WE INTERRUPT THIS FRENCH VACATION…

Sorry to interrupt the travel log but I’m happy to report that this weekend I completed the foreword, tweaked the introductory chapter so it almost meets with my approval and finished Chapter 6, which I had abandoned when I flew off to Paris.

Although this Delaware shore cottage is only about 14 years old, it looks as if it has been home to generations of beach goers thanks to a host of old pine and oak furniture and carefully selected vintage accessories and collectibles.

Despite the impressive wood pieces the look is light and airy. All the walls, fabrics and decorative touches are shades of warm whites, ivory and cream.

Note the faux drapery valance. Pairs of narrow fabric tie-backs are sewn together, knotted on the ends and tied to the wooden curtain ring to create top interest. Nice detail!

***** BLOG DU JOUR *****
For great style and do-able decorating advice you’ll want to visit http://jackiebluehome.blogspot.com

Jackie is one of my dear e-friends and a fellow author at Gibbs Smith. Her book, The Design Directory of Window Treatments, will be published next month and it’s sure to be a best seller!

Visit her blog now and see “how she spent her weekend.” Her transformation of ordinary corkboards is beyond amazing!

UNICORN CRAZY

It may seem strange, but I’ve always had a thing for the Unicorn tapestries. In college, while studying textile design and conservation, I took a medieval art class. It met at NYC's Cloisters each Monday when the museum was closed to the public.

Alone with the seven panels and fragments of the The Hunt For The Unicorn, I was continually amazed by the skill required to weave them and the many levels of interpretations that could be given to them. Over the years, I would return to visit them from time to time. Just to keep in touch.

On each of my three visits to Paris, visiting the Musee d’Cluny, (a medieval cloister built over the ruins of a Roman bath and now a museum) topped my agenda. Here, a set of tapestries known as The Lady And The Unicorn reside. Unlike the set in New York, which depict noblemen hunting, the Parisian wall hangings show a 16th century noblewoman trying to win the love of the unicorn.

On Day 3 of our trip, we headed to The Cluny. As, Ev, Chris and Karen admired the museum’s impressive collections, I quickly inspected the stained glass, Gothic ivory reliquaries, enamels and monumental architecture. I was there for one reason.

As I climbed the stairs and entered the darkened tower room that held the objects of my obsession, I had something special in mind. Photography! To my unadulterated joy, for the first time ever, I would be able to photograph the tapestries.

While flash photos were not permitted, my Nikon D-70 had the capacity to shoot virtually in the dark.

I could take close-ups of the intricate and realistic woven flowers, rabbits and luxurious fabrics – non-flash, of course.

I’d love to say that my snapshots were masterpieces but in truth I was too excited to pay careful attention to metering and all of the particulars required for getting stellar low-light shots.

As usual, the sight of the tapestries made me giddy and seeing them again in person was enough. The photos I did manage to take will suffice until we meet again.

**** BLOG DU JOUR ***
www.cest-chouettehome.com

C’est chouette literally translates as ‘small cabbage’ but it is more commonly used to mean ‘that’s cool’. And, these pillows crafted from rescued vintage needlepoint canvases are as cool as they come!

BASTILLE DAY IN PARIS

DAY ONE continued… After a brief rest, we headed out to explore the neighborhood – 5th arrondissement, then met up with our travel companions for dinner. A restaurant recommended by a NYC friend but rumored to be hard to find, turned out to be tucked into a quiet alley right around the corner from the hotel. We dined at a sidewalk table at Le Coup Chou and had a lovely meal.

Next, we headed back to Notre Dame for a candlelit presentation on the history of the church. It was projected on a giant transparent screen in the nave and was interesting but went on a bit too long.

Upon exiting the cathedral we set out in search of some pre-Bastille day excitement. Strolling along the main street of Ile St. Louis, we marveled at the long lines in front of every ice cream shop.

Karen and I were captivated by a funky double shop filled with amusing and colorful housewares. Although, I’d recently featured a few of the same items in Cottage Style (like the Chiasso toasters), the sheer volume and overall quirky attitude of the goods on display was inspiring.

Our quest for patriotic fervor continued and we eventually ended up in the Place de la Bastille.

BINGO! A huge crowd was jumping and jiving to an open air concert featuring dozens of African musicians. We found a table at a “ringside” café with a view of a giant concert screen and ordered drinks.

Although we had missed most of the dozen or so performers, we arrived in time to hear Alpha Blondy, a reggae artist from the Ivory Coast and the twenty-minute long grand finale (which featured two of my favorite musicians, Amadou and Mariam). Caught up in the moment, I shot up out of my chair and headed into the crowd of 50,000 or so to get a better view. For a moment or two I forgot I had been up for nearly 48 hours.

