Les Danseurs 💃 Update Opening Ceremony 🎉

I went out to pay my Free Mobile bill…and to catch some real live tourists. I found them immediately rolling their suitcases 🧳 looking weary & jetlaged.

Evidently the expected 11,000,000 Olympic guests are arriving today! These two (from España?) are devouring FOUR pastries from PAUL...hmm

Winter Soldé, Daniel Buren

 

Tuesday was the 1st day of the big Winter Sales/Soldé. 

You have until February 6 to get in on it. 

Yesterday I went to BHV Marais

 

Yesterday afternoon at 4:30 I figured I could hop on bus 67 to Hotel de Ville, drop letters at the post, catch BHV’s Xmas windows. Then come home and ‘hop’ back into bed. Ha

It turned out Hotel de Ville la Poste 📮is now infinitivement FERMÉ 👎 But the Hotel de Ville Xmas Marché was in full swing. 

Looking for Mr Good Bird

 

I’m sitting on Bus 72 at around 5:30 pm, plotting my pursuit of le petit rouge-gorge/robin (European not American) 

Only then do I notice it says, 

‘Exclusivité web, non vendu en magasin’ / 

Exclusively on the web, not sold in store 😵‍💫

Think Pink, a new Audrey Letter

On Friday I went into BHV depart. store for ribbons and perfume cards. I was confronted with a ton of pink. 

Even Mariage Frères has gone pink with their packaging and teapots!

Passing through the women’s clothing floor…more pink for Fall! What’s going on? 

Naturally I don't own anything in pink but I better get on it.

Givenchy has a special collection of mood perfumes & they are all pink. Titles: trouble-Fête · Sans Artifice · Peur de Rien · Oiseau Rare · Indompté · Sans Merci · Garçon Manqué. 

Pink is no longer just for little girls. 

Guys are wearing plenty of pink.

In the metro station - pink ads. 

I was on my way to the art store. I bought some Opera pink of course.

Not just Funny Face is mad for pink. Why pink? Pink is a calming color associated with love, kindness, and femininity. People immediately associate the color with all things feminine and girly. Some shades of pale pink are described as relaxing, while very bright, vibrant shades can be stimulating or even aggravating.

Audrey Hepburn said she ‘believed in pink’. I think she was on to something. 

I got inspired to paint a new pink Audrey single letter, 

Dolce & Gabbana just showed this OTT pink gown in Venice. I’m going to order shortly 

☺️💕🐻💋 Stay in the pink dear PBers🙏❤️ 

La Rentree

     

It's that time of year again in France.

'La Rentrée' when everyone returns from vacance.

And the kids go back to school.

This is a big, big deal here.

Department store BHV in the Marais is back-to-school central.

It was packed on Saturday.

Did every family in Paris decide to go shopping for school supplies yesterday? Does every child have to have a Tann's schoolbag? Evidently. They've been making schoolbags since 1978. Vintage Tann's satchels go for a small fortune.

This is a famille affair.

Dad has to show up to help pick put the right notebook color.

Shopping baskets are brim full. I'm wondering if this is a whole year's school supplies?

How to choose from so many colors?

Ever wonder where the fancy kids shop, Bonpoint got it's name?

From the little award cards given the best students. Do they still give them out?

They still use little chalk boards called ardoise that's for sure.

Every window in Paris has back-to-school themes now.

You can find French vintage school labels on Etsy at La Belle Ville.

French kids clothes are darling. I wish this came in my size...

'Day Dream' sweater at BHV. I day-dreamed my way all through school.

'If Carol would only focus and stop gazing out the window' my report card said again and again. I'm still window gazing. It's work now. Still day dreaming too :)

I found this darling vintage French ABC book on Etsy for my new September Sketch Letter...

It's still in the works of course being that time of month.  A lot of French regional candy research was required for this letter. A lot of research candies have gone mysteriously missing.
I think Bear ate them...

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?