Cockatoo's Breakfast

Cockatoo's Breakfast,watercolor on Etsy, 5.5" x 7.5"

Last night I saw a Cockatoo in Bergdorf's window munching a macaron. OK, so it was not eating a macaron...

...can I help it if I see macarons everywhere? What can one do? This cockatoo was finished his macaron evidently...
Meanwhile in another window a real woman putting on makeup!? Huh?
The other windows were full of animal paintings in clothing!
The "real" gowns were pretty nifty..don't get me wrong...it wasn't all a cockatoo's surreal dream...

Ah my favorite Paris green...YUM

Hmmm...antlers..

A hound dog as Roman general?

A snake in a striped turtle neck?

A fox in wolf's clothing? Or is he Robin Hood? You tell me!
Just 4 more days until lift-off
BON WEEK-END!

Grand Plans in Paris

Macaron tree,watercolor on Etsy, 5.5" x 7.5"

Has anyone noticed that the watercolors have taken on a grander demeanor...

With fancier trappings surrounding the macarons etc..

We're gearing ourselves up (the birds and I) to visit some real palaces, not just palaces of patisserie! We hope to visit Versailles at least two times. Always after 1:30, when the masses have departed, so we can actually get up close to Marie-Antoinette's boudoir with perhaps a quick bounce on her bed?

A special jaunt to the chateau de Chantilly is on order to see the newly renovated Grand Singerie.

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A visit to the Opera Garnier would be rather grand.

Location: Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris. Métro: Opéra. RER: Auber.Phone: 01-40-01-23-34 or 01-47-42-53-71 or 01-40-01-22-63.Unguided tours: daily 10 am-5:00 pm Admission: Adults - € 8, students & under 19 - € 4.Box Office Hours: 10 am-5:30 p.m. daily.Web site: http://www.opera-de-paris.fr/

A visit to Josephine's chateau de Malmaison is on the list.

 Chateau de Fontainebleau?

What shall I wear to all these grand visits? A macaron T-shirt bien sur. Another must-do in Paris - divine musee Nissim de Camondo. A stop at the Musee des Arts Decoratif. is a must.

A palace of a different sort - La Salon du ChocolatYUM YUM

Bon Voyage!

Paris Maps!

Is there anything more fun, more enticing, or more seductive than pouring over maps of your destination, while relaxing at home? Here is my favorite and much repaired old Paris Metro map - I keep adding scotch tape over the years. I will NOT leave home without this dear friend of a map.I'm very fond of Paris plan par arrondissements. I love the spiral binding and I can actually SEE the streets without a magnifying glass.Chuck told me to buy City Walks:Paris flash cards and I promise to take a few along this trip.I love EyeWitness Paris books. I wish they were not so heavy. Especially love their floor plans and overhead views of museums are very helpful. I wish more Paris shops put maps on their business cards don't you? BIG MERCI Comptoire de Famille! Here's another cute shop card with a map, Il Etait une Fois,on 1,rue Cassette 75006. I'm posting it here as a reminder so I don't miss this darling toy shop this trip. Do you ever get desperate for a computer? Cyber Cube is conveniently spread around Paris just in case. I like the maps on patisserie Sadaharu Aoki'scard.And cafe Le Select. Here's a map to dream about - the SNCF train map of France.

The birds are  dreaming about a croissant in the 6th.This is Cavallini's Paris wrapping paper - I framed one and would love a shower curtain as well. Do you have a favorite map? Tell me about it S.V.P.
BON CARTES!

Where is Bluebird?

Ginger Jar at Vaux le Vicomte,watercolor on Etsy, sold 5.5" x 7.5"

Gathering my birds together for the trip to Paris has been somewhat helter skelter..

While Yellow Bird has been very busy making dessert decisions -what to bring and what to leave behind (someone said that dessert spelled backwards = de-stress..do you get that?)
There is a new bird in the joint and he has been very busy looking for... Long lost Bluebird - No where to be seen for 6 weeks!

We even went back to Tiny Doll House to see if they had another! They did, but he was rather scruffy - not suitable at all to take to Paris! HUMPH
At last Bluebird was found. YAY He was busily perusing the Paris map, the Eiffel Tower in fact was his objet de desire...
He was conveniently hiding in the teapot collection, so he could have a cuppa whenever...
Overjoyed, all the birds celebrated at a tea party and perused the map some more - plotting out their future routes of adventure. Don't you love to drool over a map just before a trip? I do.
Sadly, dear Piu Piu is not joining the others on this trip...he's just too noisy to pass through customs, this bird...Dream on PiuPiu..
Bon Mardi!!!

Sophia's Piece Montee

Piece Montee de Macarons,watercolor on Etsy,sold 5.5" x 7.5"
I've become joined at the hip in more ways than one with these piece montee de macarons.

Sophia's Montee de Macarons,watercolor on Etsy, 5.5" x 7.5"

Sophia requested a painting of a piece montee to go with her fabulous mini pastry shop.

She wrote: I’ve been thinking about colors all this dreary, rainy afternoon....I think what I love best are pinks (framboise, fraise, rose, cassis) and greens (pistache), pale orange (abricot) and yellow (citron).

What I love to eat is caramel au beurre sale, praline, pain d’epices and marron. So think about what you could do with that palette and I’m sure I will love it!

 Hmmm...well I took another look at her mini shop and instantly decided to make a painting like this piece montee.

Just one color and covered in

 

Yummy thin strands of caramel.. This picture is from French Macaron Queen, Mercotte.

I may never get around to making real macarons. But I could certainly dribble caramel all over them. THIS I could do most happily. How about you?

I just might be able to re-create this piece montee de fruits from Chateau Vaux le Vicomte with some spit, polish and a few toothpicks
BON LUNDI!