A Huge Collection of Vintage Children's Illustrations, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, & George Melies

I have a a project in mind to scan all my children's books for their illustrations and with a little searching, I happened to find a group on Flickr who had the same idea. There are nearly 30,000 illustrations on this site to inspire any aspiring children's book illustrators.

I am not often asked who my favorite children's book illustrators are and while I will buy a book for beautiful illustrations, the story is far more important to me. The most recent book I read that was beautifully illustrated was Brian Selznick's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret". It's more illustrations than text, but really beautifully done. The story revolves around Hugo Cabret who works in the Montparnasse train station fixing clocks, the automaton he discovers, and a man who sells little toys in the train station modeled after French film director and magician George Melies.

I highly recommend this book (soon to be a movie directed by Martin Scorcese) for any child, especially if they love comic books and films. The text isn't especially spectacular, but it does tell a good story.

Here are a few illustrations from the book:

If you do read this book you may become fascinated by the French director where the story was taken from, George Melies. His most famous work was titled "La voyage dans la lune".

If you do become obsessed with the films of Georges Melies you can buy his films, released by a little French restoration company called Lobster Films on Amazon. I stumbled upon the coffret at the MK2 shop on the Quai de la Loire (19eme) and think this collection is worth every penny.

If you read about the history of George Melies' little studio in Montregeuil and see these films you will be amazed. I'm pretty sure the George Melies is why Scorcese agreed to direct the film. Melies had no modern equipment. Not even lights. Instead he built a glass ceiling in his studio and used the sun to make a film about the moon. The more you learn about George Melies the more you will learn about the birth of cinema, invention, and ingenuity.

Melies had a somewhat sad end in real life, but I like to think rediscovering his work makes the story less sad because his magic continues to live on.

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Limogues Hunting

My last post was about cooking lamb, which made me think of the Limousin region of France where the best lamb you could ever eat is raised. Yes I know New Zealand and Ireland have excellent lamb as well, but it's something in the grass of the region that gives the meat a very particular taste.

Besides lamb, Limoges is also synonymous with enameled porcelain and oak barrels for producing cognac. When I think of beautiful porcelain and cognac, I also think of tea. While living in Brooklyn I ventured out to Brighton Beach, a mostly Russian neighborhood famous for its Russian bathhouses (amongst other things). At this particular bathhouse, which was in no way fancy, I was served black tea with cherries preserved in honey and asked if I would like a little bit of cognac. Never one to turn down cognac, I agreed and was pleasantly surprised at the marriage of all the flavors. Little did I know that the cognac was probably to help me endure the sting of the birch branches I was going to be whipped with later as part of my Russian spa experience!

Limoges china is the best white china one can find outside of well, China. The technique of the hard-paste porcelain dates back to the 1700's, but the enamel industry in Limoges dates back even further. Since the 12th century Limoges was the center of enamel making. Each piece of china made in Limoges uses the same mix of feldspar, kaolin and quartz. Every piece is subjected to the same intense firing process of about 900 degrees for 16 hours, followed by the glazing process, and yet another firing at approximately 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit for eight more hours.

Limoges china can be expensive, but there are always bargains to be had. The most important thing is to look for the potter's stamp or underglaze mark on the underside of any object. These marks will vary depending on the factory where it was fired and there are sometimes additional marks to represent the studio where the piece was designed and painted.

Here are a few of the stamps to get you started.

I really want a Limoges tea set. Okay what I really want is to find my own Limoges tea set. I don't want every piece to be identical because I happen to love mismatched china. I just find it charming when a table is set for a formal dinner with mismatched china, but its especially when it comes to tea sets.

My idea of a perfect Limoges tea set would be a tea pot, creamer, and sugar bowl with 6 tea cups and 6 saucers and 6 dessert plates. I might even want a Limoges tea tray. I just don't want the pieces to match. I would want every part of my tea set to be different. Another quick search on ebay proves this is again possible and affordable, but I would like very much to find the majority of my tea set on my own by scouring flea markets and brocantes.

If the idea of mismatched china doesn't appeal to you, you can find affordable 6 and 12 piece Limoges sets easily on ebay. Just make sure to ask for a close up of the pottery stamp and any information the seller might know about the set to make sure it's authentic. Also ask if there are any chips or cracks in the porcelain and how they plan to ship the item to you and definitely insist on insurance in case it is damaged en route.

I found a very charming 6 piece matched set on ebay (France) for about 60,00 euros, which may be more affordable than buying a new tea service.

For those interested in Limoges porcelain, I found an amazing blog entry that you can read here. In fact, overall I'm in love with this little blog and have added it to my Inspirations

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English Cooking: Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce, Baby Red Potatoes with Sage Butter, and Green Beans

"The lovely neighbor upstairs" is what we call Elisabeth, who is a rare exception to the normal neighbors one has in Paris though secretly I think lovely isn't a lovely enough adjective for such a wonderful person. She is one of those rare sort of people who is usually half-smiling and always willing to help. When Elisabeth told me she'd like to try lamb with mint sauce, I promised her we would have an occasion to make it.

