DIY Abstract Art

I've been slowly adding elements to our living room to make it complete. One of the big puzzle pieces that the room has been missing has been art. We had a stumbling block - The art I did like was out of our price range....so I decided to make my own.

I purchased a canvas in December, and it has since sat in the basement waiting for me to work on it. Although I've done abstract before (Perhaps not on purpose), doing it at such a huge scale like this [40" x 40"] proved to be intimidating. Fast forward to an evening last week and I felt a sudden need to paint. I had already primed the canvas black a few weeks earlier, so all I needed was the willpower to put that first brush stroke to the canvas. So when out of the blue I felt the need to paint - I did. And I'm happy to say, I love it!

Although this canvas could hang without framing, I'm going to get it framed. [pending costs] Right now it sits on the console, and is bringing beautiful colour to our room. I adore it. To read some tips of what helped me create the art, read more. :)

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Gorgeous Finishes, Segreto, Part 1

One of the most important parts of the design process is planning the details.  What can you do to take a space one step farther?  When I received the book, Segreto, Secrets To Finishing Beautiful Interiors, I knew I was in for a treat.  The author, Leslie Sinclair, and her team paint, plaster, stencil, faux finish and more the most amazing spaces.  The book is packed with gorgeous and awe inspiring rooms.  Here are just some.....

Remember this kitchen? One of my all time favorites.....

I highly recommend this book.  The interiors are timeless, elegant, classic and awe inspiring.  Beautiful photography and pages of talented designers make it a wonderful read.  


To purchase “Segreto: Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors” from the website click here or to purchase through Amazon click here.

dashing French actors

I know your fascination with good looking French mutts, so with the Oscars coming up this evening I couldn't resist taking you by the collar and leading you to  France's hairiest star ...  Uggy.

Don't know if he'll be trotting up the red carpet tonight,  after all he has already taken the biscuit with his Golden Collar award as well as the Dog's award at Cannes, and I've heard he's enjoying putting his paws up for  a while.

The producers of the film were told they were barking mad to make a silent movie.   So far  it seems the critics were barking up the wrong tree.   I'm sure the ceremony will be as enjoyable as ever, and I wish the best of luck to The Artist, the most daring film on our screens this year!

Quiet Time

Image Lamplightart

blogging vs. pinterest or the importance of instant gratification

People keep telling me that blogs are on their way out, swept aside by the allure of pinterest and tumblr; an instant fix of happiness through pictures only......

Hmmm....

We all know that blogging is fun, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here typing these words, and you wouldn't have come over to check me out.  But are we getting lazy?  Do we have shorter and shorter attention spans?



There are some amazing tumblr blogs, where the author collects fantastic pictures and simply posts them: no text, no opportunity to comment, no interaction.  It seems to me that Tumblr is about a quick fix of instant beauty, while Blogger gives more entertainment and a real chance to interact.   Pinterest seems close to Tumblr, although the board system is very revealing about the author, and of course the source of the pictures is out in public, providing a useful tool to blogs trying to drive new traffic in.

Personally, I love to blog and to interact with my readers.  I love to visit blogs that are well written, they make me think, they make me laugh,  and sometimes they make me cry;  the quality of blogs in our blogosphere is truly impressive.

I pin a little ... because I feel I should.  I don't like everything about Pinterest, and mostly I prefer to file pictures on my computer rather than showing the world what interests me.

I use the facebook page for the blog to give a daily, or thrice daily shot of beauty.  I show pictures with extra appeal, that compliment the blog.

I can only say what I do personally,.....but how are you adapting to the new choices and offers that seem to evolve daily?

 One thing is for sure, in a years time there'll be something new and we'll all be scurrying to adapt.   At least it keeps us on our toes!

Bon weekend mes amis!

PS  Thank you for all the input and great comments, also for the emails.  Something that not everybody seems to realise that is kind of fun:  if you have a blog you can find the page that shows exactly what is being pinned from your blog, very interesting to see how readers interact with each post and which are their favourite pics!  :)

To find your page just enter http://pinterest.com/source/YOUR BLOG ADDRESS/

Have fun!  :)

a potato bake for the weekend and a giveaway winner

 Comfort food can be a good idea for this dreary end of winter season; a favourite comforter in our home is the traditional French Gratin Dauphinois.  Sliced potatoes in cream,  cooked long and slow in the oven until the cream is absorbed and the potatoes just melt in your mouth.

Another easy recipe, here the ingredients are for a good sized shallow oven dish.  Ostensibly for 8, but with the appetites around my table I reckon on 6 servings!

2kg or 5 pounds of potatoes

2/3 cloves of garlic

2 cups of cream or cream and milk mix

100 g butter

salt and pepper

grated nutmeg

  Peel and slice thinly the potatoes, but don't rinse them, the starch in the potatoes adds to the creaminess of the dish.

In a pan heat the cream or the cream and milk mix, drop in the potatoes slices and let them cook, very gently,  for less than 10 minutes.

Rub the garlic and part of the butter around your oven dish, then pour the potatoes and cream into the dish, making sure that there is enough cream to cover the potatoes.  Cut the remaining butter into little cubes and dot over the surface.  (I know, I know, I never said this was a slimming dish!)

 Bake in a preheated oven (180°, gas mark 4) for about an hour.  The top should be crispy golden brown, and the potatoes soft and creamy.  

This dish is perfect with red meat and a good side salad.

Finally, I am happy to announce that the winner of the Parisienne Farmgirl giveaway is Jeanne of I Dream Of.    If you don't know her lovely blog, then I invite you to pop over and say hello.   And Jeanne, if you want to email me with your address you'll receive your scented candle and the subscription to the Parisienne Farmgirl magazine!  Lucky girl!!

I hope you all have something wonderful planned for this weekend, thank you for reading me, à demain!

{ Button Down Wallpaper }

Yesterday my friend and helper Kristie and I added a new wall treatment to her son Harry's room.

(I realize it's not for everyone), but, we (and Harry) LOVE it!

Here's Harry's room before...

We shopped the thrift stores for men's button down shirts in the colors we liked.

The more patterns the better in this case.

We began at the bottom of the wall and stapled the shirts in a "brick" pattern.

folding the shirts in half when we got to an edge.

At the top of the wall we added wooden hangers.

Once all the shirts were in place we tucked the tails into the collar in front of it.

Hung a mirror, made the bed, and waited for Harry...

This is Harry...

The button down wallpaper is so fun, so Harry, and so hysterical.  It makes us laugh every time we look at it!

Here's the original where we got the idea from...

linking up to

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