Ooh la la- a vanity table

A vanity table is such a luxury but it should be part of all our boudoir's. I have had to downsize my vanity table so I can use a desk in the bedroom ( to create this blog and other work) and the downsizing forced me to edit my little treasures. Each item has a story or place or a person that I think of when I see it.

I have indulged my inner-French diva on the vanity table! Using a vanity forces one to slow down and make a ritual of the act of preparing to go into the world. It is an intimate part of your bed room and an intimate process of adorning oneself with make up and scent and possible jewelry too.

Claudia Strasser-blogger, shop owner, tour guide,and author, is compiling a book of photos of women's vanity tables - it will be called in book form Vanities for Humanity and proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity. I can't wait to see the book. Her name is familiar because she wrote The Paris Apartment and opened a NY shop of the same name.The new book will be a peek into another world. No wonder painters in Marie-Antoinette's time painted her at her vanity.

That wonderful movie from 1980's Dangerous Liaisons had several great vanity scenes. How I would have loved to go back in time and witness this dressing process.

So make a little area for a vanity and relax and enjoy the process- look at your treasures and recall the person or place that comes to mind.Living in the moment also connects you to the past.

More ideas re Monogram

I am still thinking about my monogram or any monogram. A few months ago I found the web site Iomoi. They have creative letter paper and match boxes, pencils, and I found a lot of cool paperweights that can be customized. In keeping with my obsession with pagodas their one paperweight has a pagoda motif and it has a pink background--YEAH they inserted my name in between the graphics. I love it.

It would be a great idea for a co worker or teacher gift or just for yourself. Useful and pretty my favorite combination. Everything we use should be pretty too n'est pas? It reminds me again, of why I love French style and that period before the Revolution when the common place item was often beautiful.

Mad for Monograms

I think it is a "Southern thing" but we sure love to monogram things in the South.

I love my monogram. I copied Marie Antoinette's --if she loved it who am I not to love it too?

So now I look for ways to use this lovely piece of artwork. I have it on stationery and on linen. Next will be to use it on an iron gate I am going to have made for the garden. I can see those pretty curved letters in the center of black iron work and it will be a grand entrance to my tiny walled garden.

I also will be monograming the backs of my formal silver flatware pattern. So I will set the table French-style with the backs facing upwards--better to see my pretty monogram. I saw the MA monogram on a doorknob in Versailles.

This photo of the monogram came from the wonderful book The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette by Boyer and Halard. That book is one of my favorite books ever. Leave it to the French to take an everyday object and make it so lovely. The artists of that time also incorporated the Queen's dog on a chair arm!! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all have items made to order in that manner? Bliss.

Of course my Petit Trianon china by Raynaud comes with it on several of the pieces if you ask for it when you order.

Other ideas rolling around in my thoughts are using it on the top of an anniversary cake and making a boxwood monogram for the garden-- that would be so fun- It would take awhile for it to fill in I'd use the tiny leaf slow growing boxwood-- I want to explore this further.

Monograms are fun especially now with all the new printing and laser techniques- I will have to dream about these applications some more.

Longing for Peonies

Sadly, no more fresh peonies till late April or early May 2010. I've planted new ones in September to delight us in a few years. I am lucky to be able to grown them this far South. The big, full, double ones are my favorites--all in shades of pink or white. I carry my pink preference into the garden.

This lovely peony sachet is on my little dressing table to cheer me during the many peony barren months. I have always loved peonies and sweet peas and consider it a blessing to be able to grow them in my tiny garden. All the little things on my dressing table have meaning to me .

Peonies ,for some reason, seem to be much more decadent than the rose or any other flower. Perhaps it is their brief bloom time and the fullness of the flower petals.

I had a dream not long ago that my garden was blooming with peonies and it snowed it looked so beautiful. In real life that would be awful but in dreams it was a beautiful image.

My first Hermes scarf has peonies on it.I bought in Paris in late 80's It was such a decadent treat but over the course of years it has actually been a frugal purchase considering how often I wear it.

If I can't wear peonies all the time I can enjoy the flowers in the spring and try to spend as much time with my peonies as possible.

Laduree and tea

I adore Laduree tea and the Laduree tea salons in Paris and London. It is often that I bring back tea and other goodies as gifts from France. Laduree makes the best macaroons in delightful pastel shades and flavors. the French line up for the pleasure of buying them. It is chic hostess gift to bring a box from Laduree.

A real treat for me is having a cup of tea ( I like the Marie Antoinette blend) in my Petite Trianon demitasse cup ( Raynaud china ) . I use the wrapped sugar from Fauchon ( too bad Fauchon closed their shop in NY city) for my tea. The French do not use the loose sugar we use here.
Since my monogram is that of Marie Antoinette and this china was her traveling china that had her monogram on it I just love having it-makes it extra special and it has enough pink in the pattern to make it pink enough for my pink world.

In this hurry up busy world it is still a civilized pleasure to stop for a few minutes each afternoon and have a cup of tea and catch your breath. You can pretend to be in Paris.

Presents

I love to wrap gifts!! I have more fun wrapping than I do in the purchase usually. I like to try and fit my gift and gift wrap to a theme or to a person's likes or favorite colors.

Seeing a ton of gifts for other people under the tree makes me so happy- since most of my friends live far away I take special care to find pretty things or to make them something I know they will use or want.

One of the blogs I follow is A Gift Wrapped Life- a real inspiration for people who love to gift wrap and love pretty design. I would love to meet the wonderful Sande Chase and have a peek into her amazing wrap room/area.

I was looking at some old family photos of myself as a baby and in each picture I see baby me having a bath, another one opening Christmas presents under the tree.And I thought wow I still like to do those very same things simple things that mean so much. So for me, the art or the beauty is in the details of those simple things- wrapping the gifts with special ribbon or a trinket, having my bath with scented bubbles and a glass of wine or listening to music I love.

Elevating the everyday to a little nicer than it has to be. Making the everyday into a beautiful ritual- to slow down and live in the moment.

Take the time to really look at the task at hand and try to make it more meaningful. Which brings me back to my love of the Asian and the French influences --both cultures seem to be really adept at taking the everyday and making it special, or of high quality.

An Asian Christmas

As much as I adore French furniture and art and lifestyle I am also intrigued and drawn to Asian art and home decoration. So I went on Etsy one day and found these lovely origami Christmas trees that I use on top of dining table or around the living room. The formal living room is where I have my Japanese style ( to my eye anyway Japanese style) Christmas tree. I have reproduction of Utamaro's women of the floating world on the walls in there and other Asian touches.

Etsy is a great source for vintage and handmade items of all styles in all media. My little origami trees were not expensive and arrived via mail in perfect condition.

My dream would be to have several homes or apartments and be able to do all the styles I love. My one origami tree is made with the Japanese paper that depicts cherry blossoms-so it is pink that tree is in master bedroom the one with the crane paper is in formal living room. I love to have fun with little design elements like this.

Anyone know how to say Merry Christmas in Japanese?