Cock-a-doodle doo!

I just discovered a Rooster Blog Party, at Bella Vista, and thought this would be a great way to introduce some of you to my husband, Jack's wonderful rooster paintings. Each one of them has such personality! Enjoy looking at the pictures, and for more info, go to his rooster blog here.

My favorite is the one he made into a travel advertisement for France. I just love the graphic quality of that one. Roosters remind us so much of France, in fact we've taken numerous pictures of chickens and roosters on our vacations to France. I am also in love with this bottom one, the rooster standing on one foot. 

I have other rooster pictures, tablecloths, bottle stoppers, tableware, sculptures, Limoges boxes, a chicken shaped wire basket to hold eggs, and more - all charming. but for this year, I'll highlight these paintings and let them shine on their own. 

As kind of an afterthought, I'm including a picture of one of the hens and roosters I painted on the cabinets in our old kitchen. This photo is not great, but you get the idea. I had a lot of fun painting those cabinets, and they were really uplifting to be around every day!

Enjoy looking...and don't forget to check out the other rooster blogs Friday, August 6th, at Bella Vista's 2nd Annual Rooster Blog Party!

Tablescape Thursday

A TUSCAN GARDEN LUNCHEON

This antique Italian wrought iron table with weathered carrera marble top has been set with tableware from various European countries.

My favorite mouth blown bubble glasses from Biot, France. I have been to this glass blowing shop on the Cote d'Azur, several times, and am always enchanted by the quality of the bubbled glass and the warm colors the artisans achieve.

Our little cream cow, which we brought back from our honeymoon in Portugal.

Venetian mouth blown glass cruets for oil and vinegar are just the most gorgeous cobalt blue - especially with the sun shining through them. (Just look at the beautiful blue shadows they cast!) These came with the terra cotta colored glass stoppers, and I think they go so well with my Italian dishes, as they combine the two colors.

French salt and spice dishes from Emile Henry.

Hand painted Italian soup/pasta bowls, which we special ordered in San Gimignano, a charming and amazing "city" in Tuscany. Months later, just when we had forgotten all about them, a package arrived with eight different bowls - each one is completely unique and intricate. The pearl handled flatware is French.

The hydrangeas and black-eyed Susans from my garden are arranged in a pot which we found in Provence. I love the drippy quality of the darker glaze over the ochre yellow.

The soup tureen (below) and water pitcher (above) are both from Tuscany, and imported to North America by Abbiamo Tutto.

This cute little double leaf server, with faux twig handle, is Portuguese. 

Bon Appetit!

To view tablescapes by other bloggers, every Thursday, visit Between Naps On The Porch, where they are all linked in. Enjoy!

Our Lady of the First Date (thanks to my soul mate)

Today is August 3rd - the anniversary of Jack's and my first date, 25 years ago! I wonder how many people really do find their soul mate in life? Both Jack and I feel so lucky that we found each other, and recognize that it was pure coincidence that our paths intersected, a quarter of a century ago. On the other hand, don't we often meet people with whom we have a lot in common when we are pursuing our passions? Is coincidence really all that random?

Through a series of events, starting with my having lived in France, and including my in-depth interest in French food, I was invited, in 1985, to help open and manage a new cafe in Cambridge, MA. My passions having led me to this place in my life, it was only natural, in some ways, that I would meet like-minded people there. Jack became a regular customer at that cafe, and we discussed food almost every day (chocolates in particular), as well as dogs  (labs in particular). When a coworker, who just happened to have the same name AND birthday as me (how amazing is that?!) told me that Jack had a crush on me, I knew immediately that he was the man for me. I hadn't really thought about it before then, as I had assumed he was unavailable. That's not to say I didn't already think he was totally adorable!

Our first date was in the evening - we went to dinner at a seafood restaurant, and I didn't even tell Jack that I am not terrifically fond of saltwater fish. The fact that Jack picked me up in his shiny, black Porsche 911, with salt water on his shorts and sand in his shoes, did nothing to diminish my impression that this guy was going to be
F-U-N. We laughed and talked for hours, and I even ended showing Jack my whole life history, via my photo album. He still avows that he wasn't bored.

