Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Thursday, December 12, 2013

BHV diy Xmas


Who would expect dear BHV in the Marais and home of brass door pulls, shower curtains and other household bricabrac, to have the wittiest Christmas windows in town.
 
The everyday Clementine or Mandarine, a sure sign of winter's arrival, can happily adorn the most upscale holiday tables like these in BHV's windows. Films of chefs cooking up a storm lurk in the background. 
BHV has taken the spoon to new culinary heights with this spoony chandelier.
 
Inside spoons deck all the Christmas trees throughout the store.
This reindeer wears a collier/necklace of spoons.
 
Why not deck your halls with balls full of bubble bath (2.95€).
Take your best blender, turn it upside down and add a light bulb. Voila! A new hanging lamp. Why not?
 
Same thing with your potato graters. Add a bulb. Et voila lovely lanterns. Who knew?
 
Huge whips make festive lighting. This is a DIY Christmas indeed.
 
Another use for your whip is to give your nearest and dearest a good bash should they get out of line during the hols (as most relatives are inclined to do). Make sure they're wearing a colander please.
 
Bears swinging from the whip lights.
 
French kiddies thought this was a hoot!
 
Oh what to do with the knitted saucisson?
 
Or the pied de porc..?
 
Time to put one's nose deep in a cookbook.
 
Or bang a tarte pan (for inspiration).
 
The kugelhopf is a must on the traditional French Christmas table.
 
Miam Miam
 
Bund pans make fine lighting fixtures too.
 
Take a brush to your empty tins with a splash of bronze et voila, voila. Elegant vases for flowers your guests bring.
 
Will you have Christmas crackers? A much loved English tradition. Across the street from BHV pyramids of lights and a carrousel at Hotel de Ville. December 20th the skating rink opens. All very festive at BHV non?
 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

How to paint Reine Claude Prunes


Prunes Reine Claude

Bienvenue chez moi
It's the season for Reine Claude plums maybe known to you as Greengages. They were practically throwing them at you in Marché d'Aligre last week, making you taste them. Who can say no after one bite? I escaped with just 1 pound and I'm still munching 1-2 a day.

 I thought I'd try to color match them...not so easy
Why does my dirty water look more like the plum's color than the watercolor?

It's really hard to paint something over-size, bigger than life size. The hand/eye automatically draws true to size almost as if you were tracing around it.

You have to listen to Sade's plummy voice to get the plums right.

These plums went extinct for a while and then apple enthusiasts (Croquers de pommes) brought them back. They grow right in Paris' backyard, in Hauts-de-Seine. I'm hoping to go pick some off the tree tomorrow at a farm.
I know I've been posting a bit sporadically since the move. Things are still topsy-turvy though not as bad as the picture. Still I'm happy as a clam in my new diggs.
Bienvenue Chez Moi!
Please visit me on FACEBOOK!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

DIY Collants

 Tights(collant) are big in France.
 Particularly patterned tights - in a book how to be more French for Frenchies.
 Wear Botticelli on your ankle..why not?
 Or cupids?
 The constitution on 'collant ancien'?
 Pawprints? Of course.
 Dotty socks
 To wear with dotty shoes by Louboutin
 Bunnies for bebe. Everyone gets to wear patterned socks in France.
 Today I got an email for DIY shoes and clothing, but no DIY tights.
 Still I would like to wear cerise(cherry) tights and Vichy checks too.
 Macaron collants (tights)? A must do!
No time to whip up your own tights 1-2-3? Just follow Lanvin's example and Elmer glue a few black bows on your legs. Parfait!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Make-shift Gingerbread

Yesterday when Sue mentioned she'd made Trader Joe's gingerbread mix(in a box in fact), wheels started turning. Off to TJ's to search and reconnoiter. This morning I took one look and decided I would try making gingerbread cookies out of these puppies. Why not?
It was easy to knead the lumps into a ball and roll out..

Pigs and rabbits here I come!

The dough comes with a packet of crytallized sugar for decor. I added in some cinnamon for extra umph...

The 1st batch came out rather pathetic but tasted fine :)

The 2nd batch was pas mal at all!

Instead of 12 fat chewy cookies I got 3 dozen plus crunchy, hard, quite tasty cookies...

For all of $2.99!

BIG MERCI Trader Joe's!

Granted my little ginger bunnies are a long way from Birdbaths gentlemen...

And I'll never sniff again at Eleni's gorgeous yellow taxis...

Miracle of miracles, baking these cookies did not turn me into a glutton!? Three cookies and I was satisfied. Did the baking aromas do the trick? Do I now dare to make homemake marshmallows?

You tell me? What have you been baking lately?