CHEZ FIFI

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME

A WHILE BACK, WHILE WORKING ON TURNING MY DERELICT GARAGE INTO A GUEST HOUSE,  I CAME ACROSS THIS LITTLE POEM THAT, THOUGH FAR FROM BEING A LITERARY WORK OF ART, EXPRESSES EVERYTHING I BELIEVE ABOUT MAKING A HOUSE A HOME........

IT WAS PUBLISHED IN A 1917 NEWSPAPER. THE AUTHOR, ANN JOHNSON, EVEN WON $1 PRIZE FOR IT! 

THE BEAUTY OF THIS HEARTFELT LITTLE POEM IS THAT ALMOST 90 YEARS LATER ITS MEANING REMAINS UNCHANGED: NO MATTER HOW HUMBLE, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME. ESPECIALLY FOR US, KINDRED SPIRITS, WHO LOVE TO MAKE A HOUSE A HOME. ENJOY!

 IT ISN'T MUCH THIS PLACE OF OURS,

SOME FOLKS WOULD NO DOUBT SAY;

AN' SOME MIGHT EVEN WHISPER,

"MY, HOW CAN THEY LIVE THAT WAY?"

IT'S ONLY TWO LITTLE ROOMS;

AND IT HAS NO BATH, IT'S TRUE.

BUT WE HAVE A BIG OL' WASH TUB

AND WE MANAGE TO MAKE THAT DO.

"TWAS SUCH FUN A FIXIN' IT UP,

WHY WE PAPERED THE WHOLE INSIDE:

AN WHEN WE GAZE ON THE SHINY PAINT

IT FILLS OUR HEART WITH PRIDE.

SOME FOLKS CAN LIVE IN MANSIONS

AN' HIRE EVERYTHING DONE;

BUT SOMETIMES I GIT THINKIN',

THEY ARE MISSING' A LOT OF FUN!

THEY NEVER KNOW THE JOY

 OF DOIN' THINGS THEMSELVES;

LIKE MAKIN' CURTAINS AND HOOKING

RUGS

AN' PAPERIN' KITCHEN SHELVES.

OR BUYIN' AT BARGAIN SALES,

AND, GEE, THAT'S HEAPS O' FUN;

AN' FIGURIN' OUT HOW MUCH IT COST

WHEN ALL THE WORK IS DONE.

SOMETIMES I THINK IF WE WAS RICH,

WITH A MANSION AND SERVANTS GALORE,

AN' ALL THE WALLS WAS PAINTED GOLD,

I COULDN'T LOVE IT MORE!

AND SO, WHEN I CREATED MY HUMBLE (AND HUMBLE IT IS) LITTLE (450 SQ FT) GUEST HOUSE  I DID IT WITH THAT LITTLE POEM IN MIND..............I AM SO GLAD I DID.

IT WAS ALL DONE WITH RECYCLING, REPURPOSING, AND REINVENTING WHAT I ALREADY HAD AND/OR GETTING SECONDHAND ITEMS FROM YARD SALES AND SALVAGE PLACES (LIKE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY.)

IT MAKES ME HOPELESSLY HAPPY! AS THE POEM SAYS: I COULDN'T LOVE IT MORE.

 

 

 

 

 

HOME IS REALLY WHERE THE HEART IS...............

 

  

        
  

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS. THE PLEASURE AND SATISFACTION OF FASHIONING OUR OWN REFUGE FROM HARSH REALITY. DON'T YOU AGREE? I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW. THANKS.

FAUX BOOKS

JUST FOR YOU, MY CREATIVE FRIENDS

I saw these "vintage-like" faux books in a catalog (on line) and decided to see if I could duplicate them because, though beautiful, they were fairly expensive....................

 
 I bought a couple of unfinished "book boxes" at Michaels for about $4.00 each...........................

 

 

Icopied and saved the photos from the on line catalog then printed the pages with the blue and pink books and cut each printed image to fit the book boxes. I had to print several pages of each in order to get the right fit for the boxes. I used Elmer's glue because it's great for paper and dries clear. 

Though the result is not exactly like the original books, it looks pretty good and it's very inexpensive to do. 

I wanted to share the idea with you because these "book boxes" make a lovely and original gift. And you can also add something special in the box...

 

Remember it's not supposed to look perfect but rather "well-worn & well-loved"............

 

I purposely created  a"peeling" look in some places (I used a fork!) 

I think I am going to paint the inside or cover it with silver or gold foil, which you can also find at Michaels.

 

........and tied both boxes together with twine...............