One of my other favorite things about Elisabeth is her little hallway garden that she has at the top of the stairs. She has a real green thumb, something I envy, but I also found quite inspiring. A few months ago we got a plot of community garden space across the canal and planted flowers and vegetables that we bought at a flower shop just around the corner in the hope that after her wise counsel I might manage to grow my own veggies and then some spices on our balcony.

La Chienne seems to be guarding the plants, but was

actually nibbling at them, and was caught in the act!

All but one of my plants has survived though with very little help from me. One of the problems with this apartment is the southern exposure with almost a full day of sun that few plants can endure. I watered the plants from time to time, but didn't pay them much attention learning a valuable lesson: I think I don't water plants enough, but actually I overwater plants.

In order to prepare my recipe with my own homegrown mint, I preened large to mid-sized leaves from the plant, leaving the smaller less developed leaves to grow a little more. This only gave me a small portion of what I needed for this recipe, so I bought some extra mint from the store with the intention of using the store bought mint for the marinade part and my mint for the sauce.

This is not a difficult dish to make if you keep a few things in mind such as.

1. The quality of the lamb.
2. Never overcook lamb. It should always be pink or rosé, in French.
3. Prepare the lamb beforehand no matter the quality. It enhances the texture.

For this dish I used a roast of boneless lamb shoulder, but leg (with or without the bone, but cooking time needs to be adjusted accordingly because meat on the bone takes longer to cook), or lamb chops work just as well.

Prep work:

Rub the lamb you're using with fine sea salt to coat and let sit in the fridge covered completely for up to 3 hours. Keep the lamb refrigerated during this process.

The process of using salt to tenderise meat is something I've always done, especially with meat I've kept frozen. It wasn't until I bought my first cookbooks (Julia Child's two volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking) that I knew this was actually a cooking technique called "brining".


Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce
(6 servings)

Ingredients:

2 - 2 1/2 lbs of lamb shoulder
6 generous teaspoons of Dijon mustard
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons fresh mint

Roasting the Lamb Part I

Preheat over to 450°F.

1. Drain the water from the lamb roast with paper towels.
2. Rub the Dijon mustard over the entire roast, paying special attention to the nooks and crannies.
3. Combine breadcrumbs and fresh mint to make breading.
4. Press the breading into the lamb roast until it is entirely covered and no moisture from the mustard shows (it will look like dark wet spots in the breading).

The reason why breadcrumbs are called for in this recipe is to absorb the fat that will come out of the meat during the cooking process. This will be especially important if you're using a leg of lamb as there is more fat in the legs than the shoulder or the chops.  If using a rack of lamb or pre-sliced lamb chops, bread in the same way, making sure to cover the bone.

5. Wrap the lamb in foil making sure to crimp the edges together so that no heat can escape during cooking.
6. Cook for 20 minutes at 450°F.

While the lamb cooks, we will start to make the mint sauce, the starch, and the vegetables.

Mint Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped mint
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup minced shallots
4 tablespoons good quality red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch

You can substitute canned beef broth for beef bouillon cubes, but make sure to stick to the measurements found on the package and to keep the broth as light as possible without losing the taste.

Sifted flour can be a substitute for corn starch if needed.

1. Combine the mint, broth, shallots, vinegar, and sugar in a small saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Simmer the sauce for 2 minutes.
3. Pour the sauce into a bowl and set aside in the refrigerator.

Roasting the Lamb Part II

After the 20 minutes have passed, lower the heat to 350°F and roast for 15 minutes.

While the lamb roasts prepare the green beans by trimming the end the bean where it hung from the vine only.

If using baby potatoes, you do not need to scrub them. Instead run your hands over the potatoes while you rinse them to remove any dirt or debris.

In a large stock pot add enough water so that all the potatoes with be submerged, add salt, and bring to a boil.

After the 15 minutes have passed, remove the lamb from the oven without disturbing the foil and set on the back of the stove.

Baby Red Potatoes with Sage Butter

2 1/2 pounds of baby red potatoes
6 - 8 leaves of fresh sage chopped finely
4 teaspoons of salted butter
Salt and pepper

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins (or jackets) until tender.

You may want to check the tenderness around the 15 minute mark as baby potatoes cook quicker than older potatoes.

2. Drain the water and gently move potatoes to serving dish.
3. Over low heat melt the butter and add the sage until you can smell the scent.
4. Remove butter and sage from heat, add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over the potatoes.
5. Cover serving dish with foil and add to the back of the stove.

My secret to green beans is simply to boil them in salted water until cooked half way through, drain off the water, pat them dry with paper towels, and then to sauté the green beans with butter, salt, and pepper. This keeps a nice crunch to the bean and makes them taste fresh from the garden. Once the green beans are cooked to your tastes pour them in a serving dish and cover with foil.

Roasting the Lamb Part III

Don't worry this is the final step.

