life'sa beach - french beach house

this would be the lovely little slice of heaven belonging to a friend of mine who was gracious enough to extend an invitation to me for a visit- its a beautiful little house tucked away on a hillside above the town of giens - a perfect spot to relax and not have to use my brain for a bit - but i did get to exercise my eyes! besides the breathtaking view- the house was lovely and has a collection of things that sparked the idea roller coaster -

the color of this door is so amazing, a deep tealish, its the color of the mediterranean and has a definite nautical influence. it wouldn't be the first color i would think of for a beach house and yet its perfect and sophisticated. i also love the way its complimentary to the terracotta tiles - so great!

this is part of the living area - its got that super casual sweep-out feel that i think is a necessity in making a beach house feel relaxing and uncomplicated and yet through a bit of accent color, furniture and light fixtures is updated and modern, all of which is pretty impressive seeing as this home was decorated 30 years ago!

don't you just love this pendant light - i'm still working on trying to find out who makes it but it totally reminds me of the poul henningsen light from elisabeth dunker's kitchen? and its a bit unexpected for a beach house but is still airy and light. one of the things i always admire in french homes is the wonderful use of tile, decorative and otherwise, but it always looks casual and sophisticated at the same time. these floors aren't any exception - simple terracotta tiles with a unique shape running throughout the house becomes the neutral backdrop that unites all of the other elements of the decor.

and this chair! actually there is a pair of them in the room - i love it! its not light, white or neutral -again things i expect in a beach house - not that there is anything wrong with this - i just love the unexpectedness of this dark black - its such a strong element and another thing i love, the seat as the same color of the inside of that front door (remember its teal on the outside) and the rounded window in the background - again unexpected but uniting elements!!

on to my usual favorite room in any house - the kitchen! this one is no exception - again tiles! and the cabinets are all painted with white enamel paint and have red formica counter top!! totally great!!

below are just a few other spots in the house that i found myself drawn to - enjoy!!

there were a few of these fabulous glass lamps around the house - i love how simple they are - anyone have any suggestions for finding something similar state-side?

in bourges

hummm where to start really - i decided that traveling for me is like yoga -not only do i love the experience and the people i get to encounter but it forces the stretch of every part of my body, places i didn't know i had (metaphorically speaking of course except for flying, the older i get the more it actually hurts) while remaining mentally calm and still - breathing it all in deep from within. "dont miss it", "dont take your eyes off it", "remain aware", "remain open" - yoga.

so again where to start? well, from the end of course. on my last day in france i had to drive from the teeny tiny village of chapsal up to paris - on the way up i remained open, aware and tried not to miss it - this mantra lead me about 20 miles off the highway - and into the beautiful, stunning, breathtaking town of bourges-
this is a very old and culturally centered city - at one time it was even the center for alchemy!!
i parked down at the bottom of the hill from the city center and walked up - the architecture and roof lines on the way up were simply stunning





i love this sign - apparently the city is known for having timber made houses, in fact it has a whole district of them which unfortunately i missed but perhaps that influence explains this awesome sign -

and how did i find this town your asking?? well they have a beacon off the highway also know as the gothic cathedral of saint etienne, an unesco world heritage site, and with out a doubt the most beautiful thing i have ever laid my little eyes on - construction on this cathedral was begun at the end of the 12th century and completed in the 13th. it is considered the earliest example of the high gothic style.


i was obsessed with the way the light was coming through this green glass window -


so this town is just one of those places that keeps getting better like a frosted chocolate molten cake! with each bite you get to something even better than what you just thought couldn't get any better!!
so outside of this crazy beautiful cathedral is a breathtaking formal garden -





the way they mix plants, colors, flowers and textures together seems perhaps haphazard but all together sums up to be soulfully good - they included grasses, inpatients and coleus with things of more formality like rose and boxwood topiary



i sorta stalked this old couple as they walked among the garden at sunset, they were arm and arm just walking along enjoying the flowers. another total fantasy happening here - before i got to the cathedral or the garden - i came upon a little park area where there was live music emanating out form an iron framed gazebo while people of all ages danced and laughed an enjoyed themselves on the lovely summer evening -

its nice to see communities using public spaces which have been important to the towns for generations - so romantic

from napa to france - with wine in between

last weekend i had a wonderful friend in town and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves galavanting around napa and the city of sf i must say - its always so much fun to show someone your home who has never been there before - and tonight i am off to visit another dear friend at her home in france - i can not wait - i know the conversations will be as warm as the weather and it will be nice to relax - below is a photo of our picnic from pineridge winery in napa and what i anticipate my upcoming week to be filled with - i just keep pinching myself!!

i will be doing lots of work while i am there for the blog and hopefully will have a few treasures to bring back for the shop too!

