One of the nice things about the internet is the presence of on line magazines. Of course, in my book, nothing could take the place of a nice fat, glossy, sensuous paper magazine. However, the on line versions are a nice addition to the mix. Two of my favorites are Lonny and Surroundings. Surroundings is published by fellow Blogger 19 member Linda Merrill. She always does a great job of making the magazine not only pretty and visually inspiring but it's always filled with practical info as well.
The holiday issue has just landed in my inbox. Check it out and you will see my contribution to this issue on page 4! Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers. I am grateful for you!
JASON WU FOR BRIZO
I'm back in the saddle so to speak and one of the first things on my agenda was a teleconference with my friends at Brizo. They're at it again, being brilliant and innovative. As you may know from my previous posts, Brizo has a unique relationship with fashion designer Jason Wu. In fact they have been collaborating for five years. Jason, who designed Michele Obama’s inauguration gown, has designed dresses for their ad campaigns and promotional accessories over the years. Today they are unveiling a new faucet and accessory collection designed by Jason. The collaboration has come full circle and as a proud alumnus of the famed ;) Blogger 19 I’ve got the low down.
The new collection is targeting the Powder Room. The faucet, dubbed Odin for the Norse god of wisdom and magic, is sleek and sexy. It comes in matte black only. The curve of the spout is a signature detail for Jason Wu as is the tiny owl motif you can find on the tip of the handle. There are a couple other things that make this fabulous faucet unique. It has an LED light at the base which indicates hot and cold and is the first Brizo product to feature Smart Touch Plus with a proximity sensor. That means you don’t even have to touch it. Just like magic! Another first is the impressive line of accessories that go with the faucet and were inspired by Jason’s recent Fall 2011 collection which was in turn inspired by ornate detailing he viewed on a trip to Versailles Palace in France. I love that you can see the line of the Baroque flower yet it’s still simple and striking paired with either polished chrome or brushed nickel.The line is available for pre-order through February 20,2012 for delivery in April. Pre orders receive a signed, numbered Jason Wu lithograph and limited edition key chain within ten days (just to hold you over till April). The faucet retails for $799. Hey, I don’t think know you can even buy a Jason Wu dress for that much!
LEAVING LONDON
Back to the real world. We touched down in Fort Lauderdale at 8 o'clock last night. We enjoyed our great adventures in Paris and London but I also love arriving home after a long day of traveling. Today is the ceremonial unpacking, where we get to relive all our memories for the first time through sundry souvenirs and dirty clothes.
London was a mixture of old and new for me. Since it was Joe's first visit we saw the famous spots like the Tower of London, Covent Garden and Harrod's. The Surrealist exhibit Poetry and Dreams now running at the Tate Modern was great. I added another dimension to my gallery experience by watching the people looking at the art, the bigger picture, if you will.
The V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum) was amazing, both the architecture as well as the art. One of the current exhibits is "The Power of Making" which is about, well, making stuff. Our hosts at Blenheim Lodge were simply the best. Camden Town was a new experience for me. It's a vibrant street market scene with selling everything you can think of. There are stalls with delicious ethnic foods and the best thing is you can haggle, not the case at more commercialized Covent Garden. Of course it was great to see my aunt and uncle. We enjoyed a nice visit and a couple of meals together.
It's always sad to say goodbye, but now we'll always have Paris- and London ;) We have close to 2000 photos to help us remember our latest great adventure. I'll let you know when they've been added to my "On the Road" Flickr album. I guess it's back to business now.
IN PARIS, IT'S ALL GOOD
Bonjour, As I write this post we are making our way from Paris to London on the Eurostar. Saying au revior to Paris was not easy. We rose before dawn and I played Edith Piaf singing La Vie En Rose, my way of saying say goodbye.
Yes I got a “leetle” misty. It has been a glorious four days. My fears that Paris would be overrated were completely unfounded. Now I understand. My only regret is that on my first visit I am a Madame rather than a Mademoiselle as my mother and aunt were on their first visits in the 1950s. I should have started exploring Paris years ago. We saw a lot but we left a little for next time too.