Preheat oven to highest broiler setting (on my French oven this is 275°C, or 525°F). Move rack to the tallest position possible without having the lamb roast touch the top of the oven. Peel back the foil and broil on each side, turning the roast when the breadcrumb mixture has browned. It will almost look as if you have fried the roast when properly browned. Drain off any of the juices into the mint sauce mixture, recover with the foil and set on cutting board for 10-15 minutes to let meat properly set.

Strain the mint sauce with a very fine mesh strainer, making sure to squeeze out all the liquid, and reserve some of the coarse mint and shallot mixture. Pour back into original saucepan, and add the 2 teaspoons of corn starch or flour over low heat and stir until dissolved.

A good tip for making sauces where either corn starch or flour is called for as a thickening agent is to make sure the liquid is cooled. The heat is what causes the sauce to thicken, so adding the thickening agent to a hot liquid will make it clump up. Once the thickening agent has dissolved, you have to continously stir to keep the sauce from getting too thick. If the thickening agent has been properly dissolved you will not have lumps unless you do not stir or use the right heat setting.

Once the sauce has thickened to the consistency of a syrup (like maple), take the sauce off the heat and pour into a serving dish and cover.

How to Serve

Slice the lamb horizontally in 1/2 inch slices. The breading will fall off at this point, but don't worry. I usually salvage it from the cutting board to use as a secondary garnish.

If serving "family style", as I did last night, plate the roast in slices to show the degree of pinkness of the cooked meat and garnish with the breading and some of the mint and shallots leftover from the original sauce.

If you want to plate this then calculate 2 - 3 slices of lamb per plate and drip the sauce over the lamb (you can use a zig-zag pattern or simply serve the sauce as if it were gravy). Be careful how much sauce you give each serving because even though this sauce is very light, mint is a really powerful spice!

I like to use kitchen tongs (or chopsticks) to cross my green beans because I like the aesthetics. You've just made a huge delicious meal and should do whatever you want. Serve 3 - 4 potatoes per plate depending on the size, making sure to get a little bit of the butter and sage.

And voila! You've just made a somewhat traditional version of Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the finished dish before it was devoured, but am happy to say my concerns that this English dish wouldn't please sensitive French palates were rubbish, but it received rave reviews. I would normally consider this dish seasonal autumn or winter fare, but this is precisely why I used baby potatoes and fresh green beans. Also, this mint sauce is a somewhat lighter version, which gave it a more summery sort of taste.

Bon appetit!

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Isak Dinesen, Africa, and Lions

When I was a little girl I spent a lot of my younger years in Africa. By this time all the animals I'd read about in books had long since vanished from Senegal because of hunting and modernisation, but it didn't keep me from dreaming about going on safari.

At the time, my nannie, who was of Kikuyu decent proposed to my father than I join her for a vacation in her native Kenya. It took a lot of begging and pouting, but finally my father agreed and I was to have the safari I had always dreamed about. My father borrowed an old Land Rover from one of our neighbors and packed enough gear for three safaris, or at least it looked rather excessive to me at the age of 7.

What countries we crossed have long escaped my memory although I still remember Mali, Nigeria, and crossing through the uppermost part of what was then Zaire on our way to Nairobi. There was trouble in Africa during the 80's and we had a serious scare along the trip, but eventually arrived to Nairobi shaken but unharmed.

I dreamed I saw a lion climbing on an Africa brush tree and told my father we would see one. The trip took several weeks and we were almost near the end. The animal we mostly had to deal with were baboons who are quite terrifying despite their funny red bottoms. Near the very end of our journey my dream came true. I saw the lioness first and then a glimpse of mane caught my eye in some brush. A moment later out come Monsieur Leo in all of his regal glory.

After that I forgot most of the time I actually spent in Nairobi except for the traditional songs of the Kikuyu and how hospitable they were towards me. I got the feeling they simply loved children. I had brought gifts with me of wax fabrics and rice and bracelets I had made from string, but what they really wanted were my sneakers, my t-shirts, and my cassettes and Walk-man. I left all of these behind when we left (this time by plane as to avoid any other incidents) and am convinced to this day that I singlehandedly brought Madonna and George Michael to Kenya, though I suppose this is hardly true.

If I had known then that Nairobi had been the place where one of my favorite authors had lived a grand part of her life, I might have asked my father to bring me to see where she had lived at the foot of the Ngong Hills, but at the time I didn't know anything about Isak Dinesen or Karen Blixen or her amazing books.

I was 12 years old when I first discovered Karen Blixen through the film Out of Africa based on a book of the same name and part of another one of Dinesen's books Shadows on the Grass. I cried my eyes out at the end not only because of the hardships of her life and the loss of her great love Denys Finchatten, but also for the loss of an Africa that no longer existed. I immediately went to the library and checked out as many books as I could written by Isak Dinesen and it was the first time I found myself as interested in the writing as I was in the life of the author.

