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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

2011 has been a great year.  
I cannot believe it's almost over.  
Time sure does fly when you are having fun!

This past year has been one of the best years of my life.  We were blessed with the birth of our new baby boy, Caspian Finn.  And I can honestly say he completes our little family.  Not only do I feel blessed in my personal, family life, but I have been incredibly blessed in my professional, creative life as well.  The release of my first two printed sewing patterns this year was a major accomplishment for me and I'm looking forward to many new designs coming out in 2012.

Here are some of the top tutorials from 2011 that were viewed time and time again on The Cottage Home:



Another big favorite was the Semi-Handmade Wardrobe Series where I repurposed a lot of the girls clothing and made them into new, fresh looks for spring:



And the most popular party post from 2011 was Matilda's "Tea for 2" birthday party:



Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking the time to visit The Cottage Home in 2011.  There are many exciting things planned for 2012 and I appreciate you coming along on this journey with me.  And next week, I have a BIG giveaway planned from me to you ~ just as a little thank you.  

So tell me, what was your favorite tutorial on The Cottage Home in 2011?

Here's to a great 2012!

remembering my first french new year



The first time I spent the New Year in France, was also the first time I was invited to meet my future husband's family, and I was a little nervous.  I flew down to Paris, spent a romantic afternoon in the capital before being whisked out to the country home.

The dinner was to be a traditional family celebration, and that is surely the best way to meet for the first time.

From the moment I walked through the door, I was not only warmly welcomed but made to feel part of the party and allowed to help with the preparations!

The French New Year dinner was bigger and more sophisticated than any meal I had eaten in my life!  A long table was laid out for almost twenty people, most of whom were already present and busy.

The men were put to opening the oysters, and laying the fires;  little girls shown how to lay the table beautifully, the wonderful grandmother was busy making a wicked chocolate mousse, and keeping a careful eye on what everyone else was doing!

I was given easy tasks and encouraged to join in the busy bubbly conversations around the busy bubbly kitchen table.  Out of the corner of my eye I could see that there were many different sorts of dishes being prepared, but I had to wait until we sat down to understand what this dinner would be like.

Suddenly there was a change in tempo, and it was declared to be the right moment 'pour se preparer' to get changed and make ourselves look lovely!  I had brought with me a LBD and high heels, neither flashy nor casual, I felt comfortable although by the end of the meal I would happily have let the waist out a bit!!

All the girls, from the youngest (4 years old) to the doyenne (the eldest at 84 years old) disappeared and could be heard chatting as they did each others hair, or buttoned up a pretty dress.  The men also changed and little by little everyone drifted back down to the main fire, where bottles of champagne had appeared accompanied by tiny, delicious 'amuse gueules' .




The long table was beautiful, candles placed here and there, pretty napkins, sparkling cutlery  and three plates in front of each seat.  "On a mis les petits plats dans les grands", smiled the grandmère "we've put the small plates on the bigger ones", simply meaning this is going to be a grand meal.

After almost an hour chatting over the champagne, I could sense that speed was picking up in the kitchen and when the lady of the house declared it was time to eat, there was a flurry of people finding their seats while others carried huge platters of fresh seafood, smoked salmon and baked snails to the table.  I was advised which sort of bread to take with the oysters, and to squeeze just the right amount of lemon juice over the salmon.



The atmosphere was fun, loving, fairly loud but never out of place.  The  seafood platters disappeared after a while and the next course materialised as if by magic.   Foie gras and  paté en croute.  This also meant a change of wine, and only then did I notice that as well as several plates ready in front of us, we each had several different wine glasses.  We had enjoyed a dry white wine with the seafood, and switched to a sweeter Sauternes with the foie gras.




There was a pause now, a couple of the women busy in the kitchen, and the man of the house called in to carve.  Our foie gras plates cleared away, bottles of red wine appeared down the centre of the table and from the kitchen there emerged a magnificent roasted leg of venison, accompanied by two large dishes of gratin dauphinois (potato bake) and two fragrant dishes of sautéd wild mushrooms.




This is the point where I realised that when the French sit down to eat, it is a serious business, and first and foremost they talk about ... food.  Everybody was keen to discuss how long the meat had been cooked for, how well the wine suited the flavour of the dish; which variety of potatoes were best for the gratin ...  I sat back and watched ... and understood ... and learned ... and loved every minute of it!