DAY TWO BASTILLE DAY: July 14 is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 setting off the French Revolution. It’s the equivalent of our July 4th.

We took the metro to the Champs Elysee to catch the parade on and arrive in time to see the opening flyover by the Patrouille de France – nine planes in a V-formation trailing red, white and blue smoke. Unfortunately, that was all

Karen and I saw as the crowds were 40 deep and tall! One clever Frenchman held up a cardboard periscope in order to view the marching bands, military troops and mounted cavalry.

We didn’t last long at the parade. Eva and I head back to the Bastille to get on line to see a free performance of what was described in the newspaper as “a punk opera about gypsies sung in Tzigane”. The wait was endless.

FASHIONISTAS TAKE NOTE: Watching the fashion parade was fascinating for the first half hour or so. Pants that balloon out at the bottom then cinch in at the ankles and dress-like tops with oddly cut sleeves are all the rage. So is wearing colorful scarves with any type of casual outfit -- in 90 degree heat!

Some of the tanks and horseback parade troops ended up alongside the line for the opera. Watching dozens of Japanese girls beg to have their photo taken with a soldier in camouflage was mildly amusing.

The opera, Le Temps Des Gitans, was strange. I loved the music (folkloric Balkan melodies) but without super title translations the show was enigmatic. Of course, if it had been translated it would have been into French, which would have helped only a little.

The plot featured every gypsy stereotype and appeared to be a cross between Fiddler On The Roof (a flock of live geese scurried around the stage) and Peter Pan (everything from houses to performers flew into the air on wires).

FYI: In case you are curious, I’ve discovered that several clips from the show are on YouTube and that a less stylized version was originally released as a film in 1989.

Since the sun didn’t set until after 10 pm, we had time to catch the fireworks.

VIVA LA FRANCE!

****NEW FEATURE ****
BLOG DU JOUR:
I’d love to share some of the wonderful blogs that I’ve found with you. Since they are far too numerous to list, I’m going to feature them one by one. While Blog Du Jour indicates that there will be one posted everyday, it may be more like every few days, as I’m going to be busy over the next few weeks finishing The Book. And, no, they won't all be French!

http://theparisiennefarmhouse.blogspot.com

Angela Reed posts fabulous French decorating ideas, faux finishing tips, even recipes for Latin Quarter onion soup and quick quiche. Although she lives in a Chicago suburb she is a true Francophile and tres chic!

JE REVIENS

Je Reviens … I have returned.

One of the great French painters, Paul Cezanne is famous for saying “Right now a moment of time is passing by! We must become that moment.”

My time in Paris has passed. Judging by the 800 plus photos I managed to take I certainly captured, if not became, the moment!

It was a lovely trip filled with everything the French are famous for -- fine food, fabulous wine, good friends, first-rate art and serendipitous moments. So play some Edith Piaf or Charles Trenet on your i-Tunes and travel along with me for a few minutes.

THE FOOD: We ate and drank our way through Paris and Normandy. French fare, Italian seafood, Far Eastern curries, Moroccan feasts, Tibetan delights. Thank goodness petite portions are the culture-spanning national norm! As a failed carnivore, I can recommend:

* The Mushroom Garlic Ravioli at the nouvelle Le Fin Gourmet on the Ile St Louis, Paris.

* Lotte Provencale (monk fish) at the picturesque La Coup Chou in the 5th arrondissement.

* Assiette d’Crudites (portions of shredded carrots vinaigrette, marinated beets and mustardy celery root on a bed of lettuce) at the cafeteria at Les Invalides.

* Lunch on the terrace of The Terra Café at the Musee d’Art Americain in Giverny was a charming affair. The salads, cheese plates and veggie quiches (which are scrumptious and totally unlike American ones) are presented on slate boards and are artistically garnished.

* Whatever fish is being offered a l’Oseille (with sorrel sauce) at the Ferme de la Grande Cour, in the peaceful countryside area of Cote de Grace, Honfleur.

* Normandy cider with a plate of local cheeses in the garden of La Cour St-Catherine, our amiable B & B near the Main Square and docks in Honfleur.

* Crepes at any sidewalk cafe are usually good bets, too.

THE WINE: I drink mainly reds. The vin maison (house wines served by the carafe) were generally fine but we also had some very good but more expensive bottles of French reds. My companions often started off their meals with an aperitif of kir (white wine and black current syrup) or kir royale (champagne with black current syrup). In Normandy, I switched to the local hard cider.

THE FRIENDS: In addition to Ev and I (who hadn’t been to France in over 20 years), the always adventurous and cheerful Chris and Karen made up our group.

Chris was last in France when he was stationed in England several decades ago. It was Karen’s first trip.

