DRUM ROLL PLEASE....
INTRODUCING.....
Hello Felicia, we are Damn French Desserts, Purveyor of Exquisite Knick Knack, a shop that sells stationery little wonders on Etsy. Our headquarters is established between Madrid and Barcelona, where the three masterminds behind our shop live, work and enjoy life as much as they can!
2. Does your
shop have a special name? Where did that name come from?
That one is easy … Damn French Desserts came after its founders' nicknames: Chantilly and Créme Brûlèe. We have always been in love with our Granny Valle's confectionery books. They were full of delicious recipes, beautifully illustrated with half-tone plates and every speciality had an amazing flowery name that always sounded way better in french to us! We randomly chose these two delicious confectionery french terms as nicks in the net, and when we teamed up to sign our graphic/web design works we added the word "damn" to those "french desserts" as a humour touch to emphasise how good they are.
It wasn't until November 2009 that we joined forces with our friend Anna, whom we invited to be part of our adventure due to her amazing skills as photographer. Aside of being part of our team of designers, she's the responsible of capturing the very essence of our products with her special sensibility and her collection of cameras.
3. What was the last treasure that arrived in your mail?
Initiative Dharma Kit, for sure! I'm a bit geek when it comes to collecting little treasures and being a die-hard fan of Lost as I am, this impeccably designed package was a must! I absolutely love the series, the characters, their viral marketing campaigns … It's brilliant Oh, AND my Iron Man's Collector's Edition, which I had to purchase AGAIN because the helmet packaging accidentally broke and even though the discs were intact, I can get a bit too much Big Bang's Sheldon Cooper when it comes to this kinda stuff…. I'm the worst ever, I know!
4. Where in the world would you like to visit? why?
There's a road trip across the mythical Route 66 that I've been planning with some friends. It's something that has been in our minds for quite long and every time we meet, we end up talking about that trip. Someday we'll make it for sure, sooner or later.
5. What 8 records or books would you would take with you to a desert island (you can tell us why if you want to)?
There's one record the three of us would take for sure, in fact our passion for his band was the reason that we met, so I'll say that The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails would come to this desert island for sure!
Brulee:
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Thirteenth Step by A Perfect Circle
Aenima by Tool
Chanti:
Larousse Gastronomique which is also Hannibal Lecter's fave book Downward Spiral by NIN
Highway to Hell by ACDC
Grin:
The Waves by Virgina Wolf
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol
In Rainbows by Radiohead
6. If you could go back and live in a past decade or century, when would you choose and why?
I think I speak for the three of us when I say that we are fond of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was an amazing time full of inventions that changed the world completely. We love the books and catalogues from those years. The old encyclopaedias and those anatomy compendiums that could be equally fascinating and spooky. I think I could enjoy walking around those days in a gorgeous victorian dress!
7. What is your favorite thing about creating something by hand?
The challenge that implies having an idea on mind and being able to make it something real. All the process in between is so satisfying.
8. Please list three of your favorite things. Why are they favorites?
Brulee: My Moleskine travel notebooks. I love writing about what I do in my trips, adding what I would describe as "psycho scrapbooking" … Not as much as Seven's character John Doe did with his notebooks but pretty close.
Chantilly: My silver Peace Dollar dated 1925, inherited from my grandfather. I take it everywhere I go!
Grin: The sea. Couldn't live without it, it relaxes me a lot.
9. What could you eat/drink every single day and never grow tired of?
Drink: Every single day I drink at least two cups of coffee … I'm a bit picky when it comes to how do I like my coffee in fact … I like it espresso with a thick lid of crema that stays forever!
Eat: I love eating and the ritual that goes with it: sharing a dinner with friends in any of my fave restaurants, finding new places to eat in every city I visit, enjoying family/friends meetings at home and being the guinea pig for every new recipe is something that I love! So even though it's kinda tough for me to pick just a few fave ones, I'll give honourable mention to my sister's cheesecake with white chocolate.
10. What is your favorite place? Will you describe it to us?
The place where I do my Etsy work is for sure one of my favorite places. I spend a bunch of hours in there, so I assured myself to make it comfy. I have my macs, my music on and my myths and muses around to inspire me on my creative work … or at least to delight myself when inspiration comes late!
Example of cards that you can find in DFD, "Fragile Handle with Care"
An example of the bookmarks that you can find in DFD, "Young Bibliophile":
An example of the prints that you can find in DFD, "Jump Right In":
And now, a couple of items that you will find on DFD from February 2010
Luggage Tag, Keep Fit Die Healthy:
Notebooks, Top Hats and Skulls:
Thanks so much Girls! Isn't this fun! You will find DFD in my fave etsy shops! I just love their work! It's out of the ordinary and it's got unique humour! Ya can't beat that!
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