Mono & Lena

🎄 Save the date 🎄

✨ Saturday 16 December ✨

Join me and other makers & artists for a fun-filled market day in Kings’ Cross at The Crossing, Granary Square.

A lovely occasion for you to shop small this Christmas and to meet many amazing makers and to get to know their crafts.

There will be about 100 stalls, ranging from jewellery, print, homewares, candles to leather accessories and fashion. Something for everyone!

This will be the only market I will be doing in the run up to Christmas and I would absolutely love to see you there 😊

Lovely feature of my Oliver tealight holders 💛

is all about taking time to live well and celebrating slowing down, exactly what Mono & Lena is all about as well. So happy to be in their ‘Things to wish for’ section with Christmas around the corner ✨

Are you already part of the club? No?? What are you waiting for??? 😁

Simply click this link in and you’ll be in! 🙌🏻
https://monoandlena.co.uk/newsletter-sign-up/

I will never tire of this texture reveal… so beautiful and tactile ❤️

✨This coming weekend✨

First market of the Autumn/Winter season after a summer break 🙌🏻

I’m super excited to join the Greenwich Peninsula Market for the first time!

The market will be made up of a mix of artisan food traders, independent talent from the designer/maker and artist community, and a limited selection of street food.

This is a great opportunity for you to shop unique gifts (🎄🙈), support independent creators, and explore the Greenwich Peninsula!

Details:
• Saturday 23 - Sunday 24 September
• Saturday 30 September - Sunday 1 October
• Both days from 11am to 6 pm
• Peninsula Square, Greenwich, London, SE10 0PE (beside North Greenwich tube, the O2 and the Design District)

Hope to see you there!! Will you be saying hi?

How exciting! My candle holders/bud vases are featured in the September issues of Kent & Sussex lifestyle magazine and 🤩

✨New journal post✨

Have you ever wondered what it is about using an eye pillow that makes them so relaxing?

They are such a simple tool and yet, the benefits they offer for your well-being are numerous. So I’ve written a post about it 😃

In the post, I’m delving a little deeper into the science behind them which is super fascinating, so join me and discover how eye pillows can help you find balance, find moments of calm and enhance your overall well-being.

Read the post at this link: https://monoandlena.co.uk/finding-balance-how-eye-pillows-enhance-your-well-being/

💛Let’s talk colour palettes💛

You my know this or not, but creating colour palettes is one of my favourite things I get to do for Mono & Lena! And I’m always so happy when I receive lovely comments about it at markets & events 😃

My colour palettes are never directly inspired by the latest trends (although I do have a peep at them out if curiosity 😊).

What I look to achieve with my palettes, is that the colours work together in harmony, so they can be mixed & matched by you and look beautiful together whatever you choose.

The first image shows my top 4 colours since starting Mono & Lena 2 years ago. The natural & sage have been on top, closely followed by the harvest yellow and terracotta. It’s so amazing to know you loved them!

But it’s time to change it up a bit! And I’m currently working on a new colour palette for later this year and 2024. See 2nd photo for a first draft.

At the moment I feel like keeping the natural and sage 🙌🏻 they are gorgeous and seasonless. I’ve been wanting to do a darker warm blue for a while so here it is, with a darker blush pink and a pop of orange (a bit more brighter than my terracotta currently). What do you think? Do you have any other suggestions or a colour you’d like to see my accessories in? Let me know! 😊

This week I’ve been making mainly my Liko candle/tealight holders for a stockist. And in a lot of different colours.

So I thought it’s been a while since Liko has been on the grid! It’s also available in the sunny harvest yellow colour on my website, such a beautiful combo with the gold finish brass cup ✨💛

And did you know you can purchase them as a pair from my online shop in the Gift sets section? Yes, and you can mix and match colours.

Liko are perfect to enjoy during relaxing summer evenings in the garden/balcony. They’ll add a beautiful quiet statement to your interior decor and dinner parties ✨

🎈Mono & Lena is 2 years!!🎈

Actually it was yesterday… 🤗
I can’t believe I launched Mono & Lena 2 years ago already! Time has really flown by and I can’t wait to see what the future has to bring.