It's silly to say it, but as I prepare for my adventure in this new stage of my life, I cannot help but to recall her words. She was a courageous woman. Flawed but courageous to the point that even macho Hemingway admired her and her work. I am not crossing Africa, but I have left behind a part my life and I divide my life between two cities. Like Ms. Blixen I would like to find that place which resonates with me so deeply that I may someday write similar words such as these:

If I know a song of Africa


-of the Giraffe, and the African new moon lying on her back,
of the ploughs in the fields, and the sweaty faces of the coffee-pickers,
does Africa know a song of me?
Would the air over the plain quiver with a colour that I had on,
or the children invent a game in which my name was,
or the full moon throw a shadow over the gravel of the drive that was like me,
or would the eagles of Ngong look out for me?

I don't have a coffee farm or the Ngong Hills as my backyard but like Karen I brought my modern conveniences - my crystal, my furniture, my dog (she had a Scottish deerhound) even a cuckoo clock bought while on a trip in the Schwartenvald (Black Forest) where Karen bought her own cuckoo clock that amazed the Kikuyu that lived and worked on her farm, and made a home. Instead of trying to cultivate something from the soil I will try to unearth my words and find my voice. I have never lacked courage, no matter what was in front of me because I believe as Karen said,

"God made the earth round so that we would never be able to see too far down the road".

A picture of Karen Blixen's study with Masai warrior weapons and shield

on the wall, her desk, and her collection of books.

I hope to have a space like this one day.

As a child I looked at the horizon with great curiosity and impatience to know what was just beyond it and even now, older and wiser, I still see the horizon with the same eyes and feel the same impatience despite knowing that the horizon is unreachable because it is the journey that is the adventure.

Good thing I love a good adventure!

Further reading:

Out of Africa
Shadows on the Grass
Seven Gothic Tales,
Ehrengard
Anecdotes of Destiny
Letters from Africa

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Scary Space - Storage Solutions Debunked

We had to give back to the cave (cellar for storing stuff). I am in a panic.

The question I find myself asking more than any other is "How the heck am I going to find space for everything!!!!!" For the past couple weeks I have Google'd every possible variation of "please let me find some actual kind of storage solution before I lose my mind".

When in doubt, or, out of tequila, one must find other ways of maintaining their sanity. In New York sanity was maintained through the buying of footwear. I'd do that now except (wait for it)...I HAVE NO STORAGE SPACE!!! I'm pretty sure the flat is already unable to handle my current shoe count. I am so shoe'd.

So in the interest of my not being carted off in a straitjacket, I've decided to self-medicate. As they say Louboutins laughter is the best medicine.

Here are the ten worst, unrealistic, and assanine storage solutions and why they don't work the way home decor magazine editors think they do outside of the magical land where these editors live. I have left out the names of the websites where I found these major storage fails only because they have more lawyers than I do.

10. The hideaway television for people who live under rocks and haven't realised flat screens exist yet. Shame my parents threw away that television in a cabinet I had as a kid, think of all that free space!

9.  The most useless tray to ever be partially shoved under an armchair. All I can say is how much ad space did The Basketweaving Company buy that this ever made it into the pages of Britain's most read home decor magazine? Thankfully I now know exactly what to do with my four magazines, my remote control, and a cell phone from 1999. Maybe it's supposed to be a garbage basket?

8. The perfect solution for someone who may be short on storage space and functioning brain cells. I'm pretty sure whoever rolled these towels probably off'd themselves in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond or is having an illicit affair with the bear from the Snuggle commercials because the only way I'd think this was a clever solution was if I got hopped up on dryer sheets.

7. I can see it now. Monday morning editor's meeting. The room is packed with interns full of ideas that they've probably had to come up with because they're underpaid, like alcohol and having food to eat, and therefore live in a Manhattan studio where the bathtub in the kitchen is also their bed. In walks the editor who after a few moments of detached silence shoots down all their ideas because she's finally come up with the best kitchen storage solution of all time. Cupboards!!! Kitchen island!! Never considering any one of her interns would happily sleep in the space on top of the cupboards, a space which is mysteriously void of anything. Either these are the world's first cupboards to allow one to store their bulky kitchen wares in another time dimension or someone has no concept of what it means to sleep on your own books because there's nowhere else to put them.

6. I don't have a lot storage space and didn't need it because of being able to stash things in the cave and I'm trying to do the best with what I've got. If this situation isn't already bad enough, I apparently have to take decorating advice from blind grandmothers with bad taste in handbags. Not only is having to mount your sofa to hang up your coat one of the worst ideas I think anyone has ever had ever, but I think I could search the dumpsters of Calcutta and never find a coat rack as hideous as the one in this picture. It's like a rose trelis got jaundice and climbed up on the wall to die with only the accessories it's owner was too embarassed to bring out in public to cover up it's own hideousness.