That day, Jack had been in Maine, visiting his son - now OUR son, Giles - at camp, and had stopped at an antique shop on his way back and purchased this bust - who knows why it struck his fancy, but it did!

At the end of our first date, Jack opened the trunk of his car, and showed me this gal. What did I think of her? I thought she was great! I mean, so old and European looking...and yet just a little kitchy at the same time. How many people are daring enough to display a plaster copy of this famous Italian bust of the goddess, Diana?

We put Diana in Jack's house, and since then, she has traveled with us to our house in Hingham, and now to Brewster. I have recently rechristened her "our lady of the first date". She has occasionally been decorated for different seasonal moods. Here she is in our old living room bay window, surrounded by lovely, tall orchids.

And here she is today, in our new house, surrounded by hydrangeas, black-eyed Susans and greenery from our Cape Cod garden.

She represents a continuity in our lives, and every time I look at her - without exception - I am reminded of our first date. So many wonderful life events have occurred since that first date. We both still love the same things and have similar dreams. Life has definitely shown us a few bumps in the road, but I have to say, Jack is still F-U-N to be with, and I'm pretty certain I am, as well - at least that's what he says, so I'm going with it.

So here's to 25 years together, to "our lady of the first date" and most especially to Jack, my soul mate!

Confessions of a blog-aholic

Oh, how I wish time would stand still while I'm blogging! For the past three days, I have set out to write a post on the Italian design house of Missoni, only to get side-tracked right from the get-go, and have spent most of the rest of each day looking at other people's posts. Here's a typical chain of events: I start by reading my email and my Facebook wall, both of which will have updates from several blogs I follow. My morning coffee is always accompanied by at least two excellent blogs, Cote de Texas for decorating, and David Lebovitz for food. One that I get on Facebook, every week or so is At Home with Patricia Wells, about food and French living.

Attractive pictures like these, from the three blogs mentioned above, always entice me into the stories they accompany.
(top to bottom: David Lebovitz, Patricia Wells, 
Cote de Texas)

Okay, so I start by going to one of these blogs to read the entire post, and my eye gets drawn over to the sidebar, where I see a list that is typically called something like "my blogroll" or "blogs of note". I click on one of these and read it's most recent post, but of course, I get side tracked into looking at that author's favorite blogs, and click on links out from there...so it continues on and on. In fact, sometimes I get so far off the beaten path that I wish I were Hansel and Gretel, leaving breadcrumbs, so I could follow my path back to where I started! Since most of the bloggers I like are interested in various different aspects of lifestyle and design, I go from cooking, to art, to interior design, to crafts, to table settings, back to cooking...you can see where I'm going here: in "no time at all" I realize I have burned up half of my day!

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. In so many ways, other bloggers have opened up new ideas to me, and I count lots of inspiration as having come from them. The only thing is, I'm not writing my own blog while I'm reading everyone else's. Do other bloggers set a time limit on how much surfing they do? Or do they set aside a specific time each day when they do nothing other than write their own posts? I wish I knew, as I am positive most bloggers spend a lot of time, just as I do, looking at what others have to offer.

My own blog list is divided (as you can see in the left column) into various categories, to make it easier for people (moi included) to find certain subjects. Even so, my lists are all growing to the point where I have just decided to list them all in alphabetical order. That way, nothing gets lost in the shuffle. I have to say that I really enjoy all of the blogs I have listed as my favorites. Each and every one is superb quality in terms of written descriptions, as well as photography (in my opinion!) If I decide I don't care so much for a blog after a while, I delete it from my list.

Some blogs are so gorgeous they practically make me weep with pleasure. Others have great DIY advice, and a lot of the food ones make me incredibly hungry - usually at a time of day when I shouldn't be thinking of eating (actually I think about food most of the time...but still!)

