COCO CHANEL . . . tells it like it should be!

I am not young but I feel young.  The day I feel old I will go to bed and stay there.  I’aime la vie!   I feel that to live is a wonderful thing.

A girl should be two things – CLASSY AND FABULOUS.

Fashion is not something that exists in dress only.  Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.

Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.

Success is often achieved by those don’t know that failure is inevitable.

Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face your have at fifty ….

A woman has the age she deserves.

There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony.  There is time for work.  And time for love.  That leaves no other time!

Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.

Fashion fades, only style remains the same.

The most courageous act is still to think for yourself.

There are people who have money and people who are rich.

Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress.

You live but once you might as well be amusing.

If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.

 

You can be gorgeous at thirty – charming at forty and irresistible for the rest of your life.

HOW TO GIVE AN OLD CHAIR A NEW FRENCH LOOK

Once a year  our garbage collectors pick up almost everything people leave by the side of the road.  There is a lot of good stuff available just for the taking.  Our neighbors put out this wreck of a chair.   It wasn’t until I got it home that I realized it was in terrible shape.

Someone had started the job of reupholstering the chair.  The fabric and the padding had been removed.  All that was left was the foam seat.  It wasn’t a particularly well-made chair.  Instead of the usual  webbing it had cardboard.  This was not going to be  an easy job.  Was it worth the effort???

It sat in the garage for three years. I had almost decided to put it out in the yearly pickup.  I couldn’t see the sense in spending a huge amount of time and money on this rambling wreck.

My solution was simple.  I painted every part of the chair with gray water base primer – cardboard and wood.  Two coats.    Then I added a little water to thin out ordinary flat white wall paint.   I used this diluted paint as a glaze.

I brushed this white glaze over the gray paint.  I put lots of white into carvings,  and used a damp cloth to rub away some of the glaze on the rest of the wood.  This entire procedure took just a couple of hours.  When the glaze was dry I rubbed clear wax over the wood and polished it.   Finished!

I covered the existing foam with heavy cotton twill.

I tacked the fabric in place with upholstery tacks.    I had seen this “unfinished upholstery” look in several of my French magazines.

The seat finished I glued padding to the back of the chair and covered it with light weight cotton.  Then carefully tacked the finishing fabric over this.

My French beauty finished!!

The final  touch is the kidney pillow I made using Paris graphics from THE GRAPHIC FAIRY.  Oooh La La.  And to think I was going to throw this chair away.

HOB NOBBING WITH MAD MEN AT BAR LE DEFENDER – PARIS

What to do.

Where to go.

What to wear

in Paris tonight.

It’s off to Hotel de Louvre.

Paris aficionado and in the know on all things wonderful, Theadora of PEOPLE, PLACES AND BLING has me digging  in my wardrobe for clothes dating back to the Mad Men era.   As a writer for one of the largest ad agencies in Canada  I was familiar with the three martini lunches.  I had the perfect cocktail dress to wear to the bar Le Defender, and the accessories to wear with it.  One must celebrate Mad Men in style.

 

I shall sit at the bar, sipping slowly on my champagne cocktail.  A toss of the head and my very sparkling bling earrings will catch the light, and perhaps the attention of the distinguished gentleman across the room.  Paris is always an adventure.

Theadora is celebrating the sixth season of Mad Men in the most unusual manner.    You will love this fascinating insider view on Paris written in  marvelous tongue-in-cheek manner.    If Paris is in your future, or if  you have an on going love affair with Paris (like I do) than you will love, love, love PEOPLE, PLACES AND BLING

TARTE AU CITRON … lemon tart … I can’t believe I’m not in Paris

 

The l6th Arrondissement has always been a retreat for the wealthy.  It’s the largest arrondissement in Paris and is filled with the most marvelous markets.    It is here the opulent President Wilson market sets up twice a week.  Lavish stands of game, meat, cheese, fish and flowers  beguile you at every turn.  Daughter  and I did not know where to look first …  at the  market stalls or at the shoppers.  Watching the elegant Parisian woman shopping for tempting delicacies was an experience in  itself.

 

Observing how they tied their scarves my daughter and I immediately retied our Hermes scarves.   The double knot that insured your scarf would not slip off.   We wanted to be elegant Parisians shopping  for this evenings dinner.

 

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This recipe for TARTE AU CITRON  is at once so rich and lemony it puts all other lemon pies and tarts in the shade.    Make it and you’ll bring Paris home and into your kitchen.

PARISIAN CHIC … a style guide

Ooh La La.  This is the little red book that is a guide ” to looking cool, chic, stylish and above all nonchalant, as only Parisians can” – Vogue.

I’ve spent delicious morning with Ines de la Fressange and this book that is the ultimate guide to Parisian chic.

I’m making notes.

Building a wardrobe around only seven affordable basics.

Secret Paris hotels and restaurants.

Secret Paris for  unusual places.

My cafe au lait sat untouched as I explored the wonderful world that is Paris.

Parisian Chic  is more that a book.  It is about a state of mind.   Read it and you’ll know why Parisian woman are the most elegant woman in the world.   It could just change your life.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

To all my dear friends heart-felt wishes for an absolutely splendid New Year.

May all the days be golden.

The hours filled with happiness and peace.

Happy 2013 everyone.