5. The focus of this picture is supposed to be the recessed wall and the little benches with their oodles of storage space underneath the seats perfect for storing things and keeping the place tidy for when your guests come over and want to pretend they're in a paralell universe where Laura Ashley has invited you over circa 1982 to stare at the back of her head. This apparently not only provides you with less space to store things than would two high cabinets, but also frees you from that terrible thing called social interaction.

4. You're lucky enough to find a kitchen with drawers. It's a dream come true compared to your last apartment where you kept your silverware in the refrigerator. Kitchen drawers come with great responsibility. You crack under the pressure, having never been all that responsible in the first place, and instead full your kitchen drawers with rubber band balls, paper clips, house keys, your only two remaining napkin rings, White Out, and trimming ribbon because you are a jackass.

3. This closet is perfectly fine, assuming you have a closet and a deep profound love for 1) hot pink, 2) clothes hung on perfectly spaced out hangers in your favorite color the aforementioned hot pink, and 3) no sense of style whatsoever. If you don't love hot pink or have a closet this storage solution is about as useful having a tank of gas but no car while sitting on a freeway during rush hour.

2. If you're living in a place the size of a broom cupboard, but it's not because you don't have oodles of money stashed away then this is the storage solution for you. Custom made cupboards are nothing 'cause you got dividends coming in and this is just how you roll. This might not be something I would have understood before except just the other day on the Canal Saint Martin I saw Baron Rothschild having some custom cupboard put into the flap behind his refrigerator box. Apparently he's letting some friends crash in his cereal box on the Ile Saint-Louis because it has two bathrooms.

1. You're slightly underpaid. Perhaps if you earned more you'd spring for the other half of the bookshelf, but you just sprang for a basket to put under your couch for your remote control and one of those new fangled flat televions. Still you need a place to store that one candlestick and a few other miscellaneous items. You put the half shelves in, thinking to yourself if you're very careful with your spending habits, you'll be able to have real bookshelves one day. Granted you only have twenty nine books and a few photo albums you've spruced up with the ribbon you keep in your silverware drawer. But books say you're sophisticated and smart and maybe if you keep some books around, people will look at them and then afterwards look at that picture of you when you were a kid and that's what you're really after because let's face it people who keep pictures of themselves around are narcacistic a-holes.

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Dreams and Apartments

I was asked by a friend if I could have any apartment in Paris and I had two answers. One, if I could only have an apartment I'd chose Colette's apartment at the Palais Royal. Two, if I could have a building I'd chose the British Embassy, but then I shouldn't be greedy.

I found this video, which is a close look at Colette's apartment, currently inhabited by Jacques Grange, the interior decorator and artist. Unfortunately I couldn't get it to embed, but you can view it here.

Colette's historic apartment is in the Palais Royal, home of many a scandal when it was occupied by the Duke of Bourbon (by scandal I mean it was a brothel and gambling house). I love that Jacques Grange preserved much of the house and most of Colette's spirit. If you watch the video he even calls her "Madame Goudeket", which is quite some deference for someone who spent most of her life on a first name basis with the world.

I have a number of books full of photos of Colette and inevitably her apartment where, later in life she spent a vast majority of her time due to ill health. What cemented my decision beyond the history of the Palais Royal and Colette herself was she was a woman after my own heart when it came to her desk and a little story of my own.

In Robert Phelps' "Belles Saions, A Colette Scrapbook", there are multiple quotes about Colette talking about her desk. The little pot of pens she kept on her desk and her massive paper weight collection. How she liked to look out her window and when she became ill, the historic society in charge of the preservation of the Palais Royal, even with all their rules replaced the wooden panels on Colette's windows with glass so she could continue this favorite pass time. Later on in life, when she couldn't sit at her beloved desk, she took to writing in bed surrounded by the last of her pets and covered in a mink blanket where she ate cherries and received her beloved friends.

Among the writers I admire, Colette (born Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette) has a special meaning to me. She was one of the most successful writers of her time and is still one of the most successful female writers of any time. She was bold and brash and theatrical and scandalised conservative French Catholic norms with not only her words, but also her life. This is why I'd chose her apartment over all others no matter how much bigger or how much more grand other apartments might be. I always think if I could just sit in her window with paper and a pot of fresh pens, I might string my sentences together as if each word were its own pearl with the same practiced hands as Madame Goudeket.

Like Colette I grew up reading everything I could get my eyes and hands upon, but unlike Colette I grew up in many countries were women weren't allowed to read. Since reading was already such a taboo pleasure, I talked myself out of the idea that one day I might write a book of my own.

One day there was a rain storm, the kind you can only have in Africa where the rain is so powerful it threatens to cave in the roof in order to get to the ground. There it amasses another type of force entirely. It collects quickly and moves like liquid lightning taking everything that crosses its path along with it. 

That day was no different.  I stood in the window and watched hoping we would have to climb up on to the roof for safety. If only the water would get high enough we could be stranded up there for days. The house would become a sort of island or maybe a ship. I wondered if the house were not actually a ship. I desperately wanted to believe that just before the potential catastrophe would hit that the house would transform into a massive steam ship and kept looking at the chimney for any sign of smoke.