If you are on my mailing list, make sure you check out the email I sent you yesterday with a celebratory treat 🎁
(If you’re not on my mailing list and want to be in on the party treat, subscribe before Sunday to receive the email🥳)

Find me this Saturday at the Southbank Summer Market with !!!

This market has a special place in my heart… when I first moved to London (from Belgium) almost 11 years ago(!!) I spent a lot of time at the Southbank, it was my happy place.

I would go and make long walks along the river all year round, whatever the weather. And the Summer months were just the best, there would always be something happening there, music/performance/…. And The Hayward Gallery always does such great exhibitions too and the Tate bookshop is one of my favourite places to hang around and browse.

Then when I started Mono & Lena in 2021, the Southbank Summer Market was the first market I did (my accessories looked so different back then too)! I was sooo nervous and excited, I couldn’t believe I was accepted and it just felt like faith to start trading at my favourite place in London, I had the best time ever 💛 Amazing atmosphere, such lovely visitors/customers and also it was my first time meeting other small business owners and sharing experiences.

And this year, I’m back!!! Not once, but twice 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 on the first Sunday in June & July, you’ll find me and lots of other creatives every first Sunday of the month 🥳.

The market is part of , a unique riverside venue on London’s South Bank featuring live DJs, sensational street food, craft beer & cocktails, themed & drag brunches, cabaret and much much more!

Plus, as June is the month of Pride in London, the first 50 customers to arrive at the market will receive a free Pride tote bag 🌈✨

Details
• 4 June & 2 July, 12-5 pm
• Between Jubilee Gardens and the Hungerford Bridge, SE1 8XX

Creating is in my DNA

Ever since I can remember I’ve always been creating stuff or drawing things, I’m not sure if it was because I was an only child and often had to keep myself busy or because I’m an introvert and being alone with my thoughts and crafts is heaven to me…

My mum considers herself to be the opposite of creative (although I don’t believe that as she’s definitely creative in other areas) and my dad was very practical and handy, I don’t believe there’s a diy job he couldn’t do. I remember as a small child he would let me help and I loved those moments, even if it was just holding his tools, I believe my handiness and diy attitude stems for him and I like that.

Growing up into being a teenager I was drawing more than doing crafty stuff, mainly portraits of boyband members I would be into 😁🙈

As I then moved on to study Visual Arts, drawing became less of a thing for me because I somehow told myself I can’t draw 🤷🏻‍♀️ and I started creating video installations. I absolutely loved my 4 years at uni, it was the most free and creative space, everything was possible in terms of creative expression.

When I was in my last year, I learned about this new Shoe Design course and was just drawn to that immediately, so I decided to start that course after for another 4 years (part-time whilst working). What I enjoyed was the challenge or finding a balance between creativity and functionality. As yes, I was able to design the craziest things, but it also had to be wearable and be a proper shoe that would support a person walking in them.

And my creative journey has now brought me to home accessories. I feel I’ve combined the best of 2 worlds. I have total creative freedom (which I didn’t have as a shoe designer working for commercial brands) but my accessories also need to be functional and something you would want in your home 💙

Anyway, just a little insight into my creative journey 😊

Yesterday I had a few visitors at the Urban Village Fete market who had bought from me previously coming to tell me how much they love their Mono & Lena accessories! That just makes me all fuzzy inside and it’s just the best feeling to know all the hard work and thought that goes into my business is making people happy 🥰

If you’ve ever bought from me or received one of my accessories as a gift, I would really appreciate it if you could let me know your experience/feedback. It would really be super helpful 😊 🙏🏻 Thank you so much!

The basics of my packaging always remains the same but it’s definitely evolving… this is how your orders are packaged and arrive to you and I’m liking it.

I think I’m starting to find a good balance between using packaging that isn’t harmful to the environment (all can be recycled, repurposed, composted or sown), and giving you a lovely unboxing experience.

And when I say that my packaging is evolving, these are usually very small things that probably no one even notices, like folding the protective paper differently, change up the type of cord/ribbon, … but all these small things are important details to me to make things look just that more polished. So whether you are purchasing for yourself or gifting, unpacking will be a lovely experience.

✨Meet Koa✨

Koa is the 3rd and last (for now) of my new holders, next to Kiri & Karri. My range inspired by trees, their bark texture in particular (I shared a post a few days back about my inspiration if you’d like to know more about that).

