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archives |
Monday 07.12.10
maison de plaisance.
i received an email from karine, partner in one of my favorite online shops, bodie and fou, sharing some wondering images of her family’s holiday home in France. it was recently featured in a few design magazines and since we all share the same aesthetic for beautiful things, she allowed me to share a few more of some extremely beautiful photos shot by Michael Paul for The Telegraph magazine, and Christopher Tubbs for Grand Designs magazine.
Karine and Elodie, french Sisters and founders of BODIE and FOU have the kind of accessible, but oh so casually chic aesthetic i think we all strive for, but seems to come effortlessly for the two. i could move into this home in like two seconds, should i be invited! and one of the the best ways to appreciate the BODIE and FOU look is to see more of Karine’s family holiday home in France.
Karine loved the idea of a home ‘having enough space for friends and family to hang out together’ and one summer while visiting her parents’ home in Cazaux on the south-western Atlantic coast, in a very spur of the moment decision, she and her partner Steve bought a seventies ‘maison de plaisance’ (literally a ‘pleasure house’ now used to mean a holiday villa) and set about thinking ‘how we could bring together our tastes to create a welcoming, child-friendly home.’
karine designed the home so that ‘everybody, friends and family, could feel free to do whatever they wanted’, so the couple knocked out the wall between the kitchen and dining room, creating a living space big enough for a dozen people. the result is a relaxed, cozy and enchanting home i think would be the envy of any family. for more styling tips and beautiful home decor furnishings and accessories, check out the bodie and fou blog, as well as their online shop.
* photos courtesy of Michael Paul for The Telegraph magazine; and Christopher Tubbs for Grand Designs magazine.
Friday 06.18.10
san francisco staycation.
via the wheatfield.
okay, kids, it’s time for me to take a little summer sabbatical. i haven’t taken time off since may ’09 on my trip to london, and am feeling the need to shut down a bit. so this time, i’m going nowhere, except my backyard and some adventures around the city. a staycation in my very own san francisco. just wandering about, without a plan in sight.
i might go to the beach, via alicia bock.
but, i leave you in some very capable and creative blogging hands. you’ll be hearing from a whole slew of some of my favorite bloggers who are going to step in and share some excellent eye candy. i’ll see you back here on july 6th, but until then, i’ll be re-juicing and re-charging my inner blog spirit! or something like that. see you soon!
i’ll be exploring the city with camera in hand, via dead slow.
kicking back in golden gate park, via amber.
i’m gonna see some movies, via sfgirlbybay.
read lots of good books.
drop into some of my favorite shops.
and play in my garden.
Thursday 12.24.09
happiest of holidays.
it’s that time of year, when it comes time for me to take some luxurious time off. to visit with family, kick off my shoes and put up my feet, and my fingers and stay away from the keyboard as much as i can. i know you’re all dashing about and hopefully enjoying the holidays, too, so my hope is you’ll be taking some time away from the computer screen as well, and finding some quality, old-fashioned fun with your friends and family.
i look forward to a new year with you all, and am so thankful for the job you’ve given me each day, to share the things i find inspirational and creative, and to you for sharing your kind comments and wonderful ideas.
it’s been a very hectic time for me these last few months, caring for my father, and i appreciate all your patience and kindness, on those days when maybe i wasn’t as prolific as i would have liked to have been. but, i am hoping some of that is behind me now, and my creative juices will get flowing again. if there’s something you’d like to see more of (or per chance, less of) in 2010, be sure and let me know. i hope you all find some time for your own creative projects and if there’s something you like to share, you’ll send it my way.
how will you all be spending your holidays? do you have a special nostalgic tradition you’d like to share? or is there a particular holiday or gift you’ve given, or received, that stands out in your mind? i’d love to hear about it! happiest of holidays to you all, and i’ll see you back here in the new year!
xo, Victoria
*mosaic one photo credits, left to right: atelierpompadour, mainemomma ~ kristin, spinster_with_cats, and madeline bea.
*mosaic two photo credits, left to right: morgan kendall, atelierpompadour, reflect / refract, and maria lamb.
Thursday 12.10.09
blissful inspiration
hello, it’s me, mrs. french. i am so happy to be with you this thursday morning! it is brisk here in portland. it is so cold that i feel the need to tell my husband how cold i am a few times an hour. it is an involuntary reaction, i can’t help myself. i am not a huge fan of cold weather, however, i love the snow. for some reason, i feel as if the snow makes the cold worthwhile. i especially love the way snow looks from behind the lens. bundle up and take a gander…
~minarge
~{J.}
~kristybee
~Ekler
~denise grünstein
~bee hives
~leesa
~i.anton
~kane longden
~ginsui rin
~freespirited boulevard
~simple tess
~leslie thompson
~atomic turquoise
i especially love looking at photographs of snow while bundled up on my sofa with a cup of coffee. have a wonderful day.
xo mrs. french
[many thanks to weekly guest blogger mrs. french. be sure & visit her on her blog, bliss, and her etsy shop blissful images.]
Friday 11.27.09
oh, and happy, happy friday.
so, it’s black friday and cyber monday or some such thing. i don’t really do gift guides, because, honestly i feel gifts should be heartfelt and special and have everything to do with the person you are giving the gift to, and not so much what i tell you to shop for. so i think that you are perfectly capable of finding just the right thing all on your own. so, i’m not going to even try to tell you what that might be, because i don’t personally know your loved ones like you do.
i would recommend shopping at small, indie shops, like any one of my advertisers you see on the right hand column of the blog. lots of them are artists, photographers, or handmade, like something you might also find on the poppytalk handmade website where the best of etsy is represented. or from an independent mom & pop shop like rare device, perch, the curiosity shop or park life – all wonderful small boutiques in san francisco, but also shoppable online, to make shopping a little less stressful.
or, go on — make something yourself. that i feel good about. but, whatever you choose, think of your recipients long and hard, and what might be most meaningful to them. it could be a scarf you knit, or a photograph, or just something special that shows how you love them. love goes a long way. try to stay calm out there, and try and remember what it’s really all about. in the words of the beloved beatles, love is all you need.
