October 2009 / Shell Sherree

Francophile Friday Fleurish: Fleurs de Katie

30.10.09

ink & watercolour illustration on cotton paper, 10" x 7" [25 x 17.5cm]

No matter which flower's your favourite, there's bound to be a posy here with your name on it. Dear Katie {well known to many visitors here} has just returned home from holidaying in Paris, Morocco and England. And in the midst of packing before she left, she took the time to email me a photo of a darling Paris flower shop from a previous trip. What a honey! Now that she's home ~ and possibly having withdrawal symptoms ~ it's about time you saw my take on Katie's trip to the florist to acquire blowsy pink roses {ahem, after splurging on boots next door}. Thanks again, Katie!!!

Happy Francophile Friday Fleurish to you all!

Read post

26 comments

Brisbane's Louvre Affair

27.10.09

Since when did the Louvre have a palm tree out the front? Don't worry, Paris as you know her has not turned on her head. Nor has someone cheekily transplanted leftover palms from this year's Paris Plage or made off with specimens from the Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil.

Au contraire, I thought it would be fun to show you another little Paris-flavoured local attraction. This is Parliament House in Brisbane, the seat of Queensland government. Built in the 1860s after Queensland's separation from New South Wales in 1859 {yes, this has been a year of 150th celebrations here in the Sunshine State ~ we know how to party}, architect Charles Tiffin was said to be inspired by the Louvre, while giving his design a colonial nod. The beautiful City Botanic Gardens are across the road, and the Brisbane River runs virtually alongside this gracious old dame. And it's less than ten minutes around the river from our petite Eiffel Tower, so a visit there will fit nicely into our itinerary!

Read post

19 comments

Venerdi in Venice: Awash with Alexa

23.10.09

I have a load of washing on. I wonder if I can arrange it to look like this by the time I'm finished with it! Me-thinks I would need a knight in shining wash-and-wear armour to help me hang it. Or something tall, dark and handsome on a cherry picker.

This illustration is based on a delightful Venice photo taken by Alexa. Regulars know Alexa well ~ she loves Venice and Paris, possibly in equal measures, and kindly offered her photos as inspiration to me {and she takes beauties!!}. When I saw this over at her place, it had Venerdi in Venice drawn all over it, so to speak ~ so here it is. Alexa happened upon this scene in the sestiere of Castello in Venice. {She's much better at knowing her way around Venice than me, as you can see!} Grazie many times over, dear Alexa!

Speaking of kindness, Hippopotame just featured my illustrations and Etsy store on her blog. Hippopotame is a jewellery designer, and for the Paris lovers {I know you're here}, you might like to check out her Eiffel Tower earrings and other French-inspired pieces. Thanks for the mention, Hippopotame.

And now ~ Happy Venerdi in Venice to you!

Read post

21 comments

Eau de Virginia et Violette

20.10.09

Paris and perfume are as inextricably woven together as Paris and romance. And if you're wafting along the perfume trail in le Marais, you'll happen upon this delicate parfumerie. And if your sensitive nose detects notes of violet nearby, you might be following Virginia.

Thanks, dear Virginia, for your kind offer of your photos like this one for inspiration. If you're a lover of Paris, you'll adore Virginia's Paris Through My Lens. She has an artist's eye and the photographic skills to do it justice. Not to mention, she's an all around bundle of fun and smells good!

Read post

25 comments

Francophile Friday: A Love Stohrer

16.10.09

Is it a coincidence that Paris, pâtisserie and pining all start with the letter P? I think not.

Blame it on Katie. She's in Paris right now {sigh}. And Katie's been going on and on about all kinds of pastries, especially those from Stohrer. Oh, my.

As a result of all that blatant flaunting of buttery, flaky delights, Cali and I were discussing the possible merits of a Calorie Exchange Programme and she sent me a photo of the pretty facade of this potential calorific offender. Stohrer is located at 51, rue Montorgueil just in case you want to visit next time you're in Paris. Walking to and from is recommended.

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

Read post

24 comments

What's It All About, Amalfi?

13.10.09

I feel it's high time we had another coastal daydream. I drew this from an old page torn from a magazine years ago and it was somewhere along the Amalfi coast. Purrrrrrr.

When I just had a poke around online, I fell upon these luxury retreats, where you can be guided "through the terrain of healing and transformation," while staying in a five star hotel, taking cooking classes and engaging in something involving a private yacht {those details are sketchy}. Who knew group therapy could be such a treat!