 

 

The original books also came in the colors (below)............and as soon as I have time to get (and make) more book boxes I will do some in red and in blue. Meanwhile you can copy, save, and print the original book photos from my blog if you want to make your own. Before printing make sure you set the size of the image to fit the size of the box you are going to cover.

I know you are going to ask me which catalog I saw the books in but I cannot remember. Sorry!  

ENJOY!

      

     

NEW ROMANTIC COUNTRY ISSUE

The new issue of Romantic Country (winter/spring) will be out in a couple of weeks. Here is the cover, so you will be able to spot it on the newsstands. As you can see it's a very inviting bedroom: winter-cozy and spring-fresh all in one.

(photo by Mark Lohman, styling by Sunday Hendrickson)

You know I would love to "spill the beans" and show you a lot from the issue but I can only tease you a little.....Sorry! So, the editor's note (from moi) ........

  
 ...Plus a few images from various sections will give you a sense of things to come....................

The color purple is one of our LOOKS WE LOVE

 

(above & below: photos & styling by Fifi)

.....as are VINTAGE NAPKINS (but there is more....)

We also have some pretty "bling" from one of the artists featured in PEOPLE & PLACES...

The HOME TOURS section features 5 unique styles (of course the photos below are just tiny vignettes. We have pages and pages of great looks!)

PARISIAN FLEA MARKET (San Francisco)
 

(photo by Mark Lohman, styling by Sunday Hendrickson)

BRING HOME PARADISE (California)

(photo by Dennis Finn, styling by Sunday Hendrickson)

ANTIQUE COLLECTOR (Massachusetts.)

(above & below: photos by Dan Mayers, styling by Fifi)

EXOTIC BEAUTY (Georgia)

NEW YORK CITY,NY

 (Photo by Dan Mayers, styling by Sunday Hendrickson)
      

In "INN LOVE" we are taking you to 3 dreamy B&Bs

OLD EDNA (California)

(above & below photos & styling by Sunday Hendrickson)

THE LAVENDER INN & SPA (California)

A SUNSET CHATEAU (Arizona)

Look for great (and inexpensive ideas) for Easy Breezy Window dressing.........
   

(photo by Rick Szczechowski, styling by Sunday hendrickson)

......and for a birthday party Fit for a Princess.....

(photo by Rick Szczechowski, styling by Sunday Hendrickson

........and many ways to bring the Fragrances of Spring into your home..........

with scented candles.......

....perfumed sachets...........

.......delicate soaps......

.........and sweet potpourris 

(all above and below photos & styling by Fifi)

We tell you how to get a head start for spring with Early Bloomers.........
 

..........and take you on a European tour of more romantic homes via some wonderful new books.....
 
      

...not to forget lovely ideas for table settings.......................

...and, though this book is not included in our features, you definitively want to get it to give as a gift for your favorite newlyweds or even for yourself! it's full of terrific ideas for decorating on a shoestring....

This next book offers lovely designs to make your own handbag..........and we picked one for one of our Make it Yourself projects....................

All these books are published by Ryland Peter & Small and will be available soon.

I hope you enjoyed this little preview and will love the new issue. Let me know! Thanks.

      

WINTER WARMTH.................

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Winter is settling in. It's time to make our cocoons cozy and warm and a little visit to some beautiful rooms and gorgeous creations can help us achieved that dreamy look we long for.......one great shop to visit for romantic inspirations is VINTAGE SOUL, a charming store in the heart of Historic Downtown St. Cloud, Florida, featuring a unique collection of Cotton, Poplin & Burlap bedding, pillows & slipcovers designed by shop owner Debbie...

VINTAGE SOUL

1020 New York, Avenue,  Saint Cloud, FL, 34769. Phone: 407-791-9847

Debbie can be reached at jmiller88@sprint.blackberry.net

I plan to feature Debbie's work in the next issue of Romantic Country and asked Kim (http://deardaisycottage.typepad.com/) if she would go take some photos for me. Kim lives about one hour from St. Cloud. She is an excellent photographer and her pictures are always a treat. All the photos of Debbie's work were taken by her but I cropped some of them to give you a closer version, not to mention I don't want to show you everything before publishing them in Romantic Country.....

Thank you KIM & DEBBIE!

THIS IS JUST A SMALL SAMPLING OF DEBBIE'S GOODIES. IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE IN THE ST. CLOUD AREA MAKE SURE TO GO VISIT HER BEAUTIFUL SHOP. SHE ALSO HAS GREAT FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES.

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ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SITE TO VISIT IS 

BELLA NOTTE LINENS (http://www.bellanottelinens.com)

Here are a few examples from their website. These warm and gorgeous color and texture combinations are sure to get you in the mood...............

