12.31.2011

NEW YEARS EVE IS HERE AGAIN





LE REVEILLON EST DE RETOUR
 A New Year's Eve à la Chanel Bombay.
A bejeweled Maharajah or a gauzy Maharani?
Decisions, decisions...


Whatever your mood, 
HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!


au revoir.





12.30.2011

COZY MODERN





LE MODERN CHALEUREUX
Jacques Grange

au revoir.



12.29.2011

SELF CONFIDENT PIZZAZZ!






LA CONFIANCE EN SOI!
image via desire to inspire

au revoir.


12.28.2011

WHAT I NEED NOW...




J'AI BESOIN DE...
source unknown to me

...simplicity.

au revoir.



12.27.2011

FRENCH EYE VIEW






 COUP D'OEIL
Just something that caught my eye.
image via indigoalison

Great art, great palette, a mix and match of straight lines and soft curves. I might add a little bit of relaxed clutter, however. That's all.

au revoir.


12.26.2011

TO DO NOTHING....







NE RIEN FAIRE...
image archithing.net


shuuuut....

au revoir.



12.25.2011

A TALENTED ARTIST'S CHRISTMAS CARD








LA CARTE DE NOEL D'UNE ARTISTE DE TALENT
When we lived in Tunisia, my parents surrounded themselves with a large group of fun loving friends. Many of the parties they attended were costumed and always had an extraordinary theme, like a Prévert party once - you were to dress as one of his poems...- and another where my father went as an egg. Yes, an egg! (But then again, this was a man who crossed the entire continent of Africa- Tunis to Capetown- in a Jeep he built himself from pieces left behind after WWII. And he did it twice.)
Among this very special group, one woman stood out even more; a talented artist, Marie-Constance, -she did not use her last name- a member of an old classic family who, having "married into" another old classic family, had decided to keep marching to her own drummer. Every year this wonderfully creative, generous and fun artist painted her own Christmas cards, each an original, each a mini masterpiece. My mother, the historian and art lover at heart kept a number of them. Thank you mother!

Where am I going with this tale? 
To this


Je vous souhaite à tous et à toutes de très 
Joyeuses Fêtes de Noël

*     *            *
  *


au revoir.



12.24.2011

A VERY FRENCH SPECIALTY





UNE SPECIALITE TRES FRANCAISE
Our daughters arrived from Paris for Christmas bearing Marrons Glacés -candied chestnuts-. 
So nice. 
That they came. 
And bearing Marrons Glacés...
In the area of France where we spend time in the summer, the Ardèche, there are vast chestnut tree stands. Above the village, up where the roads start to really climb, one can see them everywhere. Hence, the specialty everywhere around our village: la Confiture de Marrons- chestnut jam-; 

The recipes vary from talented cook to talented cook, from family to family, from confiserie to confiserie- specialty candy shop-. Some add vanilla, some find that a CRIME. Whatever the formula, there is a number of delicious ways to incorporate chestnuts into some kind of confection or another... 
One can savor the plain Marrons Glacés- candied chestnuts, nature, soft and tender and glistening in their sugar syrup coating.
What about a mousse?

or a Marron Glacé Tiramisu?

And in the summer nothing is more delicious that une Glace à la Chataigne (a variety of chestnut), chestnut ice cream. 
(Well, maybe une Glace à la Lavande- a lavender sorbet?)

Let's not forget the inevitable staple of fine French confiserie, the saintly macaron! in its chestnut version. Un délice!
images chaidume, phamfatale, regionepiemonte, unzestedetoutencuisine, atelierdechefs, paperblog, experiencesgourmandes


Thank you girls.


au revoir.





12.23.2011

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE XMAS




LE REVEILLON DE NOEL
Valentino
What to wear to a dressy Christmas Eve dinner? This year I am all about velvet. It's rich but not showy, it's warm but not casual and you can make a grand entrance without piling on too many baubles, so to speak.
Mr.Valentino to the rescue. Problem solved.
But right there, the second question comes up: what shoes to opt for to complement this luxurious outfit. With velvet's smooth sheen nothing is more perfect than patent leather, I say.

