parisian party

Laurie from The Paris Blog was here in Paris this past spring, looking to add some French techniques to her jewelry-making skills. She was surprised to find that one-day workshops or short-duration jewelry making classes are pretty hard to come by- until she found her way to La Petite Manufacture in the 11th arrondissement.  I saw this and thought that this funky little atelier would make such a cool addition to a bachelorette weekend in Paris.  A great way to occupy the girls- at least until the sun goes down. Here’s an excerpt from Laurie’s post:

I finally landed on La Petite Manufacture, a jewelry boutique in the 11^th arrondissement with a sizable studio in back. The owner, Marie, gives courses on Fridays and Saturdays when not tending to the store and making her own creations. A look around the place and you know you’re in capable hands: besides Marie’s own jewelry, which is whimsical and well made, there’s a kiln; a wall of drawers for materials from stamps to glues to silver metal paste; and, on the large wood workbench, jars of scissors, colored pencils, and dentist tools.

The 3-hour, one-off classes cost 45 to 60 euros and range in subject from beading to metal paste to Murano-style glass-making. Students are provided with all the materials they need, and can also select from the boutique in front. In yesterday’s beading course, for instance, I “shopped” for ribbon, clasps, beads, wire, and fancy embroidery thread.

The real value of the class is in Marie. Patient and encouraging, she leaves the students enough free range to find their own way after ample instruction. She speaks English, in case your French is a little shaky and you need a few words translated (“melaxer” means “squish,” I learned).

Check out the rest of Laurie’s post on The Paris Blog to find out more about this hidden Parisian treasure.