

Fantastic image from her blog Carla Loves Photography

Last week, Carla's blog gave us a sneak peek of an upcoming magazine spread she just finished. Built in 1656, La Pergola became the stunning Florence location for a magazine spread Carla shot using naturally-filtered light.
Gorgeous talent don't you think!

"La la Loves You" Giveaway ~ Tonight's Post

While I zoomed in this week on inspiring women of style who I thought might inspire you as well, I will return to gift wrap blog status on Tuesday, remember Monday is my new weekly Gorgeous File post. Tonight I will announce the winner of my "La la Loves You" Gift Giveaway in a separate post. For those of you who commented and emailed your feedback, it was a most gracious thing to do and I thank you dearly. You have no idea how you helped me along, your input and suggestions were remarkably insightful and thought-provoking. If I can ever help you along in some way, please let me know.

Photo 1 and 4 from Carla Coulson/Photo 2 via Flickr/Photo 3 from Amanda Tabberer/Photo 5 and 6 from Carla Love Photography blog.

" La La Loves You" Gift Giveaway

Wall Sculpture by South African artist Brett Murray

Unless Oprah calls and says "Sande, we want you to be our exclusive gift wrapper and we're going to order 1,000 gifts this month (I'd be ready, but I don't see that happening anytime soon!) I better get my Oooh la la Cadeau website in order. I feel I have been a bit unfair........I wrap and post items that I say will be on the website soon and then have been slow in getting these products photographed and up for sale. But truth be known, your comments and this blog have been so helpful in defining what my gift website should be as it shifts once more. I'm gearing up for a big re-do but I have been stalling.....and I'm not sure why. Life has changed, the economy has certainly changed forever, so my instinct is that you still want gifts, but smaller choices, petite cadeau, still beautifully wrapped of course. It isn't that what I'm doing isn't working, I'm just getting a vibe that it needs to shift. Maybe I'm too extravagant in my gift wrapping? Do you want simpler wrapping choices? Maybe you even want to wrap your own, should I offer you the Wrap Room section I have been mentioning? Rolls of gift wrap with coordinating ribbon so you can do your own thing? I would love to know what you want in your gift giving and how to give it to you. I believe in thoughtful gifting because it makes women feel so special, I also believe I can do it well. I just want to do it better.

Maybe Oprah would say to follow my instincts,

but I would love to hear from you.

If you have a few spare moments over the next 2 weeks and can drop in to my gift website {click here}and have any thoughts, suggestions, input, ideas, or even criticism on what you see, I would be thrilled to hear it (even the bad stuff said in a nice way). If you are blog comment-shy, feel free to email your comments to support@ooohlalacadeau.com, I will still enter you in the giveaway. Keep in mind I do promote other gift sources in the interest of being blog impartial, so no I don't have any guilt asking this favour this one time. But, I don't expect feedback for nothing, so now the really fun part...

La La 8.5 x 11 Poster - Sparkle Power at Etsy

" La La Loves You" Gift Giveaway

If you comment on this blog post in reply to this feedback request before April 30th, your name will be entered in a giveaway draw at which time one of you gals will be the happy recipient of a Oooh la la Cadeau gift. If you comment and already are or become a new follower, you will get 2 votes - double the chances of winning! I will blog announce the winner on Friday, May 1st. And no, it doesn't matter where you live, the gift will find you. It's my son's birthday on the 30th so I'll let him do the honours. I can promise it will be totally decadent and extravagant! A box full of exquisite gift-wrapped treats.! You can even pick the wrapping style if you have a favorite style from my blog. It's quite simple........I could really use your feedback.

A la la gift sample full of lovely gift-wrapped treats.

Now go have a great weekend.

Top photo via New York Social Diary/Bottom photo from Sparkle Power at Etsy