A few hours later life had gone back to normal. I was completely dry having not been allowed to even open the window just enough to put my hand outside to feel the rain fall upon it. The house was just a stupid house and not a ship at all. I became highly suspicious that the chimney was just an ordinary chimney, but why should it be? What was a chimney doing in Africa anyway? 

Discontented I remember going outside into the yard where the earth was already begining to dry. A massive amount of silt and sand had been deposited in the flower bed by the temporary river the rain had caused. Little worms, some bloated and some lifeless and others optimistic and trying to burrow back under the dirt made our yard look like a battlefield and  I hadn't the inclination to save the ones who were merely wounded, though this was a particular favorite game of mine and I considered myself an expert amateur Worm Rescuer and even had a special bucket I used for this sole purpose.

Without thinking I picked up a stick and began to scribble in the dirt. I wrote a story about a ship that could turn into a house, but it was a stupid ship and it'd forgotten how to turn itself back into a ship again. I wrote until I grew bored with scribbling in the dirt and went inside to find my papa.

He was as always in his study, which was a place not forbidden to me as long as I didn't disturb his desk or knock over the tall stacks of leather bound books they give to lawyers even if they have good memories like my father. I navigated them as cautiously as if they were landmines and the softest touch might set them off and all those things my lawyer parents talked about at the supper table would come bursting out of them and then I'd go to jail because as far as I knew lawyers made people go to jail when they did something wrong and upsetting my father's work was considered a criminal offense.

I stared at my papa for a really long time. My feet started to hurt from standing in the same place so long and so I started to sing softly in the hopes of getting his attention. When this didn't work I squirmed my way under his long arms and then stared at him right in the eyes and even though I knew I could be in big trouble I told him that I was going to be a writer one day. Not right away because first I wanted to be a nuclear physicist and then maybe build a robot, but eventually I'd get around to it.

I told him my story and my papa laughed and lifted me up to sit on his desk even though it was full of papers and I knew that he knew I really was going to be a writer.

A few months after my papa passed away I found a letter he'd written me long after our closeness had evaporated like the rain in the heat of the African afternoon. It was sandwiched between pages of Colette's La Fin du Cheri and what it said was almost nothing. It mostly a blank page except for a little scribble near the bottom in my father's handwriting that said "write".

I dream about having a desk like Colette's to write my stories and all the blank pages I will one day fill, but this page remains wedged between the pages where I found it and it's message - no it's command - was enough to inspire me to write.

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Peter Greenaway's film, "The Pillow Book"

I recently rewatched Peter Greenaway's film The Pillowbook, based on the novel written by Sei Shonagon during Japan's Heian period.  There are many reasons to see this film if you haven't from the interlaced quotes from Shonagon's book, to the sets, and of course Martin Margiela's costumes created specifically for the film.

Since my eyes are trained more towards decor these days, I made a mental note of the elements in the sets that I really enjoyed. The film takes place in many different rooms and settings, all centered around the main characters obsessions with writing and aesthetics and beauty. Here are a few that were particularly interesting.

This first screenshot is just one of the book filled rooms that the movie takes place in, and while I know those bookshelves are highly impractical, I love overfilled bookshelves. 

I have a horrible habit of putting knickknacks and random objects on the unfilled edges of my bookshelves. These particular shelves in the film remind me of the Danish-Scandanavian design bookshelves you can find in a lot of brocantes and design stores in Paris. I like basic the basic wood aspect with natural finish and the cleaness compared to the clutter.

But my favorite piece of furniture in the movie is this massive antique cabinet turned into a stationary supply cupboard. Or as Monsieur says, a tabernacle of ink and paper.

A storage solution you would never see in an Office Depot catalog.

I am a big fan (big fan here really means impulsive-obsessive) of office supplies. I have boxes upon boxes full of different size and style paper clips, Post-It notes, various staplers, note writing paper, notebooks, pens & pencils, and art supplies. I like to keep these things around because if I ever do find the inspiration, I want to have them immediately. Unfortunately in their current state by the time I've managed to find that one marker I wanted, the inspiration has passed.

In the film, when she opens the cupboard or closes the cupboard it's an artistic statement. She's ready to get to work. I've been trying to have the same serious artistic feeling about opening my laptop, but it's just not the same thing.

Since I don't have the space for a tabernacle of office supplies, I've tried to find a smaller solution. Something as beautifully made to give the same dramatic effect that within this object are the tools of my trade.

One of my favorite places for decor items is Maisons du Monde (Houses of the World). Here you can find nice wood pieces from a company that does care about the environment. I remembered seeing a really nice dresser of drawers (perfect for supplies) when I last visited one of their shops.

Mango wood cabinets, with brass accents 300,00 euros.