My British cousin Suzanne and her partner Richard joined us during our stay in Honfleur. Suzanne and Richard reveled in the British Pound’s favorable exchange rate with the Euro while the rest of us cringed, as our dollars seemed to evaporate as quickly as we exchanged them for Euros.

SIGHTSEEING: We arrived in Paris at 6:15 AM on the day before Bastille Day (more about that later) and hit the ground running. After dropping our bags at the hotel (our rooms wouldn’t be ready til mid-day), we walked over to Notre Dame Cathedral.

About an hour later Chris and Karen headed off to the Musee d’Orsay and Eiffel Tour, while Ev and I checked out a café, followed by careful observation of the flowers, fountains and pond in the Luxembourg Gardens.


We found a shady park bench. Listening to several military marching bands practicing (or perhaps giving a sneak preview concert) helped pass the time until our rooms were ready.


Cezanne also said “The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution.”

Although I didn’t come across any carrots in the museums of Paris, I did celebrate Bastille Day in a big way. To Be Continued…

WISH YOU WERE HERE

As I tossed the last few things in to my suitcase last night, one of my friends called to say Bon Voyage and requested that I send her a postcard. While I rarely send postcards when I travel, I do buy them. Some I give to friends and family when I return home, others I save for myself.

I love postcards, especially vintage ones of places that I have visited or for which I have special feelings.

The photo postcard (above) of Thompson’s Scenic Railway in Coney Island was taken pre 1911 (when it burned to the ground).

My father grew up only a few blocks away from the beach. One of his summer jobs as a teenager was guessing people weights on the boardwalk!

My parents met in Coney Island. During WWII, my mother worked at the ration board and my father had a shop. My father came in several times a day to check if there had been a change in the official prices he could charge. My mother was impressed that he came in so often. Other merchants only stopped in once a week.

It took my mother a while to figure out that he was really stopping by to chat with her! But, once she realized it, they started to date, he took her to Coney Islands’ biggest attractions --Steeplechase and Luna Park.

Although I grew up about seven miles from the beach in Flatbush, I spent many summer days hanging out with my friends who worked at seasonal snack shops or at the umbrella and chair rental concessions in Brighton Beach. The chairs were at least 50 years old. They were wood and had canvas sling seats and canopies!

While I’m away, please put on an Edith Piaf cd or plug in your i-Pod and download some from e-music. Then, check out my friend Kevin’s web site Forgotten New York- www.forgotten-ny.com. It’s a treasure trove of obscure and fascinating information on my native city.

For more about Coney Island go to “neighborhoods” and click on one of the entries for Coney Island.

Don’t miss the feature on Victorian subway tiles, either - www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/subwaystyle/subwaystyle.html


Au revoir for now mes amis….
Babette

Greetings From My Garden

Too busy getting the garden in shape to do much work on the book the last two days.

Today was a total wash. The last day before a vacation is always hell.

Between chauffeuring my mom around to buy everything she thinks she needs for 10 days, trying to get last minute work done, doing laundry so we can pack clean clothes and making sure the folks looking after the dog, the chickens and the garden have their jobs straight, I'm exhausted.

I snapped a few garden photos in the mist at dawn this morning. Thought I'd share them. Please forgive my photo styling in the veggie garden. If I wasn't so crazed, I would have removed the trash bag before snapping the shutter!


Good thing I'm going on vacation.
The sad thing is that most of my fabulously fragrant Madonna lilies will be open while I'm away. One of them tops 8 feet this year.

TASTE OF THE TROPICS

I’m just a few days –2 days to be exact – away from leaving on vacation to Paris and Normandy. And, there’s so much yet to do!

Chapters Four and Five are now done. Six is well on it's way to being a fait accompli!

You’ve already had a peek at Chapter 4’s alfresco crab feast, so today photo (above) is from a Key West gem with a tropical twist.

Looking for ways to take your cottage on an exotic excursion?
Try these tips:

* Base the colors you use to decorate on those inspired by a tropical garden (sunny yellows, dazzling coral sparkling turquoise) or Caribbean island fruit (mango orange, passion fruit pink or Key West lime.)

* Make patio or porch areas an extension of the interior of your cottage with matching or coordinated fabrics and cozy homey details.

* Add a bamboo or grasscloth wallpaper or a mural of a Tahitian waterfall . The ones shown here are from Seabrook's Tropical Living collection.

* For continuity, try a house-wide theme inspired by local flora (banana and palm trees or hibiscus) or fauna (flamingos or coral.) Two easy island accents are hanging a shelf to display a collection of over-sized conch shells or starfish or treating your bedroom to one of Uhula's Hawaiian bedding sets (see below).

