the art of doing nothing
bonjour mid august! hard to believe it’s here already. i got sidetracked today somewhere between research and not being able to concentrate on work, i ended up spending the last half hour in a deep but lovely rabbit hole. it started with merely wanting to say hello with a summer illustrations but it’s so easy to get lost isn’t it? well anyway this is a little collection of french fun that spans the 1920s and 30s covers and interior works of the french magazine, la vie parisienne. i hope it’s a petite distraction and a chance to remember why we love and admire the french this time of year: the women, the humor, the timeless style and joie de vie.
not to mention ‘l’art presque perdu de ne rien faire’ (the almost lost art of doing nothing)
contentment avec amis
solitude
pique-niquer et l’amour
le vent soufflait
le voyage
la messagere de l’ete
concert de coquillage
les chiens
le moteur
marriage
bonne copines
bonheur
et la soirée. ok it’s official. i have got to get back to work. enjoy your summer day!
the timeless language of feminine fashion
Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess. – Edna Woolman Chase
bonjour toute le monde et bon weekend. how are you? i hope you’re doing well on this wintry february friday night. i want to apologize to those who were subscribed to the blog. i cut it off thinking that i was going to do a post a day and didn’t want to bombard anyone with that much info in the inbox. my idea has changed now though, i’m going to blog when inspired, not because of any self imposed ideal but because it makes me happy. that said, if you want to re-subscribe let me know in the comments and we’ll get you back up. in the meantime, i’ve been going through my possessions little by little, enjoying the process and taking time to study some of the wonderful treasures i’d forgotten about. on my last trip to the paris flea market (vanves to be exact), i fell in love with these old fashion plates. they date from the 1800s to the 1920s, and are fascinating capsules of a bygone era, a detailed glimpse into the lifestyles and tastes of women in the last century.
each card is dated and fitted with every detail of a woman’s outfit from the feathers in her hat to the fabrics of her frock.
the tiny flowers, beautiful silks and velvets were all taken into account when it came to fashion and the feminine mystique.
some even have perfume labels attached, a possible suggestion that all 5 senses were addressed when dressing
the little black lacy fabric in the upper left is one of my favorites and so is the vibrant and colorful ribbon above
i guess i just fell in love with the spirit of these grand dames
anyway i bought them to frame but then thought that it would be a shame to put them under glass when it’s so much more fascinating to touch and feel them, ponder their exquisite weaves and exquisite design. since i haven’t done them justice myself i think it would be best to pass them on to those who would appreciate them, so what better way than a giveaway?
in the next few days we’ll draw from the names in the comments and mail them out next week. if there’s a certain one you like best, let me know.
in the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!
leaving a legacy
good morning and happy friday! are you enjoying your in-between time?
i love the days that separate the hubbub and mayhem. they’re filled with moments that are quiet and contemplative.
they give us a chance to reflect on what we’ve just accomplished both throughout the year and in the past few weeks.
the other day i was called a ‘media hoarder‘ by a genius at the mac store. i wasn’t offended but realized that so much is being stored, whether real or virtual. but if it’s not seen and shared, what good is it?
it got me thinking about the written word, blogging, journaling, chronicling and creating. over the holdiays my god-daughters told me they wanted to learn script writing but it was being removed from their school curriculum.
where would we be today without those who left their mark on the world with bound books, whether hand written, photographed or filled with pressed flowers and keepsakes?
paperblog.fr/534210/peter-beard
this post got to be a little long because i delved into one of my favorite obsesions: journals. it almost seems like a trivial pursuit but some of them are even published like peter beard’s above.
i’m especially drawn to old textiles. each page is a once in a lifetime experience with real fabric and handwritten notes
second to fabrics is a love for pattern
maybe it’s time to go through all the photos, the ephemera, scraps and souvenirs and turn them into something special.
it doesn’t have to be complicated
so for now i’ll leave you with some images i came across while working on the post. maybe it will inspire you to start your own journal this year.
there could be one for travel
another for fashion
one for ideas
a love of vintage
things to accomplish
recipies
or something to pass down
the one above is diane keaton’s and the the one below was cecil beaton’s!
these may help jumpstart something for you:
you can store them in something special and take them out as you get inspired to work on them.
maybe it’s a sort of voyeristic thing but they’re fascinating to look through
and endlessly entertaining and unique! no one but you can make yours!
i believe writing is a powerful tool that we should foster, maybe scrapbooking too. with all the technology today it’s so easy to lose the magic of the page. if you keep a journal or are starting one this year, let us know and maybe we can share pages with scapbook saturdays or something fun like that. till then, enjoy your down time and i hope you have a great weekend!
the paris apartment 