French made candy Easter eggs were the stars of my Easter baskets this year. Gourmet candy made in Paris, France is world renowned, from small exclusive chocolatiers to large department store maison (house) specialities. French made candy is a treat any time, but French Mèdicis candy eggs are special delights at Easter for anyone who receives them.
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Blog Description
A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French. Show all posts
French Made Easter Candy Eggs
Monday, May 21, 2018
How do you get a French look in your garden?
One way that guarantees to take your garden from a beautiful collection of plants without a defined style to a French-inspired style is to use plants like those grown in France ...
... and to plant them in garden urns with classic French design.
Two-balled topiaries, single-ball ivy topiaries, triple-ball myrtle topiaries, and cone-shaped rosemary topiaries have not been too difficult to find for both my inside and outside gardens, but affordable French garden urns are another story.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Dare you! Double-dog dare you! Sound familiar from your childhood? Challenges from my childhood neighborhood buddies and siblings ran along those lines. The ultimate challenge was double-dog dare you.
A recent challenge this summer wasn't a double-dog-dare-you challenge, but was a challenge.
Sweet Tea and Sweet Lavender were involved, but probably not the way you may think.
What did I do in response to the challenge?
Monday, July 11, 2016
French design and inspiration pops up in the most unusual spots. Driving along the country road to my brother's house in farmland Alabama, I spotted a wild honeysuckle vine topiary trained around a fence post.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Deck updates at my house usually take several weeks, sometimes months, and some updates even take years. Budget, energy, time, materials availability, and worker availability are all factors that influence how long updates take.
Let's not forget Mother Nature's role. Sunshine needed. Rain and hail delivered.
What did I do that made her so angry?
Isn't that what happens in most people's lives?
Friday, March 18, 2016
Would you like a quick, easy Spring and Easter centerpiece idea?
One that involves a French script bunny, rustic French rose pots, and flowers?
Small simple arrangements do not take much time, space, or money.
They can fit on a small dining table, a sideboard, or a kitchen island
with plenty of room left for food and place settings.
Begin with a collection of an odd number of small French rustic rose pots.
Set some upright, set others lying on their sides at angles to one another,
and stack a couple together.
Add a 4-inch blooming bedding plant, like a lobelia, in a metal pot.
Use a white sweet alyssum for a more neutral look,
or use a multi-colored pansy for a bolder, brighter touch.
I like the delicate look of blue lobelia that gracefully falls over the edge
of its container when the plant gets bigger.
Then add the star of the arrangement,
a French script bunny wearing a rhinestone-studded white lace cummerbund around its body.
Position at an angle across the rose pots and lean against the flowers.
The overall shape creates movement, but never sends the
eyes off into the wild blue yonder.
Notice how the arrangement follows the shape of a triangle.
The eyes begin on the lower left pots, follow the body of the bunny
up to the flower tips at the peak, then back down to the stacked pots.
The transition from the metal pot to the stacked pots on the right is gradual.
If only one pot is positioned on the right,
the jump from the height of the metal pot down to a single pot
is not as fluid.
The position of the bunny unifies the design.
A simple, quick, easy, and versatile centerpiece
makes everyday seem like a special holiday.
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For more ideas about how to create interesting arrangements, see
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Dishing It and Digging It @ Rustic and Refined
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Friday, February 12, 2016
Hearts of all kinds find their way to my house.
Wood hearts, carved hearts, paper hearts, metal hearts,
small hearts, large hearts, flower vase hearts ...
A few arrive as gifts, some come as travel souvenirs,
and many come from office supply or gift stores.
Even though the skies are bright blue, horizon to horizon,
and the temperatures are predicted to be in the 70s for the next three days,
it is February which calls for heart decorations.
The collection of hearts on the breakfast table includes many
French connections and inspiration.
Neutral Colors
While red and pink are the expected colors for February hearts,
neutral colored hearts in a white ceramic bowl give a French feel to the collection.
B*O*N*H*E*U*R
A natural-colored linen heart with bonheur (happiness) embroidered on it
is one of two hearts in the bowl that came from France.
While touring lavender fields in Provence,
our small tour group stopped for lunch at a hilltop village
that overlooked lavender fields we had just walked through that morning.
Handmade
With great bonheur, I found a small boutique de souvenirs (gift shop)
filled with items handmade in France and bought several hearts.
The hand-carved wooden angel wings peeking over the bonheur heart
came from the same boutique.
Distressed white-washed finish
The wooden white-washed heart is the second heart in the bowl
that came from the Provence area boutique.
A close-up shows the natural honey-colored wood grain that blends with the
pine posts and beams throughout our house and French country houses.
Blend of materials
The hearts on the table include linen, wood, metal, twine, and paper materials...
a wonderful mix of refined embroidery, rustic metal, carved wood, and modern paper.
A typical French approach to a collection is to include old and new,
rustic and refined, simple and elaborate, blending them together harmoniously.
Attention to details
A hallmark of French design is attention to details that lifts the ordinary to extraordinary,
making a common-place item elegant, setting it apart from other lackluster similar items.
While the white paper hearts may or may not be French,
their design reflects French inspiration.
The extra thickness of the paper, the tonal texture of the paper's pattern,
and the pinked edges of the heart elevate the paper heart far above the usual paper heart.
Hearts on the breakfast table fill me with happiness
and remind me of elegant French design.
Does French design appeal to you?
If yes, what do you like most about French design?
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Have you heard?
There is a new linking party that started
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Four of my friends who are also Texas bloggers
will be hosting
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Everyone is invited.
Their button grabbed me right away... all that beautiful blue.
Hope to see you there.
Botanic Bleu will be....
celebrating friendship, decorating, recipes, gardening, and inspiration.
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Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
Table It @ Rustic and Refined
MONDAY
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Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Hearts are some of my favorite things and are scattered all around our house. February is the month of love... for both family and friends. Later this month I will host a friendship lunch for some good friends who volunteered to help work during the annual Regional Academic Decathlon Competition that I have been coordinating for the past six years, and I'm spotlighting the hearts to send some friendship love to all of them.
To go with the hearts on the white bookshelf in the sunspace... aka as my makeshift indoor potting table... I added a couple of small clay rose pots to the hearts, but the arrangement looked rather bland.
Remember the hand-stamped-with-gold French script feathers that I made? They are just the right size to fit into the rose clay pots and add a little flair to the arrangement. Stamping feathers is super easy to do and only takes a few minutes. Try it.... you will love it!
If you are decorating for February and don't have any hand-stamped French script feathers, a small 4-inch starter herb plant would be another great filler in a clay pot to add some zing to the grouping. A couple of years ago, fresh mint starter plants were what I planted in rose clay pots for the Friendship Luncheon that year. Each of the friendship honorees got to take home one of the mint plants. Yes, those are the very plants in the photo in my blog header.
Adding just that small cluster of feathers makes all the difference. Hmmm... perhaps the little feathers would be a nice touch to add to a small favor for each of this year's attendees.
Any suggestions for other things to put in the clay pots to give the arrangement of small hearts a special touch?
❦
Have you heard?
There is a new linking party that starts
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Four of my friends who are also Texas bloggers
will be hosting
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Everyone is invited.
Their button grabbed me right away... all that beautiful blue.
Hope to see you there.
Botanic Bleu will be....
celebrating friendship, decorating, recipes, gardening, and inspiration.
~~~~❦~~~~
~~~~❦~~~~
Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
Table It @ Rustic and Refined
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
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