Février Passionné ❤️ Les Cafe Deux Magots letter

 

The colonne Morris near me is hot pink and says, ‘FEVRIER PASSIONNÉ’ ❤️ Are you thinking Saint-Valentine day ?

A new, very grand Italian tea salon opened inside Carrousel du Louvre (imported from London). Caffé Concerto has special Mona Lisa Valentine macarons. 

The Chicken Or The...

I saw loads of chocolate Parisen chickens everywhere.

These were at chocolatier Christian Constant's.

Chocolatier Gerard Mulot is a huge fan of the chocolate chicken...

Both roosters and hens were in residence.
Here's a hen clutching her chocolate egg!
Hens like chocolate too :)

More chickies from Gerard Mulot..
*Note the wild colorful bows tied around them...

These elegantly sculptured hens were nesting at Dalloyau's .

A very big papier mache hen in a Marais patisserie...
Is she the Mom to those other chickens all over town?

Fauchon had this big paper rooster in the window!
These are mostly pretty silly looking chickens you'll have to agree..?

They left their couture outfits at home...

The strangest chicken of all was this combo number at Jean-Paul Hevin's - called the "Poule n'Fish"

Not only is "it" carrying a box of chocolates eggs, but the interior is full of fritures/small chocolate fish!

The Sweet Escape...

I'm off to Paris as soon as I publish this post!

And I'm lateeeeeeeee!!!!

Just CLICK on these pictures for some French fun!!!

And some chocolate silliness for you :)

This is definitely the Sweet Escape but there are no macarOns in it unfortunately :(

I'll be too busy painting masterpieces for you (I hope) to post.

But you can watch this painting if you click on it!

And I'll be painting Paris REDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD..

if I can get my bag closed and out the door!

Bye :)

Avoir!

Lindt Gold Bunny

As you can see - I'm still hooked on Lindt's Gold Bunny...

I saw last week New Yorker's cover and thought, YAY! another artist studying his artwork..

WRONG!

The cover title was "The Man Who Loved Women," by artist Benoit van Innis...

Naturally I've been back to the Lindt store to study Gold Bunny some more..

The Lindt Gold Bunny has his own website it turns out with games and news of his whereabouts!

Watch Gold Bunny rising up out of a pool of chocolate...
YUM!

I'm not too thrilled what Jeff Koons did to this bunny...
I personally think he might have looked at the Lindt's Bunny more closely.
The Lindt Gold Bunny is so beautifully designed...sigh

Now Steiff did a version of the Lindt Gold Bunny I highly approve of.
I just wish I could find a bigger version of it :)
I'm not yet satisfied with my paintings of LGB,
so I hope you'll put up with my obsession for just a little bit longer...

Lindt Goldhase...

Lindt Goldhase with Macarons, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

No weather report today.

There's a new love in my life!

Bye-bye Fauchon...

Hello Lindt Goldhase (Lindt Gold Bunny)!

I marched right off to the New York Lindt shop on 692 Fifth Avenue to see what was what...

I wanted to take pictures of my new love inside...

But I was told permission would have to come from Corporate headquarters :(

Now this is one place I would love to visit -

I want to sit in these giant Lindt Goldhase chairs at the Kadawe Department store in Berlin!
WOW !

I'm not the only one mad for Lindt Goldhase...

Harrods of London ordered one in 24-caret gold encrusted with diamonds!


I could really go for this car...

You may be wondering...What's up with this girl now?!

True this bunny is Swiss, not even French!
And not even from the French-speaking part of Switzerland either!?
And the milk chocolate bunny is particularly gorgeous too!
Hey! not even 65% dark chocolate!
And this bunny is no SPRING chicken either!
Goldhase has been around since the early 1950s...
Well the design is simply masterful!
And a sheer joy to paint.
So there will be more Lindt Goldhase to come along with those daffodils.

He makes me feel so Springy :)

Blame it on Paris

Fauchon Tin of Madeleines, watercolor

Last week I just happened to return some books to a different library...

At the library, I just happened to spot a book with an irresistable title,

BLAME IT ON PARIS.

I'd like to blame to on Paris that I'm obsessed with painting cafe cups, French tins, macarons and chocolates..

But author, Laura Florand got there before me and came up with a better reason.

Laura just happened to find an adorable French husband when she walked into Le Relais du Vin and she writes about her Paris adventures with delight and humor.

On page 37 Laura describes her student dorm room in Paris:

"I only believed in the most essential of expenses, like chocolates from various luxury chocolate houses whose beautiful BOXES and TINS currently decorated two long shelves that circled my tiny room."

Laura is a kindred spirit!

Next trip I may just happen to make a small detour from chocolatiers and patisseries.

You never know what might happen...

Laura Florand has an author websitehttp://www.lauraflorand.com/
And a bloghttp://www.lauraflorand.com/blog/

Read her book. You'll be laughing outloud!

Post-Valentine-Syndrome...

I'm just not ready to leave it..

Everyone else has moved on...

What's up with me?

True I've still got a few good hearts up/on my sleeve...
And I'm still hung up on RED...

Red anything.
Even though I did receive a red envelope. Thanks Bill :)
I guess I'm on compassionate reprieve.

I'll be over it by Monday, please believe me.

Too much champagne...

Yesterday did you drink just a little too much champagne?

Did you happen to forget to refrain..

From eating just a little too much chocolate?

Are you back to eating good, plain,
simple food?

I don't want to complain,
But I think I'm going to abstain.
At least for just a little while...

Valentines day drives me just a little insane.
I know I can't blame it on acid rain...

Well anyway not until Easter,

Which is coming round the corner like a freight train!

French Candy Box Madness

Mademoiselle de Margaux Candy Box, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

Eating only chocolates for dinner

Will narrow your chances of getting thinner.

Patrick Roger Candy Box, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

But chocolates for breakfast is another matter.

It's well documented that eating breakfast prevents you getting fatter.

French chocolates sitting on a silver platter

Give cause for idle chatter - yum..yum..yum

*A special note for those concerned for my well being and think I'm capable of eating everything I shoot. The contents of these French chocolate boxes were left in a bag outside the door of the concierge as well as several other lucky recipients (the photography shop on rue Vavin and M.s' door). I can barely look a bonbon in the face these days...well almost.