 

A LITTLE HOUSE IN PARIS … UNE PETITE MAISON

Let me tell you a story.

I have a house in Paris.

 

The door of my little house opens onto a quiet street.

Around the corner an open-air market,

an old bookstore,

and a tiny bistro with a zinc bar.

 

 

I have a little house in Paris with a courtyard

where grinning lions spill water into a stone-gray trough.

 

 

I have a little house in Paris

with rooms leading out of one another, enfilade,

and ancient wooden floors that creak and complain when you walk on them.

 

 

Tall windows overlook the courtyard of my little house,

Tall windows where I will hang linen curtains that will float and dance with every breeze.

My house,  my little house in Paris is in my mind.

I took my thoughts of une petite maison, and put them in this room crying for a makeover.

 

I’ve peeled off the dated wallpaper design.  Now to remove the next layer.

The Good Husband repaired the damaged walls,  broken tiles and  paints the walls.

I spray paint  a shiny brass chandelier, rub a little white paint here and there to give it that old French look.  Then drill holes to hang crystals.

I took a  tacky,  gold mirror created  one fit for Madame  Pompadour.

First I painted the mirror frame with gray primer. Normally I would use gray primer spray paint but the weather turned chilly and it was too cold to use spray cans in the garage.

Then I  dry brushed white flat wall paint over the frame just catching the raised design.

The finished mirror!  I collect these rococo mirrors  at thrift shops, seldom paying more than a couple of dollars.  This one is a particularly handsome one made by Bassett Furniture.  It is well made with a mirror glass more than 1/4 inch thick.  It will go over the sink.  I plundered my collection of  mirrors and painted several more in the same manner.

Here is how I made a very French looking towel rack.

I uploaded a  vintage French advertising graphic from THE GRAPHIC FAIRY.     I made a REVERSE copy of it and took it to my local Library.  I used their toner based copier machine to make a copy.  This is the copy you glue down. No other type will work.    I cut away the excess paper from the design, then applied a thin layer of Modpodge glue over the PRINTED side of the paper.  I pressed this into place on the board painted with latex flat wall paint.  Left it to dry overnight. Then dampened the paper and GENTLY rubbed the paper away with the tips of my fingers.

I screwed on coat hooks that I gave a French finish the same as the chandelier.  Voila!

My little French bathroom comes to life.

 

My French bathroom is complete.

A QUOTE FROM COCO CHANEL

 

 

 

 

“There is nothing more comfortable than a caterpillar and nothing more made for love than a butterfly.  We need dresses that crawl and dresses that fly”.

Coco Chanel (circa 1920)

A PARIS INSPIRED WEDDING GIFT

Our eldest grand-daughter is getting married in six days.    Two more sleeps and we fly to Toronto.   This will be an intimate fairy tale wedding in the romantic surroundings of a winery in Prince Edward County.

We wanted to give the perfect wedding gift.  Younger sister AJ was in charge.   She said “Cait and Angus would like you to make them something”.

A few years ago Cait celebrated am important birthday in Paris.  I had my theme.  In anticipation of the wedding I had found one dozen gorgeous Irish linen napkins at an antique store.    This is what  I made to hold these beauties.

This is how I did it.

I gave this Thrift shop find a coat of gray water based primer, then a coat of water base white flat paint.  When the white paint was dry I rubbed the tray with sandpaper to give it a distressed look.

I went to THE GRAPHIC FAIRY  downloaded the graphic with reverse letters because although I am using Mod Podge I am not decoupaging the letters on to the tray.

This is  how you put those letters on to the tray.  You copy your graphic on a toner based copying machine.  You will find toner based copying machines at libraries, some grocery and drug stores.   It appears they are a little old-fashioned for Staples.

I cut around the letters to eliminate as much of the surrounding paper as possible.  I brushed  the Mod Podge generously over the graphic and then put it FACE DOWN on the white tray.  I rubbed the paper gently to ensure the letters were sticking to the surface.  Then I sat it aside for a good 12 hours.  Over night is a good idea.  You won’t be tempted to peek.

The next morning I dampened the paper and gently started rubbing it away with my fingers.  This is when you’ll appreciate cutting away the excess white background.

Finished.  A few of the letters aren’t perfect, but it’s OK because this is supposed to look a little worn.

After you’ve wiped away the paper rubbings, and let the tray dry finish it with a light coat of wax.  Leave on for a few minutes then buff it up.  Presto.  You’re done.

This tray is just part of Angus and Cait’s Paris theme wedding gift.    In my next posting I will spill the beans on the rest of the gift.  Meanwhile I’m off to my almost second Home in Toronto.

SHOP THE PARIS FOOD MARKETS and cook, cook, cook.

 

 

 

Every day my daughter and I were in Paris, we shopped the open air food markets.    Laden with gorgeous cheese, wonderful bread, pastries and patés we would carry our booty back to our hotel.  Elegant double doors opened onto a small balcony.  All of Paris was spread before us.   A split of champagne, a nibble of this, a hunk of that, we were in food heaven.

Today Theadora of  http://peopleplacesandbling.com gives us all the scoop to be a savvy shopper in the open air food markets of Paris.   Our supermarkets pale in comparison.  So orderly, so plastic wrapped, so boring.    Forget shopping for lingerie at La Perla.  Shop the food markets and eat your way through Paris.