To get a quick French fix....

...head to Quebec City! I had the pleasure of fantastic company for a quick trip to Quebec last weekend. It is only about 8 hours away by car from Boston making it a doable long weekend getaway. It was seasonably cold but not unbearably so, it was snowing - which was fun to walk through since we have had no snow this winter and très, très French!

Travel the world in one day!

Pillivuyt Pâtisserie - a delicious addition!

Introducing Pillivuyt Pâtisserie 

Pillivuyt has been producing porcelain since 1818 but with the introduction of the new award -winning porcelain recipe Pillenium, it is now possible to create thinner, more delicate shapes that are just as durable as their original formula. You can even make extra portions of a recipe, freeze it in your Pillivuyt dish and bring it directly from your freezer to the oven or microwave.

All Pillivuyt will withstand temperatures from -25 to 650 degrees Farenheit. Pillivuyt's non-porous glaze creates a virtually non-stick surface that is hard enough to withstand the use of sharp knives and other metal utensils, allowing you to cut your pastries right in the baker. In these elegant dishes, you can bring your creations directly from the oven to the table. As wilth all Pillivuuyt porcelain, everything is dishwasher-safe and the glaze keeps the dishes looking sparkling white for year.

Your brioche and tarts will thank you! Shop here for all the new and classic styles of Pillivuyt!

Everyone Can Use a Little Girls Guide to Paris!

Seeing and visiting Paris like the average tourist thumbing through the pages of a guidebook is so yesterday! Today’s smart and trend-conscious woman visiting The City of Light does not even buy her ticket before going online and reading Girls Guide to Paris. Everything you always wanted to know about Paris, and much more, can be found on this highly-personalized, online city guide popular with savvy travelers.

Among the scores of tips and suggestions, www.girlsguidetoparis.com provides the opportunity to experience Paris like a true insider.  Here you can find dozens of good-value independent hotels, filled with charm and character, which have been tested and hand-selected. Founder Doni Belau and her team of local writers have visited hundreds of art galleries, bistros and designer boutiques and sampled offbeat tours of Paris to share with their readers the “best of the best” among the city’s must-see attractions.

Olive and Branch is proud to announce their partnership with Girls Guide to Paris's new Travel Club. The club provides savings and value, as well as VIP treatment. Within the site’s newly-created Travel Club, Belau’s hand-picked group of 100 partners is dedicated to the special care and comfort of members who come from around the world to visit Paris from an insider's point of view.. Girls Guide is careful to choose for the Club the more unusual, more offbeat and more interesting places, hotels and tours, moving beyond the usual Moulin Rouge show and Seine river cruises.

For starters, anyone can sign up on a complimentary basis for the site’s Les Amis (circle of friends) to enjoy access to a monthly newsletter, as colorful as it is informative. A team of insider editors and writers shares everything from the new, must-taste French vintage to a featured recipe of the month, which can be prepared at home and will turn the reader into Julia Child in no time. Special benefits for Les Amis also provide discounts and timely offers to stretch the Euro beyond one’s budget

To bring the Paris experience up a notch in enjoyment, the site’s Passport to Paris status rewards website readers for only $95 per year. For that modest annual fee, the choice of “Paris perks” reads like a traveler’s wish list. Among the featured highlights are travel discounts beginning at 10% off, check-in privileges, room upgrades at select hotels, and a VIP welcome amenity. Ten do-it-yourself Girls Guide Walking Tours to Paris are available to help plan your day. Discounts on spas of 15%, members’-only savings on airport transfers, up to 60% off on tours and classes, and as much as $100 off luxury apartment rentals, plus special pricing at boutiques, restaurants and bars can be enjoyed throughout Paris. Total trip savings can equal $500 or more. With the Passport to Paris membership Olive and Branch is offering a 15% discount on all purchases.

For those who want every detail taken care of, Le Club travel club status is available at $325 or $575 per year. This service provides a full-service concierge (3 or 7 days) to help plan a trip in every detail. The concierge service is able to create some very special experiences not available to the average traveler, such as shutting down a store for an exclusive shopping experience or arranging helicopter service for private dinner at a chateau. The full-service concierge will work to make members feel pampered and 100% happy during their stay. Members will also receive all the benefits which Passport to Paris members receive. Even more important, Le Club members can experience VIP Parisian memories with invitations to exclusive fashion shows, previews at art galleries, film screenings, and private parties.With Le Club membership Olive and Branch offers 20% discounts on all purchases.

Spring is right around the corner - isn't it time to start planning your Paris getaway? What better partner to help you than Girls Guide to Paris!

                                                               

oooh la la...these just in...

...OK, I have to admit I am a sucker for a notebook, a journal or even a new pad of paper. I love new notebooks, love the crack when you open them up and when you hear the pages turning for the first time. I love that first notation onto the virgin paper - always in my best handwriting - bien sûr.

I used to buy beautiful notepads and journals and not use them, collecting them almost - waiting for something very special to use them for. Well, I gave that up years ago and now I use them - for list making, for ideas, projects to plan, things to do, grocery shopping, trip planning, for drawings, or to just rip out a page when someone needs a piece of paper unexpectedly.

I always have one or two that I am working with at any one time. So, when these arrived in the shop today I was of course very excited. These Mini Paris Notebooks come in a set of three (just the right size for a purse!) and are perfect way to show off your love of Paris! One interior is lined, one is blank and one is graphed (making home decor projects that much easier!)

I knew you'd love them - especially at the price of $10 for the trio! Buy them here.

Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year

Pantone 2012 Color of the Year - Tangerine Tango

Being in the design industry for some 20+ years I am always excited when Pantone introduces a new color to their spectrum and this year is no exception. Introducing Pantone's 2012 Color of the year - Tangerine Tango.  

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Past colors of the year include:

2011- Pantone 18-2120 Honeysuckle

2010 - Pantone 18-2120 Turquoise

2009 - Pantone 14-0848 Mimosa

2008 - Pantone 18-3943 Blue Iris

2007 - Pantone 19-1557 Chili Pepper

Fête des Rois

Take a peek into the windows of any French bakery this time of year and this is what you'll find -

The French tradition of serving a frangipane filled tart known as the galette des rois on, or around the 6th January, (the first Sunday of each New Year) actually dates back to the 14th century.

The festival takes place around Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas, when the wise men visited baby Jesus. This year, the Epiphany falls on Friday, January 6th - today!

Usually there is a small feve (originally a bean or small pottery figurine) baked inside the cake and whichever lucky person gets the piece with the feve is king for the day! Of course, if they  happen to bite into the feve they may be seeing their dentist soon too!

Happy New Year!

Bonne Année!

Rue Cler Fleuriste, Paris, France, January 2011

Merry Christmas!

Les Treize Deserts de Noel

I love holiday traditions, and I especially love learning about traditions followed in other countries. Thanks to my new friend....click here to continue reading...

We are thankful to Julie Gilley of My Far and Away for her post on Provencal Holiday Traditions. Don't miss our special offer to her readers at the end of the article.