February 2011 / Shell Sherree

Francophile Friday: Vintage Paris

25.2.11

ink & watercolour weensy meep miniature, 3.5 x 2.5" [9 x 6.5cm ]

One of the many unfortunate side-effects of our January floods is the impact on the supply of vintage treasures at my local thrift shops. This is in no small part due to several of them going underwater, including my favourite, the RSPCA Thrift Shop at Sherwood. {No, they do not sell men in tights. The Sherwood Forest store might.} I'm fond of fossicking around in there, so I'm champing at the bit for their re-opening. As excellent as they are, however, I've yet to happen upon any vintage items like the ones illustrated poking out from under a pile of $2 stonewash jeans. One suspects one is a tad more likely to see them languishing around with a mild air of ennui and a waft of cigar smoke in the Place des Pyramides in Paris. Merci to dear Eric of Paris Daily Photo for the inspiration. They actually look like fine getaway vehicles. Meep, meep. Ladies, gentlemen ~ start your engines. And on that note...

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

PS: I'm offering Original Meep Miniatures at a special rate to my dear blog readers for the next couple of weeks {while stocks last}: $39AUD for a pair {unframed}, plus $3 standard postage worldwide. There's no simple way to handle it in my Etsy store, so please just pop me an email at shellsherree[!at]gmail.com if interested and we'll arrange delivery details and secure credit card payment. My Etsy store doesn't show all Meeps available, so if your fave isn't there, please ask in case I still have it.

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Fanciful Friday: Lime & Firth, Please

18.2.11

ink & watercolour weensy meep miniature, 2.5 x 3.5" [6.5 x 9cm ] ACQUIRE A MEEP

I can hear you whimpering that we aren't heading for Paris or Venice today {oh yes, I can}, but this weekend I'm taking us somewhere different. That's what Fanciful Friday is all about. And pip, pip, cheerio ~ a change is as good as a holiday, eh what? We're heading across land and sea via motorcraft, watercraft and aerocraft in all manner of eccentric shapes and sizes ~ and before you can ask, "Are we there yet?" for the ninety-ninth time, we'll arrive at Lime Wood in Hampshire, England.

Vogue Living {Australia} featured this bucolic getaway {Sep-Oct 2010 edition} and described it thus and verily: "A restrained dose of whimsy and wildflower hues preserve the Regency aesthetic of an English country manor hotel without the formal stuffiness of its counterparts." Wherever Regency aesthetic resides, Colin Firth will be bathing in a lake nearby. Done. I've artfully contrived a gilt-framed Do Not Disturb sign on the doors leading to the drawing room. There will be no dart throwing, as the walls are lined with lavender raw silk. But until the company arrives, we can bide our time with a glass of sherry and look intelligent as we ponder what in the heck the {no-doubt-hellishly-expensive} abstract on the wall is all about. And on that note...

Happy Fanciful Friday to you!

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Francophile Friday: Bicyclette and regnaluoB

11.2.11

ink & watercolour illustration, 7" x 8.75" [18 x 22.5cm]

When I saw Virginia's photo inspiration for today's post {merci comme toujours, V!}, it took me a moment to get my bearings. If I'd been cycling at the time, I would have wobbled and fallen off in my discombobulation, leaving my 'chic' lying crestfallen and undignified on the cobblestones. Here's hoping someone kind would be on hand to pick me up and straighten my beret.

This scene was one of Virginia's Paris Rouge series, but I'm feeling in more of a raspberry mood ~ et voilà. Our picnic awaits ~ as soon as we procure some crusty baguettes to accompany our fromage et vin. After you. No, not that way ~ that way. And on that note...

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

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Francophile Friday Fleurish: Flower Power

4.2.11

ink & watercolour illustration, 7" x 8.75" [18 x 22.5cm] ORDER PRINT

My possums aren't going to be happy with me. Cyclone Yasi obliterated most of Australia's banana crops. {In a double whammy, those poor farmers also lost their crops in Cyclone Larry in 2006 and have to start again, again.} This will take the humble banana into luxury goods territory. I could feed my adopted wildlife a silk pillowcaseful of organically~grown Bulgarian rose petals harvested by the light of the silvery moon by Colin Firth and pay less. So until my possums figure out how to contribute to the household budget, I see tinned two-fruits on their horizon. Indefinitely.*

It's been a troubled week in many places around the world. And while offering up flowers seems hopelessly inadequate, perhaps these pretty blooms in a Paris flower shop can go some way towards helping to count our blessings. To triple your smile value, pop over and gaze at the source of inspiration of my illustration today. Bisous and thanks to dear Virginia of Paris Through My Lens. Let's loiter and inhale. Exhale. Inhale... And on that note ~

Happy Francophile Friday Fleurish to you.

* Seriously, I will invest in local bananas as they become available again. A small price to pay to support these farmers as they get back on their feet again. My heart goes out to all those affected by Cyclone Yasi. The RSPCA in Townsville was damaged, only weeks after the Fairfield refuge here in Brisbane was badly flooded. And they will have much to do saving companion animals and wildlife in the wake of Yasi. You can donate to the RSPCA here. Thank you.

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