26 November 2011

We Seriously Considered Lobster {anarchy!}...


...for this Thanksgiving, but, as Dani put it so well, obligation to tradition overwhelmed whim, so dinde rôti* it was, albeit butterflied this year.

We gathered around a table that had been hastily put together for a wonderfully casual family style celebration (with all the cooking to be done, the table kind of took a back seat until the last minute!) and enjoyed what all agreed was one of the very best Thanksgivings ever!

And with the menu's nod to our southern US roots (dirty rice dressing, to die for!) and our love of the other South, the south of France, (duck rillettes with prune/armagnac sauce), we truly feasted and lingered long at the table!

Here, then, à table!


we quickly gathered purple sage and
hydrangea from the garden, then put
colorful leaves from our neighbor's tree under
our autumnal centerpiece

Gala's cream china with gold borders, the
Minton plates from the flea, country French
goblets and silver on a table laid
with old French sheet and gorgeous
silk embroidered overlay,
another flea market find!


my caterer/events daughter Lisa was aghast at
how I just "rolled" the napkins! they should have
been laid flat and hanging off the edge of the
table to be perfectly "au courant"!


assorted silver serving pieces stand ready (to be polished)
for the feast to come! They are all cherished gifts or
flea market finds



we chose the same wine for dinner, serendipitously,
that Steven chose for his prune/armagnac sauce for
the incredible Duck Rillettes he made for us!



another view of the centerpiece... our Thanksgiving
table comes very close to looking quite
Christmasy this year!! except for the autumn leaves!



***

we all had a wonderful day,
except, perhaps for this
little fella:

*butterflied turkey... it cooks so
fast this way, I must confess it
almost burned... but was
delicious!!


***

I hope you had a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING
and are enjoying our only decently long
holiday weekend of the entire year!



merci pur la visite! ... Kit



20 November 2011

A Chic Provence Design Tour Printemps 2012!



Our Third Annual Chic Provence Design Tour 
Printemps 2013  details are now available!!
Click <here> for description
Click <here> to download 2013 Brochure }



With winter's chill just a whisper away, it's time again to plan a Provence tour in the spring! Nothing will put you in better spirits than knowing that you, cherie, will be exploring Provençal markets, chic shops and brocantes to your heart's content. And that you will experience Provencal life and its many beautiful aspects from a designer's point of view, knowing that every detail is taken care of for you. A little luxury in Provence will soothe the soul.

We are quite excited to announce our second annual springtime Chic Provence Design Tour to the heart of Provence, l'Isle sur la Sorgue, for May 11-18, 2012. You will find incomparable inspiration for your Provence design ideas and projects on our tour in the company of like-minded souls!

C'est fantastique! Cherie, you must join us! You know you want to. You need this trip! You must enjoy a Provence Tour this 2012!



one of the stunning bedrooms that awaits
you at your Provençal villa... sweet slumber!



our villa courtyard... this is where we'll do
our morning yoga and stretching & have our cafe au lait



if it's just too sunny outside, a little couch time
with a good book might be just the thing... sipping
a little Bandol, perhaps?



one of the lovely surprises that are an
everyday sight on a Provence tour, the land
that celebrates beauty in all things



we'll have an afternoon tea in the
stunning courtyard of
Mas d'Ange (House of the Angel)




perhaps just a quick stop at an
incredible confiserie provençale to
stock up for our breakfast treats;
your Provence tour will delight you
every moment!



one of the lovely views of the Provence
countryside... this is outside Oppede le Vieux





you'll be visiting the land that inspired Van Gogh's
stunning Almond Blossoms!




my favorite map of la belle Provence,
courtesy of ProvenceWeb; your
Provence tour will be centered in
the Vaucluse



ah! we arrive at the Cafe de France
in l'Isle sur la Sorgue
just in time for le dejeuner after a
busy morning at the brocante!


we'll take an electric bicycle ride
through the vineyards... and stop for
wine tastings along the way!



I love this mairie, the town hall, of
l'Isle sur la Sorgue



I loved this mid-century upholstered
canape at the brocante.. look at those
colors! When I circled back it was gone!




some simple ironworks artifacts... wonderful
for shipping home, because they don't break!


this vendor specializes in vintage silver only!


basque stripe fabric is everywhere at the
markets in Provence in the spring!


these two jugs made their way back to

my home after our last Provence tour!



perhaps you will need one of these,
hmmm cherie? baskets from
the French Basketeer!
no Provence tour is complete
without one!


... and no Provence tour is complete without at least
one culinary adventure... a cooking class, cherie!
and this one is in a chateau!



another day we will spend a gorgeous
few hours in this beautiful hotel, having
a cooking lesson if you like, or
stopping in for lunch or tea


can you smell the lavender yet?


***

a sample of our seven day tour, you
won't want to miss this!








***




Chic Provence Design Tour

10 November 2011

Early Spring Provence


While we are busy getting fall underway, here's a little reminder of spring to cheer you!


could anything be prettier than this
chateau in the Luberon in the spring?

photo by Steven McCormick

***


thanks for visiting! Kit


03 November 2011

Happy Birthday Claire McCluskey!



Since I have only (4) brothers, my cousin Claire is all the more precious to me. Today is her birthday, so I thought I'd post images that will mean a lot to her... really, only she will actually "get" them, but they are kind of cool, so I hope you like them too. These harken back to our childhood frolicking on the Gulf Coast and in Savannah.

Happy Birthday Claire!

Amie's wicker couch... now happily in Claire's
adorable home in Savannah

Amie and Bompoon, so very long ago, on
Coffee Bluff in Savannah


great aunt Kate's chapel in St. John's
Cathedral in Savannah

carved detail from the fireplace in the dining
room of the house in Apalach

chandelier in the dining room of
the house in Apalach... we used to watch
as the bugs got trapped in the points of
the glass and the housekeeper had to
empty them out every week!

the fort named for our grandfather in Apalach

a peek inside the fort shows this old,
crazed mirror where girls used to check
their appearance before going into the
WWII era dances

I know Claire would love a bed like this!


and living by the sea, she would adore a
table made from seashells

Claire loves blue and white

Claire, you know who this is, you and I will end up striding
by the sea just like her when we are 93 too!

***

Love you lots on this
very special birthday
of yours!!


***
beautiful beach house decor by Anne Selke
found here

***

Do you have someone special to you
whose birthday is coming up?
How would you celebrate that person?

***

thanks for visiting...! Kit




Cute Lil' Bookcase



got this little Chinoiserie-inspired sweet treasure at the flea market...
on a beautiful sunny morning wandering with coffee in one hand
and chocolate croissant in the other

this little treasure was buried behind a pile of "junk"..
you have to take things out, put them alone in the
sunshine to really see them and make your decision
whether to buy or not...

and at $12, I couldn't resist!


what do you think?


***


thanks for visiting! Kit

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