  

    

Don't you just feel like snuggling?? 

The beauty is that even if we can't afford Bella Notte's glorious bedding we can create a similar feel with remnants of fabrics like velvet, silk and lace, and even with more rustic textiles like burlap and linen.

For instance, I bought yards of burlap (very inexpensive at $2.99 a yard) and dyed it a pearl gray (it was an off-white shade) then also dyed some lacy trim I cut off an old nightgown and added it to the burlap to create a unique look...............as you can clearly see the lace is just pinned on for now but that will be taken care of soon.....

You can also dye the burlap and the lace in contrasting hues if you like.............

...like gray and lavender.................

You can also apply the same principal for making pillow covers............

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I found some gorgeous glass tiles. I only bought 5 (may have to get a few more....but they were $15 each) and plan to use them on the fireplace surround. These will ad a lot of sparkle & glamour to the rustic mantle.............

 

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Thanksgiving is just a few days away so, before I take off again, I wanted to be sure to wish everyone a delicious day with family and friends.

I took the photos below at a wonderful press event held this past weekend at Moss Mountain Farm, outside Little Rock, Arkansas, the home of P. Allan Smith (www.pallensmith.com) the fabulous host of the PBS series: P. Allen Smith Gardens. More on this later.......

Meanwhie, these may give you some ideas for your Thanksgiving table setting..........

A lovely pastoral setting...................

Happy Thanksgiving!

IT'S A FRENCH THING

Coco, Catherine, Carla, and..... me. 

Of course, you all know "Coco" is the one and only................

                                      Coco Chanel

 

you probably suspect that "Catherine" is the beautiful actress 

                               Catherine Deneuve

and by now most are aware that former super model "Carla", is the president of France new wife

                                          Carla Bruni

So, you say: where does "Fifi" fit? What do I have in common with these accomplished women? Well, rest assured: I don't have the audacity to compare myself to them from the perspective of their respective skills and talents (or fame and beauty for that matter) BUT, what I do have in common with them, and millions of other French women, is a sense of self. 

And what prompted this post, you may wonder? 

WELL, 2 THINGS:

First:The many emails I get asking about my style. And, second: an article titled "The French Mystic" by Irene Lacher in the Los Angeles Times back in October 11, in which she often refers to the notions of  "accidental allure" and "seductive disarray" when speaking of French style. "Less is more. That's the essence of French style and the reason the little black dress is so iconic. Because, it's not about the dress, but the wearer. You have a little black dress and one accessory--a scarf, a bracelet."

It made me think about this French style "thing". This is something that little French girls grow up with as naturally as we grow up with croissants and baguettes.

I am often asked how I developed my style an how I define it. The truth is that it's the result of all the wonderful things I was exposed to as a child, as a young woman and, as an adult, and the way we were never asked to "conform" to any trends, may it be about home decor, fashion or beauty. 

I was fortunate to grow up in an era that promoted these traits. But France wasn't always like that. Long before my days growing up in PARIS, French society was all about traditions and public opinion, especially where women were concerned. By the time I came into the world women like Coco Chanel had paved the way for individuality, regardless of  "social standing". If you take a minute to watch the trailer for "COCO BEFORE CHANEL" you will understand what I mean. She defied conventions an paved the way for self-expression. Long after her death she remains a fashion icon and an inspiration for those of us who believe in originality, may it be about fashion or home decor. She had guts, gumption, and believed in herself.

Today, it's perfectly fine for a former super model (and singer) to be the wife of the French president......as you can see from the video below, the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni, is both beautiful and talented. What a refreshing change and beautiful representation of individuality!

The world as long had a love affair with all things French: food, fashion, art....and that uniquely French quality called "Je ne sais quoi", (that hard to define "little something"), which, is nothing more than a way of putting an outfit or a room together with a blithe spirit. 

So, for better or for worse, that's what I do too and what makes my lifestyle and personal style what they are: real, liberating and serene. Pretty yes but without all the trappings of conventional and predictable decorating rules. The only thing that comes to mind, as definitions go, is "SANS CHICHI CHIC" (without ostentation). And the same applies to the way I look and the clothes I wear.

You can do it too. The formula is simple: Make the most of what you have, improvise, take the best of what you like and put your own twist on it, trust your judgement, and DON'T let OTHERS influence your DECISIONS.

In the "immortal" words of Gracie Hart (aka Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality 2) 

"WE DON'T NEED TO CONFORM TO THE "BARBIE-DOLL" IMAGE !"

I HOPE THIS  MAKES SENSE! ALL I REALLY WANTED TO SAY IS : IT'S OK TO BE YOURSELF! 

BISOUS BISOUS.