A place where colourful chaos and playful creativity come together! I'm Ellen - professional dreamer, illustrator of quirky female figures and creator of art with an edge. Since I could hold a pencil, I have been drawing everything my crazy brain comes up with. From everyday absurdities to realistically unrealistic scenes: perfection? We don't do that! That's why I also teach others how to let go and enjoy drawing.

But it gets even better! Together with my mum, Sigrid - ceramics queen with 20 years of experience and a former shop of her own (Clay and Letters) - I bring my illustrations to life on her handmade ceramics. Plates, cups, bowls? No average tableware here, but unique pieces full of character and humour.

La Vie d'Ellemie is a celebration of art, colour and a touch of absurdity. Perfect for those who don't take life too seriously!

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La Vie d'Ellemie - the long version

La Vie d'Ellemie came into being during a walk in the woods in autumn 2024. The air smelt of wet leaves, our pockets were full of acorns and crazy twigs, and somewhere among the trees the seed was planted for something new. Something of the two of us. A place where my illustrations and my mum's ceramics could find each other. Something slower, softer, by feel.

We call it La Vie d'Ellemie-a colourful world where everything carries a story. At the centre is the character Ellemie and her curious cat René. Together they inhabit a world where imperfection is welcome, where things wobble, laugh, draw, and sometimes have a crack.

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Who are we?
I (the daughter) have been drawing since I could hold a pencil. Illustrating is my first language. But I am also at home in a thousand other creative worlds: sewing, painting, clay, dancing, singing, acting, photography... If something has to do with expression, I want to feel it. For me, La Vie d'Ellemie is the place where all these interests are allowed to merge.

My mum is a professional ceramist with years of experience. She ran her own ceramics business for a long time and now still creates in her cosy ‘baking hut’ in the garden. There, the cooker runs hot even when the rest of the world feels cold. Her hands know exactly what clay needs to live.

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How do we work together?
We start with an idea, usually from my sketchbook. A cup with an eye. A vase shaped like a shoe. A bowl with legs. My mum shapes it-she moulds, turns or casts the model. Then I add my world: colour, illustrations, finishing, stories.

It's an interplay between generations, between hands with experience and eyes full of wonder. Each piece is unique, handmade, and often a bit rebellious. We love what wiggles. Of what makes you laugh or makes you pause just a little.

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What do we want to share?
La Vie d'Ellemie is not a brand. It is a world. A safe place for those who long for slowing down, softness and creativity. Whether you're holding a bag that makes you smile, or seeing a drawing of Ellemie who, like you, just doesn't feel like the day for a while-you are welcome.
We hope you find peace here. And colour. And maybe a little yourself, too.