Anyhow, you're welcome to join me here, where we can laze and read. And our deep and meaningfuls need only extend as far as what kind of toppings we want on our pizzas for dinner. I'll have mine with char-grilled capsicum, olives and buffalo mozzarella, per favore! And for after-dinner drinks, it will be local Limoncello. Grazie. And for you, oh gorgeous ones?

Read post

22 comments

Friday Francophile Fleurish: Delphiniums du Jour

9.10.09

7" x 9.5" {18 x 24cm} ink and watercolour on French cotton paper

Some flower names translate fetchingly to girls' names. Rose. Daisy. Violet.

Others are a tad more quirky. Agapanthus. Crocus. Delphinium. Mind you, delphinium could easily be shortened to Finie, one of our sweet regular commenters, so it could be quite fetching after all.

Certainly this charming old French wooden crate with its aqua glass bottles of delphiniums is begging to be fetched and carried out to the garden, to tizzy up the table set for our Friday afternoon bubbly and macarons under the trees, right next to the agapanthus. {Now available in my Etsy 'flower shop' .}

Happy Friday Francophile Fleurish to you!

PS: This offer's nearly over: A little 'thank you for your support' launch special for my lovely blog readers: If you order one of my originals at my Etsy store by Friday 9th Oct {whatever your local time zone is} and mention 'Brazen Hussy' in the order notes, I'll give you 15% off via a refund back to your credit card. And if you're a regular commenter, I'll add in a couple of Shell Sherree gift cards with my compliments, as an extra Thank You! Any questions/suggestions/requests, don't hesitate to email me. Ta!

Read post

30 comments

Pink Acres is the Place to Be

6.10.09

Have you noticed how everything turns pink in October in support of Breast Cancer Month? {I dearly wish it was called Healthy Breasts Month to help us focus on the positives, but it's a vitally important cause no matter what the name is.} And just when you thought you'd seen it all, I may have found something new for the hobby farmists amongst you to consider.

Yes ~ you can buy your very own limited-edition pink tractor, produced by New Holland Agriculture, which has released a small number of lolly-pink Boomer compact tractors to raise funds {in conjunction with Australian supplier Black-Trac} for the National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia. So ladies, if you want to acquire a piece of agricultural machinery for "loading mulch, mowing the lawn or clearing a pasture" that you can pretty safely keep your man from borrowing, this is the tractor for you! And of course, you must wear a pretty dress and leopard-print gumboots to add your own modern day twist on Green Acres ~ or is it Pink Acres?

ps: A little 'thank you for your support' launch special for my lovely blog readers: If you order one of my originals at my Etsy store by Friday 9th Oct and mention 'Brazen Hussy' in the order notes, I'll give you 15% off via a refund back to your credit card. And if you're a regular commenter, I'll add in a couple of Shell Sherree gift cards with my compliments, as an extra Thank You! Any questions/suggestions/requests, don't hesitate to email me. Ta!

Read post

21 comments

Venerdi in Venice: Canal Living

2.10.09

I'm not sure what angle I was leaning on when taking the photo inspiration for this illustration, but it was an odd one. I wish I could attribute it to Hugh Jackman negotiating some turbulence in the canal while steering our gondola but in real life, I can't do that. What? This isn't real life? Then Hugh, could you please fluff my cushions when you've steadied us? {I didn't even have to ask. Such a gentleman, sigh...}

Per usual, I have no clue where in the heck this is, other than Venice. But somehow, I doubt that really matters.

And now, let's end the suspense and find out who had the strongest lucky vibes today for our blogoversary celebration giveaway. How better to announce it than with a drawing of the drawing of the winner of the draw. I attempted to have our kitty Ella choose by selecting one of the crumpled pieces of paper to play with but what can I say? She is a cat. If she doesn't feel like playing, that's the end of the discussion. I went to my reserve: hubby. Not as dextrous but it was fun to watch. Ella conceded to a quick pose after the hard work was done for her.

Congratulations, Petrea! Your Van Cleef & Arpels Féerie illustration will be winging her way to you shortly! Thank you all so much for your touching well-wishes and for making my blogging experiences so fun and rewarding. And on that note ~ Happy Venerdi in Venice to you!

Read post

27 comments