Besides Montmarthe, we both fell in love with the Rodin Museum and the Pere Lechaise Cemetery. It was really all good though.
We had lunch sitting on a bridge overlooking the river Seine. The Catacombs were not to be. The wait was hours and we began to run out of those too quickly. We enjoyed another lunch, this time crepes, in Marais, the oldest part of Paris before viewing the Edvard Munch exhibit at the Pompidou (modern art) Museum.
Later after dark we made our way in a misty rain to the famous Buddha Bar, right off the Place de la Concorde, the ritzy part of town. It can only be described as amazing to finally see the big Buddha after looking at it for so many years on the covers of all my Buddha Bar cds!For the record, French people do not hate Americans. Most speak a little English but you won’t find that out unless you try French first. They are embarrassed to try, just like us, so until they hear our tortured version of their beautiful language, they hesitate. Most everyone is kind but they are also aloof. As a rule they don’t smile but that does not mean anything. (side note: we’re rolling through the French country side now). Two common sights in Paris were:
- People walking with baguettes!
- Women in black tights or patterned stockings and black boots. These are paired with short skirts or black shorts.
On our last night we had French onion soup and I finally had crème brulee. It was the best I ever had but then again maybe it was the atmosphere. See you in London.
A GOOD START IN MONTMARTRE
Day one is now a distant memory. We left our home around nine thirty Wednesday morning to depart from Miami-Charlotte and then on to Paris. I sat next to a sweet young Parisian couple who shared all kinds of tips and tidbits with me between Miami and Charlotte. For example, I learned that it is French tradition for the man to wake up first so he can go out and source les croissants and bring them back to his lady for when she awakes. We both turned to look at Joe sitting accross the aisle, sleeping. Corentin then looked at me and said, "Don woree I will explain eet to eem".
We finally found Studio "M"and it is just exactly as described, cute, modern and tres petite, located on Rue Yvonne Le Tac only steps away from the Metro station. Did I mention how much I love Montmartre? I will try. All the streets are cobblestone and there is a sense of quaintness, where as other parts of Paris, such as around the Eiffel tower, feel grand and expansive. I love the cafes and there are artists all over Montmartre!! We enjoyed lunch at Cafe Carillon, close to our studio, then walked up up up to tour Sacre -Coeur, a beautiful church and landmark of the area. It is also the highest point in Paris. Montmartre is touristy, but hardly any Americans are here.
The second part of the day (can't believe I was still standing up going on 24 hours of no sleep) we found our way, on the Metro (subway), to the Eiffel Tower. This is where we experienced the prize winning moment of the day. As we were riding in the Metro a leetle Frenchman (street musician) with an accordion hopped on and began playing French music. As we whizzed along, suddenly the Eiffel Tour came into view.
It was just one of those moments, riding on the Metro, a car full of people really enjoying the music and then, voila', the Eiffel tower! I thought maybe it would be BIGGER than I expected. It is larger than life. After all, nothing says Paris like Le Tour Eiffel!! We ended the day (before getting lost one final time) at another cafe. I must say that, oddly enough, we enjoyed the BEST aubergine (eggplant) parmigiana I have EVER tasted. I can't wait for day two!
KITCHEN BLING
A great way to combine art and function in the kitchen is through your cabinet hardware. We think of it as jewelry, or bling, for your cabinets. Check out this assortment of stunning handles by Glass Fancy, Art Glass Interior Design Elements. 
Glass adds a water element as well as vibrant color to your kitchen or bath. These particular handles are handmade fused glass created by a glass jewelry artist who segued into creating cabinet hardware when contemplating ways to beautify her own kitchen. The result was so successful she decided to add knobs and pulls to her store selection. The nice thing is that you don't have to use them on every single door and drawer, just a select few to create a focal point of interest. Check out her Etsy store knobsandtiles
You can also find her at the following links:http://glassfancy.wordpress.comhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/GlassFancy/55206902579Thanks to my pal and jewelry artist Vicki of Skygypsy Studio for the heads-up!