Burning smell and a fabulous song

I thought that you may like this song as when I heard it this morning it made me smile.

Hope that you all had a fabulous weekend. Ours was a very busy one and eventful as normal.

On Saturday afternoon Mr FF mentioned that there was a smell of burnt plastic in the hall. We hunted and hunted but could not work out what it was. We thought that it may have been the Christmas tree lights but off they came, but when sniffed they did not smell.

On Sunday morning the smell was worse and it appeared to be coming from the cupboard contained all the electrics and the main fuse box was warm and smelt of burnt plastic.

So we called our electrician who ironically was on his way to a party that we were supposed to be going it.

At first he did not think that it was worth calling EDF (power supply company) but then thought that it maybe the best option.........they advised that they would send someone between 2 -10pm and would call once at the house and to turn the power off. So the power was turned off and we all went to the party. An hour later we received a call to say that the EDF man was at our house.

So back to the house we went. Once inside the house, he agreed that there was a problem and promptly started to undo the sealed box contained the grand fuse.

He then said that it was "good" that we called him as if we had left it there would have been a fire and it would have been very serious.

He then replaced the faulty fuse and told us to monitor the box and if it started to smell again we were to call and he would come back.

So much for a quiet Sunday.....

I will be back later with details of the winner of my Pink Saturday giveaway.

A tres bientot,

L x

Pretty and pink etsy plus a giveaway

I cannot believe that it is Saturday already, where did the week go? And is it less than 4 weeks to Christmas....

So I thought that I have a look on etsy, and find us some pink french inspired gifts. So how about a.......

a very cute parisian girl ornament.......

or how about.....

a set of fabulous gift tags

or for the girl that loves to play games..

fabulously pink scrabble tile pendant

or for the lover of Paris............





Paris Eiffel Tower French Christmas Greeting Card

Or for the girl that adores sewing.......

Pink Marie Antoinette Wrist Pin Pillow cushion


or for the girl that loves to travel......



a fabulously french cotton bag to put your lingerie in

So merci beaucoup etsy, we would be lost without you. And a mille mercis to all of you for your lovely comments and advice, which I adore to read.

As a small token of my appreciation I am offering a fabulously french cotton bag as a giveaway this week. All you have to do in order to be in to win is leave me a comment.

Happy Pink Saturday to you all,

L x

Wishing you a ....

{image from here}

...very fabulous Friday.See you tomorrow for a very pink Saturday.

A demain,

L x

Fabulous and very french cork wreath

{cork wreath created by moi}

As promised here are some photos and also details of the steps that I followed in order to create my cork wreath.

Note of those of you that want to give this a go I would suggest starting with a small or medium sized wreath as rather than the largest in the shop which is what I did and it took many corks, far more than the 200 odd corks that it was supposed to take......

All you need is a straw wreath, a glue gun piece of twine or florist wire and lots of corks and some berry decorations if you would like to add them. You can also add some spanish moss but I could not find any near us.

1. Tie your twine or floral wire so that it wraps around the wreath but still has room for about 2 - 3 fingers to fit underneath. This is what you will use to hang your wreath afterwards when it is finished.

2. You then need to cover the entire front of the wreath in corks laying side by side.
I found that the best way to do this is with a long swath of hot glue down one side of the cork.

3. Line the corks up all nice and neat in a little row.
You are not going to want to go around the back side of the wreath - remember - it's going to be hanging on a wall so you want the backside to be flat.

4. You will get to a stubborn part where they do not line up like you want them to.
So you just have to tuck them in where you can... still trying as hard as you can to stay flat for this first layer. Your goal is to cover as much of the straw as you can.

Here you can see the wreath starting to take shape. If you have any awkward places cut some corks in 1/2 and use these. They look great poking out especially if they have the year of the vintage printed on them.

Here is a closeup of the cork layers....

Once you get the first layer of corks on, the long strip of glue is no longer going to stick the corks to the wreath.

Now in order for the corks to stick you will need to glue fthem at random angles. I tended to place them first to see what they looked like and also note where they touch then put glue where it was required.

The second layer is really just a layer of random placed corks - this is the stage where you want to use your "best looking" or most interesting corks. If using berries or spanish moss this is the time to start placing them amongst the final layer of corks.

Many corks later, you will have something that looks similar to my one but maybe not quite so big.......

This is a close up of what the layers will look like......

I am planning on making some smaller ones and giving them as gifts for Noel.

Finally I would like to wish everybody a very happy thanksgiving, it is the time of the year that we should all give thanks of what we have, not matter wherewe are in the world.

A vendredi

L x

Guess what arrived......

{image from here}

.....my petit coterie order. They are gorgeous and look just as good if not better than the photos.