Maybe heels 
With pants, short boots play the relaxed yet festive card
Burberry

Maybe flats.
I am lacking quite a few precious inches to boast being 6 feet tall, I know, but then again, I want to be super comfortable.
Maxmara

That part was easy, but now for the other accessories...
Well, let's see, let's go for broke; let's go Couture.

A pared down Chanel look with an armful of the house's bracelets à la Coco
Chanel
with large amethyst or ruby encrusted jewelry
Pomplou
long vintage earrings
YSL
 demure classic hammered gold
Loren
or I could go less matchy matchy for the ring 
Pomplou
a very simple bag will keep the whole thing discreetly elegant.
Chanel

Or maybe I'll opt for a slightly "YSL période Russe" look
with his stunning vintage cuffs...one on each wrist
YSL
worn with large but minimal graphic earrings 
Exotic India Art
or richer bejeweled ones
YSL
a dark ring full of mystery
Crescent City
and a spectacular bag directly inspired by tsarist aristocracy
Chanel
We're talking make believe here, so let's really splurge!


au revoir.


12.22.2011

THE PROVENCAL DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS





LES DESSERTS DE NOEL DE PROVENCE
www.cgourmand.fr

TREATS. Glorious XMAS TREATS.
Among the 13 Christmas desserts of Provence (12 for the Apostles and one for Jesus Christ) that are laid out on the table on Christmas day, a tradition dating only from the 1920's, there are candied fruit. (Others are figs, grapes, oranges, Calissons- marzipan based candy- Nougat, dates and a few more).
I do love Calissons from Aix-en-Povence and Nougat from Montelimar but I simply adore candied fruit, especially those made in Uzès in the Gard region of France, not far from our family home and sold in a very pretty shop called La Cure Gourmande. 
The process of crystalizing fruit is quite labor intensive as one has to boil the fruit in syrup several times over a period of up to 15 days, adding more sugar each day and keeping the fruit in the concentrated sugary liquid for all that time. The result however, is well worth the trouble. 


The trick now is to try my hand at this or better, find the right maker here in New York...
Or I could try Histoires Sucrées or Cgourmand online.

au revoir.



12.21.2011

PROVENCAL DETAIL






UN DETAIL TRES PROVENÇAL
These are the Holidays version of the traditional Navettes de Lavandes from Provence. (how to make one here)They are just kicked up a notch and they are fabulous, don't you agree?

au revoir.



12.20.2011

A VEGETAL XMAS




UN NOEL VEGETAL
If you are going for rich and natural for your Xmas decor, search no further than the vegetable stand at your market or the local nursery. A little ribbon here, a candle and a few branches there, with just a small amount of effort, you are done.
Oranges, a peeler and a few cloves
Plain unadorned pine cones, just a lot of them

Moss will soften any look
and those indestructible decorative cabbages; they don't even freeze outside...
images tete a modeler, country living, placesinthehome, myfrenchkitchen
tricia marshall, greenupgrader
au revoir.



12.19.2011

I HAVE BEEN KINDLY INVITED






Une très aimable invitation

My dear blog-world friend Letitia Jett, the admirable author of A Femme d'Un Certain Age, asked if I could share a Holiday decor on her must-see, much more than fun, always amusing blog. 
So flattered!
I strongly suggest you quickly go visit her witty blog; I assure you- and I say this on the off chance you have not done so yet- one is never disappointed. 
At the same time you will be hitting 2 targets with one snowball (please note the seasonal imagery): you can peruse my winter Soirée d'Hiver ideas...


au revoir.



12.16.2011

CHRISTMAS ALSO MEANS CHOCOLATE





NOEL, LA SAISON DU CHOCOLAT
Un Dimanche à Paris
Christmas, a time to give chocolates and a time to savor them. Here in New York and  across the ocean in Paris the choices are many. The best are melt-in-your-mouth richness and a feast for the eyes. Truffles,wreaths, Xmas tree/cones, and even a chocolate book!
Bespoke Chocolate,NYC
Pierre Marcolini, Paris
Dean and Deluca, NYC
Maison du Chocolat, NYC and Paris

Lenôtre, Paris
A non traditional bûche de noel at Lenôtre in Paris printed with a drawing by illustrator Sempé no less.
au revoir.