My favorite is the cabinet in the back with the little shelf that pulls out. I could definitely see that as being useful when digging around for things or wanting just to staple a few pages together, though it's hardly a tabernacle and for 300,00 euros I'm positive I could find something cheaper and nicer at any of the brocantes or vide greniers (meaning attic purging, the French equivalent of a garage sale where people in the neighborhood sell their wares on the sidewalk) for much less and it's a more environmentally friendly option. Still I like the idea of having a chest full of small drawers for office supplies, even if it's not the ode to stationary supplies found in the film.

One of the most interesting connections made in the film is that every aspect from the physical appearance of the characters, to the settings, to the clothing, to even the way the characters speak is all taken from Shonagon's lists or observations of how the world is or how the world should be.

Here is one example of a list from Sei Shonagon's fascinating little book, and probably my favorite.

Elegant Things*

A white coat worn over a violet waistcoat.

Duck eggs.

Shaved ice mixed with liana syrup and put in a new silver bowl.

A rosary of rock crystals.

Wisteria blossoms. Plum blossoms covered in snow.

A pretty child eating strawberries.

* Keep in mind she was a princess.

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Fashion Gets Decorative - The Big Names & Big Price Tags

There are an astouning of number of designers and brands who have branched off into home decor or design. From ages past we have names like Pierre Cardin and even Issey Miyake. Nowadays Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Kenzo, Christian Lacroix, and even non-designer shops from Urban Outfitters to Anthropologie to Zara have added curtains, sofas, and even napkin rings to their product lineups with some good, bad, and ugly (Armani Casa I mean you) results.

I never really paid much attention until I saw a Hermes exposition where they covered a sofa in scarves. Photos were interdit, but I kept thinking a little chair in my boudoir reupholstered in Hermes scarves would be a wonderful idea until recently when I fell in love with these:

Unfortunately I got too excited before I looked at the price tag. These beautiful pillows will run you about $1300 US. A bit steep for a couple of throw pillows even if the back side is covered in leather. A bit of research turned up a few custom made Hermes scarf pillows (without the leather backing) for about half the price.

I imagine making your own wouldn't be much more difficult than making any pillowcase, if you keep in mind that you'll need to roll the edges of the scarf piece (the same way a Hermes scarf is stitched). For practical purposes I'd back any custom made Hermes scarf pillow with either silk or another dry cleanable fabric as Hermes scarves are dry clean only. Also, I'd copy Hermes idea and find a beautiful scarf that can be centered when the case has a pillow inside of it. There is usually a border around the scarf where there is no print and most scarves measure 90cm x 90cm (35in x 35 in) giving you a nice seam allowance.

Some clever scouring on ebay, depot ventes (charity shops), or vintage stores might turn up a good condition Hermes scarf cheap enough to make this project worthwhile or, you could use a Hermes scarf you own that may not be in pefect wearing condition. I've added this to my list of potential projects. I just need to find a scarf I can either part with or buy one especially.

Another one of my favorite brands, Missoni has been making home decor objects for quite some time and I've been drooling over a Missoni sofa for nearly just as long. Unfortunately the only Missoni sofa I really want belongs to the Missoni family.

I would settle for a Missoni throw/blanket, but I've rarely seen a design or color I really like. I've had it in my head for a long time to recycle old wool sweaters by knitting old sweaters together, but that's been on the DIY list for a very, very long time...sad considering I used to be a knitwear designer.

If you're looking for a handknitted blanket I would say ebay,etsy, and thrift shops are the best way to go. Make sure to ask specifically about the quality of the fiber if buying online and if it's used to ask about any holes, loose or unraveled stitches, and general condition.

Now one thing you can consider, especially if you love fashion is to frame a piece of vintage clothing. I've never seen it done with western clothing, but it's quite common in Korea and Japan to frame either paper versions or real life versions of hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) or kimono (Japanese traditional clothing). In the picture below the person has used a plexiglass shadow box with a matching plexiglass rod to hang the kimono. The interior is lined with white silk as a sort of matte board.

"I have traveled from 1979 specifically to pose in front of this kimono!"

In Part II I'll look at more apparel brands branching out into home decor with friendlier price tags.

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Fashion Gets Decorative - Zara Home vs. IKEA Part I

When I started researching for this blog article, I never thought I'd be typing the following sentence: Zara Home isn't all that bad. For starters it's miles ahead of IKEA in aesthetics, without adding to much heft to the price tag. In fact, where IKEA usually fails - linens, silverware, and decorative items - Zara Home succeeds. But who does it better at the best price?

Picture Frames

IKEA has cheap frames. So cheap in fact it's almost impossible to find the same quality frames anywhere else at a similiar price. My problem with IKEA's picture frame selection is there isn't much of a selection and what's available is downright boring.

The downside is most of the frames sold at Zara Home are for smaller format sizes whereas IKEA has a wide array of sizes for most framing needs.

Winner: IKEA

Lighting and Lamps

When it comes to lighting solutions, there is generally something for everyone at IKEA provided you want your house to be lit like an art gallery. I had high hopes that Zara Home would have better options for those who love good table lamps. I had a friend who lit Broadway shows and gave me the advice that ceiling lighting should be aimed on one specific object, while the rest of any space is best served by lamps scattered at different heights with the uppermost and lowest eye level positions for the best effect.

