Origami, really?

Now I never thought I would imagine myself sitting down to a spot of origami and actually enjoying it, but you know what? I just did! Last week, I discovered a fantastic new shop in my local town called Esprit de Famille in Ruffec and I adore it with a capital A. As well as stocking wonderful pendant lights, including the gorgeous copper pantry kind, there’s an array of sumptuous cushions, elegant stone based lamps and stylish furniture to lose yourself in. This beautiful little shop is literally bursting with gorgeous treasures. More about that later…

Esprit de Famille has been thoughtfully curated by Adeline Poincet- Chaignaud with a calming, Scandi slash French feel. She’s even dedicated half her shop to beautiful French toys to cater for the younger market. To say that Adeline is passionate about her love of French brands is too mild, she know her products inside out and clearly adores every single one. From bamboo ergonomic seats to beautiful Montgolfier paper lanterns, her taste is impeccable and makes shopping for toys a sheer joy. There are a few lovely wooden Japanese items among her collection but mostly brilliant French children’s brand toys and games that make such a lovely change from all the plastic tat.Djeco is one of the bestselling French kids brands Adeline stocks and their toys are beautifully made; from detailed jigsaws to sewing and crafts made with attention to detail and quality to last a lifetime. I couldn’t resist trying out one of their beginner level Djeco origami sets with my 3.5 year old. As a complete novice I soon discovered that there’s origami for every age range and some of the more advanced ones are incredible – I’m strangely drawn to them, it’s the geek in me. The French do have a fantastic eye for colour and these are no exception.

So, we toyed with the fish, then the flowers then settled on the animals. These are for real beginners and frankly are a little kinder on the old grey matter than some of the others. Complete with a cute little book showing exactly where and how to fold the paper and a blank version of the templates with stickers to have a go at decorating your own once you’ve mastered the technique – these are great value for money at under £5.00. Not a napkin swan in sight, just beautifully coloured foxes, reindeer, wild pig and dog illustrations to fold into 3d images. My little boy absolutely loved making these, and learned a lot about patience along the way.

Look how cute they are…

Here’s us having a go at making them…

I thought these were so cute I am thinking of popping a few in frames for the little man’s bedroom wall. What do you think? Would you give Djeco Origami a go?

Adeline Poincet- Chaignaud

Esprit de famille
7 rue Jean Jaures
16700 RUFFEC
France

Telephone – 0695950356 [email protected]