The Wedding Season

Fifteen years ago, I asked Sylvia Weinstock (the cake baker to the stars) to create a wedding cake for one of my children's weddings.

No one does a cake like Sylvia.

Photo by theknot.com

The cakes are delicious and Sylvia's service is incredible.  Because the wedding was held at our home in Deer Valley, Sylvia's husband hand delivered the cake all the way from New York City to the Salt Lake City airport.  It sat next to him on the plane.

We were out to dinner when the cake arrived and I had someone pick it up for me.  The young man called the restaurant in a panic and said he was afraid the flowers would die if they weren't put in the refrigerator overnight and no matter how hard he tried,  he couldn't get the cake to fit . He was so surprised and relieved when I told him the flowers weren't real that they were made of fondant and sugar. You could fool anyone, Sylvia's fabulous flowers do look real.

Hi Sylvia!!!!!

Photo by pacificphotos.com

I am happy to see that Sylvia Weinstock is still baking wedding cakes, you will never be disappointed.

Two exciting weddings coming up in my life, my goddaughter is getting married in June in France and my granddaughter is getting married in July in Chicago. I will be delightfully busy.

More about that later.

Happy Mothers Day in America this Sunday. Often it starts with weddings.

photo by sites.udel.edu

A Bientôt

Audrey

Bordeaux Antique Fair

I went to the great Bordeaux Antique Fair yesterday, it was great fun.  So much to see, so much to choose, it's hard to stop shopping.

Absolutely fell in love with this table and chairs for the garden.

The linen shops always catch my eye and it's probably where I spend the most time and money.

Look for some of these grandmere night dresses on our frenchvintagehome.com web site or Etsy shop by going to www.etsy.com and go to frenchvintagehome (no spaces) to see the latest additions.

Lots and lots of dishes, how do you choose? I fell in love with some plates from the faience pottery company called Gien.  I just photographed them and put them in our Etsy shop.

More rust, more beauty from days gone by.

One of our lovely customers asked me to find a christening dress for her new grandchild.  I believe I found it.  This one is from the end of the 19th century and is so beautiful. It comes with a most unusual head band ruffled all around.

To get ready for the great Bordeaux antique fair, I had to do a few things.  First a great tote to carry an extra pair of shoes, an extra bag as well as some purchases.  I start with this one from Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren Tote

Then I tuck in these foldable shoes as I know I will need a change by the end of the day.  These are adorable and have their own little sack to keep your purse clean.

Foldable shoes fit in your bag

Besides adding a bottle of water, kleenex and my wallet I always take an extra bag for the many purchases I hope to make for our company French Vintage Home. Nothing is more versatile than this Longchamp nylon tote that folds up into your handbag.

Longchamp tote that folds up

You should be good to go and you will be looking great. If you click on the blue printing you can get the details of the items pictured.

Enjoy and a Bientôt to all my wonderful friends.

Audrey

Dinner with friends

One of the most wonderful things about living in the French countryside is sharing a meal with your friends.  Often I go to their homes and often they come to mine.
Tonight was my turn and I made it an Indian Curry night.

I filled old canning jars with the bits and pieces that add to the deliciousness and put them on a Lazy Susan for easy access.  There was mango chutney, Victorian chutney, Sweet Lime Pickle, raisins, toasted coconut and toasted almonds. I labeled the jars so my friends would know what they were getting.

My guests were a mixture of French and English people and all seemed to enjoy it very much. After the curry and a few bottles of wine, all seemed very content.

I also made a cooling yogurt and cucumber Raita as I did put some punch into the curry.
Okay, I will be honest here.  I forgot to serve the Raita and didn't realize it until dessert time.  Isn't that aggravating?  Oh well, I don't think it was missed and now I can have Raita with every meal for the next week.
In her day my mother frequently forgot to serve the jello mold, do you remember those? Now I know how she felt.  Next time I will put a sign on the frigo saying "OPEN ME".

What meal is complete without a yummy dessert.  I made this orange cake and decorated it with candied orange peel.  It is taken from a recipe for Moroccan cake called Meskouta. I had never made it before so was delighted it was so delicious.

Have a wonderful week.
Audrey

Back to France

I am happily back in France at my home in La Tour Blanche.  It is nice to be back but I miss the sunshine in Dallas and Los Angeles.

I spent Sunday going to several brocantes, lots of fun, lots of stuff......

I love these planters and though they look old they are not.  I would buy them anyway but the cost of shipping them to the States is prohibitive but we love them, don't we?

All girls love dolls, no matter what our age.

After the brocantes, there was a late lunch with friends.  So nice.

More brocantes next week so the newsletter will be full of things I actually bought for you to see.

Couldn't resist these adorable UGGS which feel so good after walking in the rain all day.

UGG pink slippers

That's it for now

A bientôt

Paris Chic

dennisflood.com

I just got back to France and am excited to see all the beautiful spring flowers poking their heads through the soil.  Wildflowers are everywhere and the mixture of colors is wonderful.

France is beautiful and the women are coming out in their Spring finery.  This is a fabulous time to be here.

Though it is possible that the French women do it best, there is no reason why we can't do it too. I must say my American friends always look fantastic but I think they try hard to look like they don't try hard. Does that make sense?

Celebrity model Inès de la Fressange shares the well-kept secrets of how Parisian women maintain effortless glamour and a timeless allure. Inès de la Fressange—France’s icon of chic.

Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange

Some of the looks I am loving.

Ted Baker Color Block

I adore color blocking, it is so contemporary and gives you just enough of each color. How about this beautiful dress from Missoni,the subtle stripes and the bold colour are delicious. I could live in this dress.

Missoni knit

 I fell in love with this lace skirt by Alberta Ferretti.

Alberta Ferretti color blocked lace pencil skirt

How about some color blocked shoes? These adorable espadrilles from Tory Burch are so cute.

Tory Burch Espadrille

This is the perfect color for Spring,is it pink, is it red? It is exactly right.

Chanel Lipstick number 78

For info on any of these items, just click on the blue letters.

Merci, beaucoup!!!!!

A Bientôt
Audrey

Easter

The most important feast of the Russian Orthodox church calendar is Easter. It is celebrated with the exchanging of eggs and three kisses. The Faberge eggs began in 1884 with an Easter egg made for the czar that became a gift for his wife, Czarina Maria. The egg reminded the empress of her homeland, and so from then on it was agreed that Faberge would make an Easter egg each year for Maria. Faberge designed Easter eggs for another eleven years until Alexander III died. Then Nicholas II, Alexander's son, continued the tradition. It was agreed that the Easter gift would always have an egg shape and would hold a surprise. These projects became top priority of the company and were planned and worked on far in advance--a year or longer. The surprise was always kept secret.

Although very pricey reproductions of the eggs are available, originals are almost impossible to find.  What a gorgeous gift this would make.

Wishing you all a beautiful day surrounded by those you love.

A Bientôt
Audrey

photo by bittsandbytes.com  copy from the Russian Orthodox church

A Must See New Movie

The English Teacher, directed by Craig Zisk, is available On Demand and on digital platforms Apr. 16 and will have its theatrical premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26. It opens in theaters on May 17.

As many of you know Craig is my son and I am so proud and so thrilled for him.  I think you will really enjoy this movie.

Mark your calendar, you will enjoy The English Teacher.

A Bientôt

Audrey