Sadly neither IKEA or Zara Home had any lamp I'd ever decided to purchase.

Winner: Draw

Bed Linens, Curtains, Rugs, Blankets, & Pillows

Again I had high hopes for Zara Home's offerings, but was left disappointed. Zara Home's selection is pithy compared to the vast amount of choices offered at IKEA, where I've always managed to find something. In fact I would say IKEA's color range has vastly improved in the past few years as their designers apparently discovered there are more colors in the spectrum than simply apple green and fuschia.

I could really see the second bed cover as a perfect way to make up the guest bed.

Winner: IKEA

Kitchen & Dining Room

Anyone who has been to IKEA knows its chock full of things for the kitchen and for setting one's table. I have found some really great cheap objects for the kitchen from IKEA, but the aesthetics always was sort of blah. I like good forks with long twines and good weight. I have never found a set of cutlery at IKEA that I thought was great besides being very cheap (and cheap is good because apparently teaspoons and soup spoons grow magical legs and run off to places).

I was however, pleasantly surprised by some of the cutlery at Zara Home such as the Classica.

This particular collection offers every piece of cultery imaginable beyond the standard soup spoon, fork, knife, tea spoon sets found at IKEA, but you pay for each piece in this particular collection. I usually buy cultery for at least 8 place settings as for dinners I generally keep the guest list between 4-6 people.

Based on what I would select for my needs I selected 8 each of the following: serving spoons, dessert spoons, tea or coffee spoons, table knives, table forks, fish forks, and fish knives for a grand total of 250,00 euros. My favorite maker of cutlery is a French brand called Guy Degrenne and a 44 piece set of cutlery will cost about 400,00 euros, but really is worth every penny. I was lucky to buy my 44 piece set at an outlet for 285,00 euros, so at 35,00 euros more than the Zara set I'm not impressed.

I'm a fan of white dishes and have bought a lot of plates and dinnerware from IKEA and am pretty satisfied with the results. I do wish however that the round dinner plates were a little bigger because they are slightly recessed and make it hard to plate things properly. Also, when dinnerware is patterened at IKEA it's always a disaster. Plates should be either simple with the artistic flair of the cook being the focal point or if the dinnerware is patterned it should enhance the visual presentation of what you're serving. The designers at IKEA apparently do not understand this.

I found three patterns of Zara Home dinnerware that I think would make a wonderful addition to any table setting depending on what is being served.

These white plates are perfect for every day and can handle any type of cuisine if the meal is plated properly.

This bone china set is rimmed in gold and perfect for serving almost anything from boeuf bourriguignon to fried chicken and potato salad. It's also very reasonably priced.

This is the most difficult of the sets that I liked. I would buy plates to serve salads and bowls to serve sliced fruit or yogurt. As much as I like the pattern, it's the least practical.

As far as placements, tablecloths, napkins, and other table accessories go IKEA continues to disappoint while Zara Home surprised me. Here are a few of the goodies I spied on their website.

To see who wins in the end, click here.

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Fashion Gets Decorative - Zara Home vs. IKEA Part II

Click here to read Part I of "Fashion Gets Decorative - Zara Home vs. IKEA.

All pictures show the current collection available in Zara Home boutiques or Zara Home Online.

(1) I love the tablecloth, but I'm not a fan of matching the tablecloth to the napkins. (2) A new take on the old water glass. (3) A seashell is a perfect accent when serving exotic cuisines such as Indian or Moroccan.

(1) Embossed leather coasters maybe not be as chic as real crocodile coasters, but it's a mere fraction of the exotic price. (2) Dish towels are boring, but these add a little color and charm to the monotony of washing up. (3) These napkin rings are literally fantastic.

(1) I love these Caesar inspired napkin rings. Not to be used on March 15th. (2) This is sold as a fruit bowl but all I see are the tiers full of petit fours. Wonder why that is? (3) A perfect tea cup for a garden tea party.

(1) Another tea cup for a garden tea party. (2) Technically a coccoa powder shaker, this could be used with confectionner's sugar. Perfect for nice Sunday afternoon brunches with homemade waffles and raspberries.
(3) These napkin rings are my favorite. I can just imagine serving a brace of wild fowl shot by the game warden with blood red napkins and these beauties.

 

Winner: Zara Home by a landslide.

Overall IKEA and Zara Home are somewhat evenly matched, though decidedly IKEA is good for practical, no frils every day items while Zara Home tries (and succeeds often enough) to concentrate on a few items and offer some quality while not elevating the price tag too much.

Since I'm not a practical girl and would probably buy every napkin ring I could lay my hands on and can't seem to think of one reason why I shouldn't have a special shaker for my coccoa powder or confectionner's sugar; I'm going to give the match to Zara Home though I may rescind this decision later when I actually make a visit to the store to see if the quality really is that great or Photoshop has duped me yet again.

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