Koa is a tealight holder, and comes with a glass cup to fit standard size tealights or to use with tealight refills and minimise your waste from throwing away disposable cups. The glass cup can be reused over and over again.

The surface texture is very tactile and the simple column shape is reminiscent of a tree stem or log.

The beautiful design and colours of Koa will look great in your interior on its own or as part of a set with Kiri and/or Karri ☀️

Koa is a tree-related name (as with all my accessories) and is a species of flowering tree that is found in the Hawaiian Islands, the Acacia Koa 💛

I woke up today feeling a little lazy, and this picture sums up perfectly how I’d like to spend my day:

find a nice cozy corner in the house to sit, surround myself with positive energy while reading my magazine…. Ah dreamy…

Unfortunately I have to get on with work (like most of us), but I’m keeping this picture in mind for later, as a little reward after finishing my ‘to do’ list 😊

What will you be doing to relax today?

This Saturday in Faversham!

I’ll be trading with at the Artisan Craft & Gift Market at The Alexander Centre✨

Faversham will be buzzing this weekend with the Festival of Transport! Why not make a lovely day out of it and come say ‘hi’ 😃

✨Meet Karri✨

Karri is the big sister of Kiri which I introduced a couple of posts back. Both are part of my new little range which will launch very soon now (sign up to my newsletter to stay updated)

This range is inspired by trees, more specifically tree bark and they even look like tree stumps 😃. These holders let colour and texture do all the talking while the design is clean and simple. As with most of my accessories, you can use these in a way that suits you and your needs. Karri can be used as a candle holder for your dinner/taper candles or as a beautiful bud vase for a few dried stems, it’s up to you!

They will look beautiful on their own, as a duo or as a little cluster to brighten up your table setting or corner of your home ☀️

As with all my accessories, ‘Karri’ is a tree-related name too, meaning an Australian gum tree/Eucalyptus tree with hard red wood 💛

Next I’ll introduce the last of this trio, Koa, the tealight holder

✨Meet Kiri✨

This little one is part of my new trio of holders, inspired by tree bark, which will be launching online very soon (sign up to my newsletter to stay up to date).

As with all of my accessories I put a lot of thought in the design process to be able to offer you versatility and how you can get the most out of my accessories. These colourful ‘tree stumps’ can be used as holders for your dinner candles or as a cute bud vase, they give you the option to use them in the way that brings you the most joy while offering functionality. Super sweet on their own, a duo or as a little cluster to brighten up a table setting or corner of your home ☀️

As with all my accessories, ‘Kiri’ is a tree-related name, meaning ‘tree bark’ of Maori origin. How beautiful and fitting 💛

Next I’ll introduce Kiri’s big sister ‘Karri’

Inspiration behind the new range

I’ve been saying my new holders are inspired by tree bark, and here is a view at my moodboards that were the starting point of the design process.

Trees, they are nature’s giants of this world, majestic and working very hard to keep this planet liveable. I feel trees have somehow been on my mind from the very beginning when starting Mono & Lena. My accessories all have tree-related names and I decided to partner up with who plant trees in the right places where they are most needed supporting wildlife and the surrounding communities. And now, trees have inspired me to create this range.

So, I took inspiration from 3 characteristics:

Board 1 • shows the amazing bark textures, so versatile and beautiful with all their knots and cracks. Some are smooth and some heavily textured, all so very tactile.

Board 2 • remember my little experimentation with rust? That was all about this, I was looking at a way to recreate these pops of brown/orange coming through the bark. My experimentation didn’t give me the result I was after but I found a more abstract way to represent the patches and gradients as seen on the board.

Board 3 • I love this contrast of smooth & rough, and have tried to incorporate this in my design where I carved the sides to create a ‘bark’ texture and the tops are left untouched.

I hope you enjoyed finding out more about my creative thought process. I’ll be sharing more about the actual making process i. The next few days.

✨Coming soon✨

New accessories launching soon!

Inspired by tree bark textures I’ve created 3 new holders for you:
• Kiri, small candle holder/bud vase
• Karri, medium candle holder/bud vase
• Koa, tealight holder

As with all my designs, functionality & form have been carefully considered in the creation process. I always love it when I can offer you something you can use in multiple ways to suit your changing needs.

