BEAR Stories

First Birthday, watercolor on Etsy, 9" x 11"

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BEAR's First Birthday is just around the corner so we thought we'd celebrate today since it falls awfully close to departure date for Paris and Venice...

BEAR has been dropping hints he'd like to drop into Sonia Rykiel to visit his long-lost bro... BEAR never stopped missing Paris... He remembers every detail of his last day... Bear feels a great affinity with a town so loaded with stripes... BEAR wants to know if we'll take the EUROSTAR this trip now he's an expert...

He was a swell guide in Venezia certamente.

He's lined up quite a few chocolate places this trip you know... And he'll be keeping an eye out for more bear doudous bien sur. BEAR has such fond memories of his macaron class at The Ritz so... He's thrilled to bits that he is going to get to interview Mad About Macarons! author, Jill Colonna in Paris for you. Yahoo!

"Can one ever have too many petit dejeuners?", Bear asked.

NY Bears have quite captured BEAR's imagination...

He didn't expect there to be quite such a large bear population, especially at FAO Schwarz...

BEAR's bag is already packed & prete to go off mid-March...

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So do wish him a BONNE BON ANNIVERSAIRE TODAY!

Pastry Sketch Crawl Returns!

Yesterday was major. I got my walking papers to venture back into the Big Apple (with a cane but I'm now allowed to climb up the stairs alternate steps instead of one-step-at-a-time!)

YAHOO
A chance to return to the Pastry Sketch Crawl begun in late January...
With some reservations bien sur...

NO sitting for hours on end (that upended me into a sciatica episode)...

Back to tres chic Cafe Petrossian.

Though Lord knows why I picked out exactly the SAME tarte as last fateful visit...

I must have a deep hidden attraction to strawberries...

If not to pate brisee crust. I only stayed a half hour and sketched a bit. No point tempting the Gods of Sciatica again.

I returned home to paint in bed...

This seems to be a lucky painting spot for me along with Nom de la Rose teas...

Au Nom de la Rose Teas, watercolor on Etsy, 9" x 11"

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I could not resist a quick look in Bergdorf Goodman's windows...

At some 'tartie' shoes I may never venture out in again (not that I did in the past...ahem) Farewell M. Louboutin :(

Mais BONJOUR PASTRY SKETCH CRAWL Encore!!!

AU NOM DE LA ROSE!

Can there be too many visits to the Paris floral chain Au Nom de la Rose?
I think not...
These closet-sized boutiques spill their wares out onto the street...
In the most charming of ways...
Who could possibly mind the rose petals they scatter under tables and chairs?
You get a sac of rose petals when you make a purchase too...

What's not to love about Au Nom de la rose?

Is it ever too late for a heart-shaped bouquet?

Never!

I'm pretending, between physical therapy sessions...

That some mysterious someone has scattered a few rose petals around here...

Au Nom de la Rose, watercolor at Etsy, 9" x 11"

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I'm pleased to see you can buy just ONE rose if you so choose...

BONJOUR AU NOM DE LA ROSE!

Return of the Older French Girl!

It's been a year since we visited the ultra chic 'OFG' /older French Girl, so brought back by popular request - voila! Note the stance and splash of lovely yellow-orange scarf...
Note the even lovelier ruffle!
Tres flirtie non?

Bright bleu punctuates a neutral pantsuit at patissiere Gerard Mulot...

A touch of turquoise on this OFG Parisien biker...

OFG bikers abound in Paris...

As do the racing grand-meres pushing two little ones no less...

Regarding the OFG's hair - it can go natural gris...

LONG hair is the norm for many OFG...

VERY LONG hair is A-OK.

WOW!

Ride the Paris bus to catch the OFG - it's the much more civilized, scenic way to get around...

OFGs browse apartment ads just like the rest of us - one must keep up on real estate values in Paris too...

And of course they walk their petit Parisien doggies!

My favorite OFG is my ever-youthful second-cousine, Kristine in Pigalle. Her charmes are endless.

BONJOUR THE OFG!