Around Here

One week ago we were welcoming Henry into the world, it is hard to believe it has already been 7 days! Since then we have been doing a little of this and little of that. Henry has been working on his tan (or decreasing it I should say)...

Which we are happy to say is all cleared up. And while I am not working for a while that doesn't mean that the deliveries stop, they just come to the house instead of the office.Which meant HBS experienced his first job with MSI, delegating the deliveries (please excuse the wet hair, etc. I was lucky to even be dressed!)...

I loved everything that came in for clients, but I am most excited about this art/photography, can't wait to show you when it gets to its final destination- a law office fittingly.We have been getting used to being a family of three, the best transition one could ask for...

And in case you were wondering (although probably not) the stumps have lost their bark thanks to some help from Patrick (more on that later).

Hopefully very soon this one will make its way to the nursery as a side table. As you can tell it still needs a lot of work. Thank you for all the advice from this post. We have followed every comment and researched where you said to go, so helpful!

Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!

a quiet moment in the morning...

Oscar, 15 months

The above photos were taken a few mornings ago when I was feeding Oscar cheerios with a big spoon. He grabbed the spoon from my hand, and proceeded to feed himself. I grabbed my camera and snapped the process of him putting the spoon in the bowl and successfully getting cherrios into his mouth. I just let him do it, and watched quietly as he figured it all out. I won't lie - There was a pang of sadness as it was an obvious indication that he's growing up. But that was overshadowed by my excitement that he is learning, and wants to try to do things on his own.

{ Country Living Blog Awards }

Excuse me while I peel myself off the ceiling...

My favorite magazine,

Country Living,

 has nominated 

The Painted Home

for a

Blue Ribbon Blog Award.

Crazy, right?

There is also a readers choice award.

(that's where you, my readers come in...)

please take a minute to vote for me

in the Decorating Blog Category.

click here to vote 

for The Painted Home

Thank you SO much!

I really appreciate it!

setting the stage

Don't you think that half the success of a good dinner is the 'setting'.  

Last week we had a couple of friends around for a last minute dinner, just the time to put together a simple meal and lay the barbecue  table with a few flowers and candles ... night fell, good wine, nice food, lively conversation and before we knew it it was ... well I won't tell you what time,  but we didn't have much sleep that night!

The table was laid with a mix of modern and old for the plates, antique glasses and new, candles in  small glass votives, brioche moulds and vintage chandeliers.   A linen tablecloth but paper napkins - I'm meant to be on holiday, right?!

Maybe this is part of the charm of a climate where warm summer evenings are short lived and to be made the most of.  Music in the background, heated French discussions punctuated with laughter, and we're lucky that we have no insect problems.

This is how we like to share evenings with friends, entertaining French style

buying French groceries

There is simply no comparison between buying your groceries in a supermarket and buying them fresh from an open air market - especially when the sun is shining, the air smells good and all the summer fruits are out on show.

I always return from the weekly market with a spring in my step - stimulated by the beautiful colours, the gentle bustle and the friendly banter between vendors and clients.

Clients dress nicely to go shopping, they often meet up with old friends, share a coffee on the market square, their overfilled baskets sitting at their feet.

In France, when you go to le marché, you know you will find good quality produce, fresh, often sold by the producer directly.  

For the vendors - who work hard on their farm all week -  it's a highlight too, not only do they make some money, they also interact with their clients and catch up on the latest news and gossip in town.

Freshly roasted chicken  yummmm!  soooo difficult to resist when you're already hungry for lunch!

I love the way that in the middle of the fruit and vegetables you'll find hats, baskets, saucepans and even fabric.

Clients are encouraged to taste, and often extra pieces of fruit, or bunches of parsley are added to the basket.  I know this is  a commercial gesture , but I always think the vendor looks like a n artist putting the finishing touch to a work of art, as he offers a lemon or a bunch of herbs.

So now you know one of my remedies for feeling lazy or energy-less
- a trip to a local market.  100% guaranteed result.

Forward Facing Bookshelves

Oscar loves books (Almost as much as I love a good Ikea hack.) Every night he goes around his room picking up book after book and putting them on our lap to read. We know that it is likely a stall tactic, not wanting to go to bed, but we can't help but find it really cute. Over the last week I made some forward facing bookshelves out of Ikea Spice Racks for his room. I simply sprayed them white and ta-da! They were done.  The two shelves hide behind his door in his room and he can now pick out his own as the shelves are at his height.

Originally seen on Mon Petit Amour Blog, Idea from Domestic Simplicity

french, feminine and chic

With the change of seasons, my redecorating time of year is approaching and I'm looking for ideas at the moment, scouring magazines and blogs for interiors I like.

This one slowed me down.  I spent a long while looking at how the girl has achieved an interior that feels pared down although there are plenty of collector bits;  that feels feminine; that feels modern although the flat is early 19th century and there are plenty of brocante pieces used.

I'm loving the colour scheme, adore the bathroom - who wouldn't?! - admiring her use of huge Venetian mirrors and definitely envious of the lack of clutter... sigh ...

How comfortable would you be here?


PS.   Great excitement here today as the new computer arrived YAY!!  The handover however has not been totally seamless, and some people are having trouble leaving comments or sending me mails.  Please persevere, and if you need an urgent answer from me by mail, you could always message me on fb for safety!  Merci!

all photos thanks to journal de la maison