And as you can see, I’m bringing back the Harvest yellow colourway 💛 It’s such a warm and joyous hue, perfect for summer ☀️

Keep up to date with the launch by subscribing to my newsletter 🙌🏻

I was so lucky to have the beautiful sunshine rays for my lifestyle photography day yesterday… I’m not a professional photographer, so I’m always happy when the sun’s out to make the job a little easier ☀️💛

Although I also use artificial light, but I like to keep that for my product photography or for when it’s really dark in Winter. I’m sooo ready for summer and these pictures just give me that warm feeling. Are you ready for warm sunny days too?

☀️This Sunday☀️

I’ll be part of the makers market at the with at .peninsula 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

I’m so looking forward to be part of this cultural & community focused free festival. The Urban Village Fete is a contemporary twist on the traditional summer fete, a big & bold celebration of design, music, art, food, innovative events and modern craftsmanship.

Join me on this day filled with family activities as well as curated marketplaces, street food and talks. Think dance-alongs, karaoke bingo 🤩, ‘bad art salon’, mural painting, urban gardening, craft workshops and so much more 😃😃😃

Details:
• Sunday 14 May, 11 am-7 pm
• The Gateway Pavilions, Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0SQ
• Book your free tickets at the link in bio
• For more information about the day’s events, check out or link in bio
• Free event
• Dogs welcome

Hope to see you on this day of celebration!! 👋🏻💕

Just a little something of what will be coming very soon… happy Friday and enjoy the bank holiday weekend!!! 💛

✨Find me in Canterbury this Saturday!✨

This Saturday, 29/4, I’ll be joining at Whitefriars Shopping Centre and lots of other amazing independent creatives from across the UK. I’m super excited as this will be my first non-London based craft market. I’m very much looking forward to meet the other makers and the lovely visitors and locals! I hope you can come by too for a chat 🤩 So if you haven’t any plans yet for the bank holiday weekend, why not make a day out of it 🙌🏻

Details:
• Saturday 29 April (when I’ll be there 😊)
• 9 am-5.30 pm
• Whitefriars Shopping Centre Canterbury, CT1 2TF (please note the market is outdoor, not in the centre itself)

Hope to see you there 👋🏻

Beeswax candles sale!

I’ve discounted a few of the beeswax candles that I won’t be restocking and I only have few left of these, so be quick to grab them at a bargain price 🤩

• Tall beeswax pillar candles, discounted from £21 to £11 And I only have 1 pair left 👀👀👀
They are approx 20cm tall and 4.5cm wide and each candle has a burning time of 24hrs 🙌🏻

• Short beeswax pillar candles, discounted from £12 to £7
Only have 2 left 👀👀👀
They are approx 10cm tall and 4.5cm wide with a burn time per candle of 12hrs ✨

• Tall beeswax dinner candles, discounted from £16 to £8
There are only 4 pairs left of these 👀👀👀
They are approx 35.5cm tall and 2.2cm wide (they look absolutely dramatic and I love it 😁). Each candle has a burning time of 12hrs

I would say, take advantage of the sale as these are some high quality pure beeswax candles. They are made by a UK family-run business, using the traditional candlemaking technique of hand-dipping. An artisanal process that involves repeatedly dipping wicks - hung from a frame - into molton wax, gradually building up each candle layer by layer.

My little set up at yesterday’s pop-up 💛

Was such a lovely evening of meeting lots of familiar ‘insta faces’ 😊, nothing beats meeting and chatting irl!

Also received lovely comments & feedback about my coming tree bark-inspired range. It was meant to launch like NOW 🙈, but haven’t found the time to photograph the pieces yet. I should be getting it done in the next couple of weeks hopefully to launch in May 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

I also have lots of snippets of my making process, from inspiration to creating the accessories in wood to mould making and finally casting. So lots of things to go through and show you. I had done a poll on stories a while ago where I asked if you’d like to see more of that type of content with and the results were a definite yes! , so it’s coming 😊

Also, as always if you’d like to find out more and sooner, subscribe to my newsletter at the link in bio 🔗