I want to highlight all of my favorite blogs/websites, over time. For today, here are some of the ones that I consider to be so beautiful and inspiring, I could practically eat them up (and I'm talking about the photos and styling - not necessarily food.) I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. (Click on the name to visit each blog.)

ada & darcy

Australian interior designer with lovely photos, happy colors,

and DIY projects.

Canelle et Vanille

Written by a Basque chef/photographer, currently living in the United States. Gorgeous photos, interesting commentary and fabulous recipes, such as Lavender and Orange Macaroons.

Carolyne Roehm

Carolyne is, bar none, my favorite book stylist and author. Her site will have you hooked at the opening peony. (You'll see what I mean.)

I own all of her books.

Charlotte Moss

I have met Charlotte and she is as charming as her photos. Her blog has beautiful decorating ideas, and is a great source of inspiration.
I also own all of her books.

Chez Loulou

Lovely French recipes and photos that make you long to be there!

Cote de Texas

An interior designer with a modern take on old French sensibilities, Joni often features other designers, as well as in depth reportage on specific houses. She puts an amazing amount of time and thought into her research - always worth reading. Tons of pictures, too.

David Lebovitz

An American in Paris and former pastry chef at Chez Panisse (I'm jealous already, David!) who is also the author of several terrific cookbooks, and has a wry sense of humor. His food posts and recipes are always good, as are his other posts involving subjects such as travel and flea market finds in the countryside.

Eddie Ross

Eddie is incredibly talented, and not just because he worked for so long with Martha Stewart and then House Beautiful. He has an innate sense of design in everything he touches, plus he styles such pretty photo settings! To top it all off, he's an alum of the Culinary Institute of America, where my son is.
(I soooo want to meet this guy!!)

Forking Delicious!

By a private chef and cookbook author. This picture just about says it all. Divine recipes to match.

Graham Rust

My favorite muralist of all time, Graham Rust has also written and illustrated some of my favorite books, such as The Painted House.

Kiss My Spatula

A picture is worth a thousand words, but I also love the descriptions and recipes. Too beautiful!

La Tavola Marche

Italian cooking, recipes and local photos. Includes podcasts in English.

My French Country House

Basically, I want to move right into this place in Normandy. The owner, Sharon, is welcome to stick around, too, as I know we'd have such fun together, creating table settings and other vignettes.

Oliveaux

Written by an interior designer from Australia. Interesting pictures and commentary on international locations.

Room Seventeen

Dutch site with monochromatic styling. Very peaceful interiors.

Styling by Coty Farquhar

Coty started out at a young age, working for Vogue Living Magazine. Her incredible styling talent is evident in all of her photographs. Truly charming commentary, as well.

SW Design

Nice photos, and interesting ideas, such as this post on closets.

The Selby

Real life decorating! This site features diverse creative thinkers from around the world, in their own homes - all highly personal and generally eccentric. (I also adore their book.)

Sunday Suppers

British blog with mouth-watering pictures and great recipes. Unusual plating combinations.

They Draw and Cook

This is my latest discovery - so much fun to see everyday! What could be better than different artists describing their recipes in their own style? Drawn or painted, they are all different and all tickle my fancy!

Trouvais

Features mostly French Flea Market style. Every post is simply a

joy to look at.

Vignette Design

From Northern California. Beautiful photographs, with a focus on even more beautiful table settings! Apparently, Delores has a china/tabletop accessory obsession like me.

White on Rice Couple

This California couple loves to photograph, travel, cook and write - and share this winning combination on their beautiful blog.

Lastly, I simply must mention Donna Ruhlman Photography, although I can't grab any of her food photos to display here. She has the most outstandingly gorgeous pictures of food that anyone could imagine. Her lighting is spectacular. Check it out!

How anyone writing in the blogosphere gets much work done, without detouring off the path constantly, is a mystery to me. I love looking at all of my favorites, even reading the ones in foreign languages, (as well as trying to figure out what the ones in languages I don't speak are saying). This is a daily journey that I adore, and I hope you will have picked up some new blog diversions, here, as well.

Happy reading!