As I was unpacking the order a local lady arrived and demanded that I keep on the french Christmas stockings for her.

I have updated my fabulously french online shop for anyone that wants to order either a stocking for a fabulous burlap pillow case.

We have quite a few designs in stock including:

The most fabulous where angels keep watch cushion

I love the wreath detail on this one and it has my favourite word on it........

This one is adorable and I love it when it is put with the "bonne nuit" cushion

This is my favourite one, as I believe that love is magic.........

I will be back tomorrow with photos of my grand cork wreath and also the steps that I followed inorder to create it.....

L x

Your advice is required......

{image from here}

My latest obsession is birdcages. As you all know Ange gave me a fabulous antique birdcage as a gift and ever since I received it, I have been looking through my ever growing magazine collection deciding what to do with it.

This morning I washed it and it is now in our lounge drying. I was going to paint with one of my farrow and ball favourite colours but now are not so sure. The plan is to hang it in the hall/entrance way of apartment deux and have ivy trailing down from it.

What would you do if you were me, paint it or leave it as it is? And what would you put in it?

The best idea will receive a petit cadeaux as a thank you.....

Merci beaucoup

L x

ps Managed to complete my cork wreath today, just need to find some one strong to lift it, think that I should have bought a smaller base as I found out today that is biggest is not always the best! I will post a photo of it tomorrow.

It's time to...

.....introduce my friend Ange who is joining us in celebrating Pink Saturday with Beverly.

Ange is also a kiwi who has lived in France for over 15 years, a lot of which were in Paris and more recently in Toulouse which is two hours from where we live.

Ange is full of energy, extremely artistic and very dynamic, as you will soon realise from reading her very interesting blogs.

You can find Ange's blog here.

Wishing you all a very Pink Saturday, where ever you may be in this very big blogging world of ours.

L x

Have a fabulous Friday...

{image from here}

Hope that you have a fabulous Friday, as normal I have chandeliers on my mind......

L xx

ps don't forget that it is pink Saturday tomorrow, what fun!

Patine and my angel friend....

As you all know, Ange (my new friend who I met through blogging) and I spent the weekend doing patine.

We had a fabulous time and I was sad when she had to leave on Monday night but am sure that this is the first of many rendez vous.

{Ange and moi in the village square}

Patine is a wonderful skill to learn and very easy to apply to most objects.

To explain in simple terms, it is a matter of layering coats of paints then removing some to get an aged effect. You then apply wax to protect the object.

As we only had a couple of days, we used a hairdryer to speed up the drying process.

In the photo above, you can see some of the objects that we painted. It was too chilly to paint in the garage so we made do with my showroom area.

This is a fronton, top of an antique wardrobe which had the patine treatment.

It is very fashionable in France at present, to place these above doorways, and they are always featured in French interior magazines.

Here are some candelabras which have been patined......

We painted the most fabulous chandelier which has dancing cherubs at the top, but I still have to finish the lamp holders. It will then be rewired and I will add the crystals as a finishing touch.

This is a photo of one that we are selling in the shop that has not been painted. It has 6 branches, the one that we have applied the patine to has 8 branches so is perfect for a large bedroom, lounge or even a dining area.

As soon as I have finished painted it, I will post some photos.

Next spring Ange will be coming to our lovely medieval village; Eymet to hold Patine classes, I am in the process of setting up a blog " fabulously patine" which will be dedicated to patine.

I have a venue in mind which I think will be perfect but will see for myself in a couple of weeks time as I am attending Christmas wreath making classes there.

Ange bought me the most fabulous antique bird cage (early birthday present) which I am planning to paint and then hang in the hall of apartment two, complete with trailing ivy.

I am off to start washing the bird cage, I think that the bath may be the best place.

J'espère que vous avez un mercredi fabuleux.

L x

Happy Birthday Mum

Dear Mum,

Wishing you a very happy birthday. Hope that you have a fabulous day.

Lots of love

Leeann & Trent xx

I am waiting...

{image from here}

........to see my kiwi blogging friend Ange who is driving up from Toulouse very early on Sunday morning.

I cannot wait, what fun we will have - two kiwis in a sleepy medieval village in SW France.

Ange is going to teach me patine, so I am currently searching out all the items that are suitable to patine.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend,

A very excited L x

ps Mr FF is a little daunted at the prospect of 2 kiwis in the house!

Today I adore......

 

......this tapestry. I must admit I would be sad if some one were to buy it as I adore it but as Mr FF keeps telling me I cannot keep everything and must sell some items in my online shop.

I adore the detail on it, each time that I look at it I notice something different.

We also have some fabulous antique prints in stock which would look fabulous in a child's room.

They both date from the very early 1900's and are in fantastic condition. They come complete with mounting and glass covering.