Cheers! see you in a week

park chairs project

so the other weekend im out minding my own business at a flea market and what happens? bam! two matching, totally cute folding park chairs in rather rough condition start calling my name - i try to ignore them - i walk away twice!! but they just keep shouting out at me - an so the out come? i am now the proud owner of two very amazing folding chairs.

amazing yes - usable at this moment - not really. structurally they are sound, they just need a little cosmetic overhaul - in the realm of either paint or re-varnishing them. but the biggest and most fun part of this little diy project i have decided to under take? fabric. the seats of these chairs all "rest" on the fabric - no fabric? no way the chair will even stand up. so now i am on a mission for 1 yard of very very strong fabric - i've also thought about needle point (though its not really my style) or trying to refabricate a lightweight rug of some sort into seats for these two cuties -

wish me luck and stay tuned there will be progress updates - if you have any suggestions, comments or inspiration please send it my way i would love to hear your ideas

fruits of labor: cherry clafouti

this is an amazing little bit of heaven - a traditional french country desert - its made with sweet cherries and a bunch of other goodness - yum! it also makes men do crazy things like buy egg-shaped lamps in exchange for this delicious dessert -

i love old country or "peasant" dishes because they are simple inexpensive, uncomplicated and leave you lots of room for experimenting and substituting, because they are also usually made with things you have around the house -

i am, self-proclaimed - the worlds worst baker - but this is simpler than sunday morning pancakes and similar to create - i didn't even need any fancy kitchen ware!

so here is what worked for me but again - there are many ways to do this - i used these shallow little ramekins because i have them in my house and think they are pretty - but you can also use a cake pan, shallow baking dish, or a small castiron skillet - and im sure that you can come up with a few other things to use as well - just make sure you butter the bottom of what ever you use - and sprinkle a little granular sugar in the bottom if you wish - i forgot until the last one - i dont think i noticed a difference - but i was too busy eating really!

ok so recipe - here goes - traditionally this calls for super fresh cherries - so i had some older darker fruit in the fridge from a produce box last week and some fresher ones from this weeks - i used a mix of both and i honestly like the older fruit better - here is another secrete i learned - and that makes your life so much simpler - dont remove the pits!! yup leave em in there - better flavor!

3 eggs room temp or close enough

1/3 cup of granular white sugar

1 1/3 cup of reduced or fat free milk (or what ever else you have)

4 tbsp of butter

4 3/4 tbsp of flour

2 tbsp of self rising flour (but i just happen to have this in my cabinet and ran out of regular white flour in the middle of this so use whatever you have)

1 tbsp of buckfest (yes i know you all probably just went what the &^%*# is that, its some irish tonic wine my sweetie brought back as a joke - now i use it for cooking - just use brandy or port or sweet sherry or some other syrupy liquor you may have)

2 tsp of real vanilla extract

approx 3 3/4 - 4 cups of cherries depending on what your cooking them in. wash and dry -

preheat oven to 375

mix eggs and sugar together - i used a ghetto hand blender on the lowest speed - you could also whisk it by hand - approx 3 minutes or until it gets frothy and light

in another bowl pour in the melted butter and then slowly whisk in about half the flour - it should look like a rue, because it is, but don't let it get lumpy - when it looks like its about to become wall paper paste whisk in a bit of the milk and continue adding the flour if you haven't gotten it all in at this point until all flour and milk are whisked together

then combine milk and flour mixture buy slowly whisking it into the egg and sugar mixture - then add remaining ingredients to this mixture - once you have everything combined - arrange cherries in your baking implement and pour mixture over them almost all the way to the top - they will boil over so place on a cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes - when they come out i like to sprinkle them with a little bit of granular sugar!

i recommend enjoying the fruits of your labor as soon as they come out of the oven and have cooled a bit - but they are just as good the next day, and the next and the next!

simple sundays

here is my sunday post a day late - i hope your not too disappointed - i had a friend in town this weekend and we had a blast - ill be posting some of our adventures later in the week - also i have a fun little project that ill show you! enjoy your monday

a mystery in the making -

every time i have walked past this house way up at the very top of one of the pacific heights hills i wonder - why was this huge and probably once very beautiful house built and then abandoned. i always find it so interesting and extremely peculiar that a house should stand abandoned in the middle of a city - some how it seems less curious in a rural setting - but this house is of particular interest. its grand, ornate, has stunning views and is falling apart. and so i wonder -


in a quick search here is what i found out about this beautiful place - it is called the bourn mansion and was built by (at that time) the richest man in california - william bowers bourn II - he was among other things the head of what would become Pacific Gas and Electric - the mansion is a four-story victorian with 30 rooms and three queen anne towers and is made from brick, wood and red sandstone. of note also - the mansion was designed by the famous san francsico architect Willis Polk -


here is what i don't know - why it is falling down on the top of this magnificent hill in the middle of san francisco - of course i have started to make up all kinds of stories - like a once beautiful and stately female relation to mr. bourn is still living in this house (hummm perhaps i have read jane eyre too many times) - in the windows that remain intact there are delicate now yellowing lace curtains - of course i pretend that the material once came in on a ship straight from paris wrapped up in beautiful packaging from the finest haberdashery in the city (ok maybe now i have read ladies paradise too many times)- and i can see a few empty wire hangers hanging if i peer in to the bottom window through the gate - regardless, the fact remains that this once symbol of the grandiosity of america and the promise of the west stands, a crumbling guard, atop the highest point in the city -

so i have created a lovely little mystery for myself - does someone still live in this lonely house or is it abandoned all together - imagine the beautiful parties and clothing that would have been a part of the comings and goings of this place in its prime - it is the stuff of fairy tales - i am hoping that i will be able to find out some more information at the historical society and a few other places i am going to inquire.