* Use mosquito netting or gauze curtains to drape your bed, safari-style.

Although the interviews, writing, editing and tweaking of chapters 4 and 5 weren’t nearly as worrying as completing the first chapter, it’s still demanding to get things right and do justice to the time and effort that the homeowners lavish on their cottages.

So much to do, so little time left before I leave...

Did I mention I still need to finish up a magazine article, get the garden, chickens and dog ready to solo while I’m away? Forget about packing!

Sorry for the scarcity of blog updates lately, but I am busily trying to meet my self-imposed work deadlines before I leave on vacation this week.

I visited a fabulous blog this morning. It truly captured the essence of cottage style. I read both new & old posts and I was entranced by the blogger’s sense of style.

I was about to add it to my Blogs To Visit, when I realized that the photos I had been admiring were most likely reproduced without permission from the folks who own the copyrights to them.

I sent a message to to the blogger to warn her against scanning photos from magazines and books. It’s illegal.
Yes, everyone does it, but several professional photographers that I know are starting to look for sites that reproduce their photos without their permission. If they find their work on a site, they have the legal right to ask that it be removed or demand payment… or initiate a lawsuit for unauthorized usage.

If you've credited the photographer (photo by Photographer X from Cottage Style), some tend to be less angry. They figure that someone might see their shot, love it and hire them for a paying job. If it’s un-credited they view it as property theft.

Many people don't realize that photographers (or sometimes the magazine or book publisher) own the copyright to each and every photo that they take. They make a substantial part of their income reselling or reusing them. No one involved wants them being used for free.

So, a word to the wise. I have Dan Mayers permission to use his photos on my blog in conjunction with our book. Other than his, I post photos that I’ve taken, my friends have taken or ones for products from companies (always crediting them).

Photographers expect payment for having their photos published on blogs. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I thought you should know about copyright laws. It's better than getting slapped with a lawsuit.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

CELEBRATE IN STYLE

THE WRITE STUFF

NEWS FLASH: Don’t want to miss a single posting? Can’t wait to get a new sneak preview from my Cozy Waterside Cottages book? Just go to the Feedblitz link (on right) and you’ll be the first to know when I’ve posted a new entry. It’s that easy!


MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY: Last Monday, I mentioned SUMMER, Suzanne Brown’s new book. On Wednesday, on my way to visit a friend’s summer place, I stopped at Borders to buy a copy to give as a thank you gift.

My hostess adored the book and fixed Suzanne’s recipe for crab salad-stuffed tomatoes during my visit. It was delicious. My friend added a few snips of fresh tarragon to the mix.

When I got home, I found this e-mail:

“Hi Barbara, Someone passed your blog on to me this past week; I’m so glad you grew to appreciate my book, SUMMER: A User’s Guide! I wanted to let you know that your new book looks like it will be right up my alley--I very much look forward to reading it. Good luck!” Suzanne


OTHER NEWS: Chapter 4 is almost done. Donna’s Bethany Beach cottage is newly built. It was designed with houseguests and family gatherings in mind. Decorating inspirations and entertaining ideas galore! Here’s Donna’s favorite way to serve crabs.

Catch or buy about 4-6 Maryland blue crabs per person depending on their size.

Boil for about 15 minutes until they turn bright red.

Drain well and sprinkle liberally with Old Bay seasoning.

Need help on how to eat a hard shell crab? Suzanne provides detailed directions in her book!

Check back in tomorrow (or sign up for feedblitz) for a special Fourth of July photo portfolio!

BIRTHDAY BLOG

Today’s the day. It’s my birthday. Although in truth, we’ve been celebrating for a week now!

First it was the scribbled “Happy Almost Birthday” on a set of pretty French market signs that a dear friend sent me as an early gift. Next it was several books about France (since I already know that a trip to Paris is my Big Gift). Yesterday it was a Tom Tom, GPS system for my car (confession: my nickname is wrong way).

I’ve always loved birthdays, mine or other folks. It’s as exciting making someone else feel special, as it is being the recipient of the royal treatment.

Years ago when my husband’s father was ill, we decided that birthdays shouldn't be one day; they should be longer. It was too much pressure to expect to have a great time on the exact day. It’s a recipe for trying too hard to enjoy the day.

So, in our family, you get a week in either direction. It's much more fun.

Anyhow, true to my obsession with land’s end, on our trip to France we are going to spend a few days on the Normandy coast. We’re staying at a 5-room B&B in a 17th century convent a few streets from the port of Honfleur. The breakfasts (with fresh bread and homemade jam) are served in an old cider house or in a courtyard garden (photo above).

In true French cottage style, it has exposed beams, color-washed plastered walls and a mix of formal and informal furnishings.