Another new item is this candelabra, she would look fabulous in the middle of the dining table drapped with ivy.

We also have some fabulous antique french chandeliers which we are in the process of photographing, these will be available at the beginning of next week.
One of which has over 180 crystals - fabulous!

A tres bientot,

L xx

M is for....

{Image from here}

Mondays and mannequins!

I must admit I am not a big fan of Mondays as it is still a very quiet day here in SW France with a lot of shops not opening and this has taken me a while to get used to!

But as you all know I adore mannequins and was very happy when I found this fabulous online shop.

Let me know if you like it as much as I do.

A demain

L x

Bonne chance kiwi girls

To Leisa and Lesley, Bonne chance!

Hope that your stall at the city market in Wellington, New Zealand tomorrow is a great success.

L xx

Friday flowers & 7 things ......

{Image from here}

I cannot believe that it is Friday again, the week has whizzed past in a very unfrench-like fashion!

I was given a blog award from the very kind Maryanne who has a gorgeous blog and also the most fabulous shop in Texas. As part of the award I have to reveal 7 things that you do not already know about me. So here goes...........

1. I am a compulsive hoarder and do not throw anything away.


2. I am the world's eternal optimist and always look on the bright side


3. I should never be given the task of washing socks as they never stay together and always go walkabouts (Mr FF is the proud owner of many pairless socks). Message to all Mr FF's socks stop hiding, come out where ever you are........


4. I have a thing about making the beds, they must always be made and everything on them in its right spot - Mr FF and I had our first agument about how to make the bed!


5. I am 41 years old and do not have a drivers license (this is a result of living in the centre of major cities; Sydney & London being prime examples and also having a driver; Istanbul, Mumbai and Dubai. So now I have a choice remain in rural France and start driving lessons or move to a major city......hmmmm it's a tough call.


6. I live with an English man and do not like "fish 'n'chips"


7. I am a qualified Chartered Accountant who in a previous life specialised in managing big IT projects travelling around the globe and are now training to become a domestic goddess, it is tough being chained up in the kitchen for most of the day but Mr FF does so like his gateaux

Thanks to Maryanne for the award, I would like to pass it on to anyone in my blog list who feels like lifting their veil and sharing with the rest of us mere mortals.

Vous souhaitant à tous un vendredi fabuleux

L x

Fabulous chairs...and vintage grain sacks

{Image from here}

Look what I found on etsy, aren't they fabulous?

Note if you are a lover of burlap, I have 5 fabulous vintage grainsacks, dating from the early 1900's, arriving next week, which are gorgeous and have a picture of a stork on them.

They look great either hanging on the wall or turned into a cushion and will only be 30 euros each.

{image from here}

I will be back a little later with my list 7 things that you would never guess about moi :-)

L x

Christmas stock....

{image from here}

I simply could not resist posting a photo, aren't they cute? I adore them but I am one of those people that cannot get enough of Christmas. It is my favourite time of the year and I love having a cold Christmas after having many hot ones downunder.

These fabulous decorations are now available in the Fabulously French online shop along with many other decorations for Noel.

A bientot,

L x

St Emilion Je t'aime beaucoup.....

{St Emilion - a village that I love}

Hope that you all had a fabulous weekend and got lots of interesting wee visitors. There were many ghosts and witches out on Saturday night in our village , all looking very scary.

Yesterday we went to Bordeaux to pick up some items for the shop and after we decided to come back the scenic route through Saint Emilion.

It is one of my favourite places in our region, everytime we go, I love it a little bit more. We are so lucky that it is only a 40 minute drive from the house which means it is a great place to spend a leisurely Sunday.

There are lots of fabulous restaurants and unlike most places in France, the shops are open on a Sunday - fabulous! For wine lovers, it is heaven as there are wine shops everywhere selling what is said to be the best red wine in the world, and even I as a kiwi girl who is a fan of Aussie and kiwi reds have to admit it is pretty good.



They also have a fabulous shop that sells my favourite cakes.......

{My favourites - Canelé cakes}

An interesting fact about these petit and very yummy cakes - If you have the choice between a Cannelé and a Canelé, do taste the second one!

"Canelé" is indeed the very local name of the Bordeaux speciality, given at the end of the 20th century by the original pâtissiers gathered in a brotherhood to protect the traditional recipe of their Canelés.

South-West bakers actually removed one of the n's from the old spelling to make the difference between their renowned French pastry, with its secret method of preparation, and common Cannelé versions that you can now find in Paris, New York and even Osaka!

So you know where to come if you want to try a real one.......

A demain,

L x


ps tomorrow I will be revealing 7 things that you would never guess about me, thanks to Maryanne at Beadboardcountry!