Christmas Love:
wearing sweaters given by in-laws, and after major gifts
{sweaters, alpaca throws, Nespresso machine, messenger bag}
the simple snow globe elicited the most delight!
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NEW features..
a picture from
Christmas Chez Nous
Lovely Christmastime is here again! This year I was inspired by the light... since we've had a nice little run of really good weather, the light has not been gloomy and dark, even for Winter Solstice time. I wanted to capture the pretty light of day and infuse our home with it's cheerfulness even at night.
Using things found, I pulled together our Christmas home in no time at all... the perfect setting for our Christmas Eve dungeness crab feast and Christmas morning brunch.
Hoping your holiday is filled with light, warmth, love and peace!
this simple green wreath adorned only with pinecones
is a refreshing sight in front of the mirror
the Christmas tree peeking around the corner to
see what all the fuss in the dining room is!
the mantel holds fresh white tulips in vintage glass
the mid-century star keeps company with the
rare pink coral and the silver fish on the
windowsill
the lovely Christmas Tree 2011! I just wanted to use green and white, and these giant balls were the perfect choice (from my stash of ornaments, that is!); I tucked white starfish in the branches and we're done! |
this old French painting of a battle scene (inherited!)
sets a somber & serious tone... so I used
antique paper Chinese lanterns, pink peonies and
Mexican angels to lighten the mood; flanking the painting are
antique paper Chinese lanterns, pink peonies and
Mexican angels to lighten the mood; flanking the painting are
wrought iron peacock door panels
silver pitchers holding peonies reflect
the light and bounces in back into the room
dining room is ready for the festivities!
I started to create a flowery centerpiece then I decided I
really like the simple beauty of the
way the bottles of water capture and disperse the light
and left it at that
Christmas place settings using vintage pieces:
French flea market silverware,
the dishes (you've certainly seen a lot of those Minton
dishes I scored at l'Isle sur la Sorgue last Easter!)
and the heavy 60's goblet
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thank you for visiting, today and always!
Kit
NEW features..
a picture from
a picture from
A {The Provence Post} Giveaway!
Soon I will be offering a Chic Provence Design Tour Giveaway from Tricia at Rough Linen... but in the meantime, head over to Julie's at The Provence Post. Today she is offering her pal Linda Dannenberg's French Country Diary 2012 as a fabulous giveaway!
Full of the charm of the French countryside, you will be transported each and every day with the beautiful images and Pierre Deux fabrics featured in this classic. Even if you use iCal for scheduling, treat yourself to this tactile delight in menology!
Go enter now, and enjoy Julie's incredible blog!
Au Nom de la Rose Gâteau!
Perhaps you have something extra-special to celebrate this Christmas season (an anniversary, birthday, wedding, baptism?). This incredible rose-covered gâteau would be a stunning centerpiece for your magical fête. What on earth could be more appealing than fresh roses tiered with ladyfingers all tied up with a shiny ribbon?
The best part is that this showstopper is not difficult to make. Really.
Au Nom de la Rose, the fabled shop on Rue du Bac in Paris, has provided us with a quick little instructional video, below. Yes it is in French, but just take a look at how simple this is to construct. Hey, you could make a couple of them, non? :) If you do, you MUST send me pictures!
And, non, cherie, you may not actually eat this confection! It is a feast for the eyes and nose only!
this looks almost impossibly beautiful, non? perfect
for a rustic-chic celebration as well as something
more elegant... and you could use different colored
roses & ribbon combinations, bien sûr!
a singularly lovely rose
masses of roses
the storefront on rue du Bac, Paris
a basket casually dripping with roses, luscious!
as you can see, the ladyfingers are held
onto the form with rubber bands that
mademoiselle has tied together then
covered with a wide ribbon
won't your family and friends just
be floored when they see your masterpiece?
46 rue du Bac, 7e, Paris
see the short, brilliant video here
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thanks for visiting! Kit
We Seriously Considered Lobster {anarchy!}...
...for this Thanksgiving, but, as Dani put it so well, obligation to tradition overwhelmed whim, so dinde rôti* it was, albeit butterflied this year.
We gathered around a table that had been hastily put together for a wonderfully casual family style celebration (with all the cooking to be done, the table kind of took a back seat until the last minute!) and enjoyed what all agreed was one of the very best Thanksgivings ever!
And with the menu's nod to our southern US roots (dirty rice dressing, to die for!) and our love of the other South, the south of France, (duck rillettes with prune/armagnac sauce), we truly feasted and lingered long at the table!