We took our time over this main course, people enjoyed second helpings, wine glasses were kept topped up, children started to look a little weary but nobody was in a hurry.   In fact just as we reached the end of this course, the clock struck 12 and everybody stood to kiss everyone else in the room and wish each other the very best for the year to come.  You can imagine that with twenty people in the room this took  a while, but the movement was welcome, and while we were all standing everyone gave a hand to clear away and ... bring in the next course!




Cheese and salad was next in line.  Clean plates, same cutlery, and we continued with the same red wine.  A stunning cheese selection, and more food conversation until finally it was time for dessert.



Here the children were served with grandmère's chocolate mousse and for the adults there was a magnificent Buche de Noel, not home made but, as is often the case in France, ordered from their favourite bakers.  

This happy, family celebration ended at around 4 in the morning, the tables not quite cleared away, but space made for dancing in front of the fire.  The next day, I'm glad to say that the meals were much lighter, and there was a long walk in the afternoon.  A wonderful way for me to discover family life in France.


Thursday, December 29, 2011

a very chic french ski chalet


If there is a place that I really appreciate great luxury combined with subtle use of colour it is the ski chalet.  The place above all others where we want to feel cosy, and cosseted, and secure.  We long for heavy warm duvets, hot chocolate beside a roaring fire, plenty of space to share with family and friends; after all a ski holiday is the ideal moment for a high altitude house party!






Bedrooms and bathrooms big enough to have some privacy and sleep well after a long day on the slopes.













The kitchen in a ski chalet needs to be large and open so everyone can get in to help, and taste, and contribute.   The sitting room must be comfy and spacious, in these pictures of a French chalet they manage to make a big space feel cosy, using subtle colours and warm soft fabrics.










I love the weathered wood on the outside of this restored chalet.  The pine that keeps its golden glow indoors, turns beautifully grey and silver when bared to the elements.  Take a look at the wooden tiles used to clad the chimney and the roof.




This chalet pushes the idea of winter luxury a little further with a wine cellar, proof that every body's tastses have to be catered for if the holiday is to be a real success!




all photos thanks to coté maison

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

what do you do after the rush?!




I LOVE to have the house full, the children home, friends to visit, dinners to prepare and tables to lay.  But part of that pleasure is knowing that when it's all over, even though I continue to be busy, I shall carve out a little bit of me-time.

At this time of year, we often set ourselves challenges in the form of resolutions, but supposing we stopped pushing ourselves so hard and instead indulged ......




Of course it's always possible to run a long scented bath at the end of the day, then sink into bed with a good book, but sometimes it's good to aim higher, to be more ambitious, dare I say greedy even.


Me-time is never easy with four children, in fact for the past twenty years, apart from riding it has been non-existent, but now they are growing up, I begin to see windows of opportunity!  :)  Nothing too ambitious:  I haven't planned a trip to the tropics, or booked myself into a  spa!

The me-time I'm looking forward to will be spent painting.  I already set up the easel, I found some good canvases and boards before christmas and put them aside.  I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but we'll see what happens when the brush hits the canvas!   For me, the mere sight of paint on a palette is therapy.




So I was wondering; if I wave a magic wand and give you 3 hours with no constraints of time or money, what would  your me-time be?  Shopping alone?  A luxury facial?  Sleeping late in the morning?  A long chat  with a girlfriend?  A walk on the beach?  

I'm willing to bet that between us all we could come up with a surprising wide range of ideas.


Tuesday, December 27, 2011

been and gone ......


 Happy days!
Friends arriving
champagne popping
food savoured
jokes shared 
thank-you's exchanged
 forest walking
patient horses
tired dogs
happy days


























{ Favorite Projects of 2011 }

I love posting all my projects here on The Painted Home.
I thought I'd share which ones were my favs of 2011.

Slate Coasters

Toile Window Panels
 

Door Serving Tray

Fireplace Mantel

Bathroom Reveal

Porch

The Guest Room

Storage solutions

Jonas's Room

Painted Pantry

Yardstick Staircase

Pottery Barn Wreath

The Foyer

Red Wagon Shelf

Laundry Room Makeover

I have a lot more going on at the house now, so stay tuned in 2012 to see what's new!
Thanks for reading.

* H a p p y * N e w * Y e a r *
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