A French Fantasy

How could one resist a book such as this?

The opening paragraph starts thus.........

Far away in the remote, untraveled southwestern French countryside, en route from the enchanting old city with an ancient cathedral to the mystical Pyrenees which appear like a mirage at the most unanticipated moments, there is a small village which contains two homes, an eleventh century church, and a very special farm known as Pistoulet.

"Everyone who passes through Pistoulet has a story which unfolds.

All who spend time there leave with their hearts and minds transformed.

Some never leave."
Do these pictures pique your interest? Are you ready for more?

If you are a Nick Bantock fan (The Griffin & Sabine chronicles, The Forgetting Room etc.) and enjoy books with hidden treasures such as envelopes to open, maps and cards, this little book can work its wonders on you............especially if you love to make soup and enjoy a little light-hearted fantasy in your life

THE SECRETS OF PISTOULET

An Enchanted Fable of Food, Magic, and Love.

Written & Illustrated by Jana Fayne Kolpen

Designed by Mary Tiegreen

More on this sweet book soon.......fantasy takes time!

Ice House

Icy glass in my cottage front door.

While doing the best to stay cool in the heat of July in the Southeast, I looked around the cottage for icy treasures. Skipping the obvious, such as the trays of ice cubes in the 'frig, I found these items that have a cooling effect when the temperature climbs to 100 degrees or more.

Crystal decorations too pretty to hide away.

The shimmery bowl from Homegoods.

Painted LINEN sign.............................

..........to remind me that linen is the coolest Summer fabric ~ just have to learn to love wrinkles!


White ceramics, etched glass, cool grey zinc lids.

More cool creamware veggies and frosty artichokes.

Take down the heavy window coverings ~ let cool shaded light flood in.

Chilly breakfast ~ Greek yogurt and refreshing raspberries.

The beautiful book cover ~ thoughts of taking a cool dip in a pond with freshwater birds!

All photos, except linen clothing, taken around my home.

Pink Saturday

I love PINK lampshades.. Love the pale 'face powder' shaded shadows they cast in a room.

Here a swirled chiffon shade I made.

Below, an experiment with tea dyed cheesecloth I used to decorate a plain ready made shade to get the powder pink look.

This pink print square shade, wound with ribbons, crystals dangling, caught my eye in a magazine.

Do visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to find the list of all the great PINK SATURDAY posts.

Friday's Favorite Family Foto

Have you crossed an ocean by liner? Yes, they were called 'ocean liners' at one time, not cruise ships. I've never taken a cruise, but I did cross the Atlantic on one of the greatest of the ocean liners ever built during the golden age of elegant transatlantic sea travel. One always dressed to travel back then.........................in high heeled shoes and silly hats. This was my favorite coat - a royal blue textured wool, and I loved those shoes. I thought I looked quite snazzy for traveling home to England!

February 23, 2006 the new RMS Queen Mary 2, on her way to Mexico, saluted her predecessor RMS Queen Mary at Long Beach, California where she has been a tourist attraction since her retirement in 1967.

A Gazebo Break

I'm taking a break for a few days. May hang out here in my garden. I've been having frustrating computer problems for several days, and I have projects needing attention, including my big trip to France. I'll turn the ceiling fan on high in the gazebo, and have a steady stream of lemonade swirling over ice in the big glass pitcher - must beat the heat somehow.

On second thoughts, just heard it will be 100 degrees again, perhaps I'll just do all that planning inside the house!

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Thank you for stopping by and leaving such great comments this past week, I love to hear from you and truly appreciate your friendship.

Vintage French Fashion Journals

Hot, humid, Southern Sunday afternoon..................birds were hiding among the leaves of shrubs and bushes, waiting for the cool of evening to stop by the bird baths and feeders. Where was I hiding? Why here of course...............I wish. OK, so I do have a French inspired guest bedroom which I love, but it always happens, you flip a page and there it is, somewhere more beautiful, more inviting, more impossible to create in a 1980's house with low ceilings!
I just needed an inspired space to sit for a while ~ a place that would allow me to step back in time and get the feeling of being transported to Paris.......in the exciting 1920's.

Beautiful bedroom - Anthropologie catalog.

Here's the reason. The mail brought these on Friday! All the way from France, packed carefully by my sister-in-law. So unexpected and appreciated. While browsing a local vide grenier (attic cleanout), she and my brother noticed these amazing fashion journals from the early '20's ~ and they saw my name written on them! The delicate newsprint is still in great condition and the color plates bright. The ads are quite amusing and I'll have to share some another time. The fashions are gorgeous............................

.......................there are even pages of children's clothing as shown below. These are apparently school clothes and will perhaps come back in fashion again some day, you know how the kids are always looking for something new and different!
I'm just thrilled with this wonderful gift.

This is another spot for lounging, reading, dreaming ~ with all that cool marble it's doubtful air conditioning would be needed. Hope you set aside a special time and place to enjoy your favorite book or magazine today.

More Damask......and Brocade

Following my recent post on the classic fabric damask, many of you concurred that it was also a great favorite when you are searching for decorating fabrics.

Designers have recently looked to the past in order to revive one of the most loved of fabrics, brocade. Damask and brocade are both made on a jacquard loom. Damask is a flatter patterned fabric, which is reversible. Brocade is richer in texture and often uses several colors. Brocade designs look best on the top of the fabric surface. Because of this, brocade fabric is often used for opulent dressy garments such as ecclesiastical robes and evening wear. Brocade is only rarely reversible with most designs looking best on the top face.

If you are familiar with the company Brocade and have seen their stunning catalogs, you will know that both damask and brocade patterns are being reproduced in many types of decorative accessories and furniture as well as fabric. Lately I've seen these patterns on items in local shops also, some still have the traditional look, others have a modern twist giving an almost contemporary appearance.

Above and below, plates and storage boxes from Brocade.

Pretty covered notebooks...........
.........wallpaper with a classic damask design from Brocade.
Delicate jacquard damask patterned waste basket from Brocade.Below, linen fabric lampshades with a more modern look seen in a local shop.

Strongly patterned black and white storage boxes seen in Homegoods this week.
Brocade's outdoor furniture with damask patterned water resistant upholstery....very pretty.

Don't forget...............one can never have too much fabric.