P’tit Dej at Café de Flore

 

Yesterday I was thinking of running 🏃‍♂️ off to SAUMUR,

Instead I ran 🏃‍♂️ off to get breakfast at Café de Flore.

Euphoria : Art is in the Air | Grand Palais

I was just playing 🫧 at EUPHORIA at Grand Palais

Probably more for 5-year olds than moi. 

Carol Gillott ✍️ a Blog, ParisBreakfast-HuffPost Life

 

Bonjour PBers! This is a repost tell-all interview from 2015 in HuffPost written by watercolor artist Susan Fogwell.

I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience. Sign up to receive these whimsical treasures in the mail.

Thanks for reading PB ❤️

☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here  ☕️  ❤️ Thank you so much! 

There is only one blog I subscribe to and it's Paris Breakfasts by watercolor artist Carol Gillott. Gillott, a Francophile at heart, moved to Paris over a year 11 years ago, where she opens the door to her daily quintessential Parisian experience. 

Jardin des Plantes 🌸 Cherry Blossoms

I’m trying hard to get your April Paris letter done ✏️ 

And mailed 📮 out 💌 in APRIL 🌸🙏🤞

Desperately Seeking Paris Chocolate Bunnies

For most of March I’ve been haunting Paris chocolate shops. Nice work if you can get it 😀

Doing intense research 🔬 for the March Paris letter.

Chanel RTW Fall/Winter 2024

  Yesterday was bitter cold out - 43 degrees feels like 34 degrees + a chill wind.

The last Tuesday of Paris Fashion Week is always the Chanel Automne/Hiver show at 10:30 am

Salon du Fromage 2024

 

Flags are flying at Porte de Versailles no matter the rainy ☔️ weather through 3 March

Mini flags 🇪🇸 are flying at the Spanish stand (HO69) at Salon du Fromage second day of a 3-day tasting fair. What a clever way to show a cheese’s origins & to grab a sample 👍

Creating the Paris Letter & How to Paint A Cup ☕️

I used to own all these miniature coffee/tea cups ☕️ They ended up at Salvation Army when I moved to Paris 😭 I wonder who has them now?

This week has been a coffee cup immersion.

Last day in Trouville-Sur-Mer

 

My last day, Friday, I woke up to a torrential downpour. I had to vacate of my hotel room by 11. I ran to Monoprix buy an umbrella ☂️ 

Naturellement, by 11 the rain stopped and the sun 🌞 came out. A last stroll on the boardwalk seemed a good idea. 

July is Cat Tea Salon Month

 

Cat  month is not until September according to the CATalyst Council. For me it falls in July. It did last year too.

With all the cup class ☕️ painting lately, I told Bonnie I was going to do a pretty cup letter of Paris. She said  GREAT 👍

April in Paris Letter

 

In February at the C'est Bon le Japon event,I picked up a cherry blossom 🌸 drinks coaster. I showed it to Bonnie, my chief letter idea consultant and said, “Wouldn’t this make a great April letter!” She agreed 👍

When April rolled around…I forgot about cherry blossoms 🌸 

I was caught up in painting mono-product pastry shops in Paris…

Crème brûlée, les petits plaisirs d’Amélie

Yesterday afternoon I went to Cafe Saint Regis for a Creme brûlée.

Remember the scene from Amélie where she ponders life's little pleasures? One of them is cracking a crème brûlée with a spoon. A rich, creamy vanilla-flavored custard covered with crispy caramelized topping. What’s not to love about this classic French dessert. 

My Chambre de bonne, January Paris map

Surprise! We got snow today. A rare treat in Paris. Only the 3rd time in 6 years living here.

                                  Le Pauvre Poéte by Carl Spitzweg 

When you live in a 'room at the top' or CHAMBRE DE BONNE (a single maid's room) you have expansive views of Paris but little interior space.

My view, on a clear day, extends from Sacre Coeur on the left to Bastille on the right 180 degrees. 

Living space is très petite. Rooms usually have a surface space of 6-12 meters, with sloping walls. Often called a garret. Mine is a 'double' so 21 meters. Not that I mind small spaces. My bedroom as a child was an attic extension. Big rooms make me uncomfortable. 

In the 1800s garrets became a defining feature of Second Empire architecture in Paris. My garret is an 150 year old add-on to an 18th century building. 

All chambre de bonnes are located on the top floor with usually 6 flights to climb. I'm have an elevator/encensor 🤸🏾‍♀️

There are a few days when the elevator doesn't work/ne marche pas. 

I huff and puff.

Visiting AMY THOMAS of PARIS, MY SWEET, climbing up 6 flights for a croissant tasting in 2012. I didn’t know I'd end up in similar digs 2 years later.

A rare day when my staff, the elves cleaned up. Normally chaos reigns supreme in my studio. 

I love the view from Amy Thomas' garret and added it to the January map.

The 'paper doll' cutout stage of the January Best Views of Paris map. All bits and pieces. Some of those best views of Paris, aside from the usual Suspects can be experienced from a chambre de bonne if you're lucky to know someone. Amy's view is on upper right of the map. Its the newest subscription BONUS watercolor ->  A bunch of cats sitting in garrets. 

If you enjoyed this post please support PB by buying my Paris maps, letters & watercolors. And share with a Francophile. Meanwhile Bear 🐻 is outside dodging snow ❄️ balls 

Exposition Leonardo en France, Italian Embassy, Il gelato del Marchese

Thank you for the Thanksgiving greetings PBers! I celebrated a week early at the Italian Embassy

A special event closing of the 'Leonardo in France' exposition.

What a grand celebration! Catered by the divine Il Gelato del Marchese, 3 rue des Quatre Vents, 75006

No turkey. Just foie gras gelato plus foie gras. Every course except the Parmigiano had gelato.

Mini cornettos of ricotta gelato with bottarga.

Il Gelato brought along their adorable chariot. The guests (mostly Italians) were swarming like bees. Some came up from Italy for the event. The gold stiletto heels - to die for!

Three kinds of pistache gelato, one Iranian, one from Sicily.

Solli came along to help taste the flavors. She had mandarino, cafe and chcocolate.

Gorgeous cream puffs too, though no pumpkin pie.

Beautiful bouquets.

The Italian embassy is housed in the stunning hotel particular,  Hôtel de Boisgelin (also known as Hotel de la Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville) at 47, rue de Varenne in the 7th.

We felt like princesses let loose in a palace.

The grand Carrara staircase.

Just glorious

Not your average thanksgiving dinner bien sur.

The Da Vincis were displayed in a room lined with Sicilian mirrors.

The exhibit celebrates the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's arrival in France at the request of king Francis the 1st. Most of the paintings were copies by Da vinci's students, Francesco Melzi and Gian Giacomo Capriotti.

Exquisite.

The piece de resistance, the drawing of the head of a woman known as La Scapigliata, lent by The National Gallery in Parma. Breathtakingly beautiful.

There were maps of Da Vinci's trip into France and the Amboise chateau in the Loire valley where he created many technical drawings and machines.

I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters 💌that capture the true Parisian experience.

 Sign up to receive these whimsical treasures in your mail.

Thanks for reading PB ❤️

☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here  ☕️  ❤️ Thank you so much!