Vaison, Early Spring...

...and the roses are blooming against the stone wall next to the blue shutters... another beautiful day in Provence! We are excited to be busy planning a new Chic Provence Design Tour 2013 and will announce details soon! Stay tuned..

hope your weekend is going beautifully!...   Kit

{photo Chris in Provence}

Vivid Pastel in Provence

May in Provence is a soft time of year. 

The greens are still tender and new, the ochres are gentle, 

the pinks are softly radiant in the still-gentle sunshine. 

all photos Kit Golson's iPhone in Provence

on the Chic Provence Design Tour

Printemps 2012

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thanks for visiting!  ..   Kit

Birthday Chris in Provence!

Since today is a really big birthday for my adorable, sweet, funny and crazy husband Chris, here are some photos of him on our recent trip to Provence. I took these using my iPhone, and tried to capture the essence of his energy and zest for life!

I owe him so much... it was with Chris at my side that I first discovered the incredible land called Provence over twenty years ago, and we have been back there countless times, including living there for a (too short!) time.

Together we have made a bid on an incredible bastide, hiked the treacherous Gorge du Verdun, sunbathed a la francaise (yes, really!) on the beaches, hosted a huge family Provençal Thanksgiving dinner, attended countless military memorial events of WWII with our friend the drap porteau, driven from here to there and back again, getting lost on little crooked streets and one time even managed to wedge our tiny European car between the walls enclosing a VERY narrow little street... until help arrived in the form of irate villagers, pompiers and les flics.

I cannot tell you just how many croissants, petits pains du chocolate, petits suisses, baguettes and yogurts we have consumed there, nor how many cafes au lait, Oranginas, pains bagnet, salades nicoise, socca, glasses of Bandol, & moules frites we've inhaled on our daily rambles in Provence.

This then is a quick tribute to Chris in Provence... all shot last month while there on the Chic Provence Design Tour! See what you missed? :)

Chris took this of me at dawn in the cocquelicots near Bonnieux!!

an amazing photo from an amazing photographer! (check out his website on my sidebar)
photo by Chris Golson

Chris is on the right, with me and our son in law Steven at Bistro Saumane,

one of the best meals we've ever had in Provence! I love this picture Cheri took of us!

Chris at the little Guinguette on la Sorgue..

check out that Nikon D900, and early birthday gift!

always shooting, Chris captured these adorable little

French boys playing ball in the equally picturesque street!

this is how I see Chris a LOT.. leaning against a wall,

shooting.. here we are in Vaison la Romain and

he was capturing a kitty sleeping in a doorway

Chris in charge of the group photo shoot at les coquelicots..

all business!

Chris chilling with Joel at the only cafe in Oppede le Vieux.

Chris testing the wine that Jon chose for dinner for

our second evening at the villa.. he approved!

Chris is quite amused at Jon's lesson in how to pick up your roasted chicken :)

Ursula looks a bit incredulous herself!

Chris mugging for the iPhone! That's Keek next to him.

Chris really liked Joel's glasses and gave them a

test drive at Cafe de la Place in St. Remy!

Chris right after our bicycle ride.....! ready for a little nap?

Back at ya, honey... this is YOU the morning you shot

the picture of me in the cocquelicots... !

Happy Birthday, Chris!

I love you a bushel & a peck!

***

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thanks for visiting!... Kit

St. Trop' in the 50's and Tarte Citron

Browsing the auctions in Provence this weekend I came across this wonderful mid-century oil painting of an innocently sweet St. Tropez harbor. I love this genre of painting.. naive, color-saturated and slightly impressionist paintings of the south of France depicting a simpler time before color TV and cell phones, the internet and Twitter. I've collected a few of these and love them dearly. I'd like to bid on this one. While daydreaming about what I'd do with this lovely painting, I designed a possible room to house it. Take a look!

note all the old wooden sailboats in the harbor in the fifties... today there are speedboats and
huge yachts lazing in the sea around St. Trop.. but this painting shows a simple and more
innocent time, before the jet-setters discovered this sleepy fishing village and
Brigit Bardot filmed "And God Created Woman" here (banned in most theaters in
the US at the time it was released in the 60's) 

Lotus Flower wallcovering by
Studio Printworks is the
perfect background for this
painting... with lots of white
space and the fresh linear
design, the painting will
be able to breathe yet be
surrounded by beauty also

Indian Sand by Little & Greene
is the perfect paint color in a high gloss
for the trim and fireplace

Secret Shell by Little & Greene

is the perfect color for painted

floors in a high gloss

Inner Shell by Little & Greene is
another great pink to use for
trim and accent colors

two more beautiful paintings up for auction from the fifties of the
area surrounding St. Tropez in the South of Provence..
these are of the Var coastline and remind me
so much of the time we lived there

stunning fabrics I would use for window coverings

and for tablecloth/cushions... the top is from

Osborne & Little I think (cannot remember for

certain, sorry!) and the bottom is the

perennial favorite of Kelly Wearstler trellis

adding to the 50's vibe is this wonderful Eames era
cattail floor lamp in the iconic color of the
fifties... turquoise! I found this on eBay

a very quick and simple sketch of how I would use the
different elements in the room to show the painting
off to its best advantage.. what do you think?
pretty colorful, non?

After all that daydreaming I decided it might be time to go fix something lusciously lemony for my husband for dessert... and found this recipe at Cote Maison... even the French are looking for easy recipes these days!

Tarte Citron au Fromage

Luscious Lemon Cheesecake

from CoteMaison 

INGREDIENTS

125 g of butter cookies

125 g of graham crackers

125 g butter

1/2 salt

300 g of fresh cream cheese

1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk

1 lemon

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 packet of gelatin

PREPARATION

1. Place the gelatine in a bowl with cold water.

2. In a blender, cut the cookies into crumbs. Melt butter in saucepan or microwave. In a bowl, mix the crumbs and melted butter until mixture is sandy.

3. Butter a large pan with removable bottom (diameter 25 cm approx.). Divide the mixture of biscuits, press the bottom of a ramekin to properly mix the dough. Make up the edges slightly. Place in the fridge.

4. Take the lemon zest finely with a knife zester; reserve in half for decoration by placing them in the fridge in an airtight container. Squeeze half the lemon.

5. In a small saucepan, heat lemon juice, remove from heat and fold in the gelatine so they are dissolved.

6. In a mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese. Gradually add condensed milk, vanilla, lemon juice and half the zest. Beat until smooth.

7. Pour the lemon cream over the dough and place it back in the fridge for at least one night.

8. Take out 20 minutes before serving and garnish with remaining lemon zest.

***

although I must admit Mlle. Bardot probably
didn't indulge in too much of this
luscious Tarte Citron au Fromage
by the looks of these photos of her
on the St. Tropez beach in the 50's!
do you love those outfits.. you could
wear them quite chicly today

***

St. Trop harbor today, with this little map showing
it's command of the Riveria to the east

Space is Limited!!

Chic Provence Tour in

the spring! reserve by

March 1, 2012

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