Here, then, à table!
we quickly gathered purple sage and
hydrangea from the garden, then put
colorful leaves from our neighbor's tree under
our autumnal centerpiece
Gala's cream china with gold borders, the
Minton plates from the flea, country French
goblets and silver on a table laid
with old French sheet and gorgeous
silk embroidered overlay,
another flea market find!
my caterer/events daughter Lisa was aghast at
how I just "rolled" the napkins! they should have
been laid flat and hanging off the edge of the
table to be perfectly "au courant"!
assorted silver serving pieces stand ready (to be polished)
for the feast to come! They are all cherished gifts or
flea market finds
we chose the same wine for dinner, serendipitously,
that Steven chose for his prune/armagnac sauce for
the incredible Duck Rillettes he made for us!
another view of the centerpiece... our Thanksgiving
table comes very close to looking quite
Christmasy this year!! except for the autumn leaves!
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we all had a wonderful day,
except, perhaps for this
little fella:
*butterflied turkey... it cooks so
fast this way, I must confess it
almost burned... but was
delicious!!
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I hope you had a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING
and are enjoying our only decently long
holiday weekend of the entire year!
merci pur la visite! ... Kit
A Chic Provence Design Tour Printemps 2012!
update 3/29/2012
We have one space (for one or two) available for this wonderful,
exciting and unforgettable
week in Provence... let us take care of everything for you!
Just come.. you need this, cherie, you know you do!
Download Brochure on my Sidebar and come join us!
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With winter's chill just a whisper away, it's time again to plan a Provence tour in the spring! Nothing will put you in better spirits than knowing that you, cherie, will be exploring Provençal markets, chic shops and brocantes to your heart's content. And that you will experience Provencal life and its many beautiful aspects from a designer's point of view, knowing that every detail is taken care of for you. A little luxury in Provence will soothe the soul.
We are quite excited to announce our second annual springtime Chic Provence Design Tour to the heart of Provence, l'Isle sur la Sorgue, for May 11-18, 2012. You will find incomparable inspiration for your Provence design ideas and projects on our tour in the company of like-minded souls!
C'est fantastique! Cherie, you must join us! You know you want to. You need this trip! You must enjoy a Provence Tour this 2012!
one of the stunning bedrooms that awaits
you at your Provençal villa... sweet slumber!
our villa courtyard... this is where we'll do
our morning yoga and stretching & have our cafe au lait
if it's just too sunny outside, a little couch time
with a good book might be just the thing... sipping
a little Bandol, perhaps?
one of the lovely surprises that are an
everyday sight on a Provence tour, the land
that celebrates beauty in all things
we'll have an afternoon tea in the
stunning courtyard of
Mas d'Ange (House of the Angel)
perhaps just a quick stop at an
incredible confiserie provençale to
stock up for our breakfast treats;
your Provence tour will delight you
every moment!
your Provence tour will delight you
every moment!
one of the lovely views of the Provence
countryside... this is outside Oppede le Vieux
you'll be visiting the land that inspired Van Gogh's
stunning Almond Blossoms!
my favorite map of la belle Provence,
courtesy of ProvenceWeb; your
Provence tour will be centered in
the Vaucluse
Provence tour will be centered in
the Vaucluse
ah! we arrive at the Cafe de France
in l'Isle sur la Sorgue
just in time for le dejeuner after a
busy morning at the brocante!
we'll take an electric bicycle ride
through the vineyards... and stop for
wine tastings along the way!
I love this mairie, the town hall, of
l'Isle sur la Sorgue
I loved this mid-century upholstered
canape at the brocante.. look at those
colors! When I circled back it was gone!
some simple ironworks artifacts... wonderful
for shipping home, because they don't break!
this vendor specializes in vintage silver only!
basque stripe fabric is everywhere at the markets in Provence in the spring!
these two jugs made their way back to my home after our last Provence tour!
perhaps you will need one of these,
hmmm cherie? baskets from
the French Basketeer!
no Provence tour is complete
without one!
no Provence tour is complete
without one!
... and no Provence tour is complete without at least
one culinary adventure... a cooking class, cherie!
and this one is in a chateau!
another day we will spend a gorgeous
few hours in this beautiful hotel, having
a cooking lesson if you like, or
stopping in for lunch or tea
can you smell the lavender yet?
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a sample of our seven day tour, you
won't want to miss this!
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Chic Provence Design Tour