Rement Book

 French Treats , original watercolor, 9" x 11"

Sometimes you're willing to make a "Faustian Bargain" (i.e. a deal with the devil) to get a prized book.

You'd even consider giving up your left elbow for said prized object of your desire. When I first laid eyes on Pierre Herme's Mini Dessert Collection, I've become an ardent collector of miniatures.

I finally got my paws on the MUCH sought after mini Croquembouche and I can't wait to paint it!

This is just a mini portion of my ever growing collection.

 The book all Re-ment Addicts dream of.

THIS is our Holy Grail. We dream about THIS book. It came out in 2005 and is in Japanese - all 130 pages of it.
It's called Re-ment Book by the way.

It's basically a soft bound catalog of all the miniature sets Re-ment brought out since they started producing these fabulously detailed wonders. Did I mention Re-ment is in Japan. The minis are made in China.

All sets are 'blind-boxed' so you never know what's inside. In Japan you walk into your local grocery store for stacks of Re-ment boxes. Each set like the French Treats Set in the watercolor is a 'limited edition'. After a bit, Rement breaks the molds, making the set a collectors item and more valuable. There's a hot biz on Ebay for these minis.

 You can go to Rement Queen, pay a set price and know exactly what's in your box and be assured of getting it quickly. Most ebay dealers are in China.
Now you know another of my obsessions, along with shooting ice cream cones and...I forget all the obessions I have. Anyone read Japanese here?
BONJOUR RE-MENT!  

Ispahan Rose

Ispahan Cheesecake, original watercolor, 9"x 11"

As promised pre-trip, I did get to taste quite a few of Pierre Herme's Ispahan Collection.
Photo by Saxon Holt

Last Sunday, I went to meet my miniature supplier, Priscilla, RementQueen for brunch. She was accompanied by a famed Rosarian, Clair G. Martin, Curator of the Huntington Rose Garden and our brunch turned into a rose lesson!
Yesterday I got his beautiful book in the mail, 100 Old Roses For The American Garden. Marie-Antoinette isn't holding a rose here just to look pretty. The French were instrumental in developing repeat blooming roses and future Empress Josephine encouraged her friend to develope new species of roses
No wonder Pierre Herme is obsessed with roses. The French and roses go back a long ways.
I ate this Ispahan Rose cheesecake.
I ate the Ispahan Surprise too...
I did not have the nerve to get the Saint Honore Ispahan.
Saving it for next time...
You see rose pink everywhere in Paris...
Like these tiny child's ballerinas...
Or this Anne Fontaine pink bow belt...
No wonder the French say La vie en rose...
Last weather report from Paris I heard it's still chilly and rainy...
But if I had this rose pink umbrella, would I care?

New York Breakfast

A tiny surprise today-a New York breakfast.Wayne Thiebaud Bacon & Eggs hangs on the wall planting a visual seed. After all breakfast is breakfast. Merisi said:
Past 7 AM I am getting worried. No Parisbreakfast today?

My studio is full of mini Rement breakfasts.You want croissants? I've got them. You want baguettes? I've got them. Confiture? Just name it.For the Paris-lovers out there the tiny surprise is:
I booked my flight yesterday-I'm going back to Paris.

Though we're still playing with mini-food here in mini-land, in 5 weeks we'll be back playing with Parisien food. I'm ordering a special mini-suitcase to take some stuff with me. Hasn't that croissant earned a chance to visit Paris too?

 Petit dejeuner is served.ParisBreakfasts made it into lovely Somerset Artful Blogging quarterly magazine. It's a magazine that focuses on artists publishing creative blogs online.PB was interviewed by France Today online for Frenchie-oriented blogs. Now where is my mini waffle set with the syrup?

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Rement Bakery

 Now what is she up to you must be wondering...Hmmm

New wonderful stuff! New minis. This is the Bakery set from Rement in Japan. A ParisBreakfast still-life painter's dream in fact. Yellow Bird gets into the act and has a proper sized petit dejeuner sitting on a red-checked tray.

Et voila!These cuties are larger than yesterday's dollhouse treats.
1 : 6 is the ratio.

The box comes with an assortment of 10 boxes inside, each holding themed goodies. Organic bread! Weeee

I'm now the proud owner of 2 French style Vichy red-check trays. I could open my own cafe in just a few days.

A sample still life setup with honey in this case. Perfection non? I found this treasure box in a Japanese store on 2nd ave. More about that tomorrow.

Meanwhile I'm flirting with more stuff. Don't I need a proper fridge to put the desserts in?

 The tea sets could sit here when not being used. I think I've joined the mad addicted adult collectors of Japanese minis.Mega house and Rement are the two top mini makers I've discovered so far.

Oh! must not forget a proper tea table for Yellow bird.

And these ice cream minis have me melting.