A Chic Provence Giveaway! Hidden in Paris

The brilliant Corine at Hidden in France has published her first book, Hidden in Paris,and I loved reading it! I already miss the characters... Annie, Lola, Althea, Lucas... and find myself wondering what they are up to now!

Corine is French living in Los Angeles, and her book is written with lots of little insights into the French way of thinking. I find her use of the English language completely charming and spot on for a native French speaker (and I know because I'm married to one!). I can already see the film, {Renee Zellwieger (Annie), Uma Thurman (Lola), Hilary Swank (Althea)}, and a narrator speaking English with that French accent and way of expressing things, and I can't wait to see it!

If you have been to Paris you will recognize the places and the paces of life described here, and it will make you want to head over there and take up residence off Avenue Hoch near Parc Monceau, and shop the daily produce markets on Rue Poncelet. Sigh!

You can win an autographed copy of Hidden in France here, enter below now!

Parc Monceau in Paris a la fin du siecle

Parc Monceau in Paris today

Rue Poncelet in Paris

Corine Gantz' new book,

a delicious read!

How to enter? Trés simple!

1. follow Chic Provence here

2. like my FB page

3. follow my Twitter

4. leave a lovely message for me here

Two lucky winners will have the book sent directly to them by Corine herself!

By the way, go over to Hidden in France today and enter for a Paris weekend giveaway!!

Bon Chance!

**drawing to be held Monday evening PST 8 pm**

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Merci pour la visite! ... Kit

Before Everyone Else Is Up in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

One early morning in April we found ourselves walking through the roads and alleyways in l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, in Provence. We stopped in for un cafe et une croissant, then wandered through the quiet streets before the hustle and bustle of the day. Peeking into store windows and watching the locals get the day going, here is what we saw:

a sweet topiary window display

coffee and croissant

and the newspaper to start the day

I love a lot about this window; the lamps, the table

the colors, the shadowy painting... my reflection:)

the burly gendarme and his burly dog

get their morning going

couldn't wait 'til this antiquaire opened!

General Charles de Gaulle's speech in 1940

the "general store" in town before the day's rush

of customers

the Easter delectables in the window

of one of the confiseries

what's so funny chocolate bunny? :)

this antiquaries was just setting things up on

their terrace by the river

pillow covers pieced together from vintage French

linens of many types

the coolness of cement in a shaded garden terrace

peeking in another antiquaire

a doorway of local home; the colors

of apricot and lavender I love!

a cool spot to stop and rest a moment

a stolen kiss between the betrothed!

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{all photos taken with my iPhone}

merci pour la visite! .. Kit

Dessert Blanc Bleu

HELLO EVERYONE!

This evening is the first real summer one we've had. All summer long we have been freezing as soon as the sun goes down. But this evening... at le crepescule, it was lovely.

How could we NOT have dessert in the far back corner of the garden? How could we not use the beautiful hand-stitched blue and white throw over the table? how could we not cut dahlias and roses from the garden and toss them into a silver pitcher? and of course we had to bring out the beautiful Rosenthal bone china we use so infrequently. Then we realized we must bring out the old French fauteuil that is covered in needlepoint blue & white by Chris's own grand-mere with her own two hands. Incroyable!

The result is this little vignette that will forever remind me of our first warm evening of 2011.

merci pour la visite! ... Kit

I'm linking up with Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday!

A Little Southern Beach Cottage...

...would be a lot fun right about now... a tall icy drink, palm trees swaying in the breeze, the screened-in sleeping porch, laughter and dogs barking in the distance... these are the things of the endless summers of my childhood. Although our cottage wasn't quite this adorable, it was the real thing... wooden cottage on stilts set back in the dunes in the palmettos at Indian Pass Beach on the Gulf Coast, with a wooden walkway leading to the front screened porch. With the sun hot overhead, as children we were not allowed outside between 10 am and 3 pm, so my four brothers and I played endless games of monopoly and cards, built forts and put on plays and art shows.

Those summer vacations are now more a state of mind than anything else. Wanna come play?

colorful vintage beach pails

pale seafoam breadboard walls trimmed in

white are the quintessential beach look

simple shelves made from found beach wood

cooling blues and whites among the mossy beach oaks

Fifi Flowers painted this very cottage; you can

buy this at her etsy shop here!

painted floor screened porch with colorful rattan furniture

is charming; the porch ceiling is painted blue to scare

away the spirits... of course!

the adorable cottage above is

one of the Mermaid Cottages on

Tybee Island, Georgia, near
Savannah where my dear
cousin Claire lives and

my mother was born

halfway between

Saint Vincent Island

and Cape San Blas

lies Indian Pass Beach

where we spent long

summer vacations

the incomparable white powdery sand of my

childhood summers on the Gulf Coast

St. George Island

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Thanks for visiting!..... Kit

l'âne bleu Brings a Smile :)

If you use color, pattern, shape and texture in unexpected ways you will create an element of surprise and delight in your interiors. Caravane, available at l'âne bleu... l'Art de Vivre au Sud in Marseilles, has put together an irresistible collection of pieces that are at once young at heart and sophisticated a la one.

Their cheeky, playful designs will always bring a smile, and what could be better for the spirit?

a fantastic rendition of a kilim-covered fauteuil

would lighten the mood of any room a

few notches!

this is my favorite color of blue; and I love the

pearly round shapes on the wall

the sculptural shape, light feel and

gorgeous color make this canapé

a star!

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merci pour la visite! .. Kit